Americans are spoiled

Comments

77 responses to “Americans are spoiled”

1. Autumn

   I really enjoyed your article. And I agree with you when you say Americans are too quick to label as situation as a “crisis” when there is absolutely nothing critical about it. Americans are always talking about how these times are SO hard. Its laughable.

   Reply
   1. Mark Biernat

      Time may be relative but wealth certainly is. When I go back to the USA for vacation and I see how incredibly wealthy the USA is compared to the rest of the world, I can not believe it. Sure now everyone, but the poor in the USA are like the rich in other countries.

      Reply
      1. Rose D’Amora

         I think what you are saying has some validity -But the reality isnt so- Americans may have been spoiled in the past but that is not true for many of us anymore- The harsh reality that we are living in a different time is very real- for example back in 1991 gas in the US cost .99 per gallon and min wage was 5.25 per hour-Now gas is at 4.00 per gallon and min wage is only 8.00 per hour-so if you make that connection you can clearly see that the cost of living and inflation have increased dramatically however what most workers are making isnt much more than they were making 20 years ago- This is a recepy for disaster- And although Americans may have more than other countries its not fair to classify everyone as being spoiled- People in Europe and Africa may have to live in cramped spaces and not have water and things that Americans totally take for granted- When you compare in the way you are comparing what you are doing is saying that if you live above that standard which is subhuman then you are saying that Americans and any other country ie Germany France China dont deserve their luxuries or their extra’s that they have worked so hard for- It makes for a marksist viewpoint and messes up capitalism and prosperity and that attitude is what is making America bad for Americans- Its not right to say we are spoiled because other countries dont have- that is not on us- America is built on hard work and free trade -capitalism independance and greed and it works- Socialistic mentalitys are creating poor society and idiotic viewpoints- So I totally disagree with what you have said- That attitude is oppresive and keeps those very places poor and without promise-And trys to make Americans apologize for what we have worked so hard to have- Which is big cars and big houses -Instead of worrying that Americans have too much-those oppressed nations should take a look at free trade and capatalistic thinking and they might get off their pity pots and build something for themselves- And no you are not a patriot of America- American believe in hard work and dedication and honesty- With that attitude we have been succesful- And with your attitude to the masses who dont understand math or politics are creating mass socialism and idiocy- You dont know what you are talking about-

         Reply
         1. James

            And it sounds like you still have a car, a house that’s presumably several hundred square meters, reliable electricity, and a varied diet?

            It’s not your wealth that makes you upset, it’s the poor attitude of your neighbors. Your neighbors being rich and obnoxious doesn’t make you poor, it makes your neighbors rich and obnoxious.

            Reply
         2. Zach De la Stoked

            Rose D’Amora left a comment and she is the epitome of what the author is writing about. We have it good in the U.S. I knew that before reading this. Rose sounds to me like an entitled baby who can not take an honest look at herself and her country or spell for that matter. If these immigrants keep coming here with there Marxist ideals it will be a recipes for disaster. Question everything, much love.

            Reply
   2. sal

      I can agree with you that Americans may be spoiled however when we say where in a ‘crisis’ it’s not laughable 15 trillion dollars is not ‘laughable’ having Europe going into economic turmoil because the U.S cant bail them out isn’t ‘laughable’ having the housing market, financial industry, and the auto industry come to a near collapse isn’t ‘laughable’ things are worse in america than more people who don’t live here seem to realize we may be spoiled in comparison to other countries, but are those other countries power houses in global economics,politics, foreign affairs, and finances? No not really so when we say were in a crisis then for the most part the rest of the world is in a crisis since everyone seems the need to rely on us when it comes to global affairs

      Reply
   3. kate

      Wow. First let me start by saying that if you are American and actually lived here while you were earning a living then you must know the cost of living is expensive here right? You seem to lack understanding of basic economics. If the cost of living is high then people must make more money to sustain life. $15,000 a year is not enough to live off of here. Sadly 75% of that figure would go to housing and the other 25% to bills like water and electricity. Oh yea I guess you must be right we are spoiled because we are developed. Majority of Europe is developed, so maybe they are spoiled too. We also work a higher average of hours than most people in the world. In Croatia they work an average of 25 hours a week, we work 40. This is not because we want to but because we have to. Oh and the bathrooms? Seriously? Who do you think we got that from, Europe. Did I mention not all of us are fat? Sigh.I hope you do not decide to come back to America people like you that do not understand history or economics.

      Reply
      1. Mark Biernat

         That is funny, my first year back I had expenses of only 15,000 and with a family of 3 I lived well here in America.
         I can not tell you all the Americans that have told me that 1,500 square feet is tiny. For me that is big. Or need cable or TV for that matter and cell phones.
         In Croatia they do not work 25 hours. And Poland where I lived for almost a decade they work the most hours of anyone in Europe.
         Europe people get paid less and things cost more. Everyone knows that. My friends from Russia shop in the USA when they visit their family. Even gas or petrol cost double. Everything is expensive and people make less. You have no idea what you are talking about.
         Explain to me your expenses. I will wait for your reply.
         Also I have a Masters in Economics from Trinity (top school) and my specialty was the history of economics with my thesis being on Wickell.
         Not all Americans are spoiled but I wrote this to increase awareness that what Americans think they need for life are really just luxury good and not essential.

         Reply
         1. Audri

            I know this was a while ago, but I would love to hear the breakdown of how you supported 3 people on 15k a year.

            I cant even get an 300-400 sq ft efficiency apartment unless I make about 15k since the apartments here require you to make at least 3xs the rent.

            And, spoiled or not, it’s illegal here for a family to live in an apartment that small.

            So, unless we want to lose out children, we’re still looking at needing at LEAST 25k just to qualify for a 2 bedroom. We also cant keep our children if we dont have electricty and running water. We cant keep jobs without socially respectable clothes, hairstyles, and cleanliness. We get fined by the city if our lawns arent maintained.

            Yes, I completely agree that Americans have no concept of how wealthy we are conpared to most of the world. We don’t realize that making minimum wage at a full time job puts us richer than over 90% of the world.

            Something you dont seem to grasp though is relative poverty. Humans are pack animals. Feeling loney cuts our lifespan and actually being put in solitary confinement too long makes us completely psychotic. To have something of a social network, to date, and to keep our children… basic psychological needs… requires much more money in America than these other places you mentioned.

            I agree that people here should realize how lucky they are, but there’s to living than survival. In fact I see no reason to continue living if the lifestyle u explain is normal through most of the world would mean me being conpletely cut off from my society.

            Reply
            1. Mark Biernat

               I understand where you are coming from. What I recommend is this: Go to Youtube and research many people who grow their own food in their backyard. One guy tell you how to make 78,000 in his backyard on 1/3 an acre. Another is this youtube.com/watch?v=wpGwK81tOIs for example. Growing your own food is the best. For medical there are free clinics and an various ways to plug in. Find a place you can rent somehow until you get settled. Look at landandfarm.com
               Think Homesteading rather than poor. Homesteading is what people always did. Read about cordwoodmasonry.com -get his books from the library or ebay. The guy has six homes mortgage free. Another book to consider is ‘The Urban Farmer’ by Curtis Allen Stone. he tells you how to make money without land. The point is use your imagination and there will be an infinite number of ways to thrive economically.

               Kids need little to thrive. Consider that Bobby Fischer was the raised by a basically homeless single mother, but they bought a Chess set at the five and dime and he became a world champion. My friends in Poland grew up in 350 square feet apartments and became surgeons. Kids can read books and learn chess and languages while rich kids are plugged into Minecraft for countless mindless hours.

               You can live in like Putman County in Florida cheap or South Carolina or any state. Find a cheap place to live. If you are making 15k a year anyway find anytown USA that you can have access to land to homestead. Most places have free community gardens but you need land. Research homesteading, its the American way. Read any of Rob Roy’s books on Homesteading and being mortgage free.

               Once you get your home and expenses stable then you can focus your energy on being an entrepreneur.

               If you have an old computer install Puppy Linux it will run like a modern Mac computer in terms of speed and from there you can build and online business. Use your imagination and if you need your imagination to be increased try ‘image streaming’ by Win Wenger.

               My point is there are an infinite number of ways to live and survive. I recommend anyone who needs to live cheap consider homesteading. Homesteading is done by educated hipsters rather than the poor. Homesteading is for the intelligent in once sense. Homesteading is a challenge but watch the movie the “Home Coming” which was the pilot for the Waltons. Do not feel you have to be living in a traditional way to survive. Even if they need a few thousand dollar loan from relatives to buy a small piece of land, which they can erect a temporary shelter until they build a small Cordwood home and grow food. Once you have some stability use the computer to make money.

               If you read Rob Roy’s books in the spirit of American writer Henry David Thoreau and ‘Walden’ you see this is real rather than high minded talk.

2. antonio

   Are you saying we need to be third world ? You are wrong to the point that we all are spoiled. Labor laws in the states put us where we are.The rest of the world is being taken advantage of by corprate america

   Reply
   1. Mark Biernat

      I am American and do not mean this as a put down. I love America, but the relative wealth of the USA is high, however, Americans are complaining more than ever. This is fueled by the media’s portrayal of everything as a s crisis or panic.
      Living in Eastern Europe now for many years it has opened my eyes to how rich and great America is. I mean in Europe today many people have no money, car, house, water, plumbing and living happy normal lives. What has changed is expectations of wealth in the USA. That is, you need a certain level to be happy.
      That being said, you are right the job market is really hard right now. Plenty of 10 dollar an hour jobs but to make more it is harder.

      Reply
3. Arthur

   Being poor In America is so different than being poor in Europe. An American, even one who considers himself poor, lives his life like there is no tomorrow. I’m talking about things like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or stopping by Taco Bell three times a day to get a drink.

   These are the things a poor or unemployed European wouldn’t do. I noticed that Europeans generally feel more insecure than Americans.

   In the back of their minds they always keep the thought that it could get worse any day and for that reason they try to save as much money as possible. This is why most Europeans have their own houses or flats, or other kinds of property, even if their income is relatively low. It makes you feel more secure when you own something. And once you own something, you start saving for more property that you can give to your children and make them feel secure too.

   I do not really see that in America. Even if they make decent money, they will pay rent their whole life rather than sucking it up for a few years and get their own place.

   While checking out in Walmart, I often saw twenty something year old Americans with highlights in their hair, wearing Abercrombie t-shirts and brand new Nike shoes , who paid for their food using a food stamp card. They think they are poor because they are on food stamps.

   This is how American government spoils its citizens, who are perfectly capable of getting a job, but have no need to get one because it’s so much more convenient to do nothing and still get $400 worth of free food. And trust me, if you want to get a job in America, you will get one without a problem.

   It might not be a job you dreamed about, but there is plenty of decent jobs out there.
   If you live in the USA be thankful. Not only because it’s a rich country, but because life is easier in America than anywhere else. It’s easy to get a driving license for example, while in some countries it is normal to take the driving exam 6 or 7 times, because it’s that difficult to pass it. You can withdraw money from your bank account without getting out of the car. You can buy yourself a brand new 3-bedroom house for $20 000. If you do not know how to cook you can buy powdered potatoes.
   USA is a super convenient and citizen-friendly country, with or without the crisis.

   Reply
4. Arthur

   Being poor In America is so different than being poor in Europe. An American, even one who considers himself poor, lives his life like there is no tomorrow. I’m talking about things like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or stopping by Taco Bell three times a day to get a drink.

   These are the things a poor or unemployed European wouldn’t do. I noticed that Europeans generally feel more insecure than Americans.

   In the back of their minds they always keep the thought that it could get worse any day and for that reason they try to save as much money as possible. This is why most Europeans have their own houses or flats, or other kinds of property, even if their income is relatively low. It makes you feel more secure when you own something. And once you own something, you start saving for more property that you can give to your children and make them feel secure too.

   I do not really see that in America. Even if they make decent money, they will pay rent their whole life rather than sucking it up for a few years and get their own place.

   While checking out in Walmart, I often saw twenty something year old Americans with highlights in their hair, wearing Abercrombie t-shirts and brand new Nike shoes , who paid for their food using a food stamp card. They think they are poor because they are on food stamps.

   This is how American government spoils its citizens, who are perfectly capable of getting a job, but have no need to get one because it’s so much more convenient to do nothing and still get $400 worth of free food. And trust me, if you want to get a job in America, you will get one without a problem.

   It might not be a job you dreamed about, but there is plenty of decent jobs out there.
   If you live in the USA be thankful. Not only because it’s a rich country, but because life is easier in America than anywhere else. It’s easy to get a driving license for example, while in some countries it is normal to take the driving exam 6 or 7 times, because it’s that difficult to pass it. You can withdraw money from your bank account without getting out of the car. You can buy yourself a brand new 3-bedroom house for $20 000. If you do not know how to cook you can buy powdered potatoes.
   USA is a super convenient and citizen-friendly country, with or without the crisis.

   Reply
   1. robert massey

      Where exactly can an American buy a brand new 3-bedroom house for $20,000?

      Reply
      1. Mark Biernat

         Build a Cordwood or alternative style home. Or buy anyone of the Zillons of cheap houses and remodel. You can read about Cordwood or alternative homes.

         Reply
5. Adam

   powdered potatoes. Ha ha ha I would not think that this is the product we should be most proud of.

   But yes, Basic, good and very fresh quality food is available at very low cost. But to often people choose to much junk and proceed food in America. That is a problem.

   Reply
6. Jason

   Please don’t say “Europe is poor.” Eastern Europe is poor yes, but saying that is an insult to the rich western European countries.

   I have been to France, Germany and Denmark and the living standards are similar to that in the USA.

   I would say the western world in general is spoiled.

   Reply
   1. Mark Biernat

      Why is poor an insult? I think our religions teach us it is not.
      I think if anything Western Europe tends to be decadent. Maybe a little poverty would help a country like France rediscover its moral base? Although I am a libertarian what I see in Western Europe tends to be a little much for even me. But scores of people in Western Europe do have morals, but I have noticed with wealth in Western Europe comes a certain morality. You are right Eastern Europe is the poorer part (but not to the end).

      Americans are charitable – I am not down on the USA at all. I wrote the post to put things in perspective. For example there is a lot of good in America. Poor and middle class raise to the occasion and give a lot in terms of percentage of wealth. I have noticed the wealthy are often become socially responsible once they hit a certain level. My Friend Joe is pretty wealthy I would say and seems to have dedicated to helping others.

      I think Americans tend to be very geneous when they hit extreme wealth. I have no problem with the rich and I am not jealous, because I know life is not about money and all the money in the world does not make you live 1000 years or give you a happy family life.

      Being spoiled is based on economic expectations
      I do have a problem with the crying and spoiled attitude that everything is crisis and everyone will suffer if they are not economically at the level they use to be at. Wrong. Poverty in Europe and America does not exist, at least like it does in South America, Africa, Asia. Americans are spoiled, but it is only an economic expectations things.

      Wealth is relative to time and place
      I am an EU and US citizen and I can compare. I am a capitalist but not greedy or immoral. When I wrote this my point is to wake Americans up that their expectations about wealth and life based on material goods is distorted. This change happened in the last 10 or 15 years the most. I remember in the 1960s it was not to the extend that it is today in the USA. Everyone feels a need to have two cars and a very bit house and a home office filled with gadgets, flat screen TV, iPod, cell phones, eating out a couple times a month or they are not middle class.

      Again, you are right that the Western Europe has high living standards, in fact many places richer than most of the USA, but this wealth is mostly built on fake credit in the USA and Western Europe. In ten years the USA standard of living as in Western Europe changed radically and little happened in terms of economic productivity gains or innovation.

      Why we had the crisis
      Simply after 9/11 the Fed pushed interest rates down to 1% so we could all go shopping again and we did. Boom, everyone was a winner and we all got rich. First sign of trouble people start to cry poverty.

      Reply
7. Ernie

   I honestly disagree with you in many ways. I have lived in America all my life. When it’s easy to say the same thing about a country over and over again to the point that it’s citizens will also agree, that is sad.

   So, when you think about how Americans make much more money than anyone else (even poor), have TV, running water, cars, put it into perspective: To get anywhere in America you need to drive, when there is no well to just go get water, and when the pricing is jacked up compared to anywhere else, what choice to we have but to live on high incomes?

   And -America has a population of 300 million +. Are you calling that many people spoiled brats? Let me tell you something. Alot of Americans apply to the perspective you have put. And alot also would rather work hard and give something back and live modestly. Like I said, it’s easy to to lump a whole nation into one cateogory.

   Dude, back when it was easy to love America, if you said this kind of thing you’d be hated. Now, when it is easy to say “americans are spoiled” and attack a country (and I understand reasons for doing so), no one is going to speak up and say “I am greatful for what i have had and support my country, even when things seem a tad bit bleak and uncertain”.

   I understand why things suck – it’s the people who want to criticize without having an idea to back it who are only contributing to the suck.
   Let me put it this way: No country is as simple as it’s slogan. But the lifestyle that is desirable here is also offensive to the many Americans who work hard and have no need for such an extravagant lifestyle.

   Not to offend you, but perhaps an extra perspective will do. And the same goes for me too.

   Reply
   1. Mark Biernat

      Of course this is a gross generalization and was written a little bit for shock. That being said generally it is true Americans have a nice life. For example, when I am trying to rent a 1,000 square ft apartment or Duplex for my family of three many people are telling me it is too small a space and they do not want to rent it to us. That is crazy and tells you how cushy life in America is.

      I wrote the post not because I think America is bad at all. I am American and I love America and am a patriot. I just want to put it in perspective, the crisis, the economic hard times. It is crazy that people are crying poverty and seeing bailouts when America is the easiest country in the world to live in. Nothing better or easier.

      I do not want to sound uncompassionate but Americans can do anything they want, including making money and having a great life if they apply their talents to the market and not expect anything from government.

      And no you do not need a car in the USA. I live about half my life with and without a car in the USA. You learn to use busses and trains and bikes and live. There are some areas it would be hard but not impossible.

      Believe me I have travelled the world and America is such a cushy nice place to live because of economic freedoms. Try living in Russia with no car, no running water or plumbing and only eating potatoes. And Russia is a rich country. I remember when I was in Russia in a medical clinic and they cut your finger with a razor to get a sample of your blood. Go to a medical clinic in Russia the next time you do not feel well.

      I have sleep many a night on cold floors, no water or bathrooms in Eastern Europe. American is a nice place.

      You need to travel to the slums of Asia and South America and Africa like I have and seen people selling their bodies for food and growing up in heaps of trash. I am not an expert on life but life is hard in most palces in the worl except America. Maybe in some slums in the USA you have it hard.
      But it is a liberal lie to tell you you can not do it alone. You can. You can do anything you put your mind to. You can over come any difficulty. I see kids in the USA with iPods and designer clothes doing drugs and depressed. What the f? Life is almost too easy. They need to travel and see the world and put economics in perspective.
      It is a lie of the government that people are suffering so much. I will go to the USA and with my family if I wanted could get a job in a week. I will eat potatoes and in modest means if I have to. (I do not have to as I make money online and have investments and trade stocks) but I would have no problem doing this.
      People in the USA have to stop crying poverty when real people are suffering around the world. They need to start taking their own economic life into their own hands instead of expecting government to help them, what losers who think so.

      Reply
      1. Celeste

         Wow,have you ever had a severe mental illness or do you even know what that term means? You talk about the slums in America,but you’ve never been to a true slum in America,have you? If you went to a rent controlled project,you weren’t in a slum. That’s a step above. The Truth is that some people cannot help but be dependant on others. Man,you talk about lies,but you’re full of them. Either that,or you are really uneducated about some realities. I try to respect all people and point of views,but sometimes people like you make me throw in the towel.

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         1. Mark Biernat

            Slums? I have lived a good part of my life in cold, dark polluted Eastern Europe where people live on 300 dollars a month or less and prices are the same. I think the average might be 500 dollars.

            Poverty is a highly charged political term. I think people generally want to help the poor, but the problem is the best way to do this, in addition to providing basic life in terms of a negative income tax for example is, tell them the message and truth. The truth is you can achieve anything you put you mind to. This is the message of hope and reality.

            People in the USA have big expections. My first question is have you ever lived outside the USA? How many stamps do you have on your passport to tell me you see how poor the real world really is?

            In contrast to the USA, People in the slums in the USA have TVs – I do not have a TV. People in ‘slums’ in America’ people have beat up old cars, I do not have a car. I have never seen a smartphone, nor do I have anything but skype. But I think you have a phone right?

            They have running water and heating the slum. Yes poor people in the USA have running water.

            Go to the Ukrainian countryside it is just outhouses and it is below zero for three months straight and no running water. I am not even mentioning Africa or India or China were people work like slaves. I have lived or traveled to too many countries in this world to think otherwise.

            Unless someone has a mental illness there is no reason someone with time and patience find work in the USA. Why do all the Mexicans come here and risk their lives to get here?

            Ask anyone from Eastern Europe, they say American is a rich easy country to live in. It is.

            My wife grew up in a nice place, but she still had eight people in one bedroom and it was small and with two old fashion lumpy beds. She had never seen a candy bar in her life, a Mars bar. When she first saw it she did not know what it was. I think people in the slums in rich America have seen a candy bar. They have bathroom tissue and other things they take for granted but still sing the song of victim.

            I am not against benefits to the poor at all. Although I am a Libertarian I believe we should cut military and help the poor. But many people in the USA have never traveled the world and seen the reality of life and how nice we have it here.

            Still we have to help the American poor and the states physically with the mentally ill, homeless, children, people with disabilities, and displaced people. But this is a small fraction of the US budget believe it or not. Most of the US budget is waste.

            Poor is very relative.
            Do you have a car? Really just answer me that? Do you have a TV?
            Come on, do you have a cell phone?
            Do you have a computer?
            I do not understand you point.
            Explain overweight American poor.
            I will most likely offend many people here but do not be offended if you are overweight, even I am a bit not I moved to rich America.
            On last point is, many people do not like Eastern European girls because they are so slim and beautiful. But in the USA I see poor people who are huge and overweight. Explain to me that. My wife and her friends only had a few potatoes to live on, that is why they are thin. But in the USA I see huge poor people driving cars and packing themselves. I am yet to be convinced your definition of poor is the same as mine.

            Be grateful for the blessings you have and give to the poor in Somalia than have cable. Come on, cable.

            Reply
            1. Charles

               I’m sorry but a lot of what you’re saying is complete idiocy.

               Saying that oh people make 1000 dollars a year in some places and can get by while Americans say they can barely get by on 15,000 dollars a year, have you ever heard of standard of living? It’s much higher in the United States than in other places. Houses are more expensive, products are more expensive, everything is more expensive. Yeah if an American went to some poor third world country they’d be “rich” in their eyes but those countries have bad qualities that make their economy such low value.

               Also what does being overweight have to do with being a spoiled American? Your entire post screams hypocrite because you on ranting about how Americans (Stereotype) don’t respect other cultures but here you are just having a good ol’ feel day stereotyping every little thing and talking about you barely understand just for the sake of doing it.

               You sir really need to read a book and understand economics before you start saying anything.

            2. Mark Biernat

               You have no clue what you are talking about.

               Things are cheaper in the USA, don’t you know that? How many years have you live abroad? Granted some things are cheaper and some are not but for the USA is cheap and easy to live.

               In Eastern Europe, people make less and everything is up to double in cost. Now I would say only about 1/3 more expensive for most things. Lets say a computer cost 300 USD in the USA, it is 500 in Poland. Gas, oil, energy is about double the USA.

               Building materials about 1/3 more expensive. If you go to HomeDepot and price out a block, for a house foundation it is about one dollar twenty. In Poland about three dollars.

               You have not lived abroad my friend.

               Poeple live on less and things cost more as the markets are not as developed and taxes like VAT are higher.

               Maybe local produce might be cheaper but the US has more efficient means of farm production. 1% of the people are on farms, in Eastern Europe it is like 20% and therefore the small farms are everywhere but not as cost effective.

               Check out the Big Mac index and PPP might show some things are cheaper but really the poor are poorer.

               I live on less than 1,500 a month and I live in a luxury condo on an Island off of Florida with a family of three. I think Americans who cry poverty are not really that poor compared to the world.

               Being overweight, is calculated to drain resources on the world. npr.org/2012/06/20/155411564/study-fat-people-burden-earths-resources the USA wants to consume the whole world.

               I am a patriot but I do not believe in hyper consumptive way of this generation. Live frugal work hard and ask God for help.

               You have to see what poor is. My family in Poland lives on 500 dollars a month and things cost more. Explain to me how Americans are poor? Life is so nice here and easy. Not all Americans are spoiled only the ones that are hyper consumptive and have no greatfulness to God for everything that have.

               Another example of the contrast, I saw these Ukrainians they were like 60 years old and they won the greencard lottery and going to the USA. I saw them in the US embassy in Warsaw and they spoke no English, no money and I am 100% sure they will do fine in the USA, while other Americans are crying oh we need Obama and someone to help us from the government. I visited my relatives in Ukraine where I saw 75 year old women drawing water in the cold winter as they have no plumbing or running water and must carry it.

               It gets 20 below zero in Eastern Europe and when you have gas cut off people burn anything. Explain to me how Americans are not rich?

               The USA is a great country and about half the people thank God for what they have an appreciate it and about half are hyper consumptive and cry poverty when they live in the land of plenty.

            3. George

               No it isn’t. Equivalent housing in China is far more expensive than equivalent housing in the US, for instance (A typical $200,000 house in America would cost about $1 million in China). In fact, America’s stuff are actually quite cheap compared to many things in China. The difference between America and the rest of the world is not the price level of living, but EXPECTATIONS. The sort of life that average people in other places live is downright unthinkable for many Americans, so they don’t think about it and only think of themselves as the bottom of the barrel. It’s mentality only, and that is spoiled.

               Even in terms of material things, the poor in America still have far more things than other countries. It’s just that the fact that many people do live in worse conditions never crosses their minds, so they consider themselves poor.

            4. mana

               I have to agree with Mark that understanding this stuff is all about traveling. I’ve been to quite a few places where people don’t have access to basic necessities, but are very happy and don’t complain about having mental issues or being too fat. People in other countries don’t have the time to be depressed because they have to work, produce in order to eat after they already worked to supply to the US. the type of depression people see in here is due to the lack of true crisis and worries. People have too much time in their hand. Until people get the chance to see for themselves, they’ll never believe, unless the subject is god. People’s mentality in here are rotten, which is why there are all the wars to kill people for their resources in Iraq, Afghanistan to name a few. Americans will never have enough. They will continue killing people around the world until they start killing each other. it’s sickening.

         2. George

            Those people still have roofs over their heads, running water, and enough food to be overweight. Most of the slums’ issues are more social than economic, with gang violence and drug abuse being the biggest issues. Even then, the slums of America are still safer than the slums of China, or the warlord zones of Africa. And finally, nobody in America “needs” to be dependent on the government, unless there’s a medical reason. Able-bodied, able-minded people are plenty capable of getting jobs, especially if illegal immigrants can still find work. Did you know that a couple who both work totally minimum wage jobs would have a combined wage that’s above the US poverty line? And also the US poverty line is within the top 10% of the world? Yes, those people in the slums are poor relative to Americans, but they’re still richer relative to the rest of the world. Hell, I would argue the fact that many Americans are spoiled that those gangs form in the first place, as they feel their life sucks and thus must resort to crime to “improve” their lives, despite the fact that their actual life is still far above others in the world.

            Reply
8. Adam

   A one week round trip to Haiti will cure any economically depress American.

   Reply
9. Ra

   When I arrived in the US in 2005, boy I was surprised how the country was. I felt like I landed in a land of milk and honey flowing non stop. It was like paradise. Great Job with a great working environment, nice friendly people and best of all u guys have lot of freedom which can be felt all over the place.

   Sadly I had to leave, but left with fond memories of the U.S.A.

   You Americans are the luckiest people in the world.

   Reply
10. Political observer

    The USA is a rich country. America is not poor. Some Americans are poor but this can be fixed with a little hard work or effort. Ask any immigrant to the USA or the people who are trying to get into the country at great risk.

    All the talk that America is poor or finished, comes from the political arena and debate about the future of American and how it needs to be managed, or not. Just watch the political debates, they will tell you the world is coming to an end unless there is political change. Maybe it is true but again it is all relative, even an economic collapse. It is not like Russia in 1980s or the USA in the 1930s. The USA is not in the condition of the 1930s.

    It is not about the absolute level of wealth in the USA. Some people have a vision of the USA being a third world nation, this is only a political metaphor, not a reality.

    The thing about The USA is money does not grow on trees. It needs to be earned, and it is always easier to spend money than earn it. Therefore, people feel deprived or impoverished. But the USA is a beautiful country with open land and space covering a large part of the globus.

    You can live anywhere and set up a new life fast in the USA. If you want to forget your life in New York you can move to Kansas work anonymously at some shop. If you want to go to Alaska you can, or work in Texas, if you look hard enough you will find a job and be able to pay the rent.

    If you can not make ends meat in the USA, you can move to another part of the country that is booming and looking for work.

    If your chosen profession is underwater you can choose another. Granted it might not be your first choice but it is a job.

    If you compare life in almost any other country, even in rich Europe, America is more desirable.

    If you feel down and out in the USA visit another country. I think this point has been made. America is only relatively down.

    For wealth to flee out of the country, there has to be a greater downturn than what exists now. This is more of a cycle. The USA will be down and poor if there is a real economic collapse. Then I will start feeling sorry for Americans.

    I think to have this magnitude of collapse it would have to be some unforseen natural or man-made event that would be so large-scale the economy and health of Americans would be affected, a near doomsday scenario.

    Some people think the currency collapsing would cause this, that is a good question. I think it would have to be a large natural disaster. Until that time I would agree with the above comment that American is not a poor country.

    Reply
    1. Celeste

       No,America may not be a poor country,but please don’t deny that there are truly poor people who live here. Not working hard enough mostly has nothing to do with a lot of reasons people cannot help but stay poor. Some people have no self-sustaining resources,and deal with mental health issues,such as PTSD and schizophrenia. People cannot help having these diseases,disorders and conditions that leave them unable to pull themselves out of seemingly endless cycles of dependency. I’m not denying that there are lazy people,people who don’t want to work,or people who scam the benefits system,I’m simply trying to point out that there really are poor and needy people here as well,who can’t help themselves.

       Reply
       1. Mark Biernat

          I know you where replying to that girl who commented, but I would like to say, I, even as a hard nose Libertarian have always said if we cut the waste and fat and military in Washington, then there would not only be fewer poor but more money to help the poor in the form of lets say a negative income tax.
          If we got ride of the Federal Reserve and the Income tax there would be almost no poor what so ever. Really people would have so much more money in their bank accounts and businesses would open up with help wanted signs on every street corner.
          Mental illness is or other problems like addiction are no small matter. If you want more assistance for these people, fight to cut the bailouts, and the special interests, military, income tax, central banking and the entitlements that destroy our prosperity.

          Further the Poor in the USA are like the super rich in many countries or any country in the past. Read a little about history. If you are concerned about people who can not function in society, I am not talking about them.

          I am talking about the people who are crying crisis and are feeling sorry for themselves and blaming the government, because they will have to rent an apartment when they are losing their big highly leveraged house and cars.

          Reply
       2. Political Observer

          I am not denying that there are poor in the USA, but I tend to agree that poverty is relative. If you live in a Moscow slum, a slum in the USA might look great, in fact I know it would. It is not a heartless statement that I say this. It is reality. Poor in America is not really poor compared to Haiti as one commenter wrote.

          I guess I have a question for you. Is there a law that says someone has to live in a slum? Or can the people move to another part of the USA and look for a better life? Is there any law or force holding them there in the slum? Any regulation that says they must live there? Is there any wall or fence that keeps people living in a slum and not able to move out of this impoverished city or is it a mental barrier?

          If it is a mental barrier they need to find the strength to overcome it.

          Many Russians have left everything to move to the USA where they do not speak the language and have no money in their pockets. They dream of this. Winning a greencard for the USA, even to live in a slum is like you winning the big game. It is a dream. Maybe not as much anymore as Russia is getting rich, but generally lets say this. So I have a question.

          Why could an American who is a native speaker in English and has an US citizenship with full right to work, not move out of the slum to find an opportunity somewhere else in the USA?

          Why do I see on the news strong healthy looking men, who could be moving mountains, with sad or angry looks on their faces in the ‘slums’? These look like healthy men who could do labor or anything they put their minds to.

          I just do not understand all this talk about poor in the USA. I think you will find very few Russians immigrating to the USA complaining of poverty. I again do not deny that there are poor in the USA at all, but what in concrete terms is poor? Factor out the mentally ill or other people who to no fault of their own find themselves on the fringe of society. But basically what is poor in the USA to you? Give me a monetary definition and an example.

          On another note, I personally do not think the number of people who abuse the system and collect benefits unjustly are as big as people say. I think some people do this, but the USA has a good system of benefits in place for the poor and it is getting better.

          It is not the abuse of the system by the citizens that robs the taxpayers of their money but the government waste and not knowing how to apply the money. Russia is a shinning example of graft and corruption. I do not trust most governments.

          Benefits in the USA are not like Europe, but try collecting anything from the Russian government.

          Reply
11. sonda

    We can blame the media for our “crisis”.

    Reply
12. Celeste

    I agree with most of what you have to say,but some of it’s not accurate,at least not entirely. Where I grew up,there could be no mistaking that we were truly poor. Little food,hardly no sanitation,electricity,running water,etc. Guess where this was? That’s right. Good old America. Simple convinces like heat and air were out of the question,and basic necessities,for alto of us,were only when available. As a child,we lived off of less than 300 dollars a month most months,and this was in the mid to late 1990’s. Cost of living is also much higher here than in most of the poorer countries,and even though we have a welfare system,and a fund to help take care of the old and people too disabled to work,to honestly live off of this money,for most people is nearly impossible. You’ve no undoubtedly never seen the side of this country that I have,and though I have a lot more now(smart phone,tv,refrigeration,electricity,etc.)I have not forgotten the less fortunate than myself,and mental health also plays an important roll in being able to appreciate what you have. At the moment I am freezing my hands off because I have chosen cable over heat. Maybe not very wise to most,but keeping busy is more important to me now then keeping warm. XD

    Reply
    1. George

       Cost of living for equal things is actually lower in America than in other places. Real estate, cars, gasoline, and other resources are far more expensive in China than in the US, hence why everyone in China has far less. What is different in America is EXPECTATION. Whereas many people in China who live in dusty, dank conditions with unreliable electricity, and get by fine, that sort of life is downright unthinkable to many Americans. So average life in China is considered barely above poverty in the US, simply because people expect to have much more. That has nothing to do with actual cost and everything to do with mentality, and that sort of mentality is wrong and that is why Americans are considered spoiled.

       Reply
13. D

    Well the medium income in America is about 35k?
    Many places a gallon of gas is near 4 dollars, a small house can be as much as 300k or 400k, property tax can be outrageous, heat and oil is expensive, electric cost money, you could have student loans from college that got you your job but now you have to pay back, 40 k you will be poverty-stricken with a wife and a kid for sure. A one bedroom apt in many places is 1000 a month, so take your 40k and take away taxes, now your lucky if you have 30k and your apt is 12 k, now you have 18,000 a year for all the things mentioned? food will cost at least 100 dollars a week, so that’s 5200 a year, now you have about 13k a year , now add in your car gas, apt utility bill, a phone bill, car repairs or public transportrt, clothes, and god forbid medical insurance and you have zero money after a few months, you have zero, no food, yet you make too much to qualify for any help from government.

    Yet illegals for example have a baby and get 400-600 a month per kid from govt with all benefits etc, so they have three kids and get up to 1800 a month? and don’t have the same expenses as they get food stamps, medical, and diapers etc, they will live better than you. While the american can’t AFFORD to have more kids. Then of course you have the same thing with people on welfare etc which was supposed to be a short-term help program.

    So when you say people aren’t poor here that’s wrong, many people make way less than the medium income, and steal and commit crime to survive.

    I do however agree that many people are spoiled, and I belive it’s all about education on how to make money, anyone “can” make it here, but most don’t know how.

    In some states, you can make 100k a year and easily be broke, because a house or apt can be outrageously priced as well as property taxes, and you can’t just move because you will lose that job etc.

    You can be a doctor and owe 300k for college or even more, and even if you make 300k a year on paper, your business expenses may be 200k a year just to stay open! So now you have 100k a year to live on and after tax its down to 60k and your property taxes can be as much as 10,000 a year, now again add in all expenses if you have kids etc, your broke

    Reply
    1. Mark Biernat

       Show me exactly how and where illegals can get 600 dollars a month per child. Further, even if this was true, that money is recycled in the economy. It is spent in American stores and the money goes in the pockets of American business owners who spend it again. It is redistributed money. I am not for all that of course but I think money going to children living in the USA which is spend on American businesses is the last thing we should worry about. What about all the Bankers and Real Estate people who got bail out money or the fat cats and big wigs in Washington?
       What about military? The trillion dollars spent on Iraq? To destroy and rebuild that country?
       Again if you read my website I am a free market libertarian but explain to me why people are so ready to cut benefits to children or the poor and medical care, yet if you mention the war machine which drops bombs in the desert their blood pressure goes up?
       Milton Friedman and Ron Paul have both pointed this out. Why in a rich society that we are so ready to attack benefits to the poor yet, have waste on such a massive scale in other places.
       Many European countries from the UK to Norway to even Poland have free medical care and free education and benefits to the poor and their economy has not collapsed. Yes countries like Ireland to Greece that bail out the rich banks or have government corruption are in trouble.
       Income redistribution forced by the government is not my idea of Utopia, but come on, money for the poor, is the least of this countries problems. Try bailouts and military and waste. I do not know too many poor politicians and people in the military just got a pay raise and contractors have expanded exponentially.

       We are a family of 3 and we live in a luxury condo on a semi-tropical island in a rich town in Florida and our fixed costs, everything minus food is under $1,000 dollars a month. I think we spend about 18,000 a year maybe for a luxury fantasy life in the USA on a tropical Island.

       I think I could do that in almost any town in the USA or less. I lived many years in Eastern Europe and know that needs are based on expectation. Expectations of a lifestyle and I have noticed Americans have high expectations. They judge people who live poor and live on credit.

       Now I am not criticizing Americans at all. I love America. There is nothing wrong at all with having three cars and two houses. I have no problem with wealth and people should not feel guilty. I do have a problem when people complain, yet do not count their blessings. In my mind this is spoiled.

       I see many Americans who say it is so bad out there, own cell phones, TVs and cars (none of which I have or use by choice). They drive around yet complain that they are poor. Some of these people complaining live in homes that are bigger than 700 square feet even. I am an unrepentant capitalist but also have realistic expectations about how to live. I have ten books from the library on my desk I am reading and will be at the beach maybe surfing today. In the evening my wife and daughter play board games. We do have Netflix also. You do not need money to have an amazing life. You need a positive attitude.
       I think some Americans have a privileged attitude. About that I say, they need to give to charity or something, because if you do not give back to God, God will take it from you anyway.

       Reply
       1. larry

          Right on point. we are full of it. Everyone is complaining and talking about how bad it is but I see a lot of money changing hands and it’s not for the necessities in life on Cape Cod Massachusetts is going full tilt, what economic downturn.

          Reply
14. y0unggun

    If you were born poor, remember its how you lived your whole life. I myself am 100% spoiled, I was born into this life style and one day hope to be a lot more grateful by traveling too. My parent on the other hand used to be poor and have gotten a very long way to give me this life so I don’t have to live the way they did. They barley had a house, slept on floors, sold bread for money, and abused, not to mention their whole family had drug problems and they never touched it. Oh yeah that was America.

    Yes most of america is spoiled. I agree with that but america is good at what it does. Making money. We have resources, industries,machines,and it makes it easier.
     Hmm let me think, if I gave a poor european a smart government, food $$ a job, her family support,tv internet,a car and more stuff, would they take it? I believe so.

     I’m fortunate that America’s founding fathers where inventors,hard workers and knew exactly how to run a government. Maybe other countries should learn from our success. No they wont because they leaders would rather lead and not listen to their county, their people.

    Of course I’m not as educated as you, because you have been around the world, which I need to do or hope to do. I appreciate your insight but for being a patriot, you sound like your putting yourself on pedestal and disrespecting America. How about this, why don’t you look at euros, Chinas and all the other countries governments, and see what they do wrong, because obviously We are doing something right, because were spoiled.

     I also do not like to hear people waste there $$ on wasteful products, I don’t like seeing stupid wasteful product, and I don’t like hearing people complain when they don’t get what they want when they want from there parents, when the children do nothing.

     Some Americans complain that they can’t get jobs, that don’t have no car, that our economy sucks, and they say this because all they can get is a 8$ job and they want better. They complain because they want a better life, is that bad? to want the best for yourself,to be the best that you can be? If anyone in a third world county were in my shoes, they would also be all they can be, buying triple patted sandwiches and driving in a car for ther work.

    I am very open-minded and would like to visit other countries just to see how things are, to meet people, to appreciate, to look at other cultures and if I have to eat potatoes everyday, I will.

    What is poor, it’s this

    Poor equates to people who live in the ghetto, or slums. They live in fear of dying from other people. They can barley afford food and ther housing( ow yea, they live in houses or apartments because you can’t build a house in a city,even if there is nothing but wildlife and trees, if cops catch you, you’ll get it taken away, and its hard to live off the grid, with no one and nothing, you’d pity much have to learn a complete new life style, like an Indian, and you can’t farm and plant potatoes). poor have tiny TVs, and don’t worry it doesn’t cost much thy are not spoiled.

    A lot of poor parts of America have gangs and drugs. which means thers a good chance you will get your stuff stolen,specially if you’re an easy target, which makes kids join gangs to seek protection. now they must kill, threat in, represent theer gang, steal, do drugs, sell drugs. ther no going back now, those kids and their kid will be in the grand life style. always having to watch ther back, being afraid to die, or family dyeing.

    They make money but at a price.they may also get addicted to drugs, which may cost them there live. the sad part is, they don’t really have a choice, they are pressured to go into that life style since children. that is poor.

    Sounds like a wonderful life doesnt it. But that’s rich in other countries so they shouldnt complain. get real, we got brains, and if some has to live a bad life,wether it be, no food, no electricity, gangs, America China, Germany, it doesnt matter, they can complain, who cares. if you’re not allowed to complain because its pointless then don’t but either way they are poor. please, im sure you would love to change your normal or poor life for a poor persons life in america because that s rich for you right. good luck dodging bullets.

    All I see are negative comments, come on now, wish you could switch lives with them, because the poor here are rich, and you dont have to work hard for it, right.

    Lastly no hard feelings, good luck, Nice article, and I am a patriot, and don’t be such a hater. Peace.

    Reply
    1. George

       You can want a better life. In fact, desire for a better life is actually a good trait as it (theoretically) motivates hard work to succeed. However, I say “theoretically” because many of those people who complain the hardest about wanting a better life are not actually desiring to work harder, but want the government to give them money in the form of Obamacare, welfare and the like.

       This is the main reason why I think Americans are spoiled. They are born expecting a rich life, and when their life doesn’t meet their standards, they whine and pout and demand the government to help them. And those standards are utterly ridiculous. There was a news article that headlined as “Banker struggling to get by on $350,000 salary”. Most Americans look at that and laugh, as that banker still has a huge ass salary. Yet that’s how the world sees America, as we see that banker: A bunch of rich a-holes who complain about how much their life sucks simply because it wasn’t as good as they expected it to be. What needs to happen is people need to appreciate what they have, and if they want more, they need to work for it, not whine and pout until the government comes along and hands it to them on a silver platter.

       Reply
15. Heyo

    Hey from Europe. I get what you’re trying to say but if you’re going to write-up and publish a whole article about it, you really should check your facts and not sensationalize or generalize on the facts. For example, entire families of different generations living in small apartments is not normal, it is an exception and a situation that most people are not in. (Also, speaking about Lvov, I really don’t know where you get your watery statistics from.)

    What you’re ‘kind of’ saying is that all American people are spoiled and rich and all Europeans are poor and unfortunate. Actually, some Americans are spoiled and rich and some Europeans are poor. People are different and there is no real theorem to be found here.

    That said, I don’t mean to insult you or your ideas, simply pointing out some observable shortcomings in the reasoning and such. The general idea is interesting, if not really an issue. What from one side appears as being a spoiled brat could be also looked at as self-importance, confidence, and pride in yourself.

    Reply
    1. Mark Biernat

       I am not saying that at all. You miss the point. I am American but also European. I have lived both sides and have both citizenships. I am saying that many Americans spend or have budgets like $3,000 dollars a month and feel they are just getting by.

       That is a lot of money. 3,000 dollars is not just getting by, it is rich. Do you personally spend $3,000 a month?

       Poverty in the USA for a family is like $20,000 a year. That is not that bad. I have a family and we live in expenses well, on a tropical Island on the beach in Florida in a Luxary condo with granet counter tops and live on about $1,500 dollars a month and we feel rich.

       For enterainment we read, play chess, watch netflix, go fishing, go surfing, biking, did not even have a car until recently. Life is great. However, I know people who are spending $3,000 dollars a month and cry poverty.

       In Lviv not Lvov, it is Lviv, there is no water but a few hours a day. I was living in an appartment there. I lived in Krakow, for almost a decade. My family is from Western Ukraine, I know what I am talking about, their village in Skalat has places with no water at all.

       Reply
16. papiuky

    The attacks on this guy are ridiculously obtuse. The article was written in a way to make us be thankful and maybe check ourselves a little bit. The little angry mob that is forming against this guy are exactly the kind of people who need to check themselves.

    Some of you are claiming “standard of living” and then proceed to type about products and goods that are more expensive or what not, or houses that cost so much. The second you type that you have easily shown that you missed the point THE POINT. The TYPES of houses we “expect” to have vs the humble housing in those other countries is what he was alluding too. The NEED for gadgets and gizmos and products of many sorts is what he was alluding too.

    I think its a great piece and I think that a good job has been done here to ask us to simply realize perspective. Get your head out of your sensitive hurt butts and learn something from a guy who has seen both sides of life, not just this one. That right there just makes me laugh at your points. You haven’t even lived where he has, but you still want to throw down your less traveled and spoiled opinion. Were spoiled, get over it.

    Reply
17. Ariyail

    We are not spoiled, most Americans just have more opportunities that other countries don’t have.And do you know how many Americans are unemployed,homeless,and live off of welfare checks?Now does that scream spoiled to you? Yes I will admit that some people here do get a lot without working for it, just like lots of other people in other countries.Try living as an average American and you will see how ridiculous this article is.

    Reply
    1. George

       @Ariyail

       Yes, that is spoiled. Collecting welfare checks is spoiled. Getting unemployment benefits is spoiled. Getting ANY sort of cash for doing nothing is spoiled, as the vast majority of the people out there do NOT have that kind of opportunity. How many of those “poor” people have smartphones? Or laptops? Hell, even something as simple as running water, food that doesn’t kill you, and basic civil rights is out of the question for most of the world, but not to anyone in the US. Now, I’m not saying Americans should live 3rd world lives, but I think that appreciating what you have instead of complaining how “poor” you are would do far better for this country and the entire world. The life you described is still much better than 88% of the population, who have to worry whether they’ll be able to live to the next day without disease, warlords, corrupt governments, famine, dehydration, or a myriad of other ways that could kill them.

       Reply
18. Kelly MacEwen

    You guys need to take a reality check. Americans are so fat and rich and etc, oh but it’s OK for me to say this because I’m a patriot. No. If you we’re a patriot then you’d love America, which by your letters you obviously don’t. I dislike people like you because you talk about people without even knowing them. You have no idea how many times I’ve been stereotyped for living in a privileged community. Why can’t we all love one another and not spent hours writing essays about how one country’s richer than the other. So what? Does that make us bad? Oh and by the way, I’m American, but not fat.

    Reply
    1. Mark Biernat

       Please explain your points of criticism. Not all Americans are spoiled, it is more to get people thinking. This is what I am talking about. I lived a good part of my life abroad in various countries that were modern but developing. When I returned to my USA which I do love, I saw rich people all around me complaining how bad it is economically. People who have $8,000 dollars in expenses a month.
       I also saw ‘poor’ people complaining. But these poor had smartphones, TVs, laptops and cars and were overweight, living in 2 bedroom apartments. This does not seem too poor to me. Is that poverty? Plus they get cash benefits from the government. Whilst in contrast, the people I knew abroad who had PhDs and MDs were living with no car and in a 500 square foot apartment with eight people were pretty happy and commenting how the economy has changed since communism.
       So the question you have to ask yourself, is material wealth relative to time and place?
       Are expectations a big component of feeling rich or poor?
       My grandparents coming from Eastern Europe during the Great Depression were pretty happy to be here but others would call them poor. While again I see people with smartphones (I do not have one) crying poverty.
       So it is more to get Americans to think about the rugged individualism that the USA was founded on, and what economic wealth means, rather than a criticism of my country. I love America. I do not like a generation that is breed with the fallacy that poverty is rampant and the government must fix it.

       Reply
       1. Jake

          I agree with you on the assessment of many poor in the US. It seems that the definition of poor here is not being able to keep up with the joneses rather than not meeting the basic necessities.

          I am an immigrant from the Philippines and although we were middle class over there, the poor here in the US have more than us middle class there.

          In the Philippines, the definition of poor is not being able to meet basic necessities such as food, shelter, and education. In the US, the poor here have the latest gadgets, cars (Middle class in the Philippines cannot even afford the cheapest cars but we’re not calling ourselves poor), yet ironically dependent on food stamps?

          I think the problem with mentality here in America is people cannot determine what is luxury and what is necessity. Necessity becomes luxury and luxury become necessity.

          Reply
19. George

    My parents feel the same way as you. I was born here, but they were born in Communist China. My mother lived in a very tiny apartment, and was considered rich. My father lived in what was basically two rooms with no restroom and no air condition (he had to use public restrooms). When they came to America after the Tiananmen Massacre, they were both awed by the wealth of America, and even staying below the poverty line was still wealthier than what they were used to (in fact, my grandmother actually complained to my dad that he was being wasteful for going to a $1 movie theater every weekend). It’s definitely a sobering experience for me whenever the family goes on vacation to China. People there live in far worse conditions than Americans do, and yet, still can live happy lives. I went to this one place that only had one air conditioned room, one non-HD TV for entertainment, and unreliable electricity (one time, the power went out, and the host family explained to us that it was perfectly normal and it’ll come back eventually). Nevertheless, everyone there were still very friendly and courteous, and we had a lot of fun.

    And the whole standard of living argument is completely BS. Necessities in China are far MORE expensive than China, both due to the sheer amount of people there coupled with strict government regulation. There are tolls that need to be paid for almost every other road. Gas is so ludicrously high that many people forgo driving cars. Centralized air conditioning is banned (so in the summer time, the entire family is usually camping in the one room that is cool). Housing is very expensive. Seriously, buying a small apartment in China is so expensive that it’s actually shameful for a richer parent to NOT pay for their kids’ first apartment (unlike America, where it’s shameful to still rely on your daddy’s money to buy things). And houses are out of the question for pretty much every Chinese. A typical $200,000 home (expensive, but not excessively so) would cost around $1 million in China. Finally, due to the high level of corruption, China takes a ton of tax money that ends up getting paid for some corrupt politician to go on vacation. You think America has it bad? China is about 100X worse. As such, your typical Chinese is left in a society where most things are more expensive relative to their purchasing power. That’s why we Americans can have so much more stuff.

    So yeah, despite me being American and having a phase when I was young where I complained about how poor many Americans were, I came to realize that the US is the most blessed country in the world, and I should be thankful for everything that I have. And if I want to improve, hard work in school and the workforce are the best ways to do that.

    And I don’t know if you’ve actually seen this website, but check it out: http://globalrichlist.com/

    Basically, it’s a website that documents how your income places in terms of the entire world. To be in the top 1%, you need to make $50,000 (typical entry level job salary). To be in the top 10% you need to be making poverty line money ($23050). To be in the top 12% you need to make minimum wage. Basically, if you decided to take a minimum wage job as your full-time job, you’d still be better off than 88% of the entire world.

    Really puts it in perspective, huh?

    Reply
20. JoSe

    Americans that are poor have chosen to be poor because they could work two jobs to make it in life, but they would rather stay home and get all the benefits our tax money can provide for them. If you think they are poor I have land in the Moon I can sell to you. These people work for cash and never report their earnings same as an illegal. You can spot a poor person by the way they dress. The most expensive clothes, when they go to pick up their free food at the store. They act like they are important in life, but to me they are nothing but trash. They beat their children in from of others and give you a dirty look, if you notice it. They get free phones, free medicine, free housing, free food, free transportation with bus tokens, free of everything that is given to them and they actually ( beach to put it in a nice way )when their free food card doesn’t arrive in the mail. There that makes my day, but I know someone will think I am sick and in a way I am sick of paying for them to have a better life then most of the tax payers in this country.

    Reply
    1. Mark Biernat

       Is this what you mean?

       Ebenezer Scrooge: I cannot afford to make idle people merry. I have been forced to support the establishments I have mentioned through taxation and God knows they cost more than they’re worth. Those who are badly off must go there.
       Gentleman: Many would rather die than go there.
       Ebenezer Scrooge: If they’d rather die, then they had better do it and decrease the surplus population.

       I have done countless tax returns for the poor. I do taxes as a side job. I have seen everyone’s income lay out in front of me. I have honest conversations about money and what they get, and you know I did not see the picture you are painting. I saw families struggling because they lost their job in a bad economy or their house is getting foreclosed on. They were doing well. And government assistance is not that much. If you think they are driving sports cars and enjoying life your wrong. I did taxes and get a very different picture as I see what everyone makes and the income flows and outflows. The poor really do try and struggle.
       Again I am a life long Republican and Libertarian, Tea party guy, but the poor really are trying in most cases.

       Now do not get me wrong I do think Americans have it easy. I am with you on that. You lived in a time of unprecedented easiness in the work place, for example.

       I lived abroad and the poor in the USA are like the super rich in other countries. I think American are spoiled to some extent. The poor here have cars and TVs and cell phones. So it is all relative. Yet for them to get integrate back into society and a chance at upward mobility maybe they need a car and cell phone to help them get a job. But relatively speaking they are pretty well off.

       But are they milking the system? I do not think like you you think.
       Where do you get your data? Give me a specific example.
       No doubt there are people who juice the system, but it is a fraction and we should not through the baby out with the bathwater. We can not condemn a class because a few are bad. If anything like I pointed out the corporate welfare of bailouts and Virgina class submarines etc are on par with Trillion plus dollars while the people scamming the system are pennies. Again look at the office of the Budget and how much goes to things like WIC compared to one corporate welfare bailout.
       You support the idle rich not the idle poor.

       Reply
21. Biotch in da House

    Americans aren’t that spoiled compared to Canadians. Man, are Canadians spoiled. In Vancouver and Toronto for a family of 4 the poverty line is $28,000. Low-income/lower-class means anything below 2x the poverty line. So if you make $52,000 with a family of 4 in Toronto, you’re lower-class. Plus the poor in Canada have nice, non-leaking apartments, TV’s, video game consoles, different games, refrigerators, good clothes, the list goes on. It’s crazy here, man.

    Reply
    1. Rick

       I don’t imagine it’s any different in New York or Los Angeles though. A lot of Canadians live in ty houses. Apparently you’ve never seen the poverty in Atlantic Canada. They’re diet poor. Since the fishing industry diminished they’ve been relying on the government shell outs whereby the average couple probably makes $30,000 between them.

       The difference between Americans and the rest of the world is that in America it’s a lot easier to have whatever you want, accomplish anything you want, etc, than it is in any other country. Americans have taken this for granted for 300 years which makes them spoiled. White American in particular I find to be the most spoiled people on the planet, since class is still very much a racially distinguished situation in the US. I don’t think White Americans really know what it is like to be particularly disadvantaged like people in other countries do. Even the poorest have lived a life of luxury compared to the majority of people elsewhere in the world. Over time this has transformed into massive debt and the collapse of the American economy.

       PS: Californians are the single most spoiled on the planet. Bar none.

       Reply
22. JimmyDee

    You’ve said it. More to the point, it’s Getting Worse in America as the Middle Class commits suicide (mostly through their own stupidity)…

    My town was pillaged by plutocrat Republican ultra-rich types. My neighbors forced out and their comfortable little homes bulldozed down and replaced by McMansions from Hell. Imagine living across from a family of no more than 4 who reside in a kind of mini-Vatican consisting of 10 or 12 foot tall ceilings adorned with chandeliers, nearly a dozen bathrooms (WHY do they need all these?), 4 Empty garages, and a huge wrap-around driveway (of hand-laid imported brick from Europe!) which serves as a Showcase for their 4-6 vehicles (a Lexus, a BMW, a Mercedes, and a mandatory huge SUV for the guy to prove his manhood in having the ability to go “offroad” at a moment’s notice–even though he never will!). If they still don’t get the necessary attention they demand, they’ll park their cars on the side of the main road. The landscaping is an on-going event as the woman of the house parades around and has trees cut down, shrubs planted, and of course immaculately grafted-on super-green sod grass tended to weekly. Every week special landscaping services come to pay homage here (usually illegal aliens working for minimum wage) as every leaf and twig is immaculately removed. The owners sit on their sweet asses like kings contemplating how to make their mansion even more appealing. Guy next door has a super-sized in-ground swimming pool–They’ve got to have one, too, even if they Don’t Swim! Oh, and it has to be Bigger of course. All new McMansions are Larger and Flashier than previous ones. New neighbor comes in, the guy next door doesn’t like being “outclassed” so he sees to having his own house expanded! One guy has a dozen spotlights shining 24/7 on his house–His neighbor gets 15 or 20 to outdo him!

    Where once there was silence and peace of mind there is now near-constant work of landscapers and servants tending with their gas-guzzling machinery. Landscape trucks are now obstacle courses to drive around everywhere. The wildlife has either fled or is dead from the fumes, noise, and/or poisonous fertilizers laid down… The real estate dealers have offices everywhere and they love to cut down trees because that’s Land they can divide up into square footage and sell or rent to their heart’s content!

    The people who reside in these castles (and yes some of them Literally are built to Resemble castles!) are usually fat, bald or white-haired Mafia types with attitude problems. They have trophy wives half their age and they are always making accusations and are paranoid. My new neighbors have a Pair of ADT security trucks stopping by every month or so to inspect their “security suite” (motion sensors, hidden cams, infra red this and that) to ensure they’re protected against intruders. Just walk by their house or act suspicious and they might call the police on you!

    At night everything used to be pitch black here. Now I can’t sleep because of the super-bright spotlights shining in through my bedroom windows. Everyone at night tries to outdo the other, with bigger and brighter lights emphasizing their Mansions and their Wealth.

    From my bedroom I can even see the huge wall-sized TV screen in my neighbors house across the road.

    Because I’m not in their class they dump their garbage on my property, leave tire tracks in front of my home. And generally look down on me as a peasant for not wanting to be just like them and nowhere in their “class.” They think they’re the envy of all Americans, and are the Model for guys like me reach for!

    They’re the new Republicans of 21st Century America, and they make me SICK.

    Reply
23. Antonio M

    No, Americans are not spoiled, and they have a firm appreciation for everything they have, so I will just take a head count of all the folks I work with here in good old southern USA. First off, now let’s not be racist here, but I am the only white employee, I make the least amount of money, $48K. All immediate co-workers are black. 6 of them total. All of them have houses less than 3 years old. All of them make between 60K-100K. One has a $75K Cadillac and a $60K Mercedes SUV. He had two houses, now just one with only 3000 sq feet. He makes $65k and gets a retirement and disability check. Another has two houses, a Mercedes and Acura sedan, and just fiddles with his laptop all day, doing as little work as possible. Another has a husband with $70k income and retirement pay also. She makes only $60k a year. Another is married to an LPN, makes $50k a year and gets a retirement and disability check also. Another has a house of 3200 sq feet just purchased with 50% cash, and drives an expensive Cadillac sports coupe. Oh yes, another one, his wife just got a job paying $85k managing a storage facility their daughter is 18 years old, has a baby, and lives off welfare. Yet,all these folks ever do is complain.

    Reply
    1. Mark Biernat

       Not all Americans are spoiled of course, however, if there was an electric apocalypse or something, how many could get by with less. I think people should focus on living mortgage free and less dependent on the grid and the constant need to shop and complain. We try to grow our own food and read book and I do not have a cell phone, although I do have a laptop. I just spend three weeks in the Polish countryside, not Internet or cell phones or TV and it was great, not withdraw.

       Reply
24. Jonathan

    It’s all a matter of balance, Americans (including myself) are spoiled because the odds are tipped in our favor in many areas of life, the least spoiled ones (including myself) wouldn’t mind doing slightly worst off to even the scales of justice. I admit I’m luckier than those in other countries just being born in America but we seriously need to help the world, that’s why they are bombing America because of all of the unfairness, not saying they are just, but neither is our government.

    Reply
25. Johnathen

    OK if this guy was a real american (the one who wrote the artical) he would know that we Americans Love to complain about everything. We don’t care about others and only ourselves a lot of the time. We know we have more money than other countries but we still complain. Why because it is our way of communication to each other. We practically don’t know how to communicate to others without complaining about something. I am a middle class american and i don’t live in a mansion. Hell at one point I lived in a tent for a year. Now I live in the basement of my landlords’ house. Americans just have things that cost to much for us. You might live on 800 but we live in the 1,000s range of things and its kinda difficult for us.

    Reply
    1. Mark Biernat

       Agreed, complaining is a component of human nature. I lived in Eastern Europe and I think they have a culture of complaining even more than in America.
       My life is fluid so when I wrote the article now the dollar amounts and my lifestyle has changed. I try to grow my own food and fish for a living. Doing things off the grid as much as possible.

       America was founded on rugged individualism. There are always ways to make money and save money, beyond your wildest dreams or imagination if you think out of the box. Anyone who has physical health to to simple things can make it in America. My friend has a back problem and works in bed and he did.

       Reply
       1. Johnathen

          OK how the heck are you not a politician? You’re good at changing view points, and that’s difficult to change how people respond to you.

          Reply
          1. Mark Biernat

             Be specific, what exactly did I change my view on? The dollar limits people spend a month. Or the fact that you can make it in America with hard work and self reliance?

             Reply
26. Michelle Faulk

    Spoiled rotten, in fact. I have visited Europe 4x – 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2010. It is very costly there to live, a Facebook friend who met me in Salzburg on my last trip told me that to buy a 2 bedroom home in Austria will run you well over $250,000. You could live in a McMansion here in the US for that kind of money. Food is very expensive in Europe, even from grocery stores – you’re right when you say most Europeans can’t afford to eat out. I mostly saw tourists waddling into restaurants. The reality there is quite different from life in the US. I would never, ever move to Europe (as I used to dream) because I am too used to my creature comforts. And yes, I am one of those people living off of $10,000 a year! But I still have satellite TV, a mobile phone, a car that is paid for, and I can eat out every week if I choose to, I just don’t because it’s unhealthy. I doubt many Europeans even own a laptop because computers are very pricey over there. That’s the reality.

    Reply
27. Jonathan Thomas

    Being spoiled has nothing to do with location and everything to do with a false sense of entitlement. When you give a person too much of something it gets taken for granted.

    Reply
28. Thomas Jefferson

    Look how well that is working out. Britain triggered Article 50 today. Eurexit here we go.

    Reply
29. A

    Thank you. Finally, there is someone who has come to the same realization. Being from another country, I have seen many things in America that would be considered heavenly by foreign people, but are regarded as everyday things, sometimes even as bad, by its very own denizens. America has won [almost] every war and every competition it has participated in because America already has everything it needs to thrive. All the wood in America could keep the entire world running for 10 years, maybe even more. Other powerful countries worked hard to get where they are, such as the Russians and the Chinese, however, America already had everything it needed from the beginning. In fact, with its current outlook, America couldn’t waste and finish off its supply of resources even if it wanted to. No offense intended, however, Americans are a lazy people because of this. What takes Americans 5 years to do here could be done in 6 months in other countries (I have seen that with my own eyes.)
    Let’s take the patriotic song “America the Beautiful”. While this is just normal to Americans, not many other countries have amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesties, grace shed by God, or sea and a shining one. This is normal to Americans, however, they do not realize how good their lives are. That was the reason the New World was colonized in the first place.

    Reply
30. werwer

    Yep, Americans are super spoiled. They are entitled, spend other people’s budget like water, act like they are superior to other people. I don’t really like to be with them, but they feel like they need to be with me in order to polish their self esteem (because they like to be with people who is less than they are). With that said, Some Americans are super shady and they are not polite in comparisons with other cohorts that I have the pleasure to be with. The United States is all compensation and aids and social security but to be honest, I hear people all the time complaining about not receiving any social benefits even though they are more than qualified for. I personally pay 11k in tax while the airforce spend a 1000 dollar more on coffee cup. That really makes me hate this country. Yep, 11 k in tax working mostly 7 days a week 8 am to 10 pm. Not having a life not being able to get married. And now when I apply for work benefits I get to ask to give some taxes back. Bravo.

    Reply
31. Juweinam

    I have to say you have no common sense. You think people can survive wealthy on 15000 a year in America.
    San fran. A studio that does not include water, electricty is more than 2000 a month.
    Are you only visiting rich people suburbia? Cause i can tell you flint doesnt even have clean water to drink.
    Get this our expensive fast food is cheaper to eat than cooking and home making meals. Why do you think we are so fat. Go to a movie theater. This tiny little water bottle is 4 bucks as opposed to this giant soda as big as my head is 1.50. Gardens are expensive here and not everyone has the soil or environment either. Its against the law to dry out clothes outside on a line.

    And stop comparing 1st world problems yo third world in human poverty. None of ehat happens in Africa to their poor is humane. It should not be allowed. But you basically justify treating them like dirt because oh theyre still alive. America is so expensive we cant afford to get out of our own state let alone our country.
    You Europeans are so "poor" that you can travel across Europe. Congrats. So poor you are.
    We cant even get across a state.
    Are you kidding me with all your hogwash? We are fat because homemade meals and healthy vegetables are 4 times more expensive than we can afford.
    We have to work 2 to 4 jobs just to live in an apartment.
    And there is nothing good about any human being on this planet losing their job and being homeless (and in America no car) . That is vile you would ever appraise anyone’s life as good in that case.
    We have little to no public transport in America unless you go to sf or nyc. You live outside the most expensive cities in the United States, you need a car just to have a job.
    You are a snot nosed toad. America is terrible but we are far from living it up or having wealth.
    What you are doing is basically looking at the wealthy and the upper middle class (who refuse to acknowledge they’re rich) and going. That’s America. People are rich.

    Far from it. Farmers can barely survive here. The only ones who can afford gardens are the wealthy. The only ones who have the time for anything but eat sleep work are the wealthy.

    We are so rich that its cheaper to fly to Europe, go to hospital, and fly back according to the one Brit girl.
    So rich that on the official ranking of most free countries in the world, we are at 52.
    All the top freest countries in the world are European in a world ranking. Yeah so rich. So rich that flint still does’nt have drinking water and America ignores it. So rich that soda is cheaper than water. So rich that a bag of chips is cheaper than buying a tiny piece of vegetable.
    And no one average makes an average of 80000/yr.a median household income is a combo of everyone who lives in the household. In a city like sf with gentrification, a tiny little house is more than 1 million.
    Fat people are poor. Rich people are skinny over here. Unhealthy food is cheaper. Its about how long we can make food last and stretch out that dollar.
    So your poor judgment can go take a hike.

    Reply
    1. Mark Biernat

       I am getting my Ph.D. in Economics. I have been making around 15,000 dollars a year. I have a family. I could and did make 150,000 dollars a year consulting but I am getting a Ph.D. now. I simply grow my own food and we read and play chess and enjoy life.
       We are not living off our savings. We are not getting food stamps.
       If you want me to give a lesson on budgeting I will. I live in a wealthy town. Life is great for me and my family on 15k a year.
       People in the US worship the dollar and careers, not everyone but many.
       I can show you my paychecks.

       Reply
    2. Mark Biernat

       You are not making sense. I spend almost nothing on my garden. I have sand for soil. Very easy, watch the movie Back to Eden. Free Woodchip is everywhere and turns the worst soil to rich material. I use 0% chemicals, never have. You can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. You can add a little seaweed to your compost or other things that add to the minerals. Watch Rob Greenfield. Watch the channel “I am Organics” Watch “David the Good”. He has 8 kids and lives like this.
       Everyone in my family is a ranked USCF competitive chess player. Other people are consuming Netflix we read books. It is about choices. My choice is to get a Ph.D. and educate my family with values that do not include the worship of money.

       Reply
32. Juweinam

    Texans are the most spoiled bar none. You realize 99% of cali’s taxes are paying for texas and other red states who like to brag about their cheap but their states need to be payed for by cali cause it actually cant support their state residents way of life. Texans are rich and spoiled

    Reply
33. Catalina

    I can relate to all the different angles discussed here. Our family is a low income family of US citizens in the USA. We live in a rural area. Public transportation is available by appointment only. We have 1 car. We own our house, but pay mortgage. We work 2 full time jobs and have 3 children. We receive SNAP benefits, which gradually get reduced as we earn more money. Our kids have Medicaid insurance. We have no insurance. We go to food banks monthly. We have a hand full of trivial expenses (to keep life enjoyable) but mainly spend on basic living costs. We live a relatively good life when compared to our family in South America, and even try to send them money from time to time to help their situation. However, compare our $35,000 (for a family of 5) to the 50 something % of USA’s median income households of $63,179 (circa 2018), and lots of essentials have to be done without. Examples range from HVAC maintenance, car repairs, pest control, household item replacements (our daughter’s mattress is 45 years old, but according to your post, I should be thankful she has a bed at all), fire extinguishers, winter clothing, pet vaccinations, haircuts, etc. To compensate, we try to DYI all our repairs and maintenance. When compared to developing countries, we know we live like kings, but when compared to the society which we live in, locally speaking, our socio-economic standing is lackluster to say the least. I have mixed emotions about poverty in the USA. Is it “laughable” compared to poverty elsewhere? Absolutely. But does that mean that everyone should suffer those levels of poverty in order for their experiences to be validated? I do not think so. The world should always strive to do better in general, we should not sit back and be contented with mediocrity. I want to have enough money to see a doctor, I cannot wait in line to be seen in a free clinic because I have to be at WORK to make a living. At the same time, I want villages in Africa to have access to clean running water and I want Venezuelans to have food to eat. I want better for me, and better for them too.

    Reply
    1. Mark Biernat

       Calalina, this is a clear well articulated comment on life in the USA. Of my friends, many are living like this. It is certainly not a bad life compared to most of the world. My friends who have four kids and two SUVs and flat-screen living in an nice large home in Florida, with kids in private school and only the father working say they are poor. I see it otherwise. Yes he is working retail like crazy, but how many people you know live so well in the world.
       I am getting a PhD and earn much less than you with a family. My wife cuts our hair, I grow food in the backyard, which I highly recommend, and we bought dental tools from ebay. When we need to go to the doctor we do. You can do your own HVAC, you can do you own haircuts, you can do your own everything, if you search Youtube. However growing food is free. It is so free you do not even know. Forget saving two dollars here and there. I have a jungle of food in my backyard. We make our own bread etc.

       Remember I am getting a PhD and have 15 years of solid business experience in IT and Accounting. However, unless you live in a money center city you will make rural area wages. Therefore you have to live like people did in the Walton’s time (TV show) and do it yourself.

       What growing zone do you live in?

       I can tell you how to grow more food than you know what to do with, lets start with that.

       Reply
34. Jon

    We wouldn’t be such a spoiled, self centered, arrogant nation without the ME in America. Too many of us in this nation think too much of ourselves to have consideration for others in this country and the other people’s of the world. Oh sure we pretend to care about others but in the long run it comes down to what benefits the individual. As of today during this pandemic we are starting to see the spoiled rotten Americans complaining that they should be working and enough is not being done to retain their jobs, as they worry about how their going to pay for their over extended credit, their exorbitant mortgages and fancy cars. Will we ever see the day where good decent selfless Americans outnumber those who only care about themselves and their image. Maybe this corona pandemic will weed out those who refuse to wear mask or to wash their hands or insist that they be given greater consideration than those who are in dire need of aid. Shame on you selfish aMEricans. It’s not hard to see why the others of this world look down upon USa!

    Reply
35. Timothy Fuller

    The attacks against the article and the ad hominem attacks against the author show that he has hit a nerve. It also shows the reality of the spoiled brattiness of those in the West, particularly America. If you spend anytime overseas(outside the West and developed countries), it is without a doubt that the article is valid. The author used as examples mild cases to compare. If you go to parts of Africa or South America, you will find that the comparison is even more egregious. In essence, the author is not writing to give an endorsement or explanation of macroeconomic philosophy. He is simply saying, the fact that you are complaining about the inconveniences of your 5,000 or in fact your 1,200 square foot house with Central heat and air with a television in every room along with a refrigerator full of food, stop to think about the majority of others in the world that have to live in a 100 square foot shack or hut with knowing where their next meal is coming from. If that does not move you, the author is right.. You are spoiled

    Reply
    1. Mark Biernat

       Yes, that is the point to get people to think about what they have. I know people, even friends that have multiple cell phone accounts, full cable on their HD large Flat screen a couple of SUVs and live near the beach, their kids are in private school, in a nice HOA community and they define themselves as ‘poor’. I mentioned it and they got very upset and said I do not understand. Poor to me is when kids do not have food and no shoes and live in a hut, not a luxury home with SUVs and maybe they have to watch their budget.

       Reply