probably not the best way to run a company

You’ve probably seen this: 100 people; I’ve had at least two textbooks that had it on the inside cover.

If we could shrink the earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:


THERE WOULD BE——



57 Asians



21 Europeans



14 from the Western Hemisphere, both North & South


8 from other places


52 would be female, 48 would be male.


70 would be non-white, 30 would be white.


70 would be non-Christian, 30 would be Christian.


89 would be heterosexual, 11 would be homosexual.


6 people would possess 59% of the entire world’s wealth
and all 6 would be from the United States.


80 would live in substandard housing.


70 would be unable to read.


50 would suffer from malnutrition.


1 would be near death, 1 would be near birth.


1 would have a college education, 1 would own a computer.

It’s not very alarming…at least until your company puts it in the monthly newletter, along with an article about new hiring procedures!

Diversity is one thing, but taking to task the idea of trying to make your company as diverse as the world?!?

Let’s see…the gender issues match up, and the fact that 6% would hold over 59% of the wealth seems about right…

…but…

…are they going to reduce our salaries so that 80% live in substandard housing?

…are we going to need to share the computer?

7 Responses to “probably not the best way to run a company”

  1. M@ Says:

    There is a good explanation of why some of this is total B.S. at http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/populate.htm

  2. LT Says:

    *share* the *computer*!?!

  3. minorthird Says:

    I’m definately not saying that it’s 100% true…

    …but this just adds to how disturbing it is that my company is thinking even slightly in this way

    here’s an attempt at a more correct version: http://www.davidpbrown.co.uk/nota-bene/the-global-village.html

  4. M@ Says:

    I didn’t think you were, I was just giving you some ammo if you needed it.

    What scares me is that misinformation like this is generally accepted as fact, and could end up in a textbook, like the myth about water draining counterclockwsie in the southern hemisphere.

  5. minorthird Says:

    my buddy marc just wrote something about the water in Australia: http://cramiuya.com/archives/000066.php

  6. Em Says:

    I say:
    steal the computer
    pawn it for drugs
    stop showing up to work
    then you’d be in line
    with the people i work
    with.

  7. Em Says:

    I say:
    steal the computer
    pawn it for drugs
    stop showing up to work
    then you’d be in line
    with the people i work
    with.

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