On the rich, poor, and middle classes...
My goal as a centrist is to encourage a society which will be committed to the most important ideal expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the ideal which the USA was founded on, that everyone is created equal. There are many ideologies which claim to hold this ideal important, but most fall short. In my ideal society, people of all genders, races, creeds, economic classes, sexual orientations, or lifestyle choices would have equal say in the governing of the nation. Every person of an age to make responsible decisions would have the option to be a participant in the political discussion and would have some sway regarding the nation’s policies.
Throughout our nation’s history, this has never truly been the case. There have always been some groups who’ve had more sway than others, and the systems in place now represent limited groups of people, and their promises carry weight only for some citizens. This is what has led to the divisions in the USA more than anything else. Everyone wants their piece of the pie, and they see either the right or the left as the only option for them to be granted this portion of political power. The other side, therefore, is the enemy in their eyes. For now, I’ll focus on perhaps the biggest rift. This is the rift between the wealthy and the poor, with the middle classes often stuck in between these two opposing sides with little or no real political representation.
Policies that favor the rich at the expense of the poor tend to have a lasting demoralizing and destabilizing effect on society, and those in power tend to be wealthy or representatives of the interests of those who are wealthy, so this tends to be where things are, and it is definitely where things are now. This has led to the Occupy Wall Street movement and similar outcries from the left, but it has also helped push the alt-right and xenophobic movements of the right to the forefront. People are looking for someone to blame for their plight, and opportunistic politicians are more than happy to provide these “enemies.” I propose that the true enemies we need to unite against are the politicians themselves, those from both the right and the left. We need to stop supporting policies that divide us and start finding ways that all people can work together for the betterment of society, and that means poor, middle class, and wealthy people all working together and finding ways to compromise with one another for the betterment of all.
There are some who say that in order to change this nation’s history of the wealthy preying on the poor, the only solution would be for the workers to rise up and revolt, or for the working classes and their allies to hijack the power from the rich and then pursue their own interests. I argue that this would only flip the balance in favor of the poor, while it would marginalize the wealthy and the middle classes. It would also have a devastating effect on modern society. I picture a future where all humans would benefit from the work of machines. The most mundane, strenuous work would no longer need to be done by humans and this would benefit everyone across the spectrum, because since none of us would have to do backbreaking physical labor any longer, we would all have the benefit of being able to pursue work that is less strenuous on our bodies and more rewarding for our minds. To push a society that pulls us backwards and jeopardizes this future is to force humanity into torture. And for what? To legitimize some personal ideals? This is not a path to equality.
I’m not putting down those who do strenuous physical labor. The working classes of our nation have been the backbone of our society throughout history. They deserve more than they’ve been getting. We need policies that will look out for the needs of working class families. But to push for their benefit above all others, even if they do make up a greater portion of our nation’s workforce, would be detrimental to both our society as a whole and to them. Upsetting the balance in either direction would not be the ideal solution. It ultimately hurts everyone. I support labor unions. I support policies that reign in corporate power and the power of big businesses. What I don’t support is a system that would tear town the bastions of progress to pull us all into a communal prison of perpetual hard labor. Not when we can build a society where no one would have to do hard labor and all could benefit from the work of machines and technology. We need to help people find their place in this new society as it changes, though. We need to assist those who become marginalized and help them learn the skills they need to thrive. We also may need to do what we can to see that their needs are met during the transition, which has already begun. We don’t want anyone in our society to become marginalized, but at the same time, we don’t want to bring human progress to a screeching halt. We want society to continue to progress, and we want everyone across the board to benefit from this progress.
Let’s work to make a better world for everyone, not just one group. Let’s find the best policies that will work for the wealthy, the poor, and the middle classes, and for all people within these groups. This, I believe should be the goal of anyone who is serious about fixing the problems in our society.
