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I was much better prepared than Americans or British. But Americans have much better job opportunities that make them better than Europeans after working some t

I was much better prepared than Americans or British. But Americans have much better job opportunities that make them better than Europeans after working some time in any field. Great comment. Anyway I will never leave Europe for US/Canada/Australia[1]. I've visited some family in the latter and I feel that the advantages of these countries are not enough to make me live there. Exchanging peace of mind and a huge decrease of life quality for some extra probabilities of being rich and extra consumption doen't worth IMO. Also have in mind that Germany != Europe Edit: [1] I'm sure these 3 countries are very different between themselves (I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings), but they are still "new world" countries, where the main goal of voluntary "colonizers" was/is getting rich and be able to consume more than in their native countries. This common goal leads to a lot of similarities between them as, for example, the urbanism: suburbs is a "new world" invention and this will always imply a common lifestyle (car dependency, malls, ..).

davidw 12y ago
> US/Canada/Australia And in the next sentence, you remind us that Germany is not Europe. Before the Canadians lynch you, you should amend your comment to point out that you are very cognizant of the differences between the US and Canada! Australia's different from the others in its own ways, not least of which is that it's on the other side of the planet.
- gajomi 12y ago
  Canadians lynch people?
  - davidw 12y ago
    Ok, fair enough: "send them into a rough hockey game" or something like that. If there's one thing that sets a lot of Canadians off though, it's being considered like some large, deep-frozen 51st state of the US. For one obvious example of the differences, Canada has universal health care.
tedunangst 12y ago
I think you have been misinformed about the main goal of many early American colonizers. Also, that's a rather tenuous connection to suburbs. US suburbs mostly developed 200 years after colonization. And 100 years after London (that's "old world", right?) invented suburbs.
- galfarragem 12y ago
  I agree with you, suburbs were not invented in the "new world" but these countries made them popular, probably with the individual dream of a better life and particular conditions as land availability or cheap oil that leaded to the development of single housing to almost everybody. I'm sure you agree also that suburbs in "old world" (Europe) don't have such a massive presence that they completely imply a certain lifestyle.
  - kyllo 12y ago
    Suburbs in America are a byproduct of racism. They were invented when sharecroppers (freed African-American slaves and their children who then became indentured servants/laborers) from the south migrated en masse to the cities of the north and started moving into urban neighborhoods, and the white people fled to the outskirts rather than let black people live among them.
    - DanBC 12y ago
      And white people were given favourable mortgage rates for these new properties, while black people were denied loans.
    - throwaway30492 12y ago
      Source?
      - kyllo 12y ago
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight
aros 12y ago
You're quite ignorant. I suggest you visit these places prior to placing judgement on them. The US and Canada are vast geographically and culturally spanning countries with an absolutely huge and diverse population. To simply say that everyone in these countries is a consumer-whore is inaccurate and dishonest.
benihana 12y ago
>Exchanging peace of mind and a huge decrease of life quality for some extra probabilities of being rich and extra consumption doen't worth IMO. I don't think you understand what it's like to live in the US and Canada as an educated worker. >* but they are still "new world" countries, where the main goal of voluntary "colonizers" was/is getting rich and be able to consume more than in their native countries.* Whoa, how are you using the internet back there in 1912? I don't think you understand the reason that English colonists came to America or how America even works today. Your whole comment reeks of arrogance, ignorance and condescension but hey what do I know? I'm just an new world American, not a cosmopolitan, wise European who is recently celebrating twenty consecutive years without an episode of ethnic cleansing happening on his continent.
- galfarragem 12y ago
  I didn't say that European people are better than the others - they aren't, I just said I prefer Europe system/way of life comparing with Australia (the only one where I've had a long stay). I even said that "new world"[1] countries have some advantages. [1] I couldn't find a better term to refer to western world outside Europe, I don't have the intention of hurting anybody's feelings. [2] With "voluntary colonists" I don't mean only English colonists, I mean emmigrants in general.
borgia 12y ago
>Great comment. Anyway I will never leave Europe for US/Canada/Australia[1]. I've visited some family in the latter and I feel that the advantages of these countries are not enough to make me live there. Exchanging peace of mind and a huge decrease of life quality for some extra probabilities of being rich and extra consumption doen't worth IMO. I'm a European currently living in Canada, who has also traveled the US pretty extensively. The US and Canada aren't really interchangeable. Canada can at times feel like America-lite but in most real ways it's thankfully very different to the US. I didn't move here because I saw "advantages" regarding personal prosperity, mainly just for the experience. The quality of life here in Toronto isn't a huge difference from what I've experienced in Europe. Comparatively low crime when compared with other major cities on this side of the pond, low poverty, reasonable cost of living relative to IT salaries, etc. Apart from that, the people are great and really live up to the stereotype and are overall comparatively laid back like in Europe. What it is lacking though is cultural substance and identity. It's pretty bland. Nothing has any real character. In that way it can feel a bit like a major US city and will be the main reason I move back to Europe in the coming years. Living and working in the USA is something I'd never consider personally. I'm also approaching 30 and in a few years kids will be along the way, and I would never consider bringing a child up in the US. I don't mean to offend American posters here with this, but what you offer is just not for me, and I could never be a part of something that actively supports the US government and its policies. But if you were looking for a change I'd suggest giving Canada a shot for a while. It's very different to the other two you've lumped it in with and in great ways and if nothing else it would give you an experience to learn from.
- galfarragem 12y ago
  > What it is lacking though is cultural substance and identity. It's pretty bland. Nothing has any real character. In that way it can feel a bit like a major US city and will be the main reason I move back to Europe in the coming years. You nailed it. 'Lack of detail', it seems silly but that's what I really miss in the 'new world'.
eru 12y ago
Try Asia. Singapore is essentially a better Germany.

davidw 12y ago

> US/Canada/Australia And in the next sentence, you remind us that Germany is not Europe. Before the Canadians lynch you, you should amend your comment to point out that you are very cognizant of the differences between the US and Canada! Australia's different from the others in its own ways, not least of which is that it's on the other side of the planet.

gajomi 12y ago
Canadians lynch people?
- davidw 12y ago
  Ok, fair enough: "send them into a rough hockey game" or something like that. If there's one thing that sets a lot of Canadians off though, it's being considered like some large, deep-frozen 51st state of the US. For one obvious example of the differences, Canada has universal health care.

tedunangst 12y ago

I think you have been misinformed about the main goal of many early American colonizers. Also, that's a rather tenuous connection to suburbs. US suburbs mostly developed 200 years after colonization. And 100 years after London (that's "old world", right?) invented suburbs.

galfarragem 12y ago
I agree with you, suburbs were not invented in the "new world" but these countries made them popular, probably with the individual dream of a better life and particular conditions as land availability or cheap oil that leaded to the development of single housing to almost everybody. I'm sure you agree also that suburbs in "old world" (Europe) don't have such a massive presence that they completely imply a certain lifestyle.
- kyllo 12y ago
  Suburbs in America are a byproduct of racism. They were invented when sharecroppers (freed African-American slaves and their children who then became indentured servants/laborers) from the south migrated en masse to the cities of the north and started moving into urban neighborhoods, and the white people fled to the outskirts rather than let black people live among them.
  - DanBC 12y ago
    And white people were given favourable mortgage rates for these new properties, while black people were denied loans.
  - throwaway30492 12y ago
    Source?
    - kyllo 12y ago
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight

aros 12y ago

You're quite ignorant. I suggest you visit these places prior to placing judgement on them. The US and Canada are vast geographically and culturally spanning countries with an absolutely huge and diverse population. To simply say that everyone in these countries is a consumer-whore is inaccurate and dishonest.

benihana 12y ago

>Exchanging peace of mind and a huge decrease of life quality for some extra probabilities of being rich and extra consumption doen't worth IMO. I don't think you understand what it's like to live in the US and Canada as an educated worker. >* but they are still "new world" countries, where the main goal of voluntary "colonizers" was/is getting rich and be able to consume more than in their native countries.* Whoa, how are you using the internet back there in 1912? I don't think you understand the reason that English colonists came to America or how America even works today. Your whole comment reeks of arrogance, ignorance and condescension but hey what do I know? I'm just an new world American, not a cosmopolitan, wise European who is recently celebrating twenty consecutive years without an episode of ethnic cleansing happening on his continent.

galfarragem 12y ago
I didn't say that European people are better than the others - they aren't, I just said I prefer Europe system/way of life comparing with Australia (the only one where I've had a long stay). I even said that "new world"[1] countries have some advantages. [1] I couldn't find a better term to refer to western world outside Europe, I don't have the intention of hurting anybody's feelings. [2] With "voluntary colonists" I don't mean only English colonists, I mean emmigrants in general.

borgia 12y ago

>Great comment. Anyway I will never leave Europe for US/Canada/Australia[1]. I've visited some family in the latter and I feel that the advantages of these countries are not enough to make me live there. Exchanging peace of mind and a huge decrease of life quality for some extra probabilities of being rich and extra consumption doen't worth IMO. I'm a European currently living in Canada, who has also traveled the US pretty extensively. The US and Canada aren't really interchangeable. Canada can at times feel like America-lite but in most real ways it's thankfully very different to the US. I didn't move here because I saw "advantages" regarding personal prosperity, mainly just for the experience. The quality of life here in Toronto isn't a huge difference from what I've experienced in Europe. Comparatively low crime when compared with other major cities on this side of the pond, low poverty, reasonable cost of living relative to IT salaries, etc. Apart from that, the people are great and really live up to the stereotype and are overall comparatively laid back like in Europe. What it is lacking though is cultural substance and identity. It's pretty bland. Nothing has any real character. In that way it can feel a bit like a major US city and will be the main reason I move back to Europe in the coming years. Living and working in the USA is something I'd never consider personally. I'm also approaching 30 and in a few years kids will be along the way, and I would never consider bringing a child up in the US. I don't mean to offend American posters here with this, but what you offer is just not for me, and I could never be a part of something that actively supports the US government and its policies. But if you were looking for a change I'd suggest giving Canada a shot for a while. It's very different to the other two you've lumped it in with and in great ways and if nothing else it would give you an experience to learn from.

galfarragem 12y ago
> What it is lacking though is cultural substance and identity. It's pretty bland. Nothing has any real character. In that way it can feel a bit like a major US city and will be the main reason I move back to Europe in the coming years. You nailed it. 'Lack of detail', it seems silly but that's what I really miss in the 'new world'.

eru 12y ago

Try Asia. Singapore is essentially a better Germany.