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I completely agree, countries should not trap people. But why is it "making it" in some countries to leave and go to America? Why not build up your own country

I completely agree, countries should not trap people. But why is it "making it" in some countries to leave and go to America? Why not build up your own country and affect their living standards in a positive way? Personally I have no desire to leave my country because I like it and want to make it better. I think that is a healthy way to think about your identity.

damnyou 9y ago
> But why is it "making it" in some countries to leave and go to America? Why not build up your own country and affect their living standards in a positive way? Many reasons. * Because they'll be able to add more value to society in the other country. * Because they're part of a marginalized group and the other country has better protections for people like them. Maybe they can't get married in their home country but can in the other country, say. * Most importantly, because they might not want to. People should generally be free to do what they like, right? > I have no desire to leave my country because I like it and want to make it better. Great, sounds awesome! You're free to do as you desire. Others have different desires or constraints and should be free to do as they wish as well.
vilmosi 9y ago
>>> Why not build up your own country and affect their living standards in a positive way? I can answer that in a personal way. Because I don't care. The modern world is capitalist, especially with software. If your work is worth X dollars, why would you work for X/10 dollars? Because of nationalism?
- bischofs 9y ago
  Interesting perspective. I am curious about why the country you are going to pays more than the one you are coming from in software. Would it be too bold for me to say it has some cultural reasons? Perhaps the openness to innovation? or maybe the way people think about solving new problems? Why not try to instill these cultural mechanisms in the country you came from? I hope i'm not coming across as a cultural imperialist but I am genuinely curious. Also I don't think people should migrate for purely financial reasons. There is a lot of rich and interesting cultures in this world - it would be a shame if people just abandoned them for the sake of money.
  - damnyou 9y ago
    > Would it be too bold for me to say it has some cultural reasons? Perhaps the openness to innovation? or maybe the way people think about solving new problems? It's usually an institutional problem. For example, a country where the laws governing business are predictable will work better than one where businesses are at the whim of a local authority. For more along those lines, check out Why Nations Fail by Acemoglu and Robinson. > Why not try to instill these cultural mechanisms in the country you came from? So work twice as hard to get half as far?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - vilmosi 9y ago
    >>> Interesting perspective. I am curious about why the country you are going to pays more than the one you are coming from in software Are you asking me why some places pay more than others? I don't think I have the expertise to answer that correctly honestly, it's probably a multitude of factors. But I don't think it's cultural (or mostly cultural) since it happens within countries too. Silicon valley pays more than the Midwest, London pays more than Birmingham. I don't know why exactly but it's undeniable that they do. >>> Why not try to instill these cultural mechanisms in the country you came from? Because I don't think it's cultural. And even if it were... Why would I do that? My family is more important that some vague notion of changing cultural mechanisms. >>> Also I don't think people should migrate for purely financial reasons. There is a lot of rich and interesting cultures in this world - it would be a shame if people just abandoned them for the sake of money Sorry to be blunt, but it's not your choice. People's lives and priorities are their own to make. This sounds too much like airmchair philosophy. It's great that you can do it but it's not "just money" for the vast majority of people, rich country or not.

damnyou 9y ago

> But why is it "making it" in some countries to leave and go to America? Why not build up your own country and affect their living standards in a positive way? Many reasons. * Because they'll be able to add more value to society in the other country. * Because they're part of a marginalized group and the other country has better protections for people like them. Maybe they can't get married in their home country but can in the other country, say. * Most importantly, because they might not want to. People should generally be free to do what they like, right? > I have no desire to leave my country because I like it and want to make it better. Great, sounds awesome! You're free to do as you desire. Others have different desires or constraints and should be free to do as they wish as well.

vilmosi 9y ago

>>> Why not build up your own country and affect their living standards in a positive way? I can answer that in a personal way. Because I don't care. The modern world is capitalist, especially with software. If your work is worth X dollars, why would you work for X/10 dollars? Because of nationalism?

bischofs 9y ago
Interesting perspective. I am curious about why the country you are going to pays more than the one you are coming from in software. Would it be too bold for me to say it has some cultural reasons? Perhaps the openness to innovation? or maybe the way people think about solving new problems? Why not try to instill these cultural mechanisms in the country you came from? I hope i'm not coming across as a cultural imperialist but I am genuinely curious. Also I don't think people should migrate for purely financial reasons. There is a lot of rich and interesting cultures in this world - it would be a shame if people just abandoned them for the sake of money.
- damnyou 9y ago
  > Would it be too bold for me to say it has some cultural reasons? Perhaps the openness to innovation? or maybe the way people think about solving new problems? It's usually an institutional problem. For example, a country where the laws governing business are predictable will work better than one where businesses are at the whim of a local authority. For more along those lines, check out Why Nations Fail by Acemoglu and Robinson. > Why not try to instill these cultural mechanisms in the country you came from? So work twice as hard to get half as far?
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- vilmosi 9y ago
  >>> Interesting perspective. I am curious about why the country you are going to pays more than the one you are coming from in software Are you asking me why some places pay more than others? I don't think I have the expertise to answer that correctly honestly, it's probably a multitude of factors. But I don't think it's cultural (or mostly cultural) since it happens within countries too. Silicon valley pays more than the Midwest, London pays more than Birmingham. I don't know why exactly but it's undeniable that they do. >>> Why not try to instill these cultural mechanisms in the country you came from? Because I don't think it's cultural. And even if it were... Why would I do that? My family is more important that some vague notion of changing cultural mechanisms. >>> Also I don't think people should migrate for purely financial reasons. There is a lot of rich and interesting cultures in this world - it would be a shame if people just abandoned them for the sake of money Sorry to be blunt, but it's not your choice. People's lives and priorities are their own to make. This sounds too much like airmchair philosophy. It's great that you can do it but it's not "just money" for the vast majority of people, rich country or not.