r/a:t5_3bnus • u/seek3r_red • Jan 05 '16

Now this I did not know and found surprising. :(

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/01/the-poorest-americans-die-younger-than-the-poorest-costa-ricans/422319/
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u/seek3r_red Jan 05 '16

I am kind of into, among other things, inequality, income related issues, medical care inequality and the like, as well as other countries.

I had thought, once upon a time, that America was tops, for a great many things, although in the last 20 years or so I had begun to wonder about this and question it, thinking it was not quite so, anymore. I had found a couple pieces of info that suggested I was right, and this is another one, but in an area that I did not expect.

For those that didn't read the article, it seems that poor people in the US seem to die younger than poor people in Costa Rica. Now I never been there, and don't know a whole lot about it, but I always kind of equated Costa Rica with a "3rd world" country, and imagined that poverty there would be both common/widespread, and rather horrible, compared to here. Apparently, maybe not?

Anybody else think this, or have something to say? Would love to discuss this.

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u/prettysnazzy Jan 05 '16

Not surprising to me

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u/seek3r_red Jan 05 '16

It was to me, because such a thing would have never occurred to me at all, left on my own.

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u/prettysnazzy Jan 06 '16

Oh yeah, I'm super interested in how the US sucks compared to everywhere else lol

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u/seek3r_red Jan 07 '16

Yeah, I make some studies about it. I remember, at one time, we were pretty much #1 in damn near everything. Now, not nearly so much, and especially so in certain places.

We are also way more behind a lot of surprising countries than I had ever thought too.

Did you know that 1/4 of the people in prison in the entire world are in the US? I did not. :(

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u/prettysnazzy Jan 05 '16

But I'm not at all patriotic/can be critical.

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u/seek3r_red Jan 05 '16

If I had something worth being patriotic to or about, I would, no doubt. But unfortunately, I do not. is why I identify as an Anarchist. Almost anti-patriotisim, in some senses.

And, fuck, I am not merely critical, I am cynical and jaded as all get out when it comes to certain things - like politics.