I have been complaining all year about how poor I am, blah blah blah, but it wasn't until I did this that I realized how very rich I am. Just by virtue of living in the United States, not being hungry, and having shelter, I still qualify as being in the top 14.22 % of richest people in the world. I included my JVC stipend and community money (the checks we get for food, rent, bills, phone, gas, etc), which totals an annual income of $5800/year. At 5800 a year, i still manage to be in that echelon of wealth. At 48,000 /year, you enter the top .1% of wealth in the world, approximately within the top 60 million richest people in the world.
While we're talking about poverty, theres a really fascinating photo series of average weekly food consumption in various countries in the world. This guy does a pretty good job, though it was originally done by Peter Menzel Photography in Time. Below are a few samples.
United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week $341.98
Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
These are such great photos. I saw them in an airport a few weeks ago and it really struck me. I love that the family unit is so prevalent across cultures, that every family has a smile, and that the organization of the photos is so similar: the week of food placed in front of the family, placed in front of or inside the home. Culture is awesome.
I'm also surprised at the amount of food $1.23 buys in Chad. While certainly it points to poverty levels, affordability, simple economics in third world countries, it still makes me wonder: Am I being ripped off?
Okay, logically, it really doesn't. But at the same time, it kind of does.
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