Topic: Ranking countries by civil liberties, economic freedom, quality of life, and so on
Anonymous A started this discussion 2 years ago#114,498
Is so incredibly stupid.
Many of the countries at or near the top of these lists are suffocating to live in. While access to high tech material goods is undoubtedly higher in these countries, it is not for free. The cost is through rigid expectations of cultural and economic conformity. It's an all or none deal.
The "freedom package" is enforced through two threats: (1) the high cost of living in these countries heavily restricts the types of lifestyles feasible and (2) the high levels of governmental organisation combined with cultural homogeneity means that cultural norms can and are enforced rigidity.
For example, in Iceland you are only allowed to name your child from a government approved list of names. But because the country has such a monoculture, it isn't complained about enough and it isn't often known about amongst those that have not lived in the country. It's not something most would expect in a country ranking near or at the top of the list on various freedom indices. But there you have it.
Ironically, having the state decide what you can and cannot name your child is something that would matter less in most third world despot-tier countries, because that and most of their other policies are simply unenforced and unenforceable.
Coming back to the economic freedom aspect, the livelihoods in third world countries is often way more diverse and in many ways freer than the first world. People can and do go without working for extended stretches of time and it's not uncommon to do this entirely by choice. One can much more easily stop and start working with little notice, unlike in the first world where you need to present your full life history, pedigree, and a whole village of people willing to vouch that you'll put in 40 hours a week cleaning toilets without complaining or having any thoughts or requests of your own.
I'm not saying living in the third world is a walk in the park. To be clear, I despise both sides of the balance and have only focused on one side because we all already know the many problems with third world countries.
I'm only saying that these freedom rankings and indices are bullshit and seem to be made and brought out in discussions by people who seem to have little clue of the countries that are being ranked.
Anonymous B replied with this 2 years ago, 1 minute later, 4 minutes after the original post[^][v]#1,266,814
@previous (A)
I do understand the difference, but it is not that big a difference. I'll take access to healthcare and freedom from school shootings in return for choosing my baby's name off a list.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 2 years ago, 18 minutes later, 23 minutes after the original post[^][v]#1,266,818
@previous (B)
I'm pretty confused about where you're getting confused. If you thought this was some type of Europe vs Amerikkka thread, maybe close this browser tab and go back to reddit?