Question

At what point does commercialization start to create inequality? Please provide examples.

Answer 1

Markets and commerce change the character of the goods they touch.Such deliberations touch, unavoidably, on competing conceptions of the good life.For fear of disagreement, we hesitate to bring our moral and spiritual convictions into the public square.It simply means that markets will decide them for us.At a time of rising inequality, the commercialization of everything means that people of affluence and people of modest means lead increasingly separate lives. We live and work and shop and play in different places. Children go to different schools. It’s not good for democracy, nor is it a satisfying way to live.Democracy does not require perfect equality, but it does require that citizens share a common life. What matters is that people of different backgrounds and social positions encounter one another, and bump up against one another, in the course of everyday life. For this is how we learn to negotiate and abide by our differences, and how we come to care for the common good.

The public schools are an integral part of the institutions of democracy. By schools, Human Capital forms which eventually helps a country to faster its growth and substantially move forward.If we are to achieve the democratic ideal of equity, there must be a commons, and it must be accessible for all to participate effectively. Public education is an important part of that commons. But this common education is not fee, and only those can grab this oppurtunity who are able to pay for it.Commercialization encloses the commons and puts up fences, with admission only to those who can pay. It privatizes public space. It makes the dollar, not citizenship, the entry point to educational experiences and social and political influence in a democratic society.