Haejin Dispute: Is Steemit Wealth Inequality Inevitable?

in #steemit7 years ago

The discussion (or more accurately, the battle) surrounding @haejin has got me thinking about distributions of wealth in larger contexts. Much of the appeal for crypto in general stems from a dis-satisfaction of the current wealth control and distribution in our nation's fiat currencies. There are obvious problems with these systems, and we should take steps towards bettering them. However, I do not think that the existence of these problems overall speaks in any way to a failure of the platform. Instead, it is a natural phenomenon of human nature. Unequal distribution of wealth is inevitable to a degree. Jordan Peterson speaks about this topic often, you can see one of his lectures below. Please note: This is just me thinking out-loud. I am always happy to entertain different views and opinions. Let me know what you think!

Steemit Wealth Inequality: Inevitable?


Politically, this is also a hot topic, as anti-capitalism movements in US universities become increasingly loud. There seems to be a sense that the unfairness which exist in a system are a reflection of the system itself. I would disagree with this sentiment. I do not think that Steemit, fiat currencies, or capitalism are inherently unfair. Rather, I think that the inequality within these systems is a reflection of natural tendency. Taking this into account, some systems are better than others. The less trust that is required in people doing the right thing the better. Each situation is made up of many individual cases of injustice (such as the @haejin, reward pool rape conversation), but these particular instances do not mean that the Steemit platform is inherently unfair.

Even in ethical situations, where it is good content taking the lion's share of the rewards, there still is not going to be proper distribution to the minnows. It is a fact of human life, and nature itself. The successful actors are rewarded non-linearly for their efforts. Hierarchies always form within a social or economic context, it is not a property of each context itself.


The Principle of Unequal Distribution
When a defeated lobster regains its courage and dares to fight again it is more likely to lose again than you would predict, statistically, from a tally of its previous fights. Its victorious opponent, on the other hand, is more likely to win. It’s winner-take-all in the lobster world, just as it is in human societies, where the top 1% have as much loot as the bottom 50% -- and where the richest eithy-five people have as much as the bottom three and a half billion.
-Jordan Peterson, 12 Rules for Life (Page 8)


This gives me hope, that Steemit is not the problem in these situations. We, the users, are the problem. We can change our voting habits. We can change how we value content. We can make the distribution of wealth how we think it should be. We can all collectively fight against bad actors, and create a better ecosystem. But just because the ecosystem will never be perfect does not mean that it is the platforms problem.

This is not to discount all of the particular issues that Steemit, governments, or social systems have. And we should work to improve them. I only am arguing that the existence of vast inequity does not speak to the actual system itself, and rather is an arising property in all systems. We can be the change that we want to see in our ecosystem. Continue to fight for what you think is right!

Thanks for reading!

Recent Articles:

Sort:  

People don't contribute equally, so an unequal rewards are inevitable of course. However, I think that it's imperative that we work together to make sure people aren't taking more than their fair share. We're all better off when we cooperate, but the only way that works is if we're willing to punish cheating appropriately.

yes, there is no reason to think that just because this is crypto land that every participant is going to get a burger and fries regardless of what they do here. Our goal as participants should be to create the best content we can, call out and punish the bullshit, help teach people where necessary, and encourage the whales with the most power that it is in their bests interests to do the aforementioned because it is the healthiest thing for the platform, free speech and their investments.

True, so many people just go for the short gain though...

well said!

Eh, steemit was all about being an early miner, bitcoin was about early mining, even the non-mining coins have aspects where a lot of money flooded in from bigger coins, the concentration of wealth and computing power and access to cheap power and importantly information on what to mine/invest in profitably didn't go away with the advent of crypto, it just became at the forefront of everyone's attention and it's clear that some groups had more access to these things from the start than other groups.

Steemit is just funny to me because it's not efficient enough in terms of easy ROI to be attractive to large investors, and it's not fair enough to be attractive for everyday social media use, so it wins at neither on all counts.

Good post NG!

"Some people are idiots; they think that eating the rich, and then equally distributing their wealth is some kind of answer. Maybe, everyone would get a free sandwich for that one day, if they did that. But then they'd have to go find another rich guy to eat. If people did this, nobody would ever dare to do anything meritorious out of fear that they too would be eaten, by a bunch of dumb fucking zombies." – @thoughts-in-time (patient zero)

Your post inspired that comment.
Now I shall spread the idea around.

Stop the Madness Join FFF-SOS Today!

I just joined steemit, I think your post is very good, I will follow you, because I need you to add insight about this media, I'm new in the third posting.

Welcome to Steemit! thanks for the follow. Let me know if I can help you understand anything about the platform

That's the mindset we need here. Thank you.

Good to catch up with you latest offerings. Another though-provoking post and I agree it is not the systems at fault but the nature of the individual or species. I need to be careful here because the 'individual can mean many things.
There is an inherent feeling of lack within this species, this may be as a result of seeing ourselves as separate and isolated, as a result an inherent (most often unseen) sense of lack drives our actions.
Yet any action that submits to this sense of insufficiency is, by its nature, counter-productive, In that is perpetuates that very feeling. Its like the bucket with a holes in it - It can never be filled.
If this way of being is at the heart of the steemit issue, or indeed any other, it is destined to follow the same path.
Awareness is the key... but perhaps that's for another post :)
Thanks D

Yes, well stated! When left to fend for ourselves, we end up grasping for anything we can get our hands on, rather than more effectively working as a collective.

Thanks for commenting, I appreciate your voice on this topic!

@ngans, I couldn't agree more with the idea that wealth inequality in Steemit is less a function of the platform and more a function strange forces in human/social interaction (essentially what Peterson is saying).

This is something I've repeatedly tried to expand on in my fiction writing (the idea of getting rid of the evil assholes at the top only to replace them with new evil assholes...or replace "evil" with "rich" or any other context relevant to Prices' law ) in an attempt to add color to these strange phenomenon that seem to work against broad human desires for more egalitarian/merit-based social environments. So, full circle to your point....each of us on SteemIt bear the responsibility to vote wisely. To vote for quality stuff! On this platform we all actually do have a vote that is counted unlike when we "vote" in the political cesspool of our respective countries. If we want a better social context, then it is up to us to help bring it about. Don't engage in system rigging by paying bots to upvote a bullshit/thoughtless post! Don't just upvote on some post that has earned $1000 hoping to pinch a few curated cents off of it. Have some respect for yourself, your creative ability, your time and the voice that this platform is providing you with!

Release the Kraken! You got a 31.96% upvote from @seakraken courtesy of @ngans!

You got a 2.10% upvote from @postpromoter courtesy of @ngans!

Want to promote your posts too? Check out the Steem Bot Tracker website for more info. If you would like to support the development of @postpromoter and the bot tracker please vote for @yabapmatt for witness!

This is an awesome post. I know i can learn more from you and i will do that by following you.

Thanks so much! I appreciate the support. It means a lot