"/lib/python2.7/site-packages/ does NOT support .pth files" installing pip on MacOS

Question

I ran into some issues using pip on my mac, and uninstalled it altogether.

Now when I try to reinstall it, running $sudo easy_install pip I get:

TEST FAILED: /lib/python2.7/site-packages/ does NOT support .pth files
error: bad install directory or PYTHONPATH

You are attempting to install a package to a directory that is not
on PYTHONPATH and which Python does not read ".pth" files from.  The
installation directory you specified (via --install-dir, --prefix, or
the distutils default setting) was:

    /lib/python2.7/site-packages/

and your PYTHONPATH environment variable currently contains:

    ''

[this pasted output cut short for brevity]

I've tried adding the directory listed (/lib/python2.7/site-packages/) into my pythonpath using both ./profile and ./bash_profile, but neither affect the sys.path variable when I run python, which includes only

/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python27.zip
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/plat-darwin
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/plat-mac
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/plat-mac/lib-scriptpackages
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/lib-tk
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/lib-old
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/lib-dynload
/Library/Python/2.7/site-packages
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python/PyObjC

Is my problem that I have two versions of python installed (under the two directories listed)?

Or is it my pythonpath is screwed up in a way that I've been unable to remedy?

---

Edit:

$ which python returns /usr/bin/python

and $ which easy_install returns /usr/bin/easy_install

Answer 1

I figured it out.

When I tried to install python2 via brew, then ran brew doctor I got the following warning.

Warning: A .pydistutils.cfg file was found in $HOME, which may cause Python
builds to fail. See:
  https://bugs.python.org/issue6138
  https://bugs.python.org/issue4655

Sure enough, when I deleted .pydistutils.cfg the problem cleared up.

---

FWIW, here's the SO question that got me to create the file to begin with:

Combine --user with --prefix error with setup.py install

(The answer there does mention it may cause unintended consequences. I just figure that linking to it may help search visibility for anyone who currently has the same problem that I had, but has forgotten that they created that file.)