The Working Poor: Two Perspectives on Reality—A Communication to the Editor Inviting a Discussion

In a recent interview, the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, gave us his perspective on things. He confidently stated that even with adjusted inflation, everyone in the United States was better off today than 30 or 40 years ago because of the digital revolution. He explained to the rapt interviewer, Fareed Zakaria, that economic progress had been mis-measured by focusing on income too much. He specified that today everyone has a better quality of life because they can look at Wikipedia and read books online, which cannot be measured through gross domestic product (GDP; Zakaria, 2015). He seriously said this and apparently believed it. I was dumbfounded. He seemed oblivious to the fact that before one can get access to Wikipedia and read books online (which is not so great anyway), one has to have a computer, a cable hookup, and let us not forget a house with electricity. All cost money, much more than the good old public library and interlibrary loan, cultural mainstays slipping away thanks to digital technologies to be sure but also thanks to the reactionary response to the New Deal and the impact that response has had on the public sphere in general. To participate in the “Internet of everything,” individuals must be able to afford to purchase expensive terminal technologies and sustain monthly fees for delivery services. There has been a prolonged and concerted effort to shift emphasis toward privatizing resources. This shift in emphasis in the United States has proven to be a serious threat to collectivistic culture and community, and therefore the personal security that comes with group membership. “Gaps” are growing throughout our communities. Of course, this major ideological and practical shift in priorities that emerged as a reaction to perceived perilous leftist tendencies has affected many other things in the United States in the past few decades. Poverty & Public Policy, Vol. 8, No. 3, 2016