Are Americans "beaten down"? (home, unemployment benefits, buy)
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Meanwhile, non-Americans complain about America and Americans. And then when their governments come to them to tell them that the good-ole days of 35-hour work weeks, 6-week paid vacations, free university tuition and government-funded retirement at 55 are over, they riot and loot.
..and the problem is?
Our government is just as broke as those in Europe, yet we fight for the right of the rich to pay less taxes than the middle-class.
Meanwhile, non-Americans complain about America and Americans. And then when their governments come to them to tell them that the good-ole days of 35-hour work weeks, 6-week paid vacations, free university tuition and government-funded retirement at 55 are over, they riot and loot.
Somewhat misinformed about retirement at 55, rioting and looting.
Very few Americans ever claim to have German blood, despite a large portions of Americans have German blood. Mostly because of Hitler and WWI/WWII, etc. German was a 2nd language in the U.S., and many newspapers, schools, etc. were in German, and than when Hitler came up on the scene in Europe, no one wanted to be German anymore, and anglicized their names and stopped the German schools, newspapers, etc. A direct reaction to the atrocities occurring in Europe.
Most Eastern European names were also anglicized.
I've seen random dna plots of white americans, most cluster closer to the UK and Irish samples than other european groups.
Somewhat misinformed about retirement at 55, rioting and looting.
I know I was making generalized statements, but you can't argue that what happened in Athens and London didn't happen. And I recognize that retirement for government workers varies among EU nations, but you have to admit that some of those terms are unreasonable in the long-term, from a fiscal standpoint.
I've seen random dna plots of white americans, most cluster closer to the UK and Irish samples than other european groups.
British were mostly in Canada....hence when the British burned the White House down in 1812, Canadians say it was they that did that. They were one and the same for the longest time. Canada = British Commonwealth, even today as well, I believe. I think they are still commonwealth. The U.S. ended that a couple centuries ago, and I don't think we've had much UK immigration since than.
Lots of Scots-Irish went into the Appalachians and the South though...hence many southerns have British names like Johnson, Jackson, etc. So do many black americans because of it. They spread out all over the South and went westward into Texas, etc. They are probably more the ones you're thinking of.
I grew up in the Upper Midwest though, and pretty much everyone was either Irish, Polish, Dutch, French, Norwegian, Finnish, etc. MANY Germans, but after WWII, they tried to anglicize themselves in name.
But if you were to do a poll of people in, say, Arkansas, I'm pretty sure you'd get a ton of UK blood in there.
It varies tremendously from state to state, and region to region. I think pretty much ALL the Northern States are pretty much ALL mixed up with a ton of continental european blood and Irish blood...is that was the masses and masses of immigration pouring into Boston, New York, etc. last century.
Probably almost all of the Southern states and many westward states would be filled with more of the UK blood (Scots-Irish) blood....although, I think eventually plenty of northerners also went westward mixing into more of that scots-irish blood eventually.
ANyways, where I come from, the Upper Midwest, those areas were just Native Americans and territories that just completely opened up to masses and masses of european immigrants....so they are almost all Scandianians, Germans, Dutch, French, etc. who came for the free land and soil. THan the Irish came to the cities afterwards for most of the factory work and later policeman, fireman, etc. Not much British at all where I'm from. I grew up in Michigan. Detroit was once French.
Every state and part of the country has a different history though. Minnesota is basically Sweden though. Plenty of others mixed in, but pretty much every food and produce and even the accents are still Swedish. Well, plenty of Finns and Norwegians in there as well...and Germans to a lesser extent.
..and the problem is?
Our government is just as broke as those in Europe, yet we fight for the right of the rich to pay less taxes than the middle-class.
Maybe you are, but I'm not. But let's be fair and honest here -- while their effective rates may be lower than many middle-class Americans, the so-called "rich" in this country still pay a vast majority of all income taxes. Roughly 50 percent of U.S. wage earners don't pay income taxes. And spare me the argument that they still pay FICA, and local property and sales taxes. I'm among those who do pay income taxes, but that doesn't give me a break on the others.
But back on point, I'm simply challenging the notion that Americans as a whole are "beaten down" by long work weeks and not enough vacation time. As I've stated in previous posts, there are a lot of Americans -- myself included -- who work pretty standard work weeks and enjoy more than 2 weeks vacation every year. If anything, the fact that so many Americans today are struggling has nothing to do with working too much. Rather it has to do with unemployment or underemployment.
It wasn't a criticism. It was a thought. And yes, I do agree that people within the USA - as within other countries - have choices and options. Yet, it is fair to admit that many of us have been wooed and persuaded by the intoxicating effect of excess and materialism.
Yes, I agree. Unfortunately, people in many other countries in the world have become very materialistic too. That's why they're so attracted to America. And it's not always a good thing IMO.
Reading these threads, I think what it boils down to is this: some people want to live in a country where the "state" basically takes care of them and provides a good social safety net. To that, I agree that the U.S. is not a good country for those people. Americans are way too individualistic for that. People who live off of the state are looked down upon here. It seems to be much more of a European/socialist ideal.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 09-19-2011 at 09:49 AM..
Two weeks per year! Most Americans wouldn't know what to do with more.
Doesn't America lead the world in consumption of medication to relieve stress and anxiety?
But what's interesting is that for all of the talk about how Europe is so less car-oriented, it sure is full of cars.
Yes, unfortunately. I personally hate cars and wish I could live in a place where there are none. There are towns like that deep in the hinterland, but they are so remote that they have no Internet access there, which however I need for my work.
Many people, especially men, have long ceased to see the car in its original function, i.e. just a vehicle to get you from here to there. It has become a fun object, status symbol, and a means of being separate from other people for a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer
I don't understand why you think it is terrible. If you live in America and have a good job, then you can afford a car if you want.
If you don't want to buy a car, then you can lease or rent one if you like. It's no big deal at all really.
Or maybe you feel that driving in itself is terrible? If that's the case, then welcome to the modern world. What can I say?
I could afford a car, but I don't have one because I don't like cars and the speed, noise, pollution, and dangers they bring into life. I try to lead a slow life, thus I walk everywhere. This also brings me in much more contact with other people, which is important for an introverted person like myself. When you pass other pedestrians here, you are expected to greet them, which often leads to little conversations.
Two weeks per year! Most Americans wouldn't know what to do with more.
Except that there are many private sector workers, government employees, teachers and military service members who receive more than two weeks and seem to enjoy it just fine. I get four weeks plus all federal holidays. I take full advantage. There's always plenty to do.
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