Kim Phillips-Fein in NYT: ‘Increasingly, we see some of the leading figures in and around Silicon Valley expressing skepticism of contemporary notions of egalitarianism and even disdain for equality.’

According to Phillips-Fein, opposition against equality runs deep in American history.

‘In his autobiography, Henry Ford claimed that it would be a “terrifying prospect” for him to work on an assembly line, but suggested that for those more suited to working on assembly lines, creative thought would be similarly terrifying.’

And: ‘That so many have sought to counter the central precept of our founding reminds us how potent and challenging the idea of equality remains.’

The consequences of this potent idea, equality? Unclear, not even to those who wholeheartedly embrace it. After all, health care for all is a step too far for American exceptionalism.

We are born equal but some die on the street because the hospital is too expensive.

(a sf 2153)