Man, I have to say that 'Weird' really rubs me the wrong way. Grouping those classifications together suggests that non-Western people are by definition uneducated and living in undeveloped, poor, totalitarian backwaters.
The picture on top is of a village in Chile. We see the rich Western scientist talking to these poor farmers who apparently are so stupid they don't know the finer points of Game Theory.
If you've never been there, google for photos of Santiago. The urban elite there would most likely have very different values than that American scientist, but have probably just as little in common with the farmers pictured. Many would be better educated and be far wealthier than that scientist. Replace Santiago with almost any non-Western urban center and you could say the same thing.
Weird also is silly because it suggests that all people living in Western democracies are rich. "How much would you offer? If it's close to half the loot, you're a typical North American." The average North American is not rich. The average American salary is circa 30k per year. Taxes are very high. Cost of living is very high. Disposable income and buying power are low. Fine dining and travel are expensive. Education, health care and insurance are barely affordable.
One of my brothers and his wife are public servants (American). Both have college degrees. Both are very hard working people. My brother moonlights as a commuter pilot. They can afford to have to kids because their insurances are covered by the government. They can't, however, afford to send their oldest daughter (a 4.0 student) to a decent university. They've had to compromise and send her to a second- or third-tier school.
How is that being rich? Isn't that sort of the opposite of being rich?
In comparison, my girlfriend's family (Asian) earned less in dollar terms while my girlfriend was in college. They're not wealthy (by any measure). They can afford to have kids because healthcare is affordable (by any measure) and they could afford to send her to the #1 university in the country after she passed the entrance exams. She graduated without any debt whatsoever, has had a very strong career and has worked for two of the top-three global companies in her field.
Again, her family is not rich. But it's hard not to say they're way better off than my brother's family.
Comments
Man, I have to say that 'Weird' really rubs me the wrong way. Grouping those classifications together suggests that non-Western people are by definition uneducated and living in undeveloped, poor, totalitarian backwaters.
The picture on top is of a village in Chile. We see the rich Western scientist talking to these poor farmers who apparently are so stupid they don't know the finer points of Game Theory.
Also, Chile as non-Western is questionable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_world
If you've never been there, google for photos of Santiago. The urban elite there would most likely have very different values than that American scientist, but have probably just as little in common with the farmers pictured. Many would be better educated and be far wealthier than that scientist. Replace Santiago with almost any non-Western urban center and you could say the same thing.
Weird also is silly because it suggests that all people living in Western democracies are rich. "How much would you offer? If it's close to half the loot, you're a typical North American." The average North American is not rich. The average American salary is circa 30k per year. Taxes are very high. Cost of living is very high. Disposable income and buying power are low. Fine dining and travel are expensive. Education, health care and insurance are barely affordable.
One of my brothers and his wife are public servants (American). Both have college degrees. Both are very hard working people. My brother moonlights as a commuter pilot. They can afford to have to kids because their insurances are covered by the government. They can't, however, afford to send their oldest daughter (a 4.0 student) to a decent university. They've had to compromise and send her to a second- or third-tier school.
How is that being rich? Isn't that sort of the opposite of being rich?
In comparison, my girlfriend's family (Asian) earned less in dollar terms while my girlfriend was in college. They're not wealthy (by any measure). They can afford to have kids because healthcare is affordable (by any measure) and they could afford to send her to the #1 university in the country after she passed the entrance exams. She graduated without any debt whatsoever, has had a very strong career and has worked for two of the top-three global companies in her field.
Again, her family is not rich. But it's hard not to say they're way better off than my brother's family.
Isn't that weird?
You are an idiot