I disagree with this index for several reasons.
1) There is no way to get "Botswana" as my top choice, even though it is.
2)None of the 11 things matter.
a) Housing. Quite simply, property is theft. Landlords are the worst scum imaginable. They contribute nothing to society and yet live lavish and comfortable lives. I contribute nothing to society and must struggle. Some people (in the past) have argued that landlords DO provide a service by giving people a place to live. This is backwards. If the landlord didn't "own" the land then (in Canada, at least) it would Crown Land and I would be able to live there for 30 days at a time and hunt/fish/forage on it.
b)Income. Like an electric rabbit in a dog race.
c) Jobs. I'd rather not. There aren't any. Anywhere. How can you compare between countries?
d) Community. How do you measure such a thing? Falsely, through a biased WASP lens, I'm sure. Soccer practice may be a type of community, but it isn't the only type. Unless this index measures sodomy-parties as well, it is missing data.
e) Education. What a crock of shit. This is what is meant by education:
When Shakespeare went to the King’s Grammar School in Stratford in the 1570s, he read Plautus and Terence, Virgil and Ovid, and this core curriculum remained more or less the same for centuries, through Isaac Newton and John Locke, Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson.
Since the curriculum has been irrevocably severed from its roots, nothing can any longer be referred to as education.
f) Environment. The UK apparently has the best environment. Last I checked, England was deforested by the Late Medieval and that's why the Canadian White Pines were nearly exterminated to make ships for the admiralty. However, since these are primarily European countries, all of which, to some extent or another are ecological disasters, I am not sure what is even going on here. Just thinking about what in the hell they could possibly mean leads to reminiscing on Naked Lunch.
g) Civic Engagement. Something I do value. A well-rounded prison system is essential to a modern society. Why is United States not top-ranked here?
h) Health. Another thing I do value. However, I don't care about mean health of where I live. I only care about my own an my immediate family's. Does the health of aging New Brunswickers really influence my decision to stay in Canada? I think not.
i)Life Satisfaction. Horrendous. I understand this is difficult to measure, but I disrespect the OECD for even trying.
j) Safety. Rather than trusting an index, I prefer to be in charge of my own safety. This includes, but is not limited to, a range of crossbows for everyone in the household; a few rifles and shotguns; an airgun for non-lethal deterrence; a bazooka jerry-rigged from PVC piping; a large stash of benzene, gasoline and polystyrene.
k)Work-life balance. Ha! The working classes exist only to make the rich better, so why does this even matter? Should this be called a 99%-1% balance?
3) It is missing several points that do matter:
a) access to women, forced marriages, polygamy, mistresses, etc.
b) how easy it is to live off the grid
c) DY's Freedom Indices
d) Broadband internet access.
Nice try OECD, but better luck next time.
Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 5:35 pm
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