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Obesity is a global issue problem, especially in the western countries.
There are fat people all over Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Oceania, Northern Africa, etc. So don't tell us it's a problem only in the U.S.
You might not of invented fat but you sure dont help the way you supersize everything and have eveything huge over there.
In America we have the option to provide you everythin almost super-sized if YOU want to have it.. nobody is forcing you to finish your food or drink (or even refill it).
Hold up there, buddy boy. One wrong accusation at a time! Please!
1. Culture--You guys can't even use that anymore. Our American culture is worldwide. Anyone who says otherwise or believes something else is crazily deluded. Whoever said we contribute nothing to the world is WRONG.
2. Language--Consider that we needn't know three languages. We are not surrounded by multitudes of countries; just two others, really. One of them speaks English for the most part. Okay, so cool you know 3 languages. Want a plaque or something? This is notwithstanding that many Americans, immigrants or otherwise, know another language. Many people know at least two.
3. Acceptance--America is very conservative, especially in social mores. I don't see what's wrong with our stance. Let the liberals enjoy themselves and promote equality for all--EXCEPT White Christians. Right? What we feel about gay marriage is our business and we cannot be looked at as retarded children. We CAN be seen as people with a more complex society that allows everyone to have an opinion, so long as it does not interfere with life, liberty, etc.
4. Modern Leaders: For the longest time, most Euro-countries have only had leaders that were part of the majority of their population. I don't see why it was wrong with us. Besides, Israel is a bad example; being relatively new, it grew up with contemporary ideas and had a strong respect for all citizens (Arab or Jew) and thus they are as the pioneers were: more accepting of everyone that did their part.
5. Family--America is truly family-oriented. American suburbs are the downright obvious evidence of that mentality: designed for the family to be away from the gritty city. Europeans tend to have just as gritty cities, yet they allow their children freedom from a young age to do as they please and go almost anywhere. Just 'cause we have a little restraint means we're not oriented for family? Ha!
6. Work--We have a regular work-schedule. A 40-hour workweek. If that's too much for you, go back to the "football" game.
7. Obesity--Low blow, there. For roughly a third of Americans, only. It's not like fat was invented in America. And the dressing better? Really? That can of worms?
Transportation has improved vastly in the space of a few years. Don't discount it these days.
I'm with you on the culture part, though in my years abroad, I feel like almost every country in the world receives pop culture from multiple parts of the globe (especially apparent when you look at billboard charts) while the US seems to populate their boards exclusively with US media and occasionally British.
I understand the rationale for the language part, though you're also missing the part where English is the lingua franca. English comprehension in parts of the world that aren't as linguistically diverse as Europe is often impressive. In any case, I do think this fairly low rate of second language acquisition along with how impenetrable US audiences seem to be towards media from other parts of the world (especially if in a foreign language) does seem to leave Americans pretty much out of the loop for a lot of global trends and remarkably unaware of other parts of the world. The exception being recent immigrants to the US.
I'm fine with people looking down on stuff and stuff as long as it's not legally enforced. I think the issue comes when there are legal restrictions on others within reason--in that sense, I'm not sure how legislating restrictions on marriage makes any sense to me.
Also, I disagree with the suburbs being actually functionally more family-oriented. Good neighborhoods and good neighbors can and do occur in cities. I think security, in both the physical and economic senses, are probably the most conducive to families, and that does not have to be restricted to suburbs.
I would not defend America's workweek schedule--it seems from most studies that we don't actually garner much in terms of greater production as efficiency per hour slides down quite a bit. It's an interesting field of study right now in which time allotted for tasks play a funny part in how we conduct the task and how we manage to end up filling the allotted time for the same task even as you adjust the hours. I'm not sure why you felt it necessary to add some kind of comment about football in double quotes.
How is obesity a low-blow? Because it's mostly in the gut? Americans are outrageously fat--what are you going to do about it? Other countries are headed in the direction, but Americans are way ahead of the curve at this point, and it is a really serious issue in many ways. It is not a low-blow in terms of being a trivial non-issue that has nothing to do with the topic at hand--it is actually terrible in both personal and social terms.
In America we have the option to provide you everythin almost super-sized if YOU want to have it.. nobody is forcing you to finish your food or drink (or even refill it).
North American roads are wider than European. That's why I said the size is a matter too for part of quality of life and beauty of a place.
You're welcome to visit America
Yeah, Americans in general are very friendly and polite.
Can't tell by the number of US citizens in jail for violent crimes.
Have you ever heard of the autobahn? Streets in other than centuries old town centers are the same as US streets.
Shocking, I know.
Have you ever thought of ending your questions properly? I imagine not. It does seem very likely that American parents (for whatever reason) are more caring/doting for their children than European parents. Everyone has so much more freedom to do anything from a young age there. Kids drinking wine at 6 and other socially odd and somewhat stupid things.
Don't know much about Europe, European families and customs do you?
It is not a social norm for 6 year olds to be drinking. They may have they tasted sans-alcohol, perhaps kinderwein, which is simply grape juice.
I don't know anyone where I work who has fed their 6-year olds alcohol.
You do know that US moms gave kids paragoric to sleep; some get their kids drunk and stoned? Hmmmm?
Want to see some US child abuse statistics? Great family values here:
Children
15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.3
29% are age 12-17.
44% are under age 18.3
80% are under age 30.3
12-34 are the highest risk years.
Girls ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
7% of girls in grades 5-8 and 12% of girls in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused.4
3% of boys grades 5-8 and 5% of boys in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused.
In 1995, local child protection service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse.5
Of these, 75% were girls.
Nearly 30% of child victims were between the age of 4 and 7.
93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker.6
34.2% of attackers were family members.
58.7% were acquaintances.
Only 7% of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim.
Last edited by chielgirl; 06-18-2012 at 01:49 PM..
Whether or not the U.S. has a higher quality of life than any particular Western European country is a matter of subjective preferences. But in terms of buying "stuff", the average income in the United States is higher than most European countries, and prices of consumer goods are lower, sometimes far lower. Some examples from amazon.com and amazon.de:
Lumix DMC-LX5 Digital Camera
US: $379.00
DE: $506.09 (EUR 399)
Kindle Touch 3G
US: $149.00
DE: $239.73 (EUR 189)
Hunger Games book
US: $5.39
DE: $8.88 (EUR 7)
Not to mention houses, land, cars, gas, etc...the U.S. is probably the country where the most consumer goods are available to the broadest segment of the population.
A) They have other brands they can buy; there are sales in Germany, too. They've also got ebay, etc.
B) Aren't you basing your information on what you want to buy, not necessarily what Germans might want?
C) The world is not just about stuff to buy.
D) I shop in Germany, I rarely carry dollars (no real use for them) and find most things, especially essentials such as bio (organic) foods and other staples to be on par or cheaper than the US.
Poland is extremely inexpensive by Euro standards, and by US standards.
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