Inequality: The American Ethos

The US has historically been a place where “fairness is adjudicated unevenly, it’s based on inequality” in which “certain people deserve more than others,” said Ampson Hagan, a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina who has made a study of “deservingness.” American political discourse has been centered around the idea that “Blacks and minorities have been agitating for things that they don’t actually deserve,” said Hagan. ‘This actually limits the horizons for everyone” and holds back acceptance of ideas like Medicare for All.”