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I live in Portugal. I know and have met many Portuguese who have visited the U.S. All of these are adamant that though they enjoyed the sightseeing experience, there is no way they would want to live in the U.S.
Indeed, for most Portuguese the US must be a very cold place in every way, unlike everything they have here, for instance in terms of priorities.
Even for Germans it must be hard. I have read an article on German scholars teaching at US institutions of higher education. After a couple of years many of them want to return to Germany, but can't because there is hardly a way back into the academic circles there once you are gone for a few years. They are trapped in the US.
Still, I think it varies a lot on the region within the US. For Portuguese immigrants, Florida is likely to be a good place, unlike the Midwest.
Many people around the world make the mistake of watching all those funny movies and comedy shows and concluding that is what life must be like in the US.
I will never forget that documentary on African refugees who are stranded in the US and hate it there because people lead such secluded lives and there is little society as such.
Euros grew to expect productive benefits for being unproductive. Worked for a while, but the game is up, as demographically there is not enough working people to pay for people to have rich 40 year retirements and free this and that eating off the public trough. Especially over the next 20 years, Europe is in deep doo doo.
I have a relative that when he lost his job in the Netherlands, he got 90% of his pay for 2 years. Obviously he had no incentive to get another full time job and in fact was allowed to work part time. With his part time pay and 90% of his old salary paid by the government, he actually made more than working full time! Then when the 2 years was up he got another full time job.
Denmark found the same thing, paying people unemployment for 5 years did not encourage them to seek another job.
All that stuff that gets paid out comes from some taxpayer, not a magic tree of money.
And yet the Netherlands has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe, far lower than the US, funny how that works
I live in Portugal. I know and have met many Portuguese who have visited the U.S. All of these are adamant that though they enjoyed the sightseeing experience, there is no way they would want to live in the U.S.
That is true. The exception is a cool job in New York City or Los Angeles.
Just do it in the Brazilian way: when Saturday comes, forget you have a job, forget you have a boss, and get an overdosis of samba, cachaça and football during all the weekend. When Monday arrives, you're a renewed person.
Anyway, Brazilian workers have 4-week paid vacation every year, granted by law.
I have got five weeks paid vacation. Three weeks should be a minimum for all regular employees. Working non-stop is not healthy in the long run.
They want to work to be able to lead a good life and not live to work and that is much easier done in most European countries.
Nobody I know "lives to work." This adage that Europeans work to live and Americans live to work is a BS line Euros use to make themselves feel superior. You have to earn a living somehow, and you have to do it for many years (usually 35-50 years), so you better do something that's worthwhile both in terms of compensation and satisfaction. Thus, Americans put a lot of emphasis on their careers.
I have got five weeks paid vacation. Three weeks should be a minimum for all regular employees. Working non-stop is not healthy in the long run.
I don't think you'd find one American who disagrees with the last sentence. The philosophical difference comes over whether vacation minimums should be dictated by government or a result of a robust labor market.
Many people around the world make the mistake of watching all those funny movies and comedy shows and concluding that is what life must be like in the US.
That's the thing. Why do people form an opinion about life in an entire country based on movies and tv shows? That says more about the people doing it than anything else.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 09-19-2011 at 12:38 PM..
Nobody I know "lives to work." This adage that Europeans work to live and Americans live to work is a BS line Euros use to make themselves feel superior. You have to earn a living somehow, and you have to do it for many years (usually 35-50 years), so you better do something that's worthwhile both in terms of compensation and satisfaction. Thus, Americans put a lot of emphasis on their careers.
A lot of words to say that Americans live to work.
A lot of words to say that Americans live to work.
Not at all. As with other nationalities, Americans have to work to afford necessities and wants. It in no way implies that that work is one of the main goals in life, although work goals are important if one wants to be able to afford more than just the necessities (e.g. travel).
Do you not have any career goals (assuming you're still of working age)?
I don't think you'd find one American who disagrees with the last sentence. The philosophical difference comes over whether vacation minimums should be dictated by government or a result of a robust labor market.
It is utterly obvious that it should be dictated by the government. The government is not dictating the maximum, it is dictating the minimum. The employer can feel free to give more time of vacation if he wants...
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