To the Editor:
“In New Age of Privilege, Not All Are in Same Boat” (“The Velvet Rope Economy” series, front page, April 24) highlights the impact of the income gap on luxury travel. Citing two classes on cruise ships is hardly a marker of real income extremes. The 0.01 percent, with their own yachts, wouldn’t be caught dead on a cruise line. Few on the other end of the income continuum can afford a cruise in the first place.
The privileged will always carve out enclaves of splendor. These are targeted by some of The Times’s ads. The threat to democracy is not from a disparity in dining options on cruises, but from an entrenched gap in critical services. The article only touches on the real divide—where public services favor the wealthy. Forget the false dichotomy of luxury travel. Look at the bifurcated legal system, asymmetric political influence, and imbalances in education, medical options and, sadly, even potable water. This is where, and why, the income gap matters.
MARGARET V. SIEBEL
Washington
Note from KBJ: I've never been on a cruise. Have you?
