6 ms·

"I hope that if I ever get into a position like that, I too will be able to look beyond my personal greed and desire to increase the high score." Are you an Am

by tertius 11y ago

"I hope that if I ever get into a position like that, I too will be able to look beyond my personal greed and desire to increase the high score." Are you an American? Well sir, your butt is full and you're keeping it all to yourself. Stolen metaphors aside, you're in the 1% of the world and you can actually make a difference. "How hard is it?" You tell me.

Swizec 11y ago
> Are you an American? Nope. Born in Yugoslavia (communist/socialist), raised in Slovenia (ex-socialist), now in the US for ~8 months. Don't even have my status fully resolved yet. Right now I can barely keep up with rent and building some savings. At current rate it will take me 46,875 years to save up as much as Zuck will have left over after the 99%. Next question?
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- tertius 11y ago
  > Nope. Born in Yugoslavia (communist/socialist), raised in Slovenia (ex-socialist) Okay, top 5%. (*I'm not an American, though I too have moved here.) > Next question? "How hard is it?" You tell me.
- tertius 11y ago
  Also, try https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved/how-rich-am-i/ https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved/how-rich-am-i/
ethanbond 11y ago
Since when is wealth synonymous with comfort? There are people in America who are within the top 1% of global wealth but struggle to feed themselves, or to keep themselves healthy, or to shelter themselves, etc.
- tertius 11y ago
  > within the top 1% of global wealth > but struggle to feed themselves Wealth means assets. If you can't feed yourself you do not have assets and therefore you don't have wealth. There is extreme lack of poverty in the U.S. (not complete, and compared to all countries). There is no reason for anyone to go without food.
  - tertius 11y ago
    Anyone downvoting the parent needs some serious perspective.
  - gradstudent 11y ago
    > There is extreme lack of poverty in the U.S. There is no reason for anyone to go without food. I'm not sure which US you're referring to but it's not one I recognise. There is massive inequality in the US that I know and the results of that are visible everywhere that I visited. Homeless people abound like nowhere else in the developed western world that I've been to (Europe, Australia) and there is a real edge of desperation to the countless number of working poor. For example, in my experience, money is a topic of conversation that pops up way more frequently in the US than elsewhere. If it's not in the context of income (usually being too low) then it's about prices and taxes (usually being too high). Americans seem to think about these things A LOT. Also, looking around, it seems to me like everyone is always hustling for the next dollar. It's sufficiently weird and alien to me that I find it remarkable.
    - tertius 11y ago
      > I'm not sure which US you're referring to but it's not one I recognise. I'm from an African country and with that perspective I stand by this phrase: > There is extreme lack of poverty in the U.S. There is no reason for anyone to go without food. Name one area in the U.S. where a homeless person cannot get a meal. My claim is simple. The U.S. is the most prosperous place on the planet, the inequality doesn't touch at least a hundred other countries. Again, inequality isn't necessarily an indicator of poverty.
philh 11y ago
The US has 4% of the world's population. If you're not in the top 25% of the US, you're not in the top 1% of the world. Europe has 10%, and Slovenia and the ex-Yugoslav countries are not known for their wealth.
- bennyg 11y ago
  That's a weird statistical interpretation.
- tertius 11y ago
  As far as population goes, you got me beat. But seriously we're talking about money, i.e. income and assets.
rdtsc 11y ago
> Are you an American? Well sir, your butt is full and you're keeping it all to yourself. Quite a few Americans live payday to payday. Some work many part time jobs to make ends meet. Do they in absolute dollar terms make more than someone in Africa? Yeah they do. Does it help them if they still can't pay rent? Is that supposed to make them feel better that they make more dollars per month than someone in Burkina Faso? What do you suggest that they somehow go live in Africa, and commute to US, then share the extra wealth for the betterment of mankind. > "How hard is it?" You tell me. Pretty darn hard. Here is some sauce, because someone will ask for it anyway: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-data-half-of-us-poor-or-low-income/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-data-half-of-us-poor-or-l... http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21636723 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21636723
- jdminhbg 11y ago
  I've only been through that CBS link, but it's almost comically awful; a good reminder of why you should avoid nearly every story about a complex issue from a media outlet. As a representative line: "Mayors in 29 cities say more than 1 in 4 people needing emergency food assistance did not receive it." But at any rate, you completely misunderstood the parent's comment, which alludes to the fact that any American with enough disposable income to be browsing HN is in a rarified stratum of wealth globally, and has plenty of opportunity to donate it to the less fortunate.
  - tertius 11y ago
    That's better than I put it.
farresito 11y ago
Well, to be honest, the cost of living is also significantly higher than in most countries.

by tertius 11y ago

Swizec 11y ago

> Are you an American? Nope. Born in Yugoslavia (communist/socialist), raised in Slovenia (ex-socialist), now in the US for ~8 months. Don't even have my status fully resolved yet. Right now I can barely keep up with rent and building some savings. At current rate it will take me 46,875 years to save up as much as Zuck will have left over after the 99%. Next question?

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
tertius 11y ago
> Nope. Born in Yugoslavia (communist/socialist), raised in Slovenia (ex-socialist) Okay, top 5%. (*I'm not an American, though I too have moved here.) > Next question? "How hard is it?" You tell me.
tertius 11y ago
Also, try https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved/how-rich-am-i/ https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved/how-rich-am-i/

ethanbond 11y ago

Since when is wealth synonymous with comfort? There are people in America who are within the top 1% of global wealth but struggle to feed themselves, or to keep themselves healthy, or to shelter themselves, etc.

tertius 11y ago
> within the top 1% of global wealth > but struggle to feed themselves Wealth means assets. If you can't feed yourself you do not have assets and therefore you don't have wealth. There is extreme lack of poverty in the U.S. (not complete, and compared to all countries). There is no reason for anyone to go without food.
- tertius 11y ago
  Anyone downvoting the parent needs some serious perspective.
- gradstudent 11y ago
  > There is extreme lack of poverty in the U.S. There is no reason for anyone to go without food. I'm not sure which US you're referring to but it's not one I recognise. There is massive inequality in the US that I know and the results of that are visible everywhere that I visited. Homeless people abound like nowhere else in the developed western world that I've been to (Europe, Australia) and there is a real edge of desperation to the countless number of working poor. For example, in my experience, money is a topic of conversation that pops up way more frequently in the US than elsewhere. If it's not in the context of income (usually being too low) then it's about prices and taxes (usually being too high). Americans seem to think about these things A LOT. Also, looking around, it seems to me like everyone is always hustling for the next dollar. It's sufficiently weird and alien to me that I find it remarkable.
  - tertius 11y ago
    > I'm not sure which US you're referring to but it's not one I recognise. I'm from an African country and with that perspective I stand by this phrase: > There is extreme lack of poverty in the U.S. There is no reason for anyone to go without food. Name one area in the U.S. where a homeless person cannot get a meal. My claim is simple. The U.S. is the most prosperous place on the planet, the inequality doesn't touch at least a hundred other countries. Again, inequality isn't necessarily an indicator of poverty.

philh 11y ago

The US has 4% of the world's population. If you're not in the top 25% of the US, you're not in the top 1% of the world. Europe has 10%, and Slovenia and the ex-Yugoslav countries are not known for their wealth.

bennyg 11y ago
That's a weird statistical interpretation.
tertius 11y ago
As far as population goes, you got me beat. But seriously we're talking about money, i.e. income and assets.

rdtsc 11y ago

> Are you an American? Well sir, your butt is full and you're keeping it all to yourself. Quite a few Americans live payday to payday. Some work many part time jobs to make ends meet. Do they in absolute dollar terms make more than someone in Africa? Yeah they do. Does it help them if they still can't pay rent? Is that supposed to make them feel better that they make more dollars per month than someone in Burkina Faso? What do you suggest that they somehow go live in Africa, and commute to US, then share the extra wealth for the betterment of mankind. > "How hard is it?" You tell me. Pretty darn hard. Here is some sauce, because someone will ask for it anyway: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-data-half-of-us-poor-or-low-income/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/census-data-half-of-us-poor-or-l... http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21636723 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21636723

jdminhbg 11y ago
I've only been through that CBS link, but it's almost comically awful; a good reminder of why you should avoid nearly every story about a complex issue from a media outlet. As a representative line: "Mayors in 29 cities say more than 1 in 4 people needing emergency food assistance did not receive it." But at any rate, you completely misunderstood the parent's comment, which alludes to the fact that any American with enough disposable income to be browsing HN is in a rarified stratum of wealth globally, and has plenty of opportunity to donate it to the less fortunate.
- tertius 11y ago
  That's better than I put it.

farresito 11y ago

Well, to be honest, the cost of living is also significantly higher than in most countries.