Thomas Paine's Wealth Inequality In America

Thomas Paine: the man who helped inspire a revolution, the man who wrote controversial pamphlets and rousing songs that kept soldiers fighting, the man who was once one of the greatest supporters of human rights, held in his heart the belief that the American government system was so flawlessly formed that there were no causes for discord. While Thomas Paine’s ideal may certainly have been correct in 1791, it no longer is. The American government system, and those who make it, are compromised. They are being traded, sold, and most importantly bought, by those who have the means to do so; creating a system where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and where privilege is defined as being white and male. Theses issues are inarguably cause
With nearly 99% of America’s wealth going to the top 1% (or estimated to be by 2016), how can there be even the slightest argument for a peaceful nation where all are intermingled in a way that creates equality? The proven statistic of America’s wealth distribution is not equal to any other developed country of the same stature. There’s even more proof and evidence for the “So clear it shouldn’t have to be proven“ wealth inequality in America. Using a scale called the Gini coefficient to calculate wealth inequality the results were (not exactly) surprising, “[The Gini coefficient is] a measure of inequality in which 0 is perfect equality and 100 perfect inequality. It found that the U.S. had the greatest wealth inequality, with a score of 80.56” (Sherman). A nation with a significant divide such as wealth inequality - and thus the lack of the wealth going to the majority- cannot possibly be perfect, just, or
Disregarding the mass produced opinions, most media frequently portrays an image of white male supremacy, or in other words degrade and misrepresent people of color (POC) and those who simply are not male. A study in gender and racial makeup in major motion pictures through NPR tells the truth, showing that only 25% of the major leads in the top 100 films in 2015 were female. After this they move on to race, revealing an even greater surprise, “Ethnic minorities, who make up nearly 40% of the U.S population, received only 17 percent of the lead roles in theatrical films” (NPR staff). Women, who make up slightly over 50% of the US’s population should not be being represented half that amount, same goes for POC. Both these statistics disregard the manner in which they are portrayed-a whole other discussion all together. Perhaps if the greatest outlet available to all Americans was accurate this would prove Thomas Paine’s point, unfortunately it is the exact opposite. While equality within movies or television shows might not seem a fair measurement for how well the U.S handles its mass diversity, it most definitely is. Media sources, such as news stations, social networking sites, and more, take opinions and mold them like clay, creating charming and