Confronting Inequality - Essay Example

Throughout the years, inequality has continued to affect income, class, and education. Many individuals have encountered situations of inequality or have seen others experiencing inequality. It is, however, the right of every individual to be treated equally regardless of how much income they generate or how they live their lives. In the present world, we still face many challenges when it comes to inequality and what is even more alarming is the failure to recognize and respond to various inequalities appropriately. Paul Krugman in his article identifies and informs the readers about the various issues to do with inequalities that affect our democracy and the society in general. He says there need to recognize the importance of having an equal distribution of income especially basing on the lack of economic progress experienced by the middle and low-income earners. I agree with the statements made by Paul Krugman that we should care about the rising and already high level of inequality. Furthermore, people have different perception regarding how success is achieved, and it is possible sometimes to inequalities when valuing success. These assumptions will then determine how we counter various challenges such as inequalities that continue to rise each day. This paper will explain why I agree with the position that Paul Krugman takes regarding assumptions and inequalities that exists in our society in the process giving examples from the real world.

Paul Krugmans article "Confronting Inequality" examines the issue of inequality in American and offers solutions on how it can be eradicated. He illustrates why and how the large wage differences between the poor and the wealthy is a problem. The today's American middle class is overextending itself to provide for its families, which include purchasing homes, which it can afford and taking children to expensive schools. Krugman articulates that it is necessary for Americans to start being concerned about the increasing rate of inequality. He states, One reason to care about inequality is the straight forward matter of living standards. The lack of clear economic progress for lower and middle-income families is in itself an important reason to seek an equal distribution of income" (322). This inequality in income within the society is a factor that affects many, but it continues to be ignored.

In Paul Krugmans text, he emphasizes the need for government involvement to help with the plan to decrease the gap between the incomes of middle-class families and wealthier families. He tends to describe and state the financials of the past years and compare them to the present to see what may have caused the gap to increase so much over the years. The current economic model of America does not serve the interests of the middle class and only benefit the wealthy at the top.

Additionally, the government interventions after the great recession have not focused on investing in middle class rather than on the few rich. For a society to prosper and grow to its desired levels, good governance is required, and therefore politics is vital to the progress of human beings no matter how we dislike it (King 121). Good governance will ensure that there are proper policies to close the gap that results in inequality.

Krugmans essay refreshingly explores social inequality as he seeks to identify the prominence of disparity in the society while seeking solutions that might help alleviate the issue. One of the most interesting observations that I drew from Krugmans views is that social inequality can only be countered through the attainment of income equality (589). However, while income inequality would be the easiest path towards equality, Krugman further recognizes that the rich, who are also the powerful, control income distribution and the politics that are necessary for legislation. Personally, I feel that in the American society today, the high class controls the middle and lower classes through the power that they exert in the government and other crucial social institutions. Unfortunately, despite the hard work and struggle that the middle class put in their work, they are only forced to live in debt as they make ends meet and raise their children.

For many years, Inequality has managed to influence our society's class and the economy. Individuals can identify with situations of going up against inequalities. I believe that everyone ought to be equivalent regardless of how they live or the amount of cash they make. As years and time pass, the inequality still exists and most likely more grounded than at any other time. In the united states and world in general, there are many issues as an outcome of imbalance that makes it difficult to face, and several individuals have more contradictions. In this manner, issues of income between individuals and economy among classes are more terrible to stand up to these problems.

As inequality continues to strike the country, more and more challenges face us regarding development. The disparity created has led to many Americans wondering where the American dream went. The equal opportunities for all, but different results has become according to Krugman a false idea. It is rightly so! Americans today do not look at having expensive cars and living in expensive neighborhoods (as they used to), they are looking at attaining a stable life where the education of their children is assured and where they can maintain their jobs.

According to Brandon King, the new American dream requires that Americans to use their potentials or capabilities to eke an honest livelihood and save for the future through hard work. In other words, the American dream has become tamed, based on current state of affairs (King 121).The economic divide between have-nots and the rich Americans have created disparities in opportunities too. The united state of equality of opportunity for all has become America of skewed opportunities to the rich. According to Krugman, it is close truth America of today is based more on where and how you were born," meaning that those who come from rich families have better chances of achieving the American dream than those from poor neighborhoods. In other words, those born from high class have a higher chance of success than those born in the lower class.

On the other hand, not everybody will agree with Krugmans ideas and thoughts about inequalities. Some suggest that the various challenges such as social class and wealth inequalities are brought about by factors such as lack of proper education more specifically university education. Furthermore, some say the much of the evidence that Krugman does provide is based largely on opinion and polluted by logical fallacies such as hasty generalizations, bandwagon, and polarization which damages his ethos in this article. However, no matter how much inaccurate Krugman is, he still presents valid and factual points of inequalities that are present in the entire United States.

However, just as Krugman recognizes, the society can secure a better and brighter future for underprivileged through the undoing of several tax cuts that the wealthy enjoy as well as fixing most of the "loopholes in the US system" (595). This kind of actions promise to correct the high levels of social inequality, as the middle class will be more empowered. I agree with Krugman as I feel that if the rich are taxed, the lower classes will secure better income and this would raise their collective ability to meet the ever-rising costs of daily life.

Work cited

King, Brandon. "The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?." They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: With Readings (2011).

Krugman, Paul. "Confronting Inequality." Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkensten and Russel Drust. They Say/I Say E 3 (2007): 561-580.