So the societal myths in terms of the North American context. As you hear it on the internet and you hear it from politicians, from people discussing things, the US and Canada, they’re going down into the gurgler, they’re going into a plug hole.
And other people might express the opinion that it’s just a long decline from now onwards in the USA and Canada.
Or perhaps the businesses are already behind us or past us and the feeling that we, the current generation have had it better than our children ever will.
I’ve even heard through the internet and through news, American politicians, and commentators expressing their opinion that the USA is becoming a Third World country.
In fact, if you put that into Google, it will come up with a search – it self-fills.
So, the question is, bearing in mind that Hans Rosling Gap-Minder-type ignorance surveys well, is this, in fact, true?
And bearing in mind of course that the man with a megaphone on the internet is amplifying and shouting all this information at you as well.
Well the US is becoming Third World. No, that’s not true.
And that, in fact, would be Haiti in the hemisphere that the US is in. We’ve had US presidential candidates and congressmen making such statements.
In fact, go back to that recession in New Zealand, and ever since we’ve had this similar sort of comments about New Zealand from our politicians over here. And that’s not true either.
If you put at Google “10 Signs the USA is becoming a Third World country”, so obviously, there’s a whole heap of people searching on that.
The image there is of Port-au-Prince in Haiti and that’s what a Third World looks like.
And obviously, they had the devastation from the earthquake there that has made the problems in Haiti even worse.
Let’s examine or let’s dig into the question of where the USA sits and Canada for that matter by looking at the USA as the percentage of GDP.
In fact, one country in terms of the United States of America is approximately currently is 25% of the world GDP.
And what the 7 next largest economy including the European Union comprise 75% of the total world GDP. And you can see Canada on that graphic as well.
So, you can see the USA is, in fact, a massive economy occupies a quarter of the world GDP, not really a prescription for being a Third World country.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Ron Kroetz via Flickr Creative Commons License
You ignore many third world characteristics the USA meets. Income inequality, treatment of minorities, treatment of the poor, healthcare availability, crumbling infrastructure, government (and government sanctioned corporate) militia thugs violence against peaceful protesters…to name a few… You need to face the facts!!!