Indian kid describes America

[regexcellent]

Aeson apparently missed the part where Japan and Korea managed to industrialize without huge foreign aid or natural resources...

[Aeson]

I feel it should be pointed out that you are discrediting the valuable work contributions of the following industries which play a role in making oil extraction possible to exist:

Geology
Engineering
Mining
Manufacturing
Maintenance
Construction
Financing
Shipping
Refining
I'm sure I'm forgetting some ...

... and everything else (like agriculture, education) which allow those people to actually have a chance to do their jobs.

[giblets]

If you're asking why a particular country is rich, then looking at its history of natural resource usage is not idiotic. Is America today driven by resource extraction? No. Was America driven by resource extraction in the past? Yes. Did that past lead to this present? Hmm...

Probably not.

[Aeson]

Aeson apparently missed the part where Japan and Korea managed to industrialize without huge foreign aid or natural resources...

I think you may have missed the entirety of the Cold War... Having the US as an ally to keep them from being overrun by Communists may have constituted "huge foreign aid"...

Also of note, Japan was doomed in WWII due to a lack of natural resources. Having military might (fueled by oil) is definitely a means to protect your wealth or destroy that of others.

(The US jumped ahead of the rest of the world in WWII largely because of geography and resource distribution. If WWII had been fought on US soil, it may very well be the EU looking a back on the US still today...)

[Aeson]

Probably not.

Certainly culture, politics, and many other things factors into it. I just find it dishonest to single out one factor and claim it shouldn't be allowed in the comparison of wealth on one side, but continue to allow it on the other side.

[Aeson]

Less than Norway's.

Please explain how you've come to that conclusion. What percent of US wealth has been derived from resource extraction or other value derived from the land?

[Lorizael]

Aeson apparently missed the part where Japan and Korea managed to industrialize without huge foreign aid or natural resources...

Japan and Korea didn't industrialize in a vacuum. They would not have done so if there weren't other industrial nations out there for them to interact with.

[giblets]

Certainly culture, politics, and many other things factors into it. I just find it dishonest to single out one factor and claim it shouldn't be allowed in the comparison of wealth on one side, but continue to allow it on the other side.

It's extremely dishonest to cherrypick the two richest per capita countries in Europe, which account for less than 1% of Europe's population, and compare them to the US. Explaining why these two countries are outliers performing far better than the rest of the continent does not strike me as particularly dishonest.

[Aeson]

It's extremely dishonest to cherrypick the two richest per capita countries in Europe, which account for less than 1% of Europe's population, and compare them to the US. Explaining why these two countries are outliers performing far better than the rest of the continent does not strike me as particularly dishonest.

I will just note that I didn't do that.

[Hauldren Collider]

Japan and Korea didn't industrialize in a vacuum. They would not have done so if there weren't other industrial nations out there for them to interact with.

What the hell is your point? I think you're just spewing vague truisms in an effort to mask the fact that your argument is ridiculous. This fact has nothing to do with anything. Europe also has industrial nations to interact with, as does the US, so why the **** does the US outperform Europe? Hint: It's not our natural resources.

[Aeson]

I just wanted HC to apply the same reasoning (which is perfectly valid ... if God dumped a bunch of cash on someone, it doesn't really speak to their work ethic) to the US when comparing the US to the poorer places in Europe (or anywhere else).

[giblets]

I will just note that I didn't do that.

Nope, you're just claiming that it's dishonest to object to a comparison between Norway and the US...

[giblets]

I just wanted HC to apply the same reasoning (which is perfectly valid ... if God dumped a bunch of cash on someone, it doesn't really speak to their work ethic) to the US when comparing the US to the poorer places in Europe (or anywhere else).

He already did and noted that resource extraction is a tiny fraction of the USA's GDP.

[Aeson]

Hint: It's not our natural resources.

Just stick your head in the sand and ignore that wealth accumulated from natural resources has heavily favored the US over Europe?

[Hauldren Collider]

You can't accumulate wealth from natural resources. You do understand what wealth is, yes? Somewhere along the line there has to be value added. Gribbler's picture is a fantastically condense explanation of what I am saying. Hiroshima, 1945 was a hole in the ground. Detroit was one of the wealthiest cities in the world. They have now swapped places in 70ish years. Why? Not natural resources. Public policy.