Film Analysis: Inequality For All

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When speaking on inequality, both Stewart and Reich talk about it in terms of a problem that has been around for years, yet has been continuously ignored. Reich addresses the problem in the film by showing the origin of the current income disparities, while Stewart shows the problem specifically in offshore funds.
Early in the film, Reich shows a picture of a suspension bridge that is joined by two columns. Each column represents of the highest points in the economy: 1928 (right before the Great Depression) and 2006 (right before the Great Recession) (Reich, Inequality for All). The cords connecting the column represent the state of the overall state of the economy, starting with a quick fall during the depression, an increase from the 70s to the early 2000s, and then another sharp decline after the crash in 2007. Throughout the film, Reich mapped other trends onto this map, such as: …show more content…

The Schwartz article has an example of stagnant wages: a man who was working in KFC in the mid-90s was earning $5.50 an hour at KFC. This same man was working at another KFC 20 years later and earning $7.25 an hour. When adjusted for inflation, the man was earning $8.61an hour in the 90s, a full $1.31 more than he is currently earning (Schwartz, “Low-Income Workers See Biggest Drop in Paychecks”). The stagnation of wages doesn’t harm the wealthy, but it drastically affects the middle and lower classes. In fact, Reich also showed the pay increase of the highest paid CEOs compared to the average worker. The average worker’s annual pay has gone done about $5,000 since the 1980s, yet the average CEOs pay has almost tripled – well into 6-digit figures (Reich). Again, the person this affects the most is the lowest end of the spectrum. Reich showed how much it was affecting people by giving specific case studies – showing people who were making too little to live on, yet having to try to do it

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