Social Inequality is referring to the social hierarchy,
which occurs in any large civilization. Economic inequality, on the other hand,
refers to the inequality of those with and without capital. In order for a
large civilization to function, there is a necessity for certain people to be
beneath others. In a capitalistic economy, the “lesser people” are the driving
work force of our industries and wide scaled endeavors. This idea can easily be
exemplified through any historical time period, which I will document
throughout America’s history.
In order for the United States to have been as prosperous as
it was, it was necessary to enslave and exploit people as an unpaid labor force
for our economy. From 1620 to 1865 over three million slaves were imported into
the United States. The colonies that had the most specialization in production
of goods, such as sugar and coffee, relied most on slaves and, consequentially,
had the highest per capita (including slaves) income in the New World. However, the slaves did not accrue
wages or receive rights, providing free labor to those who purchased them while
receiving just enough resources to live. The fact that slaves were
unequal to their captors allowed for their exploitation, whose labor of
cultivating tobacco and cotton was the economic backbone of our country.
Although contemporary American society lacks
enslaved people, the displacement and mistreatment of African Americans has led
to an extremely large part of their population living in poverty, or under the
line of poverty. According to a population study conducted in the 1990’s in
Mobile, Alabama, the 13 most impoverished cities contained inhabitants who were
95% African American. It is this social inequality of the African Americans and
other inhabitants of the United States, which allows widespread
industrialization and corporations to continue running smoothly. Without inner
city communities spawning a generation of children unmotivated by education and
tormented by their surroundings, we would never have such a large workforce
willing to work at minimum wage and hold such menial jobs. Without the
abundance of socially and economic unequal peoples, our corporations would lack
the workforce to run at their basic levels.
Social
and economic inequality as well as its counterpart “racism” has been a topic of
debate for over a century, yet it is impossible to rid of. Without social and
economic inequality, Apple would not have a cheap supply of copper wire from
Africa for their computers, we would not have unregulated labor in China to
build railroads and fuel the production for major corporations, we would not
have the pyramids of Egypt nor the Great Wall of China, and we would not have
nearly as large scaled of an economy as we do today. In order to fight social
inequality, it is necessary to discontinue a life of living in excess, one of
which contemporary society is already so accustomed to.
It is often said that “those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it.” Social
inequality manifests itself in every past society, every present society, and
will undoubtedly manifest itself in the societies of the future. Without
societal inequality, advancement in humanity becomes impossible. Inequality is
natural and inevitable, as the earth itself much possess a north and south pole
in order to support human life; just like there is no darkness without light
nor is there any good without evil, there is no (poor without the rich).
