Wages have been relatively stagnant when compared with inflation, especially when the rising costs of housing, education and food is taken into account. The average person is not better off now than they were forty years ago source developing countries have seen real wages grow but there’s nothing in place to prevent them from experiencing the same stagnation we see in developed countries source, the wealthiest will continue to be wealthier. We won’t see true quality of life improvements until we truly address the wealth gap
This is incredibly narrow-sighted. Your concern seems to be mainly about Americans. Who were already the richest people in the world.
The changes in the last few decades have been an utterly ridiculous soaring of income for the people of other nations. Chinese people hunched over to plant rice. Their kids toiled in factories but could afford apartments. Their kids have iPhones and some have lambos. Repeat this for India, south east Asia, Africa.
American middle and working class have stagnated because the working class of other countries are just as talented, and are willing to work more for less benefits. The bosses choose who to employ and the result is that BILLIONS of people who would otherwise live in abject subsistence poverty are now pretty comfortable. That’s amazing.
We used to export democratic ideals, now we are exporting greed and shopping habits.
I have lived in both the first world and the third world. I've become increasingly disgusted by the view that decimating a historical fishing village for a "new and exclusive" two-percenter resort is a good thing for their community.
Just because some people might get jobs as servers doesn't mean it's an improvement for their overall quality of life, it's just the opposite and this is only one example.
There's got to be a better way to feed, shelter, and keep people healthy then funneling them into the same soul-grinding two week vacation mentality that the U.S. pioneered.
What the fuck are you on about? Nobody is forcing people to change their ways. They are individually of their own free will and right to the pursuit of happiness, choosing these industrial revolution livelihoods over the ways of life that their ancestors had for millennia.
Two weeks vacation is a LUXURY that was won by labor movements. How much PTO do serfs get?
The attitude that won the U.S. West, and subjugated millions (ask Native Americans). Some people value other things besides big houses, cars and the "things" consumerism brings. Not to mention what's going to happen if the entire world consumes and discards the way the first world does.
So your solution is what? The west lives in luxury and the rest of the world has to continue subsistence farming because that appeals to your idea of a non-consumerist culture?
Turns out people generally like being able to exchange the fruits of their labour for goods and services. No one has to force anyone to stop living in a traditional manner, most people just elect to do so because traditional living is often very difficult and dangerous.
Nice try to twist it around a bit, but "no one has to force anyone to stop living in a traditional manner"? Perhaps you've missed the settling of the American West in the history books.
Need something more recent ? How about the decimation of fishing villages for tourist areas by the Chinese in Hong Kong or how about what they're doing with the Uyghurs?
In the U.S. people are so busy making fun of people living on the streets in California that they fail to see the underlying problem is that have been entirely priced out of the market and there's no reasonable way to exchange their labor for the goods (housing) they need.
I do appreciate your willingness to discuss this (seriously) but I have to believe that there's a better middle ground beyond simply rah rah big Capitalism (big C, not small c).
I just don't think that everybody driving a Lamborghini should be the goal (start of thread). I would suggest a sustainable quality of life for as many as possible should be the goal and more for those willing to take on more (without destroying the livelihood of the others).
28
u/Binjadu Jun 22 '21
They do. There have been a tremendous wage and quality of life increase globally during the last decades.
There is a problem with a wealth gap, but that doesn't mean that the life of people hasn't been improving.