Wealth inequality in America: beliefs, perceptions and reality.

[u/ProgressiveSpark]

What do Americans think good wealth distribution looks like; what they think actual American wealth inequality looks like; and what American wealth inequality actually is like.

[u/OldRedditorEditor]

(My opinion) As an ex-lower middle class borderline poor to now moderate middle class, I think poor-middle class people underestimate how many complex and high stakes decisions goes into earning and maintaining the top 20% or less spot. And conversely, I think upper middle class to the top 20% underestimate how much poor able bodied people are incentivized to not try or how much they even desire to try.

Speaking from my personal experience of dealing with both sides.

[u/cLax0n → u/OldRedditorEditor]

Can you tell us about some of those complex, high stakes decisions?

[u/J0hn-Stuart-Mill → u/cLax0n]

One things humans almost universally do is underestimate the expertise of others. It's much easier to just look down on them and assume everything is both easy, and that anyone could do it just as well.

[u/ap2patrick → u/cLax0n]

😂😂😂 The ones made by other people for a fraction of the pay.

[u/whatisthisgreenbugkc → u/cLax0n]

I'm not the OP, and I do not want to put words in the OP's mouth, but this is something that I hear a lot from people who are management consultants, compensated lawyers, bankers, and executives talk about how high-stakes their jobs are and how stressful, and to an extent, they are right; their jobs are indeed stressful, and they do make high-stakes decisions. But if they mess up, the loss is usually just financial. People rarely die if a corporate lawyer advises a case to settle for more than its worth or if a financial analyst misses an opportunity to buy an asset that skyrockets in value.

Compare this to jobs like nurses, firefighters, public defenders, and engineers, who work for a fraction of the pay. If they make a mistake, people are killed or gravely injured, or, in the case of public defenders, innocent people are executed or imprisoned for life. To listen to some McKinsey consultants claim their work is so stressful strikes me as ridiculous when a nurse who makes a fraction of their salary is having to perform CPR and literally minutes later has to review lab values to make sure they don't miss something critical that could kill a patient, or an engineer who could kill hundreds or thousands if they make a single miscalculation.

[u/lmaotank → u/whatisthisgreenbugkc]

Wrong business decisions may end up costing the company good bye and lead to mass firings and or bankruptcy leading to hundreds to thousands of people losing their jobs. Yes, not saving lives, but potentially impacting daily livelihoods of thousands.