I was wondering how many people think that a broadly sized Gilded Age corresponds to this age. Say between 1880 and1930.. about one century ago.
Interesting idea for a thread.
Just some thoughts, who today reminds you of Carnege, Rockefeller, Morgon, Mellon and others who accumulated such great wealth?
The private equity firms own, or will own virtually all of our American businesses. And they are not lead by philanthropists like Carnegie for example. They tend to donate to Israel and Jewish scholarship funds, or art museums.
Was there an inequality of income?
Yes, no doubt about it. Wages today are suppressed by low skilled, and H-1b workers. Americans are much better off today than during the Gilded Age, on average, but now basic needs like housing, transportation, food, etc are unattainable, or rapidly pricing people out of the market, unless they belong to today's upper class, which Eisenhower warned about when he said beware of the scientific/technological industry becoming its own class of people who would exert massive control over people's lives.
Are there trust busters today like Teddy Roosevelt?
Donald Trump......prior to inauguration
He's now bathing in the swamp he said he'd drain, of course.
No, but I believe bribery and corruption is worse today than during the Gilded Age. FDA officials go to work at big pharma companies after approving their new drugs for market, Goldman Sachs determines who sits on the SEC board, and Trump would appoint Mr Burns from the Simpsons as head of the EPA if he could, but to his chagrin, Mr Burns isn't a real person.
Not that I'm aware of.
Irish/Italian emigration/racism?
Resentment towards today's immigration communities, because they flout our laws to get here, receive government handouts unlike the Irish and Italians, and don't seem interested in assimilating to the same degree the Irish and Italians did, because the idea of pride in Americanism is now scary, and nationalistic, and just ignorant of what it means to be a Global Citizen, which is more important than American citizenship .
Yes. Now its irreligious intolerance of primarily Christians, a reversal from the 1800s. Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism are under no obligation to separate themselves from public life, however, and it's perfectly acceptable for people of those faiths to display their religious beliefs and their loyalty to their god over their country/fellow Americans.
Broadly asking if you think history repeats itself in America? and if so, what is next? If not, what will happen from now to say 2030?
Large scale themes do repeat themselves, if not in a fashion which precisely mirrors the original. By 2030, we're going to experience Wall St's attempt to displace millions of workers through automation, which isn't going to be as easy to overcome as we're being coaxed into believing ('it'll be just like the Industrial Revolution, no worries', people say).