Friendly periodic reminder that a better world is possible

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Does it?

Like, I'm not suggesting we'll reach a utopia tomorrow. I'm suggesting that, this time next year, the world will be slightly less bad.

Think about the world when you were born:

- Most of the world's population lived in crushing poverty, often in (rapidly collapsing) colonial empires.
- Eastern Europe was under communism.
- segregation was common in the US, and apartheid in South Africa.
- sex discrimination in employment was legal in the US, even without a justification.
- homosexuality was illegal almost everywhere.
- televisions were rare and limited.
- "white kitchen appliances" were luxury goods.
- there were no personal computers, mobile phones, internet, or all sorts of digital technology.
- smallpox, polio, and guinea worm caused huge amounts of mortality and morbidity around the world.
- other diseases like Tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera were even more common.
- the Philippines had a GDP of about 1/50th of its current level, and a GDP per capita of about 1/13th its current level.
- very little electricity was produced by renewable sources.
- and more frivolously, there was much less art and entertainment being produced.

My idea of a "better world" is malaria and tuberculosis deaths gradually falling, more people living in homes with reliable cheap electricity and clean running water, more people having 12+ years of education, fewer mothers dying in childbirth, fewer children dying at all, more people having fast internet access, more people having bank accounts, more jobs. Along with economic development, people will become more tolerant and accepting of difference, and social safety nets will be able to get stronger. Slow and steady progress every year, adding up to significant progress over time.

Does that actually seem highly unlikely? I'm not saying "revolution tomorrow", I'm saying "broadly steady (if occasionally uneven) gradual improvement for the next fifty years". I think the next sixty years will probably go as well as the last sixty years.

The powers that be (the western world/capital/the 1%/leisure class, etc.) foment and use that "incremental" sentiment to their advantage, delaying what could have been resolved decades ago, ensuring only THEIR lives, their well-being, their material conditions aren't affected in any negative way, and in order to keep this status quo, the rest of us, the billions of People bereft of capital, are left to suffer the consequences.

The Revolution can be furthered with very little conflict, if enough of us see the truth of things and ORGANIZE against the current ruling class. IMHO this thrust towards a better world can be strengthened, and many concessions won in a relatively short time, again, if enough of us "wake up".

While your vision is good, and you have the best of intentions, you also have to factor in public opinion.

The furthest most are willing to go is social democracy.

Yet even they have not solved any of these pressing issues. Yea, they have never gained and held any appreciable power. You can understand the frustration.

Again, with all due respect to your person, Mr. Walrus . . .

- Most of the world's population lived in crushing poverty, often in (rapidly collapsing) colonial empires. No Change
- Eastern Europe was under communism.  Eastern Europe is either at war or under threat of war
- segregation was common in the US, and apartheid in South Africa. Segregation may be illegal, but more pernicious nowadays
- sex discrimination in employment was legal in the US, even without a justification.  Glass Ceilings for women and minorities still exist
- homosexuality was illegal almost everywhere.  Discrimination against LGBTQ+ people is legal in some states
- televisions were rare and limited.  Television is still a vast wasteland: ". . . a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And endlessly, commercials — many screaming, cajoling, and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you’ll see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. . ." -- Newton N. Minow, FCC chairman, before a Senate subcommittee on May 9, 1961.
- "white kitchen appliances" were luxury goods.  Still are in many places, which is why coin-op laundries still thrive.
- there were no personal computers, mobile phones, internet, or all sorts of digital technology.  With a subsequent loss of personal contact and social activities
- smallpox, polio, and guinea worm caused huge amounts of mortality and morbidity around the world.  COVID, the flu, and cancer still do
- other diseases like Tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera were even more common.  See previous response
- the Philippines had a GDP of about 1/50th of its current level, and a GDP per capita of about 1/13th its current level.  Come to the Philippines, and drive around.  You will see many beautiful things, and many more ugly things that will simply break your heart.
- very little electricity was produced by renewable sources. Not enough reliable electricity is being produced now for all locations
- and more frivolously, there was much less art and entertainment being produced.  What some call 'art', others call 'artifice'

Yes, there have been many changes -- some for the better, some for the worse -- but citing the better while ignoring the worse does not mean that everything has improved.  Imho, things are still the same; it is just that we can see the contrasts more clearly now.

Certainly neither my life nor my material conditions have improved here in the "world's richest country". I can't even walk to a convenience store that's right behind our house (let alone a market, or a hospital, or a park) 1 acre property next to us has been unoccupied for half a year. Sister won me SSDI just so she could use it to pay her massive medical bills. Moves us out of much better house and area just to save the same she takes from me now. Goes on "vaccay" all the time. Talks of moving us into a high-rise condo in DT Houston, which will be my undoing (we've moved 7 times in 10 years... this will be no, 8. I just can't any more)

In well-to-do (not necessarily wealthy) neighborhoods, everything looks great.  In poorer neighborhoods (and homeless/squatter encampments) things look much, much worse.  Refugee centers are flooded with people fleeing poverty and persecution, only to be treated with discrimination and deportation.  Fresh, healthy food is more expensive than processed "junk" food.  Housing is so expensive that two or more families often live in single-family dwellings.

Sure, if you live in a posh neighborhood, it is easy to forget (or ignore) the plight of those less fortunate.

Huge change. For one thing, the British and French Empires have now totally collapsed. For another, a much much smaller portion of the world lives in poverty. The average Indian, Indonesian, Brazilian, Malaysian, South Korean, Taiwanese, Mexican, Colombian, Pole, Romanian, Chinese, or even Nigerian or Egyptian, has a significantly better standard of living. The majority of the world's population lives in countries where the standard of living has improved leaps and bounds. When you were born, most people lived on less than $1.90 a day (adjusted for inflation and purchasing power). Now, most of the world does not.

There are about a billion people - mostly in inland Africa, but also central Asia, Bolivia and Paraguay, and the usual suspects of failed states - who have not taken part in this. There are about another billion who live in countries that were already rich and have stayed rich.

Ukraine is at war. Tell Estonians, Latvians, or even Poles, Hungarians, and former East Germans, all protected by NATO from the Russian paper tiger, that their lives haven't improved since the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Do you think most elderly black people living in the US today would say that nothing has changed for the better on this front since they were children?



There are far more women and minorities at the top of almost any field of life - business, politics, research, arts - than there were in the 1950s.

I'm sensing a theme that comes from a general disconnect on what we would consider "a better world", which I will address collectively at the end of the post.

With respect, COVID and the flu are not nearly as bad as smallpox and polio, they do not kill as many children as tuberculosis and malaria or even cholera, and flu existed in the 1950s too. Cancer also existed in the 1950s, but cancer survival rates are improving hugely. Probably more people are dying from cancer now... but those people would previously have died from childhood illnesses. More people dying of age-related diseases and fewer dying of childhood diseases is, in my view, a good thing.


The world is not perfect, but it doesn't have to be perfect to be better than 1958.

In the 1950s, the average Filipino died before the age of 60, largely due to high infant mortality. These days, the average Filipino lives to see their 72nd birthday. That's about 13 extra years of life. You think that isn't better?



Does everything have to have improved for the world to be better?

Like, I feel like huge reductions in global poverty and child mortality are really significant, even if some children still die and nobody lives forever. I feel like increased social equality is a good thing, even if some inequality and injustice still exist. I feel like some electricity being renewable is a good thing.

I feel like you're maybe viewing "a better world" the way I would view "a perfect world", but I don't think something has to be perfect to be better - it just has to be a little better.

Put it another way - given the choice, would you rather be reincarnated as a random person born in 1958, or a random person born in 2018?

My "parents" where able to buy property in the 70s and 80s (bio mother, step father) while both of them were far from "money makers"

In contrast, I, as well as my sister, have neither been able to do this, even though I ended up making more than my mother ever did, AND my sister pulls in 90K as an RN currently. (she's also still trying to pay off her education... at 48 y/o)

Ignoring all the other pressing EXISTENTIAL issues Humanity faces due to capitalism, that above should suffice in showing a downward trend.

So please don't tell me things are improving.

Humanity doesn't face existential issues due to capitalism. At best that's a simplification.

The housing market in rich countries is indeed an aspect of the world which has got worse in the past 60 years. It is not, however, the entirety of the world. I'd go as far as to say it is a relatively unimportant part of the world compared to, for example, the quality of housing in the developing world, which has improved dramatically. I'm especially not likely to weigh the concerns of high-earning American graduates more heavily than the concerns of the average Indian or Brazilian.

We will not solve the housing market through some idealistic revolution. Instead we should solve it through planning liberalisation coupled with a land value tax, initially replacing property tax on a revenue-equal basis, then increasing over time until the entire annual land rent is captured and owning land stops being profitable. If tax revenues allow, governments should also construct social housing, to unconditionally house the poorest. They could also borrow in order to fund commercial construction, and use the profits to build social housing beyond what tax revenues will allow.

They only pulled people out of poverty once they embraced capitalism.

The idea that there was no slavery or oppression of indigenous people under Stalin or Mao is also obviously laughable.

Hell, China is still committing genocide against the Uighurs and Tibetans who are unfortunate enough to live under the Chinese Empire.

Mr. Walrus, I will concede the discussion, but only because I am tired -- physically and mentally exhausted.

I do not know if it is long covid, too much revelry, or simply old age finally starting to catch up with me.

Maybe some combination thereof.

I don't believe in communism. I believe in a system that pulls people out of poverty, creates jobs and reduces inflation.

Choose any two.

1. Plant trees.