Well, when there is this rising inequality, when there is this expanding gap between the haves and the have-nots, it creates an atmosphere that's not conducive to congenial inter-group relations.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Rising inequality creates hostility between groups. Less gap means better relations.
- In plain terms
- Watch inequality's social cost.
- What can you take from it?
- Inequality breeds tension between groups.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does gap affect society?
Another view
It oversimplifies cultural factors.
More from William Julius Wilson
We shouldn't rely solely on standardized tests because they don't really capture true potential.
Permalink to quote #50 What I did, you see, in The Truly Disadvantaged, as well as in When Work Disappears, I tried to demonstrate the importance of the environment in black life cha…
Permalink to quote #52 To say that integration caused the current problems of the black community ignores a whole host of other factors, including the willingness of America to toler…
Permalink to quote #49
Related quotes
Experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his own kind; for I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe, and to the general pre…
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson quote #16 You will no longer believe that you 'don't count.' You will know and advocate your knowledge that you are the bearer of human society. Don't run away. Don't be…
Wilhelm ReichWilhelm Reich quote #53 Between them these two books sum up our present predicament. Capitalism leads to dole queues, the scramble for markets, and war. Collectivism leads to concentr…
George OrwellGeorge Orwell quote #99