A Year in Recap: Popular Backlash against Inequality
Economic inequality is not new. It is a phenomenon that has haunted human civilization ever since agricultural production became systematic and people saw the benefits of accumulating wealth in one place. A ruling elite with the power to organize the institutions and structures of society came to tower over others, giving them the ability to reshape how society operates to benefit themselves. The result is the rise of an elite that is both politically and economically powerful, often in a hereditary manner. For too long, the general populace was OK with such an elite, notably because there was a belief that anyone can become equally as powerful and rich through individual efforts.
Yet, in the year 2018, the world is seeing such a belief crumble. Those who sought to escape poverty and misrule in their homelands were confronted with increasing hostility in the destinations of their migrations. The hostility toward migrants was translated politically as the rise of the far right in the migrant-hosting societies, as the right wing gained influence across Europe at the expense of moderate mainstream parties. The popular anger is a reflection of the increasing belief that the general public saw an elite that is tweaking the system against the common people. Migrants became the issue that triggered the anti-elite anger.
But that feeling of irreversible inequality between the elites and everyone else was not simply an issue within nations. Often, those between nations were even more toxic and with far-reaching consequences. The belief in unequal economic and political terms led to the Sino-American trade war that is bound to disrupt global supply chains. Supposed allies spared no mercy when unfair disadvantages were perceived, as America imposed tariffs on products from Japan and Europe, Turkey drifted further from the rest of NATO, and EU faced internal fracturing over migration, creeping authoritarianism in some member states, and relations with America, Russia, and China.
Still, the rise of popular opposition to inequality is not unique. Looking at the details of how a company, a country, and a society operate, there are constant signs of inequality of power and wealth, and thus, constant if subtle attempts to oppose, however passive-aggressively, the existing institutions that promote and maintain inequality. What makes the protests against inequality in 2018 different from previous protests against inequality is the scale and methods by which the protests are organized. With the advent of technology, in particular, that of social media, the protests can quickly become massive and grab headlines.
Here, the #MeToo movement is an extremely good example. The sexual predation of the men in power against pretty women in various industries is not new. Yet, the popular protests against the phenomenon caught on in 2018 because Internet platforms allow individuals to quickly spread their information and find resonance with others in similar positions, all without compromising their own positions or, even some cases, even their very identities in the real world. Similarly, governments' predation against minorities found opposition throughout the world because technology enabled the spread of information like never before.
The popular backlash against the elites, whether individuals, groups, or countries, have become so much stronger today perhaps because basic human decency and respect have become commodities and resources only available to those elites. Those in power have leveraged their control over information and media outlets through both economic and political means in order to reshape public opinions in their favor. This is particularly apparent in authoritarian countries. China used its economic power to push for more China-related representations in Hollywood and destroyed firms like Dolce & Gabbana that dared to portray the Chinese in a negative light in whatever way.
Yet, those without power and money, smaller and poorer countries are at the mercy of bigger ones like China to set economic agenda. The Belt and Road initiative found small countries trapped in Chinese debt, forced to give up sovereignty and do China's bidding to acquire needed resources for future development. Ultimately, it is China that will benefit more than the recipients of the supposed largesse of the initiative, exacerbating inequality between the supposed altruistic "giver" and the benefited "receivers." The renewed attention paid to the deceptive nature of such altruism is all the more warranted given just how much the cards are stacked against the "receivers."
2019 will not solve the problem of increased inequality. The system is just too entrenched, allowing powerful nations, individuals, and groups to make themselves even wealthier and more powerful at the expense of the relatively deprived. But as people woke up to the underlying causes of inequality in 2018 and showed their defiance toward inequality in increasingly vocal and active ways, 2019 promises more frequent and increasingly militant confrontation between the powerful and the powerless. As inequality becomes a central issue, 2-19 promises to be a year of turbulence, as popular backlash becomes more, well, popular.
Yet, in the year 2018, the world is seeing such a belief crumble. Those who sought to escape poverty and misrule in their homelands were confronted with increasing hostility in the destinations of their migrations. The hostility toward migrants was translated politically as the rise of the far right in the migrant-hosting societies, as the right wing gained influence across Europe at the expense of moderate mainstream parties. The popular anger is a reflection of the increasing belief that the general public saw an elite that is tweaking the system against the common people. Migrants became the issue that triggered the anti-elite anger.
But that feeling of irreversible inequality between the elites and everyone else was not simply an issue within nations. Often, those between nations were even more toxic and with far-reaching consequences. The belief in unequal economic and political terms led to the Sino-American trade war that is bound to disrupt global supply chains. Supposed allies spared no mercy when unfair disadvantages were perceived, as America imposed tariffs on products from Japan and Europe, Turkey drifted further from the rest of NATO, and EU faced internal fracturing over migration, creeping authoritarianism in some member states, and relations with America, Russia, and China.
Still, the rise of popular opposition to inequality is not unique. Looking at the details of how a company, a country, and a society operate, there are constant signs of inequality of power and wealth, and thus, constant if subtle attempts to oppose, however passive-aggressively, the existing institutions that promote and maintain inequality. What makes the protests against inequality in 2018 different from previous protests against inequality is the scale and methods by which the protests are organized. With the advent of technology, in particular, that of social media, the protests can quickly become massive and grab headlines.
Here, the #MeToo movement is an extremely good example. The sexual predation of the men in power against pretty women in various industries is not new. Yet, the popular protests against the phenomenon caught on in 2018 because Internet platforms allow individuals to quickly spread their information and find resonance with others in similar positions, all without compromising their own positions or, even some cases, even their very identities in the real world. Similarly, governments' predation against minorities found opposition throughout the world because technology enabled the spread of information like never before.
The popular backlash against the elites, whether individuals, groups, or countries, have become so much stronger today perhaps because basic human decency and respect have become commodities and resources only available to those elites. Those in power have leveraged their control over information and media outlets through both economic and political means in order to reshape public opinions in their favor. This is particularly apparent in authoritarian countries. China used its economic power to push for more China-related representations in Hollywood and destroyed firms like Dolce & Gabbana that dared to portray the Chinese in a negative light in whatever way.
Yet, those without power and money, smaller and poorer countries are at the mercy of bigger ones like China to set economic agenda. The Belt and Road initiative found small countries trapped in Chinese debt, forced to give up sovereignty and do China's bidding to acquire needed resources for future development. Ultimately, it is China that will benefit more than the recipients of the supposed largesse of the initiative, exacerbating inequality between the supposed altruistic "giver" and the benefited "receivers." The renewed attention paid to the deceptive nature of such altruism is all the more warranted given just how much the cards are stacked against the "receivers."
2019 will not solve the problem of increased inequality. The system is just too entrenched, allowing powerful nations, individuals, and groups to make themselves even wealthier and more powerful at the expense of the relatively deprived. But as people woke up to the underlying causes of inequality in 2018 and showed their defiance toward inequality in increasingly vocal and active ways, 2019 promises more frequent and increasingly militant confrontation between the powerful and the powerless. As inequality becomes a central issue, 2-19 promises to be a year of turbulence, as popular backlash becomes more, well, popular.
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