gross national hapiness index

[FireIceTalon]

Perhaps, though honestly, I don't know if it's quite that cut and dry.

In the middle-aged demographic, it's probably mostly true, but for young adults...? I don't think so. While we still have our culture, we're heavily influenced by globalization.

As for valuing vacation and leisure time... I don't know that we do that more than you. It's certainly possible.

Perhaps 'value' wasn't the best word to use. You guys certainly do take more vacation and leisure time than we do overall though, for the simple fact that you can. There is a much more generous benefits package for employees over there, than there is here in America. It varies from country to country of course, but what is the average paid time off that you get in England? I would like to know also from some of our Scandinavian posters also. Here in America, the general standard is usually 2-3 week paid vacation for most workers, a bit more for managers or other higher positions, and A LOT more for CEO's. Also, you must keep in mind we have been greatly socialized to believe in the so-called 'American Dream', that if you just work hard enough, you get ahead (which of course, is false, most Americans are now just struggling to get by, let alone ahead). The powers that be, of course, want it this way, because the more we work, the more we can consume. And the more we consume, the more we become complacent and dumbed down. I'm not saying its not this way in Europe also, but there is no doubt that to at least some degree you guys aren't socialized in such a manner. I've been told that you guys are actually ENCOURAGED to take time off, and enjoy intellectual life and spending time with your family. Here, it is about making the fast buck, to buy a big beautiful home with a yard, a nice car, and a dog. I think deep down, most Americans would like less hectic and more simplified life style, but they have little time to think about this as they are too busy in the rat race of balancing work, school, family, social life, etc, not to mention paying bills and putting food on the table, to think more profoundly about this stuff. All the advertising around us in this ultra hyper corporate jungle doesn't help matters either. I think both Americans and Euros try to balance the so-called lower pleasures and higher pleasures in society, its just that you guys prefer the higher ones while it is the reverse for us, as far as I can tell.

You're deluding yourself if you think Europeans aren't just as shallow as Americans in general. Instead of pop celebrity scandals (though they still exist, to a somewhat lesser degree), we have royalty scandals (especially in England).

Right, but at least you guys respect your intellectuals. In America, it is almost considered a crime to be smart, or at least it seems like it. Intellectuals are greatly mistrusted and considered "elitist" here. Anti-intellectualism has been a staple of American culture and politics for quite a long time now, which is baffling to me considering the nation was founded by intellectuals. Actually, strike that. I'm not baffled. It is a methodology used by those in power and their tools (the media) to control us easier. After all, a less intellectually astute populace is a more passive populace that isn't as likely to question the system or its values.

We also buy new cars, new TVs, new phones, etc. at a rate that is likely comparable to yours, if not worse. In Denmark, at least, it is turning into a bit of a social problem; loans are cheap, and a lot of people tend to forget that they actually have to pay them back at some point, even if it's supposedly "cheap". There are a lot of idiots who get huge loans and buy expensive material goods to show off to their friends how "successful" they are. (There's even a teenage version of the phenomenon: due to refunding laws, many teenagers can buy clothes they can't actually afford--they wear them for a weekend while partying, then return them to the store for a full refund once the weekend is over, and there is nothing the stores can really do to combat it.)

We're capitalists too. Probably less than Americans, over all -- we don't tend to buy engagement rings worth thousands of dollars, for example -- but it's still rampant in our culture.

No doubt. But alot of the 'Marxian' propositions can be seen in your guys values overall, namely by the fact you value equality more than freedom and have a substantial welfare state compared to us. But the irresponsibility of younger consumers is a natural result of living under Capitalism. The powers that be know this too, because younger citizens are more impressionable and easier to exploit. I dont know how it is there, but here, if you live in the city, there is advertising, billboards and marketing all around you. This stuff is force fed to people, especially younger people. I assume its the same way there. But nevertheless, there is quite a substantial difference in our base values, and thus were socialized in a very different way from one another. While I hate all Capitalism, at least in your guys culture, it is somewhat tempered by your generous welfare state, and that equality and intellectualism is of more importance than freedom and conspicuous consumption. And of course, most of the stuff we are spoon fed is junk. My general rule is: if it is advertised, it is probably garbage. Otherwise, it wouldn't need to be promoted to be bought - it would be able to sell itself based on an intrinsic quality. People would simply buy it if it was truly something worth purchasing. Now, I'm not saying to never buy stuff that is advertised, we all do it to some extent, myself included. I guess my ultimate message is, just be aware - unfortunately, most people aren't. Anyways, as someone who is an unapologetic and openly Communist, I have no problem with the advancement of technology or the distribution of societies products and services. In fact, I encourage their advancement so long as they contribute to social and technological or scientific progression. What I DO take issue with, is the exploitation and the subjugation of the labor involved to do so, as well as WHERE many of these goods are actually allocated - and that is just the economical aspect of it of course, this doesn't take into account the political and social material conditions of society that result from class antagonist economic modes of production.