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The article seems to cite public policy as the source of the difference. I don't think public policies are the root cause, but rather the underlying values of t
by eevilspock 10y ago
The article seems to cite public policy as the source of the difference. I don't think public policies are the root cause, but rather the underlying values of the culture that gave rise to them (as the article later seems to suggest). I'll bet that the U.S. end of that chart tends to be characterized by cultures that put individualism above all else, while the other end much less so.
Individualism is good; I'd never want the other extreme. I think Asian cultures subvert the individual to the group far too much. But the extreme individualism of the U.S. has led to an ever more selfish, narcissistic and cold society, where material gain and personal comfort trumps everything.
- wmt 10y agoThe Nordics, where having kids also increases your happiness, are also very high on individualism as opposed to collectivism. The key difference to the US are the public policies that allow families never to stress about things like arranging daycare to the kids from the day they born. These policies are not there to combat individualism, but to enable it with taxpaid support networks. Most of them are not poor aids, but state benefits that everyone enjoys, like the free or cheap high quality daycare used by the poor and rich alike.
- JackFr 10y agoMaybe it's the difference between individualism and narcissism.