Austria Here Ashton ❤ so i think AS US Citizen you belives in GOD s Thank him ervery day for beeing in Germany 😂 and espacilly for your kidds living her in Europe 😂
When my ancestors invaded europe the stories they recorded from german pows was generally that they veiwed america as a great nation and that they wanted to immigrate if they could. How would this stack up now days.
Just wanted to say thanks about the insight that people were seeking instant gratification more since more since covid. That people were suffering from more. It explains why a member of my family abused me for the last 4 years, live bombed me for 4 years, stole and betrayed my trust. It also angentally explains my Parents actions over my life of having lied to and abused me my entire life. 20 years ago I tried to forgive them and thought for a while they were capable of acting like adults but as I became ill they have gone back to the predatory ways they behaved towards me as a child. And now having lost a third of my life, I now know they are not who they claimed to be, I now know they are like so many authoritarians - scared children looking to control & bully others. I just hope that I can their is still time to leave and make a new life. And not become like them to survive.
@HerbertLasser , American living in Austria here. I am just at the beginning of her video and wondering how much of it I will agree with. I will finish this comment when her video finishes. Okay, so her consumerism section perfectly described my brother, who does not even want to visit me here, since he loves his lifestyle there so much. He maintains a warehouse to store all the things he acquires. He often keeps QVC running on his TV, just in case something comes up for him to buy. He has every kitchen gadget you can think of, though never uses but a few. Every Lego set that comes out, he has to have. Every movie that falls into his interests, he has to own the DVD with the greatest potential. He once asked me to buy a certain Marvel DVD for my niece and when I did, he made me take it back to get the most advanced version of it that could do things I can't even remember. How many times do you think he has watched these thousands of movies that he just HAS to own? I know he lives on credit there. I live strictly on cash here and I feel so much freer. I go shopping for groceries regularly, but I only go shopping for other things maybe once or twice a year. We grew up in the same household, but yet are so different. For the other aspects, I have a friend in the states who has two sons---one very liberal and the other a MAGA trump supporter. Also both so different, growing up in the same household. I haven't been back there in a few years and at this point in my life, I think I never want to go back again. I just don't care for the culture there. I left from a very red state and the number of bullies and "Karens" you run into there is more than I care to deal with. I think that's indicative of sports playing such a large part of the country and the impact they have on society there. jmho. Best regards.
@reubenmorris487I definitely don't 2-3 hours cooking per day? Did yoy mean 2-3 hours per week? I spend 20 minutes a day at night to make simple, healthy food. I like it at least 😊
@reubenmorris487 No, it doesn't. I just made overnight oats for tomorrow. 5 minutes. Earlier today I made a trout soup. Less than 10 minutes. Simple recipes are healthier.
Also 5,000 sqft mansions which are only used during Thanksgiving. No neighbors, no relatives, even no time to spend at home. After an hour commute go home and crash at 9pm.
As a spaniard who has lived in both Germany and the USA (and The Netherlands, Belgium and of course, Spain), as well as other countries outside Europe. I can`t understate this: WE DON'T KNOW HOW WELL WE HAVE IT HERE. Don't get me wrong, nowhere is perfect and I have been happy and excited everywhere I lived, but WE HAVE IT SO WELL HERE IN EUROPE!!
As an American who lived in Spain for 2 years....I was totally taken back by the Spanish culture and lifestyle. It's one thing to visit, always wonderful and charming to experience the local spirit and history. Spaniards are so warm and kind, and open when you visit. However once I lived there it became a nightmare. The job salaries are horrible, salaries relative to the cost of living is worse than America. The opporutinities to grow and succeed and climb the corporate ladder, or just the encouragement to work hard and earn your position is almost non existent. The Spaniards treat employees like slaves, and have this cold atittude,....dont like it, get out. Their tax system is almost criminal, it is robbery! Their homes and spaces, even the cars they drive, are all minimal, the economy limits you to expand and grow on a personal level, unless you have a crazy amount of wealth. The healthcare is awful, the Spaniards pride themselves on this great free world class healthcare, but once you need it, it's all redtape and poor quality. Also crime in the big and small city's is getting out of control, the wokeness of illegals running around robbing and terrorizing people is destroying Spanish cities. 3rd world slums are every where, Spain wanted to be so DEI and open that they allowed crime and quality of life to decline dramatically. Sure, America has so many problems but man America is still the land of opportunity and to create wealth These Europeans countries sell you this image of wine cheese, beach, and tan people all year round, but it's all fake.
I always hope, that people travel and learn more about how good many things are back home. At first there are always exciting things, when you visit a country like the US for the first time. I have been there many times and i still like it. But not for the things that were exiting, when i came the the first time. I like most of the people i met there. I like the great outdoors. But so many other things are not providing the same quality for your personal life, than they do over here. Food ... in the supermarket many thing feel artificial, as they are laced with chemicals or stuff, that is supposed to be good for you. I wanted to buy flour and ended up with flour with vitamins. Wtf? Many natural items are hard to find, if you are not in a big city. And if you find them, they are not what you would expect ... i.e. yoghurt ... either it has 0% or 0.1% fat and it is more of some kind of weird tasting slurry. Plain yoghurt, with a regular fat content and the natural taste of yoghurt - at least for a foreighner it's very hard to find. Container sizes ... good for families, but not if you are not used to buy stuff by the gallon. The x-large sizes are funny in the first place, but when the new wears off, it becomes quite inconvenient. If you have the money, there are many very nice place in the US to eat out. But with very few exceptions you are treated as some kind of deal, that has to be finalized as quick as possible. Come, sit, eat, pay, leave. All with a smile, but i feel much more relaxed, when i can put up "camp" at my table in Germany, Italy or somewhere else in Europe. I pay and leave when i want to. Have another beer - no problem. Your tabe is your table as long as you sit there and consume. Over the last years it became more and more strange to be in the US, as i always had the feeling, that everybody tries to sqeeze out as much of me as possible. Hotels charge extra service fees, restaurants put shady fees on your bill, entrance fees for museums, parkings fees, etc. - everybody tries to get the better of you. But people go for that lifestyle. They pay crazy money for things like coffee at starbucks on their way to work - even if they have a coffee machine at home and could bring their own. As much as i enjoy travelling the US - i'm feeling so much more relaxed when i'm back home.
@jtnachos 2/3s of it, the last part I don't remember being said by him. The full quote is from Volker Pispers, modified a bit by me, here goes: Kapitalismus heißt, man kauft Dinge, die man nicht braucht, von Geld, das man nicht hat, um Menschen zu beeindrucken, die man nicht leiden kann.
I don't need a fancy car or the newest phone, i want time to enjoy what i have. i can make things easily work with 30h a week. i have a tight social safety net and growing assets. I don't have to be rich to enjoy life here. That is a privilege few have. I have to take 5 weeks of vaccation a year, it is the law. I have to take recriation time.
Not everybody is equal in the EU, and US is More equal than the EU. Like what you see on display is full vassalship and treason of european oligarchy vs the People. EU
@cdgncgn The fact that you're not making any sense and ignoring the effective "ethnic cleansing" going on in the US at the moment suggests you're a bot.
Inspent a month in Europe last summer, and I was struck by how much more authentic and real everything felt. And that life was more important than the constant drive for profit.
Yes, I had the same feeling as a European. So many things in the US feel completely fake. For example the kindness: These people don't really care about you, although they greet you and ask you how you are.
For me it's the noise (mentioned by the video author). And the noise I mean goes from loud sound to visual noise - letters and pictures everywhere, excessive colors, noise noise to all the senses.
I've been to the USA multiple times. First time way back in the 80s. With 5, 10 or 12 years in between i felt every single time it has gotten worse. More ads. More "you can save more if you buy more" bs at every opportunity. Also in the 80s we went everywhere by bike (i got the old one from a neighbors kid back then) and that was perfectly normal for a 12y old. To the movie theatre, mall or building a fort in the woods from old tree branches and leaves. I also felt everything to be fake last time i went in the 2000s. Not been back since. All my American friends are all over Europe now. From Rome to Edinburgh ;)
I'm an American who left the US and calls Italy home now. When I visit the US, I feel like it's a prison where the walls are invisible, but the signs are everywhere.
Maybe a one off if you have a buffet or something. I knew a guy who did this as he "couldn't afford tableware". I pointed out that they last forever whilst disposable last one use. After that he changed the story to "saves on washing dishes". Some folk have no hope
lol - I use paper plates all the time as I live on my own, - do you realise the cost of hot water, washing liquid, dish towels, and washing these for drying, is much more than 1 paper plate I can assure you - but I reckon your reaction is somewhat extreme lol it is just paper and the manufacture of it keeps someone in a job. have a good day. I'm from Scotland by the way and water here is cheap because we got so much of it. 🤣 it appears to me there were many more important issues raised and you fix on paper plates??? what about the - I want it so I will have at any cost mentality - look at P.Trump - I want Greenland so I will have it, I was Venezuela oil so I will just take it. now there are issues - not a paper plate !!!!
You use paper plates when you don't expect to get the tableware back. Like a take-away restaurant. Or a little food-truck where people eat at a little fold-up table and your truck doesn't have enough space for a dishwasher and more plates can be stacked if they're flat paper...anywhere else it doesn't make sense.
I get what you mean. Uninterrupted mental space is a mind that isn't filled with noise or constantly being bombarded with nonstop advertising or propaganda about "how great America is" - or talking points of hostile nations. Its a mind that has time to ruminate and search for clarity. A mind not muddied by external distractions. Clear thinking is important. It requires the space to create those clear thoughts. Thank you for your comment.
As a German who lived in the United States on and off for 25 years one thing that really stood out for me was the incredible arrogance. People who knew absolutely nothing about the rest of the world confidently stated that the U.S. is the greatest country on our planet. I found this to be both baffling and annoying! I don't think there is a single "greatest" country. It depends on what you value and may well differ from person to person. I now live in Germany and am far from thinking that Germany is anywhere near the greatest country on Earth. But, I know one thing for sure: it's a better country for *me* than the U.S.
ruschein, brit here, its because they are brainwashed from day one. It's to insure, that they don't question their lot. Its easier for the propagandist if their education is poor and are tied to mill-stone of the work ethic, even to point of suppling somebody if they're sick!! The whole system is rigged for Big Business - the general public are last. They only react when then go abroad for a few months, then see the truth.
@design2c436 I did grow up in NL, with warm feelings i think back on the old grocery store, only one chose of toilet paper, sugar was weighed and put in a brown bag, 3 or so varieties of cookies, it was super simple, you could buy on credit, you could have it delivered if you wished too,
@CrazyMazapan Omg, I knew it was bad when you can hardly go to a gas station without seeing video, news, or advertisements on a screen while you're filling up your gas tank...I grew up in the US in the 90s and early 2000s, and that wasn't even normal prior to 2010...now it's almost the rule not the exception
different take - what we exchange with each other - the products/resources - the part that we actually pay for is lifetime of another person that was needed to MAKE that product/resource (at equilibrium, i.e. supply meets demand at cost). U can test that theory Sunshine? free, cause no human needed. Fresh air? free - same.. unless u go under water or to the moon or a spaceship. Any resource/product that u acquire that had a human spend time to provide it, to bring it into existence.. demands u to pay for it - with ur own time that u worked to EARN money. That's why 'time is money'.
@joansparky4439 That is backward logic. What you are actually saying is money represents someone's time. And that is true. Whereas the phrase "time is money" actually is meant to show that if you are not being productive you are wasting money. And that is the essence of exploitative systems.
@markuss3735 I'm a physicist/engineer.. for me 'time is money' and 'money is time' are the same thing, say the same thing. On that note.. plenty (older) people tell (younger) people that they shouldn't waste their lifetime with this or that as life(time) is precious. Exploitative systems are systems where some have lever age over others due to how the rules of that 'environment' are being created/maintained/enforced (which means no equilibrium of supply meeting demand at cost exists -the ones with lev-age prevent that). 'Time being money' is uncorrelated to such a constellation. The only 'time' when 'money isn't time' is when we use commodities as money. ;-)
I’m an American living in France-we moved here in July 2017. We were just back in in the states to clear out our storage unit-our initial move to France was for 2 years but the opportunity to stay came up and we took it. Then pandemic and my health kept us from going to clear it out. When the price went from $145 a month to $495 a month, we flew to clear it out. We could not BELIEVE the cost of food we paid. We also felt that the place we had called home for 20 years did not feel like home.
I'm an expat in the Philippines and I cannot afford to go home at this point. My brother is an engineer and his wife is a hospital administrator, but they are still scraping by. America has become the greatest country in the world, but only if you are a millionaire or a billionaire...
Wages are higher in the U.S.though, especially for certain professions (like tech) - you aren't used to the current exchange rate. I remember when it was so expensive to visit Japan but now everything looks so cheap (as an American).
@picardy7488 Yes, wages are higher than in Europe, but costs are also far higher. I live in France, when I tell people what houses cost outside of Paris, they're shocked. You can buy a château for less than the cost of an 800 sf house in San Francisco. For the price I sold my house in very rural west Texas, I could have a much larger house here, made of stone, and have money left over. It reminds me of what houses sold for in the US when I was in my 20s.
Recently Hank Green released a video pointing out how the new years show in times square feels devoid of enthusiasm nowadays because of all the advertising. Being constantly overwhelmed by corporate propaganda just sucks one's humanity away
Honestly, the most fun way in years I've seen Times Square advertisements is from the Slowmo Guys filming with very high fps what those billboards do...
Oh boy, I felt smothered just by watching this video. I haven’t been to the US since 2018 and right now I feel it is a bad time to do so anyways. Glad this was not political and still made you think about how good we have it here in Europe. Until next time!
I was last in the US in 2016, and promised to not be back until they got rid of Trump. Even back then hotel prices in California were nuts. 200€ per night for 2 star hotels in LA or SF
Never been to America, and after being smothered and overwhelmed just seeing the images flashing by in the video I felt like I was going to be sick. I turned off the computer and went for a walk in the forest with my dog.
@alexandermacneil4430 Your response sounds very American. As Americans see things as commercial and transactional, I could agree with your statement, though I however have a different culture where values and integrity drive my political involvement. Not everything is political. I live in a community where we help each other - it is required for survival, not offered in an expectation to increase my status or my wallet. When 'everything' becomes political, you've lost the meaning in life; in togetherness; community. That's exactly what the world sees when we look into America in 2026 - it's BAD!
I traveled to Europe for the first time in my life recently and the one thing that jumped out at me (and I wasn't expecting it - I wasn't expecting anything) was the subtle, but very noticeable sense that the people there shared a common bond of some kind. It's hard to describe, but I sensed they all were in life together, moving through it together....that they genuinely related to each other in almost like the way a family would relate to each other. I don't know what the theme was, but they shared it. One example; we were at the Eiffel Tower getting ready to go in and there was a car sitting in the road with the driver in the car. The car was running but just sitting there blocking traffic. The driver seemed to be waiting for someone. After an amount of time that the locals deemed too long to keep a car blocking traffic, not one, but around 7 or 8 locals walked over to the car and they all began shouting in French at the person in the driver's seat to move the car. 8 people?? In the U.S. you get one person screaming leaning on the horn and if you approach a car, you expect to see some kind of violence. Not the case here - those people all approached that car from different directions and it's true they were yelling, but they were also pointing and looking in the direction the car should be moving only glancing back at the driver to see if they were listening - they were confronting the driver, but it was clear their intent wasn't to challenge the driver, it was to encourage them to move for the good of everyone. It was different. Hard to explain, but it was easy to see they weren't in a blood sport competition for everything like we are in the U.S. in the cities that have a decent sized population.
Thanks, thats a really interesting observation which once again, explains a lot about the American prospective. I guess we have a sense of general good. Also we are taught manners. We are taught to function in the society. I think what you described is actually the difference we feel when we say we are cultural society while the Americans arent.
@catepilarrI live in Texas, and we're polite - no doubt. We'll walk into a store and if someone is walking in behind us, we will hold the door open for them. But those things are individuals being kind. Don't get me wrong, if the right kind of thing happens, multiple people will help someone. For example - if a car is stalled and the driver is pushing the car to get it off the road or to a parking lot, it's very common to see multiple people pull over and jump out of their cars and run over and help push the car. But what I saw there in Europe was more subtle - like a low under current - how the crowd moved and the people moved out of the way of each other, maybe exchanged a slight smile - and they didn't seem to be in a hurry. The U.S. has many good things, but we wind ourselves up very tightly because everything is a competition. The line between winning and losing is everywhere it seems. It's exhausting. But maybe it has something to do with "where" we were in the cities of Europe. We were not at a big event or on company business. Maybe the stress levels are just lower in those places we went to. But I think there is some of this type of tension in the UK like in the U.S. I say that because Pink Floyd wrote a song called "Dogs" - and if you read the lyrics, it is SPOT ON, to how big business environments are in the U.S. I've worked in them for decades until recently. Roger Waters of Pink Floyd wrote the lyrics and lived in England I believe and he wrote the song in the 1970's, so I guess human nature has a consistency running through it regardless of where you live...but if you haven't read those lyrics, give it a look. So many lines in that song hit hard for someone that has spent their life working for a large corporation that expects everything from you and you give it you them and in the end they'll give you a pat on the back and kick you out of the door when they no longer want to pay you too much...
In my 45 years in Germany, I experienced open hostility, with only the threat of violence between strangers, about three times and in all cases, drinking was involved (we drink a lot). I never realized how peaceful Germans (and most Europeans) are until I witnessed the reaction of an American girl to a shouting match. While everyone was gawking, wondering what the fuss was about, she started shaking and was genuinely afraid for her life, because she expected people to draw guns at any moment. This situation told me more about (some parts of) the U.S. than any video.
@TheXfeldtMost violence here changes dramatically based on the people's education, income, the time of day you're there, and how isolated or crowded it is. The less educated and the less money a person has, the more likely (statistically) you are to commit crime. If you're in any area that doesn't have a lot of people around (like an alley, a walkway that is covered by walls, a large parking garage stairwell, and it's at night where visibility is low, and if you're alone, the more likely (statistically) you are to experience a crime. In the bigger cities you can literally be in the lowest crime area in the region and then just one block further down the road is where the highest crime rate of the region is located. There is an old saying: "If you don't want trouble, don't go where the trouble is." The American woman you mentioned must have gone to clubs in areas with high crime rates very often. In contrast, I've never seen guns drawn in any altercation my entire life of living here. The only time a gun was brandished in a possible conflict was when I myself pulled out a gun. Let me explain: I was driving late at night traveling between cities in Texas when a car came up behind me and was riding my bumper at 70 mph. I changed lanes and accelerated and they changed with me and sped up almost bumping the rear of my car. We were the only 2 cars as far as you could see in any direction out in the country where it is nothing but wide open farm fields. No houses, no cars, no people for miles. I knew I was going to have to do something before they bumped me and spun me out possibly wrecking my car, so....I reached for my big a$$ .357 Smith & Wesson Revolver loaded with hollow tips. If you're not familiar with it, just know it's a very large hand g u n - if you caught a magnum hollow tip sh0t to the right place on your shoulder, your arm might fall off. Not kidding. So: I stuck my arm out of my window and twisted my torso to aim back at the car behind me and the driver must have known I was about to shoot through their windshield, because they locked up their brakes and swerved to the left and came to what seemed to be a complete stop. I saw their headlights turn and go in the other direction. So whoever it was, they were not completely stupid. My life was in danger, so I had to do something. I don't like to admit it, but I would have sh0t at them had they not hit the brakes. I'm glad it didn't come to that. I just want to be left alone. I don't ask for much. So it just depends on where you are, what time you're there, and what kind of people live in the area and my complete guess is the person or people in the that car didn't have a higher education and likely were not wealthy. Regardless, if you're mindful of those things, you can easily live your entire life here and statistically avoid violence and crime completely. In my case, I would have been better served to make that trip in the car in the daylight when many more cars would have been on the road and where it would be easy to identify a vehicle make, model, color, etc. And to this day, I have no clue what kind of car that was, what color, how many doors, etc...so, lesson learned. And hopefully the people in that car learned a lesson. They must have been just driving through Texas and didn't live here - otherwise, they would have known better than to try such a thing here. We are the most kind people in the world, and the most deadly if threatened. Just the way we were raised...have a great day or night depending on exactly where you are on Earth.
The sanity and intelligence of your PM has to be the envy of the world. The instability of your fk’d up neighbours and their pattern of electing despicable idiocy, is alarming to us all. Good Luck……incredulous kiwi.
also a lot of jobs have benefits up to 400 euros, which you can spend on memebership fees to sports clubs to massages to movie tickets(don't know what they are called in English or finnish but in swedish they are callled "friskvård")
In the Netherlands, too (I think it's about €70 per year). BUT, if you want to buy a single ticket, museums are incredibly expensive. I get that big museums like the Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh are €25, but even a small museum where you tend to spend maybe an hour or so will cost €15 to €20. The zoo here in Amsterdam now costs €30, a ticket to a movie is €15 to €20. If you want to do anything with a family of 4, like Ashton, it seems prices are pretty comparable to the US (except for Disney parks)
@M@MartijnPenningsHello Martijn. You haven’t been to the USA lately I assume. Prices there are (as Ashton said) much higher than in Europe (Switzerland excluded). For instance the San Diego Zoo (wonderfull) is 78 dollars pp.
Very interesting observations. The biggest difference between US and at least my Finnish view is that most people in US do not seem to have sense of enough for anything. Let's say I have a lot of money and I drive a 20 year old car. Americans are wondering why are you doing this? Why don't you buy a new car? And when I explain them, that this one does everything a car should do. I can save it and spend the money on something else that actually matters. Its like they do not get it. Ofc there are people like this in Europe too, but far less. I buy things for needs, not to replace something that works and gets the job done just to have something shiny to make someone else think I am somehow cool or rich.
You have learnt something which most people never will understand. Congratulations. Be happy with your life, don’t envy those who have more. I suppose it’s a transition from hedonism to stoicism. I have made that journey myself. The main criterion when I chose my last car was that it shouldn’t be attractive for thieves or display wealth. So, now I drive a small Mazda. It serves its purpose and will do so for many years to come! Best regards from Sweden.
its cultural because many did not have much before and after the World Wars. Today, me and my friends have Boomer parents who grew up extremely poor--but over 50 years have. bought everything they wanted --and now have trouble getting rid of the things they have accumulated on their very good paychecks from their well paying jobs here. You wouldnt believe how many friends of mine have to help their parents clean out their houses full of stuff
Then somehow people in the US have the delusion that they are "rich", having a big home (that belongs to the bank because of the mortgage) haphazardly nailed together with cheap material, a shiny new car (bought with a loan of course), and other stuff bought with a credit card. Drowning in debt when you look closely. They don't really have anything. Just their "American dream" which, looking from the outside, seems more like a nightmare.
Same in Norway. Some people can be comfortable with driving old cars and wearing worn out clothes even if they have big savings on their bank accounts. Some of us have been taught the value of making savings.
I'm one of 2025's 4936 emigrants from the US. Though I try to look forward and not back and prefer to see myself as an immigrant to Europe, if I am to do "good science" in my self examination, I have no choice but to admit that I am an emigrant from the US as well. There was a desire to immigrate, but a need to emigrate. I came to Europe to live like a human being rather than to only exist with the primary duty of being a commodity. I've been in Europe since mid-September and had to return to the US for a couple weeks in October to receive my visa. As you depict, it was absolutely overwhelming. (My fidgets got a hard workout while watching the US clips.) I have PTSD and so am a little more sensitive than most, but while back in the US I was literally bridging panic attacks with exhaustion. It was so severe that it took more than a month after returning to recover enough to have normal dreams again instead of nightmares. Every day, I see that the per-unit relationship of adulting in the US and the EU is $$$$:€€ and days:hours, respectively. Oh, I NEEDED a car in the US and only have a bicycle here, and I still get more done using less money and less time. As things stand, I can't find a single reason to go back to the US. It's just not healthy.
I can somewhat get where you're coming from. Not to diminish you're situation but I'm an introvert and I already get nervous about new things, etc so I can only imagine how bad it is for you. As a European citizen it's difficult to understand what it's like to grow up in the US; being so sheltered and almost brainwashed into thinking that America is the holy land for everyone as many US citizens are raised to believe. I'm glad you got out of there and can live a better and less stressful life over here.
@zarakikon6352 I was fortunate in that I was born and raise in the military. I wasn't born in the US and my neighbours have always been people who have also lived all over the world. I grew up with a global perspective.
My sister lives in Chicago, and in 2023, her son graduated from the University of Chicago. I flew over for the ceremony, experienced something like that for the first time, and boy, was it an awful experience. All the screaming and shouting for no reason. After that, we went to a restaurant for lunch. People were speaking so loudly in there that I lost my appetite and couldn`t wait to get the F out of there. It wasn`t my first visit to the USA, I`ve been there several times before, but I think that it was my last one. My younger nephew is graduating in a couple of months, but I`ve already apologized to him for not going to being there. I`m happy when they come to Switzerland so we can enjoy some quality time together, and the older one is even considering moving to Europe as soon as possible. He loves it here.
As a Dutchman, I really enjoyed my time in the States. But I was honestly shocked by how old and outdated the equipment was in local government buildings-those computers looked like museum pieces.
100% this. My algorithm feeds me your content every Sunday morning and it's part of my ritual. And your timing is remarkable sometimes as I sit back at my desk in the US having returned last night from Germany. Even the convenience stuff here feels more fake.
I am English but I moved to the US in 1979 to Tulsa OK. On the first day we were there we rented a car and drove down Memorial Drive. All we could see for as far ahead on either side were huge billboards and Neon signs. I remember turning to my wife and saying “What have we done?” Neither of us had ever seen such a tasteless barrage of garish signs anywhere. Coming from a cute English town of Marlow the contrast was staggering. America is generally soulless. For all its displays of religiosity it only truly worships the dollar.
There's some decent small towns without this in the US and Canada. Granted, they're still gridded and lack the winding roads, but its fairly decent. One thing I really dislike is some small towns having four lane stroads for the main street. Yaint getting that big, buddy.😋
Voltaire ones said: Prussia is not a state with an army but an army with a state. I think today he woud say: the United States are not a state with an army but a army with a company.
A bit relative, but yes. I can't understand, for example, why people drive a big new car all the time "because work is so hard", and prefer to toil away 10 year at work just for that privilege, instead of taking a small car, safe the money, and retire 10 years earlier from the hard, stressful work the are complaining about. But then, if you ask people complaining how bad work is how many times they tried to get a different job in the last year, the answer is almost alwys zero, so....
I'm French, I live in France, I have family in the US and travelled many times there in the past. I understand what you feel. Life in germany is rather similar as in France, and I can say that I do not have the desire to go back in the US. Not at all.
No way near similar: there are HUGE mentality and attitude differences within 200km 's since than you cross a Real borderline and will meet other people. Try to connect and you will notice if you really get to know them. Greetings from The Netherlands. Lived in Pittsburgh for 2 months with a nice family back in 1975. A girl nearly wanted me to stay.... i could have but wanted to studyback home. And not raise ignorant kids in a shallow society with rigid views and a total lack of a cultural or economic elite. Nice people but ... missing something.
@tractordave8335 I'd assume, cheaper and better quality groceries, cheaper entertainment and vacationing, public transport that's good enough that you can ditch the car if you'd like, cheaper insurance and less need to rack up the mileage if you decide to keep the car, much less expensive healthcare, cleaner air, cleaner water, better job security, less inflation. In general most of these comparisons favored the US until quite recently. And under Trump, we've taken a sharp turn in the wrong direction on every one of them.
@dblissmn No those comparison did never favor the US. Trump has nothing to do with that. US-Culture in general is just bad for the common folk. You will have a much better life in europe, except if you're rich.
@tractordave8335 It's because very few US places rival common European settling areas (Western, Northern and Central Europe) and none of them are anywhere near Missouri...
I remember Many many years ago watching an Oprah show. The audience was asked how many credit cards they had. I was flabbergasted as most had not one , not two , but sometimes 3 or 4 credit cards. I was married and we had two children going to college and did not have a creditcard. I live in the Netherlands. In 2009 I went to the US and was told I need a credit card. I still do have ONE credit card which I use for online holiday bookings. If I cannot pay for something I do not buy it. In the US everything seems to be on credit. Not to mention the national debt. I always found it quite amusing that Americans were always about the greatest country on earth.
I spent 8 years living in the US & couldn’t believe how brainwashed the people are. The media turns everything into something that’s ’coming to get you’! The education system doesn’t teach critical thinking, it’s all about rewarding regurgitating, but not questioning, what you’re told. These two things mass produce an ignorant, intolerant & gullible population.
I'm always astonished by the characterization of the U.S. as the land of opportunity or somehow a mecca for entreprenurship. I live in Spain and the number of small family run businesses is extrordinary compared to the dominance of chain stores and restaurants in the U.S. The difference is impossible to miss. I attribute much of that to the social safety net here in my adopted country, where health insurance and retirement pensions are not tied to employment. There is no real impediment to starting a business here in Spain. In the U.S. it is downright dangerous.
I started a sole trader business in Britain and it was extremely easy. There are similar safety net provisions for the initial lean times of getting established.
The same for Germany. Looking around our place right now, we have a ton of stuff which are made by small but highly specialized family run companies. For example, in our livingroom currently in view is a Toniebox, some kids games from Ravensburger, some other kids games each from different companies, a bunch of Lego, a kids Woom bike, etc; All of these things are made by individual companies who do exactly one thing...and they're frequently built on top of other small companies that do one thing as well (like the woom bike contains a gear thingey from some other specialized company that only does precision gears) In the US it seems to either be all made in China, or it's massive companies like Mattel that make everything -- or make things you don't realize belong to the massive conglomerate (in the example of Mattel: hot wheels, Uno, Fisher Price, etc). How do you even start your company when you need to compete with the likes of Mattel, and you don't have the support of the smaller providers thanks to the vertically integrated giant megacorps?!
Don't forget that the big chains can negotiate exclusion zones, exclusive use, and restrictive covenants in their leases to deny smaller folk a retail foothold.
I think what you say it true to an extent. I think that Ashton even talked about this in a previous video, although perhaps it was another ex-American I watched. There are several such RUclipsrs. The American dream isn't achievable by most people. The idea that you can start small and go big rarely happens. You have to go into debt to get anything from education to a business to a home, or, as Ashton said here, just to buy all the consumer stuff you don't need. On the other hand, I do feel that there's a spirit of entreprenurship in the US that might be missing in other countries, like Spain. Your example is a family business which is a store or restaurant. That is conceivably harder in the US. But there are a lot of tech startups and inventions in the US. It's not for nothing that American tech companies dominate the globe. A tiny percent of these people become very rich, which fuels the American Dream.
They dont want to own a small family run store. They talk about there being a small chance they run the new wallmart... That is the opportunity they mean.
As a kid, I moved to Washington DC from Australia in the mid '70s for a few years for my father's military job. At 8 years of age, I immediately had the feeling of being in a cult. I was stunned by the uncritical cheerleading of 'We are the greatest people in the world in the greatest country in the world' (and we don't need to check). As a child, I had to explain to a 45 year old teacher how I, as an Australian, learned 'to speak English so quickly' (a reminder that this was Washington DC, not West Virginia). This is way before the internet and so the only information flowing was from TV and newspapers. I had to consciously remind myself that Australia existed and that I was from there, as it was as if nothing really existed, unless there was a war or something, outside the borders of the USA. Few people there seem aware that their nation doesn't make the top 20 on most indicators of human development. Today it is 57th in Press Freedom. Others to check: Social Mobility (you know: that American Dream), Infant Mortality, Life Expectancy, Safety, Access to Higher Education, Access to Healthcare, Quality of Democracy.... In summary, there is a critical dearth of context and self-awareness in the US culture. When they travel abroad, this comes up all the time. I have now lived in Paris for the past 20+ years and American visitors are everywhere. I often get into conversations with them in bars and restaurants. To their credit, the ones who travel, AND who take some time to adapt to the local setting, do have some insight into to all of this and do start to recalibrate their perception of their place in the world.
I went to the rodeo in Cody, Wyoming a couple of years ago. The speach by the presenter finished by thanking God for living in the greatest country since the creation of the world! I had to stop myself from laughing out loudly. 😂
I was a few years older than you when I was moved to New York and went to school there for a couple of years. I too had that same reaction. Even as a teen I found the level of ignorance among my peers and indeed their parents, teachers and others I encountered astonishing and the wilful nature of said ignorance jaw dropping. The seeds of what we see in the USA today was foretold by what I saw in the 1980s even though I couldn't articulate what it was that felt off. They were proud of not knowing about anywhere else and wedded to the propaganda that was coming from I don't quite know where. We are the greatest and the rest of the world wants to be us. I was at a school with a lot of other international students - mostly Europeans but not all and among ourselves even in our late teens we knew we definitely did not want to be them. It all felt fake, performative and actually false even then. it was such a relief to come back to Europe and made me appreciate it so much more.
A New Zealand friend of mine did a one year high school exchange in the USA, she told me her classmates and teachers just could not comprehend why she didn't want to pledge allegiance to the flag or sing the Star Spangled Banner.
Your video really resonated with me. I found myself saying, "yes!" to just about everything you said. I left 35 years ago for the snakes and spiders of Australia and also a couple years in a special part of the world with a blue bridge that you know very well. I was back to my (very) former home in November and the loud was louder than ever, and I felt like yelling (loudly) from the rooftops, "You could be so much happier if you would just turn the volume down". I wish everyone there could watch and understand the content of your video. Ganz vielen Dank!
This might be one of the most well made videos I've ever seen on RUclips, and I've seen a LOT! Great "script", beautiful editing combined with facts/statistics. All put together in a very coherent way. It kept me interested from start till end. Beautiful work! Well done 👏👏👏
What an insightful testimony thank you . I have been living in Denmark for the past 30 years, originally from New York, and quite honestly wouldn't dream of going back to the United States. While the pressures on society, here are unfortunately moving more in the direction that you describe in the video this pace is much slower, and there are huge differences that people have highlighted as being important and worthy of preserving. Personally my life here is immeasurably better even with the high taxes. My children all had very inexpensive, great childcare and education, and are now both in college, pursuing their dreams, studies, and it's not costing a dime. Both my wife and I are independently employed, and our businesses are flourishing. We have access to full and really great healthcare. While we also have extended Private policies, this is only recent and they make up a small percentage of the total healthcare coverage in the country. Denmark is an absolutely a capitalist society that Forbes has voted Denmark the best country in the world to do business years in a row. Denmark is completely safe with one of the lowest crime and certainly the lowest murder rate in the western world. Ironically , what's called the American dream as itis actually more realizable here than in the USA that has comparatively huge income inequality and stagnant upward mobility . I feel it's really sad that people in the United States can't learn from these examples rather than simply demonize them or call them nefariously socialist. 😊
Inflated prices in housing are a problem here in Canada…how is it in Denmark? I get the feeling Scandinavia would be less apt to try and screw over the next buyer with inflated prices.
@LouisCooper-n7s While Copenhagen is far from being the most expensive capital in europe, it is still really expensive and prices are rising. Here 1 spuare meter cost ca. 50K to 60K in dkr (ca. 8500 usd). The average cost for 1 square meter in all of Denmark is only 18K dkr. The loan interest rates are low atm, which is raising the prices. People in Denmark also have one of the highest average income pr capita i EU, which also is an importent factor in this case.
@LouisCooper-n7sunfortunately housing prices here have gone through the roof in the biggest cities like most western world. But there are cooperatives like the one I live in which are more attainable but it is a crisis. I hope the government here does some of the things it has promised.
@skovby0yes its insane how expensive things have become especially housing. But…there are lots of other comparable costs that are well below international averages. Income inequality is very low and employment high.
Like so many other Americans, I grew up with the constant "WE'RE THE BEST!!!!" messaging drilled into me. But when I started to get curious and get more news from international publications and outlets, I started to face the reality of "American Exceptionalism." And once I got to travel abroad and see more of the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, I realized how much "reality" can be distorted here. While there's still a lot that I love about this country, it's so sad to see so much denial when it should be so crystal-clear that this nation needs major changes.
As a Canadian, we grew up hearing Americans and America was the best place in the world and when traveling the world found Americans thought as themselves as superior. Bold, loud, brash and overly confident but also very ignorant of other cultures and how good OTHER countries have it. Sad, really...
It wasn't exceptionalism, it was "location, location, location!", as it was one of the few developed nations at the time whose homeland and industrial base wasn't actually touched by the 2nd world war's destructive aspect and also having a mild enough climate (unlike canadian winters). It was more luck in geography, being safely tucked entire oceans away while enjoying decent climate to keep working, developing and doing business when Eurasia was fighting each other's neighbors and using Africa as a resource farm.
When I was living in East Asia I often thought I could have made a small fortune (as a white guy, not from the US) from selling t-shirts printed with "I'm not American" in multiple languages.
I mean, with most consumer debt the people kinda irresponsibly choose to enchain themselves, the corporations just encourage it. People like to paint a picture of a single mom losing her job and feeding her kids on credit card debt, but the much more common scenario is simply years of cumulative consumption beyond ones means.
imagine a baker and a carpenter.. the baker needs a new table and agrees with the carpenter on 50 loafs of bread as exchange value - just one thing - the carpenter doesn't want them all at once. So the baker takes 50 pieces of paper and writes '1 loaf of bread' on each and upon delivery of the table hands them to the carpenter. This is work sharing. This is the DELAYED exchange of resources. This is delayed TRADE. And it REQUIRES than one party makes a promise (instead of handing over product) while the other party believes in that promise while handing over product. This is what debt is there for. It allows for delayed exchanges of resources - without which our modern world would be UNTHINKABLE. PS: the symptom u're talking about is caused by one-sided exchange-advantages with things that are being traded.. but the cause for that is not 'debt'.
@majorfallacy5926 "the corporations just encourage it" - Well, they also let it happen. They will let their customers slip into bankruptcy and then the bank will eat them alive. But yes, the people have chosen it, in a way, they have voted for it. But they don't know where their interest lies.
@joansparky4439 But what Americans do is writing 100 pieces of paper with "this is bread", and then buying 2 tables because now they can, if even they don't know what to do with the second table. And then they are complaining that bread making is so hard and that they will never be able to afford a third table at this rate.
@steemlenn8797 they can promise as many loafs of bread as they want - the other side of that (delayed) exchange is always NEEDED that is BELIEVING in those promises and accepting them.. handing over product (those tables) and expecting to receive bread in the future. That money is created at unsustainable rates has to do with something else.. a flaw in money that it copied from gold. This causes the symptom u describe. It also doesn't help that people do not understand that money is promises, they think it exists like gold. That is what lead to that flaw from gold making it into money and causing that debt is created at unsustainable rates.
Home is where you feel that you "Belong" I moved to France 22 years ago, became fluent in French in 3 years, and from day one visits to the UK were not "Going Back" they were "Going Away"! I am where I belong. It's not a question of better or worse, just where I'm "at home"
Great observations in the video. As a Brit just returning from a 10 month visit to 35 US states, I agree with all your comments. We met many incredibly friendly US folk, and saw the amazing US National Parks, but it's a tough place to be for any amount of time; everything is about money, it's relentless. On returning home, my wife and I said that 'it was a fantastic place to visit, but you couldn't pay us to live over there'. We're looking forward to spending more time in Europe.
Everything is about money resonates. It’s why whenever you speak to an American online they boil everything down to money and wealth. It baffles the rest of us and likely baffles them when we don’t agree with their worship. I suspect they don’t believe us when we say so what about how the USA is wealthier and they make more money. They have a total worship of money and don’t even realise it’s not normal
unfortunate your countrymen voted for brexit … and now with the orange boy in the white house again it really doesn't help, UK hase left the european project and house …
Kiwi here. I lived and studied in the States and was struck by many things - not all bad by any means - but the level of ignorance about the world and even the US itself was staggering. That along with entrenched racism, sexism if not outright misogyny, the lack of critical thinking and the tendency to view any prosocial program as ‘socialism’ was spectacular. That was over 30 years ago and on subsequent visits it has only worsened. Compounding it all was the utter arrogance about the US’s place in the world. I could have lived there, in one of those comfortable bubbles the better off erect around themselves, but I chose not to. I just didn’t like the place or where it was so obviously headed. My wife (American) and I opted to head down under and have lived a better, happier life as a result. My wife relinquished her US citizenship a few years ago. I was concerned about how she might feel about that and asked if she were sure she wanted to cut that final tie. “Oh, yes”, she said. “They lied to me my whole life!”
I have been to New Zealand back in 2024. During that trip I met an American guy in his 30s. He was a doctor, but his horizons were so narrow. He made me laugh when he called European countries communist ones for adapting social policies. He was travelling on his own as none of his friends was able to join him. They had to work..., in Europe having annual leave is normal.
I'm an European that moved to the US 15 years ago and I disagree with everything you said. Of course the US isn't perfect, just like everywhere else, but I found mostly kindness and acceptance in the US. Maybe NZ is just even better? 🙂
0:11 The real number of expatriated from US is closer to 104,000 per year. The ~5k figure quoted in the video refers only to Americans who renounce U.S. citizenship. OECD migration flow data show that roughly 100.000 people move from the U.S. to live in other OECD countries annually, and that still doesn’t include Americans relocating to non-OECD countries.
@pvorster8042 yeah right. And Jan 6th was a cozy congregation of peaceful families singing the national anthem, the Trump phone is being manufactured in the U.S.A., Renee Good was a terrorist who tried to kill Federal Agents, the prices of groceries and medical drugs have fallen 600%, and "they" are eating the dogs ...
My American daughter in law came to the UK 20 years ago with her parents. Her dad was posted here for 3 years for his job. She went to an American school and retained her US culture. When it came to the time to leave, she simply refused to return to the US. Her parents were disappointed but supportive and arranged finance for her to go to university in London. After uni she met my son and they have now been married for 12 years. They both just spent 6 weeks in CO with her family and had a great time. Daughter in law texted me with their arrival details so I could pick them up at the airport. The text began “ Hooray ! Coming home at last…….”
Home is home .... it's a place that you are familiar with and you are not living out of your bag, so to speak. Maybe, she doesn't like her parents, lol. I'm not saying the US is great but that single statement doesn't prove much. Also, to some extent people of every country think theirs is the best country in the world. They want to confirm/ validate their choice. They highlight the positives and overlook the negatives.
@truthalonetriumphs6572 I don't agree. Being Dutch myself, having been hardly abroad in my life, I still do not think that the Netherlands is the best country in the world. It certainly is in some / a lot of aspects of life, but at the same time certainly is not in other aspects. Remember, we are all human, with our positive and our negative aspects. And only living on a certain piece of land makes us inhabitant of what we call a country. So that country is something we as inhabitants of it make of it, be it positive or negative. There is no best or worst country in the world, each one of them has its pros and its cons. Only the balance of those two differ.
@cathiphilibert9145 He Dad was probably US Military, in England 90% chance Air Force, they have their own schools on the Raf Station that they are posted to, the DoDS, Department of Defence School system. I used to work on RAF Upper Heyford and RAF Croughton in the 90s. Heyford had F111Es and EF111As 20th Tactical Fighter Wing. I worked at the Choak and puke, otherwise known as the Lamplighter Inn from 90 to 92, then with the Chapel service until 99.
@cathiphilibert9145 Weak attempt at ragebait. Granted the sentence could have been worded differently "She had been in the american school system before they moved , So retained her american culture". (And as far as i know may have attended an american system based school, on a military base if this was the type of work the father was in.) There are no american schools (outside of those in military installations) in fellow English speaking countries, The schools in other countries have far too few shootings too qualify as american schools, English speaking or not.
I totally agree. Very satisfied with life in Netherlands after 10 years. Unfortunately recent events are showing what ‘American exceptionalism’ has become in my home town of Minneapolis. 😢 no words to describe it.
Get your relatives to move to EU as well, despite what some (often RU backed..) haters are saying we have plenty of space and jobs, come one come all. Most EU citizens are well aware that American citizens are normal & nice (and the ones that helped us in the past) while the US *_government_* is the clown show, no shade at all to American people wanting to have it better. In the past 2 years 3 new American families moved into my street, they all seem to be enjoying themselves & each one of them has told me on separate occasion that they did some math and realized we pay less taxes while getting 500% more for it 🤭I'm honestly glad for them and hope they bring more of their relatives over too, because EU countries thrive on doing immigration right.
I spend a high school year in Minnesota in the twin cities in the 90s. It was a good place to be. Weekends at the lakes or in the Mall of America! My thoughts are with all Minnesotans who fight for theire way of life.
Such a great message, we really lost a lot of human connection to consumerism. And it is not sustainable for us, our economies, or the planet. Great vid as always, keep it up
I am a Swedish guy, born and raised in Gothenburg, Living in Stockholm I spend between 1 and 3 months per year in Cleveland OH, because half of my family are Americans. I get asked two questions over and over and over again ... 1. -"When will you move to the US?" 2. -"What's it like in Sweden (Europe)? (Mostly people ask what music we listen to, what cars we have, do we have sports and all those things)" Answering the first question is probably the hardest. When I was a kid, the idea of moving to the US was really attractive, it felt glamorous and like an upgrade. But the more I experienced the US, the more that feeling started changing. It was just a few years ago, when I had learned enough about living in the US that the notion or idea of moving to the US would be a straight up downgrade. Things like: Cost of Medication and medical care. Public transport (Here I don't have to take the car everywhere) The quality of food products. Quality of water straight out of the tap. Vacation time (I have 30 days of paid vacation, yes, here that means that I get more pay when I am on vacation then when I am working) Taxes (Here I pay less overall Taxes than I would in the US) Bike and walking access. (Here, the city is built around walking, biking, cars and public transport, if I want to bike anywhere, I can do that without having to go on a car-road) Employment security and safety. Weapons... Politics. When I answer the question, I feel like I am insulting the America people if I mention any of those things. So I mostly have to pull out a small innocent lie and say that I don't know. The second question.. well. We have the same music, heck a lot of the music that you listen to is made or written in Europe. Perhaps less focus on Country music over here. We have the same movies and yes, we have pretty much the same sports, with less focus on American football and more focus on real football. We live on the same planet as you guys do in the US which means that we pretty much have access to the same kind of stuff. Thank you Ashton, was interesting to watch this video.
American here... you basically summed up everything I hate about living here in your "Things I like about Sweden." Not all of us think the US is perfect.
A lot of Americans i meet are like that stereotype, especially in the south. But there's just as many that have actually traveled and know on a map where Europe is (I can forgive them for confusing Netherlands and Denmark, but why though?). It's this group that typically has a more nuanced view of the world. I live in the US, Texas 3-4 months a year and I find it exhausting. I solve it by going to the National Parks. Especially the lesser known, where there are less people and you can feel nature and quiet. I'd never want to live in the US. The constant fakeness. The lack of any good, healthy food (it exists, but you have to search hard). The almost total absence of middle class in retail. I've to go back next month but I'm not looking forward to it. US has the most amazing nature, but that's about it.
great post, I also have to screen myself when I visit family in the US because the place is a dump compared to what it was decades ago. I don't want to insult my relatives so I just keep my mouth shut. My son and I were alone in our rental car and he said, "Is everything in the US decrepit?" I had picked him up the airplane about 2 hours prior. From the mouths of children.
I was married to an American for a couple of years. He came to live with me here in Belgium and had to follow language classes ( Flemish). His teacher told me that on his first day he threw his bookcase in a corner of the classroom and said: "I'm an American, I don't have to do that." I got a Leonese mastiff for him because he loved big dogs and after 3 years divorced him because he wanted to dominate the dog in an ugly way. The dog stayed, the man was made to leave.
I moved from Germany to the US when I was 21, came back when I was 23 and plan to stay here. But I do think, that, If possible, everyone should experrience an extended time in another culture to broaden their horizon.
This! I took part in a students exchange to Philadelphia in the late 80ies and I loved it to take my exchange student around North Rhine Westphalia, watch him getting amazed by Cologne cathedral and the Roman Porta Nigra in Trier or getting visibly nervous ordering and drinking his first beer ever. 😄 It was absolutely awesome.
I agree strongly with the idea that everyone should experience an extended time in another culture. In my ideal world, all US high school students should spend a semester abroad. In my youth, I was able to take many trips abroad, which really opened my eyes about life in the US. Spending 15 years as a high school teacher in the States confirmed my disillusionment with the US. I now live in Iceland and WILL NOT be moving back.
I’ve been saying to Germans to just go to the UK, Canada, NZ, Ireland, or Australia if they are desperate to see an Anglo country. Well, Ireland isn’t, but they speak English. Especially given current political and cultural realities in America. There are better places to visit and America isn’t one of them
I live in a relatively poor country, but I never understood the desire to live in US. Even if you were someone who could make a ton of money there. From my point of view, for the so called richest country in the world, it's pretty shit.
@m3redgt glad you didnt get shot, I would love to visit the us after fascism blows over but I am so afraid of dying to random shootings. theyre rampant there
I haven't been to the US since '98 (oddly enough, the same year Scotland last qualified for the World Cup). Since it now seems like I'd have to carry all my papers around all the time just in case the Gestapo decide I sound funny, I'm sure as shit not going now.
I'm an Australian who has done 4 trips to (former) USA. Your explanation rings true. A mate in Oregon doesn't mute the ads and gets yelled at North Korean style by pox views and seems oblivious. Being an Aussie I hate ads and will go to considerable lengths to avoid the fucking things. The more ads the less I want to buy. More ads indicates less quality and less natural desire. I'm aware of the big wide world starting with a decent 1970s education including history and geography it really helps. Dunno if the crack house below Canada can even survive this mess. I'll leave it at that.
You’ve got that right. If people really wanted your product, you wouldn’t need to advertise. But unfortunately in the U.S. it’s buy,buy, buy, sell, sell, sell.
Same here, mate. If something bombards me with ads, I conclude there must be something wrong with it to need so much marketing, so I'm certainly less likely to buy it. Doesn't seem to be the mainstream mentality, though.
Amen. I'm an American who has lived in Italy for nine years and only go back to the US every two years or so. You summed up my observations very well and opened my eyes to new ones. Europe is a better fit for me than the US for sure.
Just that you say "a better fit for me" and make your observation relative to your tastes and your way of living and not stating it as an absolute marks you as a European and not an US American now. Welcome home...
One of the greatest culture shocks, as an american visiting Germany, is watching the news for the first time: The anker just sits there, totally relaxed and speaks in a somber tone. No rush, no word salad, spat out as fast as possible. Just a nonchalant "Guten Abend meine Damen und Herren."
I've visited the US around 20 times and one of the things I quickly learned was to not turn on the TV. It's extremely anxiety-inducing unless your attention span is about 8 seconds.
you said: "We in Europe" and I like it. :) - btw no debt here. this is very important to me. or as my grandmother said "what we don't have, we don't need."
Americans are in debt to pay for shelter, food, and education. Most American bankruptcies are because of healthcare costs. We're not blowing it on designer handbags, but we need to have heat in the winter.
Or, like my grandmother said: "For what you don't need, 10 cents is to much." (Dutch: Voor wat je niet nodig hebt is een dubbeltje nog teveel betaald.)
More and more during my visits I've noticed people in the US living in bubbles. Echo Chambers of their social and economical chosing. Everything - and I mean absolutely everything - is attached to some monetary cost or value. The last time when I left, I told my family I felt that if they could make you pay for breathing, they would. It's insane ... And inhumane.
I am British and I totally agree with you. I know many of my immediate neighbours by name and chat to them on our street. It has a value that cannot be purchased.
An interesting fact is that the German food retailer ALDI is the fastest growing food retailer in the US. There are more and more consumers who prefer lower prices and are satisfied with a smaller selection. Selecting only 1 of 3 ketchup varieties is more convenient than having 30-50 ketchup variants to choose from.
I moved to Europe hoping to spend 2 years MAX. Last year marked my 10 year anniversary living in Europe. 🙃 No interest to move back. I've travelled all over the world and the first time I ever experienced culture shock was when I went back to the US for my best friend's bachelor party in LA and Los Vegas.😵💫
Growing up in Germany and Europe, the US always seemed to me such a wonderland of innovation, latest technology, bigger, better, faster, natural wonders and interesting people. Now, this image of my childhood makes me sad when I hold it up against the current reality. At least of what is portrayed to the outside. It seems like so many US-Americans are not aware of how much they are taken advantage of by the "lucky" few who have perfected exploitation and made the people think it's their own choice and anyone can be the next Besos. When in truth they use the hustle culture to squeeze every last drop of life from you and then make you spend every last cent (and more) of that hard earned money on stuff and convenience. Completely disregarding such important things as health (-care) and social security. I have personally met so many wonderful people from the US and I've traveled there as well. I just would hope they can experience some sort of paradigm change so they can get the American dream back on track for everyone, not just the top 1%.
I have a feeling that what changed here is more your age than actual reality. The US has been on this path for a very, very long time, this didn't just come about between your childhood and now. As she said, you can literally see it in the very design of their streets and their zoning and everything, they didn't just build those streets yesterday. Yea, they certainly went down the road further since then, but this isn't a new road by any means. And I find it quite dangerous to pretend that this all somehow happened so suddenly, that all it took was a bad president here or a bad company there, because then you'll inevitably fight the entirely wrong problems. This has been happening for a solid century, pretending otherwise is probably unwise. Their problem isn't a random bad person and all the evil corrupt this and that, it's a very foundational feedback loop that keeps this all going and accelerating. And, just like most loops, it's really difficult to figure out how to get out of it, because it'll just snap shut again if you don't break it fast enough. Can't pass consumer laws until money is out of politics, can't get money out until the monster corporations and billionaires are gone, can't make them gone without politics annnnnnnnnd repeat, it's a mess. Difficult stuff. But by no means new and, please, let's not pretend that it is, because we'll miss the forest for the trees if we do.
@Gsrider1959and arguably the hardest. We’d have to get a progressive in the WH and then either impeach SCOTUS or wait for them to die. Then stack SCOTUS with progressives who want money out of politics. But that also just further politicizes SCOTUS more than it already has been (and it’s bad). First thing we need is universal healthcare and to set that up similar to Germany’s, a federal system. Also, progressives need to stop calling themselves socialists. It won’t appeal to Americans and they’re not behaving like a true Marxist socialist. Social Dem? Sure.
A retired French-speaking Canadian here commenting on your video (and I'm using Google Translate to write in English). What you describe about the US is something I also feel very strongly. This overabundance of media stimulation-television, cable, newspapers, digital media, and ubiquitous advertising-only produces consumers, people who develop automatic responses without any critical thinking. Even politics, which defines social norms, is just another aspect of consumption. Here in Canada and Quebec, we have regulations and laws that can act as a barrier against rampant commercial invasion. In some parts of Canada, we perhaps have more cultural affinities with France, the UK, and Europe than with the US in our way of life, our views on work and leisure, family life, and the concept of success. Another thing that strikes me in what you say is the level of debt Americans have. Incredible! Most people lack a rational approach to spending and debt. Everyone wants everything, right now, without considering the cost of such a mentality. For my part, I prioritize the person, the human being, the individual within the community, rather than the monetary value of transactions. I realize this all the more as I become more aware of the choices that American culture considers normal.
I had numerous colleages from the US working in Germany and Switzerland. They all had very mixed feelings when they had to return - no one really wanted to go back.
I moved to France almost five years ago and enjoy the lifestyle much more. It's now home. I do visit the US every year for a month to visit family and relax at our family cottage on a lake. But, every time I go it feels a little more alien. Everything is just so much MORE everything. Everything is bigger, louder, colder (A/C), and in your face. It's not like I don't like to visit ... I do, but it just seems less normal each time I do. One visit a year is more than enough.
Very well said. The US is a gorgeous country - spectacularly beautiful. But its governments, social structures (or lack of them), ubiquitous superstition, neoliberalism, and cult of individualism are its downfall.
It all starts with unbiased fact-based qualitative education based on nationally agreed education plans. As long as it's subject to local schoolboards with varying levels of funding and faith-based groups trying to influence what the kids should get to learn, you will get less and less equality, less and less critical thinking. I mean if there would be schools where they teach that the earth is flat, or was created in 7 days in Europe, we would either fall off the chair laughing, or declare them utterly mad. But that seems to be perfectly ok in US. And then it's probably to be expected that you get a society where 'alternative facts' are perfectly possible.
Sounds like George Carlin: "The Country is fine, the people are " - use your favourite search engine, else this comment is auto-deleted by "you know which company". Yes, this is the type of phrasing we are currently forced to use in The Freedom Country.
You forgot to mention fascism that threatens the whole world with WW3. I'm worried that this time way more than 35 million people will be dead after MAGA is finally defeated.
Now that the US is trying to kick out all non-white immigrants, the country will run out of suckers to fuel its capitalism and be left with only the people it burned out and will wind up more socialist than it ever imagined.
It's an upcoming trend in germany that more and more ad-styles are brought over from the USA. Like ads on napkindispensers, in menus or the kredit terminal.
Very interesting synopsis that faithfully illustrate the gaps between the US and EU mentalities. Consumerism dominates one. Living decent lives the other.
@jodi7947not really,most of the paper work did the realtor and the notary .There are also fees and taxes just like in the US , we put in another 10k ish in renovations , it’s happen when you buy an older house !
@achenarmyst2156 how you know ? But you’re right, I‘m German and my wife is American . We lived for 15 years together in the US , and then moved to Germany ( it was my wife’s idea , don’t know what she saw in her crystal ball back in 2018 😊 ) now I think it was the right decision ( back in 18 I don’t really wanna move
Another video I enjoyed watching. When I first moved to the USA, with a job at an automotive supplier in Michigan, though in one of the beautiful places on earth on the shores of Lake Michigan, my main problem, even about 35 years ago, was the massive accumulation of waste - plastic bags, soda cans, plastic knives and forks, paper plates. Being unfamiliar with my shopping being packed by some store help, I confused some people with the shopping bags I brought from Germany. The confrontation with advertising in the USA is kind of disturbing - too much, too loud, and I do not need shops to be open at midnight or 24/7. These days I am more often in China than in the USA, and I admit, I feel more welcome there these days, though Shanghai is equally busy, loud and overwhelming as I found Chicago to be. My wife likes open shops every day, I like the way Germany slows down on weekends, especially Sundays, to make time for people rather than commerce. Thanks again for your insight, take care.
Originally from Africa, I am unapologetically pro-European Union. I love European social democracy-after living in The Netherlands for half my life. I love European literature and elite culture. Cannot stand American crass consumerism, worship of wealth, ignorance, arrogance and performative, unctuous religiosity. A society that worships wealth for the sake of it is a sick society.
As a life long Europe resident, I can assure you the EU needs to be abolished. It destroys everything that made our continent great and depraves everyday people of liberties, freedom of speech and money.
Having traveled to the U.S. several times (I live in Germany), I can relate a lot to what you said. What strikes me most is how often overconsumption is simply “default behavior” - not malice, just habit. I’ve heard stories like “my parents don’t even know what recycling is,” and I’ve had colleagues say they use plastic containers and cutlery because they never even think about alternatives. A lot comes with education - and education is another story....And honestly, I’m seeing some of that spill over into Germany too: even when people sit in a café, many still take disposable cups although real cups are available. That’s a shame - and a good reminder that awareness matters.
I'm an American. Almost everyone in my neighborhood recycles. I recycle more than I throw in the garbage. So where did you hear the comment, "My parents don't even know what recycling is?" Definitely not from the Americans I know.
@scottstovall4080 As USians always say: The US are a big country with different laws, traditions, habits, ways of life. I also heard from RUclipsrs that they are flabbergasted about the difficult system we use here to seperate stuff that can be recycled. (The ones I can think of spontaneously being paper, cardboard, batteries, glass (different colours seperate), metal, aluminium, PET, PE, other plastics, waste electrical equipment, cords, CDs, cartridge for whipping cream, water filters, styrofoam (2), cork, ...)
There are ads on the conveyor belt at the supermarket? 😂😂😂. What the magazine expects you to put your groceries back in the cart and go back and get a bottle of coke just because you saw that add?
Let's say, Snowmass compares with a premium resort like Grindelwald/Jungfrau region, CH; Prices? $100 per adult, and kids ski for free on Saturday. Ski rental? Approx. $50 a day per person. Premium Parking? $15 a day? Or take the train (for free with your ski pass) from down the valley and pay $9, and no traffic going up the mountain. Oh, you wanted lower prices than that? No problem, a full-year skipass (magicpass), purchased in April for 400 CHF // $600, sets you up to ski at 100+ smaller and larger places across the country, including Gstaad, Saas Fee, and many more. Wanna teach your kid to ski? Go to Kandersteg; $20 return ticket for you, Kids for free. Oh yeah, and no lines at the skilifts.
@DavidGarcia-cc5kv Yep, WW3 would make things difficult for all on "expats" on both sides of the pond...........We just have to hope there are sufficient influential people in the US who can find a modicum of sanity.
And a nice tip for you there is an annual museum pass valid for Switzerland, France, and Germany, it allows you to visit most museums and it costs only €150
The convenience of numerous types of "coffee creamer", each containing at least 10 different ingredients, including some banned in foods in the EU, such as titanium oxide.
We barely have creamer over here; we have milk, milk powder, & lactose-free versions made from oats & soya. I've never understood why creamer is even a thing
@sem6x3ag If you had universal healthcare you wouldn't spend $8000,00 a month in medication. And with the spared money you would live very comfortably in any European country.
@peteblazar5515 In my mind old fashion journalism with solid arguments from both sides and nuance is what makes an informed opinion. Like Der Spiegel in DE. And analysis is something very technical, where conclusion is optional.
@rocketman1058Journalism by yours (old) meaning doesn't exist anymore worldwide. Now most important mass media are owned by domestic oligarchs and it serve thru influence to their common interest. In past a customer was main income of newspaper, content must had represent value for him. It was lost when share of advertisment on income of media did rise.
19:20 an even more important question: Who actually needs "coffee creamer" at all? I've never understood why Americans ruin coffee with garbage chemical fake flavours. I know as an Aussie we can be coffee snobs, but I can honestly say that I've only ever had one decent cup of coffee in the US, and that was when they delivered me a short black by mistake once.
What Americans don't understand is the growing resistance to Americans within Europe. It took years for the Germans to regain some respect after World War II. The same sentiment toward Americans prevails today.
While this is understanding, the Americans that you meet in Europe, by in large, are not part of the trump cult. And we are horrified by both what is happening and how the world is seeing us.
Go to surfshark.com/typeashton or use code TYPEASHTON at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!
Austria Here Ashton ❤ so i think AS US Citizen you belives in GOD s Thank him ervery day for beeing in Germany 😂 and espacilly for your kidds living her in Europe 😂
When my ancestors invaded europe the stories they recorded from german pows was generally that they veiwed america as a great nation and that they wanted to immigrate if they could. How would this stack up now days.
Just wanted to say thanks about the insight that people were seeking instant gratification more since more since covid. That people were suffering from more.
It explains why a member of my family abused me for the last 4 years, live bombed me for 4 years, stole and betrayed my trust. It also angentally explains my Parents actions over my life of having lied to and abused me my entire life. 20 years ago I tried to forgive them and thought for a while they were capable of acting like adults but as I became ill they have gone back to the predatory ways they behaved towards me as a child. And now having lost a third of my life, I now know they are not who they claimed to be, I now know they are like so many authoritarians - scared children looking to control & bully others.
I just hope that I can their is still time to leave and make a new life. And not become like them to survive.
A massive like for the thumbnail, haha
@HerbertLasser , American living in Austria here. I am just at the beginning of her video and wondering how much of it I will agree with. I will finish this comment when her video finishes.
Okay, so her consumerism section perfectly described my brother, who does not even want to visit me here, since he loves his lifestyle there so much. He maintains a warehouse to store all the things he acquires. He often keeps QVC running on his TV, just in case something comes up for him to buy. He has every kitchen gadget you can think of, though never uses but a few. Every Lego set that comes out, he has to have. Every movie that falls into his interests, he has to own the DVD with the greatest potential. He once asked me to buy a certain Marvel DVD for my niece and when I did, he made me take it back to get the most advanced version of it that could do things I can't even remember. How many times do you think he has watched these thousands of movies that he just HAS to own? I know he lives on credit there. I live strictly on cash here and I feel so much freer. I go shopping for groceries regularly, but I only go shopping for other things maybe once or twice a year. We grew up in the same household, but yet are so different.
For the other aspects, I have a friend in the states who has two sons---one very liberal and the other a MAGA trump supporter. Also both so different, growing up in the same household. I haven't been back there in a few years and at this point in my life, I think I never want to go back again. I just don't care for the culture there. I left from a very red state and the number of bullies and "Karens" you run into there is more than I care to deal with. I think that's indicative of sports playing such a large part of the country and the impact they have on society there. jmho. Best regards.
I find it so ironic that so many Americans have huge kitchens just to order takeout and eat with single-use plastic
We probably don’t wanna cook always
@Mia-sp5wh After work, school, grocery store trips, washing dishes, cooking and meal prep takes at least 2-3 more hours...
@reubenmorris487I definitely don't 2-3 hours cooking per day? Did yoy mean 2-3 hours per week? I spend 20 minutes a day at night to make simple, healthy food. I like it at least 😊
@reubenmorris487 No, it doesn't. I just made overnight oats for tomorrow. 5 minutes. Earlier today I made a trout soup. Less than 10 minutes. Simple recipes are healthier.
Also 5,000 sqft mansions which are only used during Thanksgiving. No neighbors, no relatives, even no time to spend at home. After an hour commute go home and crash at 9pm.
The American dream :
If you can afford it, we haven't charged you enough.
If you can't afford it, you haven't worked hard enough.
As a non-American, I would say that this is probably true.
Clever.
Why is it so?
@IamKKB1984 Because it's the ROI of share-holders that is optimized. Not consumer satisfaction nor worker well-being.
@DoctorMoreau That's what made US the most successful and strongest country in human history.
As a spaniard who has lived in both Germany and the USA (and The Netherlands, Belgium and of course, Spain), as well as other countries outside Europe. I can`t understate this: WE DON'T KNOW HOW WELL WE HAVE IT HERE. Don't get me wrong, nowhere is perfect and I have been happy and excited everywhere I lived, but WE HAVE IT SO WELL HERE IN EUROPE!!
Oh, you're so right.
But we have to defend it.
Good luck with your islamification. Europe will look great under the veil of sharia law! Allah akbar. ☪️
As an American who lived in Spain for 2 years....I was totally taken back by the Spanish culture and lifestyle. It's one thing to visit, always wonderful and charming to experience the local spirit and history. Spaniards are so warm and kind, and open when you visit. However once I lived there it became a nightmare. The job salaries are horrible, salaries relative to the cost of living is worse than America. The opporutinities to grow and succeed and climb the corporate ladder, or just the encouragement to work hard and earn your position is almost non existent. The Spaniards treat employees like slaves, and have this cold atittude,....dont like it, get out. Their tax system is almost criminal, it is robbery! Their homes and spaces, even the cars they drive, are all minimal, the economy limits you to expand and grow on a personal level, unless you have a crazy amount of wealth. The healthcare is awful, the Spaniards pride themselves on this great free world class healthcare, but once you need it, it's all redtape and poor quality. Also crime in the big and small city's is getting out of control, the wokeness of illegals running around robbing and terrorizing people is destroying Spanish cities. 3rd world slums are every where, Spain wanted to be so DEI and open that they allowed crime and quality of life to decline dramatically. Sure, America has so many problems but man America is still the land of opportunity and to create wealth These Europeans countries sell you this image of wine cheese, beach, and tan people all year round, but it's all fake.
I always hope, that people travel and learn more about how good many things are back home. At first there are always exciting things, when you visit a country like the US for the first time. I have been there many times and i still like it. But not for the things that were exiting, when i came the the first time. I like most of the people i met there. I like the great outdoors. But so many other things are not providing the same quality for your personal life, than they do over here. Food ... in the supermarket many thing feel artificial, as they are laced with chemicals or stuff, that is supposed to be good for you. I wanted to buy flour and ended up with flour with vitamins. Wtf? Many natural items are hard to find, if you are not in a big city. And if you find them, they are not what you would expect ... i.e. yoghurt ... either it has 0% or 0.1% fat and it is more of some kind of weird tasting slurry. Plain yoghurt, with a regular fat content and the natural taste of yoghurt - at least for a foreighner it's very hard to find. Container sizes ... good for families, but not if you are not used to buy stuff by the gallon. The x-large sizes are funny in the first place, but when the new wears off, it becomes quite inconvenient. If you have the money, there are many very nice place in the US to eat out. But with very few exceptions you are treated as some kind of deal, that has to be finalized as quick as possible. Come, sit, eat, pay, leave. All with a smile, but i feel much more relaxed, when i can put up "camp" at my table in Germany, Italy or somewhere else in Europe. I pay and leave when i want to. Have another beer - no problem. Your tabe is your table as long as you sit there and consume. Over the last years it became more and more strange to be in the US, as i always had the feeling, that everybody tries to sqeeze out as much of me as possible. Hotels charge extra service fees, restaurants put shady fees on your bill, entrance fees for museums, parkings fees, etc. - everybody tries to get the better of you. But people go for that lifestyle. They pay crazy money for things like coffee at starbucks on their way to work - even if they have a coffee machine at home and could bring their own. As much as i enjoy travelling the US - i'm feeling so much more relaxed when i'm back home.
I respect a person who puts sources on their youtube video.
It boils down to buying stuff you don't need with money you don't have to impress people you don't like.
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯👍👍👍👍👍
...and hate people you don't know.
Carlin spoke these words 30 years ago brilliantly
@jtnachos 2/3s of it, the last part I don't remember being said by him. The full quote is from Volker Pispers, modified a bit by me, here goes: Kapitalismus heißt, man kauft Dinge, die man nicht braucht, von Geld, das man nicht hat, um Menschen zu beeindrucken, die man nicht leiden kann.
👍
as an european we often do not appriacate what we have here in europe. so thanks for your perspective. we need more americans like you to remind us.
I miss 3-euro sandwiches from France. Here in New York, you can get some garbage food with MSG for $15.
I don't need a fancy car or the newest phone, i want time to enjoy what i have. i can make things easily work with 30h a week. i have a tight social safety net and growing assets. I don't have to be rich to enjoy life here. That is a privilege few have. I have to take 5 weeks of vaccation a year, it is the law. I have to take recriation time.
It's far from perfect here in the EU, but it's soooo much better than un the US. I wouldn't live in the US even if I got paid for it..
Not everybody is equal in the EU, and US is More equal than the EU. Like what you see on display is full vassalship and treason of european oligarchy vs the People. EU
@cdgncgn The fact that you're not making any sense and ignoring the effective "ethnic cleansing" going on in the US at the moment suggests you're a bot.
For me who grew up in Europe, when I visit the US the best way I can describe how it feels to me is "Fake".
Inspent a month in Europe last summer, and I was struck by how much more authentic and real everything felt. And that life was more important than the constant drive for profit.
Yes, I had the same feeling as a European. So many things in the US feel completely fake. For example the kindness: These people don't really care about you, although they greet you and ask you how you are.
For me it's the noise (mentioned by the video author). And the noise I mean goes from loud sound to visual noise - letters and pictures everywhere, excessive colors, noise noise to all the senses.
I've been to the USA multiple times. First time way back in the 80s. With 5, 10 or 12 years in between i felt every single time it has gotten worse. More ads. More "you can save more if you buy more" bs at every opportunity. Also in the 80s we went everywhere by bike (i got the old one from a neighbors kid back then) and that was perfectly normal for a 12y old. To the movie theatre, mall or building a fort in the woods from old tree branches and leaves. I also felt everything to be fake last time i went in the 2000s. Not been back since. All my American friends are all over Europe now. From Rome to Edinburgh ;)
I'm an American who left the US and calls Italy home now.
When I visit the US, I feel like it's a prison where the walls are invisible, but the signs are everywhere.
Food without taste, flowers without smell, people without heart. This is how my neighbor (Ukrainian) described the US after living there for 5 years
Using paper plates and plastic cutlery at home is a completely strange habit
It´s barbaric in my opinion.
@joãomarreiros-z5x Not to mention wasteful of resources.
Maybe a one off if you have a buffet or something. I knew a guy who did this as he "couldn't afford tableware". I pointed out that they last forever whilst disposable last one use. After that he changed the story to "saves on washing dishes". Some folk have no hope
lol - I use paper plates all the time as I live on my own, - do you realise the cost of hot water, washing liquid, dish towels, and washing these for drying, is much more than 1 paper plate I can assure you - but I reckon your reaction is somewhat extreme lol it is just paper and the manufacture of it keeps someone in a job. have a good day. I'm from Scotland by the way and water here is cheap because we got so much of it. 🤣
it appears to me there were many more important issues raised and you fix on paper plates??? what about the - I want it so I will have at any cost mentality - look at P.Trump - I want Greenland so I will have it, I was Venezuela oil so I will just take it. now there are issues - not a paper plate !!!!
You use paper plates when you don't expect to get the tableware back. Like a take-away restaurant. Or a little food-truck where people eat at a little fold-up table and your truck doesn't have enough space for a dishwasher and more plates can be stacked if they're flat paper...anywhere else it doesn't make sense.
Having lived in Scandinavia, this contrast is stark.
The difference isn’t wealth or comfort - it’s how much uninterrupted mental space remains.
Most Americans have plenty of mental space - look at the state of their country and it's obvious they don't have a lot going on up there...
@JC130676 It's space galore! Put up a few commieshalls up there, why don't you!
Interesting you putting it this way
@JC130676Denmark here, best comment😂😂
I get what you mean. Uninterrupted mental space is a mind that isn't filled with noise or constantly being bombarded with nonstop advertising or propaganda about "how great America is" - or talking points of hostile nations. Its a mind that has time to ruminate and search for clarity. A mind not muddied by external distractions. Clear thinking is important. It requires the space to create those clear thoughts. Thank you for your comment.
As a German who lived in the United States on and off for 25 years one thing that really stood out for me was the incredible arrogance. People who knew absolutely nothing about the rest of the world confidently stated that the U.S. is the greatest country on our planet. I found this to be both baffling and annoying! I don't think there is a single "greatest" country. It depends on what you value and may well differ from person to person. I now live in Germany and am far from thinking that Germany is anywhere near the greatest country on Earth. But, I know one thing for sure: it's a better country for *me* than the U.S.
Yanks with their heads stuck up the butts. The insularity is vulgar.
It is because of brainwashing from childhood
ruschein, brit here, its because they are brainwashed from day one. It's to insure, that they don't question their lot. Its easier for the propagandist if their education is poor and are tied to mill-stone of the work ethic, even to point of suppling somebody if they're sick!! The whole system is rigged for Big Business - the general public are last. They
only react when then go abroad for a few months, then see the truth.
@johnchristmas7522Absolutely spot on!
Wie heißt es so schön: American exceptionalism. Yup.
An American once told me that the US had the best beer breweries… so I asked him if he had ever visited Belgium and tried real beer.
Holy shit, my eyes hurt from the advertisement in the US grocery store. That's insane
@design2c436 is it different in an American Lidl or Aldi?
You can't even wee without an ad in your face. Wait until they add sound and moving images. The horror
@design2c436 I did grow up in NL, with warm feelings i think back on the old grocery store, only one chose of toilet paper, sugar was weighed and put in a brown bag, 3 or so varieties of cookies, it was super simple, you could buy on credit, you could have it delivered if you wished too,
@CrazyMazapan Omg, I knew it was bad when you can hardly go to a gas station without seeing video, news, or advertisements on a screen while you're filling up your gas tank...I grew up in the US in the 90s and early 2000s, and that wasn't even normal prior to 2010...now it's almost the rule not the exception
It's exhausting to live and shop here, quite honestly!
"Time is money" applies only if money is the only thing you value.
different take - what we exchange with each other - the products/resources - the part that we actually pay for is lifetime of another person that was needed to MAKE that product/resource (at equilibrium, i.e. supply meets demand at cost).
U can test that theory
Sunshine? free, cause no human needed. Fresh air? free - same.. unless u go under water or to the moon or a spaceship.
Any resource/product that u acquire that had a human spend time to provide it, to bring it into existence.. demands u to pay for it - with ur own time that u worked to EARN money.
That's why 'time is money'.
@joansparky4439 That is backward logic. What you are actually saying is money represents someone's time. And that is true. Whereas the phrase "time is money" actually is meant to show that if you are not being productive you are wasting money. And that is the essence of exploitative systems.
@markuss3735 I'm a physicist/engineer.. for me 'time is money' and 'money is time' are the same thing, say the same thing.
On that note.. plenty (older) people tell (younger) people that they shouldn't waste their lifetime with this or that as life(time) is precious.
Exploitative systems are systems where some have lever age over others due to how the rules of that 'environment' are being created/maintained/enforced (which means no equilibrium of supply meeting demand at cost exists -the ones with lev-age prevent that).
'Time being money' is uncorrelated to such a constellation.
The only 'time' when 'money isn't time' is when we use commodities as money. ;-)
@joansparky4439 You are right. Money is a storage of (other people's) time.
"It's not hard to make a lot of money, young man - as long as that's all you want to do is make a lot of money."
Mr. Bernstein in "Citizen Kane"
The land off “Fake news and thinking your are the world champion in everything 😂😂
That title still goes to north korea though
Insecurity as a national weakness.
@onehandbehind343
But, unlike North Koreans, Americans have the freedom to burst their bubbles…. And many choose not to.
@tomcarr1358 😂 this is the most perfect description of americans. All that missing is adding their mind blowing ignorance to it.
"The world series"
Says it all.
I’m an American and have been living in France since 2008-I’m never moving back.
I’m an American living in France-we moved here in July 2017. We were just back in in the states to clear out our storage unit-our initial move to France was for 2 years but the opportunity to stay came up and we took it. Then pandemic and my health kept us from going to clear it out. When the price went from $145 a month to $495 a month, we flew to clear it out. We could not BELIEVE the cost of food we paid. We also felt that the place we had called home for 20 years did not feel like home.
Europe especially France turned into ☪️
I'm an expat in the Philippines and I cannot afford to go home at this point. My brother is an engineer and his wife is a hospital administrator, but they are still scraping by. America has become the greatest country in the world, but only if you are a millionaire or a billionaire...
@JohnGrigg-n5f ah well that was clear when you saw Trump with Musk, Besos and Zuckerberg in the back. 🤑🤑🤑🤑
Wages are higher in the U.S.though, especially for certain professions (like tech) - you aren't used to the current exchange rate. I remember when it was so expensive to visit Japan but now everything looks so cheap (as an American).
@picardy7488 Yes, wages are higher than in Europe, but costs are also far higher. I live in France, when I tell people what houses cost outside of Paris, they're shocked. You can buy a château for less than the cost of an 800 sf house in San Francisco. For the price I sold my house in very rural west Texas, I could have a much larger house here, made of stone, and have money left over. It reminds me of what houses sold for in the US when I was in my 20s.
Recently Hank Green released a video pointing out how the new years show in times square feels devoid of enthusiasm nowadays because of all the advertising. Being constantly overwhelmed by corporate propaganda just sucks one's humanity away
Honestly, the most fun way in years I've seen Times Square advertisements is from the Slowmo Guys filming with very high fps what those billboards do...
But corporations are “people” as per legislation termed Citizens United, right?
That sounds much like living in China being bombarded by Chinese Communist Party propaganda, it did my head in.
@kelly2558 How long until they officially get the vote?
@KaiHenningsen They bought the vote already...
Oh boy, I felt smothered just by watching this video. I haven’t been to the US since 2018 and right now I feel it is a bad time to do so anyways. Glad this was not political and still made you think about how good we have it here in Europe.
Until next time!
I was last in the US in 2016, and promised to not be back until they got rid of Trump. Even back then hotel prices in California were nuts. 200€ per night for 2 star hotels in LA or SF
Europe is dying. No births from historical europeans inhabitants, all is coming from foreigners and islam. Very bad for our future. Those are facts.
Never been to America, and after being smothered and overwhelmed just seeing the images flashing by in the video I felt like I was going to be sick. I turned off the computer and went for a walk in the forest with my dog.
Everything is political, dude. Including this video. Doesn't make it bad.
@alexandermacneil4430 Your response sounds very American. As Americans see things as commercial and transactional, I could agree with your statement, though I however have a different culture where values and integrity drive my political involvement. Not everything is political. I live in a community where we help each other - it is required for survival, not offered in an expectation to increase my status or my wallet. When 'everything' becomes political, you've lost the meaning in life; in togetherness; community. That's exactly what the world sees when we look into America in 2026 - it's BAD!
I traveled to Europe for the first time in my life recently and the one thing that jumped out at me (and I wasn't expecting it - I wasn't expecting anything) was the subtle, but very noticeable sense that the people there shared a common bond of some kind.
It's hard to describe, but I sensed they all were in life together, moving through it together....that they genuinely related to each other in almost like the way a family would relate to each other.
I don't know what the theme was, but they shared it.
One example; we were at the Eiffel Tower getting ready to go in and there was a car sitting in the road with the driver in the car.
The car was running but just sitting there blocking traffic. The driver seemed to be waiting for someone.
After an amount of time that the locals deemed too long to keep a car blocking traffic, not one, but around 7 or 8 locals walked over to the car and they all began shouting in French at the person in the driver's seat to move the car. 8 people??
In the U.S. you get one person screaming leaning on the horn and if you approach a car, you expect to see some kind of violence.
Not the case here - those people all approached that car from different directions and it's true they were yelling, but they were also pointing and looking in the direction the car should be moving only glancing back at the driver to see if they were listening - they were confronting the driver, but it was clear their intent wasn't to challenge the driver, it was to encourage them to move for the good of everyone.
It was different. Hard to explain, but it was easy to see they weren't in a blood sport competition for everything like we are in the U.S. in the cities that have a decent sized population.
Thanks, thats a really interesting observation which once again, explains a lot about the American prospective. I guess we have a sense of general good. Also we are taught manners. We are taught to function in the society.
I think what you described is actually the difference we feel when we say we are cultural society while the Americans arent.
@catepilarrI live in Texas, and we're polite - no doubt. We'll walk into a store and if someone is walking in behind us, we will hold the door open for them. But those things are individuals being kind. Don't get me wrong, if the right kind of thing happens, multiple people will help someone. For example - if a car is stalled and the driver is pushing the car to get it off the road or to a parking lot, it's very common to see multiple people pull over and jump out of their cars and run over and help push the car.
But what I saw there in Europe was more subtle - like a low under current - how the crowd moved and the people moved out of the way of each other, maybe exchanged a slight smile - and they didn't seem to be in a hurry.
The U.S. has many good things, but we wind ourselves up very tightly because everything is a competition. The line between winning and losing is everywhere it seems. It's exhausting.
But maybe it has something to do with "where" we were in the cities of Europe. We were not at a big event or on company business. Maybe the stress levels are just lower in those places we went to.
But I think there is some of this type of tension in the UK like in the U.S. I say that because Pink Floyd wrote a song called "Dogs" - and if you read the lyrics, it is SPOT ON, to how big business environments are in the U.S. I've worked in them for decades until recently.
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd wrote the lyrics and lived in England I believe and he wrote the song in the 1970's, so I guess human nature has a consistency running through it regardless of where you live...but if you haven't read those lyrics, give it a look. So many lines in that song hit hard for someone that has spent their life working for a large corporation that expects everything from you and you give it you them and in the end they'll give you a pat on the back and kick you out of the door when they no longer want to pay you too much...
In my 45 years in Germany, I experienced open hostility, with only the threat of violence between strangers, about three times and in all cases, drinking was involved (we drink a lot). I never realized how peaceful Germans (and most Europeans) are until I witnessed the reaction of an American girl to a shouting match. While everyone was gawking, wondering what the fuss was about, she started shaking and was genuinely afraid for her life, because she expected people to draw guns at any moment. This situation told me more about (some parts of) the U.S. than any video.
@TheXfeldtMost violence here changes dramatically based on the people's education, income, the time of day you're there, and how isolated or crowded it is.
The less educated and the less money a person has, the more likely (statistically) you are to commit crime. If you're in any area that doesn't have a lot of people around (like an alley, a walkway that is covered by walls, a large parking garage stairwell, and it's at night where visibility is low, and if you're alone, the more likely (statistically) you are to experience a crime.
In the bigger cities you can literally be in the lowest crime area in the region and then just one block further down the road is where the highest crime rate of the region is located. There is an old saying: "If you don't want trouble, don't go where the trouble is."
The American woman you mentioned must have gone to clubs in areas with high crime rates very often.
In contrast, I've never seen guns drawn in any altercation my entire life of living here. The only time a gun was brandished in a possible conflict was when I myself pulled out a gun. Let me explain:
I was driving late at night traveling between cities in Texas when a car came up behind me and was riding my bumper at 70 mph. I changed lanes and accelerated and they changed with me and sped up almost bumping the rear of my car.
We were the only 2 cars as far as you could see in any direction out in the country where it is nothing but wide open farm fields. No houses, no cars, no people for miles.
I knew I was going to have to do something before they bumped me and spun me out possibly wrecking my car, so....I reached for my big a$$ .357 Smith & Wesson Revolver loaded with hollow tips. If you're not familiar with it, just know it's a very large hand g u n - if you caught a magnum hollow tip sh0t to the right place on your shoulder, your arm might fall off. Not kidding. So:
I stuck my arm out of my window and twisted my torso to aim back at the car behind me and the driver must have known I was about to shoot through their windshield, because they locked up their brakes and swerved to the left and came to what seemed to be a complete stop. I saw their headlights turn and go in the other direction. So whoever it was, they were not completely stupid. My life was in danger, so I had to do something. I don't like to admit it, but I would have sh0t at them had they not hit the brakes. I'm glad it didn't come to that. I just want to be left alone. I don't ask for much.
So it just depends on where you are, what time you're there, and what kind of people live in the area and my complete guess is the person or people in the that car didn't have a higher education and likely were not wealthy.
Regardless, if you're mindful of those things, you can easily live your entire life here and statistically avoid violence and crime completely. In my case, I would have been better served to make that trip in the car in the daylight when many more cars would have been on the road and where it would be easy
to identify a vehicle make, model, color,
etc. And to this day, I have no clue what kind of car that was, what color, how many doors, etc...so, lesson learned.
And hopefully the people in that car learned a lesson. They must have been just driving through Texas and didn't live here - otherwise, they would have known better than to try such a thing here. We are the most kind people in the world, and the most deadly if threatened. Just the way we were raised...have a great day or night depending on exactly where you are on Earth.
Agree 💯
Hard to explain but unmistakable to feel
It's great to have you here!
Thank you, much appreciated.
Actually, that is true for all the immigrants I know. They are nice people, integrating and learning the local language.
Here in Canada, also a quiet spot, inconveniently located above a 24/7 meth-fuelled biker bar.
The sanity and intelligence of your PM has to be the envy of the world. The instability of your fk’d up neighbours and their pattern of electing despicable idiocy, is alarming to us all. Good Luck……incredulous kiwi.
I laughed out loud 😄
Laughing is good medicine. Thank you very much.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Back in the early 2000s I used to travel semi-occasionally from Denmark to the US to attend conferences; not going to the US again, ever.
It looks like Amerikkka is coming to Denmark. Greenland anyway.
I did that too. Same conclusion. 😮
@brianmahoney3256 Denmark is becoming US lol
USA will screw up that country, like they have done to their own. @brianmahoney3256
I live 200 km from the US border . Never going again . Haven’t been since 2013 . Prescient !
Hey, I left CA for Europe a year ago and I am so hapyyyyyy. It just feels so good not to worry anymore and LIVE my life!
In Finland, you can visit almost all museums and art collections with a Museum Card that costs €80 per year.
Bcs it is considered a service, not a bussines.
also a lot of jobs have benefits up to 400 euros, which you can spend on memebership fees to sports clubs to massages to movie tickets(don't know what they are called in English or finnish but in swedish they are callled "friskvård")
In the Netherlands, too (I think it's about €70 per year). BUT, if you want to buy a single ticket, museums are incredibly expensive. I get that big museums like the Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh are €25, but even a small museum where you tend to spend maybe an hour or so will cost €15 to €20. The zoo here in Amsterdam now costs €30, a ticket to a movie is €15 to €20. If you want to do anything with a family of 4, like Ashton, it seems prices are pretty comparable to the US (except for Disney parks)
In Scotland you can enter all museums and art galleries for free.
@M@MartijnPenningsHello Martijn. You haven’t been to the USA lately I assume. Prices there are (as Ashton said) much higher than in Europe (Switzerland excluded). For instance the San Diego Zoo (wonderfull) is 78 dollars pp.
You summed up your entire video when you said "when I came back home to Germany".
I recognised this too, as I feel the same when I visit Germany and than drive HOME again to Sweden even as I was born and raised in Germany.
When I heard it it didn't make such an impact, but now when I'm reading it, oh damn.
Thought of this immediately too. Not "back to where I live" or "back to my place in"..."home".
Ja, das war nett.
@htmn_2 Sorry, I am half German Portuguese, both cultures of few words, but meaningful.
Very interesting observations. The biggest difference between US and at least my Finnish view is that most people in US do not seem to have sense of enough for anything. Let's say I have a lot of money and I drive a 20 year old car. Americans are wondering why are you doing this? Why don't you buy a new car? And when I explain them, that this one does everything a car should do. I can save it and spend the money on something else that actually matters. Its like they do not get it. Ofc there are people like this in Europe too, but far less. I buy things for needs, not to replace something that works and gets the job done just to have something shiny to make someone else think I am somehow cool or rich.
Also no sense of sustainability unlike in Europe. Most people in USA dont realize that endless growth is not possible.
You have learnt something which most people never will understand. Congratulations. Be happy with your life, don’t envy those who have more. I suppose it’s a transition from hedonism to stoicism. I have made that journey myself. The main criterion when I chose my last car was that it shouldn’t be attractive for thieves or display wealth. So, now I drive a small Mazda. It serves its purpose and will do so for many years to come! Best regards from Sweden.
its cultural because many did not have much before and after the World Wars. Today, me and my friends have Boomer parents who grew up extremely poor--but over 50 years have. bought everything they wanted --and now have trouble getting rid of the things they have accumulated on their very good paychecks from their well paying jobs here. You wouldnt believe how many friends of mine have to help their parents clean out their houses full of stuff
Then somehow people in the US have the delusion that they are "rich", having a big home (that belongs to the bank because of the mortgage) haphazardly nailed together with cheap material, a shiny new car (bought with a loan of course), and other stuff bought with a credit card. Drowning in debt when you look closely. They don't really have anything. Just their "American dream" which, looking from the outside, seems more like a nightmare.
Same in Norway. Some people can be comfortable with driving old cars and wearing worn out clothes even if they have big savings on their bank accounts. Some of us have been taught the value of making savings.
12:58 lol i went skiing last weekend for only 88 all included in that price (near Valencia in Spain)
I'm one of 2025's 4936 emigrants from the US. Though I try to look forward and not back and prefer to see myself as an immigrant to Europe, if I am to do "good science" in my self examination, I have no choice but to admit that I am an emigrant from the US as well. There was a desire to immigrate, but a need to emigrate. I came to Europe to live like a human being rather than to only exist with the primary duty of being a commodity. I've been in Europe since mid-September and had to return to the US for a couple weeks in October to receive my visa. As you depict, it was absolutely overwhelming. (My fidgets got a hard workout while watching the US clips.) I have PTSD and so am a little more sensitive than most, but while back in the US I was literally bridging panic attacks with exhaustion. It was so severe that it took more than a month after returning to recover enough to have normal dreams again instead of nightmares. Every day, I see that the per-unit relationship of adulting in the US and the EU is $$$$:€€ and days:hours, respectively. Oh, I NEEDED a car in the US and only have a bicycle here, and I still get more done using less money and less time. As things stand, I can't find a single reason to go back to the US. It's just not healthy.
I can somewhat get where you're coming from. Not to diminish you're situation but I'm an introvert and I already get nervous about new things, etc so I can only imagine how bad it is for you. As a European citizen it's difficult to understand what it's like to grow up in the US; being so sheltered and almost brainwashed into thinking that America is the holy land for everyone as many US citizens are raised to believe. I'm glad you got out of there and can live a better and less stressful life over here.
@zarakikon6352 I was fortunate in that I was born and raise in the military. I wasn't born in the US and my neighbours have always been people who have also lived all over the world. I grew up with a global perspective.
If "America" is not exceptional to a traveller from Europe then the fault is with Europe for not being different.
@myparceltape1169 This doesn't make any sense.
My sister lives in Chicago, and in 2023, her son graduated from the University of Chicago. I flew over for the ceremony, experienced something like that for the first time, and boy, was it an awful experience. All the screaming and shouting for no reason. After that, we went to a restaurant for lunch. People were speaking so loudly in there that I lost my appetite and couldn`t wait to get the F out of there. It wasn`t my first visit to the USA, I`ve been there several times before, but I think that it was my last one. My younger nephew is graduating in a couple of months, but I`ve already apologized to him for not going to being there. I`m happy when they come to Switzerland so we can enjoy some quality time together, and the older one is even considering moving to Europe as soon as possible. He loves it here.
Yes it is loud .
Thank you for a very insightful video.
I love how you say «we» and mean Germans
... Germans or maybe all people who live in Germany and are part of ore are integrating into German society.
She also uses "we" in relation to the USA as well. She's not quite there yet and prepared to say "they" or "you".
As a Dutchman, I really enjoyed my time in the States. But I was honestly shocked by how old and outdated the equipment was in local government buildings-those computers looked like museum pieces.
Keep going with the long format.
Thank you 😊
Absolutely, every minute has a meaning. Actually, it can be longer!
Yes, that is exactly what this video is about.
Yes!
100% this. My algorithm feeds me your content every Sunday morning and it's part of my ritual. And your timing is remarkable sometimes as I sit back at my desk in the US having returned last night from Germany. Even the convenience stuff here feels more fake.
I am English but I moved to the US in 1979 to Tulsa OK.
On the first day we were there we rented a car and drove down Memorial Drive. All we could see for as far ahead on either side were huge billboards and Neon signs. I remember turning to my wife and saying “What have we done?”
Neither of us had ever seen such a tasteless barrage of garish signs anywhere. Coming from a cute English town of Marlow the contrast was staggering.
America is generally soulless. For all its displays of religiosity it only truly worships the dollar.
There's some decent small towns without this in the US and Canada. Granted, they're still gridded and lack the winding roads, but its fairly decent. One thing I really dislike is some small towns having four lane stroads for the main street. Yaint getting that big, buddy.😋
Yeah - I guess someone coming from a Muslim sharia country might have that point of view - and our food ? Nothing like Halal eh😅
This women is a communist and feels right at home in europe - alrighty then
Did you stay? Where do you live now?
Soulless, tasteless and mindless.
Voltaire ones said: Prussia is not a state with an army but an army with a state. I think today he woud say: the United States are not a state with an army but a army with a company.
The other way… a company with an army.
Storage units: It's not about having so much stuff. It's about spending so much on storing crap we don't want anymore and are too lazy to dump.
“If convenience comes at a cost, especially a literal (monetary) one, then it’s not a convenience. It’s a luxury.”
A bit relative, but yes.
I can't understand, for example, why people drive a big new car all the time "because work is so hard", and prefer to toil away 10 year at work just for that privilege, instead of taking a small car, safe the money, and retire 10 years earlier from the hard, stressful work the are complaining about.
But then, if you ask people complaining how bad work is how many times they tried to get a different job in the last year, the answer is almost alwys zero, so....
I'm French, I live in France, I have family in the US and travelled many times there in the past. I understand what you feel. Life in germany is rather similar as in France, and I can say that I do not have the desire to go back in the US. Not at all.
No way near similar: there are HUGE mentality and attitude differences within 200km 's since than you cross a Real borderline and will meet other people. Try to connect and you will notice if you really get to know them. Greetings from The Netherlands. Lived in Pittsburgh for 2 months with a nice family back in 1975. A girl nearly wanted me to stay.... i could have but wanted to studyback home. And not raise ignorant kids in a shallow society with rigid views and a total lack of a cultural or economic elite. Nice people but ... missing something.
Moi aussi. As a Canadian, Im staying far as I can from the US border.
I live here and I have no desire to be here
@wittyncleversad. Hopefully this will all be a bad dream
how come you wrote France with a capital letter and Germany with a lowercase one 😂
I moved to the EU from Missouri 10 years ago because I had the opportunity to,
I stayed here because HOLY FUCKING SHIT
@tractordave8335 yes. On the lettuce dave
@tractordave8335 I'd assume, cheaper and better quality groceries, cheaper entertainment and vacationing, public transport that's good enough that you can ditch the car if you'd like, cheaper insurance and less need to rack up the mileage if you decide to keep the car, much less expensive healthcare, cleaner air, cleaner water, better job security, less inflation. In general most of these comparisons favored the US until quite recently. And under Trump, we've taken a sharp turn in the wrong direction on every one of them.
@dblissmn No those comparison did never favor the US. Trump has nothing to do with that. US-Culture in general is just bad for the common folk. You will have a much better life in europe, except if you're rich.
@Yikarur and most Americans are temporarily embarrassed millionaires.
@tractordave8335 It's because very few US places rival common European settling areas (Western, Northern and Central Europe) and none of them are anywhere near Missouri...
I remember Many many years ago watching an Oprah show. The audience was asked how many credit cards they had. I was flabbergasted as most had not one , not two , but sometimes 3 or 4 credit cards. I was married and we had two children going to college and did not have a creditcard. I live in the Netherlands. In 2009 I went to the US and was told I need a credit card. I still do have ONE credit card which I use for online holiday bookings. If I cannot pay for something I do not buy it. In the US everything seems to be on credit. Not to mention the national debt. I always found it quite amusing that Americans were always about the greatest country on earth.
I spent 8 years living in the US & couldn’t believe how brainwashed the people are.
The media turns everything into something that’s ’coming to get you’!
The education system doesn’t teach critical thinking, it’s all about rewarding regurgitating, but not questioning, what you’re told.
These two things mass produce an ignorant, intolerant & gullible population.
Well said !
Fear sells.
It even made it's way to this platform with the crappy ads trying to sell you something 'ThE GuVmInT DoEsN't WaNt YoU tO KnOw' .
I'm always astonished by the characterization of the U.S. as the land of opportunity or somehow a mecca for entreprenurship. I live in Spain and the number of small family run businesses is extrordinary compared to the dominance of chain stores and restaurants in the U.S. The difference is impossible to miss. I attribute much of that to the social safety net here in my adopted country, where health insurance and retirement pensions are not tied to employment. There is no real impediment to starting a business here in Spain. In the U.S. it is downright dangerous.
I started a sole trader business in Britain and it was extremely easy. There are similar safety net provisions for the initial lean times of getting established.
The same for Germany. Looking around our place right now, we have a ton of stuff which are made by small but highly specialized family run companies. For example, in our livingroom currently in view is a Toniebox, some kids games from Ravensburger, some other kids games each from different companies, a bunch of Lego, a kids Woom bike, etc; All of these things are made by individual companies who do exactly one thing...and they're frequently built on top of other small companies that do one thing as well (like the woom bike contains a gear thingey from some other specialized company that only does precision gears)
In the US it seems to either be all made in China, or it's massive companies like Mattel that make everything -- or make things you don't realize belong to the massive conglomerate (in the example of Mattel: hot wheels, Uno, Fisher Price, etc). How do you even start your company when you need to compete with the likes of Mattel, and you don't have the support of the smaller providers thanks to the vertically integrated giant megacorps?!
Don't forget that the big chains can negotiate exclusion zones, exclusive use, and restrictive covenants in their leases to deny smaller folk a retail foothold.
I think what you say it true to an extent. I think that Ashton even talked about this in a previous video, although perhaps it was another ex-American I watched. There are several such RUclipsrs. The American dream isn't achievable by most people. The idea that you can start small and go big rarely happens. You have to go into debt to get anything from education to a business to a home, or, as Ashton said here, just to buy all the consumer stuff you don't need.
On the other hand, I do feel that there's a spirit of entreprenurship in the US that might be missing in other countries, like Spain. Your example is a family business which is a store or restaurant. That is conceivably harder in the US. But there are a lot of tech startups and inventions in the US. It's not for nothing that American tech companies dominate the globe. A tiny percent of these people become very rich, which fuels the American Dream.
They dont want to own a small family run store. They talk about there being a small chance they run the new wallmart... That is the opportunity they mean.
As a kid, I moved to Washington DC from Australia in the mid '70s for a few years for my father's military job. At 8 years of age, I immediately had the feeling of being in a cult. I was stunned by the uncritical cheerleading of 'We are the greatest people in the world in the greatest country in the world' (and we don't need to check). As a child, I had to explain to a 45 year old teacher how I, as an Australian, learned 'to speak English so quickly' (a reminder that this was Washington DC, not West Virginia). This is way before the internet and so the only information flowing was from TV and newspapers. I had to consciously remind myself that Australia existed and that I was from there, as it was as if nothing really existed, unless there was a war or something, outside the borders of the USA. Few people there seem aware that their nation doesn't make the top 20 on most indicators of human development. Today it is 57th in Press Freedom. Others to check: Social Mobility (you know: that American Dream), Infant Mortality, Life Expectancy, Safety, Access to Higher Education, Access to Healthcare, Quality of Democracy....
In summary, there is a critical dearth of context and self-awareness in the US culture. When they travel abroad, this comes up all the time. I have now lived in Paris for the past 20+ years and American visitors are everywhere. I often get into conversations with them in bars and restaurants. To their credit, the ones who travel, AND who take some time to adapt to the local setting, do have some insight into to all of this and do start to recalibrate their perception of their place in the world.
I went to the rodeo in Cody, Wyoming a couple of years ago. The speach by the presenter finished by thanking God for living in the greatest country since the creation of the world! I had to stop myself from laughing out loudly. 😂
Well said.
Seems to me that it's the brighter and better educated citizens of the USA who are more likely to travel abroad or even emigrate to other countries.
I was a few years older than you when I was moved to New York and went to school there for a couple of years. I too had that same reaction. Even as a teen I found the level of ignorance among my peers and indeed their parents, teachers and others I encountered astonishing and the wilful nature of said ignorance jaw dropping. The seeds of what we see in the USA today was foretold by what I saw in the 1980s even though I couldn't articulate what it was that felt off. They were proud of not knowing about anywhere else and wedded to the propaganda that was coming from I don't quite know where. We are the greatest and the rest of the world wants to be us. I was at a school with a lot of other international students - mostly Europeans but not all and among ourselves even in our late teens we knew we definitely did not want to be them. It all felt fake, performative and actually false even then. it was such a relief to come back to Europe and made me appreciate it so much more.
A New Zealand friend of mine did a one year high school exchange in the USA, she told me her classmates and teachers just could not comprehend why she didn't want to pledge allegiance to the flag or sing the Star Spangled Banner.
Your video really resonated with me. I found myself saying, "yes!" to just about everything you said. I left 35 years ago for the snakes and spiders of Australia and also a couple years in a special part of the world with a blue bridge that you know very well. I was back to my (very) former home in November and the loud was louder than ever, and I felt like yelling (loudly) from the rooftops, "You could be so much happier if you would just turn the volume down". I wish everyone there could watch and understand the content of your video. Ganz vielen Dank!
This might be one of the most well made videos I've ever seen on RUclips, and I've seen a LOT!
Great "script", beautiful editing combined with facts/statistics. All put together in a very coherent way. It kept me interested from start till end. Beautiful work! Well done 👏👏👏
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for watching.
I couldn’t agree more - a great video essay
What an insightful testimony thank you . I have been living in Denmark for the past 30 years, originally from New York, and quite honestly wouldn't dream of going back to the United States. While the pressures on society, here are unfortunately moving more in the direction that you describe in the video this pace is much slower, and there are huge differences that people have highlighted as being important and worthy of preserving. Personally my life here is immeasurably better even with the high taxes. My children all had very inexpensive, great childcare and education, and are now both in college, pursuing their dreams, studies, and it's not costing a dime. Both my wife and I are independently employed, and our businesses are flourishing. We have access to full and really great healthcare. While we also have extended Private policies, this is only recent and they make up a small percentage of the total healthcare coverage in the country. Denmark is an absolutely a capitalist society that Forbes has voted Denmark the best country in the world to do business years in a row. Denmark is completely safe with one of the lowest crime and certainly the lowest murder rate in the western world. Ironically , what's called the American dream as itis actually more realizable here than in the USA that has comparatively huge income inequality and stagnant upward mobility . I feel it's really sad that people in the United States can't learn from these examples rather than simply demonize them or call them nefariously socialist. 😊
Inflated prices in housing are a problem here in Canada…how is it in Denmark? I get the feeling Scandinavia would be less apt to try and screw over the next buyer with inflated prices.
@LouisCooper-n7s While Copenhagen is far from being the most expensive capital in europe, it is still really expensive and prices are rising. Here 1 spuare meter cost ca. 50K to 60K in dkr (ca. 8500 usd). The average cost for 1 square meter in all of Denmark is only 18K dkr. The loan interest rates are low atm, which is raising the prices. People in Denmark also have one of the highest average income pr capita i EU, which also is an importent factor in this case.
Thank you Josh❤
@LouisCooper-n7sunfortunately housing prices here have gone through the roof in the biggest cities like most western world. But there are cooperatives like the one I live in which are more attainable but it is a crisis. I hope the government here does some of the things it has promised.
@skovby0yes its insane how expensive things have become especially housing. But…there are lots of other comparable costs that are well below international averages. Income inequality is very low and employment high.
Like so many other Americans, I grew up with the constant "WE'RE THE BEST!!!!" messaging drilled into me. But when I started to get curious and get more news from international publications and outlets, I started to face the reality of "American Exceptionalism." And once I got to travel abroad and see more of the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, I realized how much "reality" can be distorted here. While there's still a lot that I love about this country, it's so sad to see so much denial when it should be so crystal-clear that this nation needs major changes.
As a Canadian, we grew up hearing Americans and America was the best place in the world and when traveling the world found Americans thought as themselves as superior. Bold, loud, brash and overly confident but also very ignorant of other cultures and how good OTHER countries have it. Sad, really...
"Hell, we are the leading country"
It wasn't exceptionalism, it was "location, location, location!", as it was one of the few developed nations at the time whose homeland and industrial base wasn't actually touched by the 2nd world war's destructive aspect and also having a mild enough climate (unlike canadian winters). It was more luck in geography, being safely tucked entire oceans away while enjoying decent climate to keep working, developing and doing business when Eurasia was fighting each other's neighbors and using Africa as a resource farm.
@rokhamler3352 Emphasis on "was". That was decades ago. They never noticed when things changed around them.
When I was living in East Asia I often thought I could have made a small fortune (as a white guy, not from the US) from selling t-shirts printed with "I'm not American" in multiple languages.
So good to hear all your comments, which mirrored mine exactly as we returned (sadly) to the US after living in Heidelberg, Germany for seven years.
Debt is a corporate tool to prevent the enchained from being able to change the system.
I mean, with most consumer debt the people kinda irresponsibly choose to enchain themselves, the corporations just encourage it. People like to paint a picture of a single mom losing her job and feeding her kids on credit card debt, but the much more common scenario is simply years of cumulative consumption beyond ones means.
imagine a baker and a carpenter.. the baker needs a new table and agrees with the carpenter on 50 loafs of bread as exchange value - just one thing - the carpenter doesn't want them all at once. So the baker takes 50 pieces of paper and writes '1 loaf of bread' on each and upon delivery of the table hands them to the carpenter.
This is work sharing. This is the DELAYED exchange of resources. This is delayed TRADE. And it REQUIRES than one party makes a promise (instead of handing over product) while the other party believes in that promise while handing over product.
This is what debt is there for. It allows for delayed exchanges of resources - without which our modern world would be UNTHINKABLE.
PS: the symptom u're talking about is caused by one-sided exchange-advantages with things that are being traded.. but the cause for that is not 'debt'.
@majorfallacy5926 "the corporations just encourage it" - Well, they also let it happen. They will let their customers slip into bankruptcy and then the bank will eat them alive. But yes, the people have chosen it, in a way, they have voted for it. But they don't know where their interest lies.
@joansparky4439 But what Americans do is writing 100 pieces of paper with "this is bread", and then buying 2 tables because now they can, if even they don't know what to do with the second table. And then they are complaining that bread making is so hard and that they will never be able to afford a third table at this rate.
@steemlenn8797 they can promise as many loafs of bread as they want - the other side of that (delayed) exchange is always NEEDED that is BELIEVING in those promises and accepting them.. handing over product (those tables) and expecting to receive bread in the future.
That money is created at unsustainable rates has to do with something else.. a flaw in money that it copied from gold. This causes the symptom u describe.
It also doesn't help that people do not understand that money is promises, they think it exists like gold.
That is what lead to that flaw from gold making it into money and causing that debt is created at unsustainable rates.
Home is where you feel that you "Belong" I moved to France 22 years ago, became fluent in French in 3 years, and from day one visits to the UK were not "Going Back" they were "Going Away"! I am where I belong. It's not a question of better or worse, just where I'm "at home"
Great observations in the video. As a Brit just returning from a 10 month visit to 35 US states, I agree with all your comments. We met many incredibly friendly US folk, and saw the amazing US National Parks, but it's a tough place to be for any amount of time; everything is about money, it's relentless. On returning home, my wife and I said that 'it was a fantastic place to visit, but you couldn't pay us to live over there'. We're looking forward to spending more time in Europe.
"you couldn't pay us to live over there" 👍
"everything is about money"... Yep. And it's wearing.
"everything is about money..." Yep. And it's exhausting.
Everything is about money resonates. It’s why whenever you speak to an American online they boil everything down to money and wealth. It baffles the rest of us and likely baffles them when we don’t agree with their worship. I suspect they don’t believe us when we say so what about how the USA is wealthier and they make more money. They have a total worship of money and don’t even realise it’s not normal
unfortunate your countrymen voted for brexit … and now with the orange boy in the white house again it really doesn't help, UK hase left the european project and house …
12:01 that is more than a whole season pass for the biggest ski resorts in europe
Moving out on the 4th of July was an epic choice :)
Kiwi here. I lived and studied in the States and was struck by many things - not all bad by any means - but the level of ignorance about the world and even the US itself was staggering. That along with entrenched racism, sexism if not outright misogyny, the lack of critical thinking and the tendency to view any prosocial program as ‘socialism’ was spectacular. That was over 30 years ago and on subsequent visits it has only worsened. Compounding it all was the utter arrogance about the US’s place in the world. I could have lived there, in one of those comfortable bubbles the better off erect around themselves, but I chose not to. I just didn’t like the place or where it was so obviously headed. My wife (American) and I opted to head down under and have lived a better, happier life as a result. My wife relinquished her US citizenship a few years ago. I was concerned about how she might feel about that and asked if she were sure she wanted to cut that final tie. “Oh, yes”, she said. “They lied to me my whole life!”
I have been to New Zealand back in 2024. During that trip I met an American guy in his 30s. He was a doctor, but his horizons were so narrow. He made me laugh when he called European countries communist ones for adapting social policies.
He was travelling on his own as none of his friends was able to join him. They had to work..., in Europe having annual leave is normal.
Decent reason !
Human rights have become commodities there. Free healthcare and free/affordable 3rd level education are "commie".🙄
I'm an European that moved to the US 15 years ago and I disagree with everything you said. Of course the US isn't perfect, just like everywhere else, but I found mostly kindness and acceptance in the US. Maybe NZ is just even better? 🙂
0:11 The real number of expatriated from US is closer to 104,000 per year. The ~5k figure quoted in the video refers only to Americans who renounce U.S. citizenship. OECD migration flow data show that roughly 100.000 people move from the U.S. to live in other OECD countries annually, and that still doesn’t include Americans relocating to non-OECD countries.
There are no "expatriates" they are just immigrants who do not want to see themselves as immigrants, because they see immigrants as lesser people.
good you clarified that. 5000 from over 350 million would be statistically insignificant
I thought the number was low!
@pvorster8042 yeah right. And Jan 6th was a cozy congregation of peaceful families singing the national anthem, the Trump phone is being manufactured in the U.S.A., Renee Good was a terrorist who tried to kill Federal Agents, the prices of groceries and medical drugs have fallen 600%, and "they" are eating the dogs ...
@pvorster8042It’s not snooty. It’s observation. How do you feel about the feel of coming back to the US after being away for a year or so?
3:07 yeah though shee like this reminds me of the whacky urinal ads and screens that sanifair and tank & rast monoply install
My American daughter in law came to the UK 20 years ago with her parents. Her dad was posted here for 3 years for his job. She went to an American school and retained her US culture. When it came to the time to leave, she simply refused to return to the US. Her parents were disappointed but supportive and arranged finance for her to go to university in London. After uni she met my son and they have now been married for 12 years. They both just spent 6 weeks in CO with her family and had a great time. Daughter in law texted me with their arrival details so I could pick them up at the airport. The text began “ Hooray ! Coming home at last…….”
I never knew there were American schools in a fellow English speaking country. Seems crazy to me.
Home is home .... it's a place that you are familiar with and you are not living out of your bag, so to speak. Maybe, she doesn't like her parents, lol. I'm not saying the US is great but that single statement doesn't prove much. Also, to some extent people of every country think theirs is the best country in the world. They want to confirm/ validate their choice. They highlight the positives and overlook the negatives.
@truthalonetriumphs6572 I don't agree. Being Dutch myself, having been hardly abroad in my life, I still do not think that the Netherlands is the best country in the world. It certainly is in some / a lot of aspects of life, but at the same time certainly is not in other aspects. Remember, we are all human, with our positive and our negative aspects. And only living on a certain piece of land makes us inhabitant of what we call a country. So that country is something we as inhabitants of it make of it, be it positive or negative.
There is no best or worst country in the world, each one of them has its pros and its cons. Only the balance of those two differ.
@cathiphilibert9145 He Dad was probably US Military, in England 90% chance Air Force, they have their own schools on the Raf Station that they are posted to, the DoDS, Department of Defence School system. I used to work on RAF Upper Heyford and RAF Croughton in the 90s. Heyford had F111Es and EF111As 20th Tactical Fighter Wing. I worked at the Choak and puke, otherwise known as the Lamplighter Inn from 90 to 92, then with the Chapel service until 99.
@cathiphilibert9145 Weak attempt at ragebait. Granted the sentence could have been worded differently "She had been in the american school system before they moved , So retained her american culture". (And as far as i know may have attended an american system based school, on a military base if this was the type of work the father was in.)
There are no american schools (outside of those in military installations) in fellow English speaking countries, The schools in other countries have far too few shootings too qualify as american schools, English speaking or not.
I totally agree. Very satisfied with life in Netherlands after 10 years. Unfortunately recent events are showing what ‘American exceptionalism’ has become in my home town of Minneapolis. 😢 no words to describe it.
Go the next step. We moved 30 years ago from the Netherlands to the south of France.....never go back...
@aliasreco Go the next step. We moved 10 years ago form the south of France to the Costa Brava.....never go back...
Get your relatives to move to EU as well, despite what some (often RU backed..) haters are saying we have plenty of space and jobs, come one come all. Most EU citizens are well aware that American citizens are normal & nice (and the ones that helped us in the past) while the US *_government_* is the clown show, no shade at all to American people wanting to have it better.
In the past 2 years 3 new American families moved into my street, they all seem to be enjoying themselves & each one of them has told me on separate occasion that they did some math and realized we pay less taxes while getting 500% more for it 🤭I'm honestly glad for them and hope they bring more of their relatives over too, because EU countries thrive on doing immigration right.
I spend a high school year in Minnesota in the twin cities in the 90s. It was a good place to be. Weekends at the lakes or in the Mall of America! My thoughts are with all Minnesotans who fight for theire way of life.
@MartHines-v6h Reminds me that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Such a great message, we really lost a lot of human connection to consumerism. And it is not sustainable for us, our economies, or the planet.
Great vid as always, keep it up
Thank you for the kind comment and for watching the video. Much appreciated.
I am a Swedish guy, born and raised in Gothenburg, Living in Stockholm
I spend between 1 and 3 months per year in Cleveland OH, because half of my family are Americans.
I get asked two questions over and over and over again ...
1. -"When will you move to the US?"
2. -"What's it like in Sweden (Europe)? (Mostly people ask what music we listen to, what cars we have, do we have sports and all those things)"
Answering the first question is probably the hardest.
When I was a kid, the idea of moving to the US was really attractive, it felt glamorous and like an upgrade.
But the more I experienced the US, the more that feeling started changing.
It was just a few years ago, when I had learned enough about living in the US that the notion or idea of moving to the US would be a straight up downgrade.
Things like:
Cost of Medication and medical care.
Public transport (Here I don't have to take the car everywhere)
The quality of food products.
Quality of water straight out of the tap.
Vacation time (I have 30 days of paid vacation, yes, here that means that I get more pay when I am on vacation then when I am working)
Taxes (Here I pay less overall Taxes than I would in the US)
Bike and walking access. (Here, the city is built around walking, biking, cars and public transport, if I want to bike anywhere, I can do that without having to go on a car-road)
Employment security and safety.
Weapons...
Politics.
When I answer the question, I feel like I am insulting the America people if I mention any of those things.
So I mostly have to pull out a small innocent lie and say that I don't know.
The second question.. well.
We have the same music, heck a lot of the music that you listen to is made or written in Europe.
Perhaps less focus on Country music over here.
We have the same movies and yes, we have pretty much the same sports, with less focus on American football and more focus on real football.
We live on the same planet as you guys do in the US which means that we pretty much have access to the same kind of stuff.
Thank you Ashton, was interesting to watch this video.
American here... you basically summed up everything I hate about living here in your "Things I like about Sweden." Not all of us think the US is perfect.
A lot of Americans i meet are like that stereotype, especially in the south. But there's just as many that have actually traveled and know on a map where Europe is (I can forgive them for confusing Netherlands and Denmark, but why though?). It's this group that typically has a more nuanced view of the world.
I live in the US, Texas 3-4 months a year and I find it exhausting. I solve it by going to the National Parks. Especially the lesser known, where there are less people and you can feel nature and quiet.
I'd never want to live in the US. The constant fakeness. The lack of any good, healthy food (it exists, but you have to search hard). The almost total absence of middle class in retail.
I've to go back next month but I'm not looking forward to it. US has the most amazing nature, but that's about it.
great post, I also have to screen myself when I visit family in the US because the place is a dump compared to what it was decades ago. I don't want to insult my relatives so I just keep my mouth shut. My son and I were alone in our rental car and he said, "Is everything in the US decrepit?" I had picked him up the airplane about 2 hours prior. From the mouths of children.
I was married to an American for a couple of years. He came to live with me here in Belgium and had to follow language classes ( Flemish). His teacher told me that on his first day he threw his bookcase in a corner of the classroom and said: "I'm an American, I don't have to do that." I got a Leonese mastiff for him because he loved big dogs and after 3 years divorced him because he wanted to dominate the dog in an ugly way. The dog stayed, the man was made to leave.
Priorities. So important! 👍
That husband was Hassan 💀
We will encounter that kind of attitude with Americans more often in future, I suppose.
Americans need more training than dogs! Who’da thunk it. 😂
❤👍
I moved from Germany to the US when I was 21, came back when I was 23 and plan to stay here. But I do think, that, If possible, everyone should experrience an extended time in another culture to broaden their horizon.
This!
I took part in a students exchange to Philadelphia in the late 80ies and I loved it to take my exchange student around North Rhine Westphalia, watch him getting amazed by Cologne cathedral and the Roman Porta Nigra in Trier
or getting visibly nervous ordering and drinking his first beer ever. 😄
It was absolutely awesome.
I agree strongly with the idea that everyone should experience an extended time in another culture. In my ideal world, all US high school students should spend a semester abroad. In my youth, I was able to take many trips abroad, which really opened my eyes about life in the US. Spending 15 years as a high school teacher in the States confirmed my disillusionment with the US. I now live in Iceland and WILL NOT be moving back.
I’ve been saying to Germans to just go to the UK, Canada, NZ, Ireland, or Australia if they are desperate to see an Anglo country. Well, Ireland isn’t, but they speak English. Especially given current political and cultural realities in America. There are better places to visit and America isn’t one of them
Never been to the US, but from what I see in the media (incl. social) I am happy to live in Europe. Life in the US seems a lot more stressfull.
From someone who's been to the US multiple times: almost all cliches are true
I live in a relatively poor country, but I never understood the desire to live in US. Even if you were someone who could make a ton of money there. From my point of view, for the so called richest country in the world, it's pretty shit.
Yeah I have no interest in living in a fascist shithole
@m3redgt glad you didnt get shot, I would love to visit the us after fascism blows over but I am so afraid of dying to random shootings. theyre rampant there
I haven't been to the US since '98 (oddly enough, the same year Scotland last qualified for the World Cup). Since it now seems like I'd have to carry all my papers around all the time just in case the Gestapo decide I sound funny, I'm sure as shit not going now.
hi do you using invisalign?
I'm an Australian who has done 4 trips to (former) USA. Your explanation rings true.
A mate in Oregon doesn't mute the ads and gets yelled at North Korean style by pox views and seems oblivious. Being an Aussie I hate ads and will go to considerable lengths to avoid the fucking things. The more ads the less I want to buy. More ads indicates less quality and less natural desire.
I'm aware of the big wide world starting with a decent 1970s education including history and geography it really helps.
Dunno if the crack house below Canada can even survive this mess.
I'll leave it at that.
You’ve got that right. If people really wanted your product, you wouldn’t need to advertise. But unfortunately in the U.S. it’s buy,buy, buy, sell, sell, sell.
If I didn't use AdBlock Plus, I wouldn't be able to stand watching RUclips videos.
Same here, mate. If something bombards me with ads, I conclude there must be something wrong with it to need so much marketing, so I'm certainly less likely to buy it. Doesn't seem to be the mainstream mentality, though.
We’ll continue to send them our 4 kilos a year of Fentanyl 😂
Here on YT you can avoid ads. But you have to pay extra to Google. I think that says it all. It's a form of extortion.
I guess that @ 18:15 " when I came back home to germany " sums it up pretty good.
Amen. I'm an American who has lived in Italy for nine years and only go back to the US every two years or so. You summed up my observations very well and opened my eyes to new ones. Europe is a better fit for me than the US for sure.
Just that you say "a better fit for me" and make your observation relative to your tastes and your way of living and not stating it as an absolute marks you as a European and not an US American now. Welcome home...
Ashton, your videos and analysis are so in-depth. I believe you can run a TV show, seriously.
Thank you so much!
One of the greatest culture shocks, as an american visiting Germany, is watching the news for the first time: The anker just sits there, totally relaxed and speaks in a somber tone. No rush, no word salad, spat out as fast as possible. Just a nonchalant "Guten Abend meine Damen und Herren."
"Guten Abend. Ich begrüße Sie zur Tagesschau.", the anchor would say. "Meine Damen und Herren" isn't inclusive enough.
That's one reason I get a good bit of my news from DW, France 24, and Times Radio. Hooray for RUclips!
I've visited the US around 20 times and one of the things I quickly learned was to not turn on the TV. It's extremely anxiety-inducing unless your attention span is about 8 seconds.
*That CNN newswoman who carries around a "coffee to go" on set is appalling.*
@twolegsnotail thats the throw away mentality
you said: "We in Europe" and I like it. :) - btw no debt here. this is very important to me. or as my grandmother said "what we don't have, we don't need."
Americans are in debt to pay for shelter, food, and education. Most American bankruptcies are because of healthcare costs. We're not blowing it on designer handbags, but we need to have heat in the winter.
The pervert thing is that in the US you need to be in debt in order to have a mortgage. That's completely nuts.
Or, like my grandmother said: "For what you don't need, 10 cents is to much." (Dutch: Voor wat je niet nodig hebt is een dubbeltje nog teveel betaald.)
"Nuance performs poorly compared to certainty or outrage" - So nicely put.
Great video! Only you forgot to mention the barrage of creepy pharmaceutical ads on TV and other places 😉
More and more during my visits I've noticed people in the US living in bubbles. Echo Chambers of their social and economical chosing. Everything - and I mean absolutely everything - is attached to some monetary cost or value. The last time when I left, I told my family I felt that if they could make you pay for breathing, they would. It's insane ... And inhumane.
I am British and I totally agree with you. I know many of my immediate neighbours by name and chat to them on our street. It has a value that cannot be purchased.
As an american living in Spain for over 30 years I could not agree more.
Europe is turning into ☪️
An interesting fact is that the German food retailer ALDI is the fastest growing food retailer in the US. There are more and more consumers who prefer lower prices and are satisfied with a smaller selection. Selecting only 1 of 3 ketchup varieties is more convenient than having 30-50 ketchup variants to choose from.
I moved to Europe hoping to spend 2 years MAX. Last year marked my 10 year anniversary living in Europe. 🙃 No interest to move back.
I've travelled all over the world and the first time I ever experienced culture shock was when I went back to the US for my best friend's bachelor party in LA and Los Vegas.😵💫
Growing up in Germany and Europe, the US always seemed to me such a wonderland of innovation, latest technology, bigger, better, faster, natural wonders and interesting people. Now, this image of my childhood makes me sad when I hold it up against the current reality. At least of what is portrayed to the outside. It seems like so many US-Americans are not aware of how much they are taken advantage of by the "lucky" few who have perfected exploitation and made the people think it's their own choice and anyone can be the next Besos. When in truth they use the hustle culture to squeeze every last drop of life from you and then make you spend every last cent (and more) of that hard earned money on stuff and convenience. Completely disregarding such important things as health (-care) and social security.
I have personally met so many wonderful people from the US and I've traveled there as well. I just would hope they can experience some sort of paradigm change so they can get the American dream back on track for everyone, not just the top 1%.
I have a feeling that what changed here is more your age than actual reality. The US has been on this path for a very, very long time, this didn't just come about between your childhood and now. As she said, you can literally see it in the very design of their streets and their zoning and everything, they didn't just build those streets yesterday. Yea, they certainly went down the road further since then, but this isn't a new road by any means. And I find it quite dangerous to pretend that this all somehow happened so suddenly, that all it took was a bad president here or a bad company there, because then you'll inevitably fight the entirely wrong problems. This has been happening for a solid century, pretending otherwise is probably unwise. Their problem isn't a random bad person and all the evil corrupt this and that, it's a very foundational feedback loop that keeps this all going and accelerating. And, just like most loops, it's really difficult to figure out how to get out of it, because it'll just snap shut again if you don't break it fast enough. Can't pass consumer laws until money is out of politics, can't get money out until the monster corporations and billionaires are gone, can't make them gone without politics annnnnnnnnd repeat, it's a mess. Difficult stuff. But by no means new and, please, let's not pretend that it is, because we'll miss the forest for the trees if we do.
Thank you for those kind words,we need all the good wishes that come our way!
Well money in politics is one of the first changes we could make!
@Kasseenzettel that is a very good point actually.
@Gsrider1959and arguably the hardest. We’d have to get a progressive in the WH and then either impeach SCOTUS or wait for them to die. Then stack SCOTUS with progressives who want money out of politics. But that also just further politicizes SCOTUS more than it already has been (and it’s bad). First thing we need is universal healthcare and to set that up similar to Germany’s, a federal system. Also, progressives need to stop calling themselves socialists. It won’t appeal to Americans and they’re not behaving like a true Marxist socialist. Social Dem? Sure.
A retired French-speaking Canadian here commenting on your video (and I'm using Google Translate to write in English). What you describe about the US is something I also feel very strongly. This overabundance of media stimulation-television, cable, newspapers, digital media, and ubiquitous advertising-only produces consumers, people who develop automatic responses without any critical thinking. Even politics, which defines social norms, is just another aspect of consumption.
Here in Canada and Quebec, we have regulations and laws that can act as a barrier against rampant commercial invasion. In some parts of Canada, we perhaps have more cultural affinities with France, the UK, and Europe than with the US in our way of life, our views on work and leisure, family life, and the concept of success.
Another thing that strikes me in what you say is the level of debt Americans have. Incredible! Most people lack a rational approach to spending and debt. Everyone wants everything, right now, without considering the cost of such a mentality.
For my part, I prioritize the person, the human being, the individual within the community, rather than the monetary value of transactions. I realize this all the more as I become more aware of the choices that American culture considers normal.
Wonderfully eloquent and thought-provoking, thanks Ashton!
I had numerous colleages from the US working in Germany and Switzerland. They all had very mixed feelings when they had to return - no one really wanted to go back.
I moved to France almost five years ago and enjoy the lifestyle much more. It's now home. I do visit the US every year for a month to visit family and relax at our family cottage on a lake. But, every time I go it feels a little more alien. Everything is just so much MORE everything. Everything is bigger, louder, colder (A/C), and in your face. It's not like I don't like to visit ... I do, but it just seems less normal each time I do. One visit a year is more than enough.
It‘s like MacDonalds. Once a month is enough😂
I spent 2 weeks in Lyon. Loved the city and the vicinity. I speak enough French to live there, but not enough to work (yet).
Very well said. The US is a gorgeous country - spectacularly beautiful. But its governments, social structures (or lack of them), ubiquitous superstition, neoliberalism, and cult of individualism are its downfall.
It all starts with unbiased fact-based qualitative education based on nationally agreed education plans. As long as it's subject to local schoolboards with varying levels of funding and faith-based groups trying to influence what the kids should get to learn, you will get less and less equality, less and less critical thinking. I mean if there would be schools where they teach that the earth is flat, or was created in 7 days in Europe, we would either fall off the chair laughing, or declare them utterly mad. But that seems to be perfectly ok in US. And then it's probably to be expected that you get a society where 'alternative facts' are perfectly possible.
You forgot to add extreme religion to the mix, Americans seem to mix wealth and good up
Sounds like George Carlin: "The Country is fine, the people are " - use your favourite search engine, else this comment is auto-deleted by "you know which company".
Yes, this is the type of phrasing we are currently forced to use in The Freedom Country.
You forgot to mention fascism that threatens the whole world with WW3. I'm worried that this time way more than 35 million people will be dead after MAGA is finally defeated.
Now that the US is trying to kick out all non-white immigrants, the country will run out of suckers to fuel its capitalism and be left with only the people it burned out and will wind up more socialist than it ever imagined.
It's an upcoming trend in germany that more and more ad-styles are brought over from the USA.
Like ads on napkindispensers, in menus or the kredit terminal.
Time wasters. But it keeps industry going.
If someone has thought of a way to earn money, then they sell themselves to sell their idea.
Very interesting synopsis that faithfully illustrate the gaps between the US and EU mentalities. Consumerism dominates one. Living decent lives the other.
Another one behaving worse does not mean that you live "decent"...
We left the US also in 2018 , not goin‘ back . Bought last year a house in the Saarland !
I was looking into this region. Was the real estate transaction complicated?
@jodi7947not really,most of the paper work did the realtor and the notary .There are also fees and taxes just like in the US , we put in another 10k ish in renovations , it’s happen when you buy an older house !
But you obviously are not native from the US...
@achenarmyst2156 how you know ? But you’re right, I‘m German and my wife is American . We lived for 15 years together in the US , and then moved to Germany ( it was my wife’s idea , don’t know what she saw in her crystal ball back in 2018 😊 ) now I think it was the right decision ( back in 18 I don’t really wanna move
@funkmixer7767Your english grammar is with German influence 😉
Another video I enjoyed watching. When I first moved to the USA, with a job at an automotive supplier in Michigan, though in one of the beautiful places on earth on the shores of Lake Michigan, my main problem, even about 35 years ago, was the massive accumulation of waste - plastic bags, soda cans, plastic knives and forks, paper plates. Being unfamiliar with my shopping being packed by some store help, I confused some people with the shopping bags I brought from Germany. The confrontation with advertising in the USA is kind of disturbing - too much, too loud, and I do not need shops to be open at midnight or 24/7. These days I am more often in China than in the USA, and I admit, I feel more welcome there these days, though Shanghai is equally busy, loud and overwhelming as I found Chicago to be. My wife likes open shops every day, I like the way Germany slows down on weekends, especially Sundays, to make time for people rather than commerce. Thanks again for your insight, take care.
A very balanced & intelligent video , well done Lass 🇬🇧
Originally from Africa, I am unapologetically pro-European Union. I love European social democracy-after living in The Netherlands for half my life. I love European literature and elite culture. Cannot stand American crass consumerism, worship of wealth, ignorance, arrogance and performative, unctuous religiosity.
A society that worships wealth for the sake of it is a sick society.
Amen brother
With everything going now I believe we are lucky to live in the best part of the world. We have everything and often don't realise it
@Ami-q3y9j European laziness and "green" madness have killed Europe. In a few years, we will be living in an environment struggling to survive.
Going home any time soon? If you haven't got citizenship I'm sure we'll be kicking Americans out of the sane-world pretty soon.
As a life long Europe resident, I can assure you the EU needs to be abolished. It destroys everything that made our continent great and depraves everyday people of liberties, freedom of speech and money.
Having traveled to the U.S. several times (I live in Germany), I can relate a lot to what you said. What strikes me most is how often overconsumption is simply “default behavior” - not malice, just habit. I’ve heard stories like “my parents don’t even know what recycling is,” and I’ve had colleagues say they use plastic containers and cutlery because they never even think about alternatives. A lot comes with education - and education is another story....And honestly, I’m seeing some of that spill over into Germany too: even when people sit in a café, many still take disposable cups although real cups are available. That’s a shame - and a good reminder that awareness matters.
I'm an American. Almost everyone in my neighborhood recycles. I recycle more than I throw in the garbage. So where did you hear the comment, "My parents don't even know what recycling is?" Definitely not from the Americans I know.
@scottstovall4080 As USians always say: The US are a big country with different laws, traditions, habits, ways of life.
I also heard from RUclipsrs that they are flabbergasted about the difficult system we use here to seperate stuff that can be recycled.
(The ones I can think of spontaneously being paper, cardboard, batteries, glass (different colours seperate), metal, aluminium, PET, PE, other plastics, waste electrical equipment, cords, CDs, cartridge for whipping cream, water filters, styrofoam (2), cork, ...)
@scottstovall4080 How come you recycle more than you throw in the garbage? That is an odd equation...parents came from Montana
@danielaschneider9282 I recycle more than I throw away because I want to do my part. Ihre Eltern stammen aus einem wunderschönen Bundesstaat.
There are ads on the conveyor belt at the supermarket? 😂😂😂. What the magazine expects you to put your groceries back in the cart and go back and get a bottle of coke just because you saw that add?
That's not how it works. It's supposed to be subliminal. You might be swayed to buy next time when you recognise the brand.
@acsody or to make you feel good about the purchase you have already decided to make.
Let's say, Snowmass compares with a premium resort like Grindelwald/Jungfrau region, CH;
Prices? $100 per adult, and kids ski for free on Saturday.
Ski rental? Approx. $50 a day per person.
Premium Parking? $15 a day?
Or take the train (for free with your ski pass) from down the valley and pay $9, and no traffic going up the mountain.
Oh, you wanted lower prices than that? No problem, a full-year skipass (magicpass), purchased in April for 400 CHF // $600, sets you up to ski at 100+ smaller and larger places across the country, including Gstaad, Saas Fee, and many more.
Wanna teach your kid to ski? Go to Kandersteg; $20 return ticket for you, Kids for free.
Oh yeah, and no lines at the skilifts.
I'm from Germany and I'm deeply in love with Grindelwald/Jungfrau region.
0:16 once I retire from the Army in 4 years I'm out of America!!!
Do you have a desired destination in particular?
@TypeAshtonsame! Staying in Europe or going to the Middle East. A 6 figure salary in the states is nothing anymore
@TypeAshtonfor the longest time I was considering moving back to Germany. But I may just wind up moving up to Canada.
Unless Trump invades Greeland and all US citizens in Europe are considered persona non grata and risk deportation. Hope it ll never happen however.😅
@DavidGarcia-cc5kv Yep, WW3 would make things difficult for all on "expats" on both sides of the pond...........We just have to hope there are sufficient influential people in the US who can find a modicum of sanity.
And a nice tip for you there is an annual museum pass valid for Switzerland, France, and Germany, it allows you to visit most museums and it costs only €150
The convenience of numerous types of "coffee creamer", each containing at least 10 different ingredients, including some banned in foods in the EU, such as titanium oxide.
We barely have creamer over here; we have milk, milk powder, & lactose-free versions made from oats & soya. I've never understood why creamer is even a thing
What even is coffee creamer? 🤢If you want cream in your coffee, just had some cream, ffs.
@elaineb7065 I've personally also seen "coffeemilk" which seems to just be milk with some added caramel for colouring.
@sem6x3ag One should leave the US.
@sem6x3ag If you had universal healthcare you wouldn't spend $8000,00 a month in medication. And with the spared money you would live very comfortably in any European country.
Complaining about the amount of ads and then 2 minutes later adding a vpn ad inside the same video is hilarious 😂
this clip was so well documented, you can call it journalism
A comparison with journalism sounds offense to me, I would choose a term analysis.
@peteblazar5515 In my mind old fashion journalism with solid arguments from both sides and nuance is what makes an informed opinion. Like Der Spiegel in DE. And analysis is something very technical, where conclusion is optional.
@peteblazar5515 in your mind you probably think of propaganda when you hear the term journalism
@rocketman1058Journalism by yours (old) meaning doesn't exist anymore worldwide. Now most important mass media are owned by domestic oligarchs and it serve thru influence to their common interest. In past a customer was main income of newspaper, content must had represent value for him. It was lost when share of advertisment on income of media did rise.
19:20 an even more important question: Who actually needs "coffee creamer" at all? I've never understood why Americans ruin coffee with garbage chemical fake flavours. I know as an Aussie we can be coffee snobs, but I can honestly say that I've only ever had one decent cup of coffee in the US, and that was when they delivered me a short black by mistake once.
What Americans don't understand is the growing resistance to Americans within Europe. It took years for the Germans to regain some respect after World War II. The same sentiment toward Americans prevails today.
While this is understanding, the Americans that you meet in Europe, by in large, are not part of the trump cult. And we are horrified by both what is happening and how the world is seeing us.
@matthewsisson3330 Trump is just the exposure in an extreme way of what the US became decades ago
Even moreso now
@harrish6 even more of the extreme vulgarity of degenerated kapitalism
@matthewsisson3330 Its the left wing democrats that are an embarrassment to the country.