Kelly1

MaryKatherineKelly
ProfessorBolton
English101
27October2014
AmericasEconomicInequality:TheRichvs.TheRest
Whilemanywouldratherpretendthatitisnothappeningtoday,thereisaneartyrannicalgroup
controllingthedistributionofwealthinAmerica:therich.ThisiswhatJosephE.Stiglitzclaimsinhistext
Ofthe1%,bythe1%,forthe1%.StiglitzarguesthattherichestpeopleinAmerica,thetopone
percent,arecausingeconomicinequalityinAmericatoday.Heoffersseveralreasonswhichincludethe
following:technologicaladvancementsresultinadeclineofopportunity,thetoponepercentwantthe
inequality,therichcausecorruptionwithinthegovernment,therichareapathetic,andtherichare
possessedwithselfinterest.IamoftwomindsaboutStiglitz'sclaimthattherichclassiscausingunfair
inequalityinAmericatodayontheonehand,Iagreethatthedivisionofincomeandwealthisunequal,
butontheotherhand,Iamnotconvincedthatthesplitbetweenthetwoisnecessarilyunfair.
IndefenseofStiglitzsargument,IagreethatthedivisionofincomeandwealthinAmericais
unequal.InStiglitzstexthemakestheclaim,wearenotusingsomeofourmostvaluableassetsour
people(747).Today,withincreasedtechnologicaladvancements,weoftenbecomedependenton
machineryratherthanpeople.Whileusingthetechnologywehaveisnotwrong,Americansshould
learntobalancetheuseoftechnologyandhumanresourcesinordertopreventafurtherdecreaseinjob
opportunityforAmericans.Laborsavingtechnology,whileoftenveryhelpful,reducesthedemandfor
manydecentmiddleclassjobsfurtheringAmericasunequaldistributionofincome.Thisjustmeans
thatwithtodayseconomy,mostpeoplewillneedtoworkhardertogetdecentjobs.ThoughIagree

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withStiglitzthatthereisunequaldistributionofwealthwithinAmerica,Ialsobelievethatasegmentofit
couldbepreventedwithharderwork.
Additionally,IcanalsoagreewithStiglitzbecauseIhavepersonallyseenasegmentofthe
unequaldivisionofwealthwithinAmerica.IhavebeentoseveralareaswithintheUnitedStatesand
haveseenformyselfthatnoteveryonelivesluxuriouslives.Forexample,thispastsummerIwentona
missiontriptoDayton,OhioacityconsistinglargelyofrefugeesfrompartsofAfrica.Whilethere,I
wasexposedtosomeoftheharsherlifestylesofmanypeopleinAmericasmiddleandlowerclasses.
ComparedwiththepeoplelivinginDayton,manypeoplewholiveinplacessuchasGeorgetown
Countylivecomfortablelives.InthepartofDaytonthatwevisited,themajorityoflocalsliveinrun
downhousesinneighborhoodsinwhichalmosteveryotherhousehasbeencondemned.Contrarily,
veryfewpeopleinGeorgetownCountyliveinsuchplacesasthoseinDayton.So,frompersonal
experience,Iknow,andamabletoagreewithStiglitz,thatthesplitofwealthandincomeisnotequalin
America.
WhileIagreewithStiglitzthatAmericaswealthhasbeenunequallydivided,Idisagreewith
Stiglitzsclaimthatthisdivisionisunfair.IntheveryfirstsentenceofhistextStiglitzstates,Itsnouse
pretendingthatwhathasobviouslyhappenedhasnotinfacthappened(746).Stiglitzseemstoassume
thatallAmericansagreewith,yetdisregard,hisclaimthatAmericasinequalityhasgrownbecauseof
therich.Thiscouldbeconsideredafallacy.Thefirstsentenceofhistextalsoseemstoimplythatthe
richhave,forafact,causedgreatereconomicinequalityinAmerica.Assupporttothisimplication,
Stiglitzassumesthateveryonerealizestheproblem,butissimplypretendingthatitdoesnotexist.In
anotherofStiglitzsarguments,herefutestheclaimthatwhatmatters...isnothowthepieisdivided
butthesizeofthepie(747).Thisclaimmaynotapplyinallsituationshowever,itshouldnotbe

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completelydisregarded.Ifasocietyisverypoor,andthepeoplethatgetthemajorityofthepieare
stillnotlivingcomfortably,thenthisclaimisunfair.Onthecontrary,ifasocietyisextremelywealthy,
andeventhosewhoreceiveonlyacomparativelysmallamountofthepielivecomfortably,thenthis
statementiscertifiable.America,whilenotextremelywealthy,shouldbecategorizedasa
predominantlywealthynation.ThisisonereasonthatIdisagreewithStiglitzthatthedivisionofwealth
andincomewithinAmericaisunfair.
Stiglitzriskshiscredibilityinseveralofhisstatementsbyoverusingpathostoarouseangerinthe
readers.Inhisassertion,Americahasallowedinequalitytogrow(746),StiglitzimpliesthatAmerica
hasturnedablindeyetotheproblemofinequalityanddonenothingtoimproveit.Thisisuntrue.While
economicinequalitymaystillbecontinuallygrowing,theAmericangovernmenthasmadeseveral
attemptstosolvetheproblem.Forexample,inanattempttolowerfoodcostsforfamilieswithlow
income,wehavefoodstamps.Asanotherexample,Obamacarewascreatedinanattempttoprovide
affordablehealthcareforAmericanswhoneedit.So,whenStiglitzdeclaresthatAmericahasallowed
theinequalitytogrow,heattemptstoarouseangerwithinthereadersandimplythatAmericahasdone
nothingtoimprovesuchinequality.Similarly,themarginalproductivitytheory(747)isanotherof
Stiglitzsattemptstoarousereadersanger.Thistheoryaffiliateshigherproductivityandagreater
contributiontosocietywithhigherincome.Stiglitzclaims,Itisatheorythathasalwaysbeencherished
bytherich(747).Stiglitzisimplyingthattherichusethistheoryasacrutchtomakethemseembetter
thanothers.StiglitzboldlyclaimsthatThemoredividedasocietybecomesintermsofwealth,the
morereluctantthewealthybecometospendmoneyoncommonneeds(748).Hetriestoreinforcethis
statementwiththeclaim,they[therich]becomemoredistantfromordinarypeople,losingwhatever
empathytheymayoncehavehad(748).First,thisstatementimpliesthatifwebecomewealthy,then

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wewillstopcaringforthosewithlessmoneythisissimplyanotherofStiglitzsassumptions.He
assumesthatbecausethericharewealthy,theyaredistantfromordinarypeople,andbecausethey
aredistant,theydonotcare.Stiglitzoffersnosolidevidencetosupportthisstatementbutonlyattempts
toarousereadersangertowardsthewealthy.YetanotherattempttoarousereadersangerisStiglitz
statement,partofthereasonwehavesomuchinequalityisthatthetop1percentwantitthatway
(748).Whenread,thistextcausesreadersespeciallyreaderswhobelongtothelowerclassto
resenttherich.Whiletheremaybetruthtothisstatement,itisnotfactualthatthetoponepercentin
AmericawanttheAmericaneconomytobeunequal.Thiswouldimplicatethattheywishedforeventual
failureoftheAmericangovernmentnotjustdesiredtoretaintheirpower.Therefore,Stiglitzrelies
tooheavilyonpathosthroughouthistext.
StiglitzalsousesimplicationsofcorruptionintheAmericangovernmenttosupporthisclaimthat
thedivisionofwealthandincomeisunfair.StiglitzclaimsthatVirtuallyallU.S.senators,andmostof
therepresentativesintheHouse,aremembersofthetop1percentwhentheyarrive,arekeptinoffice
bymoneyfromthetop1percent,andknowthatiftheyservethetop1percentwelltheywillbe
rewardedbythetop1percentwhentheyleaveoffice(750).Fromthisstatement,readerscaninfer
thatthemajorityofgovernmentofficialsareuntrustworthybecausetheyaremostconcernedwithpower
andwealth.Stiglitzismakingthisclaimupontheassumptionthatmostgovernmentofficialsareonlyin
officeforthepowerandwealththeygainfromtheposition.Whilethismaybethereasonthatmany
governmentofficialsareinoffice,itdoesnotapplytoall.Therefore,whileStiglitzsassumptionisan
educatedguess,itisjustthat:aguess.StiglitzusestheassumedcorruptionoftheAmericangovernment
asanotherfactortoprovetheunfairnessofAmericasdivisionofwealthandincome.

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Insum,IagreewithStiglitzthatthedivisionofincomeandwealthisunequal,butIdisagreewith
himwhenheclaimsthattheinequalitybetweenthetwoisunfair.WhileStiglitzmakesadebatableclaim,
overall,hereliestooheavilyonpathosandpersonalassumptionstosupporthisclaim.Americaneeds
herpeopletobetterstabilizetheunequaldivisionofwealthandformtheunityandequalitythatcould
ultimatelysavetheAmericaneconomy.

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WorksCited
Stiglitz,JosephE.Ofthe1%,bythe1%,forthe1%.TheNortonFieldGuidetoWritingwith
ReadingsandHandbook.3rded.Ed.MarilynMoller.NewYork:W.W.Norton&
Company,2013.746753.Print.