David Brooks and "The Inequality Problem"

Compare David Brooks with Pope Francis, Martin Luther King, Robert Reich, Bob Lord and Pierce Nahigyan; they all fundamentally disagree with David Brooks.

David Brooks is often a voice of sanity and wisdom on public policy issues, but recently (New York Times, Jan. 16, 2014, "The Inequality Problem,") he blew it, and blew it badly, especially when compared to Pastor, Prophet, Pope Francis on economic inequality (The Joy of the Gospel).  I am angry at David Brooks, seething at his clever demonizing of the oppressed poor, his exoneration of the rich oppressors.  I am not the only one seething; see Robert Reich's article "David Brooks' Utter Ignorance About Inequality," Jan. 20, Nation of Change. http://www.nationofchange.org/david-brooks-utter-ignorance-about-inequality-1390142670. Also Bob Lord's article in the Nation of Change, Jan.20, 2014 entitled "Dr. King's Nightmare."  http://www.nationofchange.org/dr-king-s-nightmare-1390137955

I heard once that Brooks professes to be a Christian; if true, this makes his dangerous half-truths posing as the whole truth doubly tragic, triply evil.

In colonial times, Brooks would have been an excellent founding father, possibly a Thomas Jefferson type who had flashes of intellectual brilliance combined with the social evils of ethnocentrism and oppression.  The founding fathers were a rich, white, male elite who held a deep-seated belief in American exceptionalism, an ethnocentrism which justified, even required, expansion.  American exceptionalism is an arrogant, erroneous, dangerous sense of chosenness.  American ethnocentrism is the supposed superiority of Anglo-Saxon culture/civilization.  American expansionism---Manifest Destiny, from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast, no matter what ethnic group was in the way.  These three "e's" are the root of all kinds of American social evils.  E., E., and E. legitimated horrible systems of oppression such Indian genocide, African enslavement and the Mexican American War which took one-half of Mexico's land.

This systems of oppression created what Orlando Patterson calls social death, in addition to millions of physical deaths.  Social death is Patterson's term for severely damaged cultures, severely dysfunctional social institutions.  For example, the Plains Indians economic system collapsed when the buffalo were exterminated and their land was stolen.  Much of the rest of the culture was devastated.  The evidence of social death can be found in dysfunctional marriages, families and communities. 

Out of the above factors, flow high rates of poverty, unemployment, crime, drugs, disease and abortions.

Brooks only examines a small portion of American history and society, ignores the ethnocentrism/oppression causes and only looks at the results---the "interrelated social problems of the poor."  Brooks ends up blaming the victim, demonizing the poor, and exonerating the rich.

Many Americans end up analyzing Haitian poverty much like Brooks analyzes American poverty.  They ignore 500 years of Spanish, French and American ethnocentrism and oppression.  The Haitian chain of causes and results can be summed in one word: ethnocentrismoppressionpovertydisease.  The biblical solution can also be summed up in one word: lovejusticereconciliationshalom.

Or James 1:27 through 2:26 sums the issue up like this:  Worthless religion/churches dishonor the oppressed poor, honor the rich oppressors; pure religion/churches put the poor first, call out the rich oppressors, combine love and justice to engage in abundant good works. 

Brooks is right that "Suddenly the whole world is talking about income inequality."  He needs to listen carefully to others before he writes any more misleading garbage.  For example, Pierce Nahigyan in the Jan. 21, Nation of Change, "8 Facts About American Inequality."  http://www.nationofchange.org/8-facts-about-american-inequality-1390315279 

1.  400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined.
2.  America has the second-highest level of income inequality, after Chile.
3.  The current state of inequality can be traced back to 1979.
4.  Non-union wages are also affected by the decline of unions.
5.  There is less opportunity for intergenerational mobility.
6.  Tax cuts to the wealthiest have not improved the economy or created jobs.
7.  Incomes for the top 1% have increased (but the top 0.01% make even more).
8.  The majority of Congress does not feel your pain; one-half are millionaires.