Corona Diary (March 22–March 28)
Like everyone, we are currently experiencing challenging times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of our nationality, age, or cultural practices, social distancing has rapidly become the norm. The following is a weekly series of thoughts and experiences across five different cities and countries, in the hope of making connections and distinctions in a strange and uncertain time.
Brooklyn, New York, The United States
by Jon Gayomali
Billionaires’ wealth in the U.S. have grown by 45% during the pandemic. 43 more people have also become billionaires within the past year. Among those who have seen their wealth grow the most are Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tesla’s Elon Musk, and Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg. Meanwhile, many are struggling and have lost their jobs.
This segment reminded me of this article of why “Billionaires Shouldn’t Exist”.
“People only become billionaires because successive governments have organised our economic system, from taxes to property law to rights at work, to benefit the rich — often at the expense of the poor. In other words, their creation is a policy choice — or a choice not to make policies that distribute wealth more fairly.”
