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Revolutionary Beard
I've spent the last few weeks teaching 7th grade students about the French Revolution. We talk about all sorts of things well beyond the actual events of the revolution itself. We examine major themes as to the role of class divisions, the wealth gap, and the ideas of the Enlightenment and the impact all these things had towards bringing about one of the messiest and most influential revolutions in human history.
During the weeks of study we get to look at how folks at the top of the wealth ladder received special privileges, paid less in taxes, had more access to better luxuries, and were exempt to some duties because of the benefits of their birth.
We also talked about how during the pre-revolutionary period 2% of the population controlled about 40% of the land...an equivalent of wealth in the era.
And speaking of the Enlightenment, Charles de Secondant the Baron de Montesquieu gave us the idea of three branches of government with separation of powers...but he also said that the whole system would fall apart when the legislative branch was more corrupt than the executive branch.
It occurs to me that one could argue that our privileged class is every bit as privileged as theirs, if not more so, based on wealth...which is statistically largely based on birth. 1% of America currently controls 60% of the wealth...a wider wealth gap that pre-revolutionary France. And based on opinion polls Congress is way more messed up than the Presidency according the most Americans.
So why are we worse off by comparison than pre-revolutionary France but we don't revolt? I suspect is has a lot to do with the fact that the poor in France were starving to death, uneducated, with no hope of bettering their situation. In the US today there's little risk of starvation, education is freely available (although not all people take equal advantage of the opportunity) and there is at least an illusion of hope of bettering your situation. Plus I think the quality of life scale has moved dramatically.
You know what has been revolutionary? The gains we've made in fighting breast cancer. Want to know the best way to do that? Sponsor this beard.
