Inequality In America Is Worse Than In Egypt, Tunisia, Or Yemen

Inequality in America is worse than in Egypt, Tunisia, or Yemen. Protesters in these countries all cite inequality as one of the main reasons for their protests.
Some of you are probably thinking, what commie, or commies came up with this crap? The commies who came up with this crap are none other than the CIA.
The rankings of countries are based on the "Gini Coefficient". "Gini Coefficients" are a term economists use to measure inequality.
"Gini Coefficients" are like golf scores. the lower the score the better.
The higher the ranking on the list the less inequality.

According to the CIA World Fact Book, the U.S. is ranked as the 42nd most unequal country in the world, with a Gini Coefficient of 45. In contrast: Tunisia is ranked the 62nd most unequal country, with a Gini Coefficient of 40. Yemen is ranked 76th most unequal, with a Gini Coefficient of 37.7. And Egypt is ranked as the 90th most unequal country, with a Gini Coefficient of around 34.4.

Source:
globalresearch.ca...
Worst on the list (No.1)? - Namibia.
Best on the list (No. 134)?- Sweden.
Source:
www.cia.gov...
Why doesn't this register in America?

But another reason is that - as Dan Ariely of Duke University and Michael I. Norton of Harvard Business School demonstrate - Americans consistently underestimate the amount of inequality in our nation.

Here's a quote about a study Harvard did on the perception of inequality in America.

The report ... "Building a Better America -- One Wealth Quintile At A Time" by Dan Ariely of Duke University and Michael I. Norton of Harvard Business School ... shows that across ideological, economic and gender groups, Americans thought the richest 20 percent of our society controlled about 59 percent of the wealth, while the real number is closer to 84 percent.

Source:
globalresearch.ca...
Here's a link to the Harvard study.
www.people.hbs.edu...

*yawns*...
Whatever you say...

reply to post by Soldier of God


but it's true! what about the TSA? Or the patriot act? Those are signs of oppression. That's why some people said the People's Republic of China is more free than the United Socialist States of Amerika

Originally posted by starwarsisreal
reply to post by Soldier of God

 

but it's true! what about the TSA? Or the patriot act? Those are signs of oppression. That's why some people said the People's Republic of China is more free than the United Socialist States of Amerika

Well head on over to China, Egypt, Tunisia, or Yemen and then drop me a U2U to tell me how "equal" it is over there. I can't wait to hear how great it is.

You'd like to think that, but it is not fact.

Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen suffer from too much Islam and too much Jihad. That is their problem.

I was talking to my husband last night...we had a recent problem with my indoor dog getting out and barking and scaring a UPS man. He didn't hurt him and just barked from 30 feet away or so, but the guy got mad and he threatened to call the cops to me. He did! Of course they came the next day and my dog was in the house. HE IS an indoor dog!
It infuriated me. It made me realize how often it is people get what I am calling violence by proxy. That's when you don't engage people in a cooperative manner or listen to each other like adults, you just threaten them with the police, or dfcs or whatever other authority you can threaten them with. It wastes everyone time and makes life miserable for all involved.

Anyway, he had got threatened with the law because the bottom edge of his drivers license was bent when he had to show it to a cop when they were checking traffic on his way to work. He had to drop work and everything to go get a new copy RIGHT THEN- in case he had to get checked again- and really, is that not a little thing to have to get threatened for?

But we were discussing all this, and it is like, darn,you know, you cannot freaking do anything anymore without having to stop and think "am I breaking a law here?" You have an accident like your DOG is puking so you let him out and that is when the mail guy comes and you get hassled. You try to put 5 feet of extra space on your porch and you have to go buy a 500.00 permit first. (5x the cost of the extension.)

This place is crazy. Heck let's make some more laws. It starts to make anarchy seem like relief.

But but but ...

Americans have free elections!
Americans have free internet!
Americans are TOTALLY free to protest!
Americans are TOTALLY not being robbed blind by the bankers!
Cops TOTALLY don't get away with murdering and beating civilians for no reasons!
TSA TOTALLY doesn't molests you!

Americans believe their own BS, that they are free.

They are also too busy updating their facebook account to do anything.

Once the checks stop coming in or hyperinflation kicks in, that is when they will revolt. Not before.

I don't think anything, I just posted raw data, you can extrapolate whatever you want from it.
Do I think the average standard of living is higher in those countries than it is in the US? I doubt it.
The statistics are probably based on the countries GNP, The US has a higher GNP which statistically speaking, we would on average have a higher standard of living. That being said if our Gini coefficients were more in line with some of these other countries, our standards of living would be that much higher.
Why do you think the CIA would be interested in data like this? It's to gauge political stability.

This is something that most Americans refuse to acknowledge. You can add links, papers by prominent figures, website, articles, you can even get the President himself to say it, and people wont believe it. The biggest crime that has occurred in America, is that Americans refuse to see whats right in front of them.

The people in those other countries are fully aware that they are oppressed. But we think that because we can watch "programmed" television, and we can eat and live in excess that we are free. We are far from it and have been since the beginning.

S&F.

Peace, NRE.

That is such a rediculous statement for you to make it hardly needs any response..

Do you have any idea of the terrible, terrible poverty that some of those people live in and can never, never escape?

On the other end, do you have any idea of the immense wealth of the elite in those countries?

Yes there is huge disparity and inequality, but the difference is that the poor in America aren't living on less than two dollars a day and the majority of people are not starving. Even the poor, at this point, still have access to food. When welfare runs out of money you'll see a revolution.

Ok OP, lets come clean and admit you basically copied and pasted your OP from Infowars and in it you do not share a single thought that is your own.

Does any of this look familiar?

Egyptian, Tunisian and Yemeni protesters all say that inequality is one of the main reasons they’re protesting. However, the U.S. actually has much greater inequality than in any of those countries. Specifically, the “Gini Coefficient” – the figure economists use to measure inequality – is higher in the U.S. Gini Coefficients are like golf – the lower the score, the better (i.e. the more equality).

According to the CIA World Fact Book, the U.S. is ranked as the 42nd most unequal country in the world, with a Gini Coefficient of 45.

In contrast:

• Tunisia is ranked the 62nd most unequal country, with a Gini Coefficient of 40.

• Yemen is ranked 76th most unequal, with a Gini Coefficient of 37.7.

• And Egypt is ranked as the 90th most unequal country, with a Gini Coefficient of around 34.4.

And inequality in the U.S. has soared in the last couple of years, since the Gini Coefficient was last calculated, so it is undoubtedly currently much higher.

So why are Egyptians rioting, while the Americans are complacent?

Well, Americans – until recently – have been some of the wealthiest people in the world, with most having plenty of comforts (and/or entertainment) and more than enough to eat.

But another reason is that – as Dan Ariely of Duke University and Michael I. Norton of Harvard Business School demonstrate – Americans consistently underestimate the amount of inequality in our nation.

As William Alden wrote last September:

Americans vastly underestimate the degree of wealth inequality in America, and we believe that the distribution should be far more equitable than it actually is, according to a new study.

Or, as the study’s authors put it: “All demographic groups — even those not usually associated with wealth redistribution such as Republicans and the wealthy — desired a more equal distribution of wealth than the status quo.”

The report … “Building a Better America — One Wealth Quintile At A Time” by Dan Ariely of Duke University and Michael I. Norton of Harvard Business School … shows that across ideological, economic and gender groups, Americans thought the richest 20 percent of our society controlled about 59 percent of the wealth, while the real number is closer to 84 percent.

Source

I copied it from Global Research not Infowars. If you're going to bag on me for copying stuff, then you better bag on everyone else that does it. I think this post just conveys a message that a lot of people seem to have a problem with.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
But but but ...

Americans have free elections!
Americans have free internet!
Americans are TOTALLY free to protest!
Americans are TOTALLY not being robbed blind by the bankers!
Cops TOTALLY don't get away with murdering and beating civilians for no reasons!
TSA TOTALLY doesn't molests you!

Americans believe their own BS, that they are free.

They are also too busy updating their facebook account to do anything.

Once the checks stop coming in or hyperinflation kicks in, that is when they will revolt. Not before.

edit on 29-1-2011 by Vitchilo because: (no reason given)

You know you make an intresting point. Maybe the US should just stop all aid to all foreign countries. We can pull our military to our own shores (which I am a proponent of) so the dicators can continue to slaughter their own populations in the name of religion or law.

While this is occuring we can sit on our lazy asses, watching cable to see how bad it is in other countries. While we are watching that we will write out some letters with updates and mail them to you guys, since you wont have access to news / internet reporting, except what the central government wants you to know.

We do have free elections in this country, and personally I think its cool that we get to overthrow our Government every 2 years in a peaceful manner. I know its not the same as rounding up your political enemies and lining them up against a wall to pose for muzzle flashes, but you get the idea.

I am all for 10 dollar a gallon gas if the bulk of that money goes to alternate fuel sources to rid ourselves of oil. That way they can kill each other all they want. When we need sand or extremisms, we will give you guys a call over there. Until then, dont call us.

BS. There's plenty of shelter for the homeless and food banks. The poor in America are still richer than the poor in other countries.

reply to post by 547000


Ya know threads like this always make me wonder.

To the people who make claims like this about the US - what country are you from? and what country are you currently in?

I have come across a few "Middle Easterners" who like to take the US to task for our "barbaric laws and way of life". What cracks me up is they dont even live in their home coutnries anymore, because they are afraid of being killed by the Government or the extremists.

Nothing like knocking the US and our ways from the safety of another western nation instead of their home countries.

Nothing like knee jerk emotional reactions.
The data speaks for itself, the data comes from the CIA.
It's raw data, if you see it that way then so be it.
Putting blinders on might be comforting, but it isn't very patriotic.

Originally posted by jlv70
I copied it from Global Research not Infowars. If you're going to bag on me for copying stuff, then you better bag on everyone else that does it. I think this post just conveys a message that a lot of people seem to have a problem with.

edit on 29-1-2011 by jlv70 because: fix typos

The links from infowars, leads back to global research. It makes no difference to me where you got the information from, what bothers me is that you attempted to pass it off as your own work and your own opinion when clearly it was copied and pasted and you did not offer any opinion of your own.

I have no issue with the message, nor did I even make mention of my own personal thoughts on the matter. That being said, the least you can do it give the credit to those who deserve it, the people who actually wrote the article. Instead you copied it, pasted it, and added the links that the original article listed to back up the work they did.

reply to post by MrWendal


Actually to add on to your argument about the OP info. If he goes back and reads it the comparison is based on family income, and the "gap" between wealth concentration. It has nothing to do with the CIA, although they posted the report on their site. The OP left some important information out of his post because it does not support the argument that is being made.

OP Source - CUA website

This index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of (a) the area between a country's Lorenz curve and the 45 degree helping line to (b) the entire triangular area under the 45 degree line. The more nearly equal a country's income distribution, the closer its Lorenz curve to the 45 degree line and the lower its Gini index, e.g., a Scandinavian country with an index of 25. The more unequal a country's income distribution, the farther its Lorenz curve from the 45 degree line and the higher its Gini index, e.g., a Sub-Saharan country with an index of 50. If income were distributed with perfect equality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the 45 degree line and the index would be zero; if income were distributed with perfect inequality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the horizontal axis and the right vertical axis and the index would be 100.

The other issue to point out is the comparison ranking chart. If you look to the right side of that list you will see what year that countries info was collected. The US info is from 2007 and Tunisas info is from 2005.

The ranking chart has Tunisas listed at 62 and the United States listed at 45. If lower number is better, then I fail to see how you have Tunisa rated as being more equal than the US.

Its possible I am not folloing the OP's argument, so if I am confused on this please let me know.

jlv70,

Do average americans make less than $2 a day?