“Inequality is corrosive. It rots societies from within.”

— Tony Judt

Ill Fares the Land (2010), Ch. 1 : The Way We Live Now
Context: Inequality is corrosive. It rots societies from within. The impact of material differences takes a while to show up: but in due course competition for status and goods increases; people feel a growing sense of superiority (or inferiority) based on their possessions; prejudice towards those on the lower ranks of the social ladder hardens; crime spikes and the pathologies of social disadvantage become ever more marked. The legacy of unregulated wealth creation is bitter indeed.

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Tony Judt 37

British historian 1948–2010

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“Inequality is corrosive. It rots societies from within.”

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