Instead of the 1% at the top, we need to be looking at the 10 or 20% at the bottom. Which, if you’re in America, does not include you. The Bible persistently calls us to look at and have regard for the poor.

Did you know the that top 1% own over 50% of the world’s wealth? Maybe you did, and think that disparity is grossly unfair. After all, there’s a high chance—99% chance, to be precise—that you are not part of that 1%. Are not all human beings equal? Are we not all made in the image of God? Do we not all equally deserve a high quality of life? How can you look at a statistic like the one above, and not believe that’s a problem, and not the way an ideal society should look?

But did you also know what effect that statistic has on those who learn it? It’s Envy. There are two things that need to be said concerning rhetoric about the 1%. First, we should examine the assumption that wealth disparity, even of massive proportions, is inherently bad or evil. Second, we should ask whether continually refering to a class of 1% supervillains has any positive effect on our psyche and actions?

In response to wealth disparity, we often demand equity. But what exactly is it that we are asking for? Perhaps, in our current climate, it’s better to start off by asking: “What inequities are still acceptable?” Besides differences of personality, are there any areas of life where inequity is a good, or even an acceptable thing, something perhaps best left unmeddled with? If we extend inequity outrage outward, in concentric circles, we can begin questioning the fairness of every institution, business, or culture. For example, is it fair that less than 1% of Americans hold over 99% of the lawmaking power in this country? Is it fair that less that an athletic elite of less than 1% captures over 99% of the televised athletic events? Is it fair that less than 1% of aspiring musicians receive over 99% of music industry’s opportunities and profits?

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