Overworked Americans

[MattTheSkywalker]

Nordstrom,

great job digging that one up.

I might not get to JO until 11-ish tonight.

 

[nzafi]

Haunted Child...im sure it varies from country to country but in Greece and Cyprus most people inherent their house and even car....so they do not have these expenses to worry about....those who do not inherent or do not live at home have a tougher time getting by.........The younger generation definately likes to buy stuff though, they can be even more materialistic than Americans....it varies greatly.......I went to this one guys house which must of easily been $2million but it didnt show it off at all, and didnt try to show his money off......I think one of the bigger issues in Greece and Cyprus is that there is less opportunity there than in America, you are born into a social class and chances are you will stay there.....you get ahead by connections which means you have money....But i have met many people who are from abroard(Greece,Cyprus,China,Egypt) and they all say how people in America dont know how to live, they only know how to work......and i agree with them

 

[atlantabiolab]

Haunted Child...im sure it varies from country to country but in Greece and Cyprus most people inherent their house and even car....so they do not have these expenses to worry about....those who do not inherent or do not live at home have a tougher time getting by.........The younger generation definately likes to buy stuff though, they can be even more materialistic than Americans....it varies greatly.......I went to this one guys house which must of easily been $2million but it didnt show it off at all, and didnt try to show his money off......I think one of the bigger issues in Greece and Cyprus is that there is less opportunity there than in America, you are born into a social class and chances are you will stay there.....you get ahead by connections which means you have money....But i have met many people who are from abroard(Greece,Cyprus,China,Egypt) and they all say how people in America dont know how to live, they only know how to work......and i agree with them

Culture does shape how one thinks, and Americans and Europeans value different things, but the real issue is opportunity. From my experience, and empirical evidence, Europeans have less opportunities for many of the luxuries that Americans have. Instead of respecting or wanting these same opportunities, Europeans tend to demonize us for this: we are too materialistic, we are too greedy, etc. They have accepted the socialistic values of egalitarianism and security and they prioritize these values over opportunity and liberty.

What is unfortunate is that this mentality is permeating into the US, as seen in the "democratic" mindset.

 

[nzafi]

atlantabiolab your point is correct to a degree.....people do not have opportunity in the sense of find work and makes big salaries.....but i have met many greeks who couldnt care less to own a fancy car or a big house.....my cousin is a professional soccer player in Cyprus and his father coached the national team....he is as about materialistic as you can get....other friend who is even wealthier than him and is personal friends with the former president of Cyprus drives a car that is 15 years old with no A/C even though his family is very wealthy......big difference is that family life is far better in Greece and Cyprus.....and poor family life in america is attributed to being greedy and materialistic