I believe Western Europe is a great place to live and bring up a family. People pay high taxes but they get a lot in return. Here in Austria up to two years (payed) maternity leave, mostly free healthcare, a guaranteed old age pension once you retire, it depending on how much you earned over the years, almost free medicine, free access to universities (no crippeling student loans for useless degrees), young children being able to walk to school savely..... I could go on and on. No society is perfect. People have it good here in Austria, many just don't appreciate it for lack of a wider perspective
Someone defined US freedom as "freedom TO ... do something, express yourself, whatever" and European freedom as "freedom FROM ... being oppressed, from surveillance, having to worry whether you can afford to see a doctor or not, whatever".
I've also used that definition after I stumbled across it a few years ago. I liked it a lot. Obviously an American nitpicking wisea$$ decided that the USA has exactly the same freedoms by formulating the sentence in a negative. Like "I have the freedom not to be oppressed by my government." At which point I decided to quit discussing the point with him as he obviously doesn't understand the difference of freedom to and freedom from. There is a principle behind the freedom to which includes specific actions, vs a freedom from which covers an entire spectrum of negative actions.
This "Freedom From" does not just apply to European countries, but also, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and many others. The children in all these countries enjoy FREEDOM from being shot at school.
Well, that person never lived in Europe then because the entire continent constantly surveils its citizens. Freedom of speech is absent with all the hate laws, and seeing a doctor depends heavily on which European state you live in and for what procedure. You may die before you get some of them due to rationing. The US does not have that problem. You can always get medical care. If you are destitute, it is free by law, you cannot be turned away at emergency depts. A significant majority of Americans express satisfaction with their primary care doctors. A 2023 MDVIP/Ipsos poll found that 70% are extremely or very satisfied with their primary care physician. IPSOS. A 2010 study published in the National Institutes of Health reported that 84% to 93% of Americans expressed satisfaction with their own personal medical care.
I think you expressed this perfectly well. Europe is more: "My freedom has its limits, where it infringes on the freedom of others" No society is perfect and there are always upsides and downsides on each, but I do by far prefer our seemingly more regulated freedom.
As a German, I truly do not miss the "freedom" to get shot by my neighbour for accidentally stepping a toe on his lawn. But I also see an issue with our insane bureaucracy that, in parts, seems to be a means to its own preservation and nothing more. Germany is a good place to live, one of the best that currently exist, I think, but it still needs reforms to become even better and remove the sand from the gears.
As a Dutch man... the German bureaucracy is legendary in the rest of Europe. All Europeans make fun of it. My dad spent more than 2 years "Arbeitseinsatz" during WW2 in Chemnitz. So living in Germany, first 1 1/2 year boarding in a German family, the last period in a barrack on the factory premises. He had stories about that bureaucracy for every part he fabricated. I did and internship at Siemens Medical in Amsterdam in the 1970's... everything German bureaucracy. My wife was the Betriebsleiterin of a Schlecker pharmacy shop in The Netherlands... she spent more time on her (paper)administration as on the shop. Yes Germany is an exception and can improve a lot on that. The Netherlands is sometimes close to Germany on bureaucracy, but is improving. On the other hand Germanies past has led Europe to the present state of human life with the absence of certain horrible registrations the Nazi's used, but the US still daily uses!... like official registrations of race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political affiliation and religion. In Europe politicians don't have that data anymore, so they only are able to decide about "people".
Our bureaucracy, or lets say, the rules and regulations, are not the issue IMO, or at least not mainly. Whats more important is its speed (1), the interconnectivity between public offices (2) and an education of the general public in the German bureaucracy (3).
Really hyperbolic comment. You were never threatened to be shot for stepping on someone's lawn. The chance of getting shot in the USA is quite a bit higher than in Germany for sure but it is still only 23/100,000 with a 4.5/100,000 of being killed by a firearm. So, there is realistically almost no chance this will happen to you if you live your entire life in the USA. Half of all homicides in the USA are black on black, meaning 6% of the population (black men) commit half of all murders or shootings. So, if you are not living in black neighborhoods the stats soar in your favor. You might get mowed down by an angry motorist, however (Magdeburg). Germany is beautiful but is very heavily regulated in most aspects of life that is not the case in the USA, from noise on Sundays to hours your business can be open let alone firing an employee. It is a very restrictive country by comparison.
@@dikkiedik53 The US does not mandate color registration, I don't know where you got that from? Race is on some govt. forms (they used it for hiring, affirmative action) and medical forms due to census data and peculiar conditions for various groups but you can check other or not reply, ethnicity is the country you hail from. If you are a citizen, you are American. Also, you can check other in that category as well. Ethnic questions would only be found on census data and applications for govt. jobs or some big company jobs, university applications, that use affirmative action preferences. Sexual orientation is not asked on any form I have ever encountered. Political affiliation is also not requested on any form except to register officially with a given party to participate in their internal politics and voting. Religion is also not asked except for census data. Your information is wrong, and I don't know how you came by it. Most of the areas you listed are federally protected status of identity and legally cannot be used to discriminate against. If you ask these questions for example during a job interview, you could easily be sued.
Your chances of being shot in the USA are very low, though admittedly much higher than in Europe. Still, at the end of the day, you can live your entire life in the States with close to a zero-percentage chance of being shot. We are a continent with 335,000,000 people, you have to remember that. Also, no one is going to shoot you for stepping on his lawn. That example is ridiculous. 4.5 per 100,000 is your chance of death by firearm in the USA with a 2.5X chance of being shot so, 13 per 100,000 or so roughly and of course that is highly variable depending on where you live. Given 50% of all homicides are black on black killings and black folk constitute 13% of the pop. and 6.5% of these are men (doing all of the killing), if you don't live in a black neighborhood, you just slashed your chance by half. Further, if you don't live in a major metropolis with a lot of black folk you can further reduce your chances.
I'm from the Netherlands. For me, freedom is freedom from tyranny, freedom to be you who are, freedom of expression, freedom to critize the government, freedom to choose your path in life. I think these freedoms in Europe have boundaries and are not absolute and total. In my opinion that's fine, as long as the boundaries are fair and reasonable and benefit all of us. I think Americans believe more in absolute freedom, no restrictions to your freedom. This may seem more beneficial but it may come at the cost of someone else's freedom or security. In Europe freedom is more of a balance. It's a matter of perspective, to an American this may seem less free or not totally free, but total absolute freedom is not the end goal. The end goal is the happiness of the people. Freedom with some restrictions, but a more livable society is preferable IMO.
There is a saying that one's own freedom ends where it affects the freedom of others. My impression is that in the USA it's about how far I can extend my own freedom until the other person can no longer tolerate the restrictions on their own freedom. I think it's good if the state partly defines these limits and thus protects those who can't defend themselves.
The freedom one has in Europe is to not be afraid of some powerful entity (enterprise, boss, government, landlord, ...) to take advantage of you at their own will. You can basically live your life in peace, free of existential worries. That's what the majority of regulations are for: avoid exploitation of land and people and to protect those that don't have the (financial or political) power to protect themself -- which for the most part applies to the proverbial 99% of every people in virtually any country. This includes the USA where exploitation of _anything_ and _anyone_ is basically the norm and quasi expected behaviour. The individualism preached in the USA is ultimately nothing more than the "god given" right to exploit others. A German proverb that expresses this behaviour: "Me first and after me the deluge."
USA freedom is much more related to individuals. It's your right to speak, your personal protection, your car, your house, your land (do what you want with it) within the law. VC rich. faith in you. Europe freedom is related to the state, public space, public roads, parks, organized civil society, tons of social rules, laws, regulations. In Germany, for example, you pay a fee and declare your pet to the city. rich state, faith in the state. I personally prefer to have faith in myself. but it doesn't work for everyone, crime is much higher in the USA.
I know americans who live in Switzerland, they all say the same thing, America is not as free as most people think. we have more freedom here in Europe than in our own country.
Freedoms I enjoy here: Protection against scammers, consumer protection. That does, practically not exist in the US, despite those big famous lawsuits against McD. If you get scammed for 10000$ then "you lost 10000$, your fault for trusting the wrong people in the US, you should have known". 10000$ loss by being scammed, even by big famous corporations, does not get prosecuted since the cost of such a lawsuit is way too high for normal people - unless you can combine with A LOT others affected. So the definition for Europe is more like: Freedom from being scammed, being shot, be able to walk in the night in most part of Europe - even as a woman, freedom of Education (which means more equal chances for education, independent from parents money), freedom to actual neutral news enforced by our German constitution, freedom for your children so you can let them play outside unsupervised without fear..... Oh, and things like the social security of course.... What freedom do we have in common: Freedom of religion, freedom of travel, freedom to choose the field to work in, freedom to choose what to buy (former DDR as counter-example), Freedom of speech (With some differences I skip here), freedom to choose your life partner....
I live in the UK. I love the freedom to live without fear of being shot, without the fear of being placed in debt due to medical bills, without the politics of fear. I love the feeling of security afforded by a society that works for everyone. A society that alleviates basic levels of fear. Unfortunately our politics, from the right, is trying to take on the American traits of creating fear to control the way people think. They aren’t as successful as American right wing politics at this. The British public is less gullible than The US public. The US has had its brains scrambled by its subservience to religion. Thinking in religious ways leads one to believe things without questioning them.
@@LCTesla Not precise enough: One humans freedom to do anything ends when it endangers other humans. The difference US vs Europe is, very simplified "freedom to" vs "freedom from". Like freedom from being afraid to be shot any time outside of your home, let alone inside your home, by anyone with a bad mood. For women the freedom to walk outside, even at night, almost everywhere. For parents freedom from having to helicopter-protect their children 24/7 since the country prefers "freedom to do anything for every individual" over protection of the general population, especially one that cannot afford protection.
In the US , there is a limited sense of freedom TO do things, whether it’s to bear arms, open carry a gun, start a business with little (relatively speaking), fire an employee at will, buy food that hasn’t been vetted for any dangerous chemicals and additives. In Europe, there is largely freedom FROM socio-economic insecurity, dangerous situations with armed persons, fear of not getting medical treatment due to finances, losing one’s job and health insurance, worry about childcare costs, higher education costs which pose significant financial hardship. And that freedom FROM those things create a sense of safety and overall well-being. In the US, freedom TO do and have certain things may create an opposite feeling of insecurity, chaos and a paralysis of choice if not channeled well.
@@Julia-RichterI don‘t think your assumption is true. „Freedom from“ fearing drive-by shootings, school shootings, road rage or similar hitting me - which is usually taken as granted - does NOT translate to „freedom to…“ what? Bear arms? That is actually in essence the opposite.
I've taught civics/politics and ethical education - a substitute subject for religious aka Catholic or Protestant education - for decades here in Germany. One of my fundamental principles was and still is: My freedom ends where yours begins . And I fully agree with the European definition of freedom FROM compared to the US American idea of freedom OF ! Happy Holidays, dear Jay and Stephan, whatever you might celebrate ! 😊🌈
You are right - it's difficult to put into words. I'm a retired working-class American woman who has lived in The Netherlands for 4 years. Day to day life is similar to my US life. But the stress is much less here. The social system protects most people here from many of the anxieties that Americans live with all the time. A much better quality of life in the EU.
Americans are very good at selling themselves. No offence folks, you just see yourselves as a whole bigger and better and often for no reason. Rather I am glad to see a few smartest, brightest Americans like Jay and others who think differently. Kudos to you Jay.
@@dandac3648 you're right, yet I'll add the US teaches us propaganda starting at a very young age, and it never stops. It takes a great deal of effort to break free of the US mindset, even for someone who gets a glimpse of life elsewhere, and can be near impossible for the poor.
Well demonstrably the USA is a lot bigger across the board and often a lot better as well, though it depends on what is being compared to. There are definitely reasons for that way of thought even if ignorant people cannot express them.
@@v.j447 Well, jobs in general pay considerably more than in Europe. Taxes are much less than in Europe. Housing is bigger and cheaper. Energy is cheaper. There is quite a bit more opportunity if you are willing to apply yourself and society is friendly towards businesses and entrepreneurialism and does not view these as feudal leftovers. Each state offers unique advantages depending on one's tastes so if you are willing to move you can almost always improve you state in life. Overall, there are just more options in the USA, convenience and efficiency are prized as opposed to the 'that is impossible' mantra one often encounters in Europe. We are geared towards the individual so if you are individualistic as opposed to being a member of the herd and security focused, the USA is much more amenable for you. These are a few of the myriad advantages to life in the USA.
Ooo. I really like your observations. Consider that 'freedom' is not a concrete term. The definition is so amorphous that has a wide variety of semantic meaning in any context. I do like the way you have defined it for us here. I think in the U.S. we put so much emphasis on individual freedom and the fear that we might somehow loose it, that we neglect the lack of regulation given to non-dying sociopathic individuals known as corporations.
Governmental protecting regulations and securing the public order for the common / collective good is the duty of a country that cares for the well-being of all its citizens.
I have found Germans obsessed with regulations and seeing that other people obey the regulations. I cycled through Germany some years ago, and I have never been spoken to as much anywhere else as to where I could or couldn't cycle. In most other countries, people don't bother what others do, but not in Germany. There might be just as many regulations in other countries, but it doesn't feel that way when people are not obsessed with them.
In my opinion, your bicycle example does not work. Try riding your bike in the USA. Drivers will very quickly show you where not to ride. That's also the reason why nobody rides a bike except for exercise. Are you from one of the Scandinavian countries? Your name speaks for it. Germany is much more densely populated than the countries in the north. That's why rules are needed among road users here.
years ago there were plans to privatize waterworks etc.. How good this idea works can be seen in the USA. Daseinsvorsorge (service for the public) should never be driven by aspects of earning money.
@@michaeldowson6988 Well, the trucker movement last year put a lie to all three I would say by itself. Trudeau is making a disaster of the nation. The value of the currency has plummeted with his popularity and his authoritarian tendencies are behind much of this. When he is replaced by Poilievre, things should return to normal but until then...
You can often get the true meaning of a debate by taking the words 'freedom', 'liberty', or 'rights' and replacing them with the word 'power'. A free society is a balanced society. in a free society no person or individual has too much power and no one has too little. This, of course, makes a lot of people unhappy because they want more power than they need. It's always about power.
Wealthy people have more freedom than less wealthy people. This freedom also represents an imbalance of power that allows the rich to take advantage of poor people. In my opinion, the state has a duty here to pass laws (employee laws, consumer protection laws, etc.) that protect the poorer population.
You managed a great explanation for a highly complex issue. Two freedom related things that we have in Europe compared to the US is at least some protection from exploitation, the laws, rules and their enforcement never can cover everithing, but at least there is an effort and most people do not appreciate what is accomplished through them, they can only see where they fail. One of the laws everyone seems to hate and that can be at time annoying are the data protection laws in Europe, yes they often annoy me too, but I am VERY happy we have them, when I see what is done with personal data in some countries around the world, including the US.
After listening to your interesting thoughts I remember a saying from Immanuel Kant: "My freedom ends where others' freedom begins." The idea that "my freedom ends where yours begins" is a fundamental principle that lies at the heart of a harmonious and just society. This concept expresses the understanding that while individuals have the right to exercise their freedoms, those freedoms must not infringe on the rights and freedoms of others. The extreme individualism in the USA that you speak of, and which is unfortunately also becoming more and more widespread here in Germany, is essentially destroying the freedom of the weaker. Only the law of the strongest/richer applies. Trump and Musk and their ilk are making this clearer to us.
Your unease is palpable in this video, but you continued, I tip my cap to you for making this. I used to give talks with others at a prison in the city near where I live, we have disabilities and spoke about lack of life choices because of this, many people in prison are there through lack of choices in life and this helped us to relate to one another (not everyone of course), what we expect in life is often decided before we are born and as you said about the differences between the US and Europe and how that affects how each country thinks of what freedom is. Being disabled my choices are different from someone without a disability, so Europe is better for me than the US world be, but it's not perfect of course, nowhere is, but I like that, it means that I have to try harder, but I also have to rely on others when I would like to be able to do things for myself, but these things are sent to try us "no, I don't believe in a god" I'm not knocking it, it's just not for me. I think that it was brave of you to post this video, thank you :)
These are interesting views, and as a german who feels more and more pressure from all those regulations it´s really interesting to hear it. The right to bear arms is in my view not a big discuss in germany - mostly it´s something the few gun owners in germany talk about. But I think it´s quite essential for self responsibility. What is even more important is the 1st Ammendment, wich I know is under attack in the US too, but in Europe and especially in Germany the extent of restrictions and repressions especially for criticising politicians goes over the edge. This is the first of your videos I watched, so I don´t know if you follow those developments. You say in the US everything is based on the goal to make profit. Yes, that´s capitalism. That´s not a bad thing, because you can only make profit (in honest ways) if you use ressources you have or you buy and create some values for others that are worth more to them than what you spent for those ressources. So the profit someone makes is a direct indication for the values he creates for society. I think freedom must be individual, because collective "freedom" or the "collective good" was always the excuse for totalitarian regimes, and especially germany has had horrible experiences with this. It might look nice as long as you share the views of the majority or the political narrative, but once you disagree you are a thread to the "collective greater goal" and you are the enemy of society. Then, everything is OK to fight you. There is no such thing as collective freedom. There´s no freedom without responsibility. But there´s a collective rejection of self responsibility. Oh, and - freedom doesn´t mean one can do whatever he wants. Freedom means everyone can do whatever he wants without to cause any harm to others, responsible fot what he does and taking the consequences for his own actions, and most of all it means to endure the freedom of others.
I really like your definition of freedom and your explanation. I think the biggest difference for me is that most new development in Europe is regulated to death before it even exist. So if you are someone who sees cultural change you feel really kept on bay in Europe. I mean in the end it does not make a big different that you get shot or got run down as a cyclist by another SUV.
You can´t get the sunshine without the shade - That´s how it works. But import is, that personel feedom is not only running with a big wallet and a social status. Money makes the world go around, that´s a fact but how deep the influence in a society is and the daily life is the most important factor for me.
European freedom is all about being protected by the state. I won't say there's no paranoia here, but the US is at another level. Of course we're all socialists in the eyes of Americans, but I prefer that over fearing everything.
Because you want to be taken care of. Americans want to take care of themselves. The US is not paranoid, we know the dangers of govt. because we watched Europe get devoured twice during the 20th century and we are watching the same happen in Ukraine now. Europe is becoming more authoritarian all the time. Hate speech laws, bureaucracy and inefficiency stifle everything and the continent is poor and getting poorer all the time. Europe has the most beautiful cities in the world but its demographics are collapsing and with it the welfare state.
@thomassenbart Hold on, I paid all the 47 years that I worked for that social security. And you know that a part of the population, for whatever reason, hasn't been able to, or simply couldn't. I find it unacceptable that someone gets as rich as musk, who yet pays some of his workforce so little that they need a second job just to survive. About democracy in the western world, to say it is tested, is definitely an understatement. Unfortunately, a part of the population does not understand that with all the freedom we have also comes a lot of responsibility and accountability.
Freedom is regulated in every country but in different ways. Some would prefer the european "freedom" like hea,thcare, free education, communit. Work ( Ehrenamt), some will prefer the 'freedom' the US provides. So people can choose, at least some can, what fits them best.
Both the USA and Germany enable a certain type and degree of freedom in the sense of possibilities of individual choices. Sometimes freedom is confused with egotism, but if you live as part of a group (relationship, family, neighbourhood, city, state, country, world) it’s probably sensible to come to certain types of arrangements that govern a way of living together. At the end of the day there’s only so much space or means that enable an individual to separate itself and the mutual consequences of everyone’s actions. Since there’s no planet B we are sitting in the same boat.
Someone described the difference between europe ans US like this: in the US, you are free TO do things. You are free to bear arms. You are free to choose your religion. You are free to a lot of things. Here in europe, we want freedom FROM things: we are free from death because we cannot afford medicine. We are free from religious opression. We are free from things.
Not sure where I heard it, but the way that made the most sense is that in the US you have the Freedom TO DO things, whereas in Europe you have the freedom FROM things. The freedom to own guns vs the freedom from gun violence.
So, the equation is Freedom from versus to. Freedom from is reactive and thus reactionary, because it needs existing conditions to safeguard from. Frredom to is proactive and thus activist, since it leaves open the universe of things to aspire to. I live my life in the 'Freedom To' mode because I was getting tired and annoyed of the reactionary mindset of the other option. Oh, and my favorite variation of the 2nd amendment deals with: The Right to Arm Bears.
The right to carry arms was created in a time, an elite soldier could fire 2 shoot per minute, with doubtful precision, the colt was not invented. Had the founding fathers any idea of automatics or MPs, they never had allowed it Please tell this Lady about HOAs and that they can take away Your house if You use the wrong color, NO TRESPASSING vs freedom to move Or tell them my question, I use to silence US citizens After a 60 hours week, no holidays, at what days do You make use of Your freedom?
Nope, you don't understand history not the basic concept behind the 2nd amendment. A well-trained marksman could load at the rate of 2-3 balls per minute. Not an elite soldier. The 2nd amendment was kept all during the evolution of firearms including the age of dueling and shootouts. The FF fathers knew about cannon, which fired canister shot at point blank range. The problem you are referring to is brand new and not really related to automatic or semi-automatic weapons which have been available since the 19th century. The purpose of the 2nd is primarily to guard against tyrannical govt. So that the common man can rise up, as happened during the Revolution. The FF would have very much favored the 2A in the modern day as most Americans still do. No, HOAs cannot take away your home if it is the wrong color. At most, you would be fined, and these laws exist all over Germany, to a much greater extent. Trespassing on private land is not an infringement of your rights but guarding another's property right. Very few people work 60 hrs a week unless they want to. Everyone gets holidays off or is paid an extra 150-200%. You don't know what you are talking about. Also, the average European is simply poor with a few exceptions Norway, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Everywhere else people are considerably poorer than the median American. So, when you get 4-6 weeks of vacation, most people cannot afford to go anywhere or do anything but sit at home. And Europe is getting poorer each year v. the USA, the trend is accelerating. Currently, the median income in Europe is 2/3 of the USA, W. Europe, and Eastern Europe is vastly worse off. The welfare state is collapsing in Europe and everywhere actually as your demographics do likewise. Your prosperity was largely based upon free access to the US market and sponging off of US defense. That is going away. Time to grow up.
@@thomassenbart Nice MAGA propaganda, where do the US homeless come from, the trailer parks, the abysmal school system, pregnant teenagers, women dying because they lost the right of abortion (in many states), opioid crisis, gun violence, the laughable health care system. I agree that in the US You have a chance to get rich but the majority is sinking, and yes, this is true everywhere , but not as massive as in the US.
We share this issue: People are taxed *before* income payouts, without writing off expenses. Corporations (even small ones) are taxed on what they have left, *after* any and all expenses. VAT or sales tax - same issue, on the spending side. Capital, debts, savings, credit creation, ownerships, balance sheet - you get the point… This legal asymmetry makes _any_ «political discussion» on taxation AND invoices/bills totally moot. Why do voters (people, companies can’t vote) accept economic obfuscation through this huge legislative discrimination? Whose «freedom» is this…? 😊
Baguette bound said it great: we pay more taxed here in france and ww love it. We get the freedom of not going broke from kids education and medical bills. They got the freedom to be human and living their version of their version of the American dream in Europe. Happy they found their place. I found it incredibly cheap Thailand 🙏
I saw another TH-camr describe it as, America see freedom as the right TO do something, eg. carry guns, while everyone else sees freedom as freedom FROM something, eg. poverty, sickness etc.
Shame you didn't check on the ratings( world) on Personal freedom. It doesn't matter which rating organization you check as invariably the USA doesn't make it to the top 10, which is taken by New Zealand and European countries.
The Us is actually NOT even regarded as a "Fully democracy" it's regarded as a "Democracy with remarks". Germany is ranked 12th in the world, and the Us only 29th in Democracy Index 2023. My own country is in 4th place (Sweden) and in the top we have Norway.
Hi Jay! I was wondering, if you might give an insight into the experience of living along foreign cultures. It seems, that Germany starts to resent their foreigners. Every 6th German is of foreign heritage, Germany took in more than a million refugees in the last 10 years, Germany experiences a rise of far right ideology and nationalist powers gain ground in rural areas. I always wondered, how the US managed to switch from the individual difference (religion, culture, etc) to a broader narrative that everyone can be patriotic and an American. Here in Germany, we seem to make a clear distinction. If you are caucasian, Christian (doesn`t matter which convent), value classic german traits (punctual, a little reserved, driven, focused), then you won`t be percieved as a "foreigner". All others are more or less "tolerated" but will never really be: a "German". I fear, that we are on a downward spiral towards a shut - down society and media is propelling these problems between groups out of proportion. I`m not left nor right - basicly humanist, but as a society, I`m afraid, that we will end up in a deep rooted hatred of others. I think Germans have the capability of becoming an aggressive nation (just watch, what the right is doing now and multiply it by 1000) and that`s why we need a little hint from nations, that overcame these problems. So Jay, how did America do it?
I think you got the basic difference, but it goes beyond the law. German society wants to embrace you, both in a good and a bad way. The bad way is that it limits how much it limits you from being the odd one out; not that you cannot be legally, but you'd be socially isolated. I moved to the UK which is sort of a half-way point between the US and Germany, with less of a community spirit than Germany but more accepting of excentricity.
I think our American freedom is now becoming just neglect. Yes, the roots are maybe that wild west mentality, but with so much of that purely in our history, not the present, and where the present feels like we're out of control, where is your safety? How can you truly be free when you're actually and literally not safe except for how you can have a buffer between you and danger which in the USA means money. Money is your buffer and you better have it or else. You don't matter except in that your purse and your consumerism matters.
02:42 That's what I dislike about many U.S. Americans: Know a lot of legends, but no real history. Public debate did not become obsessed about the 2nd Amendment before the 1970s. It was a White reaction to the Civil Rights Movement. Same background before the Civil War: the Slave Patrols. After the Civil War, during the Reconstruction: the State militias (State rights!). The 2nd Amendment has absolutely nothing to do with being afraid of foreign rule or aggression. 04:39 Here in Europe, freedom is more considered like a societal compromise: Everybody has to give up some freedom, so everybody can have more of it. Nevertheless, the degree of protection of the individual's rights is a good marker for the degree of freedom within a society as a whole.
Basically contains much truth. However, people and feelings and their individuality etc. is soooooo incredibly varied that it must be taken with a huge grain of salt. That is where people on both sides of the pond fail to get close to comprehension of the other’s basic cultural similarities/differences. (Many of my own close American friends cannot comprehend that Germans aren’t all one homogenized group of likeminded people.) The world is complicated. 😉
I think I will give it one more try before I leave: I do not see the point of comparing a COUNTRY with a CONTINENT, that contains 40+ countries. Others are free to try to make such a comparison, but for my own part I do not see the point. I have been living my whole life in Denmark and have very limited personal experiences with the level of freedom in other countries. The multitude of informations that have been available for me in my lifetime, sugggest that the most relevant measuring sticks for Danish freedom are the other Nordic countries. I am very open for inspiration from other countries in Europe and other continents. USA is not high on my priority list.
USA freedom is much more related to individuals. It's your right to speak, your personal protection, your car, your house, your land (do what you want with it) within the law. VC rich. faith in you. Europe freedom is related to the state, public space, public roads, parks, organized civil society, tons of social rules, laws, regulations. In Germany, for example, you pay a fee and declare your pet to the city. rich state, faith in the state. I personally prefer to have faith in myself. but it doesn't work for everyone, crime is much higher in the USA.
Yes, the USA is still, socially, a frontier. The lone home steader, reliant on non and responsible to themself. Europe is based on the village, all mutually interdependent.
I watch a lot the crimge comtent called the 1st amendment auditors or just frauditors where they film people in public and They to get a reaction. They call themselve activists but it's all about clicks and views. In most of European countries this is illegal because of the right to your own image, I am very glad have that😊. Also drinking in public is allowed. I don't drink but i never got that why this is not allowed in the US. Are you a native American btw? Greetings from Switzerland!✌️
May be this culture differences are very old. In Europe we have about 2,5x more people than the USA and Europe is a bit smaller than the USA; because of that in Europe you have to be more oriented on society than in the USA. And the Founding Fathers: they didn't fit in in Europe; not because of facts but because of what they believed. So they chose the unknown (a very risky adventure) instead of complying and had to fight for their place in the USA.
I just hate this nation bashing. When I was young the us gave me everything I adored. Skateboarding, windsurfing, music, even chewing gum. I just wish we were friends.
All I know is that I left the US in 1965 for Germany and I have never missed what Americans call freedom. I can say without hesitation that the quality of life is far better in Europe than in the US and that is important to me.
@@thomassenbart No he sounds like someone that experienced both countries and found out that one is better than the other. You sound like someone that is ignorant!
@@Brozius2512 Well I lived for years in Germany, speak German and French and have a lot of experience across Europe and understand it well, so ignorance is not my problem, thanks. Perhaps my comment hit a little too close to reality, eh?
@@Brozius2512 Lying about what. Ich spreche Deutsche et je parle le francais aussi. I lived in Germany in Bremen in a little town called Schwanewede just outside of that large city. I was there for 2.5 years and have returned several times, since. The last one being last summer in Berlin, doing research on the German reaction and willingness to support Ukraine with arms and money. In France I have studies mostly in the south and have a lot of contacts there. And I've travelled around the continent though not everywhere. What exactly am I lying about?
I read the comments about the freedom of the individual beeing big in the us. But I may not end my pregnancy, i cannot drink beer in the park and I cannot lay nude at the beach...., what is the individuel freedom in the us except guns?
Ich kann mir im Museum die Venus von Willendorf anschauen oder den David von Michelangelo usw! In den USA aus den Schulbüchern verbannt! Dafü haben die USA die höchste Mutter-Kind Sterblichkeit der westlichen Welt! Auch eine Art von Freiheit!
The only people who think freedom is gun ownership are Americans… Some European and Scandinavian have more gun freedom than others but are still regulated. We do however have much more freedom to roam through farm land and open areas whilst not being shot at by an irate land owner. The thought of being able to shoot a trespasser dead just because he is in your back garden is abhorrent to civilised people.
I'd take European freedom to get support to succeed over American freedom to get exploited by whomever that has more money or power than you any time of the week.
As a German living in the U.S. I definitely feel I had more freedom in Germany. My U. S. husband who lived in Germany for 30 years says the same. Healthcare, no gun violence, women’s rights are one of the main issues.
Everyone has healthcare in the US as well. Women don't or should not have a right to kill their unborn children. However, the law in Germany is more restrictive v. abortion than in many US states, where you can kill up to the moment of birth. Gun violence is hardly ubiquitous in the US. The view you have sounds like something from Hollywood.
@@thomassenbart Stop lying! there 27.1 million US citizens that don't have health insurance. Also you have the most medical bankruptcies in the world, over 100 million US citizens are in medical debt, the US has the highest educational debt in the world, the US has the highest adult incarceration rate in the world, Only fascist don't want women to have the choice what they do with their own bodies. You literally have the most school shootings in the world, this year alone there were 83 school shootings in the US (source- - US government website).
@alexandergutfeldt1144 Almost four million Americans are in prison, in jail, or otherwise incarcerated, or detained. That's more than Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea combined.
That ranking is quite subjective and consistently ranks Scandinavian nations in the top tier, despite crushing taxes and massive bureaucracies. It tends to be a "woke' index more than an objective indicator of actual liberty.
@@thomassenbart 1% of your adults is in prison (most in the world), so statistically, in the land of the free, you have the least amount of free people in the world
@@Brozius2512 They are in prison because they are criminals. That is a problem. With freedom comes responsibility and consequences. I don't think it a good idea to punish the 99% for the crimes of the 1%. You are not advocating for eliminating liberty are you?
@@thomassenbart There are something between 190ish and 250ish countries in the world. Most of them I know almost nothing about. USA is not one of those that I feel highly motivated to learn more about.
@TroelsNybo1st Strange given the dominance of US power, technology, wealth and culture, you would think a person with a modicum of intellectual curiosity would be so motivated.
@@thomassenbart It may come as a shock for you, but I live in a nation which had a well established identity, centuries before Leif Eriksson discovered Vinland. We have received cultural inputs from many sources, and we have a strong tradition of freedom. We do not tend to be impressed by dominance.
Not a shock at all, I'm well aware of the history. Though I might quibble about having national identity during the Middle Ages. A tribal identity or clan identity sure but not a national one, given none of these states even existed at the time. The Kingdom of Cnut or Harald Hardrada or others is not the same as a nation-state and the identity that flows from that. I also question the tradition of freedom assertion. Scandinavians/Vikings were ruled by Jarls, Kings, Chieftan's etc...and liberty was quite restricted by these, though I suppose you can argue relatively the Scandinavians were less servile than other Europeans. Certainly, since the 20th century and the acceptance of democracy has created a very strong tradition of liberty within these societies. As for being impressed by dominance. I think this a demonstrably false statement. If we go back to WWII, what do we find? Every Scandinavian nation was dominated by the Nazi regime. Denmark was conquered without firing a shot, Norway fell via invasion and aid internally from Quisling, Finland was an actual ally, and Sweden, though neutral supplied vital iron ore and trade to Germany throughout and was quite pro-German. So, all were impressed by the dominance of Hitler's Germany. During the Cold War, what happened? Finland was forced into neutrality under the shadow of the USSR. Norway and Denmark joined NATO and Sweden remained neutral but skewed West. All of these arrangements were made due to the dominance of the two superpowers. How about currently? Well Sweden and Finland both recently joined NATO, why? Because they seek to avoid the dominance of Russia and prefer the dominance of the USA. I don't think your last statement is correct at all but I appreciate the bravado.
I've lived in a bunch of countries over the last 25 years, including 5 in the US on top of many other visits there over a 25 yr period. What I've noticed about many Americans' comparisons of life in other countries, is that the comparison seems to be based on what the world was like 200+ years ago, where the British Empire was pervasive, and the US was one of the few democracies. There's an implicit assumption that the rest of the world has never moved on, or exists only in relation to the US.
Dumb comment. You don't know the world apparently or during your visits never bothered to gain a real understanding of what is going on in the world. I suggest watching a bit more news.
@@mike-williams I did not use name calling. I spoke about the comment(s) not you as a human. Your original comment was dumb and second was ignorant. I don't assume you are either in general. Here is the substance. The average American has no idea what the world was like 200 years ago because we don't teach history anymore in school, so, it is strange to say this is their worldview. No one believes or knows anything about the British Empire or thinks it continues. I don't know how you came to this conclusion. Everyone knows that Western Europe is democratic but knows very little about Eastern Europe. Most of the rest of the world is not governed by democracies, so your criticism that the world has moved on is incorrect. If anything, democracy has peaked and now is under assault across the planet. The world does exist in relation to the USA, not solely but close. The US dominates the world in almost every domain. That is why everyone you meet around the world knows so much about the US and its politics and social scene. Even if this understanding is somewhat superficial and packaged, it is considerably more than any American knows about those countries. So, I think your analysis is wrong across the board.
You say that the guns are essential to the USA because you had two wars. Europe has had a few more than that. We have wars that lasted 100 years. Overthrowing governments happens so often that you learn only the most important ones. So if anything, Europeans should want to have guns to form a militia and to defend themselves against their government. But that is not the case. So why is it the case for the US? Correlation is not causation.
Well, the USA and the right to bear arms and to insult other people and then invoke the 1st Amendment is not 'freedom' for me. It is an expression of arrogance and an inflated ego. Both, the weapon and the 1st Amendment (with restriction of course) are a sign of paranoia and lack of respect. Here in Germany, I have no problems with my rights, only with the excessive bureaucracy.
Apart from the fact that that was a very sensible way to handle the pandemic at that time, many, many countries practised far more rigorous rules than Germany ever did. All distance rules were implanted temporarily, our freedom was taken away for a short time to give it back to us as soon as possible. And we got it back. So what exactly are you getting excited about?
Land of the free-ish seems to have quite large incarcerated population. Fifth after El Salvador, Cuba, Rwanda and Turkmenistan. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate Germany is 178. and my Finland 198.
I believe Western Europe is a great place to live and bring up a family. People pay high taxes but they get a lot in return. Here in Austria up to two years (payed) maternity leave, mostly free healthcare, a guaranteed old age pension once you retire, it depending on how much you earned over the years, almost free medicine, free access to universities (no crippeling student loans for useless degrees), young children being able to walk to school savely..... I could go on and on. No society is perfect. People have it good here in Austria, many just don't appreciate it for lack of a wider perspective
Someone defined US freedom as "freedom TO ... do something, express yourself, whatever" and European freedom as "freedom FROM ... being oppressed, from surveillance, having to worry whether you can afford to see a doctor or not, whatever".
I've also used that definition after I stumbled across it a few years ago. I liked it a lot.
Obviously an American nitpicking wisea$$ decided that the USA has exactly the same freedoms by formulating the sentence in a negative. Like "I have the freedom not to be oppressed by my government." At which point I decided to quit discussing the point with him as he obviously doesn't understand the difference of freedom to and freedom from. There is a principle behind the freedom to which includes specific actions, vs a freedom from which covers an entire spectrum of negative actions.
This "Freedom From" does not just apply to European countries, but also, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and many others.
The children in all these countries enjoy FREEDOM from being shot at school.
This actually nails it pretty much !
As a kid i adored the States. As a grown up, i am SO lucky to not being born there...
Well, that person never lived in Europe then because the entire continent constantly surveils its citizens. Freedom of speech is absent with all the hate laws, and seeing a doctor depends heavily on which European state you live in and for what procedure. You may die before you get some of them due to rationing. The US does not have that problem. You can always get medical care. If you are destitute, it is free by law, you cannot be turned away at emergency depts. A significant majority of Americans express satisfaction with their primary care doctors. A 2023 MDVIP/Ipsos poll found that 70% are extremely or very satisfied with their primary care physician.
IPSOS. A 2010 study published in the National Institutes of Health reported that 84% to 93% of Americans expressed satisfaction with their own personal medical care.
@@twinmama42 Yes, I have heard this. It does seem to sum up the difference.
I think you expressed this perfectly well. Europe is more: "My freedom has its limits, where it infringes on the freedom of others" No society is perfect and there are always upsides and downsides on each, but I do by far prefer our seemingly more regulated freedom.
As a German, I truly do not miss the "freedom" to get shot by my neighbour for accidentally stepping a toe on his lawn. But I also see an issue with our insane bureaucracy that, in parts, seems to be a means to its own preservation and nothing more. Germany is a good place to live, one of the best that currently exist, I think, but it still needs reforms to become even better and remove the sand from the gears.
As a Dutch man... the German bureaucracy is legendary in the rest of Europe. All Europeans make fun of it.
My dad spent more than 2 years "Arbeitseinsatz" during WW2 in Chemnitz. So living in Germany, first 1 1/2 year boarding in a German family, the last period in a barrack on the factory premises. He had stories about that bureaucracy for every part he fabricated. I did and internship at Siemens Medical in Amsterdam in the 1970's... everything German bureaucracy. My wife was the Betriebsleiterin of a Schlecker pharmacy shop in The Netherlands... she spent more time on her (paper)administration as on the shop. Yes Germany is an exception and can improve a lot on that. The Netherlands is sometimes close to Germany on bureaucracy, but is improving.
On the other hand Germanies past has led Europe to the present state of human life with the absence of certain horrible registrations the Nazi's used, but the US still daily uses!... like official registrations of race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political affiliation and religion. In Europe politicians don't have that data anymore, so they only are able to decide about "people".
Our bureaucracy, or lets say, the rules and regulations, are not the issue IMO, or at least not mainly.
Whats more important is its speed (1), the interconnectivity between public offices (2) and an education of the general public in the German bureaucracy (3).
Really hyperbolic comment. You were never threatened to be shot for stepping on someone's lawn. The chance of getting shot in the USA is quite a bit higher than in Germany for sure but it is still only 23/100,000 with a 4.5/100,000 of being killed by a firearm. So, there is realistically almost no chance this will happen to you if you live your entire life in the USA. Half of all homicides in the USA are black on black, meaning 6% of the population (black men) commit half of all murders or shootings. So, if you are not living in black neighborhoods the stats soar in your favor. You might get mowed down by an angry motorist, however (Magdeburg).
Germany is beautiful but is very heavily regulated in most aspects of life that is not the case in the USA, from noise on Sundays to hours your business can be open let alone firing an employee. It is a very restrictive country by comparison.
@@dikkiedik53 The US does not mandate color registration, I don't know where you got that from? Race is on some govt. forms (they used it for hiring, affirmative action) and medical forms due to census data and peculiar conditions for various groups but you can check other or not reply, ethnicity is the country you hail from. If you are a citizen, you are American. Also, you can check other in that category as well. Ethnic questions would only be found on census data and applications for govt. jobs or some big company jobs, university applications, that use affirmative action preferences. Sexual orientation is not asked on any form I have ever encountered. Political affiliation is also not requested on any form except to register officially with a given party to participate in their internal politics and voting. Religion is also not asked except for census data.
Your information is wrong, and I don't know how you came by it. Most of the areas you listed are federally protected status of identity and legally cannot be used to discriminate against. If you ask these questions for example during a job interview, you could easily be sued.
Your chances of being shot in the USA are very low, though admittedly much higher than in Europe. Still, at the end of the day, you can live your entire life in the States with close to a zero-percentage chance of being shot. We are a continent with 335,000,000 people, you have to remember that. Also, no one is going to shoot you for stepping on his lawn. That example is ridiculous.
4.5 per 100,000 is your chance of death by firearm in the USA with a 2.5X chance of being shot so, 13 per 100,000 or so roughly and of course that is highly variable depending on where you live. Given 50% of all homicides are black on black killings and black folk constitute 13% of the pop. and 6.5% of these are men (doing all of the killing), if you don't live in a black neighborhood, you just slashed your chance by half. Further, if you don't live in a major metropolis with a lot of black folk you can further reduce your chances.
I'm from the Netherlands. For me, freedom is freedom from tyranny, freedom to be you who are, freedom of expression, freedom to critize the government, freedom to choose your path in life. I think these freedoms in Europe have boundaries and are not absolute and total. In my opinion that's fine, as long as the boundaries are fair and reasonable and benefit all of us. I think Americans believe more in absolute freedom, no restrictions to your freedom. This may seem more beneficial but it may come at the cost of someone else's freedom or security. In Europe freedom is more of a balance. It's a matter of perspective, to an American this may seem less free or not totally free, but total absolute freedom is not the end goal. The end goal is the happiness of the people. Freedom with some restrictions, but a more livable society is preferable IMO.
There is a saying that one's own freedom ends where it affects the freedom of others. My impression is that in the USA it's about how far I can extend my own freedom until the other person can no longer tolerate the restrictions on their own freedom. I think it's good if the state partly defines these limits and thus protects those who can't defend themselves.
In practise the freedom to in the USA is dependent on your bank balance.
Someone old in my country, the Netherlands, who experienced World War 2 said this: You have to been occupied to appreciate what freedom really means!
The freedom one has in Europe is to not be afraid of some powerful entity (enterprise, boss, government, landlord, ...) to take advantage of you at their own will.
You can basically live your life in peace, free of existential worries.
That's what the majority of regulations are for: avoid exploitation of land and people and to protect those that don't have the (financial or political) power to protect themself -- which for the most part applies to the proverbial 99% of every people in virtually any country.
This includes the USA where exploitation of _anything_ and _anyone_ is basically the norm and quasi expected behaviour.
The individualism preached in the USA is ultimately nothing more than the "god given" right to exploit others. A German proverb that expresses this behaviour: "Me first and after me the deluge."
USA freedom is much more related to individuals. It's your right to speak, your personal protection, your car, your house, your land (do what you want with it) within the law. VC rich. faith in you. Europe freedom is related to the state, public space, public roads, parks, organized civil society, tons of social rules, laws, regulations. In Germany, for example, you pay a fee and declare your pet to the city. rich state, faith in the state. I personally prefer to have faith in myself. but it doesn't work for everyone, crime is much higher in the USA.
I know americans who live in Switzerland, they all say the same thing, America is not as free as most people think. we have more freedom here in Europe than in our own country.
SO TRUE !
USA is 100x better than Switzerland and France lmao.
All Europeans want to live here.
Not correct.
Thomassenbart
Your comment needs some facts.
@@thomassenbart Depends on where you are in Europe. Otherwise it is for the most part true.
Freedoms I enjoy here: Protection against scammers, consumer protection. That does, practically not exist in the US, despite those big famous lawsuits against McD. If you get scammed for 10000$ then "you lost 10000$, your fault for trusting the wrong people in the US, you should have known". 10000$ loss by being scammed, even by big famous corporations, does not get prosecuted since the cost of such a lawsuit is way too high for normal people - unless you can combine with A LOT others affected.
So the definition for Europe is more like: Freedom from being scammed, being shot, be able to walk in the night in most part of Europe - even as a woman, freedom of Education (which means more equal chances for education, independent from parents money), freedom to actual neutral news enforced by our German constitution, freedom for your children so you can let them play outside unsupervised without fear..... Oh, and things like the social security of course....
What freedom do we have in common: Freedom of religion, freedom of travel, freedom to choose the field to work in, freedom to choose what to buy (former DDR as counter-example), Freedom of speech (With some differences I skip here), freedom to choose your life partner....
I live in the UK. I love the freedom to live without fear of being shot, without the fear of being placed in debt due to medical bills, without the politics of fear. I love the feeling of security afforded by a society that works for everyone. A society that alleviates basic levels of fear. Unfortunately our politics, from the right, is trying to take on the American traits of creating fear to control the way people think. They aren’t as successful as American right wing politics at this. The British public is less gullible than The US public. The US has had its brains scrambled by its subservience to religion. Thinking in religious ways leads one to believe things without questioning them.
One of the most succinct and aware comments on how things stand in the Uk that I have read vs the US that I have read. Thanks
Your freedom should not harm others/lessen their freedom. Maybe that's the difference?
You, saying that, with this "exterminate" avatar :D
one man's freedom ends where another man's freedom begins
@@LCTesla Not precise enough: One humans freedom to do anything ends when it endangers other humans.
The difference US vs Europe is, very simplified "freedom to" vs "freedom from". Like freedom from being afraid to be shot any time outside of your home, let alone inside your home, by anyone with a bad mood. For women the freedom to walk outside, even at night, almost everywhere. For parents freedom from having to helicopter-protect their children 24/7 since the country prefers "freedom to do anything for every individual" over protection of the general population, especially one that cannot afford protection.
In the US , there is a limited sense of freedom TO do things, whether it’s to bear arms, open carry a gun, start a business with little (relatively speaking), fire an employee at will, buy food that hasn’t been vetted for any dangerous chemicals and additives. In Europe, there is largely freedom FROM socio-economic insecurity, dangerous situations with armed persons, fear of not getting medical treatment due to finances, losing one’s job and health insurance, worry about childcare costs, higher education costs which pose significant financial hardship. And that freedom FROM those things create a sense of safety and overall well-being. In the US, freedom TO do and have certain things may create an opposite feeling of insecurity, chaos and a paralysis of choice if not channeled well.
@@AureliePoulain Freedom from automatically leads to freedom to. Freedoom to only leads to freedom from, if you use your freedom to make money.
@@Julia-RichterI don‘t think your assumption is true. „Freedom from“ fearing drive-by shootings, school shootings, road rage or similar hitting me - which is usually taken as granted - does NOT translate to „freedom to…“ what? Bear arms? That is actually in essence the opposite.
I've taught civics/politics and ethical education - a substitute subject for religious aka Catholic or Protestant education - for decades here in Germany.
One of my fundamental principles was and still is:
My freedom ends where yours begins . And I fully agree with the European definition of freedom FROM compared to the US American idea of freedom OF !
Happy Holidays, dear Jay and Stephan, whatever you might celebrate ! 😊🌈
Then you are a Socialist and favor the welfare state, I guess. You should definitely stay in Europe as it implodes around you.
You are right - it's difficult to put into words. I'm a retired working-class American woman who has lived in The Netherlands for 4 years. Day to day life is similar to my US life. But the stress is much less here. The social system protects most people here from many of the anxieties that Americans live with all the time. A much better quality of life in the EU.
I feel like in America you are on your own. It's survival of the fittest.
Americans are very good at selling themselves. No offence folks, you just see yourselves as a whole bigger and better and often for no reason. Rather I am glad to see a few smartest, brightest Americans like Jay and others who think differently. Kudos to you Jay.
@@dandac3648 you're right, yet I'll add the US teaches us propaganda starting at a very young age, and it never stops. It takes a great deal of effort to break free of the US mindset, even for someone who gets a glimpse of life elsewhere, and can be near impossible for the poor.
Well demonstrably the USA is a lot bigger across the board and often a lot better as well, though it depends on what is being compared to. There are definitely reasons for that way of thought even if ignorant people cannot express them.
@@thomassenbart What reasons? How is the USA often a lot better?
@@v.j447 Well, jobs in general pay considerably more than in Europe. Taxes are much less than in Europe. Housing is bigger and cheaper. Energy is cheaper. There is quite a bit more opportunity if you are willing to apply yourself and society is friendly towards businesses and entrepreneurialism and does not view these as feudal leftovers.
Each state offers unique advantages depending on one's tastes so if you are willing to move you can almost always improve you state in life.
Overall, there are just more options in the USA, convenience and efficiency are prized as opposed to the 'that is impossible' mantra one often encounters in Europe. We are geared towards the individual so if you are individualistic as opposed to being a member of the herd and security focused, the USA is much more amenable for you.
These are a few of the myriad advantages to life in the USA.
@@thomassenbart Ahhh... the exceptionalism that comes before the fall.
Makes totally sense what you say. And I could listen to you for hours, I love your calm and smooth voice.
Thank you I😀
As a German, I say thank you for this differentiated view and portrayal of freedom from the perspective of a US citizen living in Europe.
Another youtuber said in the USA it is freefom to in (most of) europe it is freedom from
Thats it !!!
Ooo. I really like your observations. Consider that 'freedom' is not a concrete term. The definition is so amorphous that has a wide variety of semantic meaning in any context. I do like the way you have defined it for us here. I think in the U.S. we put so much emphasis on individual freedom and the fear that we might somehow loose it, that we neglect the lack of regulation given to non-dying sociopathic individuals known as corporations.
Freedom's just another word, for nothing left to lose... _Janis Joplin_
"Workin' for the Yankee dollar"
"Freedom is worth nothing but it`s free" Chris Christofferson, not Janis J, dear Misophist.
@@gluteusmaximus1657 The only freedom we can find is by following Jesus (The Bible=God's word) 😇🙏❤!
Governmental protecting regulations and securing the public order for the common / collective good is the duty of a country that cares for the well-being of all its citizens.
I have found Germans obsessed with regulations and seeing that other people obey the regulations.
I cycled through Germany some years ago, and I have never been spoken to as much anywhere else as to where I could or couldn't cycle.
In most other countries, people don't bother what others do, but not in Germany. There might be just as many regulations in other countries, but it doesn't feel that way when people are not obsessed with them.
In my opinion, your bicycle example does not work. Try riding your bike in the USA. Drivers will very quickly show you where not to ride. That's also the reason why nobody rides a bike except for exercise.
Are you from one of the Scandinavian countries? Your name speaks for it. Germany is much more densely populated than the countries in the north. That's why rules are needed among road users here.
years ago there were plans to privatize waterworks etc.. How good this idea works can be seen in the USA. Daseinsvorsorge (service for the public) should never be driven by aspects of earning money.
The only freedom we can find is by following Jesus 😇🙏❤!
Americas' motto is Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Canadas' is Peace, Order and Good Government.
But Canada has given up all three.
@@thomassenbart Got anything factual to back up that claim?
@@michaeldowson6988 Well, the trucker movement last year put a lie to all three I would say by itself. Trudeau is making a disaster of the nation. The value of the currency has plummeted with his popularity and his authoritarian tendencies are behind much of this. When he is replaced by Poilievre, things should return to normal but until then...
You can often get the true meaning of a debate by taking the words 'freedom', 'liberty', or 'rights' and replacing them with the word 'power'.
A free society is a balanced society. in a free society no person or individual has too much power and no one has too little. This, of course, makes a lot of people unhappy because they want more power than they need.
It's always about power.
"A free society is a balanced society."
Well said. Balance is key to life.
“You are only free as your purchasing power will allow you to be.”
- Peter Joseph
Wealthy people have more freedom than less wealthy people. This freedom also represents an imbalance of power that allows the rich to take advantage of poor people. In my opinion, the state has a duty here to pass laws (employee laws, consumer protection laws, etc.) that protect the poorer population.
You managed a great explanation for a highly complex issue. Two freedom related things that we have in Europe compared to the US is at least some protection from exploitation, the laws, rules and their enforcement never can cover everithing, but at least there is an effort and most people do not appreciate what is accomplished through them, they can only see where they fail. One of the laws everyone seems to hate and that can be at time annoying are the data protection laws in Europe, yes they often annoy me too, but I am VERY happy we have them, when I see what is done with personal data in some countries around the world, including the US.
After listening to your interesting thoughts I remember a saying from Immanuel Kant: "My freedom ends where others' freedom begins."
The idea that "my freedom ends where yours begins" is a fundamental principle that lies at the heart of a harmonious and just society. This concept expresses the understanding that while individuals have the right to exercise their freedoms, those freedoms must not infringe on the rights and freedoms of others.
The extreme individualism in the USA that you speak of, and which is unfortunately also becoming more and more widespread here in Germany, is essentially destroying the freedom of the weaker. Only the law of the strongest/richer applies. Trump and Musk and their ilk are making this clearer to us.
Your unease is palpable in this video, but you continued, I tip my cap to you for making this. I used to give talks with others at a prison in the city near where I live, we have disabilities and spoke about lack of life choices because of this, many people in prison are there through lack of choices in life and this helped us to relate to one another (not everyone of course), what we expect in life is often decided before we are born and as you said about the differences between the US and Europe and how that affects how each country thinks of what freedom is. Being disabled my choices are different from someone without a disability, so Europe is better for me than the US world be, but it's not perfect of course, nowhere is, but I like that, it means that I have to try harder, but I also have to rely on others when I would like to be able to do things for myself, but these things are sent to try us "no, I don't believe in a god" I'm not knocking it, it's just not for me. I think that it was brave of you to post this video, thank you :)
These are interesting views, and as a german who feels more and more pressure from all those regulations it´s really interesting to hear it.
The right to bear arms is in my view not a big discuss in germany - mostly it´s something the few gun owners in germany talk about. But I think it´s quite essential for self responsibility.
What is even more important is the 1st Ammendment, wich I know is under attack in the US too, but in Europe and especially in Germany the extent of restrictions and repressions especially for criticising politicians goes over the edge. This is the first of your videos I watched, so I don´t know if you follow those developments.
You say in the US everything is based on the goal to make profit. Yes, that´s capitalism. That´s not a bad thing, because you can only make profit (in honest ways) if you use ressources you have or you buy and create some values for others that are worth more to them than what you spent for those ressources. So the profit someone makes is a direct indication for the values he creates for society.
I think freedom must be individual, because collective "freedom" or the "collective good" was always the excuse for totalitarian regimes, and especially germany has had horrible experiences with this. It might look nice as long as you share the views of the majority or the political narrative, but once you disagree you are a thread to the "collective greater goal" and you are the enemy of society. Then, everything is OK to fight you. There is no such thing as collective freedom. There´s no freedom without responsibility. But there´s a collective rejection of self responsibility.
Oh, and - freedom doesn´t mean one can do whatever he wants. Freedom means everyone can do whatever he wants without to cause any harm to others, responsible fot what he does and taking the consequences for his own actions, and most of all it means to endure the freedom of others.
I really like your definition of freedom and your explanation. I think the biggest difference for me is that most new development in Europe is regulated to death before it even exist. So if you are someone who sees cultural change you feel really kept on bay in Europe. I mean in the end it does not make a big different that you get shot or got run down as a cyclist by another SUV.
That woman had never heard of Home Owners Associations!!! And she did not know about healthcare made in USA.
You can´t get the sunshine without the shade - That´s how it works. But import is, that personel feedom is not only running with a big wallet and a social status. Money makes the world go around, that´s a fact but how deep the influence in a society is and the daily life is the most important factor for me.
European freedom is all about being protected by the state.
I won't say there's no paranoia here, but the US is at another level.
Of course we're all socialists in the eyes of Americans, but I prefer that over fearing everything.
Yet they expect "Social Security"
Because you want to be taken care of. Americans want to take care of themselves. The US is not paranoid, we know the dangers of govt. because we watched Europe get devoured twice during the 20th century and we are watching the same happen in Ukraine now. Europe is becoming more authoritarian all the time. Hate speech laws, bureaucracy and inefficiency stifle everything and the continent is poor and getting poorer all the time. Europe has the most beautiful cities in the world but its demographics are collapsing and with it the welfare state.
@thomassenbart
Hold on, I paid all the 47 years that I worked for that social security.
And you know that a part of the population, for whatever reason, hasn't been able to, or simply couldn't.
I find it unacceptable that someone gets as rich as musk, who yet pays some of his workforce so little that they need a second job just to survive.
About democracy in the western world, to say it is tested, is definitely an understatement.
Unfortunately, a part of the population does not understand that with all the freedom we have also comes a lot of responsibility and accountability.
@@thomassenbartWe will soon find out, if being ruled by money is better for democracy, freedom and peace.
Like your view! You put a lot of thought in it, i like that!
Freedom is regulated in every country but in different ways. Some would prefer the european "freedom" like hea,thcare, free education, communit. Work ( Ehrenamt), some will prefer the 'freedom' the US provides.
So people can choose, at least some can, what fits them best.
Both the USA and Germany enable a certain type and degree of freedom in the sense of possibilities of individual choices. Sometimes freedom is confused with egotism, but if you live as part of a group (relationship, family, neighbourhood, city, state, country, world) it’s probably sensible to come to certain types of arrangements that govern a way of living together. At the end of the day there’s only so much space or means that enable an individual to separate itself and the mutual consequences of everyone’s actions. Since there’s no planet B we are sitting in the same boat.
Someone described the difference between europe ans US like this: in the US, you are free TO do things. You are free to bear arms. You are free to choose your religion. You are free to a lot of things.
Here in europe, we want freedom FROM things: we are free from death because we cannot afford medicine. We are free from religious opression. We are free from things.
Not sure where I heard it, but the way that made the most sense is that in the US you have the Freedom TO DO things, whereas in Europe you have the freedom FROM things. The freedom to own guns vs the freedom from gun violence.
So, the equation is Freedom from versus to.
Freedom from is reactive and thus reactionary, because it needs existing conditions to safeguard from.
Frredom to is proactive and thus activist, since it leaves open the universe of things to aspire to.
I live my life in the 'Freedom To' mode because I was getting tired and annoyed of the reactionary mindset of the other option.
Oh, and my favorite variation of the 2nd amendment deals with: The Right to Arm Bears.
I like the new back ground and the shirt is also a huuuuuge improvement.
The right to carry arms was created in a time, an elite soldier could fire 2 shoot per minute, with doubtful precision, the colt was not invented. Had the founding fathers any idea of automatics or MPs, they never had allowed it
Please tell this Lady about HOAs and that they can take away Your house if You use the wrong color, NO TRESPASSING vs freedom to move
Or tell them my question, I use to silence US citizens
After a 60 hours week, no holidays, at what days do You make use of Your freedom?
Nope, you don't understand history not the basic concept behind the 2nd amendment. A well-trained marksman could load at the rate of 2-3 balls per minute. Not an elite soldier. The 2nd amendment was kept all during the evolution of firearms including the age of dueling and shootouts. The FF fathers knew about cannon, which fired canister shot at point blank range. The problem you are referring to is brand new and not really related to automatic or semi-automatic weapons which have been available since the 19th century. The purpose of the 2nd is primarily to guard against tyrannical govt. So that the common man can rise up, as happened during the Revolution. The FF would have very much favored the 2A in the modern day as most Americans still do.
No, HOAs cannot take away your home if it is the wrong color. At most, you would be fined, and these laws exist all over Germany, to a much greater extent.
Trespassing on private land is not an infringement of your rights but guarding another's property right.
Very few people work 60 hrs a week unless they want to. Everyone gets holidays off or is paid an extra 150-200%. You don't know what you are talking about. Also, the average European is simply poor with a few exceptions Norway, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Everywhere else people are considerably poorer than the median American. So, when you get 4-6 weeks of vacation, most people cannot afford to go anywhere or do anything but sit at home. And Europe is getting poorer each year v. the USA, the trend is accelerating. Currently, the median income in Europe is 2/3 of the USA, W. Europe, and Eastern Europe is vastly worse off. The welfare state is collapsing in Europe and everywhere actually as your demographics do likewise. Your prosperity was largely based upon free access to the US market and sponging off of US defense. That is going away. Time to grow up.
@@thomassenbart Nice MAGA propaganda, where do the US homeless come from, the trailer parks, the abysmal school system, pregnant teenagers, women dying because they lost the right of abortion (in many states), opioid crisis, gun violence, the laughable health care system.
I agree that in the US You have a chance to get rich but the majority is sinking, and yes, this is true everywhere , but not as massive as in the US.
@@thomassenbart I tried to answer but censorship is growing here.
@@RickTheClipper It is, I have found the same
Interesting. In Sweden the concept of "freedom" is very much based on freedom from opression, at least that is what our constitution states.
Very good analysis.
toll erklärt 😀👍👍
A really interesting video, not a country to be poor in. Nice people.
We share this issue: People are taxed *before* income payouts, without writing off expenses. Corporations (even small ones) are taxed on what they have left, *after* any and all expenses.
VAT or sales tax - same issue, on the spending side. Capital, debts, savings, credit creation, ownerships, balance sheet - you get the point…
This legal asymmetry makes _any_ «political discussion» on taxation AND invoices/bills totally moot.
Why do voters (people, companies can’t vote) accept economic obfuscation through this huge legislative discrimination? Whose «freedom» is this…? 😊
So... your background is basically off-white? Is it woodchip wallpaper or just plain?
Baguette bound said it great: we pay more taxed here in france and ww love it. We get the freedom of not going broke from kids education and medical bills. They got the freedom to be human and living their version of their version of the American dream in Europe. Happy they found their place. I found it incredibly cheap Thailand 🙏
imo the French said is best: liberte, fraternite, egalite: liberty, brotherhood AND equality. equally important principles
Hey Jay , do you still live in Palm Springs
i live in germany and we have these glass-containers (as we call them) on every block.
Thanks for pointing out the differences so respectful. Nevertheless, I prefer living in Europe
Americans confuse lack of responsibility for freedom
I saw another TH-camr describe it as, America see freedom as the right TO do something, eg. carry guns, while everyone else sees freedom as freedom FROM something, eg. poverty, sickness etc.
Shame you didn't check on the ratings( world) on Personal freedom. It doesn't matter which rating organization you check as invariably the USA doesn't make it to the top 10, which is taken by New Zealand and European countries.
The Us is actually NOT even regarded as a "Fully democracy" it's regarded as a "Democracy with remarks". Germany is ranked 12th in the world, and the Us only 29th in Democracy Index 2023. My own country is in 4th place (Sweden) and in the top we have Norway.
Hi Jay! I was wondering, if you might give an insight into the experience of living along foreign cultures. It seems, that Germany starts to resent their foreigners. Every 6th German is of foreign heritage, Germany took in more than a million refugees in the last 10 years, Germany experiences a rise of far right ideology and nationalist powers gain ground in rural areas. I always wondered, how the US managed to switch from the individual difference (religion, culture, etc) to a broader narrative that everyone can be patriotic and an American. Here in Germany, we seem to make a clear distinction. If you are caucasian, Christian (doesn`t matter which convent), value classic german traits (punctual, a little reserved, driven, focused), then you won`t be percieved as a "foreigner". All others are more or less "tolerated" but will never really be: a "German". I fear, that we are on a downward spiral towards a shut - down society and media is propelling these problems between groups out of proportion. I`m not left nor right - basicly humanist, but as a society, I`m afraid, that we will end up in a deep rooted hatred of others. I think Germans have the capability of becoming an aggressive nation (just watch, what the right is doing now and multiply it by 1000) and that`s why we need a little hint from nations, that overcame these problems. So Jay, how did America do it?
Instead of asking him why he came here she could ask herself why she doesn't go there. She may just be able to answer her own question.
Americans got Freedumb
I think you got the basic difference, but it goes beyond the law. German society wants to embrace you, both in a good and a bad way. The bad way is that it limits how much it limits you from being the odd one out; not that you cannot be legally, but you'd be socially isolated. I moved to the UK which is sort of a half-way point between the US and Germany, with less of a community spirit than Germany but more accepting of excentricity.
I think our American freedom is now becoming just neglect. Yes, the roots are maybe that wild west mentality, but with so much of that purely in our history, not the present, and where the present feels like we're out of control, where is your safety? How can you truly be free when you're actually and literally not safe except for how you can have a buffer between you and danger which in the USA means money. Money is your buffer and you better have it or else. You don't matter except in that your purse and your consumerism matters.
Dumb comment
02:42 That's what I dislike about many U.S. Americans: Know a lot of legends, but no real history. Public debate did not become obsessed about the 2nd Amendment before the 1970s. It was a White reaction to the Civil Rights Movement. Same background before the Civil War: the Slave Patrols. After the Civil War, during the Reconstruction: the State militias (State rights!). The 2nd Amendment has absolutely nothing to do with being afraid of foreign rule or aggression.
04:39 Here in Europe, freedom is more considered like a societal compromise: Everybody has to give up some freedom, so everybody can have more of it. Nevertheless, the degree of protection of the individual's rights is a good marker for the degree of freedom within a society as a whole.
Basically contains much truth.
However, people and feelings and their individuality etc. is soooooo incredibly varied that it must be taken with a huge grain of salt.
That is where people on both sides of the pond fail to get close to comprehension of the other’s basic cultural similarities/differences. (Many of my own close American friends cannot comprehend that Germans aren’t all one homogenized group of likeminded people.)
The world is complicated. 😉
I think I will give it one more try before I leave:
I do not see the point of comparing a COUNTRY with a CONTINENT, that contains 40+ countries. Others are free to try to make such a comparison, but for my own part I do not see the point.
I have been living my whole life in Denmark and have very limited personal experiences with the level of freedom in other countries. The multitude of informations that have been available for me in my lifetime, sugggest that the most relevant measuring sticks for Danish freedom are the other Nordic countries. I am very open for inspiration from other countries in Europe and other continents. USA is not high on my priority list.
Americans want "the freedom TO"(own a gun, make a business...) while Eurpeans want "the freedom FROM" (threads, stress...)
Individualism or collectivism ... Well, one you must first divide and then conquer, the other can be conquered directly.
USA freedom is much more related to individuals. It's your right to speak, your personal protection, your car, your house, your land (do what you want with it) within the law. VC rich. faith in you. Europe freedom is related to the state, public space, public roads, parks, organized civil society, tons of social rules, laws, regulations. In Germany, for example, you pay a fee and declare your pet to the city. rich state, faith in the state. I personally prefer to have faith in myself. but it doesn't work for everyone, crime is much higher in the USA.
May put forward, freedom in Germany is more John Nash and the USA is more Adam Smith.
Freedom is just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no-no
Janis Joplin
Yes, the USA is still, socially, a frontier. The lone home steader, reliant on non and responsible to themself. Europe is based on the village, all mutually interdependent.
I feel here in Europe we have freedom from whereas in the US there is freedom to!
I watch a lot the crimge comtent called the 1st amendment auditors or just frauditors where they film people in public and They to get a reaction. They call themselve activists but it's all about clicks and views. In most of European countries this is illegal because of the right to your own image, I am very glad have that😊. Also drinking in public is allowed. I don't drink but i never got that why this is not allowed in the US. Are you a native American btw?
Greetings from Switzerland!✌️
Britain has the same right to bear arms in their unwritten constitution bit it is never practised .
May be this culture differences are very old. In Europe we have about 2,5x more people than the USA and Europe is a bit smaller than the USA; because of that in Europe you have to be more oriented on society than in the USA. And the Founding Fathers: they didn't fit in in Europe; not because of facts but because of what they believed. So they chose the unknown (a very risky adventure) instead of complying and had to fight for their place in the USA.
The comparative to free is freer.
I just hate this nation bashing. When I was young the us gave me everything I adored. Skateboarding, windsurfing, music, even chewing gum. I just wish we were friends.
Read up on the Rhineland economic model
All I know is that I left the US in 1965 for Germany and I have never missed what Americans call freedom. I can say without hesitation that the quality of life is far better in Europe than in the US and that is important to me.
You sound like another socialist.
@@thomassenbart No he sounds like someone that experienced both countries and found out that one is better than the other.
You sound like someone that is ignorant!
@@Brozius2512 Well I lived for years in Germany, speak German and French and have a lot of experience across Europe and understand it well, so ignorance is not my problem, thanks.
Perhaps my comment hit a little too close to reality, eh?
@@thomassenbart You are clearly lying! It's sad that you need to do that just to have an argument!
@@Brozius2512 Lying about what. Ich spreche Deutsche et je parle le francais aussi. I lived in Germany in Bremen in a little town called Schwanewede just outside of that large city. I was there for 2.5 years and have returned several times, since. The last one being last summer in Berlin, doing research on the German reaction and willingness to support Ukraine with arms and money.
In France I have studies mostly in the south and have a lot of contacts there. And I've travelled around the continent though not everywhere.
What exactly am I lying about?
I read the comments about the freedom of the individual beeing big in the us. But I may not end my pregnancy, i cannot drink beer in the park and I cannot lay nude at the beach...., what is the individuel freedom in the us except guns?
Ich kann mir im Museum die Venus von Willendorf anschauen oder den David von Michelangelo usw!
In den USA aus den Schulbüchern verbannt!
Dafü haben die USA die höchste Mutter-Kind Sterblichkeit der westlichen Welt!
Auch eine Art von Freiheit!
The only people who think freedom is gun ownership are Americans…
Some European and Scandinavian have more gun freedom than others but are still regulated. We do however have much more freedom to roam through farm land and open areas whilst not being shot at by an irate land owner. The thought of being able to shoot a trespasser dead just because he is in your back garden is abhorrent to civilised people.
I'd take European freedom to get support to succeed over American freedom to get exploited by whomever that has more money or power than you any time of the week.
Kantian freedom versus egocentric freedom? Maybe?
As a German living in the U.S. I definitely feel I had more freedom in Germany. My U. S. husband who lived in Germany for 30 years says the same. Healthcare, no gun violence, women’s rights are one of the main issues.
Everyone has healthcare in the US as well. Women don't or should not have a right to kill their unborn children. However, the law in Germany is more restrictive v. abortion than in many US states, where you can kill up to the moment of birth. Gun violence is hardly ubiquitous in the US. The view you have sounds like something from Hollywood.
@@thomassenbart Stop lying! there 27.1 million US citizens that don't have health insurance. Also you have the most medical bankruptcies in the world, over 100 million US citizens are in medical debt, the US has the highest educational debt in the world, the US has the highest adult incarceration rate in the world,
Only fascist don't want women to have the choice what they do with their own bodies. You literally have the most school shootings in the world, this year alone there were 83 school shootings in the US (source- - US government website).
The US ranks 17th in the Global Freedom Index.
This video discusses different perceptions of freedom.
Freedom is not one-dimensional and hard to compare or quantify!
@alexandergutfeldt1144 Almost four million Americans are in prison, in jail, or otherwise incarcerated, or detained.
That's more than Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea combined.
That ranking is quite subjective and consistently ranks Scandinavian nations in the top tier, despite crushing taxes and massive bureaucracies. It tends to be a "woke' index more than an objective indicator of actual liberty.
@@thomassenbart 1% of your adults is in prison (most in the world), so statistically, in the land of the free, you have the least amount of free people in the world
@@Brozius2512 They are in prison because they are criminals. That is a problem. With freedom comes responsibility and consequences.
I don't think it a good idea to punish the 99% for the crimes of the 1%. You are not advocating for eliminating liberty are you?
As seen from my Danish village, there are several countries which are relevant comparisons for our level of personal freedom. USA is not one of them.
Probably because your knowledge of the USA is very limited or biased.
@@thomassenbart There are something between 190ish and 250ish countries in the world. Most of them I know almost nothing about. USA is not one of those that I feel highly motivated to learn more about.
@TroelsNybo1st Strange given the dominance of US power, technology, wealth and culture, you would think a person with a modicum of intellectual curiosity would be so motivated.
@@thomassenbart It may come as a shock for you, but I live in a nation which had a well established identity, centuries before Leif Eriksson discovered Vinland. We have received cultural inputs from many sources, and we have a strong tradition of freedom. We do not tend to be impressed by dominance.
Not a shock at all, I'm well aware of the history. Though I might quibble about having national identity during the Middle Ages. A tribal identity or clan identity sure but not a national one, given none of these states even existed at the time. The Kingdom of Cnut or Harald Hardrada or others is not the same as a nation-state and the identity that flows from that.
I also question the tradition of freedom assertion. Scandinavians/Vikings were ruled by Jarls, Kings, Chieftan's etc...and liberty was quite restricted by these, though I suppose you can argue relatively the Scandinavians were less servile than other Europeans. Certainly, since the 20th century and the acceptance of democracy has created a very strong tradition of liberty within these societies.
As for being impressed by dominance. I think this a demonstrably false statement. If we go back to WWII, what do we find? Every Scandinavian nation was dominated by the Nazi regime. Denmark was conquered without firing a shot, Norway fell via invasion and aid internally from Quisling, Finland was an actual ally, and Sweden, though neutral supplied vital iron ore and trade to Germany throughout and was quite pro-German. So, all were impressed by the dominance of Hitler's Germany.
During the Cold War, what happened? Finland was forced into neutrality under the shadow of the USSR. Norway and Denmark joined NATO and Sweden remained neutral but skewed West. All of these arrangements were made due to the dominance of the two superpowers.
How about currently? Well Sweden and Finland both recently joined NATO, why? Because they seek to avoid the dominance of Russia and prefer the dominance of the USA.
I don't think your last statement is correct at all but I appreciate the bravado.
I've lived in a bunch of countries over the last 25 years, including 5 in the US on top of many other visits there over a 25 yr period. What I've noticed about many Americans' comparisons of life in other countries, is that the comparison seems to be based on what the world was like 200+ years ago, where the British Empire was pervasive, and the US was one of the few democracies. There's an implicit assumption that the rest of the world has never moved on, or exists only in relation to the US.
Dumb comment. You don't know the world apparently or during your visits never bothered to gain a real understanding of what is going on in the world. I suggest watching a bit more news.
@@thomassenbart that bile was completely unilluminating.
@@mike-williams I thought the same of your comment. So ignorant.
@thomassenbart and yet you are unable to express any reasoning, just ad hominem attacks. You fail to elevate yourself beyond schoolyard name calling.
@@mike-williams I did not use name calling. I spoke about the comment(s) not you as a human. Your original comment was dumb and second was ignorant. I don't assume you are either in general.
Here is the substance.
The average American has no idea what the world was like 200 years ago because we don't teach history anymore in school, so, it is strange to say this is their worldview.
No one believes or knows anything about the British Empire or thinks it continues. I don't know how you came to this conclusion.
Everyone knows that Western Europe is democratic but knows very little about Eastern Europe. Most of the rest of the world is not governed by democracies, so your criticism that the world has moved on is incorrect. If anything, democracy has peaked and now is under assault across the planet.
The world does exist in relation to the USA, not solely but close. The US dominates the world in almost every domain. That is why everyone you meet around the world knows so much about the US and its politics and social scene. Even if this understanding is somewhat superficial and packaged, it is considerably more than any American knows about those countries.
So, I think your analysis is wrong across the board.
the US is a bit like north korea. they think theyre the best place, with the best everything
Agreed, except the propaganda in the US is even stronger and more deeply ingrained in us. It's incredibly difficult to break free of the mindset.
You win! Yours is the dumbest comment on the thread, congratulations!!!
@@thomassenbart You already won that price... tenfold!
You say that the guns are essential to the USA because you had two wars. Europe has had a few more than that. We have wars that lasted 100 years. Overthrowing governments happens so often that you learn only the most important ones. So if anything, Europeans should want to have guns to form a militia and to defend themselves against their government. But that is not the case. So why is it the case for the US? Correlation is not causation.
PLUS WHY CERTAIN PEOPLE WANT UK TO FOLLOW USA IS BEYOND ME, NO THANKS
Well, the USA and the right to bear arms and to insult other people and then invoke the 1st Amendment is not 'freedom' for me. It is an expression of arrogance and an inflated ego.
Both, the weapon and the 1st Amendment (with restriction of course) are a sign of paranoia and lack of respect.
Here in Germany, I have no problems with my rights, only with the excessive bureaucracy.
didn´t you recognize that freedom during the "pandemic" got lost in germany?
Have you any understanding of infectious diseases?
edit s/tioos/tious/
Apart from the fact that that was a very sensible way to handle the pandemic at that time, many, many countries practised far more rigorous rules than Germany ever did. All distance rules were implanted temporarily, our freedom was taken away for a short time to give it back to us as soon as possible. And we got it back. So what exactly are you getting excited about?
USA: freedome, Europe: freedoomed
USA kind of freedom: freedom to deny people things i dont like….
Land of the free-ish seems to have quite large incarcerated population. Fifth after El Salvador, Cuba, Rwanda and Turkmenistan.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate
Germany is 178. and my Finland 198.