Oppgave
Tasks: Inequality for All
Answer the questions as fully as you are able to.
- Who is Robert Reich?
- What does the film tell us about wealth distribution in the United States?
- What does the film tell us about poverty in the United States?
- Why is the middle class so important in a society?
- Reich suggests investing in education: Why is that important?
- How is it possible for the rich to pay so little tax?
- Why is wealth distribution an important political issue in the United States?
- Who are the winners in the American economy today?
- Isn't income inequality unavoidable in a capitalist system?
- What was the most important thing you learnt from the film?
Work in a group and discuss the questions below.
- Isn't it up to each citizen to pull themselves up by the bootstraps without relying on help from the government?
- Isn't it every person's right to try to get rich, even if it is at the expense of other people?
- Isn't it true that if workers aren't happy with the salary they are offered, they can just work somewhere else?
- Does the economy depend on the rich to create jobs?
- Does wealth trickle down from the rich to ordinary people so that there is no need for the government to redistribute wealth through taxation?
- 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.
- What is wealth distribution like in Norway? Did what you found out surprise you?
- What percentage of the population in Norway is defined as poor? What percentage of the American population is defined as poor?
- Which country has greater social mobility: Norway or the United States? Why is social mobility important?
- Who are the richest people in the United States today? How did they get rich?
- Who are the richest people in Norway today? How did they get rich?
Find the answers to the following questions. Make a fact sheet.
- What are the largest posts in the United States federal budget?
- What is the national debt of the United States today?
- What was the GDP of the United States last year?
- What was the unemployment rate in the United States last year?
- What was the poverty rate in the United States last year?
Pick one of the tasks and write a formal letter.
- Write a letter to an American newspaper where you argue in favour of Reich's ideas for fairer wealth distribution.
- 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.
- Were you able to concentrate when watching the film? Why/why not?
- Which part of the work did you feel you learnt the most from?
- What would you have done differently if you were free to choose any way to work on the film?