Financial and Social Head-Start: How Capitalist Societies are Rigged in Favor of the Rich?
Capitalist system creates Non level-playing field in the society, hence widening the rich-poor divide.
Financial and Social Head-Start: How Capitalist Societies are Rigged in Favor of the Rich?
By Shah Muhammad, Ghotki
Out of many other ways, financial head-start and social head-start are two key ways through which capitalist society is rigged in favor of rich and, therefore, rich-poor divide keeps widening to a troubling extent. It is wiser that we make an effort to grasp these concepts through a simple analogy. Let us take an example to understand financial head-start first.
A race is arranged in which some people have to compete for touching the finishing line. Let's say, out of ten people, two people are given a head-start: they are allowed to stand many meters ahead of the starting line. In short, a non-level playing field is maintained. Therefore, it is more likely that those who started way ahead in the race would reach the finishing line early with a normal effort. On the other hand, those who were made to start far behind in the race would keep lagging, and it is less likely that they would reach the finishing line early even with a harder effort.
Relating this example to capitalist reality, the rich people have more resources and means at their disposal to go for employment or launch and expand businesses. Rich children inherit this financial leverage from their parents and are more likely to succeed in their lives with lesser effort. Whereas, poor people and their children have lack of resources and access to opportunities and it is less likely for them to succeed and compete fairly with rich people. One who has more money is standing way ahead in the race, and the one with less money is standing far behind. People with money tend to amass and concentrate wealth by establishing monopolies in various sectors of economy. Hence, non-level playing field through financial head-start is maintained in a capitalist society.
The other way of rigging the essence of fair competition is social head-start. It is not as visible as financial head-start but is a cause of dangerous stratification in the society. In order to understand social head-start, let us take the above example again with a little modification.
Another race is arranged but this time all people are made to stand on the same starting line; no one ahead, no one behind. However, the problem is that two people among them possess strong physical and mental capabilities required for the race. The rest of them are sick, unfit and possess weaker physical and mental capabilities. Hence, it is highly likely that those two fit and healthy fellows would reach the finishing line early; and the rest won't even stand a chance to compete with them. Hence, an invisible non-level playing field has been created.
Relating this case to capitalist reality, rich people are able to have better education and better healthcare, along with having influence in the corridors of power. Hence, they are well-placed and well-trained to compete and attain higher success in their lives. Poor people, on the contrary, can neither afford better education nor better healthcare. They can’t even afford a balanced diet that can nourish their mental and physical capabilities. In third world capitalist countries like Pakistan, more than 60% children are malnourished and have stunted growth. Lack of better education in them corresponds to lack of technical, social and interpersonal skills, thus making them less competitive in their lives. If one or more of their family members falls ill and is admitted for treatment, it drains all their savings due to exorbitant hospital bills. Needless to say, poor's knock on the corridors of power always goes unanswered. Rich, on the other hand have strong networking in societal institutions and therefore get due and undue favors on the road to success. In addition, rich gets tax breaks, while poor gets tax storms. Poor people, therefore, are neither well-placed nor well-trained to compete and attain success. In essence, this is what is called social head-start given to few rich people by the capitalist system.
These head-starts are nothing but enormous hurdles in the way of eliminating rich-poor divide and, therefore, in the way of laying the foundations of a just and civilized society. It is important to mention here that these kinds of head-starts exist simultaneously in capitalist society, making life heaven for rich and hell for poor. If the governing system is just and fair, it would be able to eliminate all sorts of head-starts and maintain a level-playing field in the society. Furthermore, It would be ensured through that system that all people, regardless of their background, would be given equal access to resources, education, health and opportunities to succeed, and hence, given an equitable chance to compete and succeed in life. In other words, all people participating in the race would be made to start on the same line, and all would be made physically and mentally fit to compete in the race. Only then will the race be fair!