A fascinating perspective on America from an Indian student

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by friendorfoe, Sep 5, 2013.

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  1. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

  2. RichC.

    RichC. Member

    Great read.
     
  3. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Interesting.
     
  4. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

    Sums up about everything we all know about our country fairly well. He's got the fat thing in there, the poor really are not poor thing too. Not bad.
     
  5. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    I'm thin and well maintained, but certainly not rich.
     
  6. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    From the last sentence in the article:

    "I believe that the only status symbol in America is your job, and possibly your educational qualifications."
     
  7. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Could be true, but then we'd have to acknowledge:

    good mother<data entry<teacher<doctor<guy who can throw a ball really fast<good looking heiress with little talent for anything who 'accidentally' :suspect: became a sex tape star
     
  8. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    I think this is only true in certain circles, likely the circles he runs with.
     
  9. Amber424

    Amber424 New Member

    I like this line:

    "Strong ethics — everyone has a lot of integrity. If someone cannot submit their completed assignment in time, they will turn in the assignment incomplete rather than asking for answers at the last minute. People take pride in their hard work and usually do not cheat. This is different from students from India and China as well as back home in India, where everyone collaborates to the extent that it can be categorized as cheating."

    At least, the assignment is passed with honest answers :)!
     
  10. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

  11. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    That is true. However, the author of the article is also a student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, which is within the Dunkin' Donuts sphere of influence. He was a summer intern in Silicon Valley.
     
  12. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    Then that would be the only non California-centric blip on his radar. He forgot to mention that each house in San Francisco costs at least $1,000,000 per floor.
     
  13. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    What I found most interesting is that he noticed what most Americans who haven't been poor in recent years can't seem to understand: Impoverished people are more likely to be overweight because it's more expensive to eat healthy in this country. Many of these people also live in food deserts where it's hard to find fresh produce. There are financially poor people in the U.S. They don't look as poor as the people in third world countries because of the social safety net. These people don't have their own money; they are depending on other people's money. If the safety net were taken away, the poor in this country would look like the people in Appalachia or worse. Homeless families are poor, imo. I don't see how someone can say they aren't poor.
     
  14. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    That is, quite simply, untrue. It's so easy to debunk just by actually looking at the prices at your local grocery store rather than making assumptions. Where I live, fruits & veggies average $.35/serving fresh, even less frozen or dried; yogurt, eggs, beans and most common nutritious grains easily cost less than 20 cents per serving- and everything listed above costs less when bought in bulk. In fact, I JUST had a simple "dinner" of 1 cup of squash, a corn on the cob (raw), an apple and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Really, it's because I'm too tired to cook and just started grabbing things and shoving them in my mouth, but I just completely filled my stomach for less than $1.50 when all is totaled and got about 4 servings of fruits & vegetables in my body. You can't even get a can of Chef Boyardee for that price around here.

    More than just your own price-checking, there is also nationwide data to prove the notion untrue. There is also the common sense that excess fat comes from excess calories, which cost excess money. Healthier foods are also more filling (fiber, anyone? protein?), which would even further help to reduce costs. Overall, I have found in my own life that the healthier I eat, the less I end up spending on food. Also, the less money I expect to lose due to being sick or exhausted and taking days off from work and the less I expect to spend on healthcare.

    THAT, most definitely, is true. And really, really depressing. I'm glad that lately, some awareness has been raised about the issue, but we're far off from seeing any great progress.
     
  15. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Your assumption is that there are always grocery stores accessible to people. But that's not true in many American neighborhoods where people are the poorest. That's what sanantone meant by food desert. So what do you do? You end up living off the Dollar Menu at McDonalds, and get correspondingly supersized.
     
  16. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    Bullshit
    Look here on the dollar menu
    Side Salad :: McDonalds.com
     
  17. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I guess you missed the teensy, tiny little paragraph at the end of my post above. I made no such assumption. That's a different situation than the one I was addressing in the earlier part of my post. I will say this, however, that McDonald's gets a very, very unfair bad rap. They are not one of the unhealthier restaurants out there and it is very possible to get a reasonably healthy meal out of them. Hold the mayo, skip the fries and soda.
     
  18. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    The first word of this post was unnecessary, FYI.

    Regarding your point- on a number of occasions, I've bought the side salad along with a McChicken (hold the mayo!), then did some food surgery to make a crispy chicken salad. It costs $2 and isn't terribly unhealthy.
     
  19. Jonathan Whatley

    Jonathan Whatley Well-Known Member

    Click on "Nutrition…" or think for a minute about what a $1 "Side Salad" includes and how far this will count toward basic nutritional needs. The Dollar Menu Side Salad is 3.1 ounces, has 20 calories, and has 1 gram of protein. It's a small snack. Per pound it costs $5.16.
     
  20. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    What's your point? Its an option at McDonalds.
    If everyone ate 1 medium sandwich, 1 salad and 1 diet soda per meal at McDonalds there wouldn't be an issue.

    Pointing at McDonalds and saying its cheap and this is the reason people are fat is not the reason people are fat. They would rather spend $10 at McDonalds than $10 in the Grocery store even if both were made available to them across the street.
     

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