Reverse "Europeans" with "Americans" and this post is equally good advice for Europeans who say "Oh Americans are...".
Stereotypes aren't just an American thing. They exist worldwide.
Stop Generalizing About Europe
81–90 of 369 posts
Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe
#82This post feels awfully pedantic. While it may not be clear to non-Americans, when Americans talk about "Europe", they're generally talking about Western Europe, not Eastern, and are excluding the UK too. They almost certainly aren't including Russia. (Just like when Americans talk about Asia, they aren't usually thinking of India.) Of course, that's geographically inaccurate -- but it's what we usually mean. The Eur…
> When Americans talk about "Europe", they're generally talking about Western Europe, not Eastern, and are excluding the UK too. This doesn't hold true for any of the Americans I've met (and I've met a lot). Also, one of the countries Martin Varsavsky mentions in his examples is actually the UK. If it were true that the American definition of Europe doesn't include Eastern Europe, what part of the world do the many A…
I think most Americans would break the European continent into "Europe" (aka continental W. Europe), the UK, East Europe, and Russia.
Even if rounded up, there is a clear distinction between Europe (W. Europe + UK) and East Europe (E Europe + Russia) which probably has something to do with Cold War borders and allies.
Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe
#83This post feels awfully pedantic. While it may not be clear to non-Americans, when Americans talk about "Europe", they're generally talking about Western Europe, not Eastern, and are excluding the UK too. They almost certainly aren't including Russia. (Just like when Americans talk about Asia, they aren't usually thinking of India.) Of course, that's geographically inaccurate -- but it's what we usually mean. The Eur…
Just like "America" is a synecdoche for "The United States". :) It depends on how the words are used; "Africa" to describe an area larger than a lot of continents combined, when you only mean a few countries - or just one! - is borderline offensive, though.
Using "America" to refer to the USA is muuuuuch less controversional and much less inaccurate than using "Europe" for all the countries in Europe, or "Africa" for all the countries in Africa.
For example, various US organisations have "America" or "American" in their names, and openly only deal with the USA (e.g. RIAA, MPAA, etc.). Organisations in EU that have "European" in their name are not focussed on just that country. People from the USA use the term "American" to refer to people from the USA, not all of the USA.
"America" nearly always means the USA.
Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
Louisiana is very different to California too, but that doesn't mean you can't refer to America as a general entity. Bulgaria is a beautiful country, I visited it while living in Romania. Of course all the Eastern European countries like Bulgarian, Romania, Slovakia/Czech, Serbia etc are all different, but also very alike.
Well, we are going deep down the rabbit hole now :). Please excuse me if I say lots of stupid things. How far apart are Louisiana and California? How far apart are Romania and Bulgaria? Yet, the two USA states share the same language (at least on official level), the same currency and the same "american" culture. Neither of these is true for BG and RO. And we are neighbours, mind that. As an added "benefit", we have…
They're similar in quantifiable traits (language, currency, same federal government). Culture, how individuals (often businesses) interact are much different.
The south as a whole is much different than the west coast, and somewhat the midwest.
Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, actually, I hadn't; I'm nominally on vacation. What I'm about to say is intellectually sloppy. But Varsavsky's facts are not terribly important. His point about German startups was true at one time, and is no longer true, but his larger point about legal requirements for the workplace being strict in Europe and essentially non-existent in America is true. His contrast of personal liability for entrepreneurs in Eu…
> His contrast of personal liability for entrepreneurs in Europe with the essential absence of any such liability in America is true. In the UK an entrepreneur can set up a LTD company which limits personal liability. The EU has had limited liability for traders since 1989. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_liability ) > In 1989, the European Union enacted its Twelfth Council Company Law Directive, requiring th…
In the UK an entrepreneur can set up a LTD company which limits personal liability.
Pedantically, the UK allowed limited liability companies for about 150 years. This is not a new thing.
Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
I addressed all that in my post. I never claimed that Americans were one homogenous group (and by the way, I've lived in California, too). I claimed that US, despite being a melting pot, is an actual nation (which is not the case with the EU) and that there are a least some common denominators - one of them being the language which is spoken natively by more than 80% of the population.
So how exactly is it imprudent or offensive for Americans to point out some of the common denominators of Europe?
The problem comes when people think that there is as much variation amoung US states as between EU countries. There are much more common denominators amoung parts of the USA than EU.
Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe
#87Hmm. Perhaps you could stop generalizing about people generalizing about Europe. Varsavsky has lived and built businesses in Madrid since 1995, so I think that his contrasts between the European market and the American market from the entrepreneur's point of view are really pretty trustworthy. Your points about European diversity are quite valid, although I think they're beside the point. But your ad hominem "Oh my,…
> his contrasts between the European market and the American market from the entrepreneur's point of view are really pretty trustworthy.
They're not. And I've run businesses in lots of different countries as well. Martin is on the ball when it comes to comparing Spain the US, but his contrasts between the European and the American market from the entrepreneurs point of view are way off the mark.
He should have simply titled his post: "what it's like to be an entrepreneur in Spain" and there would have been no issue at all.
Btw, Varsavsky isn't an American, he's had quite a few business dealings in the UK and in Spain but as far as I know doesn't hold a stake in a company in any of the other EU countries that he's writing about and I really don't understand what it was that he was trying to achieve with his post.
If you don't believe me go visit Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Tampere, Paris, Stockholm, Bucharest, Warsaw or a hundred other places and compare those contrasts for yourself.
On the whole there are very few of Varsavsky's points that hold water, a summary between the US business climate and the EU one from an entrepreneurs pint of view could be made much shorter:
- in the EU it is a lot harder to be a dick to your employees
- in America you will (due to the larger and more homogeneous home market) likely have a much better chance grow fast
- in Europe you will have to think internationally from day 1
- in Europe it is less dog-eat-dog and more cooperative
Those are from my own personal experience.
Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Well, no it doesn't. Italy and Greece are extremely different to Scandinavia. At least regarding to things like temperament and culture. They are much more like Bulgaria and Turkey, though they may not really be willing to admit that. You can't really sell to Italians by operating in Denmark. Really? As I Greek (with Italian acenstry), I really doubt this BS. Italians, for one, do plenty of business with European c…
> Really? As I Greek (with Italian acenstry), I really doubt this BS. Well, you can doubt it, but it isn't BS, it's the truth. I've been looking into the kitchen of a large variety of companies in size, product type, turnover and so on. The vast majority of intra-eu trade stays within the countries themselves with only a relatively small portion going to other countries, usually direct neighbours. Big trade partners…
Also, I explicitly mentioned that I exclude international mega corps from the equation. When you are big enough, you can open offices in neighbouring countries, or on other continents and you can sell globally.
My point is about small-to-mid corporations, which was also the OP's point (as far as I understood)
Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe
#89Created an account just to state this: tech people please don't go into discussing politics / economics. Brits want to exit EU because of wars in the past? This is ridiculous! What about the real reasons: 1. Britain has 70% of its laws created by the EU by burocrats who were never voted into the office and can't be voted out of the office: Barroso (President of the European Commission) and Von Rumpoy (whatever his na…
2 or 3 of the countries in the UK are not "Anglo-Saxon" countries, but would be "Celtic" countries. :P
Additionally the UK does elect and choose EU legislators, in the European Parliament & Council of Minsiters, European Commission, etc. etc.
Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe
#90Hmm. Perhaps you could stop generalizing about people generalizing about Europe. Varsavsky has lived and built businesses in Madrid since 1995, so I think that his contrasts between the European market and the American market from the entrepreneur's point of view are really pretty trustworthy. Your points about European diversity are quite valid, although I think they're beside the point. But your ad hominem "Oh my,…
Vivtek, you are projecting. Stop being a dick.
> Stop being a dick.
Indeed.