Europe and America differences bad & good (unemployed, ethic, healthcare)

[averagejoe76]

I was thinking about some things in European culture i find appealing:
More Value placed on vacations,family leave,etc
Better quality of food
Less Corporate influence on everything.
More value placed on quality of life and not materialism.

Some Bad:
Way too P.C
Some European countries are secular to the point of being hostile to Religon.

[Habsburg]

Originally Posted by averagejoe76

I was thinking about some things in European culture i find appealing:
More Value placed on vacations,family leave,etc
Better quality of food
Less Corporate influence on everything.
More value placed on quality of life and not materialism.

Some Bad:
Way too P.C
Some European countries are secular to the point of being hostile to Religon.

That about trumps everything else anyone can think of. Who cares about quality of life when you can go to a German ice cream stand for 50 cents?

[babyorr9]

PROS: Better quality of life
Appear to have stronger family ties in Europe
Government structure that works better than the American model

CONS: Highly relativist culture, which will lead to the disintegration of their traditional culture
Outdated entitlement structure that weakens with every year
A sense of comfort which leads to complacency

[LLLL98]

I like the slower pace, less focus on material stuff and definetly better food. However, most people take it the wrong way if you start complimenting anything about Europe, even though I think that we could probaly learn from their way of life and perhaps use it to improve our quality of life here in America.

[bbkaren]

Originally Posted by averagejoe76

I was thinking about some things in European culture i find appealing:
More Value placed on vacations,family leave,etc
Better quality of food
Less Corporate influence on everything.
More value placed on quality of life and not materialism.

Some Bad:
Way too P.C
Some European countries are secular to the point of being hostile to Religon.

I think that the benefits you list, aside I guess from the food, are individual values. Here we're free to value those things...or not. In many countries abroad, they don't have a choice. Vacations, family leave, etc. are all govt controlled in a lot of cases, if IIRC.

As far as materialism goes: when you're a high level employee and 70% of your income goes to social programs, you live in a 2-room govt subsidized flat just like the guy from the mailroom who snoozes on the job, I guess you can't place that much emphasis on materialism.

But it would be nice to have the option, if you should decide to motivate yourself to work harder and make more money, to be able to buy yourself nice things and move to a bigger, better place.

But the economy in places like that preclude a person from really succeeding, because when you work harder and make more money, they take a higher percentage--so that even though you work harder you don't get any farther ahead than the mailroom guy.

Result: Why work harder?

(p.s. this is called "redistribution of wealth" and is a peek into the future of the USA under Obama in my opinion).

[LLLL98]

There is a differnce between becoming complacent and lazy and simply being a little more laid back. Americans desperately need to find a balance, we know that we can work our butts off for 60+ hours a week and take maybe a week's vacation (with our cell phones and laptops of course), but we haven't demonstated an ability to somehow balance our ambition and hard work ethic with our own personal needs and the needs of our families, I think that we would be happier and healthier if we were able to find this balance.

[janeannwho]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

I think that the benefits you list, aside I guess from the food, are individual values. Here we're free to value those things...or not. In many countries abroad, they don't have a choice. Vacations, family leave, etc. are all govt controlled in a lot of cases, if IIRC.

As far as materialism goes: when you're a high level employee and 70% of your income goes to social programs, you live in a 2-room govt subsidized flat just like the guy from the mailroom who snoozes on the job, I guess you can't place that much emphasis on materialism.

But it would be nice to have the option, if you should decide to motivate yourself to work harder and make more money, to be able to buy yourself nice things and move to a bigger, better place.

But the economy in places like that preclude a person from really succeeding, because when you work harder and make more money, they take a higher percentage--so that even though you work harder you don't get any farther ahead than the mailroom guy.

Result: Why work harder?

(p.s. this is called "redistribution of wealth" and is a peek into the future of the USA under Obama in my opinion).

My trips to Europe, Germany, UK and Ireland most recently, are in stark contrast with your description. My friends work in a wide variety of industries, have different types of houses, some have lots fo money based on their industry, just like here. They all travel to vist me yearly, where I cannot get the time off to visit them but once every four or five years. There are drawbacks to our system and theirs, but I do look forward to retiring in Ireland.

[LilyLaLa]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

As far as materialism goes: when you're a high level employee and 70% of your income goes to social programs, you live in a 2-room govt subsidized flat just like the guy from the mailroom who snoozes on the job, I guess you can't place that much emphasis on materialism.

WHAT? What country is THAT?

I think there are things to love about both Europe and America, but the OP's point about the work-life balance is excellent. Here we expect at least six weeks' holiday every year, and we're guaranteed the right to maternity leave, carer's leave, etc.

What I appreciate about living in Europe is that social welfare in most European countries is generous, not limited to the unemployed, and there's no (or little) stigma: including national healthcare available to everyone. And I can drive to Paris. (oo la la)

In America's favour: your gas/diesel are much cheaper (scary isn't it??), your taxes are lower, you can travel across several timezones without going through customs, your television broadcasts are free (we pay for licenses), and you've got Graceland.

I'd say it's about even.

[MamaBee]

Hmmm, I'm sensing a gap between those who value freedom FROM government and those who value dependency TO government.

Most of the "benefits" received in Europe come at a price, and are oddly enough contained in the socialistic Economic Bill of Rights.

bbk hit the nail on the head. The taxes are crushing.

Here's the taxes in Ireland, which has lower taxes than some countries:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/4093971-post15.html

[Habsburg]

Originally Posted by MamaBee

Hmmm, I'm sensing a gap between those who value freedom FROM government and those who value dependency TO government.

Most of the "benefits" received in Europe come at a price, and are oddly enough contained in the socialistic Economic Bill of Rights.

bbk hit the nail on the head. The taxes are crushing.

Here's the taxes in Ireland, which has lower taxes than some countries:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/4093971-post15.html

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