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I think many poorer Americans would gladly trade some of those luxuries for freedoms. The market has made some luxury a commodity (which is good) but it has reg

I think many poorer Americans would gladly trade some of those luxuries for freedoms. The market has made some luxury a commodity (which is good) but it has regressed in terms of security and individual freedom of employment (at least for the poor), making free time and choice of lifestyle a luxury. As a hyperbolic example to prove the point, would you rather work 40 hours a week at a job you hate, and have a cell phone, or work 20 hours a week at a job you like, and not have one? Neither answer is wrong and some people would choose each, but I think current employment conditions largely cater to the former.

pedro_hab 9y ago
Yes, I agree, I was blown away on how much Americans work, it makes me think is this a reason why this place is so great. It seems to be in the culture, which is better than a being lazy IMO. But also raises the question: Are americans happy with it? A lot of countries have protections for the employees, in Brazil you can't work too many extra hours, even if you want to. I know people that work 60-80hrs a week in the US, and they want to.