Equality’s envy problem

When the Met Gala committee announced that billionaire Jeff Bezos would co-host the 2026 Gala, activist groups began protesting and several big names refused invitations to the event. New York City’s mayor, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, joined the boycott, citing his commitment to creating “affordability” for ordinary New Yorkers (by taxing the richest residents). The irony of protesting the existence of billionaires by not attending an event where tickets go for nearly $100,000 unfortunately seemed to escape most people.

This thirst for absolute economic equality has helped socialist politicians like Mamdani gain traction. What’s more, a Frenchman who visited America nearly 200 years ago predicted it.

Alexis de Tocqueville was born on July 29, 1805. Tocqueville followed in his great-grandfather’s footsteps as a French statesman, entering public service as an apprentice magistrate.