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Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

bbc.co.uk

41–50 of 98 posts

Re: Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

#41

This exists probably in all countries. I also don't quite get the message out of these pictures. Or if it is even a matter which needs to be solved. If it is, redistribution of wealth is not practical IMO.

What's wrong with just killing them, and taking their land? Obviously the rich don't give a shit about the poor. They'd rather hold on to their wealth, wall themselves into a gated community, than help their fellow citizens who are in poverty. The problem is people with wealth are too selfish to do anything. I'm all for having an involuntary euthanasia program for the poor and unfortunate.

I’m almost totally sure that we’re discouraged from endorsing mass murder on this forum, at least, that’s how I read the guidelines when I signed up. It doesn’t seem like the start of a good conversation, just hatred and spite looking for an outlet. Please stop.

Re: Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

#42
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting where the 2 spots that have both a Walmart and Whole Foods.

The Mountain View Whole Foods and Walmart are across the street from each other (along with Target and Trader Joe’s).

If you aren't familiar with this neighborhood, it is incredibly pedestrian friendly, not only can you walk to all of those stores, it is located next to a Caltrain station.

Re: Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

#43

I'm always confused by these kind of pictures. The 'developed' spaces have apartment towers and dense construction - many more people appear to live there per acre. If land is at such a premium (and the towers seem to indicate this) then how on earth does the shack-dweller afford so much land (relatively) for their very-much-lower density housing? Sure maybe 20 people live in a shack, I understand that, but in the sa…

What am I missing?

The shack-dwellers have no land or strata title or security, often reduced access to utilities and services (or none at all), and thereby live in a state of relative fear and insecurity.

Often owing to this situation they also periodically lose what little they have to thug-teams called in to clear illegal dwellings, and even if they can hold on tend to lack access to education for their children who grow up with stigma and reduced opportunities which results in a cycle of poverty.

Simplistically, you can look at slum-dwellers as landless peasants.

Re: Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's wrong with just killing them, and taking their land? Obviously the rich don't give a shit about the poor. They'd rather hold on to their wealth, wall themselves into a gated community, than help their fellow citizens who are in poverty. The problem is people with wealth are too selfish to do anything. I'm all for having an involuntary euthanasia program for the poor and unfortunate.

I’m almost totally sure that we’re discouraged from endorsing mass murder on this forum, at least, that’s how I read the guidelines when I signed up. It doesn’t seem like the start of a good conversation, just hatred and spite looking for an outlet. Please stop.

[flagged]

Re: Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

#45

I'm always confused by these kind of pictures. The 'developed' spaces have apartment towers and dense construction - many more people appear to live there per acre. If land is at such a premium (and the towers seem to indicate this) then how on earth does the shack-dweller afford so much land (relatively) for their very-much-lower density housing? Sure maybe 20 people live in a shack, I understand that, but in the sa…

Look at the parking in several of the early pictures. The development there is clearly much lower density than the shacks. They have yards and shared greenspace and driveways and garages and so on.

Re: Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

#46

This exists probably in all countries. I also don't quite get the message out of these pictures. Or if it is even a matter which needs to be solved. If it is, redistribution of wealth is not practical IMO.

Let me paraphrase what you said: "I dont see the problem. If there is a problem I dont know we should solve it. If there is a problem we shouldnt solve it because its natural. If it is a problem and we should deal with it we shouldnt use redistribution." Isnt there a name for this type of reasoning?

Kettle logic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettle_logic

Re: Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

#47
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Mountain View Whole Foods and Walmart are across the street from each other (along with Target and Trader Joe’s).

If you aren't familiar with this neighborhood, it is incredibly pedestrian friendly, not only can you walk to all of those stores, it is located next to a Caltrain station.

We have to give credit to the foresight of whoever planned this out, allowed it or luck, I remember about 20 years ago, there was a mall with a Sears and Montgomery Wards where the Safeway/3-4 story condos/apartments/restaurants are now and that Whole Foods was not there, though it seems as if San Antonio Road has had one lane or more blocked over that time continuously as buildings have been torn down/going up.

Re: Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

#48
post #2

In CA, 101 acts as that wall between PA and EPA. The differences are more subtle: less trees. https://goo.gl/maps/c6t8e6dtHbn Trees are one of the major factors affecting property value. If antifa really wanted to attack the 1%, they would covertly kill trees around the richest folks' homes and start fast-food franchises nearby.

Antifa is anti-fascist not anti-wealth. The are a lot of leftists who are both, but they are not the same thing. Antifa groups don’t protest Republican political rally’s, for example.

Antifa isn't any more "anti-fascist" than the People's Democratic Republic of (North) Korea is a "democratic republic", or than old-school Pravda contained truth.

They are violent communists.

P.S. there haven't been any real fascists for, like, 70 years. So, mission accomplished then?

Re: Aerial photos reveal the stark divide between rich and poor

#49

These sort of photos, while interesting visually, prove nothing and say even less. Except that rich people and poor people exist and that if you're a developer you should be careful where you build lest your new development appear in a moralizing photographic exhibition. To be clear, I am not saying inequality does not exist or that there aren't real problems of disparity of wealth, just that drawing very wide conclu…

These photos are powerful, and say a lot about inequality in just a handful of scenes.

The ideal situation would be for everyone to live in functionally identical dwellings that provide their every need. Somewhat like the world described by E. M. Forster in The Machine Stops, except without the dystopian aspect of fully enclosed spaces and unmaintained infrastructure.

Until we reach that pinnacle of human existence, we should all work towards preventing the majority of the world's population living in poverty. A good start would be redistributing the ill-gotten wealth of that lucky minority who lord it over everyone else in a perpetual state of power-hungry me-too selfishness.

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