American Exceptionalism is a Thing of the Past
January 25, 2012 at 5:34 PM 2 comments
On Monday I posted about how the good ol’ USA! USA! USA! is number one…number one in teen pregnancies that is.
Today we have more sad evidence that the idea of American exceptionalism is something we should probably put on a shelf somewhere until we get our act together.
This is not for the faint of heart.
First (bear with me), this is the mission statement of Equality Trust:
Compelling new evidence shows that large income inequalities within society damage the social and the quality of life for everyone. The Equality Trust campaigns to gain the widest public and political understanding of the harm caused by inequality.
The Equality Trust has released 10 graphs that reflect specific types on income inequality in the developed nations, but the folks over at The Society Pages.org have consolidated the graphs into an easier-to-read format.
That said you can view the graphs at either sight. They all show — all of them – that due to the dramatic income inequality in the United States (put simply, the 99% versus the 1%), the US leads the pack amongst the developed world in these areas:
Societies with more income inequality have higher infant death rates than other societies
Societies with more income inequality have higher rates of mental illness than other societies
Societies with more income inequality have a higher incidence of drug use than other societies
Societies with more income inequality have a higher high school drop out rate than other societies
Societies with more income inequality imprison a larger proportion of their population than other societies
Societies with more income inequality have a higher rate of obesity than other societies
Individuals in societies with more income inequality are less likely to be in a different class of than [sic] their parents compared to other societies
Societies with more income inequality have higher rates of homicide than other societies
Societies with more income inequality give less in foreign aid than other societies
Children in societies with more income inequality do less well than children in other societies
Again, check out the graphs. We are in a world of hurt folks.
Entry filed under: Corporatocracy, Outrage Overload. Tags: american exceptionalism, high school drop out rate, income inequalities, income inequality in the united states, infant death rates, teen pregnancies.
1.
WiseFather | January 27, 2012 at 2:07 PM
Shouldn’t we be more specific and talk about “extreme income inequality”? Bemoaning simply “income inequality” sets up an easy rebuttal from the right “you want the government to force us all to be equal” that might persuade people who otherwise would support moves to reduce extrem income inequality.
American Exceptionalism is the puffery used to excuse misadventure abroad and inaction at home. In a recent blog post I analyze the American Exceptionalism concept and contrast it with a healthy patriotism that could help unite the public against those few who are ruining America. http://www.ragingwisdom.com/?p=629
2.
Stephanie | January 28, 2012 at 11:50 AM
Sadly, there will always be income inequality anywhere in this world. Yesterday´s walk through Toronto’s Lawrence Park, one of href=”http://jamiesarner.com/toronto-real-estate/2012/01/the-richest-neighbourhoods/”>Canada´s ten richest neighbourhoods, was enough for me to realize that. Isn´t it sad that since the 1970s, the income of the wealthiest people has increased dramatically, while the income of the rest of society have barely moved in real terms? I am not talking about the ones who sit around on their butts all day, but there are certainly many people who work hard and get paid less every year.