Colloquium in early September 2024
Don Moon Cho (Chairman of Korea Contingent Workers’ Center, South Korea)
Piketty explains that in capitalist societies, the return on assets is always higher than the growth rate of national income, leading to an inevitable trend of increasing inequality. In most capitalist societies, generally the top 10% earn more than their share, while the middle-low 70% earn less than theirs.
Why and how does this unequal system, which benefits only a few and makes the majority victims, persist without being overthrown?
This is because the 70% of victims who are deprived of their fair share internalize the inequality ideology promoted by the ruling class, believing that the unequal system is justified and that an alternative society based on equality is unattainable.
Ideology of Inequality analyzes how the ruling class’s inequality ideology dominates our society, whether citizens are dissatisfied with the system of inequality, and if there is any possibility of transitioning to a more equal society.
In South Korea, the inequality ideology has been successful in maintaining the system, but it can only be considered a partial success, as citizens are deeply dissatisfied with inequality and unfairness, and remain strongly committed to the principle of reciprocity. This suggests that the system of inequality cannot avoid instability.
