What do the best countries in the world have in common? - & How facts can shape peoples views on culture and race

[Eagle-Keeper]

@FloridaYankee

Not much need for extensive studies as you suggest, a study of colonialism would reveal much, and it has much to do with race, though not in the way you are talking about.

Personally I view this issue more in terms of culture than that of race.

[FloridaYankee]

@Eagle-Keeper

@FloridaYankee

Not much need for extensive studies as you suggest, a study of colonialism would reveal much, and it has much to do with race, though not in the way you are talking about.

Personally I view this issue more in terms of culture than that of race.

Understood. I’m referring to the colonialists views on race of the myriad peoples they subjugated.

[Eagle-Keeper]

Well that’s why I mentioned history. Colonialism is a part of the history of a people and country.

[Eagle-Keeper]

Actually I made a similar point at the end of my OP. There is an inherent degree of subjectivity to any assessment of what country is the best to live in.

[Samson_Corwell]

@Eagle-Keeper

If you follow politics it’s not uncommon to hear from some how other countries are better places to live than America or do things better. So one of the things I’ve wanted to do was to look at rankings of other countries and see how things shaped out. The fact is though when you look at rankings of the best countries to live in there clearly is a trend with those countries in regards to their ethnic makeup. Typically more monolithic regarding race, in other words not very diverse ethnically, and predominantly white or Asian. The other trend though is the population of those countries. Those countries also tend to have small populations, often very small populations. The other likely aspect to component to this would be immigration. It is fair to say that countries with small populations typically have more restrictive immigration policies. Logically you cannot have loose immigration laws and then also provide things like universal health coverage. What about the worst countries of the world to live in? As you research this you will find that the majority of the populations in these countries are non-white or Asain.

So what are the reasons for this? Obviously one would have to do an extensive study of history, politics, culture, geography, etc. I’m also certain that such studies will conclude that many factors have contributed to why those countries are in the condition they are in having nothing to do with race. Nonetheless facts can absolutely shape peoples views on race and or culture. Similar things have happened in the US for example and within the same race. It is not uncommon to hear white people from the coastal states speak negatively about white people from the south or Midwest.

So what are your thoughts on what the best countries in the world have in common, and how facts can shape peoples views on culture and race?

PS – To be fair there I don’t accept that there is truly an objective way to measure what country is the “best” to live in.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/23/us-news--world-report-top-10-best-countries-in-the-world-in-2019-.html

The Best Countries to Live in - WorldAtlas

http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/worst-countries-to-live-in/

This research is based on the Legatum “Prosperity Index” of each nation and does not take into account some of the other factors that were previously mentioned like climate, lifestyle, and population.

To be specific about the classification, the distinctive categories taken into account by Legatum’s ranking are economic growth, personal freedom, health, education, wealth, quality of life, and personal well-being.

I’m very suspicious of this ranking. “Personal freedom” is not a measure of prosperity. Little imagination is required to envision prosperity that is accompanied by a lack of freedom. This idea is even brushed on by people like Alexis de Tocqueville and Samuel Adams.

[FreeAndClear]

Sweden had a colonial past. It just goes back a little farther back

[daha]

@Eagle-Keeper

PS – To be fair there I don’t accept that there is truly an objective way to measure what country is the “best” to live in.

Sure there is. Canada is the only country that contains my wife and daughter therefore it is objectively the best

[Eagle-Keeper]

@conan

How come thee isn’t any African countries on that list…or middle eastern countries. Japan is only Asian countries.

Not only are many of the African countries not on any of the top 10 or top 20 lists that I looked at, many are considered amongst the worst places to live according to the different sites I looked at.

[CanadianJudo]

I’m shocked stable peaceful countries are ranked so high.

[CanadianJudo]

Race has nothing to do with it.
culture depend on the local politics and if ethnic dispute are the root of unrest.

[CanadianJudo]

please tell us why.

[Axxowiz]

A little? I mean I guess one could throw in Norway and the Vikings but I think when people talk about colonialism they are referring to the last 100 or so years. Oddly Turkey and the Ottoman Empire gets a pass on colonialism.

[FreeAndClear]

Nah after the Vikings too. Swedes owned most of Poland and part Russia and Ukraine for a while there. That was way after the Vikings.

[TommyLucchese]

@Axxowiz

Oddly Turkey and the Ottoman Empire gets a pass on colonialism.

Probably because they didn’t have colonies, they just conquered and had been slowly contracting for more than a century before their collapse.

[Eagle-Keeper]

@CanadianJudo

Race has nothing to do with it.
culture depend on the local politics and if ethnic dispute are the root of unrest.

Show me anywhere I mentioned race as a factor. Regarding culture that be viewed in many ways. Culture can refer to a particular region or people and say their commitment to things like education, developing technology, industrialization, etc. There are various cultures within the US. Northwest coastal states developed different cultures than those in the midwest for example. The fact is that in many of these countries that are at the bottom of these lists culturally speaking the people have become accustomed to living in poverty. Why do you think they have the most children?

[Eagle-Keeper]

@FloridaYankee

No but many of the countries that are the worst off are desperately trying to recover from colonialism. Not coincidentally they are also filled with dark skinned peoples.

When would a historian mark the end colonialism? And what progress have those countries made since then?

[Cratic3947]

Comparing mostly small population Lilly white countries to diverse America is silly. And the criteria is kind of vague. Meaning it’s just a propaganda piece by leftist as usual. Fake news!

[FloridaYankee]

@Eagle-Keeper

@FloridaYankee

No but many of the countries that are the worst off are desperately trying to recover from colonialism. Not coincidentally they are also filled with dark skinned peoples.

When would a historian mark the end colonialism? And what progress have those countries made since then?

Trump calls them ■■■■ holes…

[TommyLucchese]

@Eagle-Keeper

When would a historian mark the end colonialism? And what progress have those countries made since then?

Generally the 1950s or 1960s and they were generally intentionally left in terrible shape. How Belgium left the Congo still haunts the region to this day.

[Eagle-Keeper]

@TommyLucchese

Generally the 1950s or 1960s and they were generally intentionally left in terrible shape. How Belgium left the Congo still haunts the region to this day.

Okay that’s 60-70 years, roughly about the time frame of the US industrial revolution. Also, last I checked Japan has made significant progress from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. During that time what progress has been made in those countries?