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American Wealth, Sliced Up

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Re: American Wealth, Sliced Up

#61

Post by Epa095 »

JCTheDenthog wrote: post #57
echelon wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's unfair to compare the US, which is incredibly and wildly diverse in race and culture, against monocultural Europe. I grew up in the South. You'll have to kill these people to take away their sweet tea and fried chicken. And that's just one dimension.

In fact, America's wealth (and our fairly generous welfare programs, despite what Europeans might think) actually enables the massive obesity rates we have, which is one of the main reasons we have lower life expectancies. If Europeans were richer they'd likely be eating themselves to death more like we do (though cultural and other factors play a role too).

You don't think Europeans can afford to eat the cheap crap that makes one fat? Healthy food is expensive, garbage food is cheap. Obesity is a poverty problem in the whole western world.

Re: American Wealth, Sliced Up

#62

Post by hnav »

JCTheDenthog wrote: post #56
Epa095 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess this is the difference between people existing for the betterment of the economy vs the economy existing for the betterment of people.

And which do you think is which? Whatever the "intent" of either the US or EU economies, the US has produced far greater wealth and material prosperity for its citizens than Europe has for its citizens.

Material prosperity. Euros don't have the newest iPhones, 3 row SUVs or a gas dryer that gets your load of laundry crispy in 30 minutes flat. They have third spaces, public transit that actually covers cities/intra-city transport and in southern countries actual food (for now).

Re: American Wealth, Sliced Up

#63

Post by JCTheDenthog »

hnav wrote: post #58
JCTheDenthog wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Americans have homes roughly twice as big as European homes, and a far higher percentage of Americans are homeowners than Europeans. Home ownership rates are within a few percent of each other too.

Part of the reason we're fat as fuck is that giant parcels of land make driving everywhere mandatory.

Better then living in a crowded city where they let rabid hobos attack you on the bus with effectively no consequences.

Re: American Wealth, Sliced Up

#64

Post by hnav »

Epa095 wrote: post #61
JCTheDenthog wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In fact, America's wealth (and our fairly generous welfare programs, despite what Europeans might think) actually enables the massive obesity rates we have, which is one of the main reasons we have lower life expectancies. If Europeans were richer they'd likely be eating themselves to death more like we do (though cultural and other factors play a role too).

You don't think Europeans can afford to eat the cheap crap that makes one fat? Healthy food is expensive, garbage food is cheap. Obesity is a poverty problem in the whole western world.

No it must be that Europeans can't afford corn fed omega-6 beef, corn syrup water and baked extruded corn mush coated in MSG so they have to get by eating real bread, tomatoes and ham.

Re: American Wealth, Sliced Up

#66

Post by hagbard_c »

rmah wrote: post #27

While mildly humorous, I don't understand why people on HN are voting this up. The pie chart is misleading at best.

They are voting it up because posing as 'champagne Marxist' has become popular among the demographics which frequent sites like HN so publications which seem to fit this narrative are gaining traction, factuality be damned.

Does this mean there is no problem when such a large fraction of a country's wealth is concentrated in so few hands? Nope, it certainly can be a problem and has been shown to be so when these few hands use their influence to further their own interests to the detriment of those of the country. The same is true for places where the narrative pushed by the armchair revolutionaries is enacted, the difference is that instead of a few monied interests pulling the strings there tend to be a few politically well-placed individuals doing so. Trying to solve the problems related to extreme wealth concentration with the dissolution of private property - which is what the narrative comes down to - is just as silly as trying to solve the problem with an ulcerated toe by chopping off your foot. That 'highly educated' 'intelligent' people keep on falling for this narrative time and time again notwithstanding all the evidence showing its corrupt nature is flabbergasting.

Re: American Wealth, Sliced Up

#67

Post by Epa095 »

hnav wrote: post #62
JCTheDenthog wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And which do you think is which? Whatever the "intent" of either the US or EU economies, the US has produced far greater wealth and material prosperity for its citizens than Europe has for its citizens.

Material prosperity. Euros don't have the newest iPhones, 3 row SUVs or a gas dryer that gets your load of laundry crispy in 30 minutes flat. They have third spaces, public transit that actually covers cities/intra-city transport and in southern countries actual food (for now).

And infant mortality rates 2/3 of the USA.

Re: American Wealth, Sliced Up

#68

Post by hnav »

JCTheDenthog wrote: post #63
hnav wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of the reason we're fat as fuck is that giant parcels of land make driving everywhere mandatory.

Better then living in a crowded city where they let rabid hobos attack you on the bus with effectively no consequences.

Never been attacked by one, but was taught the difference between "then" and "than" in elementary.

Re: American Wealth, Sliced Up

#69

Post by Epa095 »

JCTheDenthog wrote: post #60
Epa095 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And still Mississipi has a child mortality rate og 9.65 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to Germanys 3.4. Life expectancy is 72.6 vs 81.7 (!!) Looking at income per person really misses some important factors of a societies real riches.

Mississippi has a very high obesity rate (enabled by our wealth and our fairly generous welfare programs, actually). Mississippi also has a far higher percentage of black residents than the median US state, and blacks generally have higher rates of obesity and lower life expectancy due to lifestyle choices, higher rates of participation in gang violence (which leads to a higher murder rate), and various other cultura…

As mentioned before, your view that Europeans can't afford to eat the cheap shit that makes you fat, is just straight up absurd. Across western countries (including the USA) obesity is a poverty problem. It's often called the "poverty obesity paradox". There is no lack of information about it online if you care about knowing, and American obesity is not the flex you seem to think it is.

White people in Mississipi had a infant mortality rate close to the national average at 5.8. Which still means it's 50% more likely that a birth result in the infants death the the USA than in Europe. The fact that black people in Mississipi has a infant mortality rate of 16 should really shock you, and indicates that something is seriously wrong somewhere.

Re: American Wealth, Sliced Up

#70

Post by JCTheDenthog »

hnav wrote: post #68
JCTheDenthog wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Better then living in a crowded city where they let rabid hobos attack you on the bus with effectively no consequences.

Never been attacked by one, but was taught the difference between "then" and "than" in elementary.

Heh I was almost forced to face the fact that my argument was bad but I see here that you made a typo hahaha tough luck pal

https://img.ifunny.co/images/d542d2d7e1830ef76a29483dd498245...

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