[barry-cotter]

Please expand. Japan is much, much poorer. The work environment is awful in at least two different ways, dualisation and insane levels of presenteeism. It’s quite sexist by European or US standards. What makes Japan look good?

[rualca]

The US's appalling lack of basic social safety nets, specially regarding healthcare, coupled with its poverty rate (over twice of Brazil's) and violence epidemic don't make it a shining beacon of a functioning society.

Just because STEM graduates in the US can aspire to live in a comfort bubble due to their access to a cushy job, that does not make it an example of a well-functioning society by no means.

It makes absolutely no sense to claim that a country has a well-functioning society if it happens to have a hand full of ultra-rich billionaires while the whole population suffers to barely make ends meet, let alone have a shot at a decent life.

[barry-cotter]

> It makes absolutely no sense to claim that a country has a well-functioning society if it happens to have a hand full of ultra-rich billionaires while the whole population suffers to barely make ends meet, let alone have a shot at a decent life.

The US is much, much richer than any remotely comparable entity. Americans do not live the lives of grinding poverty you imagine. The only country or region that consumes more per household is Hong Kong[1]. A comfortable life in the US is available to much, much more of the population than STEM graduates as well.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_household...

[rualca]

> The US is much, much richer than any remotely comparable entity.

The US is 5th in the ranking of median income adjusted to PPP.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_income

> Americans do not live the lives of grinding poverty you imagine.

Some people in the US might live well-off, but more than 10% of its population struggles below the official poverty rate.

https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-27...

Over 40% of the US population isn't even capable of supporting an emergency 400$ expense.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/10-americans-struggle-cover-400-em...

I suggest you try to take a look outside your bubble to learn how a high percentage of the US population struggles with poverty on a good day.

[kar5pt]

Please provide a source for the claim that the US poverty rate is twice that of Brazil's. You may be comparing the rates of people below the poverty line for that country. Being below the poverty line in the US is still going to be a higher standard of living than being below the poverty line in a developing nation.