Preface
Since the 70s of the last century, there has been a wave of immigration in China, especially those at the top of the social pyramid, such as business elites, film and television stars, and well-known hosts.
As a result, China has become the third largest source of migrants to the United States, following Mexico and India.
But the question is, why do those rich people still like to immigrate to the United States so much? In fact, this is not because of any admiration for foreigners, but because the reality is too cruel!
Who doesn't want to be a "human being"
In all fairness, is the social security environment in the United States really better than in China?
According to a report by the New York Daily News on March 19, compared with 2017, New Yorkers' perception of the city's public safety in the 2023 poll has shown a significant downward trend.
Another statistic dating back to June last year showed that a whopping seven in ten New Yorkers expressed deep concern about being victims of violence. Another 17 percent of residents revealed that they had purchased firearms in the past year for self-protection.
Random incidents of violence are also frequent, with many victims even being injured while walking on the street. But this kind of thing rarely happens to the rich, especially in areas where the rich are concentrated.
Because the U.S. police pay system is closely linked to local property taxes, this system design directly leads to significant differences in the distribution of police forces.
In areas with a thriving economy and abundant tax revenues, police resources are naturally sufficient to maintain social safety and order more effectively, and during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, police resources were clearly skewed towards wealthy areas, and large police forces were deployed to these areas.
However, in places where the economy is poor and tax revenue is tight, the police force is stretched to the limit, and it is difficult to cope with complex and changing social security problems. This uneven distribution of police resources has further exacerbated the problem of law and order in economically deprived areas, thus creating a bad circle.
Even more staggeringly, the fire service in the United States is also heavily influenced by the distribution of wealth. Among the devastating fires in Hawaii in 2023, the worst fire in a century, caused damage to more than 2,000 buildings.
Yet puzzlingly, the wealthy districts, just across the road from the fire, seem to have gone untouched, a discrepancy that undoubtedly has to do with the power of money.
Despite the fact that many people try to avoid this reality, it is undeniable that the United States is a money-first society. The power of wealth seems to be omnipotent here, and it is even able to "hire" people to deal with natural and man-made disasters.
Rich people in the United States not only enjoy a luxurious life, but also have "privileges" beyond ordinary people in many aspects, no wonder so many rich people want to be "masters" in the past!
Money talks
The "privileges" of the rich in the United States are not limited to social security, but also to medical care.
An illustration in the New York Times in 2017 vividly shows the "medical privileges" of the rich:
Outside a striking red velvet rope, anxious patients are silently waiting in line, their eyes revealing a certain dissatisfaction and disgust for the inside of the rope.
A woman wearing sunglasses and coughing slowly walked out of a limousine, and medical staff in green uniforms lined up in front of the car to welcome her arrival.
Although illustrated, similar situations are not uncommon in the United States. At least 10 of the nation's top 15 hospitals offer luxury treatment options to provide a top-notch medical experience for wealthy patients.
Take the famous Lenox Hill Hospital in New York as an example, according to the New York Times, they have carefully created a series of exclusive services for VIP patients that can be called luxury boutiques and hotels, and they can charge up to $2,400 per night!
Featuring a separate family living room with kitchenette and full wardrobe closet, these suites are designed with privacy and comfort in mind.
The food for the wealthy is also extremely high-end, including a variety of cocktails, wines and beers, as well as a spa and small business center to provide patients with an all-round comfortable experience.
Celebrities such as Beyoncé and Chelsea Clinton have experienced this extraordinary service at this hospital. But all this "enjoyment" is nothing more than the privilege of the rich!
Merritt Hawkins, a well-known Dallas medical consulting firm, released an interesting survey in March 2017 that found that new patient appointment times have increased significantly since 2014, with an average wait time of 24.1 days, a 30% increase from 2014.
In particular, the wait time for a family doctor appointment in the Boston area is as long as 109 days, which means that patients have to wait more than three months to see a doctor, which is an unimaginable situation.
Ordinary people struggle to queue up for survival, but the rich sit high up and wait for the services of the hospital, enjoying the luxurious services that ordinary people can hardly see in their lives!
You can be born in Rome
It is said that academic qualifications are an important key to success, and many wealthy Chinese families choose to immigrate to the United States, many of them still hope to seek a better educational resource for their children.
Because in the United States, there is a well-known "unspoken rule" that quietly prevails: money seems to have become a shortcut to prestigious schools.
In fact, there are two very different models in the field of education in the United States: one is the "happy education" advocated by public schools, and the other is the "elite education" that private schools focus on.
For civilian students in the United States, they must put in great effort if they want to step into the halls of prestigious schools. On the one hand, they can win the favor of prestigious schools by studying hard and achieving excellent academic results.
On the other hand, they can also increase their chances of getting into prestigious schools by showing their strengths in other areas, such as rugby, basketball, and other sports.
However, for the children of the wealthy class, the path to prestigious schools is more diverse and flexible.
Donations are a striking example. It is reported that in 2014, Harvard University caused heated discussions in the society because it reserved admission places for the children of wealthy people who generously donated to the school.
In addition, when selecting students, in addition to the hard indicator of "academic ability", elite schools also pay special attention to "non-academic ability", such as extracurricular activities, leadership skills, and soft skills such as personal traits.
Because of this, the children of wealthy families have more resources and opportunities to cultivate their hobbies, and even spend huge sums of money to participate in "public welfare activities" in places such as Africa, which will undoubtedly add a lot of advantages to them when applying to prestigious schools.
The descendants of doctors often follow in their father's footsteps, the children of lawyers continue to follow the path of law, and the children of parliamentarians tend to follow the political trajectory.
This phenomenon of class solidification is constantly passed from generation to generation, making ordinary people in the United States feel confused about the future and difficult to see the possibility of changing their fate.
Perhaps, this is a portrayal of a pure capitalist society, the purity of which lies in the fact that even educational resources can be divided by money and become a barrier between different classes.
epilogue
As a developed country, the United States has shown significant advantages in many fields such as finance, medical care, science and technology, and education. In such an environment, as long as people have enough wealth, they can enjoy unparalleled quality services.
So there's no need to be too surprised or worried when we see the phenomenon of wealthy Chinese people choosing to immigrate to the United States. After all, everyone has the right and freedom to pursue a better life.
In the final analysis, those truly high-tech talents are the core strength of national development and the precious resources that we should do our best to retain. For those who want to leave, we may not be able to force them, but talent must not be lost!
The sources in this article are from:
1. "California has the largest number of immigrants from Mexico, and the number of immigrants from Chinese mainland ranks third", Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, released in 2022;
2. "Frequent Random Violence, American People's Sense of Security "Falling and Falling"", Global Times, released in 2024;
3. "American Studies: The Racial Wealth Gap in the United States Has Widened in 160 Years, and the Solution Has Not Been On the Right Track", Global Network, released in 2022;
4. "U.S. Media: Harvard's Secret "Z List" Opens the Back Door for the Children of the Powerful, and Being Selected on the List is Equivalent to Being Admitted", Global Network, released in 2023;
5. "Hawaii Fires Don't Burn the Rich Areas?Exposing the Truth of the Contradiction between the Rich and the Poor in the United States" Overseas Network, released in 2023;
6. "Hidden Privileged Medicine: Red Carpet Patients and Protocol Doctors You Don't Know" Interface News, released in 2017,
However, in order to improve the readability of the article, there may be polishing of the details, please read sensibly, for reference only!