Tasks: Inequality for All

Answer the questions as fully as you are able to.

1. Who is Robert Reich?
2. What does the film tell us about wealth distribution in the United States?
3. What does the film tell us about poverty in the United States?
4. Why is the middle class so important in a society?
5. Reich suggests investing in education: Why is that important?
6. How is it possible for the rich to pay so little tax?
7. Why is wealth distribution an important political issue in the United States?
8. Who are the winners in the American economy today?
9. Isn't income inequality unavoidable in a capitalist system?
10. What was the most important thing you learnt from the film?

Work in a group and discuss the questions below.

1. Isn't it up to each citizen to pull themselves up by the bootstraps without relying on help from the government?
2. Isn't it every person's right to try to get rich, even if it is at the expense of other people?
3. Isn't it true that if workers aren't happy with the salary they are offered, they can just work somewhere else?
4. Does the economy depend on the rich to create jobs?
5. Does wealth trickle down from the rich to ordinary people so that there is no need for the government to redistribute wealth through taxation?
6. If you were an American multimillionaire or billionaire, would you think it was fair that you should pay higher taxes?

Work together in a group and share the questions between you. Afterwards, share what you found out.

1. What is wealth distribution like in Norway? Did what you found out surprise you?
2. What percentage of the population in Norway is defined as poor? What percentage of the American population is defined as poor?
3. Which country has greater social mobility: Norway or the United States? Why is social mobility important?
4. Who are the richest people in the United States today? How did they get rich?
5. Who are the richest people in Norway today? How did they get rich?

Find the answers to the following questions. Make a fact sheet.

1. What are the largest posts in the United States federal budget?
2. What is the national debt of the United States today?
3. What was the GDP of the United States last year?
4. What was the unemployment rate in the United States last year?
5. What was the poverty rate in the United States last year?

Pick one of the tasks and write a formal letter.

1. Write a letter to an American newspaper where you argue in favour of Reich's ideas for fairer wealth distribution.
2. Write a letter to Robert Reich where you argue against his ideas for fairer wealth distribution from the point of view of a Republican.

Think about the following questions, and discuss your answers in class, or write them down.

1. Were you able to concentrate when watching the film? Why/why not?
2. Which part of the work did you feel you learnt the most from?
3. What would you have done differently if you were free to choose any way to work on the film?