Street Roots • July 28-August 3, 2017
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Page
BY MEGAN WILDHOOD
people’s experience. I think we all feel the
with four generations of economic stability
gap, wherever we are on the economic
and what that provides in terms of the
spectrum. And the question is what do we
huck Collins is the great-grandson of
ability to move forward in one’s life and the
do with that emotionally? We could
Oscar Mayer. A member of the
family safety nets that are there to catch
disconnect, or we could try to remain as
economic elite, you might be tempted
people from life’s inevitable challenges or
as possible. And part of what I
to stereotype him as callous. But in 1986, open-hearted
he
disruptions or bad luck is huge.
try to do for all of my friends in the 99
donated his inheritance of half a million
Put my family history alongside someone
percent is to say, yes, there are these
dollars to charitable organizations rather
who is black with a parallel story of
scoundrels who use their wealth and power
than letting it mature to the $6 million or $7
dispossession. Five generations going back,
to get more wealth and power. But there are
million it would be today.
your ancestors don’t even own themselves,
also allies, people who are also using their
Today, he’s an inequality expert, among
they’re someone else’s property. Then the
privilege to work toward a world with less-
other things, with the Institute for Policy
accumulating forces that come from the Jim
unfair privilege. And there’s a huge segment
Studies in Washington, D C, where he
Crow era and racial discrimination in wealth
of people who are anesthetized by privilege
wrangles other wealthy people not only to
building and the destruction of wealth in
and the benefits of having way, way more
contribute to building a more equitable and
black business districts by violence and
than
they
need.
But
they’re
disconnected,
sustainable society, but to take the majority
programs. Put that next to a racialized
and the invitation to the 99 percent is to
of responsibility for fixing the future.
system of mass incarceration. As white
realize
that
there
are
a
lot
of
people
who
are
He expects a lot of the wealthy, since
people, we look at our lives and we don’t see
very
fearful
and
they have more resources while others are
the parallel,
disconnected and who
just trying to survive. He thinks the struggle
multigenerational story
want
to
be
in
an
for economic justice and income equality
that the person across
authentic community of
" B a r t © I w lia t k e e p s a s
should be led by those excluded from wealth
the table has gone
connection and know
and opportunity in order to avoid
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through. The person
that
that
means
greater
paternalism or a “we know what’s best”
standing next to me at
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equality but have no
mentality on the part of the rich. Wealthy
the traffic crosswalk has
a a d e r s t a a d e a c h © th e rm s
idea how to get there
people have more responsibility because
had a very different
e x p e r le a e e . P r iv ile g e Is a
and need connection
multigenerational journey
they have more resources, but they should
with other people just
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eS!®
B
d
r
s
s
g
S
h
a
t
that
has huge adversities
not assume they are experts on what those
like we all do.
that th ey ’ve had to
B e e p s yew« a p a r t « I t fc e e p s
without means need; one of their primary
overcom
e ju st to be
M.W.: How do people
jo b ir o n s f e e liM ji o ilie r
responsibilities is to get to know
there at that intersection.
p e o p le d e x p e r ie s ie e /*
start to change these
disadvantaged people and listen.
We are just beginning to
myths like wealth is
His latest book, “Born on Third Base,” is
CHOCK C O LO N S,
catch a glimmer of just
about virtue and poverty
A U T H O R O F " B O R N O N T H IR D
in service to his mission to change the
BASE"
how big those historic
is about laziness?
stories we tell about wealth and privilege to
forces are.
more accurate ones and begin to foster
C.C.: I think part of it
M.W.: Why do you
empathy between the rich and the poor in
is having role models of
think it’s so hard to talk
people who tell their
order to reverse inequalities.
about money and class in Am erica, publicly or
story through the lens of advantage, in a
“To build a movement,” he said, “we need
am ong frien d s?
matter-of-fact, uncomplicated, unshameful
to win hearts and minds to the
way. Shame actually holds us all back to
shortsightedness of an economic system
C.C.: That’s a good question. I think it is
keep
from
telling
honest
stories.
We
attach
that funnels most income and wealth to the
related to culture. We have this story about
a lot of shame to getting help in our culture.
wealth, that it is basically evidence of
few. Ultimately, we need to change the story
If you’re in a privileged situation, all you
individual virtue coupled with this very
of wealth, how it is created, where it comes
have
to
do
is
look
at
how
we
view
people
from and why it is distributed the way it is.”
Protestant work ethic culture in this
who need help in our culture and you think,
country. I have friends from different
This is an honest and personal book
well, I don’t want to have that attitude
cultures who are much more forward about
intended to challenge common assumptions
coming at me.
money. They’ll not hesitate to ask, “How
that contribute to inequality, such as “poor
There
is
a
lot
of
misunderstanding
as
to
much was that?” “How much do you make?”
people are lazy,” “wealth is virtuous and
how systems of advantage work, how the
They have less taboos, less uptightness
earned,” and “people are self-made.” The
deck
is
stacked
in
favor
of
some
people
and
about money matters. For us, though, it’s so
book offers some concrete suggestions for
against
others.
Particularly
in
this
moment,
tied to your value as a human being that it
what to do, if we find the political and social
we are living in a time of deep structural
creates shame and vulnerability. “How much
will.
inequalities that are delinked from individual
do you make?” implies, “Why aren’t you
Megan Wildhood: I haven’t heard anyone
effort and merit, where both wealth and
making more?” and “Why aren’t you
else talk about the role o f empathy in tackling
disadvantage are compounding. Building
applying yourself more?”
income inequality the way that you have. Why
wealth is a lot about where you show up and
M.W.: D o you think the huge wealth gap
what you start with. We need to create a
empathy?
and the fact that it ’s growing rapidly is purely
new framework for looking at the world that
Chuck Collins: Part of what keeps us
an Am erican thing? I know there’s a huge gap
isn’t just about our own lives but looks at
apart is we don’t, in an open-hearted way,
between the wealthy and the poor globally.
multigenerational advantage and the legacy
understand each other’s experience.
What do you think the roots o f this inequality
of race.
Privilege is a disconnection drug that keeps
are?
M y life experience of being in a family
you apart. It keeps you from feeling other
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
C
C.C.: It is a global phenomenon and it is a
function of unrestrained capitalism. It’s the
nature of capitalism to create inequalities.
As wealth grows, it concentrates at the top
so those people can rig the rules to get
more wealth and power so it compounds ad
infinitum. What’s different in the U .S . is the
unbridled nature of capitalism. The Nordic
countries (like Sweden, Denmark and
Norway) tax higher incomes and wealth, and
they also invest in things that raise the
floor. So U .S. inequalities are worse. There
is incredible evidence in every discipline
that these income disparities are trashing
everything we care about, from bodily and
community health to sports, and that
income inequality is making us sick.
The same is true for unbridled corporate
power in the U .S. In these Nordic countries,
the inequalities are less drastic. Some
people suggest that it’s just a function of
technology, and to some extent, it is. But
most of the gains of technology and so-called
labor-saving devices have not reached the
majority of people who use and depend on
them. Corporations are trying to squeeze
every nickel out of each of us w h eth er it’s
o u r c e ll p h o n e b ill o r o u r e m p l o y m e n t o r
our in surance. P a rt o f w hat large
corporations that are controlled by wealthy
interests do is try to extract as much value
from nature and from people and from our
community while paying as little as possible.
So it’s understandable that people want to
do away with this type of capitalism.
We should be working toward a
democratic capitalism, a stakeholder
capitalism where communities, nature,
workers, consumers and owners of capital
are all stakeholders in a healthier society
that doesn’t have these grotesque
inequalities. I can imagine living in a society
where, Megan, you get up early, you work
hard, you do two jobs — and I really don’t
want to do that. So you’re going to have as
much as twice as much income as me. But
that’s about the gap, a natural gap based on
actual effort. There will be that. But I want
to live in a society where no one falls all the
way to the bottom, to complete destitution.
And we shouldn’t be working so much. We
shouldn’t be toiling to have a decent life. We
should have an economy that’s focused on
working to have a decent life but not
working to death and creating a caring
economy where the priority is caring for
each other and for the Earth.
Reprinted fro m Street R oots’ sister paper,
R ea l Change News in Seattle.