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Your articles do a good job of presenting all of the ways in which Europeans have it better than Americans. The counterpoint is pretty strong, though: average U

Your articles do a good job of presenting all of the ways in which Europeans have it better than Americans. The counterpoint is pretty strong, though: average US household disposable income is ~67% higher than the OECD average. [0]https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/united-states/#:~:text=These%20assessments%20are%20based%20on,USD%2030%20490%20a%20year https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/united-states/....

cyclecount 4y ago
This is perfect example of how statistics can mislead. For one, the average in the US is far from the median income. But more importantly, these metrics ignore many other factors in standard of living, such as days off per year or the amount of income that you need to put into basic human costs like housing and healthcare.
sofixa 4y ago
> average US household disposable income is ~67% higher than the OECD average. It's unclear (but doesn't sound like it) if that number is adjusted for Cost of Living. In the US education, healthcare and transportation are significantly more expensive than in most OECD countries. For instance, it's pretty much unheard of across the OECD for education to cost tens to hundreds of thousands of USD and workers to start their work life with massive debts. Healthcare-related bankruptcies are also extremely rare outside of the US. And the work-life balance rating of 5.2/10 is pretty damning. What good is that extra money (if it's actually extra money and not going to savings to be able to afford the next surprise medical bill) if you have no holidays and have to work 80 hour weeks so it's actually impossible to spend it?
- marcusverus 4y ago
  > It's unclear (but doesn't sound like it) if that number is adjusted for Cost of Living. It is adjusted--per another OECD page, "This indicator is in US dollars per capita at current prices and PPPs".[0] > In the US education, healthcare and transportation are significantly more expensive than in most OECD countries. For instance, it's pretty much unheard of across the OECD for education to cost tens to hundreds of thousands of USD and workers to start their work life with massive debts. Healthcare-related bankruptcies are also extremely rare outside of the US. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average US household spends ~5K per year on healthcare. The median student loan debt is ~30K (so ~5K per year for 10 years), but only ~20% of Americans hold this debt. I'm not sure where you got the info about transportation cost differences, but I doubt it makes up the difference. > Healthcare-related bankruptcies are also extremely rare outside of the US. That's true! But then, only a small number of households experience this. Meanwhile, the average European has a huge amount of household debt--far more than the average American![1] > And the work-life balance rating of 5.2/10 is pretty damning. What good is that extra money (if it's actually extra money and not going to savings to be able to afford the next surprise medical bill) if you have no holidays and have to work 80 hour weeks so it's actually impossible to spend it? I'm sure it's convenient to pretend that working 80 hour weeks is normal in America, but it's... not. Also, unpaid vacation exists. Take it if you want it. It's nice to have options, huh? [0]https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-disposable-income.htm https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-disposable-income.htm [1]https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-debt.htm#indicator-chart https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-debt.htm#indicator-chart
deleted 4y ago
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cyclecount 4y ago

This is perfect example of how statistics can mislead. For one, the average in the US is far from the median income. But more importantly, these metrics ignore many other factors in standard of living, such as days off per year or the amount of income that you need to put into basic human costs like housing and healthcare.

sofixa 4y ago

> average US household disposable income is ~67% higher than the OECD average. It's unclear (but doesn't sound like it) if that number is adjusted for Cost of Living. In the US education, healthcare and transportation are significantly more expensive than in most OECD countries. For instance, it's pretty much unheard of across the OECD for education to cost tens to hundreds of thousands of USD and workers to start their work life with massive debts. Healthcare-related bankruptcies are also extremely rare outside of the US. And the work-life balance rating of 5.2/10 is pretty damning. What good is that extra money (if it's actually extra money and not going to savings to be able to afford the next surprise medical bill) if you have no holidays and have to work 80 hour weeks so it's actually impossible to spend it?

marcusverus 4y ago
> It's unclear (but doesn't sound like it) if that number is adjusted for Cost of Living. It is adjusted--per another OECD page, "This indicator is in US dollars per capita at current prices and PPPs".[0] > In the US education, healthcare and transportation are significantly more expensive than in most OECD countries. For instance, it's pretty much unheard of across the OECD for education to cost tens to hundreds of thousands of USD and workers to start their work life with massive debts. Healthcare-related bankruptcies are also extremely rare outside of the US. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average US household spends ~5K per year on healthcare. The median student loan debt is ~30K (so ~5K per year for 10 years), but only ~20% of Americans hold this debt. I'm not sure where you got the info about transportation cost differences, but I doubt it makes up the difference. > Healthcare-related bankruptcies are also extremely rare outside of the US. That's true! But then, only a small number of households experience this. Meanwhile, the average European has a huge amount of household debt--far more than the average American![1] > And the work-life balance rating of 5.2/10 is pretty damning. What good is that extra money (if it's actually extra money and not going to savings to be able to afford the next surprise medical bill) if you have no holidays and have to work 80 hour weeks so it's actually impossible to spend it? I'm sure it's convenient to pretend that working 80 hour weeks is normal in America, but it's... not. Also, unpaid vacation exists. Take it if you want it. It's nice to have options, huh? [0]https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-disposable-income.htm https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-disposable-income.htm [1]https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-debt.htm#indicator-chart https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-debt.htm#indicator-chart

deleted 4y ago

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