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Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

danielsjourney.com

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Re: Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

#181

Post by njepa »

bepotts wrote: post #106
cribbles wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One reason that Europe has very few innovative new companies created in the last 25 years is that everyone is at the coffee shop writing poetry. This does not dispute the central point of the quoted piece, which is that the quality of life of most Americans is very poor contrast to that of the average person in some subset of European countries. I would wager that most coffee shop employees are more concerned with…

Americans don't believe the onus is on the whole to make sure the individual lives a happy life. We just don't have the collectivist culture the Europeans have. I think this is a great thing, and is why America is where most of the innovation, cultural, and political power is. I personally have lower taxes, high quality healthcare, and live in an awesome location, and I got all of that through an education and traini…

I have a hard time seeing your point. The things you say are good are all far more available to Europeans. If your claim is that Americans apply themselves more, then that means they get less for their effort. It seems like you have fallen into the trap of thinking exceptions are an indication of success, when it is really the opposite. In successful environments success is normal.

Re: Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

#182

Post by aerique »

bepotts wrote: post #106
cribbles wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One reason that Europe has very few innovative new companies created in the last 25 years is that everyone is at the coffee shop writing poetry. This does not dispute the central point of the quoted piece, which is that the quality of life of most Americans is very poor contrast to that of the average person in some subset of European countries. I would wager that most coffee shop employees are more concerned with…

Americans don't believe the onus is on the whole to make sure the individual lives a happy life. We just don't have the collectivist culture the Europeans have. I think this is a great thing, and is why America is where most of the innovation, cultural, and political power is. I personally have lower taxes, high quality healthcare, and live in an awesome location, and I got all of that through an education and traini…

That's called luck and it's one of the reasons we have shared healthcare in (most of?) the EU.

There's many things that can happen in one's life (and where one doesn't necessarily have control over) which would swing the pendulum from "a better future for you and your family" to "fucked for life". In the US if bad luck hits you there's less chance of getting back on track.

And people are getting back at you with "predictable lines" because apparently you've been in your stubborn perspective for a looong time.

Re: Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

#183

Post by [deleted] »

bepotts wrote: post #106
cribbles wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One reason that Europe has very few innovative new companies created in the last 25 years is that everyone is at the coffee shop writing poetry. This does not dispute the central point of the quoted piece, which is that the quality of life of most Americans is very poor contrast to that of the average person in some subset of European countries. I would wager that most coffee shop employees are more concerned with…

Americans don't believe the onus is on the whole to make sure the individual lives a happy life. We just don't have the collectivist culture the Europeans have. I think this is a great thing, and is why America is where most of the innovation, cultural, and political power is. I personally have lower taxes, high quality healthcare, and live in an awesome location, and I got all of that through an education and traini…

[deleted]

Re: Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

#184

Post by Tor3 »

roenxi wrote: post #53
EliRivers wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this not being hosted on a Linux box somewhere? Sure, it may well not be, but Linux is common enough that it could be.

I can claim that for the list if you want. Torvalds is American and lives in Oregon; most of the major Linux contributors were sponsored by American companies if I recall correctly. Red Hats and IBMs of the world. America must be doing something right.

That was tongue in cheek, perhaps? Torvalds is Finnish. Of the Swedish minority in Finland. He lives in the US now (he moved to the US when he got a job in Transmeta), but that doesn't make him American.

Re: Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

#185

Post by Integrape »

ekianjo wrote: post #123
0xDEFC0DE wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, we convince people if they kill themselves for corporate, they'll get a minuscule slice of money from the top. American dream and all that. At least people in Europe have hobbies.

Most Americans enjoy a level of live that Most Europeans can only dream of. Large cars, very large houses, every product they buy is at least 20 to 30% cheaper, they have access to the latest technologies... the list goes on and on. Hobbies do not make up for the lack of opportunities.

Indeed, the classic American valuation of life is measure by how many possessions one is able to acquire, leading to larger houses, cars, etc. to store said possessions in. Those of us who value free time (i.e. for hobbies) more than the latest technologies and products are out of luck in the workaholic American lifestyle.

Re: Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

#186

Post by 0x445442 »

shraremywin2 wrote: post #90
cribbles wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One reason that Europe has very few innovative new companies created in the last 25 years is that everyone is at the coffee shop writing poetry. This does not dispute the central point of the quoted piece, which is that the quality of life of most Americans is very poor contrast to that of the average person in some subset of European countries. I would wager that most coffee shop employees are more concerned with…

You forgot the biggest reason. Antitrust enforcement. Would facebook be facebook had it had to compete with instagram? Would google be google without youtube or doubleclick?

Yes this is a great point. Antitrust enforcement is one of the few legitimate roles of the Federal Government in my opinion. That's why I wish a coalition could be built around personal freedom and the reduction of welfare, starting with welfare of the corporate kind.

Re: Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

#188

Post by coldtea »

bepotts wrote: post #106
cribbles wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One reason that Europe has very few innovative new companies created in the last 25 years is that everyone is at the coffee shop writing poetry. This does not dispute the central point of the quoted piece, which is that the quality of life of most Americans is very poor contrast to that of the average person in some subset of European countries. I would wager that most coffee shop employees are more concerned with…

Americans don't believe the onus is on the whole to make sure the individual lives a happy life. We just don't have the collectivist culture the Europeans have. I think this is a great thing, and is why America is where most of the innovation, cultural, and political power is. I personally have lower taxes, high quality healthcare, and live in an awesome location, and I got all of that through an education and traini…

>You know what the poor need most? A marketable skill. A good job

I thought freedom to play and study as kids. A full belly. A supporting family. Family connections. Not fearing for tomorrow (eviction, money trouble, muggings, etc). Money for college. Not having to work to support anybody but themselves.

You know, the kinds of things it would be statistically (if not entirely) safe to presume you had as a child, or that most successful (e.g. college wise) kids have, and most unsuccessful kids lacked.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/the-wireless/373065/the-penci...

But yeah, lacking all that, a marketable skill and a support program will do.

And they might even be able to make it, if they work doubly as hard, and manage twice as many hardships as those who had all of above provided for them from birth.

Re: Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

#189

Post by Frost1x »

cribbles wrote: post #63
seibelj wrote: post #20

> In London, Paris, Berlin, I hop on the train, head to the cafe — it’s the afternoon, and nobody’s gotten to work until 9am, and even then, maybe not until 10 — order a carefully made coffee and a newly baked croissant, do some writing, pick up some fresh groceries, maybe a meal or two, head home — now it’s 6 or 7, and everyone else has already gone home around 5 — and watch something interesting, maybe a documentar…

> One reason that Europe has very few innovative new companies created in the last 25 years is that everyone is at the coffee shop writing poetry. This does not dispute the central point of the quoted piece, which is that the quality of life of most Americans is very poor contrast to that of the average person in some subset of European countries. I would wager that most coffee shop employees are more concerned with…

How many Americans have enough capital to comfortably risk a startup and or and survive the fallout? If they fail, what protections do they have to not live their days on the streets?

I don't think having a higher quality of life deincentivizes creating new valuable startups. If anything, it has a positive effect because those individuals are able to take more calculated risks towards a project and fail gracefully.

If you're working paycheck to paycheck and in debt up to your eyeballs, that American dream of success carrot may look awfully appetizing but it's far too risky. It's significantly different if you're wagering that capital you saved up to build a pool or new garage vs. the finances for next months rent/food.

Those are the types of decisions many Americans have to make.

Frankly, I don't understand how some can slave tirelessly climbing the corporate ladders for small gains. I'll do only what I need to and focus on my private life. I work to live, I don't live to work.

If I do live to work I would seriously consider starting a business because that's the only way I could dedicate that commitment of my limited time on Earth. Slaving 60-80 hours so shareholders n-degrees separated from me can get another Yacht isn't motivation. I'd much rather become your competitor. The problem is, industries are becoming more and more capital intensive to enter, so becoming the competition just isn't feasible for many cases, not without heavy outside investment or an absolutely brilliant idea that competitors can't simply clone or capture you before you get momentum to compete.

Re: Why Don't Americans Understand How Poor Their Lives Are?

#190

Post by arx1422 »

bepotts wrote: post #106
cribbles wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One reason that Europe has very few innovative new companies created in the last 25 years is that everyone is at the coffee shop writing poetry. This does not dispute the central point of the quoted piece, which is that the quality of life of most Americans is very poor contrast to that of the average person in some subset of European countries. I would wager that most coffee shop employees are more concerned with…

Americans don't believe the onus is on the whole to make sure the individual lives a happy life. We just don't have the collectivist culture the Europeans have. I think this is a great thing, and is why America is where most of the innovation, cultural, and political power is. I personally have lower taxes, high quality healthcare, and live in an awesome location, and I got all of that through an education and traini…

This has some points of merit. The issue with the American system is what happens when you get rocked by no fault of your own despite hard work and initiative. This becomes somewhat more apparent when you are older. Did you randomly pick a career path out of the hat in your 20s which dead ends in a dying sector twenty years later due to shifts unforeseeable two decades earlier? I'm not sure how old you are but there is a path dependency in life and particularly when you have family obligations in both generational directions (caring for children and aging parents) it isn't so easy to just totally change career course halfway through your life. Not impossible - but pretty darn difficult.

Then you need to fear for feeding your family and providing them with medicine. Did you or a loved one get really sick along the way? Tough for you.

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