Korean Job Discussion Forums

[IncognitoHFX]

Would you rather be rich in a poor country or poor in a rich country? What is your reasoning for this?

I'm just curious. I have a feeling most people will pick the former, because they'll be thinking of places like Vietnam and Thailand.

Provide your reasoning if you wish.

**Edit** Okay, people want me to elaborate.

Benefits to being poor in a rich country: democracy is for the most part actualized. You might have a stronger feeling of safety. As well as the moral benefits, such as knowing your country isn't arming itself against dissidents and prosecuting innocent people--or forcing young children/girls into prostitution/factories/slavery et cetera.

Being rich in a poor country doesn't spare you knowledge of such things and it is more than possible that you will by force of accident witness events and situations that you wouldn't see as often in a rich country: events that might make you very uncomfortable. It begs the question, is it worth it?

Benefits to being rich in a poor country: being poor in America and some places in Canada sucks. You might as well live in the third world. There is quite a bit of violence, you aren't represented politically as much as you ought to be, and your job would most likely suck balls and require a lot of hours from you inducing exhaustion coupled with depression.

If you're rich in Thailand or something, you could easily isolate yourself to a small social circle, integrate with friendly locals and spend your spare time (a lot of it) writing a great novel, going on adventures and making yourself as comfortable as humanly possible.

I think there are upsides and downsides to both... so I'm surprised so many people chose to be rich in a poor country.

[visitorq]

Define rich. If you mean, like able to do anything you want (i.e. a millionaire), then that`s cool. Otherwise places like Thailand aren`t cheap when you want to live a life of luxury (same price as anywhere really), and merely being wealthier than the average migrant worker from Issan doesn`t mean anything.

Being poor sucks everywhere, but there`s a lot to be said for living in a developed country. Everyone wants to, because it`s just better.

[LL Moonmanhead]

A pretty stupid question with a fairly obvious answer. No?

[crsandus]

Maybe you could add conditions to the question or other changes. If you asked "Would you rather make $40,000 pounds in US or the equivalent amount in Vietnam?"

[twg]

Tis better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven?

[littlelisa]

Yeah, depends on what "poor" is and what "rich" is.

I'd rather be average in a rich (read: developed) country than either of those options, I think.

Edit: of course, still depends on what country.

[RACETRAITOR]

Rich in a poor country. In my spare time (which would be all the time) I'd go on the rooftop of my palace and play hand grenade golf.

[Draz]

[pkang0202]

Money can buy me a good shrink to suppress my guilty conscience that the whole poor country is suffering while I'm feasting on Fillet Mignon and Lobster.