Ok, not as catchy, I get it. But not said above is: if you increase wealth, and some that increase happens faster for some (countries or people) than for others, that inevitably means increased inequality. But still it’s everyone that’s better off. Rising wealth almost always means rising inequality. The difference between socialism and capitalism is that socialism tries to reduce inequality by squashing down the top; while capitalism tries to reduce inequality by lifting up the bottom. I’ve seen the horrors of the former (China 1976) and the wonders of the latter (China 1980-2012).
That said, a modicum of modesty from the US would be nice. As David Dodwell pleads above. But don’t hold your breath. Americans are brought up with American exceptionalism— “the greatest country in the world” — imbibed with their mothers’ milk.
And, a bit of tu quoque, what about China? How’s it doing on the modesty front in the South China Sea?
