I honestly don't understand how somebody can believe that unless they live in an isolated bubble.
The US has corruption, but the MOST corrupt country in the world?!
I can think of plenty of countries with systemic corruption of a greater degree than the US: North Korea, Somalia, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus... I could go on.
Everybody loves to hate America, including Americans it seems. But the world doesn't revolve around the US, and corruption is so much more apparent, destructive and disabling in so many other countries around the world...
Has the corruption in any one of the countries you mentioned, or all together for that matter, thrown the world into a depression like we've seen over the last 5 years or so?
I don't think you are looking at this with an unbiased eye. With a lifetime of world traveling behind me, I just can't think of any place that parallels the US for corruption on such a grand scale.
Yes, unscrupulous investment bankers with too greater freedom to practice unethical banking can damage national and subsequently international economies, as we've seen in recent history. This isn't exclusive to the US in any way, it just so happens that the US economy faltering has more of a global impact than the economy of smaller, less influential countries.
In other words, the knock-on effect of bad bankers in the US is greater than the knock-effect of bad bankers in, say, Hungary. But the corruption isn't necessarily any greater.
Furthermore, financial corruption is only one piece of the pie.
Americans can, for the most part, trust that if they've been assaulted, robbed or raped the police will assist in catching the guilty party. Americans can, for the most part, climb the socioeconomic ladder at least a few rungs within most industries through hard work (meritocracy). Americans can, for the most part, influence politics if they try to. Americans can, for the most part, afford food, petrol (gas) and clothes, and there's a welfare system in place to try and protect the poorest. Americans can, for the most part, speak negatively about their government, their country, their politicians etc. without being imprisoned or killed.
That can't be said for all of the countries on my list.
The kind of corruption in North Korea means that if you don't like your leader, stay quiet or die. If you've been assaulted, raped or robbed by someone in a greater position of power, stay quiet or die. You want to create a political change? Nope. You want to leave North Korea? No. Sure you can read and write, but don't read or write anything The Party don't want you to, or you'll be in trouble.
How many Americans do you know who died directly as a result of the recent global financial crisis? Do you know any?
How many people do you think died during North Korea's financial crisis in the early 90s? Up to 3 million.
Honestly, if you think you live in the MOST corrupt nation on earth, and you say you've travelled the world, I don't know what to say except we clearly have very different definitions of corruption.
Which country is the most corrupt According to your experiences?
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I honestly don't understand how somebody can believe that unless they live in an isolated bubble.
The US has corruption, but the MOST corrupt country in the world?!
I can think of plenty of countries with systemic corruption of a greater degree than the US: North Korea, Somalia, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus... I could go on.
Everybody loves to hate America, including Americans it seems. But the world doesn't revolve around the US, and corruption is so much more apparent, destructive and disabling in so many other countries around the world...
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thegypsysailor
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Has the corruption in any one of the countries you mentioned, or all together for that matter, thrown the world into a depression like we've seen over the last 5 years or so?
I don't think you are looking at this with an unbiased eye. With a lifetime of world traveling behind me, I just can't think of any place that parallels the US for corruption on such a grand scale.
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disthing
9 years ago
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I am looking at it with less bias than you.
Yes, unscrupulous investment bankers with too greater freedom to practice unethical banking can damage national and subsequently international economies, as we've seen in recent history. This isn't exclusive to the US in any way, it just so happens that the US economy faltering has more of a global impact than the economy of smaller, less influential countries.
In other words, the knock-on effect of bad bankers in the US is greater than the knock-effect of bad bankers in, say, Hungary. But the corruption isn't necessarily any greater.
Furthermore, financial corruption is only one piece of the pie.
Americans can, for the most part, trust that if they've been assaulted, robbed or raped the police will assist in catching the guilty party. Americans can, for the most part, climb the socioeconomic ladder at least a few rungs within most industries through hard work (meritocracy). Americans can, for the most part, influence politics if they try to. Americans can, for the most part, afford food, petrol (gas) and clothes, and there's a welfare system in place to try and protect the poorest. Americans can, for the most part, speak negatively about their government, their country, their politicians etc. without being imprisoned or killed.
That can't be said for all of the countries on my list.
The kind of corruption in North Korea means that if you don't like your leader, stay quiet or die. If you've been assaulted, raped or robbed by someone in a greater position of power, stay quiet or die. You want to create a political change? Nope. You want to leave North Korea? No. Sure you can read and write, but don't read or write anything The Party don't want you to, or you'll be in trouble.
How many Americans do you know who died directly as a result of the recent global financial crisis? Do you know any?
How many people do you think died during North Korea's financial crisis in the early 90s? Up to 3 million.
Honestly, if you think you live in the MOST corrupt nation on earth, and you say you've travelled the world, I don't know what to say except we clearly have very different definitions of corruption.