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American Wealth, Politics, and the Inevitable Cultural Shift.
Money is spurring one of the most significant cultural and political changes in our nation’s history.
Let’s begin with a gentle reminder that America — of course — is absolutely filthy rich.
In fact, we are the richest nation on the planet. Most of us wouldn’t know it by walking down the street though. American wealth, to most of us, is almost like an illusion. Why? Because we simply don’t see it on anything other than the TV or an Instagram story. But the real wealth of course, lies with people who would rather we didn’t even know their names. We are kept so intentionally distant from it, that it’s gained this sort of untouchable mystique. It’s hard to envision how any of that wealth is actually out there, let alone could ever work for us.
And that’s exactly how they want it.
By “they” I mean the very richest among us who happen to own more wealth than almost the entire middle and lower classes combined, and would rather we conveniently forgot they actually exist. I assume they’re not too happy that for the first time in decades, we’re really beginning to take notice.
Young people in particular are not only taking notice, we’re asking questions.