Confederacy of Drones

Improve income inequality, marry down

Posted on December 30, 2015 Updated on December 30, 2015

It turns out that Darwin was wrong.  All along we thought that natural selection was a good thing.  Out with the thought that survival of the fittest meant carrying on positive traits as a way of improving future generations’ ability to survive in their environment.  Now, according to the New York Times, marrying someone with common interests, particularly if those interests include higher education and better incomes, tends to “propagate inequality across the generations.”  Tyler Cowen’s little piece titled “The Marriage of Power Couples Reinforce Income Inequality” from the December 24, 2015, edition of the Times sets us straight and can be found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/27/upshot/marriages-of-power-couples-reinforce-income-inequality.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

According to Tyler, economic costs are incurred by our society when people are determined “to do everything possible to advance the interests of their children.”  When you’re a society that celebrates traits that could be considered the opposite of ambitious, energetic, industrious, and aspiring, we suppose it’s not surprising that there’s an expectation of guilt if we dare strive to be as independent and successful as possible.   So all of you who haven’t found that perfect someone yet, don’t widen the income inequality gap any further.   Truly embrace the opposites-attract reasoning and find that special person who doesn’t share your same drive for success.   You may really dislike your life if you follow this doctrine, but you’ll rid yourself of that speck of guilt that otherwise may try to cling to your conscience if you “marry up.”