How do you measure the health of a country?

[msc545]

When those who push for war are elevated to positions of prominence in government and media while those who push for peace are smeared as antisemites and Russian agents, you know you are living in a wildly dysfunctional civilization.

I further think that when the financial demands of a single industry determine the foreign policy of an entire country, there is a significant problem. The financial demands of the defense industry determine the foreign policy of the US and much of the political activity as well.

Updates

1 y

"When politicians who promote the interests of empire managers and war profiteers rocket to the top echelons of government while those who promote the interests of war victims and ordinary people have their homes raided and their devices seized by police under counter-terrorism laws, you know you are living in a profoundly sick society."

[ProbablyClueless]

I'd think a big part of it would almost have to be the recognition of an objective truth. Here's my list:

• The existence of objective truth that we all agree is reality.
• Companies that prioritize the well-being of their customers and employees.
• A political system where politicians buying votes is (at minimum) not rewarded.

[msc545]

By those measurements, the US gets a very poor grade indeed.

[ProbablyClueless]

Honestly man, I'd just be happy if we simply stopped intentionally making thing worse, at this rate.

[BetaBucks]

For number 3, agree with the "at minimum" because I'd like it to be outright criminal. As in, full on bribery charges.

For number 1, how do you feel that's possible? Let's say the world is pretty split on a medical topic or a history topic. Does one side force the other side into submission, and then we, as a society, punish any disagreement? And then unify all written/recorded material to match it, and erase anything contradicting? Sorry to spam questions, I just can't envision how this scenario would play out.

[msc545]

If we stop the war industry will get upset.

[ProbablyClueless]

@BetaBucks You don't want to punish disagreement, but I'm envisioning a basic set of facts that we all understand to be true, even if we disagree about the implications. For example, it shouldn't be possible to dispute the definition of a vaccine. There should be absolutely no question in anyone's mind how many black men are being victimized by law enforcement. It should be totally beyond dispute whether or not a pathogen came from a lab.

Now... the implications of all those things? Sure, let's pull out our swords and go to town, but we should never be denying the factual veracity of certain statements. The problem we have now is that people want to close their eyes and deny anything that's inconvenient to the narrative of reality.

[msc545]

me too but.. no such luck...

[OlderAndWiser]

If you want to measure a variable, you must first provide an operational defintion for the variable.

[msc545]

This is not a research study.

[OlderAndWiser]

No, it's a rhetorical question. You weren't really expecting an answer, were you?

[msc545]

It isn't even a question. What you wrote was a statement.

[OlderAndWiser]

No, What YOU asked is a rhetorical question.

[msc545]

It is a rhetorical question. Unless you don't want it to be one. It doesn't necessarily have to be rhetorical. However, that is not the point.

[OlderAndWiser]

I understand the point. You are telling us that you hate the US.

[msc545]

No I'm not telling you that at all. And you are mischaracterizing what I've said. What I've said is that there are a lot of things wrong here. I hate the behavior of the US in some circumstances. That does not mean I hate the whole country. I'm surprised that you would reach these conclusions

[msc545]

People do not have to agree with your right-wing ideology and they do not have to endorse wars or Gross income inequality to love the country. They also do not necessarily need to endorse capitalism just because it is the dominant economic system in the US at the moment.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Sad to say, including myself, morbid obese. 256 lbs /5"10"

[msc545]

Sorry to hear that. Ozempic works wonders for many people with this problem as I understand it.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

@msc545 He increased my Ozempic to 1mg today, was in to see the doctor.

[msc545]

ok good!

[BetaBucks]

Objective measurements for happiness, like depression rates and suicide rates. Economic measurements are awful indicators. Subjective self-scoring is okay. In the end, the only thing that matters is peo being happy. If the entire planet lives lavishly, but are miserable, then we've failed as a species. And studies on happiness of a population focus mostly on economic factors instead of the original things I mentioned.

[llorando]

By how divided it's population is. The US is so politically divided right now, you can't even have differing opinions with in your own party without being attacked, smeared and accused of supporting the other side. This toxic devide is part of the reason I left the Democratic party to become independent, too many fellow Democrats labeling everyone Russian agents and Putin supporters for not supporting the failed US/NATO proxy war in Ukraine.

[goaded]

Advocating for peace is good when you're stopping an invasion, not so much when you're reacting to one.

[msc545]

You are right but constantly advocating for wars that are unnecessary so that you can make more profits is morally outrageous and should be illegal but apparently is not.

[llorando]

And sadly as long as we remain divided, smearing everyone we disagree agree with, these wars will remain legal.

[msc545]

@llorando As long as we have capitalism the wars will continue and will be legal.

[llorando]

Unless we're able to get money out of politics and government, like Sanders campaigned on in 2016., but our political system is too corrupt for that to happen.

[msc545]

@llorando That will never happen.

[llorando]

And I 100% agree.

[Walksbehindtherows]

Hey Yankees I feel sorry for you poor things

[msc545]

Thank you. As you can tell, we really are not doing well at all. It is very questionable in regard to whether or not we will ever recover.

[slatyb]

life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality, prevalence of crime, poverty, per capita income, freedom of expression, freedom of movement, ability to change employment...

[paledreams]

Welfare countries with left wing policies while still allowing stock markets and global stock market allowable - hybrid systems or the likes of the Danish, the Swedes, potentially China

[exitseven]

If people act contented and do not shoot and rob each other and watch their standard of living decline.

[Dargil]

Inflation rate, consumer price index, crime rate. To begin with.

[gatixek710]

Only one person running for President has an advisor who makes America’s mental and physical health a priority.

[Juxtapose]

Happiness of the population and cost of food and energy.

[morganherrel]

Crude Indicator of a country's physical health?

Average BMI