one of the many accomplishments of our pals in the conservative media apparatus is a construction of being-wealthy that has nothing to do with reality.
to wit:
Quote:
Americans Vastly Underestimate Wealth Inequality, Support 'More Equal Distribution Of Wealth': Study
Americans vastly underestimate the degree of wealth inequality in America, and we believe that the distribution should be far more equitable than it actually is, according to a new study.
Or, as the study's authors put it: "All demographic groups -- even those not usually associated with wealth redistribution such as Republicans and the wealthy -- desired a more equal distribution of wealth than the status quo."
The report (pdf) "Building a Better America -- One Wealth Quintile At A Time" by Dan Ariely of Duke University and Michael I. Norton of Harvard Business School (hat tip to Paul Kedrosky), shows that across ideological, economic and gender groups, Americans thought the richest 20 percent of our society controlled about 59 percent of the wealth, while the real number is closer to 84 percent.
More interesting than that, the report says, is that the respondents (a randomly selected 5,522-person sample, reflecting the country's ideological, economic and gender demographics, surveyed in December 2005) believed the top 20 percent should own only 32 percent of the wealth. Respondents with incomes over $100,000 per year had similar answers to those making less than $50,000. (The report has helpful, multi-colored charts.)
The respondents were presented with unlabeled pie charts representing the wealth distributions of the U.S., where the richest 20 percent controlled about 84 percent of wealth, and Sweden, where the top 20 percent only controlled 36 percent of wealth. Without knowing which country they were picking, 92 percent of respondents said they'd rather live in a country with Sweden's wealth distribution.
As the new Forbes billionaires list, released Wednesday, testifies, the richest Americans are getting richer, even as the country as a whole gets poorer. After 2005 income inequality continued to balloon.
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Americans Vastly Underestimate Wealth Inequality, Support 'More Equal Distribution Of Wealth': Study
check out the report that's cited.
one conclusion is that for conservatives, "the wealthy" is an empty category that stands in for their own material ambitions. "the wealthy" then is just themselves, but tweaked a little. a projection of the super-ego, in freudian terms. and depending on the sector depending on the geography, there is some of this mobility, this self-made millionaire thing.
but overwhelmingly, the success that america rewards is the success of being born into a situation of inheriting money. but populist conservatives wouldn't find much to identify with about that. but look at the people who bankroll the ultra right. inherited money across the board...
i gotta go.