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I think you are describing social mobility. I don't think the US is a horrible place. Having live in the US for a number of years, and in the UK, Sweden, plus h

I think you are describing social mobility. I don't think the US is a horrible place. Having live in the US for a number of years, and in the UK, Sweden, plus having family in Switzerland and Spain, I have opportunity to compare firsthand. IMHO people in the US overestimate the social mobility in the country and essentially buys into the often repeated message that the US is the best place to live. Repeated by the wealthy and their media channels. Which if course serve them well. That the US has lower social mobility is corroborated in some studies [1], especially lower than those listed as "happier" above. "[A] study found that of nine developed countries, the United States and United Kingdom had the lowest intergenerational vertical social mobility with about half of the advantages of having a parent with a high income passed on to the next generation. The four countries with the lowest "intergenerational income elasticity", i.e. the highest social mobility, were Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Canada with less than 20% of advantages of having a high income parent passed on to their children." [1] "In spite of this low mobility Americans have had the highest belief in meritocracy among middle- and high-income countries." [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#Country_comparison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#Country_compari...

blisterpeanuts 13y ago
It sounds like you're addressing general prosperity, but I'm talking about individual opportunity. There's been plenty of articles and books about the wealth divide in the U.S., the permanent underclass of mostly Black and Latino poor who have had trouble rising out of poverty, the decline in the quality and the power of education to uplift people economically, the decline of the white blue collar working class, etc. But for individual entrepreneurial opportunity, I would maintain that the U.S. is still a top destination. Entrepreneurship is essentially disruptive. Is entrepreneurial activity in Sweden as active as it is in the U.S.? In years past, it was not; perhaps things have changed.
- bjelkeman-again 13y ago
  I think we are talking cross purpose. A chat over a beer would be better. Entrepreneurship is easier than it was.

blisterpeanuts 13y ago

It sounds like you're addressing general prosperity, but I'm talking about individual opportunity. There's been plenty of articles and books about the wealth divide in the U.S., the permanent underclass of mostly Black and Latino poor who have had trouble rising out of poverty, the decline in the quality and the power of education to uplift people economically, the decline of the white blue collar working class, etc. But for individual entrepreneurial opportunity, I would maintain that the U.S. is still a top destination. Entrepreneurship is essentially disruptive. Is entrepreneurial activity in Sweden as active as it is in the U.S.? In years past, it was not; perhaps things have changed.

bjelkeman-again 13y ago
I think we are talking cross purpose. A chat over a beer would be better. Entrepreneurship is easier than it was.