This might be the beginning of the beginning of the end of Affluenza

Median income in the United States is not the highest in the world. That’s because of inequality. Countries with smaller, more homogeneous populations have more of a communitarian sensibility. They don’t let the less well off among them suffer from penury.

There are very poor people in our country and their low incomes pull the median down. But if we look at the incomes of the top five percent of Americans, it’s clear that this strata is by far the most affluent in the world and in the history of the world.

Since the beginning of civilization there have always been elite layers possessing relatively immense wealth, but those layers have rarely exceeded one or two percent of a population in a given time and place. It’s quite something that five percent or so of the large population of the United States enjoys a lifestyle characterized by Affluenza.

As if it’s some kind of birthright, the lifestyle our elites take for granted includes, variously: second homes, private education, international cuisine, exotic vacations, cultural enrichment, advanced degrees, expensive wines, extensive travel, and superlative healthcare.

Such is not sustainable. In his book “Peak Everything” Richard Heinberg conjectures that the descent would begin during the 21st century. I think it’s possible that the pandemic of 2020 will be viewed as the beginning of the beginning of the end of Affluenza.

(As you might know from my other writings, my perspective is that the descent plays out gradually over a period of many, many generations . . . perhaps over the course of a millennium. In any event, there’s something both poignant and profound if we are, in fact, witnessing an inflection point in regard to the fundamental trajectories of our civilization.)