undefined | Better HN

0 pointspingec9y ago0 comments

So how much higher is US minimum wage? Perhaps 100%? Would you agree with someone who earns twice as much as you to automatically call you impoverished?

I am no native speaker so I could be wrong, but I have looked up the word on Google. I believe that "impoverished" does imply context eg. [1] and is not simply a comparative word. It implies someone is really poor in a way that seriously affects his well-being, requires help from others etc. So when applied to a country, the context should of course matter.

[1] https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/impoverished

0 comments

azernik9y ago

Only a 45% difference - $7.5 vs. €4.56.

And now that I do a lookup, it's actually very similar to the minimum wage in Wyoming and Georgia.

jsprogrammer9y ago

The work was done in California, where the minimum is $10 (though it was $9 at the time Lesnik was injured).

schwarrrtz9y ago

For me, as a native English speaker, 'impoverished' connotes a significant difference in standard of living relative to what I'm used to. So I would agree with you here - one would have to take the relative purchasing power of the wages into account before characterizing an entire country as impoverished.

bardworx9y ago

> So when applied to a country, the context should of course matter.

I agree with you. Even in my last sentence, I didn't refer to Slovenia as "impoverished". The author of the article used the word in the context of juxtaposition of minimum wage, incorrectly, it seems.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse