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It's relative. America's disadvantaged are not like Finland's. There's an underclass in the US straight out of Oliver Twist. The essay stresses the unfairness

It's relative. America's disadvantaged are not like Finland's. There's an underclass in the US straight out of Oliver Twist. The essay stresses the unfairness of depriving a subset of that underclass — ie: strivers — of a chance to pull themselves up. The goal instead should be universally to lower American inequality. We should bring it closer to Finnish levels, even if Finnish levels are imperfect.

tupputuppu 6y ago
I'm confused - are you talking about inequality of opportunities (social mobility) or inequality of outcomes? Yes, we have really high income taxes which means our income equality is less in Nordics than in the USA. However, that also means that strivers are unable to get rich. You can't get rich by working. That means our wealth inequality is just as bad as in the US. Our 1% has just as much of the wealth and power as in the US. Whereas in the US, that 1% is mostly entrepreneurs with minority having inherited, in Nordics it's the opposite. Happy to dive deeper into statistics if you want to. https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/05/wealth-inequality-in-sweden.html https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/05/we...
- uniqueid 6y ago
  There is definitely some kind of miscommunication here. I know the area well enough (Sverige lite bättre än ditt land men iaf...) that your comments puzzle me. I know that you know that poverty in your country, compared to the US, is a non-issue. I know that you know that citizens in your country don't have basic educational deficits that many Americans have. I know that you know that your country is very capable of competing in the world market. As a reminder of the scope of the differences, see: https://youtu.be/YEywCppqeZo https://youtu.be/YEywCppqeZo or https://youtu.be/JHDkALRz5Rk https://youtu.be/JHDkALRz5Rk So, I too am confused.
- yostrovs 6y ago
  Americans, few having visited places like Finland, have a heaven-like perception of the nordic countries. Everyone lives happy lives, powered by public transportation, true equality, and unlimited healthcare unlike almost anywhere else. I'm sure things are great there, but the perception is rarely based on reality. Rather, the Nordics are almost wholly invented by Americans in their minds based on what they imagine them to be.
  - uniqueid 6y ago
    That's probably a bit too dismissive in my case, but I don't want to turn the thread into my personal travelogue. You could ask tupputuppu whether his/her opinion of the Finnish system is the norm within Finland itself, though.

tupputuppu 6y ago

I'm confused - are you talking about inequality of opportunities (social mobility) or inequality of outcomes? Yes, we have really high income taxes which means our income equality is less in Nordics than in the USA. However, that also means that strivers are unable to get rich. You can't get rich by working. That means our wealth inequality is just as bad as in the US. Our 1% has just as much of the wealth and power as in the US. Whereas in the US, that 1% is mostly entrepreneurs with minority having inherited, in Nordics it's the opposite. Happy to dive deeper into statistics if you want to. https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/05/wealth-inequality-in-sweden.html https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/05/we...

uniqueid 6y ago
There is definitely some kind of miscommunication here. I know the area well enough (Sverige lite bättre än ditt land men iaf...) that your comments puzzle me. I know that you know that poverty in your country, compared to the US, is a non-issue. I know that you know that citizens in your country don't have basic educational deficits that many Americans have. I know that you know that your country is very capable of competing in the world market. As a reminder of the scope of the differences, see: https://youtu.be/YEywCppqeZo https://youtu.be/YEywCppqeZo or https://youtu.be/JHDkALRz5Rk https://youtu.be/JHDkALRz5Rk So, I too am confused.
yostrovs 6y ago
Americans, few having visited places like Finland, have a heaven-like perception of the nordic countries. Everyone lives happy lives, powered by public transportation, true equality, and unlimited healthcare unlike almost anywhere else. I'm sure things are great there, but the perception is rarely based on reality. Rather, the Nordics are almost wholly invented by Americans in their minds based on what they imagine them to be.
- uniqueid 6y ago
  That's probably a bit too dismissive in my case, but I don't want to turn the thread into my personal travelogue. You could ask tupputuppu whether his/her opinion of the Finnish system is the norm within Finland itself, though.