Social Classes in USA vs in Italy

[@holygooff]

This is very ironic. When I wanted to visit beaches in Italy, they were all private and you had to pay to enter. The only places I could find were absolutely dirty. This is much more a thing there than in other European countries.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Where have you been in Italy? Somewhere I haven’t, for sure…

[@michaeljfoley1]

Your observation about the separate social "bubbles" in the USA is absolutely correct, that is what I meant by "pods" in my earlier post. This is very very common in US suburbs, and most Americans now live in these suburbs.

[@xrpdude]

Great video, Mary Jane! There's obviously a relationship between social classes and mental health issues. I do wonder how concerned society is in general about these issues that seem to be never-ending and will likely worsen through time if not addressed properly. We've seen a growing fentanyl pandemic and homeless population. Hope these concerns to be addressed down the road, food for thought!

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Definitely. From my foreign perspective, I see another huge issue in this: the dangerous ease the American healthcare system has to hand out drugs to everyone. It completely shocks me.

[@omardelmar]

85% of people with ASD are unemployed/underemployed. The vast majority of people with Asperger’s also have a college degree yet the numbers also remain the same. That’s social inequality. What we need is more social awareness and acceptance of those who are different.

[@himanv]

Hi MaryJane, a question: Are you simply choosing a different border to create and compare bubbles? Taking your comparison-- Italy is one bubble and USA is a different bubble, or perhaps USA is divided into many smaller bubbles, especially the rich exurbs vs the poor inner city. But now compare Italian bubble with the sub-Saharan Africa. Is there any wonder that those people will risk their lives and get on creaky boats just to try and come over? I've not been to Italy, but last summer I did take a 10 day visit of Scotland and London. Taking the London Tube from Heathrow to Euston Station was a revelation, for it cuts through a decent number of strata of greater London and we could tell by simply looking out the train windows, at least in the portions of the line that are above ground. In Scotland too, where my cousin lives just outside central part of Glasgow-- that city felt like it had a thriving core, then areas of "council estate" housing that looked shabby and not very safe, then the suburban areas which felt nice. Granted, we didn't see any ostentatious wealth in Glasgow itself-- but for that, you only have to go to the Highlands, where the choicest hills and best areas of small touristy towns are owned for generations by the same families. Rural Scotland is primarily privately owned-- by generationally rich families, most of whom likely got rich during the time of feudalism. I wonder if Italy's history and land owning patterns are similar. Perhaps not, likely not. I know northern Italy has been more industrial and richer than southern Italy-- areas south of Rome were dirt poor, which led to internal migration from the Southern Italy countryside to northern industrial cities after World War 2. What you're seeing in NYC and NYC countryside is also the tail end of the process of migrations that started after WW-1 with the Southern blacks moving to northern cities, and then after WW-2 and the buildup of the Interstate Highway system and the suburban housing with the help of the GI Bill, the initiation of White Flight to the suburbs, leaving the cities for larger houses with fenced-in yards and a drive-way for their new automobiles. The city did not have room for this new American Dream, but it had jobs for new immigrants and for low skilled blacks from the South. If you had come to NYC or any other major American city's downtown areas about 25 years ago, you would feel the dichotomy even worse. The inner city in America was abandoned by people with choice of where they wanted to live. Since about 2000, many tens of thousands of people with choice have moved into the cities once again-- often triggering a backlash called "gentrification" which I believe you have talked about in your past videos. You could say even this filtering of wealthy people back into the city is bad, because ultimately, your criticism is about the wealth and income distribution being too stark in America. I suppose that may be truer of America and of Europe, but I do find Europe to have a rigid caste system with the same few hundred families being at the top, and not a lot of social movement from the bottom, due to a lack of opportunities. American system provides opportunities to more people, but it comes with its down sides which you highlight. I wonder if one is poor-- whether it is better to be poor in Europe-- in Friulia, or in America-- in a poor part of NYC. I think Northeastern and West Coast American cities have become too expensive even for many middle class Americans. That's why there is an ongoing population movement to the various Southern and Southwestern cities in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Arizona. California, New York, Illinois are losing population year after year, and only barely keeping up via mass migration of illegal immigrants. Sorry for the long post. Seeing your videos after many months. :) Come for a visit to Philly sometime!

[@infinite_vortex]

I just love your videos- the composition, cinnemtoagrphy, and the topics you discuss. I don't believe you ever mentioned this, but who are some of your favorite filmmakers? I see hints of Ingmar Bergan, Feline, and Jean-Luc Goddard in your style!

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Thank you so much for letting me know. I wouldn't be able to say who influenced me, there are so many. Bergman is a big one. Some of my favorite directors include Bertolucci, Jarmush, Sorrentino, De Palma, Kurosawa, Wong Kar-Wai, Burton, Miyazaki, Reggio. I could go on for another while.

[@infinite_vortex]

@@WhatashameMaryJane amazing list!

[@omardelmar]

@@WhatashameMaryJanedefinitely a great list! Wong Kar-Wai taught me to look at cinema in a new light, specifically 2046. It opened up the possibilities of movie making in my mind and made me want to project my ideas and images in mind onto the screen. For the longest time I wanted to be a filmmaker and even considered studying that-also a philosopher (first major), then a literato (for which you don’t need a degree lol and I’ve already accomplished that), and finally settled for a “secure” degree. But I always wanted to shoot a film… maybe one day… I was also watching your very first videos recently and became aware that my dream of being a travel vlogger could have been realized. When I tried to do what travel vloggers do while in Rome in 2019, I didn’t like the results of it and I abandoned that possibility. If I had just kept at it, I suspect that dream would’ve taken shape and maybe I’d be making a living from it. Everyone starts somewhere, right? I found your videos too late. TBH, you made me believe that it was possible to do it: travel. I distinctly remember your video about surviving on $10 a day and yes, it is possible. I did it during the pandemic. But more than that, your advice about not just living vicariously through you but to actually go out and do it is the best advice you could have given everyone. That and choose peace 🙂

[@developerdeveloper67]

Keep the philosophical urban/rural exploration videos coming, they are interesting, but try to film more the neighborhoods, the places you talk about, if you can. I want to see more.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Keep these useful pieces of advice coming, thank you. 🙂

[@TimothyZakaria]

​@WhatashameMaryJane wow do you like New England or NYC. I like Canada I feel like you should of made more Canadian videos. I like Montreal and Ontario

[@TimothyZakaria]

​@@WhatashameMaryJaneI am a Historian and I found out that New Jersey is older than NYC and a lot of immigrants come from Central America. And the surrounding islands

[@ckaye]

Hi Mary Jane. Yes, there are neighborhoods on Long Island, particularly on the eastern end, such as the Hamptons, and on the North Shore, that are enclaves of the super rich. They are not representative of the country as a whole. The vast majority of Long Islanders--and there are two-and-a-half million of them (not counting the portions of Long Island that are part of New York City, the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens) live in middle class neighborhoods, some of which represent the very first suburbs, established with generous government assistance, on what had been farm land. They were built mostly for American troops returning from World War II and who were starting their families.There are also pockets of poverty throughout much of Long Island. As for public beaches, please visit some of the spectacular public oceanfront beaches on the island, such as Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park, They are beautiful and they are clean. They are also free and accessible by public transit from Manhattan. The only costs will be for some highway tolls and for parking if you arrive by car, or the bus or train fares for mass transit. New York City itself has a miles-long oceanfront beach on the Rockaway peninsula of Queens. It is reachable by subway or by ferries from Manhattan which are subsidized by the city and cost four dollars.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Hello there! Don't worry, I'm well aware that these extra rich suburbs aren't representative nor or the whole country neither of the whole Long Island. My point was that these pockets exist nonetheless, and I was offering my external point of view from a country where this phenomenon doesn't occur (yet). I've been to both Jones Beach and Robert Moses Park more than once: nice beaches, but they are on the ocean side and don't even compare in beauty with the ones on the North side, in my humble opinion.

[@omardelmar]

1:48 I always trespass on these private parks, never had anyone tell me anything although sometimes they give funny looks. I’m out and about with my dog a lot, and our health takes priority over unethical “rules”. 14:57 :) glad to see you enjoying the simple things in life. And sometimes reheated foods taste better. We call it “recalentado” and makes for tasty comfort food.

[@7aloha7]

That store/Farmers Market you shopped at is very upscale and not a typical Farmers Market found on Long Island.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

I know, that's why I showed it

[@HabaneroTi]

Yeah, $3.50/lb for apples is pretty extreme, especially in fall, which is when apples are harvested, and in a major apple growing state and region. She was ripped off. This time of year, on Long Island, you can get really high quality apples for $1.00 - $1.50/lb, even in nicer markets like North Shore Farms or H Mart. It's actually not THAT expensive (but certainly not inexpensive) to live around here if you're willing to put in a little effort to find quality products at decent prices.

[@davidellis5141]

Hi Mary Jane - I want to retire in Iceland 🇮🇸 & enjoy the hot springs everyday. Its interesting in California that the beaches are almost all public despite all the rich & famous owning " beachfront " property. The shoreline & first few hundred feet remain public property for tanning & BBQ's & surfing & swimming & parking on streets is free. The beach should be for all to enjoy.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

It is interesting indeed to see how different states and/or countries deal with the use of their coastline. It's a subject that we do debate in Italy and surrounding countries. I don't know of a legislation that has it all figured out yet.

[@ConanNYC]

How will you be able to get a Retirment visa?

[@g.vv.8695]

Ciao carissima...bel video...❤

[@forestfoxcroft95]

the hamptons beaches and towns are beyond beautiful.....

[@melquides2]

Nailed it, very accurate. 🇮🇹

[@adrianbortas3050]

How do you call those type of pasta? It looks delicious

[@mediolanumclassic]

I was working in S. Francisco in private houses and the disparity between the wealthy people and the homeless was too painful for me to watch. I went back to the rural area near Nevada city where the life is more affordable and the disparity less visible. I think that for the workers will be more and more difficult to keep a job in the big cities because the time to travel and the traffic and the costs are skyrocketing.

[@mediolanumclassic]

E' una societa' basata sull'avidita' e il profitto above people. Mi sembra di vivere il tempo della fine di un impero.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Yet workers are the ones that keep cities running - how would cities keep functioning without them?

[@alan12de]

Ma dopo tutto sto spiegone filosofico, na domanda semplice semplice. Ma il formaggio sulla pasta non l'hai messo?

[@davidesperanza5413]

How can a society accept the fact that if a citizen have no money can die when at 5 km there is a hospital? Thi is horrorific and barbaric in my opinion.

[@emmanuelwood8702]

I know you mean because I am a New Yorker too but NY is only a small part of the country and is not representative of it.

[@michaeljfoley1]

In the USA, once mass suburbanization really took hold after World War 2, everything started to get spread out and separated, rich people had their isolated suburb "pod", upper-middle class had their pod, middle class had their separate pod, and the poor were mostly left in the central cities or old neighborhoods. Residential was separated from shopping zones and office/work zones, so driving long distances became necessary to get everywhere, and creating good public spaces became a low priority. Population density in the new suburbs was too low to have functional mass transit. Communities became more and more isolated.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Good analysis.

[@michaeljfoley1]

@@WhatashameMaryJane I'm very interested in the topic of urban/town planning, and the effect of suburbia on US society (and economy). So when I see any discussion of it, I get pretty excited 😄😉 You seem to be noticing many of the problems that we have.

[@davidoverbye3410]

We have these “pods” in our cities too. They existed before suburbs. Many of those buildings in Manhattan are their own isolated worlds too. Look at how Hudson Yards is being developed, or the super talls at the South End of Central Park. And the residences in them can be way more expensive than big houses on Long Island. The concept of pods is a good one. Cities can create the illusion of integration and inclusion, but they can be just as segregated.

[@michaeljfoley1]

@@davidoverbye3410 Oh definitely. But in the suburbs there is more distance to the separation, and the tendency to isolate even more. In a traditional American town, you could often walk from the downtown shops on main street, through the wealthy neighborhood, through the middle class area, through the poorer area on the edge of town, there were still richer and poorer areas, but there was a proximity and relative closeness to them.

[@7aloha7]

Big deal if some of the houses are mansions. Some people make more money. Doesn't mean that they treat those with less poorly.

[@timmurphy5541]

It might mean they aren't paying as much tax as they could. I remember a park in San Jose - so beautiful but full of people sleeping rough. I have not seen a park like that in the UK - perhaps it's not a fair comparison because there are homeless people here and our climate is colder so people cannot sleep on the grass....but America is supposed to be the richest country in the world for goodness sake!

[@peteplayz-norskgaming5723]

@@timmurphy5541When you said people arent paying as much in taxes as they could I thought you were referencing lower salaried/wealth people because they could be earning more

[@boltthrower142]

@15:11 bellissimo il modo in cui tieni la pentola ::

[@tbsharkey]

One thing to keep in mind is that most of the US does not resemble Long Island. I loved the mobile cooking setup!

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

And, I would add, is very diverse in the situations you can find. Nonetheless, there is a common thread I've seen going on in many different areas of the US.

[@HabaneroTi]

As I posted in another video, she'd have had a better time in Oyster Bay a short drive south of there instead of Bayville. Nicer beach, more people, better views, etc. Plus I recall there being nicer beaches further east of there, but I'm not an expert in that area.

[@massimomarinelli5131]

Interesting pov. I think these social classes bubbles are even more frequent here in Italy. It’s all mixed up maybe and they come easier in an old cracking nation where it takes just 2 hours driving east to west. Hopefully I can make it moving there next year and then I’ll tell you mine :) Keep posting

[@alessandrom7181]

If you think Italy is cracking wait to see the tons of homeless people in USA. 🤡🤡

[@CarlosAlberto_Il_piccolo]

You look great María!! Mandi

[@adammarkowitz7944]

Italy is a beautiful country of wonderful, soulful, passionate, people who do and make beautiful things--cars and pianos, for example. And, yes, America's in a sad state and there's much inequality, in fact, the rich are getting richer while most others are struggling. But I'd like to say two things to you, Mary Jane: 1) There are plenty of public beaches(on L.I.) which are very nice indeed 2) Through the first ten minutes(after which I tapped out) you're coming off as negative, even bitchy. Thanks for listening.

[@tlacorp.3813]

The average American would be more in a plsce like the midwest, and so income and education would be generally lower. There would be a bigger middle class because there is also a bigger working class.

[@aldomelchiori9591]

You should come to the Pacific Northwest- it’s different here

[@andrewbadart3827]

Thank you for this Mary... I really appreciate getting a realistic idea of how divided the American society is in a place like New York State, and I would very much agree with all that you've said, if I were to experience the reality of the situation firsthand. For me this is not Ok, and through the conditioning of the society itself, it comes to be thought of as normal unfortunately!. Natural resources, like the environment, are there for everybody's well-being, and should not need to be earned, or acquired, in the sense of material possessions. To deny people of all backgrounds and circumstances, this basic humanitarian right, to experience their environment in a positive sense, is a very serious and selfish indictment on the state of the American system, and it's traditional power base. This form of apartheid, will have it's day of reckoning eventually I think, and then everybody will have to suffer the consequences of this long tolerated entitlement, which could get extremely turbulent for all of American society I think!.

[@Qwerty8]

Hi Andrew 😊

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Hi Andrew! :)

[@andrewbadart3827]

Thank you Mary and Qwerty, I really appreciate hearing from both of you, and if time and the impetus to respond, both happen to correspond with each other, I do hope to get back to adding my thoughts from time to time, about your thoughtful video's Mary, which I have always found to be completely in alignment with my own views overall.

[@onceupongeorgia]

Hi Mary Jane, do you know any book’s/ discussing club, in lower manhattan to discuss this kind of topics? Most of people who I know just reading fictions. No classics, no philosophy…

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Hi unfortunately I don't

[@Aryannair.7]

I live in italy I mostly wanted To move to Switzerland Or SCOTLAND CAN YOU RECCOMEND ME SMFN PLEASE

[@Aryannair.7]

Hey which country do you like the most

[@edwardsalvetti6358]

Middle of the USA still has a middle class. CA and NY are hard places to make it.

[@stevierubalcava5924]

Mary, I challenge you to read this okay 🙏🏽 What you just described is a person who is in love with the world and everyone in it. 🌍. Not in love with herself. I congratulate you on that. You are a Political Left leaning human being. I'm Native American. Apaché Nation. Ahó Izdzáníí Yaa'įį Yidiits'e Shik'isn. I have a Masters degree from UC Berkeley in Sociology. Also ive been following you for years. Saluti da San Jose CA

[@BFPolarBear]

Nice video, just a few comments. NYC is the cosmopolitan and financial capital of the United States of America. You will naturally have the largest discrepancies of wealth because there will be larger numbers of the ultra-wealthy. You happened to be driving around Long Island which is a colossal suburb of NYC. Sometimes the ultra-wealthy will have urban skyscraper dwellings, but they also have real estate in “country club” land. The little market you went to is going to be very expensive because it’s fitting the niche of a luxury food “farmer’s market”. Most people are going to find better prices for food, but it’s going to be the more industrialized US foods. However, my German friends noted that good food in normal grocery stores is still cheaper in Europe. Especially a proper loaf of bread. You are also viewing the ad hoc fashion of how we construct our cities and towns. Urban planning should be better, but we also have colossal buildable land area, and we are a new world country so it’s a big hodge podge. Our preeminent cities are coastal cities at the mouth of a river (new world trade ports) which is not generally the case in Europe (Rome with Ostia). For the areas with the highest population densities, there is less buildable land. However, our interior cities are also not planned well. I speculate that Americans often have a homestead mentalities. Each family in the stereotypical suburb would prefer have their own garage, big truck, rideable lawnmower, swingset, compost pile, and/or grill instead of sharing one. Most HOAs are not designed to have those services for the entire neighborhood. Unfortunately, good public small parks will be an afterthought. With brevity, I think you are seeing the results of a new world country with low population density and comparing to ancient countries with high population densities. Americans won’t want to admit this, but better points of comparison for us would be Brazil and Russia. Australia and Canada are not good comparisons because their populations are in discrete regions of their lands. We would need a population of 750,000,000 to have roughly the same density as Spain.

[@SelfReflective]

You’re trying to insert rationality and perspective into her highly biased and emotional presentation. I mean, Italy is a basket case, politically, economically, she never mentions it.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Interesting idea that Brazil and Russia would be good comparisons for the US. I can't argue with that cause I've never been in either of those countries. I just talk about what I see and what goes though my head. About NYC area being the financial capital of US: I agree that the discrepancies are the widest, but what surprised me coming here is that the wealthy are ultra-rich, but the working class is not much richer than other places. On the contrary, the lowest classes are poorer than the ones I'm used to in Italy.

[@federicomasetti8809]

​@@WhatashameMaryJanejust one thing about the poorest people in Italy: don't forget they mostly belong to specific areas (for example the towns between Naples and Caserta and surroundings, or some towns in Calabria and Sicily, or, more recently, the suburbs of Milan, while the rest of the country doesn't really see such levels of poverty (in every sense, not just financial, but cultural and of education as well). And, nowadays, they're mostly immigrants, that don't get that much integrated in our society. Unfortunately, because it's when you don't integrate the people in the society that you generate criminals, because they end up with nothing else to do, to survive or find a "meaning" to their own lives

[@federicomasetti8809]

Very, very, very hard for me to tell which would be a good balance between a society based on pure merit (where, whoever doesn't perform as good as others, for ANY reason, disabilities included, is like a dead man walking, where "social darwinism" is "the rule") and a society where you are granted everything you need to survive, which will make you feel like you don't need to improve yourself, to study, to learn, to know more, because you don't risk to die starving if you don't, hence putting the development of everything in life to a stall. I've been thinking about it endless times and still I don't really know which one would be the best way, besides the fact that it should be a balance, which is very hard to find

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

I would argue that a "society where you are granted everything you need to survive" would not make me feel like I need to learn, study and to know more. I personally never risked to die starving if I didn't, yet I've always been a very passionate learner and still am. Things in life change wether we are convinced that we are making them change or not. "Self growth", "self development", "be the best version of yourself", "make you dreams come true", "make the difference", "work harder", "do more" are all myths made up by Americans that explain and reinforce a neoliberalist set of values. I think neoliberalism is highly detrimental to the well being of everyone in a society; promoting "merit" is morally unjustifiable in my opinion and granting to each individual the right to have the necessary resources to survive and live with dignity should be our objective.

[@federicomasetti8809]

@@WhatashameMaryJane I get your point and, in general, I agree with you, but I can't say that I don't know people (and they're not a few) who don't care about anything else in the world, but their own - small - existence, and will be fine with whoever promises them such things, even if he/she is a "tyrant" who, in our democratic systems, doesn't need to use brute force, to take the power, but simply make that kind of electoral promises that appeal to this kind of people, to win their votes at any next democratic elections. Literally "panem et circenses" (2000 years have passed and still we haven't learned that). That's why I say it's very hard, at least for me, to really tell what would be the best for all of us, besides wishing for an improvement in everyone's knowledge and awareness, as well as patience, empathy and respect. I keep my fingers crossed 🤞

[@imaginaryaldrin]

Riflessione interessante.Purtroppo la direzione é quella anche a livello globale .L’America da il buono e il cattivo esempio. Si va verso la privatizzazione di qualsiasi cosa, sanità compresa, la ricchezza è sempre più un fattore principalmente ereditario.È necessario contrastare questa deriva , diversamente anche in Italia finiremo per considerare giusti e legittimi questi modelli societari.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

In Italia siamo completamente colonizzati dagli Americani. Per me questo è terribile.

[@lagringa7518]

In fatti, but the goals of the wef is to make a small amount of people obscenely wealthy (CEO pay) and 'their' job has been to make sure that the majority get poorer and ignore where they once came from, this has been going on for the last 50 years.... and they've been very successful in the USA and all over the world. They want the average person in debt to the central banks, so they make sure that the cost of living keeps rising while their paychecks don't... ie; slaves... whose only purpose is to increase the wealth of the already rich at their expense. In Italy however, the higher classes, as in the US have many more facilitations and there are those famous "raccomandati" who tend to get the good jobs over someone who would do it much better if they were hired on merit and not conoscenze o nepotismo. The thing is, all of the EU countries are complicit in this agenda, including Italy where the average starting wage is around 800-1300eu/mo or cursed with tempo indeterminato or lots of cheap, under the table foreign labor. This has all been planned.

[@matrix_x_]

MJ, I totally agree with you about the uneven distribution of wealth. Everyone should be able to live in a solid home and work a solid job. I agree that many exaggerate the luxury that most of them have not even acquired legally. Wealth should be distributed. But that is the so-called "dirty American capitalism". If you speak these views in front of Republicans and their sympathizers, they will call you a communist, but I completely agree with your thinking. In the 21st century, no one deserved to be without a normal home and the opportunity to live.

[@Mewyee1]

It's called status, keeping up with the Jones... society reacts to the titled or entitlement. Staff vs manager, lower, mid class vs upper class, single vs marriage and so on. I see how society changes with a title to their name or income brackets changes people. Having too much money can poison your mind, body and soul as we can see on the News reports and social media. It's unfortunate...

[@timofeegraaay8165]

Taylor Swift just bought a 17.48 million dollar house and property. She worked her ass off for it. She is touring South America right now during American Thanksgiving. Good for her. She earned it and is so famous that security and privacy are paramount. John Lennon was shot dead on Central Park West. Wealthy people have private beaches and huge yards, good for them. It is the rewards of being extremely successful and also the price you pay. You become a target of thieves and those who want what you have. I started out in the coal fields of West Virginia, very poor compared to many, but I am a millionaire ( technically) now if you include my property owning. I worked like sh*t for it, had anxiety attacks, spends many nights in the office or on the road for work. It is the price I paid in order to have some security in my golden years. It is better than having the exact same housing, transport, clothing and living conditions as those who are too damn lazy or unwilling to go get what they want. They just want a government hand out and just cruise through a life of sitting around drawing a damn check off our taxes. I don’t think that is right. I am not for socialism and most socialist nations have not produced a damn thing to help humanity or to harm it with inventions like social media and driverless cars/trucks or just about every harmful pharmaceutical like OxyContin. But profit driven societies will invent good and bad, “classless societies” produce dictatorships and ugly mass apartment buildings dithered out by corrupt party members. It is the nature of things in the US and I truly doubt it will change, although some change would be nice.I am nor rich but I give a significant amount to the United Methodist Church, the American Lung Foundation, to fight Parkinson’s Disease through research and to Railway passenger train development in my country. It is at minimum 10% of my income monthly, to those who have more, more is expected ( to semi quote John F Kennedy). P

[@HabaneroTi]

I'm probably foolish for even bothering to respond to your screed, given that no one else has, but you're presenting a very simplistic and inaccurate description of how things actually are. Sure, many people do become rich by working hard and contributing to society, but many get rich by essentially stealing from others and gaming the system, like the former president, one of the worst human beings to have ever lived and certainly the worst to have been president. And sure, some people are poor because they're lazy and living off handouts, but many didn't have the opportunities that others had, in terms of education, jobs, mentors, good parents and so on, and despite working hard they just can't seem to catch a break, often being overworked by the sorts of rich people who get rich by exploiting others. Not everyone can be a businessperson. It's just not practical. Most have to work for others (which is a good thing because most businesspeople need workers), and so long as they put in an honest effort, they should be paid and treated well. Instead, in all too many cases, they're overworked, underpaid, given few if any benefits and in some cases fired if they call in sick. A decent, moral society doesn't allow that to happen, and passes laws to prohibit it. People being what they are, there will always be exploiters who will try to take advantage of others, and the law of the jungle takes over, with the strong and/or ruthless dominating the weak and meek. Maybe you're ok with that, but most people are not. As for socialist countries not contributing anything to the world, I guess you've never heard of Italy, which makes cars, appliances, fashion, food, medicine, and other essentials. Also France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Sweden, etc., basically every European country, which are nearly all socialist to one degree or another--but also capitalist. Neither system works well by itself, but combined, it can and usually does lead to prosperity and a decline in poverty. It's not about handouts, but about leveling things out so everyone who wants to can participate in the economy and live a decent life, if not necessarily luxurious. This includes the US, which has had socialist aspects since the 19th century, and which, if your story is true, I can absolutely guarantee you've benefited from and couldn't have succeeded without. I just can't stand this "I did it all on my own without anyone's help and if others don't want to be poor then they should be rich like me" nonsense that's a total fabrication.

[@timofeegraaay8165]

@@HabaneroTi I didn’t do crap on my own without help, you overestimate my capabilities and how I have gotten through life. My parents were a huge benefit to me, my father paying for or co-sign for my college expenses and loans, I had mentors who were willing to speak up for me and educated me in how to navigate the corporate world. I now am on Medicare for my health insurance, which is a blessing considering some of the health concerns that I have or may develop. I could take social security payments but hope to live longer to get even more monthly payments from THE GOVERNMENT, but I also paid into it from my very first job and still do in my part time job. I also had some great advantages that had nothing to do with my skills of work efforts; I was born male, White, raised Protestant Christian and still practice it and I was not born with nor developed any severe physical disability or any kind of learning limitations such as dyslexia or being somewhere along the spectrum of God given mental limitations such as Downs Syndrome ( which runs in my wife’s family) or autism. I am a strong Democrat and despise the former President that you noted in your response more than perhaps any political figure I can think of in my almost 7 decades of life in the United States. I am a very strong supporter of civil rights and support laws that enforce equal opportunities for those in minority groups, I am also very upset about the present condition of our Veterans Administration and it’s shameful condition for those who have served. My father saw combat in the Pacific in WW 2 and a brother was regular army in Vietnam ( which much like the war in Iraq I found a stupid and horrific course of action taken on by my government for political reasons and the defense contractors who profit from such actions) and I saw first hand as a child how the extremely valuable natural resource of coal, coke and hard labor was taken from my Appalachian area to line the pockets of big shots at US Steel, the big three auto makers, the aviation and electrical companies while leaving most in my geographic area in poverty. My response was not to reference any of the western nations you mentioned because I agree that there is a need to have a balance of social programs and protections in enforced legislative programs to go with a capitalist system. My point is that the human being is often extremely motivated by the ability to more through “socioeconomic” classes by hard work, skill development and education. Without any protection against the greed, grift, and worship of power, sex, wealth, and domination of those without empathy, compassion, or conscience guilt, you have a “Lord of the Flies” world. What I can’t stand is the people and philosophers who decry capitalism as an absolute moral failure and a systematic abuse of the workers and so called common folk who make up,the majority of the human race. It is absolutely most likely that my original response was so poorly written that my major thesis was completely misunderstood in said response. Without the profit incentive and the ability to start in one class and move to another circumstance in life, you have an even more failed and yes, immoral and unethical, society. The British caste system is/was a prime example of keeping people in their place and the great American experiment with a core bill of rights that were written and ratified in a time of great exclusion and stratification of humans ( to include human bondage and slavery) was at its least an attempt to break away from such conditions. Having lived in England and Norway I would never claim that such nations produce nothing of consequence to the world would be preposterous of me, but I don’t think the anti-capitalist mindset brings innovation, growth, progress or anything but a lack of incentive and basic human hope for a better life. Please try to remember that people from France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Sweden, Ireland, Poland, and the Balkans all immigrated to the US in search of the opportunities that were not available in their fatherlands. Should that former president gain office once again in this country, which is very likely because he is seen as better in issues of the economy, uncontrolled immigration, and the reinstatement of White Christian nationalism and preventing the US from becoming a third world nation; I will be very unhappy indeed. Unfortunately I have but one vote and I have zero say in whom the political party I belong to nominates for the nations highest office. I seem to constantly hear that being a woman and a minority race are no qualifications for being president and it scares me to my core to see and hear these things.

[@TheWolfalpino]

making apples in Usa would be a good business, no?

[@yngslugger7812]

Unfortunately you can’t really tell someone else how to spend their money when they earn their living doing a job that earns more than what you do.

[@Qwerty8]

I don’t think that’s the point. But I think the responsibility to society grows with the influence of the person in question. As a crude example, if someone can afford a Lamborghini, that doesn't mean they can drive faster just because the car allows them to.

[@scottkempton6085]

Mary Jane, you’re adorable. While eating the pasta by the ocean - out of the pan: “oh my god!”. I totally know the feeling. I’ve experienced the same, exact feeling eating breakfast out of a paper bag as the sun comes up, on a cliff, overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii. Getting to your point about classes in America: people all have common, basic needs (e.g., food, water, clothing and shelter). When those basic needs are met, they begin to desire something beyond the basics to make their lives more comfortable. When people form communities, there has to be a mechanism that determines who gets those luxuries, and how much. In America, that system is called Capitalism; those who are clever/lucky enough are able to acquire more luxuries than those who are less so. That system, unfortunately, creates classes, but the alternative is to have the government decide who gets the luxuries, and how much - and we know how that goes. The only way to counter the adverse side effects of Capitalism is to rely on the altruism of those who have the wealth, and that, unfortunately, is in short supply it seems. I’m not sure there is a better answer than that. And yes, I know you know all of this already. You’re a smart girl. 😀

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

"That system, unfortunately, creates classes, but the alternative is to have the government decide who gets the luxuries, and how much - and we know how that goes." There is finally a very lively debate these days about alternatives to capitalism (yes, plural, not singular, as you assume in your comment - an assumption that is so typical American, from the era when your politicians brainwashed you into thinking that socialism was the only - evil - alternative to capitalism). Based on what I know, it all started when the 2009 Mark Fisher's book "Capital Realism" started getting a lot of momentum (the author died suicidal in 2017, maybe this is related to the recent success of the publication). This little book is all about raising awareness on the fact that we came to a point where capitalism is so pervasive that we, as a society, became unable to conceive any alternative system to it, as if capitalism was the one and only socio-economical system possible. Yet we know that this is not the case, since in the history of humankind there have been countless systems running their own cycle, peaking, declining and dying, leaving the place for a new alternative one. Today we seem to have forgotten about it, so that we became unable to imagine an alternative to the current (rapidly declining) system.

[@victoriap3832]

I hear you, you are right. Some have so much while others don't have anything. I believe in the kingdom of God. It's the only solution for these problems. I recommend to read Matthew chapter 24. They way things are going on this earth. That day is very close.

[@developerdeveloper67]

Well, that is capitalism, that is what freedom is about, if the people who make the money choose to live that way that is entirely up to them, as it should be. Do I think that is shallow? Yes. Do I want my kids to grow up in that hyper privileged environment? No. But still, it's their choice to live like that, they are free and they are entitled to their private property. The only thing I think I don't agree with this is the private beaches. I think natural places, like beaches, lakes and rivers should probably be public, like it's part of the country, you should not be able to close a beach to the public. It feels wrong to take a piece of the scenery of the country and just close it to the public.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Good observations. I would answer that if this what freedom is all about, then freedom is the most overestimated idea ever. Or maybe freedom is not only about that (freedom of choice). I don't know, it would be nice to sit down and actually analyze what freedom is. It's a need I started to feel a long time ago, since the idea of freedom is so massively used in this country.

[@peterbasil8833]

To be fair, the area you visited is known as “The Gold Coast”, made famous in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American classic “The Great Gatsby”. If you were to visit the largest town in the area, you would be surprised to learn that it is a very diverse community, more so than most cities in your home country. I agree that there is not an excuse for the America’s expensive healthcare, but that is the result of politicians who refuse to serve the people who elected them. As you know, the current government in Italy is far from progressive; anti immigration, anti diversity, etc 19:25 . I feel that you are understandably uncomfortable living in the United States. You should consider a career in politics in Italy in order to help the less fortunate in your country.

[@ConanNYC]

I plan to retire to Europe . US is too expensive to retire comfortably. Many Americans retiring to Portugal.

[@superdadmoney]

Same. I’m interested in Spain or Italy though.

[@SelfReflective]

Where in Europe exactly? And where will your pension come from?

[@ConanNYC]

@@SelfReflective social security and 401k

[@holygooff]

Please don´t. You´re competing unfairly with the locals. They shouldn´t suffer for your comfort. Make your own country better instead.

[@ConanNYC]

@@holygooff but i Bet your for open borders so the illegals can keep coming in?

[@orlandofurioso7958]

Dai, Mary Jane! Come on! Said with gentle effect, I don’t believe you're very well traveled in Italy, much less the USA. Don't tell me you've never shopped in Peck's grocery in Milan! [I trust you have not. You would have paid that much for a piece of cheese...for one serving, two at the most, not four!] Nothing on Long Island is better than the estates areas where the Agnellis live in Italy's north. Take a boat tour on Lago Como. Those aren't shacks. Those Americans who haven't traveled widely in Italy, who agree with her, are probably less traveled in Italy than she seems be, and without means to evaluate MJ's opinions. She's a well meaning soul. There's no malice. But there's much naivete. And this leads others astray.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Maybe you're right thinking that I'm not "well travelled", or maybe you're simplifying what I try to get in its complexity. Who knows. The important for me is to question the state of things and make people reflect about stuff.

[@orlandofurioso7958]

@@WhatashameMaryJaneI admire your courage and your speaking your convictions. Envisioning over the horizon is actually possible. You're not one content see and accept only as true that which is in direct line of site. Have no doubts. You're blessed. You will do well in your travels. On that, if you haven't read "Cristo Si È Fermato a Eboli", do. Then try visiting the locations of which Levy wrote, and visit Matera. (Add Lecce and Otranto!) You can't visit the moon, but read the only English prose translation of the entirety of Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso", an Oxford Classics Work publication from around 2008 or so, I think. Magnificent! The Count did go to the moon to get his brains back, if you know the story. And if, by chance, you watched "Pane e Tulipane" Bruno Ganz' recitation from "Orlando Furioso" is brilliant! I nearly fell out of my chair when he gave that recital to his love interest, for both its beauty...but that I knew the source material!

[@sergiogarcia-fk9ho]

East coast, you are either poor or rich. No in between, no is no middle class . Florida and texas are worth the look. The North east coast, is horrible

[@StefanoF-n6k]

Senza offesa, ma il tuo discorso sulla disparità sociale mi sembra un po' ingenuo: in tutto il mondo, non solo quello capitalista, ci sono enormi differenze tra ricchi, benestanti e poveri; posti frequentati solo da ricchi ed altri solo da gente benestante o meno, scuole pubbliche, scuole private, circoli privati, attività pubbliche e via dicendo. Potremmo parlare per giorni di quanto sarebbe bello che tutti avessero lo stesso livello di benessere, senza eccessi né da un lato né dall'altro, ma sappiamo tutti che sarebbe pura utopia (e non credo neanche sarebbe giusto, a livello meritocratico). Per quanto riguarda il tuo esempio pratico, poi, ne hai scelto uno un po' estremo: Long Island (per non parlare degli Hamptons) è una lingua di terra, è normale fare fatica a trovare spazio pubblico, il poco terreno a disposizione è facilmente proprietà privata. Se vai a Newport, RI (altro posto da ricchi), per citare la prima cittadina che mi viene in mente, ci sono un sacco di spiagge pubbliche, pulite e ben tenute. In Italia sì che è veramente difficile trovare una spiaggia pubblica e, una volta conclusa la ricerca, devi fare attenzione a scansare mozziconi di sigaretta, siringhe ed immondizia varia.

[@stefanoytube9069]

Anche il tuo commento è decisamente estremo . In Italia quasi tutte le spiagge sono pubbliche e non ho mai visto una spiaggia pubblica piena di mozziconi , siringhe o immondizia a meno che tu non sia stato in una discarica senza accorgertene ed a tua insaputa..il resto del tuo commento denota una certa distrazione rispetto alle riflessioni di Mary Jane..

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Sarà pure ingenuo ma non mi sembra che tu l'abbia capito. Sono partita dal presupposto che in tutto il mondo esistono disparità sociali, dopodiché ho fatto distinzioni tra come le disparità sociali si manifestano nell'Italia che conosco e come si manifestano negli Stati Uniti che conosco. In questo commento hai semplicemente ripetuto il mio presupposto. Ho aggiunto molti altri dettagli a quello, che per ovvie ragioni non ripeterò qui. L'esempio hai ragione è estremo, ma non hai ragione a dire che l'ho scelto: mi sono semplicemente trovata lì e ho condiviso i miei pensieri. Sono altri i video in cui analizzo e argomento tematiche specifiche: in questo video ho semplicemente descritto ciò che ho visto. Nell'Italia che io conosco le spiagge sono per la stragrande maggioranza a libero e pubblico accesso, e raramente mi sono trovata a dover scansare molta immondizia. Forse abbiamo visitato spiagge diverse.

[@sergiogarcia-fk9ho]

You are in the wrong state, go south to the Carolina and gulf coast, or come west, not to the coast but az, Idaho, Nevada. The east coast, high taxes, high cost of living. Each state is diffrent, Colorado is my place i call home. Beautiful public parks, mountains. If you want beautiful public beaches, san diego, California, most of the beaches there can not be bought.

[@jim6070]

Compared to socialism, capitalism has several advantages. It produces greater economic growth and productivity, at least in part because it provides more incentives (i.e., profit) for economic innovation. It also is often characterized by greater political freedom in the form of civil rights and liberties. Remember, the USA is the most diverse country in the history of the world.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

I could write a comment starting with: "Compared to capitalism, socialism has several advantages..." I'm famously not a fan of capitalism, and I don't understand where you were going with this comment 😅

[@jim6070]

@@WhatashameMaryJane To explain, your video seems to focus on the wealth disparity in the USA. This is a capitalist country, so I felt a need to mention the positives that capitalism provides. You mostly overlooked all of the positives. Fact is that capitalism is responsible for most of the great innovations in this world. And to add to that, socialism, which seems to be what you prefer, fails everywhere it is fully implemented. I am good with your pointing out flaws in our society, I just want to also mention the positives. Remember, America's poor still live better than most of the rest of humanity so something is getting done right.

[@UrbanistExploringCities]

⁠@@jim6070100% agree with everything you commented. There are many things to admire about the United States and capitalism. 👏

[@omardelmar]

@@UrbanistExploringCitieshave you all lived elsewhere?

[@pancholp5879]

I don’t understand the surprise of driving through wealthy neighborhoods in the US. You have the same disparity in Europe. Maybe you just know the pretty part of Europe?

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Maybe

[@emmanuelnaranjo8114]

if you want socialisms you can leave this country and live in venezuela, dont complaint

[@mauromalatesta252]

Ciao Sei bellissima

[@Aryannair.7]

where do you live right now , tell me please ,, i dont like italy at all

[@FinancialMood]

The only person in the world who doesn't love Italy 😂

[@sergiogarcia-fk9ho]

Come west

[@francescomunizmiranda4425]

I think "spreaded" doesn't exist.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

I think so too

[@minopoggiali6237]

This apple is delicious...e sarà meglio! Combatti il sistema, pianta un melo!

[@saschaesken5524]

USA no choice for me

[@trentjackson6837]

Do you ever say anything nice about our country? Are you as critical of anywhere’s else?

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Here kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3WUdGWjf5mGjqssi=7jLZdf3Q9HVwhMyX

[@peterlagroove6555]

which country. the country that your ancestors stole from the first nation

[@whitewolf4096]

It’s far cheaper to live in the south, I bought my home in 2019 and have a very good standard of life compared to many who have similar income in the north

[@traceww]

How can someone have a "private park" that's "bigger than a public park"???? It's called private ownership of property/land. How dare they!!!! "Who needs all these luxuries???" Who are you to decide what other people "need"? It's called freedom. At least you have some understanding about the social mobility in the USA.

[@7aloha7]

How can you compare two countries that have such huge differences. The US has a very diverse population from Italy. Please go back to Italy if it is so much better.

[@shiptj01]

Wrong.

[@heynowls3058]

Eat the Rich 1%! I’m from NYC area. Can no longer afford to live there. And, I grew up in a blue collar town! The dream is over.

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

Sorry to hear. You're not alone.

[@death363]

was this filmed a long time ago? theres no way youre wearing a dress in long island in November.....

[@WhatashameMaryJane]

End of October during three days of very abnormal weather

[@dctr.Mikrash]

America is a country steamed up by Hollywood, and American food is terrible. It’s not surprising that a girl from Italy breaks her mold! There is not much socialism in Italy! and the USA is exclusively a state of private property and capital. and normal food in the USA is expensive, unlike Italy, where there is good cheese