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America leads the world when it comes to access to higher education. But when it comes to health, environmental protection, and fighting discrimination, it trails many other developed countries, according to the Social Progress Imperative, a U.S.-based nonprofit.
The results of the group's annual survey, which ranks nations based on 50 metrics, call to mind other reviews of national well-being, such as the World Happiness Report released in March, which was led by Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, or September's Lancet study on sustainable development. In that one, Iceland, Singapore, Sweden, and the U.S. took spots 1, 2, 3, and 28—respectively.
The Social Progress Index released this week is compiled from social and environmental data that come as close as possible to revealing how people live. "We want to measure a country's health and wellness achieved, not how much effort is expended, nor how much the country spends on healthcare," the report states. Scandinavia walked away with the top four of 128 slots. Denmark scored the highest. America came in at 18.
The Social Progress Index gives the US poor marks. America may, however, still lead the world in funny cat videos.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday June 23 2017, @02:27AM (17 children)
Pick any country that has been in existence since 1700 and compare records. They're either worse than the US in terms of historical abuses, or they were on the receiving end of worse abuse from colonial powers.
Sure, US history is full of suck. Let's compare with Britain in India, Napoleon, Hitler, China in Tibet, Genghis freakin' Khan. Even the Aussies and Kiwis have managed their share of abuse of the indigenous, racism, bigotry, etc.
There's something about these surveys that constantly rate Scandinavia at the top, with weather that simultaneously life threatening and depressing, they have to do something right on the social side or they'd all just leave for a better climate.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by jelizondo on Friday June 23 2017, @04:38AM (4 children)
Since you appear to have researched this thoroughly, tell me what has been wrong with Switzerland in the past 200 years; just don’t tell me about them being the bankers for Nazis, they have been the bankers for everyone regardless of politics, human rights and other considerations, including many American citizens.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 23 2017, @06:18AM
Amen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy#Switzerland [wikipedia.org]
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 23 2017, @11:31AM
Being smug fucks back in the crack does not make them good citizens of the world.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday June 23 2017, @06:27PM (1 child)
I'll take a stab at it. Women did not have the right to vote everywhere in Switzerland until 1991. There's also the "Schnueffelstaat [wikipedia.org]." It doesn't seem so shocking now post-Snowden but in 1989 when it came out it was quite the scandal.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday June 23 2017, @06:30PM
I forgot the worst thing about Switzerland: the yodeling. Dear God, the yodeling...
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Friday June 23 2017, @08:54AM (8 children)
If you see a survey where Scandinavia is on top, all your antennas should automatically go up looking for propaganda. This is not to say USA is not failing at multiple fronts. But I am not aware of a lot of people who are immigrating from Germany or France to live in Finland. In fact, most people from even poor countries are not dying to live in a land of little opportunities.
Most of these survey are published to push a specific agenda, and it is not leftist in its nature, it is purely economical. The incredibly high suicide rate itself should disqualify these countries as unwanted. The complete government interference in your personal space is something one needs to see to believe.
But Scandinavian countries are rich. And they are rich precisely because they are very small and have a market that is largely open for foreign investments. These surveys are funded by market forces and hence are always bound to show Scandinavian countries on top. In fact, I have looked into multiple reports from World Economic Forum and if you question the assumptions made while doing research on it, you will find figure it out by your own.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 23 2017, @10:56AM (3 children)
Ah, the classic "What? USA not #1? The survey must be wrong!" response.
People don't tend to move from somewhere like France or Germany to Scandinavia because their standard of living is already pretty close to that of the Scandi/Nordic countries, so the personal upheaval is not justified. As for "little opportunities", Denmark and Sweden come out pretty consistently much higher than the US for social mobility and number of startups. Per capita immigration into the US is pretty low compared with most other countries, anyway.
The high suicide rate is also a myth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate [wikipedia.org]
And by the way, the only country that's really rich is Norway, due to its oil reserves and sovereign wealth fund (the UK, by comparison, blew its North Sea wealth on tax cuts for the rich).
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Friday June 23 2017, @12:23PM (2 children)
Ah the classic "I will not read anything I just so superior and intelligent I don't need to read anything before opening my mouth" response.
Which part of
means
. Has it ever occurred to you that you cannot fake education in front of educated people? What kind of people are you hanging around if they can't see how big fraud you are?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 23 2017, @09:59PM (1 child)
I keep searching for information on what to read, but I find nothing. Oh wait, an article refuting your suicide epidemic claim. Hmmm. Typical conservative argument, lots of words but little substance.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Saturday June 24 2017, @06:48AM
From wikipedia [wikipedia.org]:
Both sexes rank...Country...Both sexes...Male rank.....Male...Female rank...Female
35................Finland...14.2.........37............21.4...39............7.2
46................Sweden....12.7.........68............17.8...35............7.6
48................US........12.6.........46............19.5...66............5.8
54................France....12.3.........51............19.0...64............5.9
105...............Germany...9.1..........100...........13.9...103...........4.5
Here for your visual shot of information. [wikipedia.org]
Norway and Denmark are comparable to Germany (102 and 105 resp.) So tell me where and what is being refuted? Oh wait... it is not the data you interested in, your problem is that it is an 'conservative' argument and there is no way you can allow THAT to enter you head! What will happen to your support structure that demands you to refute, and if not possible, ignore contradictory doctrines? No no no! THEN you will have to use YOUR OWN brain. How far will that take you? No no. This is a 'conservative' argument. QED.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Friday June 23 2017, @11:03PM (3 children)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Saturday June 24 2017, @06:30AM (2 children)
That's fine. You and how many of your friends?
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday June 24 2017, @06:48AM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Saturday June 24 2017, @01:34PM
And that proves what? Finland is 37th out of 47th in "Immigrants as % of national population" [wikipedia.org] - just above Lithuania, Hungary, Georgia, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is 25th in "Percentage of total number of immigrants in the world" that come to Europe. and 27th among total number of immigrants.
Great you love Finland. It is cold, it is mostly just Helsinki, it is rich and it is inhabited by people who don't like each other's company. It is a heavily taxed state where old men (age >55 years) are disproportionately committing suicide and government is busy providing 'universal basic income'.
It is funny that I keep posting data and getting called 'prejudiced' and while you just say 'oh i loved it i made loooove to my gf in the freezing cold ice' and that is somehow supposed to show how I am an asshole.
(Score: 1, Troll) by FatPhil on Friday June 23 2017, @11:15AM (2 children)
Ignoring satelite territories, which are often just political playthings, you can't claim that the historical United States was the same country as the current United States until the Confederate States disolved in 1865.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday June 23 2017, @11:35AM (1 child)
Draw the line wherever you like in time, people are people the world over. The U.S. may have lagged a bit on racial equality, or not depending on where you view it from. If you just focus on a specific country and look for negative things, you can find them and make anywhere look bad.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday June 24 2017, @11:08AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves