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Your anecdotes about Germany vs Uganda are a big part of the reason the average German is 30 times richer and can expect to live nearly 30 years longer than a U

by dimva 14y ago

Your anecdotes about Germany vs Uganda are a big part of the reason the average German is 30 times richer and can expect to live nearly 30 years longer than a Ugandan. Ask anyone where they'd rather live and they'll pick Germany. You can say technology has its drawbacks, but people overwhelmingly choose more technology and greater riches over any alternative. And more importantly, if you don't choose technology and someone else does, they can easily conquer you (militarily or economically) and destroy your livelihood.

coldtea 14y ago
>Your anecdotes about Germany vs Uganda are a big part of the reason the average German is 30 times richer and can expect to live nearly 30 years longer than a Ugandan. Ask anyone where they'd rather live and they'll pick Germany I'd pick Uganda. And when a had a similar choice to make in real life, I picked the poorer country. Screw efficiency and screw societies where people live like robots and survive on weekend alcoholic binges, while f*ing poorer countries over to maintain their wealth and superiority (sometimes literally: from colonialism and interventions to Nazi Germany and the extermination of the "undesirables").
- thenomad 14y ago
  "screw societies where people live like robots and survive on weekend alcoholic binges" I agree. Not sure what relevance that statement has to Germany, though. I've spent quite a lot of time in Germany and traveled to a lot of the country, and I'm certainly not seeing the resemblance.
  - coldtea 14y ago
    Well, our experience differs in this case I guess. There are some vibrant parts of youth culture in Germany (in Berlin, etc), but for the most part it is work + weekend binges. There is a coldness one cannot really explain, except if you have leaved in "warmer" societies. I've heard from people living there that Sweden/Denmark etc are even worse in this aspect.
    - rohern 14y ago
      Doesn't every young person find the idea of work to be cold? I have lived in Germany and found the people and the society vibrant, friendly, and very warm. They are aggressively pursuing new areas of technological expansion, for me the most exciting being solar and wind power, and they have a very important role as the economic center of the EU. The fact that people there are thoughtful and careful and seek to match their life to their plans and stated goals does not make them cold.
    - thenomad 14y ago
      OK, that certainly doesn't fit my experience of Denmark - or the United Nations' "Happiest Countries" index: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/04/06/where-are-the-worlds-happiest-countries/ http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/04/06/where-are-the-worlds-hap... , which rated Denmark as the happiest country in the world last year. My experience of Denmark has been that it's a vibrant, diverse, interesting society with some tremendously smart government policies, a lot of tolerance, and some really cool stuff going on, from great filmmaking to a massive Live-Action Roleplaying scene.

by dimva 14y ago

coldtea 14y ago

>Your anecdotes about Germany vs Uganda are a big part of the reason the average German is 30 times richer and can expect to live nearly 30 years longer than a Ugandan. Ask anyone where they'd rather live and they'll pick Germany I'd pick Uganda. And when a had a similar choice to make in real life, I picked the poorer country. Screw efficiency and screw societies where people live like robots and survive on weekend alcoholic binges, while f*ing poorer countries over to maintain their wealth and superiority (sometimes literally: from colonialism and interventions to Nazi Germany and the extermination of the "undesirables").

thenomad 14y ago
"screw societies where people live like robots and survive on weekend alcoholic binges" I agree. Not sure what relevance that statement has to Germany, though. I've spent quite a lot of time in Germany and traveled to a lot of the country, and I'm certainly not seeing the resemblance.
- coldtea 14y ago
  Well, our experience differs in this case I guess. There are some vibrant parts of youth culture in Germany (in Berlin, etc), but for the most part it is work + weekend binges. There is a coldness one cannot really explain, except if you have leaved in "warmer" societies. I've heard from people living there that Sweden/Denmark etc are even worse in this aspect.
  - rohern 14y ago
    Doesn't every young person find the idea of work to be cold? I have lived in Germany and found the people and the society vibrant, friendly, and very warm. They are aggressively pursuing new areas of technological expansion, for me the most exciting being solar and wind power, and they have a very important role as the economic center of the EU. The fact that people there are thoughtful and careful and seek to match their life to their plans and stated goals does not make them cold.
  - thenomad 14y ago
    OK, that certainly doesn't fit my experience of Denmark - or the United Nations' "Happiest Countries" index: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/04/06/where-are-the-worlds-happiest-countries/ http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/04/06/where-are-the-worlds-hap... , which rated Denmark as the happiest country in the world last year. My experience of Denmark has been that it's a vibrant, diverse, interesting society with some tremendously smart government policies, a lot of tolerance, and some really cool stuff going on, from great filmmaking to a massive Live-Action Roleplaying scene.