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I really wish people would stop using the term "1%" to refer to the super-rich. They're actually talking about the 0.01%, or an even smaller group. Heck, anyon

I really wish people would stop using the term "1%" to refer to the super-rich. They're actually talking about the 0.01%, or an even smaller group. Heck, anyone making $30k/year is in the 1% globally. Even in the West, a good (not superstar) doctor or lawyer can expect to be in the 1%. If you're buying $300k handbags, you're way, way, way beyond the 1%. II Documentary works like this, mixing avaricious fascination with super-wealth as well as the morally-delicious feeling of superiority, always put me off a bit. It's sort of like the inverse of watching Hoarders - you get to be horrified and fascinated and feel superior at the same time. "How could someone live like this?" you get to say. "I would never..." you get to say. (Not saying that this photographer had that intention, specifically - I'm more commenting on the audience than the photog). People are people; wealth is wealth; most people would act in these ways if they could. And from the point of view of a kid starving in Delhi slums, your Prius looks a lot like Imelda Marcos' gold-framed Picasso. That said... I'm looking at these photos with interest :)

tekjsraske 9y ago
I wish people would stop using the "1%" as a global entity. When people refer to the "1%" it is understood implicitly that they are referring to the 1% of the wealthiest individuals in the western world. By referring to the "1%" in the way you do, you demean people who struggle daily making 8 bucks an hour because "chin up, you're in the 1% hehe". You think you're doing some good by making this argument, but really you're hurting more people than you understand.
- magic_beans 9y ago
  > When people refer to the "1%" it is understood implicitly that they are referring to the 1% of the wealthiest individuals in the western world. The people making minimum wage in the western world are, by your own definition, NOT in the 1%. They are very much NOT among the wealthiest individuals in the western world. It's not demeaning at all.

tekjsraske 9y ago

I wish people would stop using the "1%" as a global entity. When people refer to the "1%" it is understood implicitly that they are referring to the 1% of the wealthiest individuals in the western world. By referring to the "1%" in the way you do, you demean people who struggle daily making 8 bucks an hour because "chin up, you're in the 1% hehe". You think you're doing some good by making this argument, but really you're hurting more people than you understand.

magic_beans 9y ago
> When people refer to the "1%" it is understood implicitly that they are referring to the 1% of the wealthiest individuals in the western world. The people making minimum wage in the western world are, by your own definition, NOT in the 1%. They are very much NOT among the wealthiest individuals in the western world. It's not demeaning at all.