[bigthymer]

> The truth is Americans do want this

I'm not so sure. Sure, they want the benefits that are provided. However, if being aware of what the costs are to get those benefits apriori, I'm not sure Americans would think the exchange worthwhile.

[trhway]

> Sure, they want the benefits that are provided. However, if being aware of what the costs are to get those benefits apriori

no being aware is the key here. For example just on NPR - 40% of American kids think bacon is a plant.

(Don't get me wrong - i intentionally immigrated to US and i like all those benefits of life here. Speaking about the costs of that to the rest of the world - back in Russia i worked for domestic employers as well as for a US based one, and being "exploited" by the US based employer were much nicer than by the domestics.)

[skinner927]

Children ages 4-7.

They also believe a fat man dressed in red zips around the earth one night to give everyone presents.

They’re children. They don’t need to know where bacon and hot dogs come from.

I doubt those children care about anything outside their bubble.

[trhway]

>They’re children. They don’t need to know where bacon and hot dogs come from.

not sure about that. Around age 7 i saw a full butchering of a pig at my grandmother's farm, and i was still happily eating pork for the next 20+ years, and i don't remember anybody in my childhood not knowing where the bacon is coming from. I stopped eating beef and pork though about 20 years ago exactly for the reason where it comes from.

Btw, "They don’t need to know where ... come from" can be said by the powers-to-be about people of any age.

[esseph]

Those are 4-7 year old children in the study, but still...

[tdeck]

While that might certainly be true in the abstract, it isn't worth much.

Most people would probably eat less meat if they knew exactly what was happening to the animals in that process. We'd eat less chocolate if we really thought about the slavery in the chocolate supply chain. We'd not buy certain products because of the environmental impact and working conditions.

But instead we just mostly deliberately avoid learning and thinking about those things. And I count myself as well. The incentives all push Americans to be OK with this.

[tekknik]

I think you and your parent think that people have more of a concern of others than actual reality. Most americans walk past homeless people and think nothing of it. Most americans, and certainly those in wealthy cities, care about others at a superficial level. For instance you and your parent complain, and that’s where it ends. You will not sacrifice yourself or your life for others, asking others to is just negligent.

[mathgeek]

This is hardly a uniquely American problem. People have been writing about treating the poor better for millennia.

[johnnyanmac]

>You will not sacrifice yourself or your life for others, asking others to is just negligent.

I'm asking about 218 elected representatives and 67 senators to do their job. This isn't a matter of "we (the people) need to start a civil war to show our disdain for these actions". At least, not yet. There's so many channels to address this that doesn't involve "sacrificing ourselves", but the channels are at best clogged and at worst compliant, despite what they were voted to do.

[Exoristos]

You and those politicians understand their job descriptions very differently.

[goatlover]

Because you don't know what you're getting yourself into with a stranger, and most people aren't social workers or drug counselors with experience helping the homeless.

[convolvatron]

thats nonsense. I hang out with the homeless all the time. some of them are really just mentally ill, some are real shitheads, but there are alot of perfectly normal people out there that are just reacting to daily trauma. if can live through not having a place to sleep where you dont have to worry about getting fucked up or raped, and having your shit jacked by the police and other homeless all the time, and still keep some semblance of sanity, then you're a stronger person than I.

[tdeck]

I don't understand why your comment is phrased as if it contradicts me?