There is a prejudice in the world today that is not quite like some of the more obviously egregious and destructive prejudices based upon race and other personal physical characteristics that have rightfully been the subject of civil rights struggles. But it is a prejudice nonetheless. And, as a prejudice, it is still destructive to a rational and well run society. And I think it comes from deep seated historical societal feelings regarding oppression that has often resulted from an imbalance of power.
I think it’s because the castle on the hill has been, throughout long ages of our past, the visible, physical sign and center of power. The man in that castle has always been the singular wielder of power over the lives of the people who live at the bottom of the hill. He was the lord of the realm, the sovereign over the principality, the king, or the emperor. And he has had exclusive command of the power to send the people off to war, to restrict their comings and goings, and to regulate the various activities of their lives.
He is the ruler. And the people are his subjects, which means they are subject to the vagaries of his whim.
Old feelings regarding these things run deep and live on in our modern society. But should they?
These feelings are left over from a time when economics may have seemed to be a zero sum game.
But if economics ever was a zero sum game, modern economics certainly is not. Because more and more wealth is created every day.
THIS IS A STUB ARTICLE WHICH WILL EXPAND ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:
The term “progressive” refers to progress away from the old order of things, supposedly for the purpose of fixing past wrongs. A democratic republic is inherently progressive to a certain extent because the people are free to elect rulers who are enabled to make changes. But, with wrong ideas, it is very easy to make “progress” in the wrong direction.
We have made significant progress away from the Old Order of the historical way of doing things in what we term the “Old World.” The current order is not the Old Order.
The power in society is no longer invested in the singular man in the visible “castle on the hill.”
Concentration of wealth:
Concentration of wealth, per se, does not abuse of power. People abuse power. A union boss, a voting bloc in a legislature, or the members of any collective are just as capable of abusing power is as any particular wealthy person. And people who have wealth are not necessarily stereotypical evil maniacs with world domination agendas like Hollywood sometimes wants you to believe.
Concentration of wealth does not even necessarily mean the use of power that affects anyone else at all.
Concentration of wealth does not necessarily take that wealth out of productivity.
I’ve asked this question to maybe a couple dozen “progressives” and have yet to receive even an attempt at an answer: In what way does the fact that Bill Gates has a humongous house somewhere around Seattle, Washington affect me in the least?
He paid people to build it.
He earned the money legitimately. He didn’t extort anyone to get it. (No, creating a product that is exceedingly dominant in the industry is not extortion.)
And he’s using a large portion of his wealth to find solutions to starvation in Africa for gawdsakes. And he’s probably doing it more efficiently than any government would know how. Because business people know how to manage resources.
He’s not the only one. Look at Elon Musk. Look at Jeff Bezos. Look at the guy who owns Virgin Airlines (and Virgin Galactic) whose name I always forget. They are all putting their wealth into developing things. They are paying people to do it.
Wealth is not what it used to be in the Old World.
Millions of people are vastly more wealthy than even the most prosperous imperial tyrant of ancient times.
Include some pics of various middle class and upper middle class houses here.