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10 Paradoxes From Around The World

January 23, 2014 by The Runaway Guide 5 Comments

inequalityThe more you travel, the more you begin to notice the paradoxes, ironies, and injustices that characterize the world. While some are comical,  others are disturbing. If more widely known, they would surely inspire change.

After 8 years of backpacking and over 60 countries, below are just a few of the paradoxes I’ve noticed.

1) Too many Indians spend hundreds of dollars to bleach themselves white. White Californian girls spend hundreds to burn themselves dark.

2) In most of the hottest countries in the world,  Sudan, El Salvador, Malaysia, to name a few, it’s a cultural taboo to wear shorts.

2) Christian and Buddhist based terrorism is just as prevalent and violent throughout history as Islamic.

3) The poorest people often give the most.

4) Billions of people would kill for a passport, visas, and the chance to travel the world. Americans would rather travel through their television sets.

5) Famous Harvard based International Relations scholar Samuel Huntington believes the world is doomed to a Clash Of Civilizations. In reality, he’s the only one doing the clashing.

6) While many Arab taxi drivers get a bad rap for their smelly cabs, most Arabs maintain a high level of personal hygiene and wash themselves multiple times a day before prayer.

Ethiopian women traveling to Saudi Arabia to work as slaves

Ethiopian women traveling to Saudi Arabia to work as servants

7) Although Scandinavians are on average taller than the rest of us, they use some of the smallest blankets.

8) Switzerland has one of the lowest rates of gun related deaths but one of the highest rates of gun ownership.

9) Some of the countries with the strictest immigration policies, the US, Australia, and dare I say modern Israel, were born out of immigration.

9) The west tries to develop countries before asking them whether they even want diabetes, heart disease, long working hours, short vacations and iCraps.

10) We all think we’re so different from one another when the only real differences are the differences we create.

If you can think of anymore paradoxes, ironies, or inequalities from around the world, post them in the comments below!

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Filed Under: Runaway's Blog Tagged: blog, europe, india, Leif

Let Me Know What You Think!

  1. Matthew says

    January 28, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    Right on with #10

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      January 29, 2014 at 3:34 pm

      Thanks Matthew, wish more people would look at the world this way.

      Reply
  2. Flabbergasted says

    January 24, 2014 at 9:21 am

    You should rethink posting this sort of ill informed, un-researched, opinionated bollocks. Maybe when you’re older and understand more about the world.

    Reply
  3. Rebecca says

    January 23, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    I couldn’t agree more with number 9 a very good point!

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      January 24, 2014 at 3:25 pm

      Thanks! I had a professor who research topic was this.

      Reply

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Who Is The Runaway Guide?

When I was 16 I ran away from home and traveled the world with nothing but the clothes on my back. Over 10 years later and I'm still "on the run," surviving in style, thriving off adventure, searching for that elusive road to enlightenment, and cultivating the life of travel that I want to live. More...

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