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I suspect that most ex-china 3rd world "gains" are a result of forcing subsistence workers into the money economy in a big way.

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If you force people into the money economy who weren't before, of course their income goes up. That doesn't mean they are better off.

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It's strange how difficult it can be to make people understand that earning less and eating healthier is better than the opposite.

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Well, I do know that subsistence farmers forced off their land in Mexico due to NAFTA ate a lot worse.

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My wife's grandfather is a farmer. His farm's soil is fairly barren. Still a palpable difference between his food and shop food.