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Your making the classic mistake of equating the top 10% European countries like Switzerland and Sweden with the entire United States. Midwestern states, Washin

Your making the classic mistake of equating the top 10% European countries like Switzerland and Sweden with the entire United States. Midwestern states, Washington state, and New England have cohesion. Correct your perspective and see that the United States and Europe are fairly equal. Example: Italy has next to no cohesion.

mbroncano 9y ago
> Italy has next to no cohesion References? In my personal experience that's far for accurate. If anything they are an extremely nationalistic country. Living half way between the US and the EU has taught me otherwise - that the kind of cohesion between say Portugal and Sweden is surprisingly solid - once you know where to look e.g. social values, political views. Trying to do the same with someone from deep Texas and a little town in the Maine coast could be an interesting example of the opposite. Having different languages even inside the same territory doesn't account for lack of cohesion. It's quite irrelevant in practice actually. Cohesion seems to be mistaken these days by sheepishly following politicians into unnecessary wars and lacking critical thinking. Widespread ignorance is not cohesion, is divisive at best.
- observation 9y ago
  > References? In my personal experience that's far for accurate. If anything they are an extremely nationalistic country. Turkey is a nation that is even more nationalistic and they have very serious trust issues with their fellow citizens.
  - observation 9y ago
    It's not a value judgment. It is a fact. Plenty of polls, references and other evidence exists. Or ask any Turk.
mbroncano 9y ago
> Italy has next to no cohesion References? In my personal experience that's far for accurate. If anything they are a extremely nationalistic country. Living half way the US and the EU for half my life shows my otherwise - that the kind of cohesion between say Portugal and Sweden is surprising once you know where to look e.g. social values, political views. Trying to do the same with someone from deep Texas and a little town in the Maine coast could be an interesting example. Having different languages even inside the same territory doesn't account for lack of cohesion. It's quite irrelevant in practice actually. Cohesion seems to be mistaken these days by sheepishly following politicians into unnecessary wars and lacking critical thinking. Widespread ignorance is not cohesion.
closeparen 9y ago
Uh, visit inner-city Milwaukee, Detroit, or Gary sometime. Or, for that matter, some opioid-ravaged population-3000 former logging town in central Wisconsin. Social cohesion seems to evaporate along with jobs in the Midwest as everywhere else.
- sol_remmy 9y ago
  > some opioid-ravaged population-3000 former logging town in central Wisconsin You're buying a false narrative. Most midwestern town in states like Montana, the Dakotas, Utah do not have opioid problems. In fact, those states have the happiest and most satisfied people in this country.
  - losteric 9y ago
    Actually that is the false narrative. Those states may have the most satisfied people, but they also have the highest overdose death rates: http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2011/11/oregons_high_rate_of_pain_drug.html http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2011/11/oregons_h... (Google "National drug overdose rates" for more info - CDC and academia have plenty of studies, but no pretty graphs)

mbroncano 9y ago

> Italy has next to no cohesion References? In my personal experience that's far for accurate. If anything they are an extremely nationalistic country. Living half way between the US and the EU has taught me otherwise - that the kind of cohesion between say Portugal and Sweden is surprisingly solid - once you know where to look e.g. social values, political views. Trying to do the same with someone from deep Texas and a little town in the Maine coast could be an interesting example of the opposite. Having different languages even inside the same territory doesn't account for lack of cohesion. It's quite irrelevant in practice actually. Cohesion seems to be mistaken these days by sheepishly following politicians into unnecessary wars and lacking critical thinking. Widespread ignorance is not cohesion, is divisive at best.

observation 9y ago
> References? In my personal experience that's far for accurate. If anything they are an extremely nationalistic country. Turkey is a nation that is even more nationalistic and they have very serious trust issues with their fellow citizens.
- observation 9y ago
  It's not a value judgment. It is a fact. Plenty of polls, references and other evidence exists. Or ask any Turk.

mbroncano 9y ago

> Italy has next to no cohesion References? In my personal experience that's far for accurate. If anything they are a extremely nationalistic country. Living half way the US and the EU for half my life shows my otherwise - that the kind of cohesion between say Portugal and Sweden is surprising once you know where to look e.g. social values, political views. Trying to do the same with someone from deep Texas and a little town in the Maine coast could be an interesting example. Having different languages even inside the same territory doesn't account for lack of cohesion. It's quite irrelevant in practice actually. Cohesion seems to be mistaken these days by sheepishly following politicians into unnecessary wars and lacking critical thinking. Widespread ignorance is not cohesion.

closeparen 9y ago

Uh, visit inner-city Milwaukee, Detroit, or Gary sometime. Or, for that matter, some opioid-ravaged population-3000 former logging town in central Wisconsin. Social cohesion seems to evaporate along with jobs in the Midwest as everywhere else.

sol_remmy 9y ago
> some opioid-ravaged population-3000 former logging town in central Wisconsin You're buying a false narrative. Most midwestern town in states like Montana, the Dakotas, Utah do not have opioid problems. In fact, those states have the happiest and most satisfied people in this country.
- losteric 9y ago
  Actually that is the false narrative. Those states may have the most satisfied people, but they also have the highest overdose death rates: http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2011/11/oregons_high_rate_of_pain_drug.html http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2011/11/oregons_h... (Google "National drug overdose rates" for more info - CDC and academia have plenty of studies, but no pretty graphs)