Inequality has always been one of the main distinctive features of any society. The appearance of the pattern when one group or social class possess more authority than another was preconditioned by various reasons, starting from religious and ending with economic ones. At the moment, the inequality between representatives of different social groups still exists. The shift of priorities and reconsideration of the value system resulted in the evolution of the opposition between the urban working class and the growing middle class. Therefore, the appearance of differences between these groups is caused by the rise of democratic, socialist, and other movements combined with the tendency towards the concentration of funds in the hands of businessmen. For this reason, the modern inequality might be considered a great problem as it impacts the state of people, their well-being, incomes, and the quality of lives. Therefore, there is even the tendency towards the further sophistication of the situation, and the gap will even become more significant. The inequality between the distribution of capital and labor should be considered a unique feature of the new era, which determines the way people live and earn money.
The unfair distribution of funds was already peculiar to early industrial Britain. The picture Capital and Labor perfectly demonstrates it. It provides a viewer with an understanding of the great gap that existed between working and noble class. In the upper side of the image, we could see people enjoying their lives. They spend time in leisure, lying on pillows, drinking wine and being assisted by servants. People in the bottom of the picture experience numerous hardships. They are sick, hungry, dilapidated and unhappy. They also live in horrible conditions. Analyzing the picture, it is possible to understand the great gap that existed between different social classes at that period of time. Besides, the image also demonstrates the peculiarities of the industrial revolution that occurred in Britain. We could see miners who manufactured the main resources needed for the rise of this phenomenon. However, their labor remained insecure as they were not provided even with the basic remedies needed to improve their working conditions. Moreover, a person who enjoys the exotic Indian splendor could be taken as the symbol of great colonial dependence of the British Empire. Its prosperity came mainly from India and other colonies that were used as suppliers of raw materials needed for the development of different industries.
As for me, I consider that this picture has a great symbolic meaning. There has always been a certain pattern according to which wealth and power are distributed among people that belong to the same society. A certain social class parasitized on the representatives of another one because of status, religion, or other concerns. There were slaves, servants, or just workers who guaranteed the beneficial and prosperous existence of rich people who used workpeoples efforts to earn more money. That is why the picture perfectly demonstrates this very tendency. Poor people deprived of any conveniences have to work hard for the rich to be able to enjoy their lives. Additionally, there is a symbolic hook that hangs from the ceiling which demonstrates that individuals from the upper part just take everything from those people to afford their luxurious existence. That is why the image reveals the pattern according to which funds are distributed unfairly. Unfortunately, the modern world could be characterized by the same model as 80% of money belong to 1% of population when the rest have to enjoy their current state (Wealth inequality, n.d.).
The significance of the issue also attracts great attention of numerous researchers who also try to investigate the pattern according to which society functions and money and funds are distributed. Therefore, there are numerous adherers of the above-mentioned idea asserting that the wealth and power of one social class are preconditioned by the hard work of another. Moreover, according to this model, only the dominant social class is able to enjoy the benefits of the industrial revolution and its great contribution to the further rise of a certain community. One should realize the fact that this pattern is fatally flawed as it contributes to the growth of dissatisfaction and appearance of numerous civil movements aimed at the disrupting of existing situation by all means. At the same time, it might trigger the wave of violence that could destroy the basis of this very society and stop its evolution. That is why the given pattern could be considered dangerous for the society and its further growth. There are numerous examples in the history of humanity when depressed social class rebelled and destroyed the existing order (R.A., 2014).
However, there is also the perspective which states that the above-mentioned pattern is natural and should be considered the logical continuation of evolution of the society. There is the idea that the equal distribution of funds will result in the collapse of society (Bengtsson & Waldenstrom, 2015). There are several reasons for this statement. First of all, in case all needs are satisfied, people will not have stimuli for their further development, and it might entail the collapse of the whole society. Additionally, there should also be a certain amount of money that could be devoted to the rise of the society. However, usually only rich people could contribute to the appearance of this fund. Considering these reasons, it is possible to come to the conclusion that the distribution pattern that implies social differentiation and inequality is the only possible and efficient one as it guarantees the further develepment of the society and its evolution (Doody, 2015). These ideas are not new as the attempts to justify the unfair distribution of funds were made at different periods of time. However, the modern world recognizes the necessity of the provision of all members of society with the basic things they need and elimination of the gap between different classes. However, there are still no signs of improvement.
In conclusion, it is possible to say that the said information and the picture touch upon the nagging problem that is still topical nowadays. According to the relevant statistics, only 1% of people owns the bigger part of the worlds capital (Wealth inequality, n.d.). At the same time, there are people who live in extreme poverty. Moreover, there is also the tendency towards the above-mentioned shift of priorities. For instance, an office worker might earn more than an individual who works in mine. In this regard, it is possible to assume that the problem remains significant as people still feel the great pressure of the distribution pattern discussed. The inequality of capital and labor applies to the modern society that suffers from the same problems that were relevant hundreds of years ago.
References
Bengtsson, E., & Waldenstrom, D. (2015). Capital shares and income inequality: Evidence from the long run. Web.
Doody, R. (2015). Piketty on Capital and Inequality. Web.
R.A. (2014). Capital in the long run. Web.
Wealth inequality. (n.d.). Web.