Is the World Truly Improving?
Connor Morley
Mr. Roddy
IB Global Politics in a Historical Context 2018
2 December, 2018
Generally, I am hesitant to read or view modern mainstream news sources (whether that be cable networks such as CNN or Fox or modern magazines, most of which have gone digital and are constantly being brought to the front of our feeds) due to the fact that I generally don't necessarily agree with the overt viewpoints presented by either side. This is why Vox, though mostly falling within a specific viewpoint on the American political spectrum, is still tolerable to me due to their ability to use facts and data to support their points, even if I may not necessarily agree with their understanding of these facts' implications. Nevertheless, I was still pleasantly surprised by their article "23 Charts and Maps that Show the World is Getting Much, Much Better", which brings up a really good point: despite the numerous atrocities, scandals, and controversies filling the world today, such as a contentious presidency in our own nation, various wars in the Middle East, oppressive dictatorships in Africa and Latin America, etc., there is a vast treasure trove of evidence to suggest that the world, in most ways, is very much improving; much of our perception that the world is becoming worse is simply due to how much more media we are exposed to today. While there are numerous examples of improvement in the world in their article, two in particular interested me.
First off, according to a graph relating to data published by the International Food Policy Research Institute in 2017, the world hunger rate is declining at a steady pace. Virtually no part of the world has become more hungry between 2000 and 2017, and in fact in most countries where hunger has historically been a problem the hunger rate has decreased by at least 25% during this time frame. This is supported by the fact that organizations such as UNICEF have a much more established global presence than they did in most of the time since their founding, and, as such, they are able to provide outreach to nations in need of help. Additionally, cultural and political bias has decreased significantly even in the time since 2000, and the increasing globalism of many nations has caused a shift to a more helpful perspective for many nations.
Something else that caught my eye in this article was the prevalence of Guinea worm infections in the world today. It seems that the fate of this nasty little parasite will be the same as smallpox, because in 1986 there were 3.5 million reported cases of the disease caused by the worm (which is caught by drinking contaminated water), whereas in 2017 there were 30 reported cases of the parasite. Additionally, instead of being prevalent in 21 countries as it was in 1986, it is now only found predominately in 4 countries as of 2017. The extreme decline in the number of cases makes sense, because there have been many initiatives in recent years to improve the water quality in the tropics to combat the prevalence and spread of diseases such as Guinea worm.
In summary, I definitely do agree with the Vox article's overall assessment. The many more examples detailed in the text and images contained in the article should persuade us to be more grateful for what we currently have. Although there are many things wrong with the world today, the evidence suggests that, overall, now is the best time to be alive.
Bibliography:
Matthews, Dylan. “23 Charts and Maps That Show the World Is Getting Much, Much Better.” Vox.com, Vox Media, 17 Oct. 2018, www.vox.com/2014/11/24/7272929/global-poverty-health-crime-literacy-good-news.
Mr. Roddy
IB Global Politics in a Historical Context 2018
2 December, 2018
Is the World Truly Improving?
Generally, I am hesitant to read or view modern mainstream news sources (whether that be cable networks such as CNN or Fox or modern magazines, most of which have gone digital and are constantly being brought to the front of our feeds) due to the fact that I generally don't necessarily agree with the overt viewpoints presented by either side. This is why Vox, though mostly falling within a specific viewpoint on the American political spectrum, is still tolerable to me due to their ability to use facts and data to support their points, even if I may not necessarily agree with their understanding of these facts' implications. Nevertheless, I was still pleasantly surprised by their article "23 Charts and Maps that Show the World is Getting Much, Much Better", which brings up a really good point: despite the numerous atrocities, scandals, and controversies filling the world today, such as a contentious presidency in our own nation, various wars in the Middle East, oppressive dictatorships in Africa and Latin America, etc., there is a vast treasure trove of evidence to suggest that the world, in most ways, is very much improving; much of our perception that the world is becoming worse is simply due to how much more media we are exposed to today. While there are numerous examples of improvement in the world in their article, two in particular interested me.
First off, according to a graph relating to data published by the International Food Policy Research Institute in 2017, the world hunger rate is declining at a steady pace. Virtually no part of the world has become more hungry between 2000 and 2017, and in fact in most countries where hunger has historically been a problem the hunger rate has decreased by at least 25% during this time frame. This is supported by the fact that organizations such as UNICEF have a much more established global presence than they did in most of the time since their founding, and, as such, they are able to provide outreach to nations in need of help. Additionally, cultural and political bias has decreased significantly even in the time since 2000, and the increasing globalism of many nations has caused a shift to a more helpful perspective for many nations.
Something else that caught my eye in this article was the prevalence of Guinea worm infections in the world today. It seems that the fate of this nasty little parasite will be the same as smallpox, because in 1986 there were 3.5 million reported cases of the disease caused by the worm (which is caught by drinking contaminated water), whereas in 2017 there were 30 reported cases of the parasite. Additionally, instead of being prevalent in 21 countries as it was in 1986, it is now only found predominately in 4 countries as of 2017. The extreme decline in the number of cases makes sense, because there have been many initiatives in recent years to improve the water quality in the tropics to combat the prevalence and spread of diseases such as Guinea worm.
In summary, I definitely do agree with the Vox article's overall assessment. The many more examples detailed in the text and images contained in the article should persuade us to be more grateful for what we currently have. Although there are many things wrong with the world today, the evidence suggests that, overall, now is the best time to be alive.
Bibliography:
Matthews, Dylan. “23 Charts and Maps That Show the World Is Getting Much, Much Better.” Vox.com, Vox Media, 17 Oct. 2018, www.vox.com/2014/11/24/7272929/global-poverty-health-crime-literacy-good-news.
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