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Eight billionaires 'as rich as world's poorest half'

A new report released by Oxfam has shown that the 8 richest individuals in the world have as much wealth as the 3.6bn people who make up the poorest half of the world, according to Oxfam.

Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Amancia Ortega are 3 of the billionaires that make up the list.

There have subsequently been calls for a "fair share of tax" to try and reduce the gap. You can read more on the story here.

Gates and Zuckerberg have been rather philanthropic with their money, but do you think more could be done? Or do you think they've worked are for their money and the gap is out of their control?

What would you do to close the gap?

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I wouldn't, the gap is irrelevant.

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Original post by Jammy Duel
I wouldn't, the gap is irrelevant.

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Studies have repeatedly shown that the more unequal a society is the greater the health and social problems affecting all in that society.
Pointless even trying to reduce the gap, there always has been a gap and there always will be.
The income gap isn't a problem as long as the poor are seeing their real incomes rise.
So long as the standard of living for everyone continues to improve, I couldn't care less about the gap.

As for 'fair share of tax' - pfft. I much prefer the work the Gates Foundation does in poor countries than anything governments have accomplished there in the recent past.
It's rather naive of the political right to claim that inequality and standard of living for the poor aren't related.

They still believe in this libertarian fantasy pipe dream whereby as long as the rich get richer, the wealth will trickle down and lift everyone out of poverty.

There are a certain amount of resources on this planet. When so few people have access to such a huge amount of it, clearly that prevents the unfolding of this libertarian, junior common room fantasy.
Reply 7
Original post by Jammy Duel
I wouldn't, the gap is irrelevant.

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Economics and civilisation not your strong point then
Original post by BibleMan
Economics and civilisation not your strong point then


By that do you mean I'm more interested in looking down at what's going on at the bottom than looking up and what's going on at the top, and believe in a system of rational self interest over blind altruism?
Is it just me or does Oxfam issue this exact same 'shocking' report every few weeks?

I have no interest whatsoever in this sort of statistic, and I suspect that the only people who are actually reached by this kind of messaging are those who were already outraged about the fact that some people are wealthy.
Original post by TimmonaPortella
Is it just me or does Oxfam issue this exact same 'shocking' report every few weeks?

I have no interest whatsoever in this sort of statistic, and I suspect that the only people who are actually reached by this kind of messaging are those who were already outraged about the fact that some people are wealthy.


I think its just you. I certainly havent noticed it being produced every 2 weeks. If you arent interested the nobody is forcing you to read it.
Original post by 999tigger
I think its just you. I certainly havent noticed it being produced every 2 weeks. If you arent interested the nobody is forcing you to read it.


Thanks, your contributions are always so valuable.

My quick google turned up the exact same report from this time last year in the first few links, which is good enough for my point http://www.oxfam.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2016/01/62-people-own-same-as-half-world-says-oxfam-inequality-report-davos-world-economic-forum
Reply 12
Doesn't matter in the slightest. Completely unrelated to why the world's poorest are actually poor.

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"let's make the rich poorer to help the poor" (because simply giving people who are bad with money isn't going to make them wealthy)
that's always worked in the past, hasn't it. what a fantastic idea.
I mean, why stop there? why not break the legs of the best basketball teams to make the worst teams better.
that's *sure* to make the worst basketball team an objectively better team, right? ohhhhh wait

what does this gap mean other than the fact that some people are simply *really* rich?
it certainly doesn't mean the the poor are getting progressively poorer. it's the opposite case all over the world.
is this to imply that they've unfairly taken that wealth *from* the poor?
no? so what does the wealth gap represent? our jealousy? inequality of brilliance?
I mean, what else can we infer? theft? or the market?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by 999tigger
I think its just you. I certainly havent noticed it being produced every 2 weeks. If you arent interested the nobody is forcing you to read it.


The point is that it's a story trotted out on a regular basis, in this case just before every world economic forum.

I wouldn'tbe surprised if the reports are near word for word identical year in year out.

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When the CEO makes in a day what his workers make in a year, I would argue that the gap is too wide.
Original post by TimmonaPortella
Thanks, your contributions are always so valuable.

My quick google turned up the exact same report from this time last year in the first few links, which is good enough for my point http://www.oxfam.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2016/01/62-people-own-same-as-half-world-says-oxfam-inequality-report-davos-world-economic-forum


1 year ago is 26 times a larger gap than every 2 weeks. The very fact that it has been republished a year later shows that nothing/ not enough is being done. If you don't want to see the statistic repeatedly, then one way would be to ensure such a drastic statistic weren't to exist, right?
Original post by TimmonaPortella
Thanks, your contributions are always so valuable.

My quick google turned up the exact same report from this time last year in the first few links, which is good enough for my point http://www.oxfam.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2016/01/62-people-own-same-as-half-world-says-oxfam-inequality-report-davos-world-economic-forum


Yes that equates to every two weeks. ......

Not as though the objectives of Oxfam would be anything to do with tackling wold poverty or showing that wealth inequality on this scale highlights the issue.... Guess you are only allowed to talk about it once and now the issue has all been resolved.
Who said the left is the politics of envy? :smile:
Original post by Jammy Duel
The point is that it's a story trotted out on a regular basis, in this case just before every world economic forum.

I wouldn'tbe surprised if the reports are near word for word identical year in year out.

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Its not every two weeks. have you ever bothered to look what the objectives of Oxfam is? It could be seomthing to do with tackling poverty?

Do you only ever talk about a subject once? Does poverty still exist in the world?

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