comment: >
  
  Europe is not a nation. It is a continent made up of small countries each with its own national identity.
context: I don’t think you understand what materialism is. Or what Europe is for that matter. >
  
  Or how great Europeans are at wasting less. Considering USA has twice or more co2 emissions. >
  
  During my first trip to Europe, what you said, blew me away when I witnessed it firsthand. I was staying with a friend who is rather wealthy and he had a half sized refrigerator when I asked why he didn’t have a full-size one. He replied “how much stuff do I really need to keep cold at any given time“ adding that he almost never threw away food, because nothing ever sat in his refrigerator very long. And eating at what were essentially fast food restaurants and having the drinks served in glasses, the food on plates with silverware and trays. At the end of the meal, you just carried your tray, utensils, and dishware to a little conveyor belt where everything was washed and reused. There was also no such thing as what Americans call trash day. Anything organic was composted and anything recyclable was separated, and sent for recycling. it would be easy to dismiss claims they generate half the CO2 that Americans do as hyperbole, but having witnessed it I have no doubt this is the case. >
  
  Idk a lot about EU laws but I thought that each country mostly had control over it's carbon footprint rather than the EU. Why whould we count them separately? >
  
  To compare with US, better take the EU as a whole. Doesn't make sense to compare Portugal or Estonia to the US.
  And the EU does have ghg emissions regulations. But they are not as strict as those in France, Switzerland (non EU country, but still abides by many EU laws to get access to EU single market), Sweden, etc. >
  
  Europe is not a country.
  I know some Redditors find this concept difficult to grasp, but it's true - Europe is not a country.
  As an actual European (Bulgarian, to be precise), I find it difficult to make generalized statements about other European nations. Hell, I can't even say how materialistic Bulgarians are. >
  
  I mean that’s 100% a fair assertion but it doesn’t stop the average redditor (or people doing the same thing about Americans… you say that about your country, Bulgaria of 7 million people; now the US is 330 million people
  Edit: to be clear I agree with your comment, just pointing this out >
  
  Europe : European Union
  North America : Unites States of America
  I think this is where the disconnect comes in for  some Europeans. You all realize the EU somewhat resembles the US government before its Civil War in the 1860s? Many more decisions were left up to individal (nation) states, and the federal government existed to facilitate things like trade, currency, and mutual defense. Slavery, admittedly a bad thing, was enshrined as a state's right to decide before the Civil War. 
  Conversely, in today's world, suggest that the EU, their federal government, run things like healthcare and education. Tell me how that conversation turns out. >
  
  You do realize that Europe does not equal the European Union? >
  
  Yes, but in shorthand talk, 95% of the time, when people say europe, they mean the EU part of europe. Same way that if you say America, you generally mean the United States, even though there are other countries >
  
  
  Yes, but in shorthand talk, 95% of the time, when people say europe, they mean the EU part of europe
  
  No they aren't, they're including places like the UK in there. Are you suggesting they're somehow omitting Switzerland when they refer to Europe? >
  
  This isnt an opinion, it’s simply false. >
  
  And dumb, don’t forgot that. >
  
  I live in The Netherlands. I genuinely think that people are a bit less materialistic here than in the US (although we're still quite materialistic).
  That is because education and health care are cheap and taxpayer-funded, which means that you don't need to hoard a lot of wealth just to be able to survive a medical emergency and get your kids to university. Yeah you can say that we still care about having healthcare, and we do, but due to the way things are set up we're spending much less hours / energy trying to earn a lot of money so that we can financially survive an emergency.
  Also, there's much less of a car culture here -- I have a driver's license and don't have a car, even though I could afford one and have a job, because I simply don't need it. Hence there's less focus on having a big / nice car.
  Also, income differences are smaller. A burger flipper might make something like 1500 euro per month while a senior programmer might make 4500 euro per month. In the US, those differences are much bigger. So in the US, there's more of a temptation to work long hours. >
  
  High fashion is much more a thing in Europe than America. Like is there even a single high end American clothing brand?
  Spanish people for example are well known as fashionable but like they’re largely dirt poor by American standards >
  
  For Americans even Germany is a 3rd world country lmao. According to them a country is considerable of the 1st world if you have more money to spend in luxury stuff you're not even going to use. What, you live in the happiest country in the world, your students are the most educated in the continent, your public transport is one of the best in the world, the air is super clean, there are no homeless people, poverty doesn't exist etc? That doesn't matter because there are less Bugattis in the streets so less expansive cars=poor - (I'm not taking about any specific country, it's just an example). I live in a very touristic area and I've heard a lot of Americans saying that "people here are so poor, there are no cars here!" No bro it's just that you are in a literal Limited traffic zone 💀💀💀 >
  
  West Virginia is literally considerably wealthier than The UK let alone Spain. 
  Americans seems way more materialistic because they simply have way more money. 
  France has a GDP per Capita of 43,000, New York? $105,000. >
  
  West Virginia is a miserable place, full of poverty, drug addicts, high suicide rates, high unemployment rate, etc. etc. And is a very good example on why you should never rely only on GDP  and GDP per Capita ... >
  
  However they’re picking of their opioids and a (relatively) expensive Pickup Truck and OD’ing in their 2200 sq ft House. 
  Yeah Wheeling WV isn’t a nicer place to live than Seville.  But people do have more disposable income. So they can buy more crap >
  
  In a country with 100 people, one person alone owning 100 million, while 99 have zero, has the same average as all of the each owning 1 million 
  Finland is very similar to West Virginia in terms of GDP per Capita, house ownership rate, population size (only 3x bigger), very rural, etc.
  However, in 2019, their disposable income was almost identical at about $38k. Even though Finland has free healthcare, free higher education, stronger labor laws, higher taxes, etc. etc.
  That's due to less inequality (Gini coefficient of 0.26, i.e. in the ideal zone between 0.15 and 0.33. While the US as a whole is at 0.45. Which is excessive and considered a 3rd world country level of inequality)
  Thus even if Finland is more or less as rich as West Virginia (on average, and per Capita). Their quality of life is way better, and their disposable income the same.
  Also the Finnish are ranked among the happiest on the planet. While West Virginia is ranked the most unhappy US state in America. >
  
  Yeah whatever but this is about buying crap not QOL and West Virginians have similar disposable income levels of rich Northern European Countries and are the poorest state in America.
  Now imagine New Jersey vs Bosnia or Maryland vs Portugal or Washington State  vs Belarus. The average American simply has more money to blow on stuff so they do. They’re not inherently more vapid 
  Americans tend to buy more crap cause they have more money >
  
  Well, that's where you are wrong. An average is the same if one person holds all wealth, or if it's equally distributed among everybody. Just like 4 young 25 years old students partying, and a 97 years old grandma babysitting three of her one year old grand kids, both groups have an average age of 25 years old.
  The disposable income you mention is an average! Most Americans are no where near that. (West Virginia median wage = $26k.... So disposable income is even lower, for half of them). >
  
  Median and average tell a very similar story because the gap is so huge between the average European and Average American. 
  If you think  the median income of Connecticut and Croatia are remotely comparable you’re an idiot. 
  (Also you’re confusing individuals and households this median disposable incomes for households is higher than wages earners) >
  
  The more time I spend on Reddit, the more brain cells I lose… 
  If we didn’t like to give and only want to take, we wouldn’t vote in governments that promote policies like wealth distribution and a strong social security net. The continent’s politics would shift as hard right as they have in America if Europeans universally didn’t like to contribute and only wanna take. The EU itself, which 27 European nations are part of, was and is literally based on the principle of wealth redistribution. The bloc has promoted development of its poorer and more disadvantaged members thru redistribution of collected funds. 
  Your opinion is false. >
  
  The United States has done that through programs over the past two centuries.  The Ohio-Erie Canal, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Hoover Dam, and many more were all federal programs to improve poor and/or sparsely populated areas of the US. >
  
  It’s easier for a country to agitate to leave the EU than a state in the US to leave the US. I’m not even confident the US would allow any of its states to leave. >
  
  I think getting a tax break or free education is slightly different from dreaming about owning 2 SUVs or 5 shotguns. 
  Also, even if Europeans are as materialistic as Americans, Europeans seem to want nice things out in public whereas Americans seem to want nice things only inside their own house where they don’t have to share it with anyone else. >
  
  Watch europeans say this guys in American, even though he’s from Greece >
  
  I don' think you know what materialistic means. >
  
  Doh! >
  
  Dude Europe is not a country 😐 >
  
  he never said it was a country he just generalised a few countries in Europe as the views of every country in Europe >
  
  He insinuated >
  
  "Which somehow makes it better." You are right. It does make it better. >
  
  Where you think all those designer brands come from? Lol it’s the same >
  
  Europe is not 1 country... >
  
  Thats not materialism lol >
  
  Ah yes, nothing as unified and one note as Europe. You could drop me in Ukraine  and I’d be like, ‘is this France?’ >
  
  How can you put all of europe as one country? Im from Denmark and even tho hungary, greece and russia are in europe we are widely different in both economics, language and culture and cant really be put umbrella >
  
  “Everyone likes to take, no one likes to give”
  What, as opposed to the US, where you have to pay out of your own pocket for fucking insulin? >
  
  "The latter is more successful" lmao wut >
  
  In Europe you give 50% of what you earn so you want the benefits back >
  
  Basically no one pays 50% in income tax. Not even in Scandinavia. >
  
  To be fair, he doesn't state income tax. If you include all taxes, including the VAT that you pay for buying anything it might go over 50% >
  
  That's how I interpreted it "give 50% of what you earn", earn = income. But you are otherwise right, once you start to include VAT, the numbers start to become high. >
  
  Firstly as others have pointed out, Europe is not a country and is much more culturally and economically diverse than the USA. The UK, Italy and Russia are all very different places. 
  Secondly...
  
  In Europe, the main concerns are grabbing this and that benefit or tax cut or getting that free tuition or that raise. Everyone likes to take, no one likes to give.
  
  Generally, European countries (particularly Germany and Belgium) pay much more in taxes than you would in the US. It can sometimes be over 50% of earnings. So in that sense we give more, so that we can reap the benefits of the state. Hence people are a bit more keen to take advantage of said benefits. 
  Yes we are very materialistic, but I wouldn't quite stretch to say Europe in general is more materialistic than the USA. Decent unpopular opinion though., >
  
  Something I have seen in Europe that I haven't seen anywhere else: a doctor having coffee at a bar sitting next to a peasant and talking to each other as equals - this is actually a quite common scene. Their children study at the same school and have the same opportunities, they have the same healthcare, they frequent the same bars and restaurants... they all have access to social benefits in common.
  At an elitist society like the US, the peasant lowers his head to talk to the doctor, and if a house servant eats at the same restaurant as the rich madam, the latter will have an indigestion.
  Europe has less social inequality than the US, that means people's wages are more equal. So I would say less inequality makes people less materialistic. While the USA is one of the richest countries with the biggest number of poor people and social injustices. It's immoral for a rich nation to let its children have poor education because their parents can't pay for it... and I think it's inhumane that they let so many of their citizens live in miserable conditions. >
  
  Im sorry but what?!? Hahahahahaha no this is not true. You think that I, an average lower class American…. See a doctor.. and lower my head cuz I’m scared to speak to them? What are you on about???? You think that I, a family from lower class with a household income of 75k growing up, went to public school and didn’t have plenty of friends whose parents were rich as all shit??? And finally *you think we segregate ourselves into not going into coffee shops that a rich community might frequent?
  You know nothing. Everyone ignore this waste of a comment. >
  
  This is not statistics - this is an index created with cherry-picked factors. In other words, this is an opinion disguised as science, because this index really “means” nothing to humans. I mean, according to this index somalia has better economic equality than Australia… lol >
  
  
  This is not statistics
  
  Yes, it is. The index is based on official government statistics provided by each country. But because it destroys your argument, it must be wrong.
  PS.: There is no data for Somalia. >
  
  You are not literate enough to understand why only fools would interpret indices based on random statistical variables based on the literal intent of their formulation. I mean in the WEF article it clearly says that Ethiopia has one of the lowest inequality rates in Africa, while places like Australia and uk, which have lower economic inequality scores according to the UN, obviously have more Ethiopian economic immigrants than Ethiopia has Australian or British economic immigrants. >
  
  You contradict yourself with the "you are not literate enough" (demonstrating that's your case, actually) when you use two logical fallacies:
  
  Attacking the person who makes an argument won't make yours right. 
  The mere fact you "think" the source is wrong doesn't make it wrong and your opinion right, unless you provide solid evidence for that, which you haven't. >
  
  With the vast majority of citizens in the country poor, destitute and uneducated, but at least their equality index is better! >
  
  The index measures equality, concentration of wealth, social injustices. 
  If a poor country has a good index, it just means the wealth is not as concentrated, even though there are many poor people... If the index was worse in the same circumstances, people's conditions would be worse. 
  But when we talk about a rich country with an index as bad as the poorest countries, that means a huge concentration of wealth in the hands of a few while a lot of people live in miserable conditions. That's obscene! >
  
  Lol you don’t have to include the word “fat” in “standard fat American”, that shit is implied. >
  
  r/ShitAmericansSay because you assume Europe is a country? >
  
  Hes from Greece genius >
  
  ok >
  
  Tell me how ignorant you are without telling me how ignorant you are. I'm not even European, I'm Asian, and opinions like this just infuriates me. >
  
  I am here in the Netherlands and I see consumerism is about the same as in the US. Actually even my taxes are about the same now that I think about it. >
  
  Yeah people think Greeks or Portuguese people are living a good simple life but the truth is, they’re just poor >
  
  I agree but they are generally very generous and kind >
  
  Americans care insanely what people think of them. The difference is they often don't know or believe that they aren't the best in the world at absolutely everything. >
  
  Nah we don’t care at all. And contrary to what foreigners are taught, we don’t actually think we’re the best at everything. Europeans have convinced themselves they know more about us than we do. 
  It’s okay, we forgive y’all though. >
  
  Our cars, houses, cities, malls, humans in general and basically everything is like half in size. 
  Americans are materialistic as fuck.
  Europe is also not a country. >
  
  I’m not European or American but you totally fit the “ignant murican” stereotype you’re referring to even though you’re not from there. This isn’t an unpopular opinion, just dumb. >
  
  Ok, thank you for schooling me on what life is like in Europe, I guess my 21 years of experience living there count for nothing. If bursting everyone's bubble about Europe being heaven on earth makes me sound like an ignant murican maybe ignant muricans are not that far from the truth >
  
  It’s ok it was a dumb post anyway so nothing to worry about 😁 >
  
  Hahaha. I guess you must be American.
  While I partially agree that we're not more altruistic or holier-than-thou, you won't find a European who would unnecessarily have 5 cars, especially not Hummers. I never met a person in my country with more than 2 cars, one for each parent to get to work. Besides that, obesity rates are extremely low and school shootings are non-existent in comparison, so... >
  
  We ( Europeans) always said that we aren’t socialists but capitalists aswell. >
  
  Popular opinion: You are a tool