The United States hosts a beer and pizza party: another way to look at the growing wealth disparity in America
This is a guest post from a colleague, Randy Voller, the Mayor of Pittsboro.
Depending on which figures are cited, the top 1% of the wealthiest citizens of the United States of America control anywhere from 23% to 34% of the wealth.
In other words, if we had a beer and pizza party with a room full of 100 hungry and thirsty people, the first 23 slices would go to one person. The next 77 slices would be given to the other 99 people.
Now, if the slices were equally allocated, which they are not in our country, the 99 people would each get 0.78 or 78 percent of a slice. In effect, each remaining person has 3.4% of the relative wealth of the top 1%--who in this example is the person who has 23 slices of pizza.
The beer and pizza exercise is even funnier to imagine when the beer is distributed at the party. One person gets 23 pints of beer and the other 99 folks receive 77 pints of beer.
In effect the first person at the party gets 23 pints or the equivalent of 368 ounces of beer to drink and the remaining partygoers each get 78 percent of a pint or a shade over 12.4 ounces of beer a piece to drink.
No self respecting local house party would ever tolerate such brew inequity let alone pizza chicanery at its soirée.
Now if the slices of beer and the pints of brew are rationally consumed, the first person may consume two or three slices of pizza and quaff three beers at the party. The remaining 99 folks will devour their meager 0.78 allocation of a slice of pizza per person and drink their 12.4 ounces of beer. They will not be full.
Question: What happens to the remaining 20 slices of pizza and 20 pints of beer the first fella received? Where do they go?
Question: How does the party look and feel if it reflected the wealth distribution of America?
Answer: According to various sources, including the US Census Bureau, 10% of the US population controls 80% of its wealth. The other 90% of the US population controls the remaining 20% of its wealth.
Now imagine if we return to the mythical beer and pizza party under these circumstances and allocate accordingly, the first person receives 23 slices of pizza and 23 pints of beer. That fellow sits down and is immediately satiated. (It was a fine party for him indeed.)
The next nine folks will eat 57 slices of pizza and drink 57 pints of beer. They are also soon full as they equally divvy up 6.33 slices of pizza per person and each wash it all down with 6.33 pints of brew.
At this moment the rest of the beer and pizza party gets a bit anxious. Ninety folks remain and they suddenly realize that they have to distribute 20 slices of pizza and 20 pints of beer to the remaining ninety folks.
The group observes the other ten folks enjoying life and see them appearing to be satisfied with their relative abundance of pizza and suds. The remaining ninety folks wish they had been lucky enough to be among the first ten at the party and quietly vow to never be in the remaining group of ninety folks again. (Why didn’t their invitations give them this vital information regarding the party?)
They curse their fate and split up what’s left:
22.2% of the bounty--or slightly more than a fifth of a slice of pizza per person--and a miserly 3.56 ounces of beer--or about a Dixie cup of beer-- for each remaining person. A pretty grim picture. Was the party fun? The first ten folks would be full of pizza and beer and obviously good cheer; the last ninety folks would not be as happy nor as satisfied.
How would that situation be remedied at a party?
For more information please read:
Alternet.org class war article
A similar Slate article
Depending on which figures are cited, the top 1% of the wealthiest citizens of the United States of America control anywhere from 23% to 34% of the wealth.
In other words, if we had a beer and pizza party with a room full of 100 hungry and thirsty people, the first 23 slices would go to one person. The next 77 slices would be given to the other 99 people.
Now, if the slices were equally allocated, which they are not in our country, the 99 people would each get 0.78 or 78 percent of a slice. In effect, each remaining person has 3.4% of the relative wealth of the top 1%--who in this example is the person who has 23 slices of pizza.
The beer and pizza exercise is even funnier to imagine when the beer is distributed at the party. One person gets 23 pints of beer and the other 99 folks receive 77 pints of beer.
In effect the first person at the party gets 23 pints or the equivalent of 368 ounces of beer to drink and the remaining partygoers each get 78 percent of a pint or a shade over 12.4 ounces of beer a piece to drink.
No self respecting local house party would ever tolerate such brew inequity let alone pizza chicanery at its soirée.
Now if the slices of beer and the pints of brew are rationally consumed, the first person may consume two or three slices of pizza and quaff three beers at the party. The remaining 99 folks will devour their meager 0.78 allocation of a slice of pizza per person and drink their 12.4 ounces of beer. They will not be full.
Question: What happens to the remaining 20 slices of pizza and 20 pints of beer the first fella received? Where do they go?
Question: How does the party look and feel if it reflected the wealth distribution of America?
Answer: According to various sources, including the US Census Bureau, 10% of the US population controls 80% of its wealth. The other 90% of the US population controls the remaining 20% of its wealth.
Now imagine if we return to the mythical beer and pizza party under these circumstances and allocate accordingly, the first person receives 23 slices of pizza and 23 pints of beer. That fellow sits down and is immediately satiated. (It was a fine party for him indeed.)
The next nine folks will eat 57 slices of pizza and drink 57 pints of beer. They are also soon full as they equally divvy up 6.33 slices of pizza per person and each wash it all down with 6.33 pints of brew.
At this moment the rest of the beer and pizza party gets a bit anxious. Ninety folks remain and they suddenly realize that they have to distribute 20 slices of pizza and 20 pints of beer to the remaining ninety folks.
The group observes the other ten folks enjoying life and see them appearing to be satisfied with their relative abundance of pizza and suds. The remaining ninety folks wish they had been lucky enough to be among the first ten at the party and quietly vow to never be in the remaining group of ninety folks again. (Why didn’t their invitations give them this vital information regarding the party?)
They curse their fate and split up what’s left:
22.2% of the bounty--or slightly more than a fifth of a slice of pizza per person--and a miserly 3.56 ounces of beer--or about a Dixie cup of beer-- for each remaining person. A pretty grim picture. Was the party fun? The first ten folks would be full of pizza and beer and obviously good cheer; the last ninety folks would not be as happy nor as satisfied.
How would that situation be remedied at a party?
For more information please read:
Alternet.org class war article
A similar Slate article
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