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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Distribution of Wealth in China?
Is distribution of wealth going in the right direction in China?
That is, is the money filtering down to the poorest?
Here's a rule of thumb for China. The thicker, the richer.
No-one wants an intellectual in their guanxi circle, it makes them feel inadequate and the buggers always want to talk shop. Couple that with the fact that my latest acquisitions just don't seem to impress the chap who uses the big words all of the time.
Same reason why rich Chinese men like stupid young girls.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Eorthisio:
Usually the highly educated mainland chinese women go for foreigners or overseas chinese, certainly not for local men who despise them.
laowaigentleman:
To me, there's nothing hotter than a bright woman. Just as long as they're not all into that hardcore bolshy cynical feminism. The creed of the public service.
I'm happy to mop up their unwanted girls.
Wasn't it Schopenhauer who said that a child inherits its mother's intellect and its father's temperment?
As the poorest earn more money, the average cost of living rises, thereby making the middle class poorer and negating the money that the poorest earned, so the poorest remain the poorest, the middle class becomes poorer, and the rich remain rich. So in the end distributing the wealth just shifts the middle class downward and widens the wealth gap.
ScotsAlan:
But do rising prices not actually help peasant farmers? They get a higher price for the food they sell, while being pretty much self sufficient when it comes to their own food.
hi2u:
Well, I think cost of living includes more than just food, and why are the poorest necessarily farmers? I think in China the poorest are probably the migrant workers who have to live 8 people to a room or live in those shacks outside the construction site.
#1 Fantasy wealth is arguably going in an OK direction. The oligarchy still gets unlimited anything and is committed to destroy #2 for no reason, but the proletariat can live another day and even realize its dream of fleeing abroad.
Still better than 30 years ago, you know, if you know to put the bar low enough.
Now about #2, real wealth, aka Maslow top 2 tiers as opposed to the bullshit going on in an HSBC building, well, see what kind of money buys you a decent land, a peaceful life and actual, decent, clean food. Bang.
come on Scotsalan, we all know the answer to that question.
ScotsAlan:
I only have experience in a small part of China. I am interested in what other people have experienced :)
Here's a rule of thumb for China. The thicker, the richer.
No-one wants an intellectual in their guanxi circle, it makes them feel inadequate and the buggers always want to talk shop. Couple that with the fact that my latest acquisitions just don't seem to impress the chap who uses the big words all of the time.
Same reason why rich Chinese men like stupid young girls.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Eorthisio:
Usually the highly educated mainland chinese women go for foreigners or overseas chinese, certainly not for local men who despise them.
laowaigentleman:
To me, there's nothing hotter than a bright woman. Just as long as they're not all into that hardcore bolshy cynical feminism. The creed of the public service.
I'm happy to mop up their unwanted girls.
Wasn't it Schopenhauer who said that a child inherits its mother's intellect and its father's temperment?
In China, the richest people are usually the biggest bullies. They are the most arrogant, obnoxious bastards... the poor are usually much more cowardly and just let others walk on them because they think money determines ones' self-value.
Chinese are like the Ferengi: "We don't want to work together to put a stop to exploitation. We dream of one day becoming the exploiter."
dongbeiren:
Precisely: Chinese perfectly embody the "authoritarian" personality type - the people who are in awe of those above them and thumb their noses at anyone perceived to be lower down. Kiss the arse of the leader while hating the fact that he treats you like shit but hoping that one day you can become the leader and treat others like shit. This is a hallmark of insecurity and such thinking on a mass scale can have dangerous consequences.
coineineagh:
Well, it's also the American Dream and the Chinese Dream: Scramble to the top, quality of life is only found at the end of the road, "happiness is overrated", and never show solidarity.
My faith that China is a little bit socialist has been restored today.
It seems the local Government in my urban village are taking steps to redistriibute the wealth from Government to the people.
Next week, my wife is to go on a course to learn how to cook dim sum.
It seems the local leaders have decided anyone in the village who has not had a job in the past year, and who have not claimed any sort of social security (?), are to be given free training to allow them to move into gainful employment.
Of course, the capitlists will say this is because the local leaders want to open a dim sum joint, but I disagree. I think they are trying to help people.
Good on them. Socialism is starting to creep in.
Spiderboenz:
There is a self serving purpose in there somewhere, you just can't see it yet.
ScotsAlan:
I agree spider. Self serving towards the state, or an individual? Subtle difference. I cant see it? I can see lots of scenarios. I judge each on merit, set up a point system, and in a fraction of an hour make my decision. I work on evidence. Not blind trust as most capitalists do. I question the system I believe in. I question myself. Capitalists just run forward in blind faith. ha ha.... commie scotsalan is back ? Amazing what a beer can do :)
fada:
It's a scheme to get money from you somehow. Pythagoras would have a hard time with the angles here.
laowaigentleman:
In my city they've started a drive to make sure that all dogs are microchipped and registered. I know they don't care about protecting children from irresponsible dog owners or making sure animals aren't abused.
As is always the case in China, the local government have asked for a cut of all the new operations that the vets will be undergoing.
They make up bollocks every few months to look benign/tough/responsive to the will of the people, but they're just farmers holding political office looking to rein in some floating numbers in the sky in their video game view of life.