The economic and social inequality in the 99%

Andrew Elsonbaty

September 24, 2012

Sociology 382

The Economic and social inequality in the 99%

The 99% of society are people in the lower and middle class such as recent

college graduates, veterans, the long term unemployed, the homeless, peace

activists, off-duty police, and people with a day job in the corporate office. The 1%

of society is the rich who claim the world’s wealth; they are Wall Street, big banks

and corporations. They have made the system work for wealth to be in their favor

at the expense of others. The occupy movement is a movement to show the 1% is

taking over the world’s wealth. One of the occupy movement’s goals is to make

people realize that there is a social and economic inequality between the 99% and

the 1%.

People in occupy movement tell stories of how they played by the rules,

worked long hours, studied hard; to only find low wage jobs without health care

coverage. This is an economic inequality, because their income they receive is low

which is unfair. This is also a social inequality, because they have a social status of a

low wage job, which is unfair after all, the hard effort they put to be successful. One

of the stories from the occupy movement said “Got laid off. Moved two thousand

miles for a new job. Pays 40 percent less than old job. Sold home at a loss. Filed

chapter eleven. Owes IRS fifty thousand dollars. Fifteen thousand dollars per year

debt for son’s tuition at state university. Seventy-five percent of retirement funds

shifted to the 1%! I am the 99%!” The occupy movement went global which showed

that not only Americans knew about the economic and social inequality in the

world, but others knew also. In 951 cities in eighty two countries around the world,

people protested income inequality, and economies made to benefit the wealthy.

This is an economic inequality, because these people protest about income

inequality. This is social inequality, because the people have an unfair social status

compared to big banks, Wall Street, and the government. Richard Wilksinson said

regarding income inequality that ” It turns out that what matters aren’t the incomes

themselves, but how unequal they are. “



The occupy movement wanted people to know many ideas when they

peacefully protested. One of the ideas is that Wall Street and Big banks get their

money bail outs from taxpayers’ money. This is an economic inequality, because the

taxpayers’ income is used unfairly towards Big Banks and Wall Street. This is also a

social inequality, because Wall Street and Big banks have an unfair advantage from

having a certain status in society. Another idea is that the government has spent

millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts that

are toward health insurance. This is an economic inequality, because government’s

income is used for an unfair bail out in health contracts. This is also a social

inequality, because the government uses their powerful status unfairly towards the

rest of society. Another idea is that the government wants to strip the right for

employees to negotiate for better pay. This is economic inequality, because having a

better income is taken from the employees, which is unfair. This is social inequality,

because the employees’ social status has unequal job rights towards other wealthier

jobs.

The 99% showed through protests how society has economic and social

inequality in many different areas in the work place and other fields. They made

their message clear that they wanted to open up the people’s eyes to these

inequalities and try to force the society to make a change. They showed inequalities

with how government spends taxpayer money, how employees are getting a low

amount of benefits and rights with their jobs, how government spends their own

money, and many other inequalities.


Biography: I’m a Sonoma State University student. Im 23 years old, and I enjoy

many activities. I freestyle, write, lift weights, I train in the martial arts, I sing,

dance, and I read.

Andrew Elsonbaty

September 24, 2012

Sociology 382