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Post by r-dub on Sept 1, 2004 10:45:21 GMT -5
If the World was a Village of 100 People If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following.
There would be:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both North and South America
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth; all 6 would be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
1 would own a computer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.
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Post by Sushi Destroyer on Sept 1, 2004 13:50:38 GMT -5
I would be the one with the college education and the computer.
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Post by r-dub on Sept 1, 2004 15:37:28 GMT -5
you'd be dead
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Ruby Soho
Go Away
mental slavery with the clever disguise
Posts: 423
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Post by Ruby Soho on Sept 1, 2004 16:02:18 GMT -5
I got that as a handout in my anthropology class last year. I think it's so sad, because north americans get so caught up with themselves and their own problems - such as whether or not they'll get the Converses (and they HAVE to be that brand) they want so badly for their birthday - and completely ignore the fact that they have it sooo good. I'm also the one person with a computer and college education, but I'm more than willing to bitch about all that I don't have.
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Post by Chavo on Sept 1, 2004 17:37:34 GMT -5
Shiiiiiiiiieeeeet, gonna be a white minority
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Post by Sushi Destroyer on Sept 1, 2004 20:10:57 GMT -5
Yeah, you're right. But I'd rather be dead than be white.
oh!
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Post by r-dub on Sept 2, 2004 10:49:14 GMT -5
Shiiiiiiiiieeeeet, gonna be a white minority it already is a white minority
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Post by chad loin on Sept 2, 2004 12:15:49 GMT -5
I got that as a handout in my anthropology class last year. I think it's so sad, because north americans get so caught up with themselves and their own problems - such as whether or not they'll get the Converses (and they HAVE to be that brand) they want so badly for their birthday - and completely ignore the fact that they have it sooo good. I'm also the one person with a computer and college education, but I'm more than willing to bitch about all that I don't have.Doing nothing is exactly what they want you to do.
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Post by r-dub on Sept 2, 2004 13:27:53 GMT -5
chad, boom! great comment. it's one thing to know you're being duped into your thoughts and a COMPLETELY different thing to take action against it.
words are nothing without actions. how long until people start figuring this out? seriously, i see this in almost every aspect of my life and it's frustrating as hell. i'm getting tired of hearing people talk about how things should/could be different or better and then end up sitting on their ass not changing a thing. i say make the difference, it feels alot better.
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Ruby Soho
Go Away
mental slavery with the clever disguise
Posts: 423
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Post by Ruby Soho on Sept 2, 2004 14:40:35 GMT -5
that's the thing. I know that I'm pathetic for not doing anything to help, but it's just that mindset of society, that someone else will do something to help, and so you yourself don't have to. It's stupid and I realize that, that's why I wrote it.
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Post by r-dub on Sept 2, 2004 15:18:49 GMT -5
but the fact that you realize it should be enough of an inspiration do do something about it. if you don't, then i don't want to hear you talking about 'society sucking' ever again. it's completely hipocritical
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Post by Dio on Sept 2, 2004 17:36:27 GMT -5
its outrageous to think caucasians are the world's majority in population is ludicrous
i keept trying to think of something witty to say but it just ended up being about how caucasians are jerks
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Post by neilsucks on Sept 3, 2004 10:46:31 GMT -5
society does suck, but as long as i'm in my room watching futurama i can ignore it.
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Post by Arkham on Sept 4, 2004 1:12:13 GMT -5
it's referred to in the marketing world, as the "ironic consumer" the dude who sees the stupidity in something, then pats himself on the back for being smarter than the rest of 'em, and then buys the new justin timberlake album anyway.
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Post by kristaawayfromabby on Sept 4, 2004 4:00:17 GMT -5
i'm so glad to see this discussion taking place.
i have another version of that same list, and to add to that: anyone with a bank account is in the top 1/5 of the world's wealthy.
these problems are about more than caucasians being jerks, granted that has often been the case. it's really about apathy, and lack of motivation. our lives are incredibly luxurious by the world's standards, and it's more often the lack of comfort that brings about desire for change.
once you see an injustice, taking action is vitally important, because when everyone does their part, things can actually change. starting at the grassroots level is the most effective way to to make a difference. everyone says protests don't work, that what you do doesn't really make a difference, etc. but - public resistance has actually prevented international agreements from being made, and has caused corporations to change their policies. eg the multilateral agreement on investment was abandoned in 1998 because of massive protest. when you think about the power and consequence of your daily actions, then you move beyond simply talking, being hipocritical or an ironic consumer.
there's my activist rant for the day. see you all next week.
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