In his book "The Triple Wall of Privilege," John Harbison argues that there are three primary barriers that prevent people from achieving economic success:
1. Class privilege: This refers to the advantages that people born into wealthy families have over those born into poverty. These advantages include access to better education, healthcare, and nutrition, as well as social networks that can help them get ahead in life.
2. Race privilege: This refers to the advantages that white people have over people of color. These advantages include lower rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime, as well as greater access to education, healthcare, and housing.
3. Gender privilege: This refers to the advantages that men have over women. These advantages include higher pay, more opportunities for advancement, and greater control over their own lives.
Harbison argues that these three forms of privilege are mutually reinforcing, and that they work together to create a system of economic inequality that is both unfair and unsustainable. He calls for a number of reforms to address this inequality, including increasing access to education and healthcare, raising the minimum wage, and expanding affordable housing.
Criticisms of the Triple Wall of Privilege
Some critics of the triple wall of privilege argue that it is too simplistic and that it ignores other important factors that contribute to economic inequality, such as individual effort and personal responsibility. They also argue that the focus on class, race, and gender can lead to divisive identity politics that make it harder to build coalitions for progressive change.
Despite these criticisms, the triple wall of privilege remains a powerful and influential framework for understanding economic inequality. It provides a clear and concise explanation of the systemic barriers that prevent many people from achieving economic success, and it calls for a number of concrete reforms that could help to address these barriers.