Wealth inequality risks triggering 'societal collapse' within next decade, report finds

[ecb@feddit.org]

It's hard to imagine, but modern inequality is actually very extreme in historical context

[bestboyfriendintheworld@sh.itjust.works]

That money is just somewhere else.

[canadaplus@lemmy.sdf.org]

From a quick skim, that's not actually what this says. It's about wealth tending to concentrate in historical societies until there's a catastrophe. The graph of estimated wealth inequality included takes an absolute nosedive in the 20th century before starting to climb back up a bit, and it's still shown way lower than in the bad old days.

Keep in mind that ancient societies, at their worst, were mostly slaves, with just enough free people to beat them into submission. (At their best, you get some merchant republics and loosely overseen peasant communities, but no actual democracies)

[harmsy@lemmy.world]

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[sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip]

And here's the latest recalibration, done in 2023, main difference is that pollution just uses co2 level instead of a complex aggregate of pollution metrics.

Your pictured 2004 model may be the BAU model in these charts, not 100% sure, but Recall23 is the latest one.

[rangerjosey@lemmy.ml]

That's an optimistic timeline.

At the current pace I'll give it till June.

[thatradomguy@lemmy.world]

So why don't we just eat the rich? Why can't we do the gamestop stock thing again at a bigger scale?

[sith@lemmy.zip]

For the US, my guess is: within the next 4 years. Inflation will be insane. Lets hope blue collar can organize and leverage the situation.

[sith@lemmy.zip]

I used to be pro UBI. Now I'm not so sure. The only resilient tool for increased equality is an organized work force that has real economic power. Workers on UBI has no real power and the UBI can be taken away anytime by those in power.

And if AI takes all jobs.. Well, lets cross that bridge when we get there. Maybe we simply have to hope for that crypto bro UBI solution. Qualia will be our last currency.

[sith@lemmy.zip]

It usually is. Its a high risk gamble that can lead to basically anyghing. And probably that anything will be bad for the poor. Reformism and organized labor is a safer path towards increased equality. But maybe that ship has sailed for the US...

[sith@lemmy.zip]

Unregulated capitalism in a nutshell.

[gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de]

An organized work force in the USA is wishful thinking. It could have happened any time in the last 150 years, it didn't. I don't see it happening now.

UBI is a temporary measure. While i agree with you, that it weakens the stance of the population, because they are dependent on welfare money, i'm still reasonably sure it's way better than literally dying by starving to death. Because that's what's otherwise gonna happen.

The only true solution i see is reducing the population size. Supply and demand. If the workforce is smaller, wages are going to go up. The ethical options to do this is by being against migration, and giving women the option to have fewer children. But yeah, you can't say that, or "leftists" will call you a racist, while Trumpeteers will call you a "baby-murderer". So, i guess the USA is stuck.