Les Saltimbanques (1874) by Gustave Doré
Saw a lot of homeless people during this trip in Europe, their tents scattered everywhere alongside the riverbank, sidewalk, and parks etc. idk if it’s during the charismas saw a lot kindness giving food or things to them.
One thing I noticed, might be wrong, those are more willing (compared with homeless in US) to use their talents to make living such like dancing, playing music and acrobatics etc. There was a moment walking on a historic street seeing the show surrounded by crowds. It brings me some images overlapped that hundreds or thousands years ago, people are same like that - using own bodies to do labor make self living, acrobats or street entertainer we could call.
But some things changed since industrial revolution, which transform body to capital serving those machine. Further, we don’t even need the body anymore - sitting in front of those screens typing some bullshit and send. That’s better to stay in those factory or building especially during the winter time for sure, but also make our way to sense things aliened.
That’s the most impressive things I felt, during the trip is being there with my body. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen those architectures, paintings and street views via notebook or social media, but it’s totally different to be there, to feel, to embody showing those details and phenomena can’t be represent totally with any kind media we use…
We can’t going back, but what made us to this position.
Median Wealth of Families with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree Is Much Higher Than for Others
Education has long been viewed as a pathway to opportunity, but it has also become a mechanism for reinforcing social stratification. As shown in the chart below, wealth inequality is not only evident between high-wealth and low-wealth groups but also across different levels of educational attainment. The median wealth of families with at least a bachelor’s degree is significantly higher than that of families without one.
Since the 1980s, the skill premium has risen sharply, particularly at the higher end of educational attainment—graduate and professional degrees. Skill-biased technological change has amplified the returns to education and training, benefiting those with advanced skills while leaving others with stagnant or declining wages. This trend was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, which boosted the fortunes of tech companies and rewarded highly educated workers with relevant skills, while those without such skills faced increasing precarity.