LogFAQs > #978899581

https://www.meidastouch.com/news/tucker-carlson-claims-groceries-are-cheaper-in-russia-despite-a-russian-food-inflation-crisis
Tucker Carlson Claims Groceries Are Cheaper in Russia Despite a Russian Food Inflation Crisis

Carlson filmed himself and his crew shopping for groceries for the week at a Russian grocery store. Carlson and his crew estimated that the amount of food they purchased for the week would run about $400 in an American grocery store, but the bill was around 9,400 Russian Rubles, about $100 American.

"I went from amused to legitimately angry," Carlson says in the clip, feigning outrage that groceries would be so much cheaper in Russia. "If you take people's standard of living and you tank it through filth and crime and inflation, and they literally can't buy the groceries they want...you're wrecking people's lives and their country, and that's what our leaders have done to us."

The problem with Carlson's view of life in Russia is that he doesn't take into account how much less Russians get paid on average. It's easy to say quality of life in Russia is higher if you assume Russian salaries are equal with those in the U.S., but they aren't.
According to the most recent economic data, the average monthly wage in Russia is 73,383 Rubles, the equivalent of roughly $800 a month in the United States. That comes out to 18,345 Rubles per week for the average Russian, around $200 American. This means that Carlson's grocery bill of roughly 9,400 Rubles represented more than 50% of a Russian weekly salary.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, Russia is experiencing a massive food supply crisis. Food inflation is one of the most frequently referenced quality of life issues for everyday Russians. In a survey of 5,000 people aged 20-55, TASS found that 60.4% of Russian citizens spend about half of their monthly income for food, 16% spend almost all their earnings on food, and 14.8% about a third of their income. Only 8.8% spend no more than 20% on food.

I hate it when idiotic Americans try to make direct comparisons to prices, without taking into account standard of living, and America's dollar value being propped up as the international reserve currency.