2 data points. real convincing. people have been predicting unrest forever. they have a really poor track record at this. Living standards for most Americans are higher than ever. Food affordability is the least of America's problems.
> Arab spring
Emphasis mine. We aren't talking about America right now.
Just pointing to a correlation when there's always some country in civil war or unrest seems a bit shaky. But I'm no expert on Arab countries, so I might just be naïve. It just feels like we're fitting causation to something that's pretty much always happening in the modern world.
Ctrl-F for "food": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring , especially in the References.
Interestingly enough, one of my original questions is answered in the Wiki page. Food did rise more in the Arab world than other parts of the world (remember this from my original question? Or was it just ignored?), therefore the correlation might imply causation. Despite this, notice how this specific thread is about World prices and not trends in specific countries. Meaning that this thread is still correlating a constantly ongoing effect with a new trend, and, again, you can do this with anything.
>Tip, if you think you're being naive, don't insist that others don't know what they're talking about.
Literally never claimed that _anyone_ didn't know what they are talking about. On occasion, people on this website may want to admit their own knowledge gaps -- it's called self-awareness.
Feel free to do your own research to see whether data backs this up. I'll even type it into Google for you! :-)
We spend more on our military than the other top 5 or so nations combined, both in terms of total spending, spending vs GDP, and spending per capita.
We just saw a massive transfer of wealth from 99.9% of the population to less than .1% since the pandemic (and even before that, economic inequality was the worst it's been in at least half a century).
We're 10th in the world in terms of the most hours worked per week.
We have some the worst (and most expensive) cellular coverage and wired internet, in the developed world.
Food deserts are massive and have been growing for decades, in part thanks to supermarket chains running around permanently 'poisoning' commercial property with deed restrictions to try and lock out competitors.
Childcare and housing is the least affordable it has ever been.
Corporations like Walmart pay wages so poor they hire staff to help their employees file for welfare. The world's richest man pays his delivery drivers so poorly they have to piss in bottles, and has working conditions so poor he pays for private ambulances to be stationed outside his warehouses rather than, say, properly ventilate them
Suicide rates for children and teens has skyrocketed.
Most of the rest of the world, healthcare doesn't cost a patient a fucking dime but here 66% of personal bankruptcies are medical-cost related.
Our life expectancy is one of the worst of developed nations (and generally declining); a child born today in the US is worse off than 34 other countries.
Corporations have the smallest share of tax burden in history while also having nearly unlimited 'representation' in terms direct and indirect influence thanks to Citizens United; they buy elections and write the legislation.
Road safety for anyone not in a car is the worst it's ever been and, again, among the worst in the developed world.
Our personal privacy and freedom has been eroding at record rate since 2001 in the name of 'fighting terror'
We're one of the most conservative nations in the world when it comes to almost any social policy matter.
Did I forget anything?
Struggling to understand this one…