Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We've seen the counter argument to this many times. America is evil. America is a cutthroat capitalistic society. People don't have living wages. The wealth and income inequality is out of control. The poor here are suffering. This is a cruel country.
But what do the statistics say about America's poor people?
Quote:
The poor in the US are richer than around 70% of all the people extant. The poor in the US are about as poor, perhaps a bit richer, than the poor in other rich countries. It is true that there is more inequality in the US: but this isn't because the poor are poorer. It's because the rich are richer
More evidence of what it means to be poor in America:
Quote:
Consider that the average poor Americanlives in a 1,400 square foot dwelling. That’s more space than the average non-poor European citizen can claim. The average resident of the United Kingdom averages 935 square feet of living space. French and Germans average 980 and 968 square feet, respectively. The average across all of Europe is a mere 857 square feet, across ALL income levels.
Quote:
The median poor family with children in the United States lives in an air-conditioned home with three color televisions, cable or satellite TV, a DVD player, a video game system (such as a Playstation or Xbox), a personal computer, and a kitchen stocked with every necessary appliance, including a refrigerator, both an oven and a stove, a microwave, and a coffee maker. Almost 75 percent own their own car or truck (about a third have two or more). And 42 percent of these households actually own their own home.
So based on the statistics, the poor people in this country have it very good compared to the poor of other 1st world countries and are clearly the envy of the world. This is the best place on earth to be poor.
We've seen the counter argument to this many times. America is evil. America is a cutthroat capitalistic society. People don't have living wages. The wealth and income inequality is out of control. The poor here are suffering. This is a cruel country.
So based on the statistics, the poor people in this country have it very good compared to the poor of other 1st world countries and are clearly the envy of the world. This is the best place on earth to be poor.
I do not in the slightest believe the part about the 3 TVs and air conditioners, etc, and most certainly I dispute that 42% of the poor own homes. They have fan drives every summer for the poor in Philly and Camden. I work with people who are poor and have nothing. One of our patients was living in a pickup truck before he was hospitalized.
I don't believe any of that stuff about 3 tvs or a/c and all the fancy toys. A lot of poor people live on the streets or in their cars, more than ever before. Maybe they didn't get counted? And other poor people live in run down subsidized apartments that are not nice places to live in. No a/c, very cramped, buildings that are old and broken down. Or they rent apartments in multi family houses that are crowded firetraps.
I'd never want to go back to the days before we helped other Americans. My grandmother had a great big house in the 1930s, and lived in poverty due to the Depression. Her husband had died and she was left with young kids. The kids had no life except for taking in boarders and washing, cooking, ironing, and cleaning. They had rotten lives. My grandmother died young due to the stress and being overworked, and the entire thing took a terrible toll on the kids.
So if the point of the OP is that the poor are so lucky and that maybe we should return to the days when they received no help--No. Our poor are not the envy of the world. Who would come here to live the lives of our poor.
Last edited by in_newengland; 07-15-2018 at 06:52 PM..
Once I saw in a movie an enough young American woman living in rural area in a little house with wood walls like a barn.
And ... I saw on TV brave bearded men those caught sneaks about 50 dollars a piece. They lived in a village too and these 50х(number of snakes) dollars were good money for them.
Of course there are Americans who at the question "Is the USA the country with streets paved with gold?" would answer "No, it isn't"
The difference between the very poor people in the US and the very poor people in many other countries is huge.
Also , the percent of very poor people in the US is much smaller than the percent of very poor in many countries.
When the percentage of very poor people is high , that leaves fewer people with the ability $$$$$ to help the very poor,
Yesterday, at church, we had a missionary priest from Kenya explain the difference between the very poor in the US and the very poor in his home country of Kenya .
HUGE difference.
I could see where the very poor in Kenya ( many) might think the very poor in the US ( FEW) aren't that bad off.
The difference between the very poor people in the US and the very poor people in many other countries is huge.
Also , the percent of very poor people in the US is much smaller than the percent of very poor in many countries.
When the percentage of very poor people is high , that leaves fewer people with the ability $$$$$ to help the very poor,
Yesterday, at church, we had a missionary priest from Kenya explain the difference between the very poor in the US and the very poor in his home country of Kenya .
HUGE difference.
I could see where the very poor in Kenya ( many) might think the very poor in the US ( FEW) aren't that bad off.
But as America is considered a wealthy first world nation it would be better to compare with other wealthy nations. We all know thw poor in poor countries have it worse.
There are poor people in America who are homeless and live in cars (if they are lucky enough to own a car) the even poorer homeless live in card board boxes under bridges, have no home, healthcare or food much less air conditioning and televisions....Doubt that any one would envy that, except perhaps the poor of a third world nation.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
