How I See the US After 2 Years in Europe | American Reacts
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- Thank you so much for watching!! I learned something new today and I really appreciate his opinion.
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How I see the US after living in Europe for 2 Years
• How I see the US after...
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Simple statement: You neither should have to fear going to the doctor or the police when needing help.
If you do - something is severely wrong in your country.
No1 reason for bankruptcy in the US is medical debt (also if you do go bankrupt your student debt isn't written off), No1 reason for owning a firearm is self defense.
If the US had the same level socialised healthcare as Germany and the commensurate increase in taxes to support it the average American would still have something like 14% less outgoings as paying current taxes + health insurance. This also doesn't take into account the increase in productivity of a healthier population.
@@tacet3045 You also have the issue of the US being a union of states, not a homogenous nation. The US is more like the EU but with a lot more rules. It's also not a democracy, which means the government doesn't pass the laws. It's difficult for the US federal government to "interfere" with individual states since the US is founded on a constitution that strictly prohibits federal meddling in many aspects of state policies.
Another thing is also the insane amount of taxes we pay here in Europe compared to what they pay in the US. Of course, different nations are different from each other so I'm just gonna use my country (Sweden) as an example for simplicity's sake:
Their income tax would have to be 32% in every state (currently not all states have income tax), as well as two federal tax brackets that total ~30% combined. Their alcohol tax would be 70%, electricity tax 60%, gas/diesel tax 50% (3-4 times more expensive), 25% VAT, etc. In addition to this, they'd have an additional ~40 smaller taxes to pay. Among them would be things like cassette tax, advertising tax, waste tax, benefit tax, gaming tax, coupon tax, nuclear tax, and so on.
In Sweden, if someone makes the average US salary, they're paying 62% income tax. The US currently sits at #28 on the list of the highest tax pressure in the world. My country sits at #8. The difference is massive. When it comes to
The average person visits the hospital about once every 8-10 years. The last time I had to visit a hospital for an injury was about 1½ years ago. Before that it was when I had a concussion at the age of 12 back in 1995. The amount of taxes I have paid in the last 20 years (only counting income tax and nothing else) is literally in the millions. I have paid roughly ~2 million SEK in taxes and I've had two serious hospital visits. That's 1 million per visit.
@@WolfHeathen Yes but us Swedes arent that egoistic like some americans that just says its communism :p
Im happy to pay taxes, so that some other people that doesnt have it that good financially can go to the hospital or get their medicine(high cost protection) and such.
@@WolfHeathen Those 2 millions also pay for roads, school, social support, child support and many other things we take for granted.
@@thedryparn1279 True. Of course roads and public schools and whatever miniscule social support there is innthe US is paid in those taxes they have.
But the thing we have in Europe (and in our Nordics social system especially) is that those who are lucky to be healthy and working etc. take care of those who don't have it that good. This mentality and system has been put under threat by having a small, but increasing, number of those who choose to live on social support. What I mean by "put under threat" is that when we allow for one to do that, the next person will start to think "why should I work my ass off when they don't" and it will start spreading. Of course most want to have more money and they work (or would work if they had a job, were healthy etc.) to get it, but their (me included) attitude will start to change. I don't want to be paying for someone who just chose that they want to pick their nose even when they'd be fully capable on doing their share. This would eventually change our system towards the US type and those unlucky ones would be the ones suffering.
And I'm a Finn by the way.
I lived 3 months in USA. I've never been so happy to come home to Scandinavia. My mind became toxic with stress living there. I just walked out in the wild with coffee when I came home. Never being so humble of happiness for being swedish.
I have the same experience, lived for 4 years in America..I felt so happy coming home for good to Sweden again...
No Norseman (Scandinavian) will ever prefer anywhere else than home.
Home is awesome, it's better than anywhere on the entire planet.
Nothing beats Scandinavia. Nothing.
We're so lucky we were born here, with the golden ticket of all golden tickets.
Alt for Norge.
As an American, I fully understand what you are saying. We need much more of your Swedish attitude in America.
Maybe keep an eye on your immigration policies.
Why not visit some of our wilderness?
Only place with more untouched land is the Siberian taiga.
A young man in Sweden, saw the American school shootings and thought he could do the same. He dressed up as a mix between a Warhammer Death Korp guardsmen and a Nazi soldier. But this being Sweden, he couldn't get guns. So he ordered a "Viking Sword" online. He then took this to school, where he was met with thoughts that he was a cosplayer. Some girls even took some photos with him before he started his attacks.
His name was Anton Lundin Pettersson and was 21 at the time of the attack. With a sword (and a dagger) he killed 3 people and injured 2. When Police arrived, he charged them with a raised sword forcing the Police to shoot him. He later died at the hospital.
We have more school attacks than this one. 13 attacks in total, first one in 1961 which is also only one with a gun. But none of them have more dead than the story above. And none of the 13 attacks have more deaths than one of the American ones (4 deaths being the lowest in US).
My point of this story is to show what guns can do, and what happens if no guns are available.
The US has 13 mass murders every year before January is even half over.
That's the scale difference.
Even if you calculate the per capita on mass murders, the US is still multitudes ahead of any other nation. It's an obscenity.
Those who wrote the 2nd amendment hadn't the faintest idea how deadly guns would become in two centuries. Back then a flintlock musket/pistol took half a minute to load and fire, few could afford them and those who did used them sparsely to hunt prey animals to put food on the table or to "fend off" Indians.
I Canada guns are available with proper training and registration requirements. It’s a very safe country to live in. Occasional gun violence can occur but the incidents are few and far between compared to our U.S. neighbours.
It's the same here in Canada. Shooting do happen but, like there, they are few and far between. I don't know how anyone can live in the US. I won't even visit there.
Many Americans own guns and don't shoot people. Hint: It's not the guns.
I've heard it said that Americans live to work, whereas Europeans work to live... 🤔
This is very true. In Europe we value work-life balance. We have many laws that protect workers' rights that you don't have in the US. Our wages are higher and we pay taxes that fund healthcare, education and infrastructure. This means that we don't have to pay insurance for everything in order to live comfortably. We also have an average of five weeks paid vacation that our places of work encourage us to take so that we can get some well needed rest and then come back and be more productive.
My own story from Norway is quite the opposite. I grew up in a poor family and understood very early that I had to work my ass off to get somewhere in life.
The last two years of my engineering master, I worked and studied more than 100 hours every week ten years ago. I began on my PhD and finally burned out in 2021.
After almost three years of mostly laying in bed, it's possible to start working again.
The big difference, I suppose, is that I got paid enough to keep my family and house during my sick leave, and now I really want to work and pay my taxes to other ones that might need it.
The land of the free!!! 🤣🤦♂️
@@eskilolsen3783 There are always some exceptions, but the statement is true even though.
as a german I feel that too, live to work, an than with exeptional high taxes etc. without the fell that it gets us something back
Heidi talking totally at ease and saying: I've heard gunshots going off..
A huge number Europeans: I never heard gunshots (except related to military exercise, hunting or sports) my entire life.
Nope, not even once. If I hear a loud bang I instantly think of a car muffler bang or something like that.
@@chrissiesbuchcocktail The US has had 350 mass shootings and 30,000 murders already in 2024, beating all previous records.
Just once we had a shooting about a hunderd yards from my house. I just thought damm kids with their firecrackers. It was just 2 days later sombody told me there was a shooting but so far i'm the only one i know except for me neighbours ofcourse.
Never heard a gun on the streets, never seen a gun on the streets, never had a friend or anyone I know carry a gun (few have hunted though or shoot as a hobby). I have had one instance where an old friend had a known criminal shoot his eye off with a .22 pistol decades ago, this was after a drunken argument at a late night fast food joint. The only instance of gun-related violence I've ever ran into.
Exactly, that was shocking to me. To feel gunshots in the background as normal says a lot...
I think the reasons why people don't retire in Europe are different to the reasons people don't retire in the USA. Here in Europe people who don't retire (in general) don't retire because they like their job. I have a feeling that the main reason people don't retire in the USA is because they can't afford it
Ooh and 10% is a huge amount!
I’m 62 and can retire in 5 years time.
Do I want to? Nah! Do I need to? Nah!
So I’ll guess that I’ll continue untill I’m really need to retire. As long as I can work as I’m supposed to without being a disgrace I guess that I may as well continue. Work smarter, not harder means that my body’s still doing okay. 😊👌
@@kasperkjrsgaard1447 Seems like you find your job fulfilling and that's incredibly awesome! Go as long as you want! I truly hope you're happy, your comment made me smile!
Generally, people who don't retire run their own business and want to keep it going, or they work for a small family business, where they feel like they are part of the family. Most people do retire, it is often the small baker's shop, butcher's or a small café or restaurant that is family run, where the mother or father keeps going until they physically can't handle it any more. A local baker kept a shop open for his grandmother - he had a chain of shops, but the first one, where his parents set up the business, kept going until his mother died, she opened for a couple of hours each day, I doubt it made money for years, but to keep his mother happy, he kept the shop open, until she couldn't do it any more (I'm not sure if she died before it was closed or whether it was closed and she died a few months later).
My current employer, the "Senior Chef" (Senior boss or director) still comes into the company 5 days a week, although he takes an afternoon nap most days now. He is 85 and still enjoys going into the product development meetings and keeping an eye on the business.
Many american dont want to pay taxes because some other people in need can get the threatment they paid tax for😂 in europe we like to help everyone to have a good life. We see it very differently
Not sure if we like to help everybody but we are certainely are smart enough that if we deny it to our neighbours we might not get it ourselves when we need it. For me i don't mind paying for others as long as everybody chips in relativly to what they earn i'm fine with it.
Yup, when I work, I don't mind paying taxes at all, but when I'm unemployed, paying taxes off a small piece of income is ROUGH.
The only problem is the amount of money thrown away by the state and their spending.
This was exactly my point when I commented on another video related to US-EU. I saw US people in the streets saying they don't like to pay taxes to help other citizens. This is just sad. All of us pay taxes and I can bet no one wants to end up in a hospital but it happens. Those taxes will help you then. It helped me in 2019 when I had to be in the hospital for 5 days. That hospital bill was massive but because my fellow Romanians payed taxes I didn't had to pay a dime. I actually got a lot of money from my employer payed private insurance.
@@esaedvik How much taxes do you pay off your "income" when you're unemployed?
Strange comment about Germans in his clip. Foreigners in Germany always praise our great work/life balance in their videos. Many Germans have to work less than 40h/week in their fulltime jobs and for most office workers the weekends starts Friday at noon.
Exactly. I was surprised about that part, too.
hehe anf i think its the dutch who are actualy more obsessed by getting it right. You still have that rule und ordnung mentallity in germany though, it ain't as bad as we sometimes joke about but its still lingers on a bit.
I agree with you.
I live in Europe, I’m friends and I work with a lot of germans.
They’re strict and organized, ESPECIALLY with their life-work balance.
Berlin and a lot of other german cities are FALLEN. You can not drive S-Train without alcoholic-angry passengers
i think large part of the reason why americans have a hustler go getter mentality is because they literally have to in order to make money when the minimum wages are so poor, in europe most places pay you a wage you can make do with. i always hear about americans working multiple jobs, this concept is absolute lunacy to me, no one in my country does this
@@Terji I've never met anyone who has more than one job. UK.
Haven't met any either, from France
@@noefillon1749 Ive seen 2 in the Netherlands and yes they where both americanes they did make a nice amount of money but i prefere my freetime.
It happens in Italy: you may have a main job and do a few hours a week on a side job. But it's usually what people on part time jobs do. My friend I did so when working for McDonalds. He had a 24 weekly hours contract with McDonalds, then did a few weekly hours for a cafe or a pastry shop. On the whole, he probably worked for 30-32 hours weekly combining the two. As soon as hegot a full time job he quit both.
@@albin2232 I have more than one job in the UK. I have a main job and then a side hustle
I worked for a big German telekom company in England for 20 years. I worked 35 hours a week and got 30 days holiday + public holidays + emergency time off. If I was female, I'd get a year off for each child at 75%-ish salary. The US is stuck in the 1930's when it comes to work-life balance.
that German company will sure disappear soon.
@@XY-uc1tw why ? Do you prefer fly with Boeing or with airbus ? Perhaps when you take holiday you work more efficiently ?
@@XY-uc1tw
Define “soon”...
@@XY-uc1tw I think I work for the same company in Germany .. and we will not disappear instead we’re growing in the usa so the company is not on a suicidal financial mission quite the contrary is binding it’s human resource by treatingthem fair
@@XY-uc1tw Since what he described is pretty normal in companies in Germany I can assure you it will be fine (as it were for the last 20 years he worked there).
I used to admire the US when I was a kid, especially New York City and San Francisco, but as I got older and started to open my eyes, I started to see the flaws in the US and how different things are in Europe, for the better.
It probably wasn't always like this, but I feel the US has been going downhill over the last two or so decades, or maybe the cracks were there well before that but the internet started to open our eyes, both in the US and EU as the internet allowed us to do more comparisons and get points of views of people that have travelled and lived in both the EU and US, and honestly, the more I hear of the US, the less I want to travel there, never mind live there.
The US is really losing it's way, and it looks likely it's only going to get worse with how toxic US politics is and how divided the people there are becoming, and don't get me wrong, we have our problems in Europe as well, but compared to the US, I feel we Europeans have it much better than even us Europeans realise, because we Europeans do like to complain about everything lol, it's probably what keeps our governments on their toes, as Europeans seem to be more willing to stand up to our governments then Americans are to them and that probably explains why Europeans have so many qualities of life benefits that Americans can only dream off, we basically fight for them by keeping governments more in check, and it doesn't always work, but it certainly gives the governments a run for its money, whereas in the US, you get a sense that Americans roll over and allow the government and corporations to do as they please and boy do the government and corporations take advantage of that in the US.
Think the US was great until the 90s, ahead of many other countries, then they went down while Europe stayed good.
Wow, that's kind of racist.
@@AstroGremlinAmerican Racist against whom? Blacks? Hispanics? Jews?
For sure you know it, Otherwise he can't be racist if you don't know against whom.
The US was never a great country. People thought it was great 2-3 decades ago only because they were brainwashed to believe they lived in the "greatest nation on earth", just like the people of this country are now.
America has slowly been circling the drain ever since our slave-owning, genocidal "founders" stole it 250 years ago.
In the UK, our pets have better insurance cover than a human in the US. I pay £40 a month for our dog, all I have to pay is the first £75 of any veterinary bills, but there is no upper limit.
Oh maaaaan....
@@HailHeidi Netherlands here born basically handicapped *(brain disease hitted me when i was 6 weeks old) needed 4 months in hospital 55 years of physical therapy insurance 240 dollars/month don't earn enough to afford so governments pays 160 of it due to my social wellfare. deductable is 365/year but my insurance cost includes that 365. And i always pay it due to the medicines and physical therapy... After that my only cost is de public transportation tickets to those appointments. I never have to pay anything with a $7000 deductable i would not be alive... plain and simple.
you're not in Europe anymore ;)
@@Noxo_off Umm, when did they move their island? And where?
Not in EU, but they are part of Europe for sure.
@@MaoZhu-j6q the UK is more like the US... U can't compare the UK with the rest of Europe
As a European who has experience with America AND Europe, I find that most americans that I talked to about them blaming the food for their overweight completely neglected responsibility about their eating and would still drive everywhere. Not even walk 2 blocks. Granted some feel safer inside their car than on the sidewalk where random interactions might happen, but my anecdotal experience tells me that *some* Americans prefer to blame the quality of their food, than actually blaming themselves for not following the science. Just move more than you eat. There is no magic. Just burn more calories than you take in.
Bike paths might help😉
Dane here, my mom retired at 62, gowerment paid retirement. My dad is 78 still work, but he works at his Old workplace as a adviser , so just some hours a week, but he still get paid gowerment retiré salary. You get that at a certain age and you are allowed to work a little besides that and still get paid for retirement. So some / alot of people do some hours at work afther retirement just to get xtra cash and still be on Your workplace for the social aspect. ❤️🇩🇰❤️
my 70 yr old Danish bluecollar dad still works 3 days a week. He could have retired 5 yrs ago, but choses to keep working as long as he has fun doing it.
I love that!
@@koschmx maybe not because they like it ?how much money a month does retired ppl ,that work a normal job say on a factory floor, in US get?i have no clue since im Swedish
@@JokerInk-CustomBuilds i have no intention to retire as long as my body and brain let me work🙂i need have things i must do,without a deadline to keep i doubt after a few months i would even bother to do anything at all
@@donaldliden4545 I have so many hobby projects I am building on. Work is basicly just to afford building materials, hpusing and food... lol
@@JokerInk-CustomBuilds thats great💯
"americans have this rushed agenda when try to get as much done throughout the day"
literally a minute later in the video: 4:39
😅😅
HAHAHA That's actually really funny.
Some Americans like to hang out on the street because they can't get a job. Momma didn't have no job either. Daddy? He rushed off.
@@HailHeidi "An appointment I forgot about." Seek frenzy and you will find it.
i feel like in europe, (the nordics at lest) political and on most cases religius beleives arent worn as a badge of honor. or a public core part of their person. i feel like americans do identify as christian and republican or democratic. where in europe (nordic) its much more personal and something u leave at home. to be very public with it is seen as extream and "weird".
Exactly, for many of us in Europe, politics is not about tribalism. The average American would be surprised to know that in my lifetime I have voted for three different parties in parliamentary elections (depending on their platform and past performance), independent candidates not affiliated with parties in presidential elections, and various local coalitions in council elections.
True im Swedish and ill go so far i will say religion is struggle to attract younger new people here .The most religious ppl in the country is refugees coming from other countries with more religious cultures.Wich in some cases has its problems
In Sweden most people aren't Christian unless someone starts talking about Islam then everybody are Christian. 🧐
Agree, im danish. I have voted for many different parties. I take the test everytime and vote for Them i score highest with. As im 50 years my values has changed and therefor i have voted for many many parties, maybe 8-12 different parties 😂😂
A much lower percentage of people in Europe are religious at all. Especially in Northern Europe where to be non-religious is the norm and overly religious people are seen as a bit weird.
There is a big difference between working for a chain at 70 and half working half socialising in a little cafe, serving your friends in some greek or italian village at 70.
What’s bad about a Bavarian village’s café?
@@blaraldzuvielgesagt7523 The beers are to heavy bring around in your 70 ish otherwise nothing i always enjoy them.
@@arturobianco848 That’s fair.
But in that case you can settle with a beer garden, where people are used to get their beer at one place and you don’t carry it.
And sorry, I just recognized I unloaded a lot of thinking into this post, just before clicking ‘send’. Might be unfortunate for you, as you might think it makes sense to read, but I feel a burden falling by having it put into a post.
However, family is from Bavaria and Cologne, but personally I’m in Hesse atm, and here’s a lot of lame stuff going on, fortunately I’m traveling most of the time for my job. But early January I’ll be on my own - compensation from company, newly founded own company since a while, currently discussing, thinking, researching about a place to live.
Italy would be good, as well as France, as my Latin is good and both languages are close to Latin and I can read both, speaking will take a while but not long.
Greek however has only parts of the words similar to Latin - that would be hard. But is a really nice place.
English is on C2-A/IELTS9+ level, so US, India, Australia, GB, Malta, Gibraltar, … would be other options. And Malta and Gibraltar are not only beautiful but also for other reasons nice places.
And sorry for the long post, but atm this is going around in my head a lot. I picked up on the line before, as Italy or Spain were the options an investor would have allowed (and still does) me for coming with my prior company (where I was not owner, but shareholder, COO and head of development), but also Greece would with Satellite-Link be an option for e.g. an offer from Open[..], but Malta or Madeira or Gibraltar would also be extremely nice and all have international airports and could do well.
So, aside from CZcams considerations - it’s complicated ;)
And sorry again :(
ye..its better
Just paused this podcast to say, I'm 63 and I have never heard a gunshot in the UK other than at a clay pigeon shoot and a rifle range.
agreed! im 52 and from the midlands and its only the local farmer shooting the pigeons.
I am a 62-year-old Swede and the only sounds of guns being fired I experienced during my military service, a fact I am grateful for. To have it normalized would be terrible.
Congrats. You never grew cotton.
Most importantly, there is no medical underwriting in any of the public health care systems in Europe. Means, everyone is entitled to get treatment wich is medically required. this is called solidarity through risk sharing, which was the initial idea of insurance. The US system of health care prioritises shareholder value over health of human beings.
No, insurance requires that people pay. Free public health care in America would raise taxes to 200%. We have a lot of deadbeats.
Tell me more.
One thing about the food here.i am a german guy who has lived in the US , specificly in the 4 corner states of New Mexico , Arizona , Colorado and Utah. mainly in the 1st 2. i lived in the countryside, not a big city , and after around 4 - 6 weeks living there, one day i broke down and was taken to the hospital . i was feeling weak and in general very miserable. to my luck i had a great doctor who had been stationed in germany as a military doc for years and she knew the differences so well, that she pretty much immediatly knew what was wrong with me: she asked me how i normally eat in germany, how i had eaten since i arrived and if i was taken supplements, which i did not. And then she said :" yes most of the food you can buy here has no vitamens or whatever else you need , besides just stuffing u . if you do not take supplements you will not get the minmum u need for your body." i was shocked. my big buddy who was with me , he was shocked to hear that too. we had a conversation with the doc about food ,health and possibilities and she was a blessing with all her knowledge and then we left again. from that day on regularly drove 120miles for shopping and payed double or more of what we had before. but we felt so much better. my buddy was round about 270-280 pounds back then and he lost about 40 pounds in a year just by changing his food. and i never had problems again. still btw gained about 35 pounds back then. and yes i played football and trained 5 days a weak but still half of that gain was fat.
A very clever Publican once said "we don't have a British Dream, there is no British Dream" "the reason we don't have a dream in Britain ... ... ... is because we are AWAKE"
All hail to the ale, and a glass of wine for the ladies.
That would be the Pub's landlord, Al Murray ☺
The dream was there during the Empire. The dream is over.
My dad retired the day he died at age 73, he was a Dutch farmer and loved the outdoors. First time I was in Lisbon around 1980 I got pick-pocketed, including my passport. But the help I got from other people afterwards easily made up for it, Portugal is a lovely country with great people, food and architecture.
0:29 min in, I'm a 52 year old Norwegian. One of the few countries I really do not want to visit is the US. I have been to Sweden ( of course), Denmark, Germany Ireland, Turkey, Spain...but never wanted to visit thw US. I have relatives there, nut no... ;)
I would love to visit US. There are places there I dreamed of seeing but it's too scary. I heard too much stories from women scared to just go on a walk.
Been to the US once (California) and had a lovely time driving around, but that was 15 years ago. Nowadays, I kinda don't want to go there any more.
Amerika er verdt å besøke minst en gang, det er mange utrolig hyggelige mennesker, spesielt i Minnesota og rundt der, prøv å ikke ha bedømme alt under ett strøk.
Men, jeg ville nok unngått de største byene akkuratt nå.
Har besøkt Amerika to ganger, totalt 2 måneder har jeg vært der til sammen.
@@norXmal har inget ogjort i USA så jag sparar in på avgaserna från flygplansresan😉trevliga människor finns här där jag bor också😀
I live in Norway too, and I feel almost the same. It feels like its quite a dangerous place. I do want to take my kids to Disney World some day, and they also want to visit New York (maybe most dangerous place) for a couple of days, but thats it.
17:50 "The concept of entrepreneurship ís not as popular here in Europe than in the US"
Well... Entrepreneur ís a french word and the concept existed before the USA were born 😂
Perfectly succinct illustration of the American worldview!
You are both right, but that wasn't what the guy in the video meant :)
And the stockmarket was created by the Dutch :’)
BS. Easiest to start a new company in the world is Silicon Valley in California, second Sweden (especially in the Stockholm region) and 3rd easiest in the London area in UK. There are loads of entrepreneurs in Europe.
And your point is its wrong because the word existed before? lol
I have a niece who dreamed of one day visiting the United States and two or three years ago that dream came true. When she came back two weeks later she just said: United States? Forget it, I never want to hear about America again. All because 5 minutes at a doctor cost her 600 dollars.
Stabbed or shot? A lot of Europeans don't know about "bad" neighborhoods.
French here : I recently subscribed to a cheap health insurance which doesn't cover glasses (40€ a month). This afternoon I went to choose one pair of glasses and my insurance only meant to reimburse six cents. The kind ophthalmologist then applied a government free insurance option I wasn't aware of and instead of getting two free basic pairs of glasses I choose two nicer pairs with excellent lenses and paid 213 euros. I'll have to change my options before going to the dentist :/ but, one way or another, the taxes I pay are always useful.
As a Brit, it's great to see Americans taking an interest in other cultures. It has such a reputation for being quite insular
1 american... most of the americans dont know that europe excist...
@seelenwinter6662 hahaha, that's not accurate, of course. At least we know how to spell "exist." 😉 True that we have a lot to learn, though.
@@seelenwinter6662 Are you coming to America to live? Spelling suggests yes.
What he said about Germany is wrong, Germany has the most strict rules about how your work communicates with you, on weekend, holiday or sick leave. you arent allowed to do by law
Getting the trampoline stolen from your backyard is sooo random!! I can't even imagine something like that happening over here (the Netherlands). I've been to the US for vacation and absolutely loved it but never in my life would i want to live there.
It's clear she 'bounced' back from the loss!!!😉
In Colombia they wouldn't bother with the trampoline if they got inside the wall.
From Germany here:
For many people who own buisnesses they indeed keep working long past the offizial retrirement age. In addition to that, many international market leaders that are located in Germany are actually still family businesses, many being a hundret years old oder more. For normal workers, they usually retire at retirement age or earlier if they can afford it.
Same in Denmark, many self-employed people keep working until they drop, most wage-earners retire when they get the chance. .
Indeed, and I’d say that overall in Europe much fewer wage earners that are ‘retired’ have the need to work extra jobs to make ends meet.
I agree with you and also know two affected families from the self-employed sector.
Depending on the business model and location, you may try to find a successor. However, this is not necessarily easy.
Some have not been able to build up sufficient pension capital* due to their business model or simply enjoy their business.
Sometimes you also find "senior owners" who handed over management to their children/successors years ago and are still in the company at least 2-3 times a week.
*No obligation to pay into the statutory pension fund, therefore no entitlement to pension payments from this "pot".
Business owners use private insurance, investment models and/or property purchases to finance their retirement through rental income.
I'm self employed and count the days until I can finally retire. No employees, so I don't care about a successor. My customers will have to find a replacement, but that's their problem. Not mine.
Heidi, 10% of citizens of the USA is like 33 000 000? Right? Something like that? Here in Finland we have about 5.6 million people, so that 33 million is just too many people for me. That (yours xD ) is just wild way of seeing this life/planet. Keep up doing great reactions and have a good one, sis
Living in the Netherlands, everybody gets a statepension when they are 67. Having a job gives you another pension which depends on how long you had that job.
I live in Finland. My Grandfather had passed down our family grocery store to my dad and officially declared for retirement. But he still worked in the store every day until the day he died. He sat in our office and did the accounting for the business and cut the stakes and meat for our deli counter. And helped me whit my homework 😅
My sis moved to America years ago and from what I heard I'm good over here in Europe. I'd like to visit America as there is many beautiful areas, but that's as far as it goes. We seem like a much slower laidback culture and while not perfect I could not live without our debt free education and NHS :-)
TBF the education system along with the NHS isnt currently working very well at all, takes months to see a doctor and when you do they hardly help in my and my families experience of late, weve essentially given up going to get our minor ailments sorted, been in pain for the last 9 months and only managed to get 2 appointments with a health professional in that time and theres still no diagnosis and still in pain, from where im stood the whole thing is broken !
Thank the Conservative party for that.
@@petergilkes7082 they certainly aloud it to get like this, since you wanted to make it political i must inform you that i do live in a labour stronghold tho so im governed by a labour MP ... lol
@@johnmcafee9663 OK. Now, suddenly, I live in a town with 2 Labour MPs!
But I do believe the Tories let it run down, maybe because it's a "Socialist" idea. They'd like it all to be private. I'm hoping the current government will try hard to make the NHS great again. Cheers.
@@johnmcafee9663where i live in the uk getting a appointment isnt an issue at all
About health insurance premium... In my country (Croatia), we pay income tax (not that high compared to next benefits), city surtax, health insurance premium, retirement premiums (one public, one private, and some even have the third, which is also private), and some other things. So it's not that we have to pay taxes in order to have health insurance, we pay specially for health insurance, just like you. And there is a thing called auxiliary health insurance, which you don't have to pay, but then you pay a small amount every time you go to the doctor, and sometimes not that small. There is also additional health insurance, which is private health insurance, which includes certain exams and procedures, but you pay everything above that, or you use your public health insurance and wait for your appointment much longer. Emergencies are obviously free, because our country wants us to live. I believe it is very similar, if not the same, in the rest of Europe.
@15:35 That's crazy! The deductible here in Norway is around 300 USD per year now. This includes everything. GP visits, any tests and medication. Even public transport to an appointment if required.
There is no monthly payment other than my 30-35% tax on income and the 25% VAT (15% on food/drink).
Retiring in Italy isn't a "focus", especially if you're not on your own business and you're an emolyer. The reason is pretty simple: taxes are taken directly from our monthly check and "put away" for our retirement. After we are 65 or we worked full 40 years (the first that happens), we retire and the government will pay us the monthly check for the rest of our life (the values of this check is based on how many years of taxes you paid and how much it was your last year revenue, with a minimal value that you'll have even if you never worked at all, called "minimum monthly check"). Thus we have not to "prepare" to that
Some people that want to be sure to have a bigger retirement monthly check can add a "private retirement insurance", that can cost from 100 to 1000 euros each month for a period that can go from 10 to 20 years (depending on the program you choose) and will give you various benefits when you retire, always depending on the program (the premium) you choosed
"The food quality is a little better"
A little better?
He's silly, our food is actual food where as food in America is preservatives, steroids and other kinds of ungodly substances injected into it.
Just take bread as an example, bread in the US was made to last for up to 9 weeks where as natural bread (just bread) lasts not so long but it tastes sooo much better.
The way I see it, American's work their best and healthiest years away so they can retire, where many Europeans are more focused on living and enjoying life while they are young and staying usefull into old age.
I fear retiring because what if i retire at 65 and live until im 100 what the hell will i do all these years if cant spend some days of the week working😀
In Belgium, if you are an employee, you will retire at 67. Exceptions might be made, if the person wants it and the company policy allows for it. If you are a self employed person, you retire when you want and/or can. As self employed people contribute far less to social security, thus contribute a lot less to retirement or if you decided to be a stay at home mom for 25 years, pensions are really low and you might find yourself not able to retire. Working after 65/67 years is however exempt from taxes up to a certain point. People working after 67, is an exception to the rule. But it does happen. I don't know how this compares to the US though.
2:45 Well yes, and no. For example there's a bakery near where i live in Sweden that was started in the 1950's and the original owner retired (in his late 60's/early 70's, can't remember) then his son took over the business, and now *_his_* son has worked there for 15+ years too. Some owners work until they shed their mortal coil, some hand it over to their children when they feel like the kids are ready for it and they themselves are ready for retirement.
in some countries, such as Sweden, money for your pension is deducted automatically from your salary to a state pension fund. you can't lose that money, you get monthly payments when you reach retirement age. but you can also save it if you want to work a few more years, which gives you a higher pension.
European food is healthier than in the US. But to get the weight of one US onion, in Europe you have to use 2 or 3 onions.
The packaging sizes in stores are also usually smaller than in the US, but the contents per weight are not more expensive.
I live in Scotland and yesterday I went to the shops and didn't get shot. Nor did I worry about getting shot or getting shot by police if I was stopped on the drive home. Also, we have 25 days paid holiday each year and still manage to live lives that are productive and happy. I've been ill a few times in my life and I have never worried about dying because I don't have enough money. My country is a democracy despite the propaganda that US citizens are told and I can express my political opinions any place I like. I could go on but you get the idea.
Didn't use to worry about kids getting stabbed either. Times are changing.
I walk the streets of a large city in Italy (Milano) without ever thinking I would get robbed at gunpoint as I would back home in Phoenix Arizona.
Just this makes your life a lot more relaxed...
7:00 I lived in the USA (Dallas TX) for work and I'm sorry to say it there is toxic extremism - not always regarding politics, but about being patriotic, about church and believe, about sport teams etc. I met rarely people that were able to have a civilized discussion about those themes. It always had an aggressive undertone.
I was happy to return to Germany. Much more relaxed and quiet environment.
I have so much to say, but I want to concentrate on one thing - the "work hard for your retirement" mentality. It's just fundamentally flawed when you consider about half of all people will not live long enough to see that day. My mum died at 55 after working full time her whole life, saving for a retirement that never came. It's truly insane to put yourself through that and to forget to LIVE.
You need tree Jobs in the US One to pay the rent one to pay your health insurance und other job to pay your debts
I (German) was in San Francisco to attend a fair a couple of years ago. Our hotel was in the city center. While I was waiting for a colleague in front of the hotel, I watched people passing by. What struck me, was how many people were limping... They all looked pretty "normal". Iguess that limping was due to the fact they could't afford proper treatment/rehabilitation (had a story of my own regarding knee injury). Stuck to my mind (besides the homeless "living" on the sidewalks...).
Americans work hard, in Europe we work clever
does help that in a good deal of countries, saving for pension is mandatory and automatic.
@@lainightwalker5495pensions are guaranteed by the state and are probably higher than SS in the US
Americans work *long*, Western Europe tends to score higher on productivity.
That's why the Dutch are so more efficient then other. So they have to work lesser hours.
@@koschmx NO! Efficiency numbers speak on their own
I'm German. We DO work really hard. But we also insist on our "Feierabend" (free time after work) and we love our vacation days and traveling.
I suffered a work related ankle injury about 3 months ago, I had to pay about $50NZ ($29US) for my initial doctors visit, $100 for an X-ray, the visit to the hospital was free. A week later I had an ultrasound exam which cost $80. I've paid $15 for 3 types of medication and $50 for each of two follow-up visits to the doctor. I'm currently paying $18 for physiotherapy sessions and I'm waiting to see the specialist. My medical costs to date have been refunded by work, because they want me back and fit to carry out my duties, I also lost 8 days of work, I received my full wage, and it cost me 2 days of my sick leave, the rest was covered by the government. If I need an operation that will be covered and I will be supported back to work following an operation.
Parts of Europe are now going through some deep splits in their politics.
The northern European countries have usually been more stable than many Mediterranean countries like Italy which has always been fairly volatile but in recent years countries like France, the Netherlands and Germany have become quite polarised.
I don't know if the internet has caused this rise in extremism or if it is a reaction to events like COVID and the inflation that followed. Usually economic issues tend to cause political upheaval and populism rises up with easy and simplistic solutions to fix complex problems.
As a whiter than white (basically the Scottish pale blue..) Dane - I'd feel infinitely safer anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East or Asia than I would in any of the US states.
dont forget the law for disconnection to prevent your employer to contact you Outsite business hours
#1= Im from Sweden and when I go to a doctors appointment I pay about 20-30 $ and then if the doctor sends me either to see a specialist or to go and do x-rays that is all free. If you then need to stay at the hospital for a few days it cost about 8 $ per day where 3 daily meals and also snacks and coffee is included.
#2= For this I wanted to comment on what he said about the American Dream and Im going to say what George Carlin said about it. The American dream is that you have to be asleep to believe it, ( its only in your dreams it can come true. ).
:)
My country went through a period of extreme work and poor working conditions. That began to ease after 2012 and things are going in the direction of a more normal EU country. The reason was we had just restored independence after nearly 50 years of Russian occupation that wrecked the economy. People were very motivated to work rebuild and provide a better future for our children. We all understood the conditions and for each it was a personal choice.
I don't understand what Americans get out of their work. They don't really get the choice. Minimum wage, work your guts out and struggle to live. Paying job, work your guts out, live with the threat of sacking if you don't, pretend you believe the lies about promotion, have little free time, spend a fortune on health costs not covered by insurance, then try to be happy by buying a pile of products, cars, electronics, homes which never works.
My first 25 years was in a communist state that struggled to provide the basics. That was what I was used to. Since then I have went from a junior artillery officer in the Soviet Army to a trade and customs economist in a consulting company based in Bruxelles. It took my 16 year old daughter going through my bank cash and savings accounts to point out we were actually rich. I lived a basic happy life that apart from her private school fees and activities didn't cost much.
The most European thing I ever spent money on were personal things for the family. Food always the best quality we could find, decent clothes, visiting family and friends. Houses, fancy cars and electronic stuff. The year my daughter turned 16 we spent so much money on her clothes, shoes and books, along with new winter boots and shoes us, it cost more than the second hand car I also bought that year. Her big birthday wish was to move closer to the English language Lycee she was to attend and so the university. This is how I discovered we were what she called "rich". Apparently the life style I thought was rich and happy wasn't she agreed happy but not what Belgians called rich. One neighbour drove trams and the other drove a taxi for the airport authority. My second hand car came from the taxi driver. He was buying a luxury Mercedes for his new Private Hire chauffer service. The tram driver and his wife own an apartment debt free on the Spanish coast and go there for long weekends and holidays. According to little Miss we were living in a small cramped 50's terrace house, when we could pay cash for a very nice large belle epoch apartment in the City(centre of Bruxelles) close to everything. Her new school/university and my offices.
The point is, buying this apartment isn't expected to make us all happy. The time and ease of working conditions is expected to keep us happy. We can all meet at a cafe for lunch any day. My daughter can come to the office after a short walk at anytime. If I was an American we would be buying a mansion away outside the city and luxury car for a long daily commute. My daughter's life would be segregated in it's own world. We would have to make appointments for "quality family time" wer we would force smiles and REALLY try to have FUN. Our fun just happens. Even if it's me being told to stop insulting all the modern art at the exhibition. Only to have little Miss copying and inventing new insults by the end and falling off a bench in a fit of giggles. Or just wandering around the streets of Bruxelles looking for a chocolate shop her teacher once mentioned. All while singing Scottish songs I learned in Edinburgh and wanted to teach her.
What would be the American equivalent of father daughter fun. Sunday afternoon once a month. 2 hours driving and parking. 2 hours in the a Mall with "technically food" served in the Food Court. Not knowing enough about each other's lives to hold a real conversation. Not relaxed enough to be able to argue about things without a family breakdown.
GMOs:
Nothing wrong with them. The unhealthy part of the US food supply is that far too much of it is processed, and portion sizes are at least double what they should be. When you went to restaurants on your holiday, did you notice that most meals were an "elegant sufficiency" in portion sizes? Did you grab some fast food while out and about, and notice the drink sizes were at least one size smaller than in US fast food joints? And, in order to take something off the shelves, you have to prove it harms consumers. In most of Europe, and especially England, it's the opposite. They have to prove it won't harm consumers before it's allowed to be put on shelves. When a country has socialised healthcare, it's cheaper to make sure the food supply is good than it is to pay for the results of bad food supply. Prevention being better than a cure, and all that.
Why the costs are different compared to his costs in the USA is, that you are not united at all. All states have different laws, costs and so on.
omg heidi is soooo cute and funny
I agree, very cute for a self-confessed pregnant caveman 😊
Bless her cotton socks 😊😊
Oh my gosh, you guys are so kind.
I think in general that the European culture (that reflects in policy) is a lot about safety. We put financial safety nets to not be scared of going bankrupt and guarantee a minimal standard of living. These guaranties can sometimes put burdens on businesses. For example, it is very difficult to fire staff, that ensures you don't end up fired because you dared unionize or going on strike or because the boss is racist etc. but businesses tend to hire less easily. Another example is that it's a pain to get an apartment renter out if they don't pay rent, and straight up illegal during winter (in France). As a consequence, owners ask for proof of your salary and lots of paperwork to make sure you are not going to cause them issues. All of this is to protect employees/renters who have low bargaining power and make sure they have the basic minimum to live. People are really risk-averse.
You'll hear it a lot here in France, if you mention a project you have and that you want to end up quit your job etc. th typical response will NOT be "Yes ! Go pursue your dreams ! Everything is possible !!". People will typically start to cite one by one all the risks they can think of "Did you make sure that X and Y ? You should at least think about how you are going to pay rent and groceries ? Are you sure you want to do this ? Because as it is right now what you have doesn't seem bad ! Do you have a backup plan in case it fails ?"
On the other hand US culture seems to be really high risk, high reward.
Ex-legal aid (ie publicly funded) lawyer here from England. Used to work in Child Protection cases (child neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, drug/alcohol abuse etc) for local authorities, parents, children who are always parties to the proceedings in England & Wales, extended family members perhaps putting themselves forward to care for the children etc.
Just as a sideline, the legal aid hourly rate paid to solicitors for that sort of work hasn't been increased since 1997! And all of that sort of work is legal aid work.
Anyway, I was DELIGHTED to retire before my 67th birthday. Quite stressful work with regular urgent court hearings, very distressed parties and often upsetting information to go through. So, in comparison to that, retirement is GREAT! I can spend time with my wife. Going away camping in a few days during which we will have our 43rd wedding anniversary.
Yoo hoo!
But your education wasn't free.
UK is more expensive than the US.
@@Be-Es---___
MY education? Or have I misunderstood your comment?
Apart from income tax etc which my parents paid throughout their working lives (he was a steelworker, she was a waitress and a cleaner)...? I went to the local schools to which I had to pay no fees. I then went to Cambridge University where I had to pay NO fees but received a grant (not a loan) from my local authority to pay my living expenses for 3 years at University (my school, no doubt pleased and surprised at my success even gave me a scholarship when I went to University).
I then got a job at a local legal firm. They gave me a (fairly modest) salary but when, half way through my training, I had to go to Law School firstly my Local Authority again paid my fees and gave me money to live off, AND my legal firm kept paying me as if I were still working there. I then returned to the firm and eventually qualified as a lawyer.
I qualified, owing no money (in fact, no matter how much I tried to drink, it wasn't possible to drink my grant AND the money I was paid by my employers).
When I qualified I stayed working in the same locality (though I did change firms a few times) from the start to the end of my career.
I didn't ever earn MUCH. Certainly not as much as at the City/commercial law firms my contemporaries at university went on to work for, but I was content. Earned enough for me and my wife (& son), never in debt, not rich but not poor.
Life can be fine without being very rich. And it IS GREAT being retired and feeling you've done a good job, helping people and making lives better.
A car stolen and a trampoline stolen from the back yard are NO minor things!! One should not steal!!
I would say he is right about extremism.
I am Dutch and a leftist. I have had quite some heated arguments with American Democrats where they accuse me of being a far-right fascist, just because we disagree on small things.
If you disagree with an American on politics, they immediately assume you are the enemy.
Gas prices in EU (Sweden, 2022 prices) 8,54 USD per gallon, 95 octane regular. that is the only big drawback of EU. taxes come pre-filled in and nothing to worry about in life, also yearly 4-5 week paid vacation that you HAVE to take.
About the drinking. I’m thinking he’s talking primarily about France and south. Up here (Sweden) we do binge. It’s gotten more mellow though, people have one beer, one glass of wine. Instead of 15 beers, 5 glasses of wine and some drinks.
In most European countries, you are literally forced to retire at a certain age. Also, most commonly all or part of the retirement plan isn't on your shoulder, it's managed by the state. You may still be supposed to pay a private retirement plan to supplement what the government pays, but no matter what you will get a state pension when you get to a certain age.
As european that lived 4 years in America I can with full confidence state that the food in Europe is not a little bit better as this over catious american portoguese traveller said..its MUCH better...yes,big letter word MUCH...even the fast food,even the uber american macdonalds hamburger tastes much better in Europe then in the US...thats just how it is..and for several reasons,among them better food regulations and better ingredient qualities..
If healthcare and healthcare insurance are profit making organisations then that puts additional costs in the system
On one positive note on the recent political turmoil in the US, is that Kamaka was one of the few supporters of Bernie Sanders's universal health care bill
I only know the Dutch situation. Dutch people have a pension that normally consists of 2 parts. Part 1 is a state pension, for everyone who has lived in The Netherlands from 18 to 67 years, regardless of you have had a paid job. Second part is a pension that is paid by both you and your employer. This is usually automatically put in an insurance type pension. The height of your private pension is depending on your salary during your working life. Freelancers and entrepreneurs have to take care of their own private pension.
I have both pensions and it is really enough to live comfortably, especially after moving to Spain, where everything is a lot cheaper. Still working though, as a digital thangka painter.
I heard gunshots,our car was stolen,you know,minor things...😂US in a nutshell.
I grew up drinking beer and wine from about 10. I learnt you only drink on special occasions and in company, and you don't drink to excess. By the time I was 16-17, when most of my friends started drinking and drinking more than they could handle, I was sipping my beer or even drinking orange juice. By the time I started work and started driving, I rarely drank, most Fridays we'd go to the clubhouse on the company's premises and everybody would drink, I'd stick to orange juice and end up driving most people home, I really needed a lot of alcohol to have any real effect on me, so it just wasn't really worth "tanking up", I'd run out of money before I would be drunk, then I'd still have to get a taxi home... These days, that has led me to drink maybe a couple of glasses of wine or beer a month, some years, I probably don't get into double digits for the number of glasses of alcohol I have drunk. I like whisky, but I only drink when I get together with friends and we try various different whiskies and chat the whole evening, so trying 5 or 6 whiskies over 4 or 5 hours, you don't really get that drunk.
Outsider opinion: The two major party are responsible for every problem which has happened in the last decades in the US. They are both on the right side of the spectrum, representing the interests of the mega rich, almost exclusively. Therefore the difference between poor and rich is growing every year. And nothing will change until only these two parties are elected. They look different, but only on the surface.
I live in Scotland and very happy to do so. Free health care. No charge for medication. free bus pass that covers the whole country.
And the most scenic country in the world.
About work days. 37 hours average a week is the standard in Denmark, but there are some exceptions. My buddy works 11 hours 7days/2weeks. 2 of those days are weekend. All in all that also comes out to ~37 hours/week with weekend overtime. Days divided like this.. Week 1: Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat, Sun | Week 2: Tue, Wed. He produces medicine.
Then there's someone like me. When I set a company up I work pretty much around the clock. It's 5:52AM now and I haven't been to bed yet. When I'm in my off period though I do whatever I want. I have travelled to over 40 countries and I don't plan on stopping.
When the guy talked about being an entrepreneur and liking the US for this. Well not everyone is or has the mindset to be an entrepreneur. Me, I am very happy to work for a company and get paid at the end of the month. Get paid holidays, get paid when I am sick. I like having the safety net for those “just in case “ moments in life.
About the american dream . there are enough studies out there that show that the USA has one of the lowest social mobility rates in the developed world. Yes sometimes someone makes a ton f money and is then put forward as evidence that the american dream is still alive but i would say it is more a dream then a real possibility today
If the ”american dream” is ”anyone can make money if they work hard” then they are doing poorly. According to the international social mobility index (rags to riches) the US comes in place 27. The 5 nordic countries comes 1-5 place. The nordic social democratic model is the real american dream… 😂
@@koschmx are you referring to the global economic forum? They do include all countries and there are a number of rating yearly showing various things. Take your pick. Freedom index eg. Finland is nbr 1 and the US is down at approx 50. It states that US have a ”flawed democracy”.
Thats why i think rankings like this are deeply deeply important. You cant just claim to be the greatest There has to be set criteria that you can easily compare world wide. How else can real progress happen?
@@koschmx So you think the USA needs to fear to be compared to the Best in a field ? OK you said it not me lol
@@koschmx easily . as it is basically what you said 🤷♀. If i can "cherry pick" nations showing that there are nations that do far better in a field then the USA that means the USA cant compete with the best in a field 🤷♀
@@koschmx the point is that when people talk about the USA and the American dream that you can live there it is absolutely legitimate to look at social mobility to see if the claim is based in reality don't you think so ?
The US system of deductibles is quite foreign to the Norwegian system. Here everyone pay parts of the bill for health services (for instance about $20 for a visit to a doctor), but only up to a certain limit (a bit less than $300) - after this everything is free. (That is, there are some prescriptions, and some health services that are not covered by this.)
I'm an Aussie and Ive never experienced violence personally, and the only time I have had stuff stolen is when I went to 3rd world countries, Im not saying it doesn't happen here but it is not something we worry about a lot. when I travel Im always glad to get home to Australia.
We mostly retire, he was simply talking about small business family owned restaurant owners. We look forward to a good, long and heathy retirement and our life expectancy is several years above that of the USA citizen. We tend to retire at 60 -65 depending on the country, but due to the lack of burnout caused by working long hours with short holiday time and reluctance to visit a medical facility (as in the US, unlike Europeans) we tend to be more productive in our working lives and are generally healthier when we do retire. We tend to have a better working life and retirement, with a good living pension with free or very inexpensive healthcare, over here.
Just as is the case with everything else in the USA in terms of violence your mileage will vary depending on where you end up living or working. I grew up in a Norman Rockwell-ish environment, a bedroom community in suburban NJ, not close to any large cities. As kids we could roam around the neighborhoods, explore the wooded areas, and ride our bikes anywhere we liked as long as we were home on time for dinner or whatever other deadline that was imposed. No Karens, no cops, no stranger danger.
Now I'm 70 yrs old and have lived in a half dozen different communities since childhood and can only recall one that was at the edge of a dicey area in NJ but even then we never had any issues or any reason to call the police. Of course there's crime all around no matter where you live but statistics always include both violent crime as well as simple things like car break-ins.
Today I'm in a suburban area of Lancaster, Pa which is going through a major growth period right now. In the city itself once the restaurants and nightlife are closed for the night you do need to watch your back but I don't recall seeing bars on anyone's windows. Depending on the neighborhood there're simple crimes as well as violent crimes and maybe a murder or two each year but it's usually associated with the city itself.
TL:DR - Unlike some of the countries in Europe that have been there forever and have deep-rooted customs, cultures, and traditions , by comparison the USA is still in it's infancy and hasn't grown up yet but there are large pockets of sanity if you know where to look.
You're doing great, Heidi. Even with a gigantic pause in between 😅 Btw, still feeling okay?
Keep'm coming, your reactions
Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 💐🌷
Here in the Netherlands we have tax provisions for quitting typical one person or couple businesses at/around the regular retirement age. A shop or a restaurant, businesses like that, they can sell those and draw a pension from it. Yeah, those people usually work hard, usually over 60 hours a week. Other entrepreneurs work hard too, ambitious lawyers, accountants, financials work hard too.
I think the difference is that it's not taken for granted to do it unpaid just to show off and stand a chance on promotion. Employers are also aware that productivity per hour tends to decrease with more hours, employees have to recharge and go through life phases like having young children in which they don't want to work as many hours. Also lots of Europeans only commute for 15 minutes and work at home after dinner or have some volunteering to do.
Drinking culture is very different in the wine countries in the South, the beer countries in the North and the spirits countries in the East. People do get wasted in the beer countries, just not as quickly and as bad as possible and with some moderation as to be able to walk or bike home and stay somewhat well behaved. Especially late teens and twenty-somethings, but also middle aged people clearly under the influence are not frowned upon.
Retirement:
When it comes to small, family run businesses, it's more common to basically never retire completely. But they do make allowances. They pass the management of the business to their kid/s, and switch to semi retirement, where they might only work mornings with prep work, or work fewer days of the week. Just working casual hours in the family business is often their idea of retirement. It's also more common for households to have multiple generations under the same roof. Grandparents looking after the kids so both parents can work. Families make it work in whatever way they can.
I think it varies exceptionally between countries. The north and west certainly find full retirement the norm. In richer countries the age is creeping up to keep it affordable but a full retirement is the norm. France seems a special case in general but certainly finds retirement utterly normal.
@mormacil that's the trouble when you only have the time to generalise. More common, when referring to all of Europe, with its many different countries, is as general as it gets. But in comparison with the US, a huge country with incredibly different cultures in individual states, but also an overarching identity that is unique to the United States, well, Europe doesn't really have that. Each country has its own distinct identity. But one thing it does have in common with other countries in the EU is that the areas that have seen less change hold onto the way things have always been done. Yes, the richer, more modern countries, and the richer areas of countries have similar views over retirement as each other, but the older, more traditional places are more likely to work in some capacity until they physically can't. Sometimes, it's because their country doesn't have great retirement situations - not all countries in Europe are wealthy. But often it's because it's who they are. They've been doing it for decades, and they can't see themselves doing anything else.
@@evanflynn4680 People tend to overestimate the uniqueness of European countries. Take the Scandinavian countries, very homogeneous between each other. And sometimes even the Netherlands is counted in the same breath despite being not Nordic at all.
Netherlands is another interesting one, part of the Benelux union. Close ties with it's two neighbors but also Germany. There all kinds of clusters in Europe. Baltic states, German states, British Isles, Balkans, former eastern block.
Are all of those countries unique? Yeah but they're not that different. A lot of those have mutually intelligible languages or a shared minority language. People have a shared heritage. They're also been part of larger entities like the Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, Holy Roman Empire, etc. That forced a certain level of sameness.
Are their poor countries without a strong retirement system? Yes, but not that many depending on your definition of retirement and Europe.
From what I have heard here in the Netherlands it's quite normal for an owner of a restaurant/bar/cafe to work past the retirement age
Sometimes in order to make sure their kids/succesors are ready to take over and keep it at the same level at minimum
Other times already having transferred ownership to their children but not willing to lose the connection to the business/regular customers yet
And the last situation is when they don't want the community to lose their business, but they have no children or successors and can't find anyone willing to take over, so they keep going untill they no longer can't
The US is run like a business and not a country, everything comes down to money. The government want your money, the laws they set want your money, employers can pay below minimum wage because the public "have to" tip, ok it's not a mandatory law to tip but there's a shame factor if you don't tip.
My God, I heard gunshots just yeasterday here in Norway. It was me actually, and my father sigthing in the our rifles before the hunting season starts, in the midle of the forest. :D We actually have a lot of guns in Europe, I do believe I have 14 in the gun safe now, between my father and me. Bolt action rifles and shot guns, and I have a Ruger 10-22 TD for fun. :) Point beeing, we have guns over here for hunting and sports, not for self defence, it's not needed. :)
I'm not a gun person, but as far as I'm aware, the legality/access to guns is based on what it's used for, correct? So hunting weapons are "easy" to get because they're considered tools for legal purposes?
There was an ANES survey in 2020 where only 66% of americans said their family relations have not been hurt by politics at all. 3% said a great deal and 3% said a lot and those might be potentials for tearing families apart so yeah it's not like gargantuan... But even if 0.05% of US households have broken apart through politics that's still over 60k households. That's still an insane number.
Actually questions in polling such as "Would you be comfortable with your child marrying x" (supporter of a rival political party is one example, there are others) is one of those proxies that social scientists sometimes use to evaluate polarisation in societies. The more that people indicate an unwillingness to 'mix' socially, the more polarised that society is usually seen as to being.
And that is not a minority thing in the Us, it's between 30 and 50% depending on the poll, when it was taken, where it was taken.
The US has one of the highest measures of affective polarisation in the world. That specifically means how people feel about people in other groups. Democrats and Republicans dislike and misrepresent each other more than is typical in other countries.
Germany have a great work life balance as well.
I'm an Aussie & I lived/worked in the USA for 14 Mths in the 80's with 2 other Engineers. We worked on contract with General Dynamics for our RAAF & traveled to various GD facilities, USAF bases etc. When We returned to Aus. Mom asked me how I would explain the USA short & sweet. I thought about it... And replied:
"Think of the USA as Europe. Where the States are different European Countries. Some language has different meanings, accents are different, societal rules & State law's are different to varying degrees; the people pretend they love their neighboring States, but mostly can't stand them or envy them!"
PS: I still have good friends I met and stayed in touch with & I have been back to the USA to see them a few times, and some have come here. Two of them decided to live here & eventually became Citizens.
I know that my father talks about buying an Island and developing it when he retires... I also know he can't truly retire. He will probably look after his company till the day he dies unless something truly prohibits him from doing so. He is 63.. retirement age here is 67. I know that won't happen if he has anything to say about it.
I'm the kind to jump at opportunities. If I see something that can make me money, I'll have fun doing it, but it can't be the same thing a whole career. I've started and sold a few companies already. I doubt I could stop thinking about fun things to do. For an example I rent out a room on airbnb at my house because I like meeting the people, I don't really need the money.
3:20 At least in Germany, there is a certain gap between your last paycheck and the monthly amount you get as a pensioner.
So unless you want to possibly risk poverty (if you didn't earn that much to begin with), you still have to save up for retirement.
It's just nowhere nearly as much money as you'd need in savings in the US. If you can afford to buy an average house with an average salary and manage to pay it off by the day you retire, that actually more than makes up for the difference between salary and pension. That ain't nothing but at least as far as I know, you'll need a bit more than that in the US.
Dane here....about the thing with Europeans speaking more than one language. We have our native language but most also speaks English. For my part I'm rusty in German...but last time I was in Germany it came back to me in a couple of days. Norwegian (ikke nynorsk) I can understand and to some extent also Swedish. But since Norwegian and Danish is almost the same written it's quite easy.
There is a point you left out ; in the United States there are about 400,000,000 guns in free circulation among the people and the victims killed by a gun are about 30,000 per year (during the Vietnam War about 60,000 young Americans died). Just to make you an example, in Italy, which has 60,000,000 inhabitants, there were approximately 300 murders in 2023 , while in France, which has more or less the same number of inhabitants, there were approximately 1,000 murders in the same year. How can you expect that this makes the United States attractive ?
Hi from Finland, love your videos!!
There’s more entrepeneurs in europe than in USA. Just like he said earlier, a lot more small family oriented shops, restaurants, etc.
And a big reason for that is the welfare system, we’re not as afraid of failing.
But we don’t have the bragging culture, so we’re not as loud about it.
10:30 Literally 2 days ago, my wife was telling "Who's shooting?". We were hearing "popping" sounds in the distance, late evening.
Mind you, we're in the suburbs of Bordeaux, France.
After listening for a couple of second, I told her: "Some arse neighbors is cracking fireworks".
And it was fireworks, would you look at that?!? 😂
And then you wonder why there's travel advisory in Europe about travelling to the US because of, and I quote, "Gun Violence".
Heavy emphasis on "Police" Gun Violence tho.