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The crown pandemic and its aftermath are pulling at the fabric of our society. In his new book on “Inequality in Class Society”, left-wing political scientist Christoph Butterwegge claims that as a result of the crown crisis, the divisions between rich and poor are also deepening in Germany.
Butterwegge cites consumer behavior as an example: “More families are shopping at discount supermarkets to save money, which should further enrich chain owners like Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd,” says the political scientist. “Even before the pandemic, the private assets of Dieter Schwarz, owner of Lidl and Kaufland, were estimated at 41.5 billion euros.”
Butterwegge says there is “a connection between immunodeficiency and low income: the risk of infection is higher for poor people, for example, if they have no shelter.” And the federal government’s rescue measures are well-intentioned, but they exacerbated the development: “Anyone who hasn’t ‘done’ anything beforehand,” says Butterwegge, “also doesn’t get anything in an emergency. However, this applies to people homeless and recipients of transfers, for example also for self-employed workers and self-employed artists. “
The phase of contact restrictions also left “a terrifying understanding for many people in Germany: a large proportion of Germans cannot even make ends meet if they lose their regular income for two or three months.” . “
Read the full interview here:
SPIEGEL: Mr Butterwegge, be it plague, cholera or Spanish flu: the world has been ravaged by pandemics for centuries. Have such events made societies more equal or unequal?
Butterwegge: There is no general answer to the question. Some infectious diseases that are rampant around the world have had a socially equalizing effect. As bad as they were for the infected and their families, in some cases they brought classes and shifts closer together.
