The winner takes it all

Continuing my tirade on the Lexus and the olive tree, it talks about
the widening difference between the haves and the have nots.
Undoubtedly we can see its effects in India as well. The gini index
precisely measures that. But the dangerous aspect is that with the
widening gap, it will not be long before the have nots revolt, leading
to a state of anarchy. It might just be round the corner.

The book, Freakonomics talked about why gangsters continue living with
their mothers, in spite of making a moolah on every endeavor. But the
fact remains that the distribution of the booty is far from uniform or
fair. It is highly skewed towards those at the top, leaving the bottom
in a state of despair. Their earnings are lesser than the minimum
wages stipulated by the US government. So why do they stick to such a
dangerous job? You call it greed or an aspiration, but everyone hopes
to be the leader some day and enjoy all the benefits.

The 80-20 principle is also based on the same lines. 80% of the
defects come from 20% of the materials. But the way we can improve the
bottom 20%, can we do that with people?

Thomas Friedman calls the bottom junta the turtles. This group
includes those used to all the security and predictability of life and
economy. Changes are resisted. But changes are happening, and they are
happening fast. The turtles, unlike the one in the hare and the turtle
story, lose out against the hares, who are smarter than the legendry
ones.