We’ve all heard it. That damned One Percent. If only they would share their wealth! If only the One Percent would pay their fair share! How dare the One Percent take away from me and mine!
The outrage is real, but what’s behind it?
The short answer is, greed. It’s more than that, though. There’s a sense of entitlement we build up for various reasons, and we, as Americans, have certain expectations. Someone, somewhere, told us that we deserve to own a house by the time we’re 30. Someone said that we ought to have a car by age 25. Someone implied that we should be able to afford lavish vacations by age 50. The list goes on.
This elusive “someone” goes right back to the media, in my very strong opinion. Television shows and movies highlight the people who are exceptions to all the rules. That’s just film, after all. None of us are interested in seeing boring stuff on tv, right? You go to television (and books and such) to read about the extraordinary, the strange, the unusual. But when it’s force fed to us on a regular basis, it can seem like each of us, ALL of us, should have those things.
The bottom line is, not all of us can afford to own our own homes. Not everyone can afford a car. Not everyone can afford to have one parent stay home and watch the kids. Not everyone can afford expensive medical care. It is (in some cases) a sad state of affairs, but it is the way of the world.
The basic status of human beings is poverty. While we’re working on “extreme poverty” around the world (defined as not having the basic human needs of water, shelter, food met), basically about half the world population lives in poverty. It should be noted, however, that 90% of those who live in the worst poverty tend to live in African and Asian countries (World Poverty Statistics 2024 | Social Income. https://socialincome.org/en/int. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.). In America, we consider a person to be living in poverty if they’re bringing home (before taxes) $14,580 a year (or roughly $40 per day). Elsewhere in the world, “poverty” is defined as bringing home less than about $7 a day (“Overview.” World Bank, https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.).
The number of Americans living below the poverty line, as of January 2023 is about 11% (“The 2023 Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Reports: Strong Household Income Gains, Lower Official Poverty, Uninsured Rate near Record Low | CEA.” The White House, 10 Sept. 2024, https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2024/09/10/the-2023-income-poverty-and-health-insurance-reports-strong-household-income-gains-lower-official-poverty-uninsured-rate-near-record-low/.). That number has been steadily decreasing since we started tracking it in the 1960s, when it was just shy of the 25% mark (Bureau, US Census. “National Poverty in America Awareness Month: January 2024.” Census.Gov, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/poverty-awareness-month.html. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.). In America, if you live near or below the poverty line, you get access to certain types of help, like SNAP and Medicaid. The vast majority of Americans (over 99%) have access to running water, modern conveniences like toilets and showers, and can attend school.
When I talk about the One Percent, I am not talking about a few millionaires or billionaires living in Beverly Hills. There are so few of them that they don’t even become a blip on my radar. The One Percent I want to talk about is us. All of us. Americans. WE ARE THE ONE PERCENT. Every last stinking one of us.
Apparently there are some 1.5 million Americans without access to clean, running water… but about half of those could move (meaning they have the ability and/or the government would help them) if they desired. And that’s just the ones we’ve counted. There are people who choose to live in the wild, and they are counted in with that 1.5 mil (“Where Americans Lack Running Water, Mapped.” Bloomberg.Com, 6 Aug. 2019. www.bloomberg.com, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-06/where-americans-lack-running-water-mapped.).
We don’t see American babies with swollen bellies, covered with flies. If we do, someone’s getting arrested, and those babies are going to be cared for. Our offspring are not dying of preventable diseases (both diseases like polio, measles, and mumps… and bacterial infections in stagnant water, roundworms, and that kind of thing). We have a terrible maternal and fetal death issue, but that is much to do with how we report such things, and less to do with how well we take care of our mothers and babies. More than 99% of Americans has access to enough food, water, and shelter. When they don’t, our government really does try to help (even if they’re kind of crappy at it sometimes).
Next time you’re feeling out of sorts because you can’t afford something you want, consider the idea that the majority of human beings out there, outside of America, are feeling out of sorts because they can’t afford something they need.
I know, especially around Christmas and birthdays, I often feel inadequate. I want to buy cool stuff for my kids. I want a new laptop. I wish hubby had a nicer car. I’d love to have the money to replace our kitchen cabinets, and the buckling floor in my bathroom. But I have to remind myself how much I do have.
I have a roof over my head. I have my health, and when something goes wrong, I have doctors who can help me. I have enough food that I’m fat. I have warm clothing, even if it isn’t the latest style or brand new. I have shoes on my feet. I have a comfortable bed, and lots of warm blankets. I have doors that lock, if I need to, and I live in a neighborhood where I don’t usually lock the doors. My family has enough vehicles that we can get where we need to most of the time without conflicts. I have internet access in my home. I have entertainment piped in, and I can access it whenever I want.
More importantly, I have the right to speak my mind freely, without government interference. I have the right to protect myself and my belongings. I don’t have to open my door to anyone who isn’t warranted to come in. I have more rights, and my government has more restrictions, than anywhere else in the world.
If you remember anything else today, remember that. You are the One Percent. You are the wealthy. If you’re reading this, you’re wealthy.
Comments
5 responses to “The One Percent”
The vast majority of Americans don’t appreciate what they have. They are “entitled”.
media and various “social media” platforms are jealousy machines. Envy is rampant. and define “poverty”. many in this country “living in poverty” don’t work a job. they are on some kind of gubmint program. many have more than one car, big screen tvs , rent assistance and $100 manicures. people need to stop obsessing over what the other guy has. any “statistics” in media I am automatically suspicious of, just my nature. what America should really worry about is what politicians are doing to fleece We the People
” If only they would share their wealth!”
Rich is one thing.
Wealth is another.
There is a finite amount of money (units of currency) in the USA, or on the planet for that matter. There are only so many Euros in circulation. If I have more of them in my wallet, someone has less.
There is an infinite amount of wealth.
Now, the dictionary definition of rich and wealthy seem to be about the same, but in practical terms:
1. Rich is the number of units of currency you are in control of.
2. Wealth is what you do with it.
My sub $100 watch tells time accurately enough to get me to appointments, just like that rich guy’s $40K Rolex. My 30 year old beater lets me run my errands and gets me to work, just like that guys luxury European sedan. Etc… etc… etc..
Even the poorest among us (well, among most 1st and 2nd world nations) are incredibly wealthy, even if they are not particularly rich. If you have clean water flowing through your pipes, and the lights turn on reliably, you are among the wealthiest humans to have ever lived.
But… that does not serve the power hungry.
They want a return to the times when wealth was a factor of how much land you had control of. More land, more wealth, more luxury. Land is a finite quantity. There is only so much of it available, and unfortunately, too much of it is spread around among private individuals.
Which leads to socialism/communism. One thing those two systems have in common is they change the currency of wealth from money to political influence. Money became basically infinite when countries moved to fiat currency. But, political influence… talk about something that is not only finite, but also easily controlled.
(And, now the point of all of this…)
The media, social and otherwise, is a platform that the power hungry will use to manipulate the average person who just does not understand. Manipulate the greed factor of humans, and they will give you the power you want, because of emotion driven reasons.
Obama famously said that people who have should perhaps have a bit less, so that others can have more. (not an exact quote). That resonated with the average voter. I can still remember the Obama phone woman. It works. And, it continues to work.
“…outside of America, are feeling out of sorts because they can’t afford something they need.”
And, if the power hungry politicians and those who support them keep up with the “the 1% do not pay their fair share.” crap, that will be the US in a few decades.
how much of what obammy has has he given away?? too much land is in “private hands”. what dies that mean??
todays low information voters want what others have without having to work for it. you want “more”?? WORK for it.obammys “equality programs” were to make everyone EXCEPT the one percent equally POOR.
Too much land in private hands means that they days of Lords ruling over massive estates is over. Obtaining the land is prohibitively difficult. Other means of “lording” over the serfs must be found. And, political influence is that non-fungible method.
And, yes. Those that push equity (meaning everyone gets the same, regardless of effort) seem to have difficulty participating in that scheme themselves.