Is the top half of the world living off the work of the bottom half .?

Question

WE do not consume all the goods we make and the third world is a big importer of goods america and europe make along with japan.Excluding china it seems like we live off the lower half of the worlds work .
THEY produce so many of the cheap products consumed and disposed of in america and the developed nations .
WE are developing a lower class of workers in america also as the jobs leave our soil and head south .
CAN we sustain this much longer without a huge divide in america .
AS developing nations increase the wealth of the factory bosses who work for american companies they import americas and europes and japans technology and finer goods for them selves leaving the workers to toil long hours for low pay and little chance of changing the system that breeds poverty .

Answer 1

Unfortunately that is how it seems to be going, but that is also how it has gone for a long long time. We live in a very priviledged and yet terrible time, for we know better. What we can do is to live responsibly and try to get others on board by showing them it is possible to live comfortably but responsibly. Too many people are addicted to consumption of all kinds. So many people will gladly pay triple or quadruple the price for a brand named good they wear but scoff at the idea of the price of gas or eggs going up to reflect the true cost of getting it to the store. There are no easy solutions, because its going to take the mobilization of everyone we know and everyone they know and everyone they know and more to effect the change that could and should balance the scales of poverty and suffering in the world. Namaste

Answer 2

I don't think the top half is living off the bottom half.

Trade helps both the rich and the poor. If one side wasn't getting something they preferred, they wouldn't trade to begin with. When the industrialized nations trade with the developing world, we are helping them out. When they provide us with labor, they are helping us out.

The poor are also helping themselves when they work for Western or Japanese firms. Though they may not be compensated as much as a Westerner would like, they are still being paid better than any of the other alternatives in their country. The developing nation's workers are also learning valuable skills and increasing their productivity through their experience and exposure to industrial technology and techniques. Over time, this will lead to higher wages and more development in their countries.

Look at some of the economic powerhouses of the East. They started off the same way many other developing nations did. By opening themselves to trade and a free labor market, they were able to rapidly improve the standard of living of their people.

Answer 3

There are numerous social anthropology theories about this.

I like the work ethic of Northern latitudes is based on ancient survival modes. Work in the summer or you will die in the winter. Compared to the Equatorial population has more of a if I'm hungry I can pick a banana.

Also the Northern Hemisphere has vast regions that can easily traversed East to West Where the Southern 1/2 has land masses that are more North South orientated Africa, South America lower India etc. This creates natural barriers that block developmental expansion.

Then Finally The Southern Hemisphere has no Redpublicans

Go big Red Go

Answer 4

America will not be on the top for much longer as we out source everything. In fact unless we change the economics of Renewable Energy, Expect the economy of 1850 by 2050 for both the 1st & 3rd World.

Answer 5

Interesting perspective. Does that mean at some point the 3rd world nations will uprise like the industrial revolution here in the USA?

Answer 6

And I bet you feel that one way or the other justifies the unfair distribution of wealth occurring. There will have to be greater than adequate assets to move round if that is so a number of the "task creators" were not stimulated through the greed that our capitalist method encourages and rewards.

Answer 7

No, about 20% is living of the avails of the other 80 percent.

Answer 8

I think you may be right, but in some sense if we did not purchase those goods then the bottom half would be much worse off than they are already.

Answer 9

The unemployment rate is 4.8% and has been under 6% for years - how soon they forget!

Answer 10

Im not living off anybody