Equity Vs. Equality

Continued from the last post.

So how do find the best poker players?

The capitalist mindset would have you believe that if there is a big enough carrot being dangled out there that the cream will naturally rise to the top to nab it. The idea being that individuals in society will follow Darwin’s model and climb our cultures evolutionary ladder and thrive if and only if they are the fittest.

But there are a couple of things wrong with this notion.

First of all, consider the human quality that is absolutely necessary for a person to achieve a lofty position in our capitalistic ecosystem. Is it kindness? No. Is it compassion? Hardly. Is it generosity? Please, spare me. A person who reaches the highest of the trophic levels of our economic system may not be devoid of these qualities, but these are not the qualities that got them there.

Greed got them there. The wish to have more. The desire that puts an individual’s needs and self-worth above all others. The driving force that propels a person up the economic food chain, clawing and clambering over the backs of others who are also fighting their way to the top. I’m not talking about people who become doctors and lawyers and such in order to achieve a comfortable living for themselves. I’m talking about the 2% of the population that controls 95% of the wealth.

Do we really want to live in a society/culture/economy that is built on a negative human quality? I know I don’t.

Besides, it is a flawed notion to begin with.

Evolution propelled dinosaurs to the top of the ladder, where they stayed for millions of years. Mammals lived along side of the dinosaur but could not flourish because of the oppression of the dominant species. It was not until a cataclysmic event killed off all of the dinosaurs that the lesser species, mammals, could thrive and reach their greater potential.

To be continued...