Hierarchies need hierarchy. Economic apartheid is one of the most common - and least questioned - ways to enforce hierarchy.

It's the usual problem of defining the difference between a progressive and a regressive economy. Regressive economies claim to be about "freedom" but in practice it's a very selective freedom that benefits a few small sectors and acts as a brake on innovation, development, and entrepreneurship for everyone else.

Consider all the businesses that could have been started by talented people currently spending all of their income on rent. It's a brittle, oppressive outcome.

Progressive economies rely on wealth redistribution to create something closer to a genuine meritocracy.

There's a whole PR industry devoted to denying this, but it's not a coincidence that the US was a powerhouse of innovation when redistributive taxes were at their highest. And has stagnated as economic apartheid has become more entrenched.