Jackiey, Shilpa and global justice

The row between Shilpa and Jackiey on Celebrity Big Brother last night seemed to me to strengthen the arguments for global redistribution, as advanced by (among others) Darrell Moellendorf (pdf), Thomas Pogge and the Global Basic Income Foundation.
Jackiey is utterly without any moral, intellectual or aesthetic virtue: how hard can it be to pronounce "Shilpa" - it's a common enough name? And yet she lives in far greater wealth than most of Shilpa's compatriots.
Obviously, this is not because of any merit on Jackiey's part. Instead, it's simply due to pure luck. Jackiey had the luck to be born English. Indians did not.
Now, one common argument for redistribution is to equalize (up to a point) circumstances which are beyond an individual's control. As a massive source of inequality is the country of one's birth,  this principle seems to mandate global redistribution.
Of course, many reject this principle. And others think equality stems instead from a need to build communities - though quite why anyone wants to be in the same community as Jackiey escapes me.
But if you do accept this principle, doesn't global redistribution follow?

Comments

[ainelivia]

If Jackiey Budden was a lot younger, she'd be diagnosed with ADHD, barred from school for being a disruptive influence, and possibly be receiving Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Personally all the dosh she spent on recent reconstructive surgery and a makeover should have been put to better use, therapy, and years of it.

[dearieme]

"doesn't global redistribution follow?"

Not unless you are mad enough to think it would work.

[Marcin Tustin]

Only if you really like foreigners. It all depends on with whom you feel solidarity.

[AntiCitizenOne]

Punishing the Lucky?

I've allways found it takes a lot of effort to get lucky ( ;) ), so I'd have to say this is a stupid idea.

[Andrew Zalotocky]

If wealth is redistributed to countries with corrupt and/or despotic governments it will be appropriated by the local elite rather than going to the poor. The poor will see little or no benefit, and the position of the elite will be entrenched.

Therefore the preconditions for "global redistribution" are a purge of despots and intense international pressure on less oppressive regimes to reduce corruption. But regime change is costly and difficult, and rebuilding a nation that has been destroyed by decades of tyranny even more so. Nations will only attempt it when they also have important interests at stake. It is also very difficult to get corrupt governments to change their ways, because even if we refuse to do any business with them someone else will.

So it doesn't matter whether there is a case in principle for "global redistribution" because there is no way of putting it into practice.

[cityunslicker]

should we not just do away with Jackey?

A simple solution is often best.

[Katherine]

AntiCitizenOne - how much effort did Jackey put in to be lucky enough to be born in the UK? Umm...

[AntiCitizenOne]

Katherine,

Jades mum is a product of Redistribution (the UKs welfare state). You want to create a world full of them?

[Katherine]

Once again my friend, you have failed to answer the question I actually asked. I didn't say anything about the welfare state at all.

[AntiCitizenOne]

We don't know how much effort Jackeys mother took to have her child in a civilised country.

[Katherine]

No no, I asked how much effort JACKEY put in to be lucky enough to be born in England. Answer = none.

The original post referred to the lack of any merit required to be born in England - that it was a product of luck. Your response was that it takes a lot of effort to be lucky. But sorry, it is indubitably the case that Jackey herself made no effort whatsoever to be born in England, so your point is entirely irrelevant.

[AntiCitizenOne]

Katherine,

The person responsible for Jackeys Birth in the U.K was her mother.

My point is that by punishing imaginary "good fortune" we risk punishing the unseen but responsible actions that brought that "luck".

It could be considered that Jackey had the bad fortune to be born into a country where it is easy to become a benefit addict and this ruined her life chances.

[Katherine]

If that was your point, maybe you should have just said that? Because I'm reading back through your posts and I'm struggling to get that interpretation, except by oblique innuendo. And you still didn't answer my question, but ne'er mind.

And why is that good fortune "imaginary" exactly? See, you're not the only one who can use quote marks imaginately.

[john b]

I'm still goggling at:
"Only if you really like foreigners. It all depends on with whom you feel solidarity."

Surely you only need to like foreigners more than you like Ms Goody senior? And to be honest, I don't think I've ever met a foreigner I liked less than Ms Goody senior...

[Jack Carter]

I've lived in rough areas of Gt.Britain and I've never seen somebody as rude as Jackiey Budden/Goody. I've read she's a lesbian and she might be acting in a the way she perceives men to be, but doing a poor job. Having just the one arm, and having a need to appear butch, her targets have been an 80 year old man and a skinny Indian woman. She's also nervous of her daughter which doesn't bode well, but explains why Jade might be humoured so much. However, I can no longer blame Jade for being the ignorant girl she is, not now I've seen the person who raised her - SOCIAL SERVICES SHOULD'VE PUT THE GIRL WITH A NORMAL FAMILY.

[Ms.Rubina Shaikh]

Hand that old hag Jackey over to us so that we can teach her some culture.How dare she insult Shilpa? She's
not fit to be Shilpa's maid.Pedestrian bitch.

[Tanmay Singh]

You fucking britons think you rule the world. Fuck you all. Look at the US and learn stuff instead of hating them. They are possibly the most accepting country of all where the word American doesnt mean white, black asian or brown. Its a mix. Go and fucking have ur drinking binges like you always do faggots. In my eyes, the British are an inferior people who live in their own dreams. OOO im born in England! How fucking awesome am I!!

[ishrat]

hi shilpa i just waned 2 say dat kan u give me ya emai plz
thanx