Making me rethink moving to South Africa.

EDIT: Moving to Andorra instead.

You want a good laugh?

Apparently if you swap NZ for the UK, you will experience 10.77% LESS class divide than NZ...!

Paul1977:

 

Making me rethink moving to South Africa.

 

 

 

EDIT: Moving to Andorra instead.

 

A South African I knew a few years ago told me in certain parts of the country nobody stopped at traffic lights because muggers would come up to your car and shoot you.

I wonder how they measure "experience of the class divide"?

Mind you, if you're one of the elite, then experience of the class divide would be a good thing.

frankv:

 

I wonder how they measure "experience of the class divide"?

 

Mind you, if you're one of the elite, then experience of the class divide would be a good thing. 

 

Not necessarily.

The privileged rich can be exceedingly boring/tiresome socially, and especially when they start becoming judgmental and paternalistic.
Also it's a pretty awful thing knowing that anybody who might seem to be a friend, might also have an agenda.

A small problem with these types of statistics is they don't take into account population demographics such as ethnicity or cultural and religous identity.

Simply because we have an unequal society. Extremes on both sides produce an average which is not likely to be reality for the majority of individuals within certain ethnic groups. 

eg, our obesity rate is one of the highest in the world -- but split the polynesian figures out from european kiwis and you could see a more accurate comparison based on you as an individual. A white kiwi would look more favourable against the rest of the world, but, polynesians would look worse.

I guess its just a fun with numbers thing though. 

surfisup1000:

 

A small problem with these types of statistics is they don't take into account population demographics such as ethnicity or cultural and religous identity.

 

Simply because we have an unequal society. Extremes on both sides produce an average which is not likely to be reality for the majority of individuals within certain ethnic groups. 

 

eg, our obesity rate is one of the highest in the world -- but split the polynesian figures out from european kiwis and you could see a more accurate comparison based on you as an individual. A white kiwi would look more favourable against the rest of the world, but, polynesians would look worse.

 

I guess its just a fun with numbers thing though. 

 

 

 

Sounds more like a fun way to attribute statistics exposing various manifestations of deprivation to race/culture, thereby excusing yourself from feelings of guilt - as it might in fact result from the socio-economic impact from deeply embedded prejudice and bigotry. 

SJB:

 

Paul1977:

 

Making me rethink moving to South Africa.

 

 

 

EDIT: Moving to Andorra instead.

 

 

A South African I knew a few years ago told me in certain parts of the country nobody stopped at traffic lights because muggers would come up to your car and shoot you.

 

I was told exactly the same thing in Washington D.C. in the 1960s. I have also been to Andorra and it is only appealing if you have a thing for goats.

Iceland appeals. Pretty similar to Andorra, but, 348 goats rather than 9,000. I like their attitude to international banks too.

They use a lot more electricity, but I'd guess that's because electricity is relatively cheap there (being geothermal).

Pity the site doesn't give a measure of disposable income... seems to me that that's a lot more significant to lifestyle than gross income.

SJB:

 

Paul1977:

 

Making me rethink moving to South Africa.

 

 

 

EDIT: Moving to Andorra instead.

 

 

A South African I knew a few years ago told me in certain parts of the country nobody stopped at traffic lights because muggers would come up to your car and shoot you.

 

My mother lived in Rhodesia until her first husband died.

She still keeps in touch with her former (now very elderly) in laws. Their grand daughter was dragged from her car and shot dead in Joberg by a man who had been a guard at the gated community they live in but had been sacked for dishonesty. He decided to exact revenge on someone from the community there.

I had a SA client (former Deputy Ambassador to France) who told me some hair raising stories about the levels of violence that happen there with alarming frequency. He has what he calls a 'farm' in the countryside and if he is there, he always wears a sidearm.

Statistics means nothing. Real life experience means everything...

UFB program in NZ now utilise poles to deliver. Special skills are required and Techs with the skills to work on poles are engaged.

If you were Tech doing UFB in Russia then working on poles would be times more easier :-)

The average Joe in the US earns significantly less than in NZ so I am not sure how that is worked out.