Being wealthy does not make one a criminal
The wealth gap in SA needs urgent attention, but assuming all wealthy people became so in the same way as the Guptas is poor reasoning
In an article for the Daily Maverick (We have work to do on inequality, July 26 2017), Prof Ben Turok calls for more information regarding the wealthy in SA. We are all quite aware of the repeated calls of experts, analysts, and academics for inequality to be addressed; it is the most pressing issue of our time. And I agree — it does need to be resolved; it needs to be resolved because experts and respected figures, such as Thomas Piketty, Christine Lagarde and Turok, repeatedly hammer the message home that inequality is caused by one group forcibly taking from others. With this narrative being drilled into us, it should come as no surprise when social tensions rise and violence occurs. Why is wealth inequality such a pressing moral problem? As in many other pieces by other authors, Turok offers no explanation — it is merely accepted as fact. If I were to accept the line of argument offered, I would have to accept the premise that wealth is fixed; that it is communally produced; and...
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