Poverty

So Professor Crane's recent post and my anthropology class came together in my mind on this rainy day. He writes about the incredibly low status of the migrant worker in China who sweats and bleeds (literally) for China's globalization. uselesstree.typepad.com

The income inequality of China is 5 times that of the US, which in itself is very high. And that inequality is increasing in China as the country becomes more and more modernized. In fact, it seems the inequality is actually a driving force behind the development of the worlds most populus country. It is certainly not a reason for fast growth, since many other countries have inequality and no growth, but in China the inequality is exploited both by private industry and a government keen on growth and national stature.

In anthropology we find that in the earliest neolithic villages, many people's quality of life actually deteriorated. Statures became shorter and more cavities were found due to a more limited diet. Live expectancy decreased. Women had more babies, closer together, and were forced to work far more than before. In short, it was a less desirable way to live, even if the elites that quickley emerged were much better off.

As far as we know, from the neolithic revolution to globalization, poverty has always been an important part of human culture. Not a very happy picture to paint.