A Moral Nation
by David Atkins ("thereisnospoon")
You can tell a lot about people by the company they keep.
Top death penalty nations, in order of executions carried out in 2010:
1. China
2. Iran
3. North Korea
4. Yemen
5. USA
6. Saudi Arabia
7. Libya
8. Syria
9. Bangladesh
10. Somalia
Countries with the highest income inequality (out of 136 countries listed; lower rank = more unequal):
90. Nicaragua
91. Guyana
92. Nigeria
93. Malaysia
94. Iran
95. Cote d'Ivoire
96. Cameroon
97. United States
98. Jamaica
99. Uganda
100. Philippines
Of course, Americans are deeply religious:
Each of the most religious countries is relatively poor, with a per-capita GDP below $5,000. This reflects the strong relationship between a country's socioeconomic status and the religiosity of its residents...
The United States is one of the rich countries that bucks the trend. About two-thirds of Americans -- 65% -- say religion is important in their daily lives. Among high-income countries, only Italians, Greeks, Singaporeans, and residents of the oil-rich Persian Gulf states are more likely to say religion is important.
Most high-income countries are further down the religiosity spectrum. In 10 countries, no more than 34% of residents say religion is an important part of their daily lives. Six of those are developed countries in Europe and Asia with per-capita incomes greater than $25,000.
Moral exceptionalism at its finest. Makes me proud to be an American.
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