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The average European woman has 1.6 kids, US is 1.8, and Europe's is falling faster than the US overall. Switzerland is 1.5. Italy, Spain, Germany, are even lower. Sweden is 1.85, the only County I looked at that was higher than the US currently.
This is a sign of social progress. As societies secure economic security and rights for women, they tend to have fewer children.
How would you go about legislating happiness in the US. Scandinavia has a collectivist culture while the US is very individualistic. Janteloven is where one supports the collective and doesn’t boast about individual accomplishments, meanwhile in the US people can’t stop posting about their extravagant lives on social media. I bet you there would be a lot more happy people if they stopped using social media and stopped comparing themselves to the Jones’. If people started to focus on what they have instead of what they don’t have, they may be more happy. Again, I don’t know how they collect this happiness data and don’t know the details of the survey.
This is an interesting read on suicide rates across the world.
We can also look at Germany and other large countries, which provide much the same as far as an advanced social safety net, which not only helps those individuals, but also provide a better society and situation for all of us in the form of lower poverty, lower crime and higher levels of social interaction and health.
These countries most certainly have high levels of technological innovation and are highly advanced - much more so than the USA. Anyone who has ever traveled the world or is able to read can obviously see the difference and understand that we're falling behind by the year.
And just like that, the US conservatives suddenly see the Nordic model for what it actually is, as opposed to 'slippery slope to communism'. Sanders didn't get far, but that is an accomplishment in itself.
How would you go about legislating happiness in the US. Scandinavia has a collectivist culture while the US is very individualistic. Janteloven is where one supports the collective and doesn’t boast about individual accomplishments, meanwhile in the US people can’t stop posting about their extravagant lives on social media. I bet you there would be a lot more happy people if they stopped using social media and stopped comparing themselves to the Jones’. If people started to focus on what they have instead of what they don’t have, they may be more happy. Again, I don’t know how they collect this happiness data and don’t know the details of the survey.
This is an interesting read on suicide rates across the world.
You also see the value of Janteloven in more socially educationally advanced areas and groups of people in the US such as Vermont or Colorado, where living well is more important than living large. With it comes a sense of thrift and conservation vs the mainstream American values of waste and consumption, which is prevalent among the more ignorant.
You also see the value of Janteloven in more socially educationally advanced areas and groups of people in the US such as Vermont or Colorado, where living well is more important than living large. With it comes a sense of thrift and conservation vs the mainstream American values of waste and consumption, which is prevalent among the more ignorant.
Those attitudes do exist in the US, especially in parts of the north and midwest where there were alot of German and Scandinavian immigrants.
And some of those types can be socially conservative, but it's a different character than the sort of thing you see in the southern Bible belt.
I think the American obsession with Scandinavia is bizarre and getting more so by the day.
The Scandinavian countries and America are more or less the same. Yes, the same.
Democratic, Free Market, and known for extensive Social Welfare states. Yes, the USA has a social welfare state. Anyone who does not know that is either daft or feigning ignorance.
Scandinavia's is marginally more generous, but they pay more in taxes and are cool with it. The vast majority of Americans, including liberals, would balk at that. There it is.
We have some cultural differences. Scandinavia is clearly more skewed towards collective harmony while America revels in rugged individualism. Neither is wrong, just different.
And finally, yes I have been to Scandinavia. Wonderful countries, great peoples. But far from utopia. I witnessed crime, poverty, racism, and a level of alcoholism that would make Mel Gibson blush.
I think the American obsession with Scandinavia is bizarre and getting more so by the day.
The Scandinavian countries and America are more or less the same. Yes, the same.
Democratic, Free Market, and known for extensive Social Welfare states. Yes, the USA has a social welfare state. Anyone who does not know that is either daft or feigning ignorance.
Scandinavia's is marginally more generous, but they pay more in taxes and are cool with it. The vast majority of Americans, including liberals, would balk at that. There it is.
We have some cultural differences. Scandinavia is clearly more skewed towards collective harmony while America revels in rugged individualism. Neither is wrong, just different.
And finally, yes I have been to Scandinavia. Wonderful countries, great peoples. But far from utopia. I witnessed crime, poverty, racism, and a level of alcoholism that would make Mel Gibson blush.
The US's social welfare is more patchy and dysfunctional.
I know Finland has some progressive social policies, even more than Sweden. They seem more willing to consider new ideas and are not limited by social tradition.
You also see the value of Janteloven in more socially educationally advanced areas and groups of people in the US such as Vermont or Colorado, where living well is more important than living large. With it comes a sense of thrift and conservation vs the mainstream American values of waste and consumption, which is prevalent among the more ignorant.
This is true. I like the ideals of Janteloven myself. I live very frugally and like the sense of a cohesive community. I also understand that there are many other people in this country that don’t share similar viewpoints as I. That is the reason I was explaining the differences between the countries and why certain policies are more easily sold in those countries. I know there are places in the US that have these ideals, they are typically wealthy and highly educated areas.
They don’t have any actual data or studies to back that talking point up, it’s just what Fox News and talk radio keeps repeating to them. It SOUNDS like it makes sense, so they keep repeating the zombie talking point without questioning it.
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