WOW! Have you seen The Miniature Earth? How rich are you?

[AZBlue]

If you're reading this, you're pretty rich!!

http://www.miniature-earth.com/

• 43 live without basic sanitation
  
• 18 live without an improved water source
  
• 6 people own 59% of the entire wealth of the community
  
• 13 are malnourished or hungry
  
• 14 can't read
  
• only 7 are educated at a secondary level
  
• only 12 have a computer
  
• only 3 have an internet connection
  
• the village spends more than US$1.12 trillion on military expenditures and only US$100 billion on development aid
  
• if you keep your food in a refrigerator, your clothes in a closet, if you have a bed to sleep in, and a roof over your head you are richer than 75% of the entire world population
  
• if you have a bank account you're one of the 30 wealthiest people in the world
  
• 18 struggle to live on US$1.00 per day or less
  
• 53 struggle to live on US$2.00 per day or less

[emilyg]

1. R

[InternalDialogue]

2. That's a chilling glimpse of the world.

My eyes are already open, but to see it in understandable terms is shocking.

K&R

[RedCappedBandit]

3. k+r

[Reterr]

4. Yes I have and it is the kind of thing you can never see too often

K&R-thanks for posting.

[MLFerrell]

5. Have you seen on snopes that this is mostly bullshit?

Because if not, you, uh, should.

[devilgrrl]

6. Why don't you do it for us wiseguy?

eom

[senseandsensibility]

7. If you know something about this

why don't you, uh, share it with everyone.

[spinbaby]

8. Here ya go

http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/populate.htm

[gatorboy]

12. Similar. But still entirely different.

That was a debunking of a chain mail from years ago. The site doesn't seem to have any information on The Miniature Earth yet.

[gatorboy]

9. Snopes debunked (somewhat) a chain mail in 2001 that used a similar idea.

But Snopes hasn't done a study on The Miniature Earth itself.

[SteelPenguin]

10. mostly bullshit is a bit harsher than snopes puts it

http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/populate.htm

plus they're dealing with some of the same stats in this flash, but not fully. It's not really refering to miniatureearth.com but the generic stats, some of which were appropriated. Better accuracy would be good, but many of the arguments are semantics too.

Snopes doesn't say 'mostly bullshit' they say 'not quite'

[theophilus]

11. Did you read the Snopes article? This new set of stats seems

to reflect the Snopes recalculations. Also, the stats had a disclaimer. I think this is pretty accurate (the Mini Earth) based on what Snopes says. It is at least a thing which should prompt thought. If we had spent the hundreds of billions we have poured into the sand in Iraq on helping the havenots of the world we would all be much better off. Unfortunately a large statistical slice of the US of A is either stupid or greedy/selfish or both. Just my opinion......

[AZBlue]

37. Exactly. The original has been around for a while and this is an updated version.

Which does indeed match the Snopes' version.

[progressoid]

14. Have you seen that your post is, uh, mostly bullshit?

Snopes is dealing with a completely different piece.

[datasuspect]

16. "not quite" isn't necessarily synonymous with "bullshit"

but nice try.

here's a donut.

[uppityperson]

17. wow, you're still posting here?

The snopes thing is similar but different. Thanks for the concern and, uh, um, help.

[shanti]

28. must be

flying under the radar with 700+ posts in 3 months! :eyes:

[elehhhhna]

13. Good god what an eye opener. Makes me grateful for so much...

also makes me wonder how much is too much.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. Here is something that most of us can do that actually works.

http://www.kiva.org/

My wife and I now have 14 "loans" out. It's simple and it works for real people.

[Kerrytravelers]

18. Wow. What a wonderful idea.

Mr. kt and I are doing a bit better this year financially. I will show this to him and see what he thinks about us doing the same thing.

Thanks! This link could be a thread all by itself.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. Actually I have posted as a thread twice.

And, most people have responded as you have.

We started out with just one $25 "loan". Now, we try to make at least one a month.

[peacebaby3]

20. Oh wow! I've never seen this! Thank you. I'm doing a loan now. n/t

[motocicleta]

21. Thanks so much, Tierra y Libertad

That looks like a fabulous organization.

[FloridaJudy]

22. Thanks! I'd heard of this

But didn't have the link. I made my first "loan".

[pitohui]

23. you know what i'm tired of this pandering b.s.

there seems to be a concerted effort to convince us peasants that we are somehow not peasants and that we are so fucking rich when, let's face it, we are not so fucking rich and we ARE peasants

a lady posted yesterday about how her teeth are rotting in her head and literally falling out on her pillow, at age 38, and this woman would rate as one of the richest people in this phony village because she has a fucking refrigerator? that is horseshit my friend, complete and total horseshit

i'm tired of being humored and patronized, no, we are not rich, we are not special, we are struggling and the sooner we are clear-eyed and realistic about the battles we face (esp. the battles we face once we become ill or injured) the better

[Spazito]

24. Relative to third world countries, you are, indeed, "rich" as am

I. Instead of focusing on the "woe is me, to hell with anyone else", why not look at how fortunate you are compared to others, not only in other countries but those living in your country and mine that have MUCH less and are too busy trying to find something to eat to be posting on an internet site.

Does that mean one should not try and better their own circumstances, no, but surely putting one's own circumstances relative to others makes for a more reality-based and "clear-eyed" understanding, is it not?

[celloise]

25. plebeians, not peasants

There is definitely a bigger picture. Yes, in the microcosm of America, most of us are considered peasants by the current ruling class. That doesn't mean that we should not be grateful that we are still free in America instead of dead/raped/mutilated in Darfur. Just a thought.

[OwnedByFerrets]

26. "instead of dead/raped/mutilated in Darfur"

or IN Iraq, perpetrated and carried out by our very own government.

[pitohui]

32. exactly, thanks, owned by ferrets

we're supposed to kiss their ass that we haven't been raped, had our limbs cut off and left for dead, well fuck that noise

i'm sorry but i have a higher goal in life than kissing the bushco ass because i haven't yet had my limbs cut off and left for dead (like most women, yeah, the first thing has happened)

people should stop crawling on their bellies being grateful for crumbs, it is disgusting

[SemperEadem]

29. then it sounds as if you need to take a trip to a developing or 3rd world country

and see for yourself since you don't believe this to be the case. However, from the tone of your post, I doubt you possess the compassion necessary to enlighten yourself in such a manner. Whether you want to admit it to yourself or not doesn't erase the fact that it IS a reality.

[pitohui]

33. been to several 3rd and a 4th world country

it did not inspire me to fall on my belly and be "grateful" for crumbs and i despise people who want so little for themselves and their children that they do kiss the ass of power for crumbs

while you're busy being grateful NOTHING CHANGES

the people who are not grateful, the fucking malcontents like mlk and malcolm x, they are the ones who bring change

the people busy being grateful screw it up for everybody

[WillyT]

31. Wow... A Peasant With A Computer... Who'd A Thunk It ???

:wtf:

[pitohui]

34. computers w. internet access are freely available at every library in my parish for no cost

i have been in internet/email contact w. a number of homeless men, for just one example

i realize rich people don't know the work arounds and then try to shit on people for being online, but the truth is, plenty of homeless and struggling people participate on this site and many others

educate yourself

get out of your den and into your library just for starters, you might learn something

[WillyT]

36. Oh... So You Don't Own One Then ???

You go down and use the library's computers to post here???

:shrug:

[Spazito]

39. LOL, I hear crickets waiting for a response to your question

gosh, I wonder why?

:rofl:

[AZBlue]

38. Yes, sadly that lady would be one of the richest

Because most others are not just in dire need of dental care, they also need a roof over their heads, food to eat, clean water, clothing and even a minimal amount of education.

[Javaman]

27. Kick nt

[WillyT]

30. K & R !!!

:kick:

[lvx35]

35. Damn, $2 a day?

Makes me want to adopt a few poor adults for $10 a day each to be my personal servants. This would make me a colonial asshole, but its scary to think that it might actually improve their quality of live five fold.