http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/the-veil-of-opulence/?partner=rss&emc=rss
the veil of opulence operates only under the guise of fairness. It is
rather a distortion of fairness, by virtue of the partiality that it
smuggles in. It asks not whether a policy is fair given the huge range
of advantages or hardships the universe might throw at a person but
rather whether it is fair that a very fortunate person should shoulder
the burdens of others. That is, the veil of opulence insists that
people imagine that resources and opportunities and talents are freely
available to all, that such goods are widely abundant, that there is
no element of randomness or chance that may negatively impact those
who struggle to succeed but sadly fail through no fault of their own.
It blankets off the obstacles that impede the road to success. It
turns a blind eye to the adversity that some people, let's face it,
are born into. By insisting that we consider public policy from the
perspective of the most-advantaged, the veil of opulence obscures the
vagaries of brute luck.
---SPSmith
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