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> Americans love to own things. They value material wealth. The primary symbols of the American Dream are a home and a car, followed by electronics, clothing, s

> Americans love to own things. They value material wealth. The primary symbols of the American Dream are a home and a car, followed by electronics, clothing, sneakers, and other items. Downtown areas and shopping centers are filled with people browsing and walking away with their purchases. This consumption fuels the American economy, and the wide range of consumables, from clothing to toys and gourmet coffee to home décor, offers infinite variety. Consuming at this volume, however, has a profound impact on the environment and can be perceived as greedy and careless in other cultures.

hunson_abadeer 3y ago
People in Germany and France buy about as much cheap junk and have about as much attachment to material belongings. Which I don't blame them for, but it's remarkable that in both countries, it's fashionable to pooh-pooh the "dumb Americans" for that.
- PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
  Per capita consumer spending, Germany 2021: $21,704 Per capita consumer spending, USA 2021: $47915
  - anArbitraryOne 3y ago
    It would be interesting to see the median values of such w/COLA
  - Turing_Machine 3y ago
    Per capita GDP, Germany 2023: $51,383 Per capita GDP, United States 2023: $80,034 If Germany were a US state, it would rank somewhere between Mississippi and West Virginia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nomi... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_GDP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territ... (slight edit for formatting)
    - nonethewiser 3y ago
      [flagged]
    - benhurmarcel 3y ago
      Maybe if what you’re measuring leads to believe that Germany is equivalent to Mississippi, you’re measuring the wrong thing.
      - Turing_Machine 3y ago
        [flagged]
        PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
        "When your data doesn't align with the anecdotes, suspect the data" - paraphrase of one of the world's richest people, possibly being correct for once.
        Turing_Machine 3y ago
        In 2022, 184,753 German citizens returned to Germany, while 268,167 left. Departures have outnumbered arrivals every year since 2005. Source: https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Population/Migration/Tables/migration-german.html https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Popula...
- orf 3y ago
  Have you ever been to France or Germany? That’s obviously and clearly very not true.

hunson_abadeer 3y ago

People in Germany and France buy about as much cheap junk and have about as much attachment to material belongings. Which I don't blame them for, but it's remarkable that in both countries, it's fashionable to pooh-pooh the "dumb Americans" for that.

PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
Per capita consumer spending, Germany 2021: $21,704 Per capita consumer spending, USA 2021: $47915
- anArbitraryOne 3y ago
  It would be interesting to see the median values of such w/COLA
- Turing_Machine 3y ago
  Per capita GDP, Germany 2023: $51,383 Per capita GDP, United States 2023: $80,034 If Germany were a US state, it would rank somewhere between Mississippi and West Virginia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nomi... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_GDP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territ... (slight edit for formatting)
  - nonethewiser 3y ago
    [flagged]
  - benhurmarcel 3y ago
    Maybe if what you’re measuring leads to believe that Germany is equivalent to Mississippi, you’re measuring the wrong thing.
    - Turing_Machine 3y ago
      [flagged]
      - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
        "When your data doesn't align with the anecdotes, suspect the data" - paraphrase of one of the world's richest people, possibly being correct for once.
      - Turing_Machine 3y ago
        In 2022, 184,753 German citizens returned to Germany, while 268,167 left. Departures have outnumbered arrivals every year since 2005. Source: https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Population/Migration/Tables/migration-german.html https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Popula...
orf 3y ago
Have you ever been to France or Germany? That’s obviously and clearly very not true.