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Shoot. Compared to some countries in Asia -namely Japan- Americans are lazy and hardly work. Those guys have 6 day work weeks and a lot work from 9am until 7 or 8pm. Culture differences I guess.
Because Americans aren't lazy freeloaders like Europeans are.
I'm curious, Renualt; how did you come to such a conclusion? Have you lived in Europe? Or do you just sit here in America, listening to our misguided media and not thinking for yourself... After living almost 10 years in Germany and traveling extensively through much of the rest of Western Europe (and some of Eastern Europe), I came to quite a different conclusion. Europeans work just as hard as we do. But they also believe that there is far more to life than just work. They have laws and customs that assure a proper balance between work and home life. While I'm proud of our American work ethic, I believe working so many hours that you're just exhausted after the work day is not nearly as productive as having a proper work-life balance. Sure, I have no problem with "burning the midnight oil" for unusual peaks in business. But to operate that way as a normal workday is just INSANITY. Now, I'm all for the boss and stockholders doing well. but those who break their backs to make the boss & stockholders rich should share in that profit.
I contrast our Corporate America's concept of "throwaway labor" to the European idea that "our employees make us wealthy and should be taken care of"...
1 People's Republic of China $1,506,000,000,000 2010 est. 2 Germany $1,337,000,000,000 2010 est. 3 United States $1,270,000,000,000
Germany has only a third of the population of the US yet exports more than the US. Why, if Americans work so much harder than Germans according to statistics?
Germany manufactures still high quality products, and have less 24h taco bell/McD and other service jobs which bring low value to the society.
Why do Americans work so much? Compared to Europe, Americans work much much more and take off from work/vacation much less than they do in most of Europe. I also noticed that many old people (over 65 years old !) are still working in the U.S., I even saw people that are 80 working as h*ll. In Europe, and probably most other countries, very few people work after 65. Why is it like this in the U.S., that people work a lot, goes on vacation less - some even don't, ( don't enjoy their lives outside work)?
Because you can't afford it. Your social security is very bad compare to most of the European. In Europe you don't have to worry if you lose your house, and end up on the street like you have to do here in America. Of course there are homeless people in Europe, but not like here in the US. So, I think the security is one of the reasons, why the American have to work much more and often much longer, than the people in Europe.
I'm curious, Renualt; how did you come to such a conclusion? Have you lived in Europe? Or do you just sit here in America, listening to our misguided media and not thinking for yourself... After living almost 10 years in Germany and traveling extensively through much of the rest of Western Europe (and some of Eastern Europe), I came to quite a different conclusion. Europeans work just as hard as we do. But they also believe that there is far more to life than just work. They have laws and customs that assure a proper balance between work and home life. While I'm proud of our American work ethic, I believe working so many hours that you're just exhausted after the work day is not nearly as productive as having a proper work-life balance. Sure, I have no problem with "burning the midnight oil" for unusual peaks in business. But to operate that way as a normal workday is just INSANITY. Now, I'm all for the boss and stockholders doing well. but those who break their backs to make the boss & stockholders rich should share in that profit.
I contrast our Corporate America's concept of "throwaway labor" to the European idea that "our employees make us wealthy and should be taken care of"...
Well said. I am from Germany, living in the US since 2005 and I fully agree. We have a better social security system, we have far better protection for the employee. Hire and fire is typical American.
I didn't read the whole thread, but I think we work so much because we like to buy things. We're a consumerist country. Our economy is 70% based on consumerism. That shows right there that we like to purchase things, big and small.
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
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We work too much? I thought this was the laziest country in the world.
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