The Cruel Slope of Wealth: Have We Climbed Higher from the 1920s to Today? 📈

Recently, I saw two shocking comparisons of wealth distribution that instantly gave me new thoughts on the term 'progress of the era.'

USA vs China: A Century of Wealth Transformation

The first set of images compares the wealth distribution of China and the USA from the 1920s to now, with curves on a double logarithmic scale resembling cruel slopes:

• USA: From the end of the Gilded Age to the digital finance era, that red curve has clearly become steeper.

• China: From the early Republic period to the modern age, the blue curve is also steepening.

What does this mean? It means wealth is increasingly concentrated at the top, making it exponentially harder for ordinary people to climb the wealth ladder.

Matthew Effect: The Gospel of Wealth

The second set of images more intuitively illustrates the process of wealth concentration:

• Stage 1: An Equal Utopia (Top 10% only accounts for 10%)

• Stage 2: Early Fluctuations (Top 10% accounts for 12.6%)

• Stage 3: Class Differentiation (Top 10% accounts for 15.9%)

• Stage 4: Extreme Conclusion (Top 10% accounts for 16.6%)

Watching wealth shift from an even distribution to being increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few is like witnessing a natural selection of wealth.

My Thoughts: 🤔

1. Technology is a double-edged sword: The digital age allows wealth to grow faster, but it also makes the Matthew Effect more apparent.

2. History is repeating itself: The wealth concentration issue from the 1920s is reappearing today in a new form.

3. We need new solutions: Simple wealth growth does not equate to social progress.

What do you think about this cruel slope? Come to the comments section to share your views. 👇

#WealthDistribution #SocialJustice #MatthewEffect #EraTransformation