A new age of inequality?

MANY political analysts and observers were left scrambling and utterly bemused when Brexit happened. The same rounds of head scratching were induced when President Donald Trump pulled off an unlikely victory in the 2016 Presidential polls against the overwhelming favourite, Hillary Clinton.

In the chaotic aftermath, those same experts who were earlier on so blind to the factors behind the greatest political upsets in 2016 all eagerly jumped on the ‘citizen anger’ bandwagon. Those upsets were seen as strong voter reactions signalling a rejection of globalisation, free trade, and progressive policies. Many from the progressive camp – myself included – were quick to call out the politicians and demagogues who exploited voter fears and rode the resulting tidal wave to seize power.

However, voters now must feel betrayed as their so-called messiahs were nothing more than false prophets in sheep’s clothing. Their ongoing policy positions and agendas will probably exacerbate the woes of their countries’ most vulnerable – the very same flock that elevated them to power in the first place. Bitter irony. However, don’t get me wrong, I’ll give the demagogues some credit. They did hear the cries of the modern oppressed – even if they did eventually turn out doing it as a means to their own ends. Their campaigns built themselves around inequality as a core theme. They preach the gospel of inequality of the little guy getting the short end of the stick when it comes to enjoying the fruits of economics or political progression.

Socioeconomic, education and opportunity inequality might just be the beginning. In the book ‘Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow,’ Yuval Noah Harari cautioned his readers by weaving our human fears of mortality with our desire for progress into a chilling tale of human evolution that eventually negates the notion of humanity. The book talks about the human race – on the edge of eradicating poverty, war, and minor ailments – finally being able to focus on using science and technology to enhance ourselves and create better humans. Yes, Yuval posits that the human race will eventually use technology to genetically engineer healthier, smarter, and stronger offspring.

Why is the advancement of the human race a bad thing, one might question? The thing is, advancement often leads to inequality. More often than not, proponents of trickle-down economics will claim that as collective human society becomes more prosperous, wealth will eventually spread and ‘trickledown’ to the lower rungs of society. The economic turbulence of today and yesteryear has indicated the troubling truth that wealth is not being equally distributed at all. The reality is that those at the top can control a number of resources that are allowed to flow down.

Crucially, the astronomically rich and the desperately poor are still fundamentally the same, both groups are still mortal humans. However, with genetic engineering, the ones that could afford it would make themselves gods; biologically superior and cognitively beyond human comprehension. It would only be logical to conclude the rich and powerful will position themselves as the gatekeepers of access and excess. With genetic engineering, the upper class will be armed with a new method to further remove themselves from the everyman.

In conclusion, it can be generally agreed upon that genetic engineering has the potential to save millions of lives.

However, it can also drastically alter our society. The technology might enable humans to use financial means in ensuring genetically superior offspring, leading to a new enhanced form of inequality. Some might argue that equality never existed in the first place and that advancement in human genetics is just simply evolution. However, where is the line drawn? Surely, our humanity should come before progress. Genetic engineering (if it’s ever expanded upon) must not allow abuse by the powerful, for humanity’s sake.