Step 40: Utopia for Realists, Bregman (pt1)
from let's THiNK about it Hosted by ryder richards
We walk through the dreamland of Cockaigne, and our small utopic dreams. Bregman reminds us democracy was once a dream, and slavery was once unthinkably common. We nearly had UBI in the 70's, because all the data proves it works, but morality, economics, and conservatism have re-written our notions of what is possible or responsible in ways that only exacerbate wealth inequality. Bregman walks through programs on Minicome, the Cherokee nation, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and the failures of large institutions and charities in attempting grand plans that fail. The proof is there: the only thing that makes poor people poor is a lack of cash. The easiest, most effective way to solve the problem is a direct influx of cash. Not expensive, misguided projects, celebrity endorsements, or more counseling. On a broader note, the US ranks highest in GDP, but is also highest in social ills. The Netherlands, by contrast, have equally high per capita income, without the social ills. Similar to other, poorer countries, like Portugal, the US has vastly unequal wealth concentration, which tends to lead to social disruption through violence and rebellion as a means of redistribution. But, at the top it is also problematic: the international monetary fund states that wealth inequality increases depression, paranoia, and unhappiness in the rich.
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What this episode covers
Rutger Bregman's book, Utopia for Realists, maps out how Universal Basic Income was nearly real in the 70's. The policy would attempt to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and minimize bureaucratic oversight (and the problems it entails). And the cost? It may just save us money. Providing proof for that disarms our culturally conditioned biases, the text allows us to dream about ways to reverse the increasing inequality, and reminds us that not only is a utopic dream worth pursuing, but it might be the only way to save ourselves from the systemic psychopathologies of capitalisms.
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