Irish Famine Houses Shed Positive Light on Modern Egalitarianism

So back in the U.S. the Irish Potato Famine is well known and understood - that's when a flood of Irishmen abandoned their home country and came looking for a better life, bringing their colorful culture and hard work ethic with them. But as Americans we only learn about their hardships as immigrants, not what they faced prior to leaving Ireland.
Today, Jennifer and I got a glimpse into those aspects - "famine huts" are relics of that era, when indentured workers and their families rented tiny parcels on which to live and farm potatoes, eking out a meager living barely above subsistence level. Whole families (think lots of kids) lived in single-room or, if really lucky, double-room stone cottages with thatched roofs. When the blight struck, there were no potatoes, no money, and thus no rent. Oh yeah, and no food, either. Eviction ensued quickly in all cases. And to ensure that these evildoers didn't squat on the property, agents of the landlord burned the roofs off. The Irish have retained these relics of past troubles, and they stand as bleak reminders today.
Compare this behavior to what is going on today; in the face of a global economic failure centered on housing, we have banks negotiating with lenders, the Government intervening, and nobody is bulldozing perfectly good houses, regardless of their drop in value. While things are not perfect today and many are suffering seriously, I haven't heard stories of anybody's house being burned down around them. I also haven't heard of people being forced aboard "coffin ships" and sent to the New World, which only resented their arrival and abused their desperation.

So, we while we do not have a perfect society, I think it has shown signs of improvement.