The earth is home to 6.4 billion people who live in the cities and villages of 192 nations. To gras the social shape of the world, imagine for a moment that the planet's population is reduced to a single settlement of 1000 people. In this global village more than half (610) of the inhabitants are Asian, including 210 citizens from the people's republic of china. Next, in terms of numbers we would find 130 Africans, 120 Europeans, 85 people from Latin America and the Carribean 5 from Austrailia and the South Pacific, and just 50 North Americans, including 45 people from the United States.
A study of the settlement's way of life would reveal some startling facts: The village is a rich place with a seemingly endless array of goods and services for sale. Yet most of the inhabitants only dream about such treasures, because 80 percent of the village's income is earned by just 200 people.
For the majority the greatest problem is getting enough food. Every year the village workers produce more than enough to feed everyone; even so half the village's people, including most of the children do not get enough to eat, and many fall asleep hungry. The worst-off 200 residents (who together have less money than the richest person in the village) lack both clean drinking water and safe shelter. Weak and unable to work some of them fall victim to life-threatening diseases everyday.
Villagers boast of their community's many schools, including a fine university. About 50 inhabitants have completed a college degree, but almost half of the village's people can neither read nor write.
We in the United States, on average, would be among the richest people in this global village. Although we tend to credit ourselves for living well, the sociological perspective reminds us that our achievements are largely products of the previldged position our nation holds in the worldwide social system.
