3 ms·

The comments here are exactly the same set of comments under every single article related to US companies facing issues in European markets. There's another art

The comments here are exactly the same set of comments under every single article related to US companies facing issues in European markets. There's another article on the front page about Netflix's Dutch offices being raided in a tax probe and I could copy/paste entire comment chains between the two and you wouldn't know it. -> Irate American complaint about how it's a stealth tax -> equally irate European rebuttal that US companies should just follow the laws if they want to do business here -> Follow up irate American reply ... Repeat until 3 or 4 comments down it's somehow become: -> American: US GDP is so much higher than in the EU -> European: but quality of life is better here because of free healthcare etc, GDP isn't a good measure, I went to the US once and saw poors on the street! -> American: something angry about socialism ... And so on. It's the same tedious argument on every single article about EU privacy laws or taxes, and I could also copy/paste these exact comments from a Reddit post about the same issue and nobody would be the wiser.

satvikpendem 2y ago
Also add in comments (especially when talking about the DMA or similar) about how Apple isn't "truly a monopoly," that "they built the platform, they should get a cut," "video game consoles also take 30%," it'll "decrease security" if Apple allows alternative stores, etc. Some people really love the corporation like their own friend, essentially in a parasocial relationship with Apple.
- esperent 2y ago
  Yes, absolutely. Although at least those seem to be unique to articles on Apple, I don't think I could change the company to Facebook or Netflix and copy them to another post without people noticing.
atoav 2y ago
As a European who posted in said article what always gets my blood boiling is the way in which (presumably average?) US commenters will defend things like a big multinational corporation not paying taxes in the market where they are selling their product. I don't really see this even as political: Sure say that if you are the top brass in a big multinational corp, but most of us aren't that and will never be. So if they paid even just a modest amount of taxes, us regular Joes would need to pay less, if assume unchanges levels of public spending. So what I don't get is the quasi-reflexive need to shill for corporations who make it harder for outsiders to rise up in the market. I know what they say about Americans seeing themselves not as poor, but as temporarily embarassed billionaires, but how are you going to have a cut at the american dream by shilling for quasi-monopolists?
- esperent 2y ago
  > what always gets my blood boiling is the way I'm also European and my rule of thumb is that if something triggers me enough to make my blood boil, the absolute least useful thing I can do, both for other people reading, and for my own mental health, is to start a pointless argument.
  - natpalmer1776 2y ago
    I’m American and this is generally my philosophy as well.

satvikpendem 2y ago

Also add in comments (especially when talking about the DMA or similar) about how Apple isn't "truly a monopoly," that "they built the platform, they should get a cut," "video game consoles also take 30%," it'll "decrease security" if Apple allows alternative stores, etc. Some people really love the corporation like their own friend, essentially in a parasocial relationship with Apple.

esperent 2y ago
Yes, absolutely. Although at least those seem to be unique to articles on Apple, I don't think I could change the company to Facebook or Netflix and copy them to another post without people noticing.

atoav 2y ago

As a European who posted in said article what always gets my blood boiling is the way in which (presumably average?) US commenters will defend things like a big multinational corporation not paying taxes in the market where they are selling their product. I don't really see this even as political: Sure say that if you are the top brass in a big multinational corp, but most of us aren't that and will never be. So if they paid even just a modest amount of taxes, us regular Joes would need to pay less, if assume unchanges levels of public spending. So what I don't get is the quasi-reflexive need to shill for corporations who make it harder for outsiders to rise up in the market. I know what they say about Americans seeing themselves not as poor, but as temporarily embarassed billionaires, but how are you going to have a cut at the american dream by shilling for quasi-monopolists?

esperent 2y ago
> what always gets my blood boiling is the way I'm also European and my rule of thumb is that if something triggers me enough to make my blood boil, the absolute least useful thing I can do, both for other people reading, and for my own mental health, is to start a pointless argument.
- natpalmer1776 2y ago
  I’m American and this is generally my philosophy as well.