Ploafmaster General

Fair Warning: The post that follows is filled with cantankerous conjecture and precarious postulation. While I believe I could elaborate and defend my premises, eventually, with more time (and a better head for writing) you should take what I say with a healthy pinch of salt.

While the economist Thorstein Veblen may have coined the term, “leisure class,” I’ve read the phrase recently in a number of film reviews. The context in which the appellation is used in reviews of films such as The Darjeeling Limited seems to imply the highest order of such a state, wherein members existences consist solely of conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure. For the sake of gross over-simplification, that’s how I’ll use the term. Members of the leisure class have seemingly unlimited money at their disposal. They have no need to work, and nearly anything they desire is available to them.

There has recently been plenty of media attention given to the dramatic economic inequality in the United States, with the most recent data indicating that the wealthiest 1% of our population accounts for over 20% of the income. The wealthy make more money than ever while the middle class stagnate and the poor get poorer. There is growing resentment in this country about the staggering wages of corporate executives and athletes while an alarming portion of the population cannot afford basic health care and strains under the weight of increasing fuel costs for heating and transportation.

Having said all of that I don’t believe the so-called leisure class themselves are the root problem.

The Apostle Paul is often misquoted in sitcoms, editorial comics, and casual conversation as having said, “Money is the root of all evil.” There are a few words missing, however, and the difference is critical. Here’s the verse from Paul’s first letter to Timothy in the Bible, with a few preceding verses for context:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:6-10, NIV

Do you see that? The love of money. The biggest problem I see in our country is not the existence of wealthy people or the economic divide. The problem is that most people at the bottom want to be the people at the top. I believe that if we’re honest with ourselves, we see that our resentment of the wealthy is typically not that there is something wrong with being wealthy, but that we don’t have wealth. This is why we play the lottery, invest in stocks, enter sweepstakes, and pad our living space with nice things that make us feel like we’re on our way up. This is why people are concerned with how much they earn compared to their parents. This is why people jump from job to job climbing the proverbial ladder up the pay scale.

Since it’s the love of money that’s the problem, and not the money itself, it’s perfectly fine to be wealthy. But wealth is distracting, and often leads to sacrifices that include real happiness. J. P. Morgan allegedly answered the question, “How much money is enough?” with “Just a little more.” This sums up the generally subconscious attitudes of our working society. Work weeks are climbing over 40 hours per week. Pressure in college education is shifting from an academic stress to an urgency for career preparation. America’s debt load is skyrocketing as we try to keep up with the Jones’ despite our financial asthma. All to be as “happy” as the Donald Trumps and Larry Ellisons of the world.

Sure, I love money, too. I like the comfort it can afford and the entertainment it can facilitate. But I’m also guilty of wanting to have a BMW at the expense of helping people who can’t eat. I, too, want my stuff, my gadgets, my status.

I’m sure somebody will suggest that great wealth provides an opportunity for great philanthropy. It’s true - Warren Buffet’s billions to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will likely go to good use. And Ted Turner’s contribution to the United Nations Foundation will probably do plenty of good as well. But these gigantic donations are egocentric philanthropy. These men are afraid of dying and losing it all, so in some grandiose Anglo-Saxon inspired maneuver, they give away huge portions of money and have libraries, universities, and hospitals named after them. They’re hoping to achieve immortality through legacy. Quite different from the so-called Foundation for a Better Life which is funded by anonymous donors. Whether you like what they do or not, it’s hard to accuse them of seeking attention since we don’t even know who they are. That’s a believable way to give away your money.

My point, essentially, is that simply helping the poor, homeless, and needy won’t solve the root problem. Helping the poor is fantastic and (can be) selfless, and should continue. But our people’s collective desire for more - more money, more status, more power - will lead to the same result. Those who seek wealth as an end will continue to subjugate whomever it takes to attain their goal, whether they were born in to money or not. Ignoring those in need is no better than using financial influence to clear the homeless out of a park or displacing an entire people to pillage their natural resources.

I know there’s lots more to be said on this topic, and it’s not exactly my typical light-hearted fare on this Friday afternoon, but it’s been on my mind a lot lately. I can’t help but be aware of my part in the problem. And I know, I’ll probably follow this up within the next few hours with something puerile like a video about bird poop, but I’d hope all of you can still take me a little seriously