Equality
"all men are created equal”
We’re familiar with Jefferson’s line from the Declaration of Independence. But, is it something given lip service to or a cornerstone of our belief?
Jefferson’s point is that the playing fields of society should be level enough for us all to participate in games that are essentially fair.
The Occupy Wall Street movement calls attention to the 1 percent who control 40 percent of our wealth, and a rigged political system that protects their interests. The other 99 percent include not just the unemployed, the marginal and the ill but the whole middle class.
The old privileges were held in place by largely unconscious convictions that the inequalities were non-negotiable. That is, they were wrong and disturbing, but they could not be challenged.
Several powerful psychological reasons stood in the way.
People tend to protect themselves from failure by not trying to do what they believe they can’t accomplish. Don’t make a fool of yourself.
They are afraid of feelings of hopelessness, especially if their anger ends up making them feel even more impotent.
Finally, they fear destabilizing the accommodations they have made with their own communities. It’s hard to go out on a limb in front of your neighbors.
Two common factors influence each movement, regardless of motivation and dynamic.
Globalization has linked our economies together, usually with grossly different costs and benefits. The financial crisis has spread economic pain around the world. The Euro crisis, the American recession, widespread unemployment and economic stagnation are making problems more and more apparent.
The second factor is with economic retrenchment has come a significant loss of opportunity. With fewer ways out for individuals, more are feeling trapped in a system that is no longer working.
So the ground is shifting. The rumblings from our growing economic inequality can no longer be suppressed. We can’t know for sure how this surge of protests will end. But, perhaps, where there was hopelessness and rage, some form of hope will emerge.
Psychology Today
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