Comments by "TotalRookie_LV" (@TotalRookie_LV) on "" video.

  1. The world HAS became better. But you seem to mistaken "better" for "good". Better does not mean it can't be any better and there are no problems. I lived in a colony occupied by a hostile power mere 30 years ago. The growth of prosperity and freedoms is obvious to me. Sure, this does not happen everywhere. I haven't lived on 2$ per day, but I have been living for around 3,7$ a day back in late 1990s, not in Africa, but in Europe, mere 5 years before we joined EU. And later for ~5,3$ or less per day after 2008 crisis. It was an interesting experience.
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  2. Economists have even harsher view on GDP as an effective measure, it goes as: "You dig a hole, GDP grows, you fill back that hole - it's more GDP again, as work was done, despite nothing useful done", thus GDP can be artificially inflated, especially if a regime is interested in posing itself as a success, as Soviet one (where I grew up) was or as China is now. Yet that does not mean, people who say that disagree with Steven Pinker. And why do you say "in the West"? Is the vague "West" now suddenly a united global power? It's not like that trend is characteristic only to the West. Besides, there might be one data point, independent of any poverty and GDP measures, that seems to indicate growing prosperity - on average obesity already has become a bigger problem than malnutrition. Yes, the average number might not be a good indicator, yet that one is interesting nevertheless. And unlike with income, one fat person can't influence data too much, unlike a single person with multi billion business among poor folks.
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  3. And be careful with the term "optimist". As one of very popular in my region politologists (a fan of Pinker) says:, she is not preaching optimism. Yes, there is less violence, like no massacres as those in 1989, 1991, no open wars like 1996 - early 2000s in Chechnya, only a covert conflict with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova etc, but on the other hand, lack of violence also means oppressive regimes like that in the Kremlin has little to fear besides memes and some protests, no violent revolution is expected anytime soon, as people are no more used to experience violence and to use it as a tool.
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  4. When a neighbour starts to earn some money, and gets a nice house, other villagers don't try to also start to earn more, they burn down that fuckers new house, his business and beat him up, because нехрен выделятся! (rough translation: "don't stick out!")
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