Despite the US’s economic success, income inequality remains breathtaking. But this is no glitch – it’s the system
The Chinese did rather well in the age of globalization. In 1990, 943 million people there lived on less than $3 a day measured in 2021 dollars – 83% of the population, according to the World Bank. By 2019, the number was brought down to zero. Unfortunately, the United States was not as successful. More than 4 million Americans – 1.25% of the population – must make ends meet with less than $3 a day, more than three times as many as 35 years ago.
The data is not super consistent with the narrative of the US’s inexorable success. Sure, American productivity has zoomed ahead of that of its European peers. Only a handful of countries manage to produce more stuff per hour of work. And artificial intelligence now promises to put the United States that much further ahead.
This is not to congratulate China for its authoritarian government, for its repression of minorities or for the iron fist it deploys against any form of dissent. But it merits pondering how this undemocratic government could successfully slash its poverty rate when the richest and oldest democracy in the world wouldn’t.
The sentinment is this: “黑猫白猫，做到老鼠就是好猫。” (“Doesn’t matter if it’s a black cat or white cat, if it can catch mice, its a good cat” “cat” referring to the political system)
Doesn’t matter who’s in power. Mao Zedong or Chang Kai-shek.
Doesn’t matter if it’s Obama, or Hillary, or Trump, or Biden, or Kamala, or Pence, or Vance, as long as they prosper under it, anything is fine.
“Don’t worry son, ICE is only going after the Mexicans and ‘illegals’, just don’t draw attention and everything is fine! What’s there to worry about, we all came legally.”
That’s my parent’s attitude towards politics, no matter what country. Do not be a dissident, is their motto. Low profile, just worry about your self, stop worrying about others.
You know what the irony is. They disagree with the One Child Policy, gave birth to me against policy, then mom got had to get sterilized as a result of the violation and had to pay a huge fine.
Then moments after they tell me about that, they just brush it off like it’s no big deal. Then I criticize CCP and they’re like: “but the party wasn’t able to terminate you, and you’ve alive, so stop talking about it” Already making excuses for a party that they disagree with on policy. I guess its that mentality again: didn’t affect me, I managed to have a second son, who cares about the policy anymore
Thank you very much for this response. I must admit, I’m in over my head when it comes to deep engagement on this issue. I have several friends in the regions I listed who are of middle to low socio-economic importance in their respective areas, and I keep in touch with them almost exclusively online.
I understand and appreciate your perspective and thank you very much for sharing it with me. I’ll definitely be considering it when I think about this in the future.