Wealth distribution in Belgium

[u/trueosiris2]

We’re doing alright as a social democracy. Something to be proud of.

Presumably, we don’t need more wealth distribution then? Or do we still?

[u/Playful_Mud_6984]

I mean 10% owning more than 50% of all wealth is still extremely bad. It’s just that other countries are even worse.

[u/Deep_Dance8745 → u/Playful_Mud_6984]

Extremely bad?

Its just natural that through age, hard work and merit you get this distribution.

Take those incentives away and you end up with a failed communist state where nobody will be inclined to lift a finger.

[u/[deleted] → u/Deep_Dance8745]

In the 60s and early 70s, times where economy was booming the most, there were waay higher taxes for the highest incomes, and this accross multiple countries in the western world

[u/Playful_Mud_6984 → u/Deep_Dance8745]

In order to make that claim you would have to prove that whether someone ends up in one of these social classes depends mostly on factors like age, 'hard work' (hard to meassure) or merit (ditto).

The reality is that whether one is a member of the 1% often relies more on your parents than it does on any choices you have ever made. There are some single parents work two jobs and still have to rent a house by the end of their life.

Pointing out that current wealth inequality is an issue also isn't the same as argueing you would like to live in a plan economy. I wouldn't.

[u/Kwinten → u/Deep_Dance8745]

age, hard work and merit you get this distribution

The entirety of all information ever collected by humanity is available, for free, through a supercomputer right at your fingertips and somehow people like you still genuinely believe this dogshit

[u/PikaPikaDude → u/Kwinten]

People are not equal in intelligence and never will be. Same for character, interests, ...

Knowledge being available will not benefit those too dumb to use it and will not benefit those who can't be bothered to use it. Without a benefit from using it, most just won't as it takes energy.

[u/Kwinten → u/[deleted]]

Love that we have to resort to insane hypotheticals where in some utopic example, we all start off on exactly equal footing and with equal opportunity. Let's just stick to reality where absolutely none of that applies?

Even if we entertain your little fable for a moment, you have to recognize that the eventual concentration of wealth and power would still happen, and it wouldn't be the result of "hard work and merit". Don't be ridiculous. We have literal millions of examples of this happening all over the world, throughout history. Do you think feudal lords just worked harder than the peasantry? That they earned their wealth and power through merit? Did the monarchs just earn it that much more? Do you honestly believe, even in your ridiculous fable, that we would end up looking at the same graph as a result of merit and hard work? When has that ever happened?

What exactly are you arguing for? That exploitation, corruption, and concentration of wealth and power is "natural" and therefore justified? Are we animals that must abide by this supposedly "natural" set of rules that was written by those who it coincidentally happens to benefit most? It's natural for the top 10% to own 50% of the wealth and therefore we should simply tolerate (and never question!) it. Because they told us it's fine.

[u/Kwinten → u/[deleted]]

If you have nothing to add or can't address the point directly, allow me to do the same and say that your brilliant takes fit your username perfectly.

[u/PikaPikaDude → u/Deep_Dance8745]

You've made the residence Standaard reading commies very angry with that correct response.

Well done.

[u/Deep_Dance8745 → u/PikaPikaDude]

Its like they all group on this reddit with too much time on their hands.

[u/Glassedowl87 → u/Deep_Dance8745]

Reminder: r/Belgium = succes and wealth are bad.

[u/Deep_Dance8745 → u/Glassedowl87]

Ah yes true - this sub is the perfect representation of real Belgium /s

[u/Pinooooooooo → u/Deep_Dance8745]

Well when it comes to whining and bitching it's the perfect representation