92% of Americans want to live in Sweden.

[Keronians]

Pfft.

*rolls out Spanish beaches*

The nude section's over there -->

Is that near Barcelona? Because I'll take Barca over Inter.

You have beaches everywhere in Spain.

Though I'm not quite sure how the beaches in Barcelona are. I live two minutes from the beach so...

Unlike the US, topless women on the beach isn't that rare a sight here. I'd go as far as to say that a quarter of the women are topless.

The nude section bit is a bit misleading though, considering that only fat virgins go there...

[Caninope]

I am sure that Sweden is a nice place to live. I am also sure this statistic is a crock.

I dont know if its crock.
US citizens are easily mislead when not given all the facts....

Anyone is easily misled when not given all the facts.

[Lessnt]

I dont know if its crock.
US citizens are easily mislead when not given all the facts....

Anyone is easily misled when not given all the facts.

Yep.Except for paranoid people who never believe a word you say and do things their way....

[Caninope]

Also, what's the deal in the poll with "US American"? In the English language, American is commonly accepted to mean one thing when not used in another context- it's used to mean citizens of the US.

[Cannot think of a name]

Most Americans have no idea what they want and instead they think they can have everything thus supporting government programs when it supports them, but at the same time no wanting to pay the taxes that are needed to fund that support such programs.

Thus, overall this is just another example of Americans wanting something good, but in reality not being willing to take the steps necessary to bring it about.

Well, I mean c'mon, we started a revolution because we didn't want to pay taxes to cover the cost of protecting the colonists from all the natives they were pissing off. At least we're consistent. /oversimplification

[Lessnt]

Most Americans have no idea what they want and instead they think they can have everything thus supporting government programs when it supports them, but at the same time no wanting to pay the taxes that are needed to fund that support such programs.

Thus, overall this is just another example of Americans wanting something good, but in reality not being willing to take the steps necessary to bring it about.

Well, I mean c'mon, we started a revolution because we didn't want to pay taxes to cover the cost of protecting the colonists from all the natives they were pissing off. At least we're consistent. /oversimplification

What a glorious past.
We come to a new land.
Steal some of it.
Fight one of the most powerful empires.
In the end we win.
We make a country.
Then take more land.
Then improve our country.
Then we had a civil war.
Oh how bloody that was.
Then we fought some more wars.
Then we fought in the world wars and took advantage of the situation afterward.
Then instead of truly being an empire....we decide to be nice.
Thus we continue to have propaganda thrown at us while we are the most charitable country in the world that helps the world.Much of the donations come from the individuals whom have nothing to gain.
Such a nice wannabe empire we are.
We show individuality.
WE arent like those other powers were use to....we actually let you abuse us without getting all genocidal on you...even though we could....quite easily...

[Katonazag]

PBS must have meant "92% of US socialists like Swedish socialism better." Most Americans don't want someone else "distributing" wealth. The American way is to earn, not to demand to be given. That being said, if any American would rather go live in Sweden, there's nothing stopping you - don't let the doorknob hit you in the rear on the way out.

[AiliailiA]

Luckily I don't base where I want to live off of wealth distribution. Retarded poll is retarded.

Um... are you talking about the poll of 5000+ Americans, or my retarded poll?

I mean, if you're criticizing the "poll" which the third link in the OP is to .. then I think you'll have to bring a more detailed and scholarly critique than "retarded poll is retarded". I mean, it's a slap-down between team A: A professor from Harvard and an associate professor from Yale; and team B: some poster on Nationstates called Anti-Cosmic Gods. I can't see that going well for you.

If you're criticizing the jaunty poll I just put up on the top of this thread, then I'm here to hear your objections. I won't change it, because it has some votes already and if I change it those good folks would have to vote again. But if you have any objections I'm perfectly happy to hear them, and make whatever apologies I can. I'm pretty stupid really: I keep doing stupid things, sort of learning not to do them again, but then finding new stupid things to do which I never even suspected were possible until I done gone and did them.

[Lessnt]

PBS must have meant "92% of US socialists like Swedish socialism better." Most Americans don't want someone else "distributing" wealth. The American way is to earn, not to demand to be given. That being said, if any American would rather go live in Sweden, there's nothing stopping you - don't let the doorknob hit you in the rear on the way out.

All it shows is sweeden has a wealth distribution system that is closer to what we want ours to be like.(in terms of results)
Now it is possible to get wealth distributed in that manner and still have to work for it instead of having someone poke their hands in our pockets.

[Robert Magoo]

This is so stupid...it doesn't even take into account actual wealth, just the distribution. Who cares about distribution? What an idiotic, misleading poll. Obviously PBS has no agenda at all. [/sarcasm] The fact that anybody gives this nonsense any credit at all should really be embarassing for all americans.

[AiliailiA]

PBS must have meant "92% of US socialists like Swedish socialism better." Most Americans don't want someone else "distributing" wealth. The American way is to earn, not to demand to be given. That being said, if any American would rather go live in Sweden, there's nothing stopping you - don't let the doorknob hit you in the rear on the way out.

All it shows is sweeden has a wealth distribution system that is closer to what we want ours to be like.(in terms of results)
Now it is possible to get wealth distributed in that manner and still have to work for it instead of having someone poke their hands in our pockets.

Anything is possible.

How do we get to there, from here?

[Ordo Drakul]

Hmm. The part of the report I quoted pretty much rules that out. The sample was representative of all incomes, the two major party allegiances, age and gender. They didn't poll the KKK.

Direct your attention to questions asked, not who the questions were asked of. Have at it!

Since your poll is Godlike and cannot be questioned, socialists of America unite and run on Swedish style socialism as an election issue. 92% of Americans will vote for you, if this poll isn't bullshit.

[Wikkiwallana]

I saw this covered on PBS Newshour yesterday. This episode.

Now I'll link to the online version of the quiz, against from PBS's website. Before you look at this, bear in mind that the online version is not necessarily "cold canvassed" ... a lot of the respondents would already know the answer from watching the show or indeed reading the page it is on. Here is the quiz that PBS gave to people on the street.

Now, PBS's "research" on the street was completely unscientific. But on their site they link to the study by Michael Norton and Dan Ariely, which is pretty damn scientific.

Here's a link to the pdf from Harvard Business School's site.

92% of Americans, when choosing between the actual wealth distribution of the United States and that of Sweden (without knowing which is which) actually prefer Sweden.

As far as I can tell, the study does not say what proportion of people actually think they're living in Sweden (wealth-distribution wise).

I am sure that Sweden is a nice place to live. I am also sure this statistic is a crock.

I've posted it before from a different study. A study done by Duke and Harvard. Pretty sure it's valid.

[Lessnt]

All it shows is sweeden has a wealth distribution system that is closer to what we want ours to be like.(in terms of results)
Now it is possible to get wealth distributed in that manner and still have to work for it instead of having someone poke their hands in our pockets.

Anything is possible.

How do we get to there, from here?

By voting Ron paul.
lol I really dont know.

[Sibirsky]

This is so stupid...it doesn't even take into account actual wealth, just the distribution. Who cares about distribution? What an idiotic, misleading poll. Obviously PBS has no agenda at all. [/sarcasm] The fact that anybody gives this nonsense any credit at all should really be embarassing for all americans.

Relax my friend. Of course you are correct.

A village of 100 people, in which every person has $1,000 is far more equal, and far worse off, than a village of 100 people, where 99 people have $10,000, and one person has $1 billion.

[Lessnt]

This is so stupid...it doesn't even take into account actual wealth, just the distribution. Who cares about distribution? What an idiotic, misleading poll. Obviously PBS has no agenda at all. [/sarcasm] The fact that anybody gives this nonsense any credit at all should really be embarassing for all americans.

Relax my friend. Of course you are correct.

A village of 100 people, in which every person has $1,000 is far more equal, and far worse off, than a village of 100 people, where 99 people have $10,000, and one person has $1 billion.

nooooo i needz more monies, 10k is worth so little in my village.That one rich dude owns everything and take 99% of what I make each year....I cant even retire without being forced to live in the mud and rocks.

[Shnercropolis]

I somehow agree with the second to last option. I hate democracy, and polls, and Fascism.

[Sovereign Spirits]

Here's something from Cracked

http://www.cracked.com/article_19363_6- ... k-out.html

Give it a shot, if you can. But not everything is as glamorous as you might think.

[AiliailiA]

This is so stupid...it doesn't even take into account actual wealth, just the distribution. Who cares about distribution? What an idiotic, misleading poll. Obviously PBS has no agenda at all. [/sarcasm] The fact that anybody gives this nonsense any credit at all should really be embarassing for all americans.

I thought it was the right thing to do, to tell everyone where I heard about this. It was from a PBS program, yes.

If it was just "hey I heard this thing on <whatever channel> so hai yall what you thinkz?" I never would have posted it. I only posted it because I looked at PBS's source, and that is what I found interesting. I linked to it right there in the OP. It's only three pages, it's not technical. If you have year 10 English and year 8 Mathematics you should be able to read it through without any supplementary research.

Here.

It's three pages. With pictures. If you can't understand it then what the fuck are you doing trying to argue about it?

[AiliailiA]

I somehow agree with the second to last option. I hate democracy, and polls, and Fascism.

I'm here for you, making the polls. We fate shat hasishm! Knup shay fachsme! Gramma gfckswmay!

[The Black Forrest]

This is so stupid...it doesn't even take into account actual wealth, just the distribution. Who cares about distribution? What an idiotic, misleading poll. Obviously PBS has no agenda at all. [/sarcasm] The fact that anybody gives this nonsense any credit at all should really be embarassing for all americans.

Relax my friend. Of course you are correct.

A village of 100 people, in which every person has $1,000 is far more equal, and far worse off, than a village of 100 people, where 99 people have $10,000, and one person has $1 billion.

Does old analogies work anymore in the global economy?

If the village is in the US, odds are the billionaire is busy creating jobs in cheaper countries.

[Robert Magoo]

This is so stupid...it doesn't even take into account actual wealth, just the distribution. Who cares about distribution? What an idiotic, misleading poll. Obviously PBS has no agenda at all. [/sarcasm] The fact that anybody gives this nonsense any credit at all should really be embarassing for all americans.

I thought it was the right thing to do, to tell everyone where I heard about this. It was from a PBS program, yes.

If it was just "hey I heard this thing on <whatever channel> so hai yall what you thinkz?" I never would have posted it. I only posted it because I looked at PBS's source, and that is what I found interesting. I linked to it right there in the OP. It's only three pages, it's not technical. If you have year 10 English and year 8 Mathematics you should be able to read it through without any supplementary research.

Here.

It's three pages. With pictures. If you can't understand it then what the fuck are you doing trying to argue about it?

I didn't mean your poll was stupid, I meant PBS' poll was stupid.

[The Black Forrest]

As to the op?

I can understand peoples perceptions. More and more people think the next generation will have it worst then they did(I believe my daughter will have it much harder then I did).

In the past, even with issues of the gas embargo, the USSR, the great depression and in the job exporting of the Regan era; people still had a sense of it will get better.

I am not hearing that as much anymore.

So if you feel you are left out of the American system; why support it?

If you feel the wealthy class think they are separate and more important then you; why help them keep their wealth?

Things will get rather ugly with all the "take one for the team" logic which the government is so desperate to instill on the population. Problem is people don't believe it. Too many people are seeing it as "you need to suffer so the wealthy class can keep their lifestyles"

Anyway.

I did work in Stockholm. I wouldn't mind living there......

[Italiani a Roma]

Let them go to Sweden. More America for the real Americans.

[Sibirsky]

Relax my friend. Of course you are correct.

A village of 100 people, in which every person has $1,000 is far more equal, and far worse off, than a village of 100 people, where 99 people have $10,000, and one person has $1 billion.

Does old analogies work anymore in the global economy?

If the village is in the US, odds are the billionaire is busy creating jobs in cheaper countries.

Whatever. The locals need stuff, and will pay for stuff, creating both stuff, and jobs. I was a rather simplistic explanation that equality is not everything.