> I do not see a problem with inequality.
Income inequality and social inequality are problems, maybe not to you, but is it for many people around the world. It causes political tensions and many other problem: sanitary, social, environmental, etc.
I'm essentially talking about measured productivity, the meaning of productivity for people and if it can really fit into their lives. Productivity can have this sort of robotized meaning, soul-less meaning of how humans are being valued as individuals. Productivity is not the same for a musician, a fast food employee a writer, a programmer, a mechanic, a teacher, etc.
I'm not denying that a lot of people are thriving in their work, happy about it, and always eager to share how happy they are, but in times of inequality, it's not always so rosy for everyone.
Maybe your view of the world is one of a dominant, and you refuse to acknowledge it because you have all the good reasons. And it's understandable to be self-centered when all is good. But no man is an island.
If you put COVID and climate in perspective, you can see that the productivity model is outdated and requires some change. There is food for everyone, everything is built, so why should work be mandatory to get food and shelter? The individualism and libertarian ideals cannot work for everyone. It's unfair to tell people "you must create value if you want to eat". Philosophically it doesn't make sense, because food is everywhere.
Maybe I'm projecting a lot of my opinions through my own issues, but in a way, I'm expressing my concerns because I can, and I do.
I have no problem with people being productive, but I'm not okay with productive people imposing their productivity on other less productive people, in the form of social filtering, unemployment, elitism, etc.
The last 100 years have seen amazing increase of productivity thanks to technology, not thanks to methods of resource management.
Climate will exacerbate inequalities, and I think productivity doesn't really matter anymore, since a lot of jobs seem wasteful of resources, yet they are still valued for no good reason. Many people who are high earners often have trouble understanding the meaning of what they do, while other in poverty would appreciate being given a fair access to basic resources, without feeling guilty of not being a productive member of society.
It's funny because Milton Friedman advocated for a basic income, or a negative income tax, so it's quite compatible with capitalist values. The problem is not really capitalism per se, it's more how we value the necessity of effort and mutual help. Rejecting the weak doesn't lead to healthy values.
"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs" is a quote from Marx, but also used by Kennedy.
