Statistical Evidence that the United States is a Trainwreck Compared to Other 1st World Countries

[Anonymous]

Do you see the USA on the following chart? You'll probably have to look twice, because the USA is almost off the chart.

So the USA has worse life expectancy, math & literacy rates, infant mortality rates, imprisonment, teen births, mental illness, etc.

When you see the chart for homicides, the difference is particularly apparent. The USA looks like a murderfest compared to all the other countries. Again, the US is almost off the chart.

This could be part of the reason the USA ranks in the top 5 in the world when it comes to death penalty,[1] executing 3x more people each year than Afghanistan[2].

[1] https://WWW.POLITIFACT.COM/PUNDITFACT/STATEMENTS/2014/JUN/03/BILL-MAHER/MAHER-US-RANKS-FIFTH-WORLD-NUMBER-EXECUTIONS/

[2] https://WWW.PRI.ORG/STORIES/2013-12-10/US-EXECUTES-MORE-PEOPLE-EVERY-YEAR-YEMEN-SUDAN-AND-AFGHANISTAN

The United States is just about the only developed country not to provide universal healthcare. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/heres-a-map-of-the-countries-that-provide-universal-health-care-americas-still-not-on-it/259153/

Also check out the chart for infant mortality:

This is paired with absurdly high maternal mortality rates.

Maternal mortality is higher in the United States than in Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Libya, and Iran.[1]

The higher infant and maternal mortality rates are partially due to the US being one of only a few countries in the entire world (and the only industrialized nation) not to have paid maternity leave[2]. Therefore mothers have to leave their babies while they, still in excruciating pain[3] (giving birth leaves women bleeding & in pain for several weeks during a time called "postpartum"), have to return to work.

[1] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/women-dying-childbirth-u-s-saudi-arabia/ https://www.rt.com/usa/362297-maternal-mortality-rates-america/

[2] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/maternity-leave-paid-parental-leave-_n_2617284.html

[3] https://qz.com/500003/the-painful-hidden-hell-that-awaits-mothers-who-return-to-work-two-weeks-after-giving-birth/

But being a woman in the United States is better than being a woman anywhere else in the world, right?

Anyway, I'm very grateful to live in a first-world country.

I am not grateful that that country happens to be the United States.

That is all.

[redeyemindtricks]

This is the biggest crock of shit piece of yellow journalism I've seen in a long, long time.

2 of the long stories made short, here:

• When you look at differences in homicide rates -- all you're really seeing, there, is the fact that US official statistics include a HUGE variety of incidents under the "homicide" umbrella.
Not just murders, but car-accident deaths, terrorist acts, certain negligent industrial mishaps... basically ANY time someone's death is someone else's fault in the US, it's "homicide".
If you don't understand this, then, just search this article for the word "homicide":
www.cnn.com/.../
You'll notice that, with regard to the 9/11 events, "homicides" even include people who died LATER as a result of being caught in the dust cloud from the explosions.
THAT.
... Is the only reason why these statistics look the way they look.

• I like how you're actually placing complete and blind trust in the accuracy of statistics reported by countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Libya.
... Really?
... REALLY?
Are you serious? Ahahahha smmfh get outttttta here with thatttttt

[JenSCDC]

This is the CDC's definition of homicide: "Homicide is defined as a death resulting from the use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against another person, group, or community when a preponderance of evidence indicates that the use of force was intentional. Two special scenarios that the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) regards as homicides are included in the NVDRS definition: 1) arson with no intent to injure a person and 2) a stabbing with intent unspecified. This category excludes vehicular homicide without intent to injure, unintentional firearm deaths (a separate category), combat deaths or acts of war, and deaths of unborn fetuses. Corresponding ICD-10 codes included in NVDRS are X85–X99, Y00–Y09, and Y87.1."

Sure doesn't sound like auto accidents are being called homicides.

[AnonRom]

api.ning.com/.../Top20.png?width=750

Its also ranked #1 in gdp and 18 in GDP per capita (mostly behind countries with a population of around 1 million and soaring debts)

Its almost like the success of a country is a nuanced thing and that cherrypicking a few statistics can lead to an incomplete picture.

Truly I suppose this is more of a moral debate on whether taking care of everyone now or making the future a better place for all is more important.

[Words_and_Wisdom]

GDP means jack shit.

[AnonRom]

@Words_and_Wisdom Actually it means Gross Domestic Product. Easy mistake though

[Words_and_Wisdom]

GDP is not an accurate representation of the overall success of a nation.

[redeyemindtricks]

... not to mention the cherry-picked statistics here are distorted meaningless garbage, anyway (see my opinion)

[JenSCDC]

@redeyemindtricks At first I felt that the description "distorted meaningless garbage" was itself garbage, but after a closer examination of the charts I agree with you.

I've already mentioned my problem with the first chart, namely that it aggregates so many issues into one measure.

As for the second, there's simply no way you can draw any conclusion about the US in regards to gun violence because we're such an outlier. Even ignoring that, a fundamental problem is that it uses some unnamed metric of income inequality. There more than one way to measure income inequality; who knows what some other measure might show.

As for the third, it ignores any impact that a country's health system has.

And finally I'll repeat what I also said earlier, namely that the citations provided aren't very good. I asked for primary sources and so far she still hasn't made an update giving any.

[AnonRom]

@JenSCDC Yeah not to mention that income inequality is kind of a shitty metric for average wealth. Like we could all make 10k a year or I could make 200k and you could make 30k and the latter would be judged as worse by that system.

[JenSCDC]

"income inequality is kind of a shitty metric for average wealth"

Mainly because it doesn't measure average wealth :)

[AnonRom]

@JenSCDC Yes what I meant was he was using it as a metric for economic goodness (or whatever the operative term would be here), but it is a totally meaningless thing unless median income is also taken into account.

[RomansToPhilemon]

Yeah, feminism destroyed America. But don't feel too bad about it because it was brought into society by the CIA through means of psychological warfare. It's a good thing we have Trump now. We now have a fighting chance against the New World Order.

And another good trend I am starting to see is some women are waking up to the reality that they don't want to be men. And have stopped trying to make men subjective to them. Although men allow it, so it's really their fault in that department. But I am seeing more and more women wanting to be the actual women in a relationship. Which is a great thing. We need more women to get red pilled.

[myTake Owner]

Most of this has nothing to do with feminism. For instance, the absurdly high maternal and infant mortality rates, and lack of paid maternity leave (whereas the rest of the world has it)... you think that's because of feminism?

[ChristianR19880]

Absolutely because feminists would rather promote abortion than prenatal care.

[myTake Owner]

@ChristianR19880 You know that feminism is even more prevalent in many of the more successful countries, right?

[ChristianR19880]

You know that the more 'successful' countries are having a demographic crisis wherein it is only a matter of time before Islamization occurs? Precisely because of declining birthrates, the destruction of culture and heritage, and an Orwellian police state akin to '1984' hellbent on silencing all unpopular opinions through weaponized political correctness?

[JenSCDC]

The CIA introduced feminism? Wow, I've never heard that conspiracy before.

[DontStepOnTheCat]

well nobody should get paid maternity leave. so yes it is feminist fault. these women having kids they can't take care of because they want to have it all.

[DontStepOnTheCat]

@JenSCDC its not a conspiracy. the cia pushed feminism its a pretty well known fact. miss magazine was funded by the cia.

[JenSCDC]

@DontStepOnTheCat I can't find any _reliable_ source for the CIA funding MS. Magazine. True, Steinem was involved with the CIA at one time, but that was well before the founding of the magazine.

[JenSCDC]

First, in regards to the first chart, I'm pretty leery of anything that tries to aggregate so many different measures into one number. There's always going to be a lot that's arbitrary.

Second, I couldn't find anything in the citations you gave that backs up your assertion that lack of paid maternity leave increases maternal mortality. None of the sources you gave is an actual scientific study; in fact, In those sources I could only find one link to an actual study, a study published in The Lancet mentioned in th rt. com story. I didn't see maternal leave mentioned in that paper.

Could you provide us with at least one study that links lack of maternal leave to maternal mortality?

I'm not trying to be harsh, but by claiming "statistical evidence" you've raised the standard for backing up your assertions with facts.

[Luci92]

Lol at America, you're pretty much #1 for everything... the good and the bad.
I didn't even realize unpaid maternity leave was a thing, that's terrible.
Primary carers (generally people who have the baby) in Aus can get up to 18 weeks paid leave, and dads/partners can get up to 2 weeks paid leave (you gotta apply for both tho).

[zagor]

Funny, but my Canadian relatives buy US health insurance so they don't have to wait too long in case of something serious.

And the US murder rate is just more than HALF the global rate. Plus your chart is off; it is a little more than twice that of Canada, not 5 times as would appear from your chart.

If you eliminate maybe 20 counties from the US rate, it would be about that of Canada.

[AleDeEurope]

Remember when the US was almost at the top in those charts?

Thanks for making a Take proving how Trump was right :)

[juliaanita]

I agree with the take-

However many academics think that the election of Trump is the symptom, not a solution.
And I agree.

[AleDeEurope]

@juliaanita Well, that's something we'll have to wait and see. Honestly, after these elections, I don't really take "experts" and "academics" too seriously when it comes to politics. Most of them are biased, and they all said Trump had absolutely no chance of winning, but there he is. They may be academics, but they don't seem to get many things right.

Trump is the result of the problem, but is he the solution? Hopefully, but we'll have to wait and see.

[myTake Owner]

The countries that are more successful than ours are the ones with policies far closer to Bernie sanders' than trumps.

[juliaanita]

agreed.

[OrdinaryGentleman]

They were not wrong at all, hillary won the popular vote but the electoral system is often swayed by inner parties, thus trump won.

[martyfellow]

thanks for sharing this. I've seen these statistics elsewhere, but they should be brought up all the time. A lot of people refuse to believe it until it's been repeated x number of times!

[John_Doesnt]

We're on a nice big chart with North Korea and China when it comes to the number of executions per year. Yeah, North Korea and China. Conservatives love to be on a list with those countries.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Most European countries are far more advanced politically than we are. We're still bitching about gay marriage and race while other countries don't really give a fuck.

[Anonymous]

Americans don't let facts get in the way of thinking they're the greatest ever.
They figure if you hoot USA USA loud enough it will be true.

[DrTruth]

Sounds like the result of single moms epidemic raising the future criminals of America.

[myTake Owner]

Yeah maybe men should stop abandoning their kids

[DrTruth]

Maybe women should stop opening their legs for deadbeats.

[myTake Owner]

Takes two to tango. The deadbeats are equally to blame if not more

[DrTruth]

If the deadbeat never wanted the baby and she does, he's screwed. The woman decides to have the baby. Not the man. Remember, "My body, My choice!" By walking out he's voting with his wallet. His wallet. His choice. Explain how men are more to blame?

[Anonymous]

I simpe explanation... what has been the single biggest social change since the 50's... yup... WOMEN's right... is it just me or does women's rights seem to correlate to the decline of the states. Its coming women... tread carefully

[myTake Owner]

The other countries that are so much more successful than ours, are also way more advanced when it comes to women's rights

[Anonymous]

I don't think the lists include No-go Zones in Europe or how about all those women who were sexually assaulted in Germany.

[lumberman9]

I'm glad someone see this people are starting to wake up now but there are still so many people who don't realize how backwards and messed up we are compared to other first world countries

[BronzedAdonis]

No shit, what a waste of time, money and resources into figuring out that head-scratcher.

[SovereignessofVamps]

Oh, it's a HUGE trainwreck. Great post.

[Words_and_Wisdom]

"Murika #1!
(In all kinds of social problems)

[DontStepOnTheCat]

I blame democrats.

[myTake Owner]

The countries more successful than us are the ones with policies far closer to democrats' than republicans'

[JenSCDC]

How exactly?

[OrdinaryGentleman]

@JenSCDC Nearly all Scandinavian countries are socialist. Or left leaning. and their people have the healthiest as well as happiest.

[JenSCDC]

@OrdinaryGentleman Oops - I meant to address that to @DontStepOnTheCat.

[DontStepOnTheCat]

@OrdinaryGentleman they are also rich in oil and have a small population.

[OrdinaryGentleman]

The US is rich in oil.

[DontStepOnTheCat]

@OrdinaryGentleman we have a larger population and democrats dont want us to use oil. got another dumb thing to say or can we move on?

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Alright racist dumbass we can move on.