We often have a stereotypical mindset when the topic of standard of living in America is brought up. People often perceive life in America as a comfortable life from cradle to coffin, the promise of wealth and riches. The people lead happy lives in big, modern cities, enriched with new consumer goods which further better their lives. Talk about China and their viewpoint changes drastically. The Chinese are perceived to be not as well to do. They live in smaller apartment homes and most do blue-collar work in factories. Many cannot afford consumer goods as they live from hand to mouth and have to save for them. Also, only a narrow range of products are available, with most of them being counterfeit goods. As with all stereotypes, they do not give a full picture. Contrary to the stereotypical mindset, I think that both countries have achieved great progress in society, as the standard of living in both countries have improved considerably.
Let me begin with progress in American society. After the boom years of the Roaring Twenties ended with the Great Depression, the progress made in improving the standard of living started in the post-war boom years. The statistics speak for themselves. The economy grew by an average of 3.8% from 1946 to 1973, while the consumption of goods and services increased, gaining this era the name The Golden Age of Capitalism. In China, much of this progress came after the 1978 economic reforms. Per capita consumption grew at 5.5% from 1975 to 1986. People could afford more consumer goods and services. Life expectancy also increased throughout this period, reflecting an improvement in standard of living.
Statistics aside, the improvement in the standard of living boils down to its impact on the people. One might say that American society has progressed further than China to improve its standard of living. True enough, as the USA has the largest GDP in the world and its standard of living is among the top twenty in the world. Even if China does not have such numbers to show for, the progress made in Chinese society, in the years after its economic reforms are comparable to that of the USA. What took the USA a long period of development to achieve, the past 30 years in China have rapidly improved the standard of living.
Both countries have a long history and vastly different cultures. Rooted in capitalism and democracy, the USA has come a long way to achieve the standard of living its citizens enjoy today. Its developments over the past century were the foundations which the high standards of living today were built on. On the other hand, in China, true progress was only made after the economic reforms in 1978, when China embraced capitalism.
Personally, I think China is more progressive than the USA. My first hand experience in Beijing gave insight to its rapid development and economic progress. The streets are jammed with cars, neon signs flash from buildings and the latest electronic gadgets displayed at shopping centers. Consumer goods are aplenty: people chatting on mobile phones as they walk down the street, listening to their MP3 players on public transport or shopping for the latest fashion at the mall. Cuisines from the world over can be found in various restaurants and the supermarkets are well-stocked. All these are a stark comparison to the Beijing just three decades ago, with bicycles replacing cars on the streets, a much narrower spectrum of consumer goods available and fashion clothing virtually non-existent. Of course, my personal experiences are only limited to a certain part of China’s society, while other parts of China still remain in poverty. However, it is nonetheless still incredible how swift the rate of progress is in urban China.
Within this same thirty years, however, the USA has progressed little. Not that its standard of living has fallen, but rather that it has not improved at the same rate as during the boom years. Consumers in America continue to enjoy the wide variety of consumer goods, access to good healthcare and welfare benefits. However, economic slowdowns have bogged down the improvement in standard of living, with rising national debt and unemployment levels. The most recent recession has hit Americans hard in their standard of living. I constantly see articles which express the frustration of youths in America, of how they cannot find a job after graduating and also how Americans who were hit by the financial crisis are struggling to cope.
In my opinion, while American society has progressed greatly overall, I still think that the Chinese society has been more progressive. The last thirty years have seen a rapid development in its standard of living. A look at the current state of both nations would shatter the social stereotypes of both societies. Although the stereotypes are still true to a certain extent, I think that people have to adopt a broader mindset when perceiving different cultures. Because of rapid societal progress, what is seen to be true of society in the past might not necessarily apply today. Living in a globalised world, not only must the different societies progress and develop, but the mindsets of people towards them must progress and change as well. An open-minded approach is crucial when we look at and compare different societies.
