This chart explains the findings of Michael Norton of Harvard Business School and behavioral economist Dan Ariely of Duke University (see his TED talk here on moral codes and economics) in a 2010 survey. They surveyed 5,522 Americans about their views on the country’s wealth distribution (BEFORE the Occupy Wall Street movement). It demonstrates how skewed the public’s view was, and how drastic measures need to be taken to reach that “ideal” distribution.
The public now knows that the American dream and class mobility may be just that – a dream – contrary to centuries of rhetoric. I would argue, that the Occupy movement isn’t helping the situation. It is making the public more aware, but not more informed. And this is an important distinction. The US has more wealth inequality than India, Australia, Canada or all of Europe. The land of the free isn’t quite Leading by Example…
But awareness is the first step towards progress… I have hope.
