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Guy Explains America’s Wealth Inequality Using A Pie And People Are Mad
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Guy Explains America’s Wealth Inequality Using A Pie And People Are Mad

Shocking Pumpkin Pie Analogy Shows $98 Trillion Is Divided Between USA’s Wealth BracketsGenius Pie Analogy Shows Wealth Inequality In The US And The Poorest Can't Afford Even The Crumbs
CBS Host Uses A Pie To Explain How Crazy America's Inequality IsWealth Inequality In The USA Explained With A PiePeople Were Asked To Divide A Pie Representing US Household Wealth, No One Gets It RightPeople Are Asked To Divide A $98 Trillion Pie Into Different US Social Classes, No One Gets It RightPeople Guess How Much Of A $98 Trillion Pie Different Social Classes In The US Own, Then Learn The Real NumbersPeople Guess How Much Of $98 Trillion US Household Wealth Different Social Classes Own, No One Gets It RightVideo Shows How Huge Inequality In The US Is With A Simple Pie AnalogyGuy Explains The Huge Differences Between Social Classes In The US Using A Pie And The Video Goes Viral
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Inequality in the US is the worst it’s ever been, but it looks like people are still unaware of just how bad it really is. However, it’s understandable. The human brain has a hard time putting billions and trillions into perspective. We need comprehensive references to fully grasp such high numbers. Luckily, CBS This Morning decided to do this for us. A couple of days ago, they aired a segment that illustrated American inequality by using slices of pie. And it went viral.

The creative approach, presented by the show’s co-host Tony Dokoupil, allowed people to visualize how Americans are sharing $98 trillion of wealth they collectively possess.

Image credits: AnandWrites

Image credits: CBS This Morning

Image credits: AnandWrites

Nine pieces (90% of the pie) went to the wealthiest 20% in the country, according to a National Bureau Of Economic Research study of household wealth trends in States from 1962 to 2016. What makes it sound even worse, four of those nine slices belong to just the top 1%.

The upper-middle-class and the middle class shared one piece (about 10%), and the lower middle class got a few crumbs (.3%). The poorest people, Americans in the bottom 20%, didn’t even get anything since on average, they are more than $6,000 in debt.

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The sad news is that America’s humongous wealth gap keeps widening. And while a steady economic expansion and historically low jobless rate masks problems in income and wealth, in reality, families live in very different financial situations.

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Image credits: AnandWrites

Image credits: tonydokoupil

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    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

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    I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

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    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

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    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Read less »

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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    Eirik Johnsbråten
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If wealth is the result of hard work, how come a single mom working three jobs is still poor?

    Thomas Martin
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Easy, the main point everybody seems to miss is that it gets easier to amass money the more you have. Companies like Amazon pay little taxes and can borrow money at prime or less. The average person is lucky if they can get a loan at 10%.

    Load More Replies...
    Death Metal Kitty
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I always thought that expanding the pie made no sense. An increase of 10% of 0.00001% (of the the pie) is a pittance, whereas a 10% increase in 90% (of the pie) would be an absurd amount. Whenever I raised this point in Economics, I always get manplained the "expand the pie argument" (and I'm a guy). The richest have brained-washed the intelligentsia to keep us peons in line, and they're doing a damned fine job of it.

    Load More Comments
    Eirik Johnsbråten
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If wealth is the result of hard work, how come a single mom working three jobs is still poor?

    Thomas Martin
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Easy, the main point everybody seems to miss is that it gets easier to amass money the more you have. Companies like Amazon pay little taxes and can borrow money at prime or less. The average person is lucky if they can get a loan at 10%.

    Load More Replies...
    Death Metal Kitty
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I always thought that expanding the pie made no sense. An increase of 10% of 0.00001% (of the the pie) is a pittance, whereas a 10% increase in 90% (of the pie) would be an absurd amount. Whenever I raised this point in Economics, I always get manplained the "expand the pie argument" (and I'm a guy). The richest have brained-washed the intelligentsia to keep us peons in line, and they're doing a damned fine job of it.

    Load More Comments
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