Interesting: A subjective comparison of Germany and the United States

[soulcougher73]

There are flights leaving for Germany right now.

Spoken like a true moron.

 

[Matt1970]

Spoken like a true moron.

Don't miss your flight.

 

[BoberFett]

If you were German, you would know those German shoes are going to last you 10 years, and no children were harmed during the process

Seriously? Do you think Germany doesn't get the vast majority of their shoes and clothes from the same Asian sweatshops that the US does?

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Don't miss your flight.

A true moron indeed. I wonder why he continually posts on these forums after being repeatedly exposed as an idiot who cannot make rational/factual arguments.

You suck at debating. Seriously.

 

[soulcougher73]

Don't miss your flight.

Nice comeback. Do you have anything resembling a rational thought regarding the OPs article?

 

[Spungo]

Good article. I like this part:
Germans commonly commit suicide in a particularly vicious passive-aggressive manner: jumping in front of a train. That doesn't happen in the US; people are polite and simply shoot themselves.

 

[Leon]

Any country that criminalizes free speech (Germany) should not be considered a democracy. Holocaust denial is stupid. Imprisoning people
for it is worse.

Leon

 

[Orignal Earl]

Seriously? Do you think Germany doesn't get the vast majority of their shoes and clothes from the same Asian sweatshops that the US does?

Yes, no doubt they do
That's why the weird connection between a apprentice system and a child laborer in China was dumb to begin with

 

[Matt1970]

A true moron indeed. I wonder why he continually posts on these forums after being repeatedly exposed as an idiot who cannot make rational/factual arguments.

You suck at debating. Seriously.

Fuck off. You guys keep comparing us to nations that are so far away from the values we near and dear. If you really like the way other countries opperate, move there. Otherwise comparing us to Germany is a complete waste of time.

 

[yllus]

that's rough, perhaps Germany should give the US billions of dollars to rebuild our infrastructure.

I think it's time for the United States to play that card.

 

[Spungo]

Most economists I've read agree that a high person income tax and a low corporate tax is the best model to follow. Canada is headed in this direction as well. The U.S. is quickly becoming the outlier.

It makes sense. If people want free health care then maybe the people should pay for it.

Then why do Germans buy Chinese made shoes? Are you saying Germans love helping to hurt Chinese children?

Chinese children should only be hurt for the sake of sexual satisfaction. Doing it for money is wrong.

Fuck off. You guys keep comparing us to nations that are so far away from the values we near and dear. If you really like the way other countries opperate, move there. Otherwise comparing us to Germany is a complete waste of time.

This sounds familiar.
"If you like Toyota so much then why don't you buy a Toyota?"
20 years later
"Why are so many people buying Toyotas?????"

 

[Matt1970]

Every one of these threads is retarded from the start. Everyone wants all the "perks" of some of these nations but nobody wants to fork over the tax $$ to pay for it.

 

[soulcougher73]

Every one of these threads is retarded from the start. Everyone wants all the "perks" of some of these nations but nobody wants to fork over the tax $$ to pay for it.

I'd fork over the money for many perks.

Also if you want us to move to Germany ill let you pay for my tickets and relocation expenses. I glady will go.

 

[OCGuy]

I like how he just brushes over the part about them supressing a basic human right (free speech) because they are afraid they might end up killing X million people in gas chambers and firing lines again.

 

[Perknose]

There are flights leaving for Germany right now.

If there is one thing I have learned on this forum it's if the thread shows (Anycountry>USA)..in any way...then the only result is going to be thread failure

Those people are generally filtered out of my threads by the need for them to indulge in a long read before they can start acting silly.

And yet the reflexive right-wing idiot Matt1970 got the jump on both of you, anyway. D:

Great read, yllus. We don't always agree, but you are one of my favorite posters! :thumbsup:

 

[Infohawk]

This is not about left vs. right policies. If it were, other European countries wouldn't be in so much trouble.

 

[Matt1970]

I'd fork over the money for many perks.

Also if you want us to move to Germany ill let you pay for my tickets and relocation expenses. I glady will go.

But i would never expect him to pay 50% on a measly 60k/year. More like 20% if not less.

Now i only make 60k a year,

Doesn't look like you would.

 

[Spungo]

This is not about left vs. right policies. If it were, other European countries wouldn't be in so much trouble.

A lot of Europe is in serious trouble as a direct result of adopting right wing policies. Ireland was controlled by Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats for the decade leading up to their catastrophic economic collapse. Those are both right wing parties. Left wing parties Fine Gael and Labour were elected after the collapse. Same thing happened in the US. Republicans were in control for the decade leading up to the collapse then Obama took over. UK had the exact same problem:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/may/06/shout-rooftops-bank-deregulation-leads-to-disaster

How many times do we need to see the same failed experiment? USA goes right wing and it fails. Ireland goes right wing and it fails. Britain goes right wing and it fails. Canada goes left wing and it works. Germany goes left wing and it works. Let's try another push to the right. I'm sure it will work this time.

 

[shira]

His subjectiveness is colored by his desire to have the worst possible healthcare available in the US forced up everyone. Once I saw that (hidden near the end), I realized his conclusion was drawn before he looked at anything else.

Interesting read, though...I did not know Germany was so oppressive on individual rights.

Back from being banned?

Statistically the US fares worse than Germany: infant mortality is about 40% higher (mainly because of the high teenage pregnancy rate and because many poor people with high-risk pregnancies never receive any prenatal care), life expectancy is roughly the same in the two countries while total per capita health care expenditure is about 60% higher in the US than in Germany.

So Germany spends roughly two-thirds what we do per-capita on health care, and gets roughly the same outcomes that the U.S. does, but you authoritatively state that Medicare is "the worst possible healthcare available in the US."

And you're criticizing unsupported, "subjective" statements by others made elsewhere in this thread?

I predict a quick re-ban.

 

[Bowfinger]

Very interesting read Yllus. Thank you. Much food for thought for those willing to open their minds a bit.

 

[Bowfinger]

Fuck off. You guys keep comparing us to nations that are so far away from the values we near and dear. If you really like the way other countries opperate, move there. Otherwise comparing us to Germany is a complete waste of time.

It is a waste of time only if you're an arrogant, brain dead fool who's deluded himself into believing there's nothing he can learn from the world. You seem to find such exposure threatening, presumably because it may challenge your faith with contradictory ideas. More thoughtful people find such comparisons illuminating.

 

[MrMuppet]

"Most Germans are not able to take this noble position, probably because they fear the power of effective propaganda given the historical experiences."

Or it's because they lost and the victors feared that they otherwise might cause trouble again?

I mean, putting people in jail for questioning official history is not sound in a free society. Limiting freedom of speech at all isn't.

Was it even the German people that came up with the notion of censoring itself and thought it was a brilliant idea after being "freed"?

 

[Exterous]

Interesting article - I do think there are some things that would be beneficial to adopt from the Germans although there appear to be a number of erroneous statements:

Every product you buy can be returned even if opened, and you get your money back.

Not true. A return policy for a company is not required in the US. There are those that do not accept returns, do not accept returns on opened items or those that do but will not give you all of your money back

American women often work until several days before giving birth, and start to work again a couple of days later

The average maternity leave in the US is 6.6 weeks. While it is certainly possible to start work again a couple of days later is is definitely not 'often' or common

In general, the German system places much more emphasis on big examinations while degrees in the US are automatically granted if the student has passed a sufficient number of classes. This is true both for the high school diploma, which doesn't involve any exam in the US

This is probably more of a semantics or descriptive issue but most US high schools do administer exams - just not the same way that Germany does (Typically numerous smaller exams). It would see very easy to read this as 'American doesn't test its kids at all. Its a free for all in their education!'

On a similar note, Germans don't understand why people keep living in areas which regularly see earthquakes or hurricanes; natural disasters that kill people are very rare in Germany. Many of this may be explained by a generally much higher level of optimism and risk tolerance in America.

Natural disasters are very rare in Germany. How many hurricanes hit Germany each year? One every couple of years? The entire south eastern part of the US would have no one living there if we decided to not live in areas frequently hit by hurricanes. (Not to mention the size of germany. Montana has very few deaths from natural disasters too and thats about the same size as Germany)

Statistically the US fares worse than Germany: infant mortality is about 40% higher (mainly because of the high teenage pregnancy rate and because many poor people with high-risk pregnancies never receive any prenatal care)

No its because of the very high number of pre-term births the US has. 1 in 8 births are premature. Thats about 65% higher than Germany. That is in part due to teenage pregnancy but the US has one of the highest percents of 'high risk' mothers giving birth among the developed nations.

 

[yllus]

Great read, yllus. We don't always agree, but you are one of my favorite posters! :thumbsup:

Thanks, Perk! And I am one of many fans of your acerbic wit.

"Most Germans are not able to take this noble position, probably because they fear the power of effective propaganda given the historical experiences."

Or it's because they lost and the victors feared that they otherwise might cause trouble again?

I mean, putting people in jail for questioning official history is not sound in a free society. Limiting freedom of speech at all isn't.

Was it even the German people that came up with the notion of censoring itself and thought it was a brilliant idea after being "freed"?

It appears that Germans have a different definition of freedom.

I look at it this way: We all trade in some freedoms for the sake of getting along in our particular environment. People living in NYC have a significantly higher number of laws regulating their daily affairs as compared to someone living in a rural area. This isn't because autocrats naturally gravitate towards urban life - it's because the high frequency of contact/conflict between residents necessitates ever finer distinctions in law.

So it's already a given that different parts of the same country are freer than others - let alone different nations of the world. Simply looking at a point form list of what freedoms are and aren't available without a discussion of environment seems misguided.

Offhand, Germany ranks as the 14th most densely populated nation in the world. The United States is 179th (though the larger size of the U.S. certainly distorts this).