HOW I KNOW AMERICA (USA) MESSED ME UP..... since living in Germany

[@TracinyaLachance]

That whole "we're a family" thing is so weird on so many levels. To begin with, the obvious one - no, work is not family. Second, my actual family would definitely not expect me to show up to family outings if I was sick.

[@MistedMind]

Thirdly, my family won't disinherit me for not turning up to family dinner because I have fever, coughing at everyone, etc. etc....

[@lone6718]

Your family also doesn’t fire you if you have had a bad year…

[@louhortonsculpture]

Yeah it only works if your family is very dysfunctional!

[@trashcatlinol]

My mil would expect us, even if we are sick...but she was also a ''we're a family!'' manager who took it to heart. Great for the employees she favored. No sympathy for those she didn't... Explains that headache-inducing behavior of hers alot. I just wish she'd lay off when i say I'm in pain and nauseous...I don't hate her, or I'd go and puke on her carpet.

[@titankorellc2937]

Family does: mistreat you to exploit your labor Family does: mistreat you for being gay even if they "openly" say that they don't hate gay people

[@MrWolschmi]

It always makes me cry when someone talks about medical bills in europe vs usa. The difference is angering and saddening.

[@fruithippie]

I'm American- will be paying off 80k in medical bills for probably the next 20 years from an illness that I got 5 years ago. My husband and I both worked enough hours at our jobs to not qualify for health insurance but ended up working more hours than full time people because we "offered to work more", so we were never considered full time employees. It is so sad that people here have to choose to live with chronic illness or pay bills. Unless you go to the ER snd/or have a life threatening or serious injury, doctors can deny people treatment. There are so many people here who suffer, I don't know why more Americans don't want the best for their country and its people with universal healthcare.

[@ijustneedausername6742]

I had to pay 8k up front before I could get my broken hand operated on, and I had to stop physical therapy for it because I couldn’t afford to continue. Also because I was a relatively low wage healthcare worker myself at the time, I literally couldn’t afford not to work. So I literally did dental procedures with a broken hand. Literally my hand was broken, and it was either work or starve. My insurance company literally abandoned me and I had to drive nearly 100 miles for my dad to arrange treatment at the practice he’s employed at. One of my fingers is permanently bent and I have no feeling in half of it because of thjs, even though they’d anticipated a full recovery. I also spent the bulk of my adult life as a healthcare worker in the same system that turned it’s back on me, it was such a profoundly frightening and sad moment.

[@sirbowen4358]

Healthcare In Germany, you don't need a donation from employees. If you get sick, really sick, you have 78 weeks, yes you read right, 78 weeks of sick pay from the universal health insurance. After that, the employment office or the pension fund steps in and pays at least 60% of your last income if you continue to be sick. And because the health insurance company pays the costs and not the employer, no one in the company puts pressure on you and gives you a bad conscience, as is usual in the USA. "We are one family, you cannot be sick, others have to work for you bla bla bla ... you know what i mean" That wont happened in Germany at all. On the contrary, if you come to work with a cold, you are more likely to get the strange look like:"Do you want to infect others? Stay at home or go to the doctor, ffs" If you need an ambulance and a few days or weeks in the hospital, you have to pay 10 € per day for a maximum of 28 days a year, so a total maximum of 280 €, no matter how long you have to stay in the hospital, even if you have to stay the full year in hospital. For medicines, a co-payment of 5 € is common for prescription medicines, some very expensive medicines have to be paid with a co-payment of 10 €, but this is very rare. So no matter if the medicine costs thousands of euros. The package can not be more expensive than 10 euros for you. And that's it ... at all. So you don't have to worry about money if you get really sick in Germany. We all pay for everyone so that even the poorest can afford health care.

[@AtheistBelgium]

@@ijustneedausername6742 For me, these stories are just insane and incomprehensible. I broke my wrist once and i don't even recall if i had to pay anything for the surgery or the stay at the hospital. Probably yes, but just a fraction of my monthly earnings i guess. I really hope this broken system in your nation gets fixed one day. Stay safe and healthy.

[@petersteiner872]

@MrWolschmi: …because it’s obviously so superfluous…

[@BlondLanfear]

I am German but I have a number of friends in America. Two of them are/were teachers and when one of them just casually told me the first thing she thinks about when she enters a new classroom is where she could hide her kids from a shooter my heart just broke. There absolutely must be some amount of PTSD happening all over the country.

[@retireorbust]

Hide, hell the shooter better be looking to hide when you hire the right teachers. The first thing I'd be looking for are what weapons I could use. I remember watching an SAS training video years ago on how to close the distance when you don't have a weapon. A well thrown book will stun the shooter and give you the seconds you need to close the gap. In a grocery store canned items can be thrown like a football and potentially knock out a shooter. What appalls me is cowardice in failing to protect our children and the unwillingness to address the real issues of bullying, unstable homes and the damage of divorce to children, abuse on every level. Social media, mass media violence and hatred. We need God like we've never needed him before.

[@bjornm.1121]

Another reason for US' opiate crisis. Else one won't be able to adapt to US society.

[@bjornm.1121]

​@@retireorbust "In a grocery store canned items can be thrown like a football and potentially knock out a shooter." Potentially you might miss the guy making him even more ferocious killing more innocents, Rambo! By the way, Einstein: Great idea teachers having weapons in class. No easier way for those smart enough lil' kids to grab a weapon and do some bloody mess in school e.g. when coming-of-age. US-citizens must be "irradiated" if they rly think that a great idea. Let me get it straight: Weapons made sense like 200 yrs ago when there was no standing US army to defend the interests of the settlements in the New World against foreign aggressions, e.g. the English crown. So there was this necessity to set up a civil militia to fight the war in absence of an regular army, hence every man and even woman were granted weapons. Besides: there weren't groceries, supermarkets and KFC's littering all over the place back then, so many ppl relied on hunting. BUT time's changed since! No one's attacking the U.S. the last 80 yrs, at least not with military forces. Only power struggles by economical means. And if you are hungry, you order your dish via DoorDash or Hello Fresh-mobile app or breeding yourself some cattles if it comes to efficacy! Let me ask you: of what use is a weapon in all those cases mentioned above? Exactly! Of none! And what do weapons usually do, when they are "un"used? Tell you: they get frequently "mis"used. Surprise, surprise! There are ten thousand ppl dying in the US per year minimum (not included those committing suicide) because of your reluctant to correct an overdue wrong! That is double the number of casualties compared to actual Ukraine with appr. 6.000 casualties up-to-date. And that is called "war" in Ukraine! Now, what does that make the actual state of USA? A new Civil War then, I suppose! Ow... and for you mentioned it: "Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. - Isaiah 2:3-4.

[@eljefeamericano4308]

It's really not like this all over the U.S. I've lived all over the country. Grew up in a city near the Mexican border, where drug crime and violent crime was exceedingly normal. Lived in a neighborhood where I heard enough gunfire that I sometimes just slept through it. Our car was broken into once, our house was broken into once, and there was a second, failed attempt while we were home. It was twelve people, that night... I'm not kidding. I've also lived in places where people don't even see the point in locking their homes or their cars. The idea of needing to protect themselves is about as far from their thoughts as something could get. Not saying any of this to make it out like the bad parts of the country are better, or anything like that. There are some parts of America I would absolutely never live, given any choice in the matter. Likely, if you're very familiar with the name of the city as somebody who doesn't live in the U.S., it's probably not a great place to live. New York City, L.A., Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Seattle... wouldn't recommend any of 'em if safety is a concern. Different subject... I've never been to German, but I've met Germans who were living over here for a time. Got along with them great! Also... man, does German make some nice cars! I'm on my second Audi, now, and I just love it.

[@retireorbust]

@@bjornm.1121 cain used a rock. It doesn't take guns. We eliminate guns, they'll make bombs, cars and oh by the way those planes they used on 9/11 killed a few people. If you know the Bible you know how sinful man is and that he will continue to find ways to kill. Objects don't change the outcome. There was a time during my life when gun violence wasn't what it is today. What has changed is society. I grew up hunting and fishing. Guns were tools to put food on the table. So we eliminate AR-15s (which i really have no problem with) the violent will take up shotguns. We take up shotguns they'll use machetes. Personally I'd rather be shot than cut up by a machete but that happens all the time. I'm all for beating swords into plowshares but that will happen when Jesus returns to bring justice to the earth and not before. Maybe man is just too sinful to govern himself anymore. Maybe man has to cower at the feet of a Stalin or a Hitler to have order anymore. God, I hope not. Government used to have a definition that is not included in dictionaries anymore and that governance started with self governance. Self- givernment is the foundation of democracy. If men no longer govern themselves we have lost the ability to sustain democracy. There will soon be a return to Monarchies and unfortunately to Dictatorship. Apparently, men need to fear in order to behave.

[@evangarrett]

I'm an American living in Germany since 4 years. We don't like big cities, so my wife and I took the hardcore integration route and moved into a tiny village in the middle of nowhere where nobody speaks English, and we absolutely love it. Even as someone who is more fiscally conservative leaning and would have tended to support private health care, I have really had a wake up moment living in Germany. I do think the implicit benefits of America's philosophy of life (individual responsibility over government paternalism) are often deeply misunderstood and mocked nevertheless. However, especially having had health issues recently, I have benefited tremendously from the German global health system as well as the work culture which permits one to feel perfectly fine taking several days off to be sick instead of engendering this anxiety ridden guilt feeling every time you need some time for yourself (heaven forbid!). That is so, so accurate. The food points I can also confirm. Oh my goodness, my fellow countrymen: you have no idea how messed up your cuisine is until you live somewhere else. Food trashed with chemicals and sugar for the sake of lining greedy companies pockets who don't care the slightest about your health. I see the real and proven benefits of government regulation before my eyes in Germany. Even the trashiest knock off brand at the grocery store in Germany I trust more than American groceries. This has been a real learning experience for me. I wish all Americans were encouraged as part of their education system to go live somewhere else. The problem is that when you talk about this stuff to other Americans it often comes off as bragging or complaining about the US. No, I would just love to see my homeland grow a little bit in insight from other countries. Stop parroting the whole "we're the greatest country in the world" gig and cast an eye overseas for just a moment to see how other people have done many things way better. Thank you for this video :)

[@briansmith48]

I'll have to disagree with you on two things. One, if you didn't like living in the city, why not just move to the country side? Move to a n Amish community. Fresh air and people that speak different language than you. And onto number two. Is the food situation. No one is forcing you to go to any sort of fast food place. There are plenty of grocery stores that cater to a more healthy lifestyle. Or you could always grow your own food.

[@gerhardma4687]

@@briansmith48 His reasons for leaving the country were certainly not the fast-food culture and the desire to live in the country. Just read better and try to read and understand between the lines.

[@briansmith48]

@@gerhardma4687 . You need to read what I said. I only had issue with a couple of things that were mentioned. #1 living out in the country, and #2 the food in America. He had some statements that I actually agree with. I just had a different view on two sticking points.

[@TheoMurpse]

"i am living... since 4 years" Indeed the German grammar has infected your English!👍

[@haukenot3345]

@@briansmith48 I don't really understand why you need to be so confrontative. As Gerhard pointed out, the desire to live more rurally hasn't even been the reason Evan moved abroad. He just explained about his living situation in Germany to provide a foundation for his further remarks. Noone is arguing that there isn't rural life in the US. But why should the existence of rural communities in the US be a reason against living abroad? I feel there is a weird kind of exceptionalism at play in your thinking, as if a person had to explain or even justify why they live outside the US.

[@toniderdon]

10:00 many of those "feel-good-stories" are just there to distract you from the real problem. My favorite example: Headline in a newspaper in the US: "Child opens lemonade stand to help friend in need" Reality: "Child labor needed to cover medical bills because the richest country in the world still doesn't have a decent healthcare system"

[@toniderdon]

And I have to add to that, we have those "feel-good-stories" here in Germany too and you should always question them. For example when students work together to fix the roof in their school or something like that, we should really ask ourselves why our schools are so bad that the students have to fix them. Because usually that's the job of the government.

[@flatebo1]

There exists no nation in the world that can provide all of the healthcare which its people want. Every health care system has to ration care in some way. (Well, in a lot of ways, really, but the idea is the important thing here.) So, what's the "best" way to ration limited healthcare resources? That kind of depends on what your goals and values are. So... Reality in the US: "Everyone is free to help others if they wish to the extent they wish. Or not." Reality in Germany: "You will be forced at gunpoint to pay for other peoples' medical care whether you want to or not, whether you can afford to or not. Your consent is not a consideration."

[@flatebo1]

@@toniderdon Who is the government? The government is the people. The government is an organization created by the people. Government exists to protect the rights of the people both from one another and from government. It does not exist to give people stuff. Government derives its power and authority from us. Government does not exist apart from us. Government is not some seperate thing, some independant being akin to a lion or bear. When you "ask" goverment to do something for you, you are "asking" an organization you created to force you to do something you want done but are unwilling to do yourself without being so forced. In the US our Founders considered this to be a self-evident truth. As, indeed, it is...if you bother to think about the fundamental nature and purpose of government. So we limited the power of government to the bare minimum (although that plan didn't last all that long) and for the rest of it cut out the irrelevant middlemen. "We should really ask ourselves why our schools are so bad that the students have to fix them." The answer is obvious. TIme and entropy. Time passes, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics remains in effect. Everything new becomes old. Everything used becomes worn. And eventually these things break and need to be repaired/replaced. Did they not teach you this in school? So, about your anecdote - does that school have anything resembling a shop class? If so, would not maintenance and repair of the school be an obvious task for students in a shop class? Students would learn practical skills in roofing, running electricity, plumbiung, carpentry, masonry, etc. by repairing and maintaining school buildings. And all without the expense of hiring an outside contractor to do the job. So *should* repairing the roof of the school really be "the job of government"? Or should we be teaching the kids in that school to solve their problems themselves?

[@flatebo1]

@@toniderdon No, we empower the government to perform certain functions. We grant authority to government. Thus government can have only such authority as we CAN grant to it. If you, in your own person, on your own personal authority can do something, you can give permission to a designated agent to act on your ehalf to do that thing. As an example, I can purchase a car. So, if I want to buy a 2017 Toyota Camry, I can give you the money and have you purchase it for me. But I cannot give you the authority to steal it for me. Because I cannot legitimately steal it myself. Similarly I cannot grant to government the authority to do something I personally lack the legitimate authority to do. So, can I, personally, entirely on my own authority, take from you your money in order to pay for my health care? Can I, personally, entirely on my own authority, legitimately force you to purchase for yourself the specific health insurance plan I want you to have? If I, personally, lack the authority to do these things I cannot grant to government the authority to do these things for me. Murder doesn't ceast to be immoral just because you hired a hit man to do it for you. It doesn't matter how many people vote for it. Now, for those things which we can delegate authority to government to do for us, we have an obligation to pay for those goods and services. Government is spending money using our common national credit card and when the bill comes due we are responsible for paying it. Thus, government does have the legitimate authority to tax us. But only iinsofar as is necessary to pay for the services we have charged government with delivering. Yes, edication does tend to require building maintenance. But there are many ways to skin a cat. So why not take the opportunity to teach those kids interested in learning that subject how to do it? Try thnking outside the box. "...but at the end of the day, things like healthcare and education are things that the government has to take care of." No and no. Healthcare has been around for millenia. Government has typically provided none of it. This entier idea that providing healthcare is an essentail funciton of government is a modern fiction. Medical care in the US was cheaper and more readily avialble in the US before governmetn started poking it's fingers into that pie. Nations which rely on government to provide healthcare always have to ration healthcare. Which means you get as much as government wants to give to you. A coupe years ago Britains NHS decided that mediacal staff could choose to not provide healthcare to "racist" or "sexist" patients. Do you want your access to healthcare to be predicated on pasing a political virtue test? Similarly education has historically been provided by private entities. And in the US it stll is to a large extent. We have private schools at all levels of eduacation. At the highest levels we have some of the best universities in the world - and they are all private schools. We allow parents to home school children - and such homeschooled children quite often perform better than children at public schools. If government is so essentail to providing education why are they so very, very bad at it? If you were correct, then private educational institutions should not be able to outcompete government schools. The only advantage government schools have over thei competition is their ability to compel. And that's not an advantage anyone should have.

[@flatebo1]

@@toniderdon "The government can have as much authority as we want it to have." No, government cannot legitimately have as much authority as you "want" it to have. We call such governments "tyrannies" as, no matter how much some of the people in a nation might desire to enslave, persecute and oppress others for their own benefit, nothing on or above this Earth can make such actions moral. Now, if you actually *want* an immoral government to take things from other people in order to give them to you simply because you want them,. then you are a child. A grasping, greedy, self-centered, entitled child. Grow up. " If it is your OPINION that the government shouldn't take care of healthcare, fine." It is my OPINION that government is the worst possible means of achieving that end. I have arrived at that opinion by reasoned consideration of the relevant facts of the matter. What I have yet to hear from ANYONE is why government SHOULD "take care of healthcare". Why is that the responsibility of government? So, what hapens if no one wants to actually produce healthcare? What if no one wants to be a doctor or nurse because working for the government (the only employer of health care workers) totally, completely and irrevobaly sucks? Sholuld government force people into those professions? Should government agents come to your home, drag you into the street , shove your skinny ass into an unmarked van, frog-march you into a classroom and compel you at gunpoint to learn neurosurgery? Because that's where this stupid line of bullshit reasoning leads. Owners "take care of" the healthcare of their pets. And they put their pets down when that healthcare becomes too burdersome. Just as governments who provide "free" healthcare do to their own citizens. When has governmnet EVER privided cheaper, more efficient or more effective goods/services than private enterprise? If government was in fact "better" at these things, you would not have to FORCE people to accept government's servics. You could simply offer it on the same basis as private enterprise offers that service and people, recognizing the superiority of government's offer, would voluntarily flock to it. They don't because goverment isn't better. Government can't be better. Governmet lacks any incentive to be better. Government actually has postive incentives to be worse because, by failing, government can demand ever greater power and resources to "solve" the problems that government is exacerbating. If you want to see how well governments "provide" for their people, just take a look at how well-stocked stores were in the USSR when government controlled the production and distrubution of everything. " You can write long paragraphs, but that doesn't make anything you say correct." It's called "making an argument". You might want to try it sometime. Y'know, actually provide a sound, reasoned defense of your position backed by evidence. Or you can just say "No, you're wrong" over and over. I'm sure that'll work, too. "...the majority of the free world has a different opinion." I don't care. Truth is not a popularity contest. Morality is not determined by vote. For the vast majority of human historry slavery was legal. People didn't have a problem with it...so long as they weren't the ones being enslaved. That does not make slavery morally acceptible either then or now. And I'd further point out that the last couple years have amply demonstrated just how free the "free world" isn't. True freedom is the freedom to say "No", even to government. In the US, individuals get to say "No" to government...and make it stick. Y'know, when government exceeds its granted authority. *You* want to deny people the ability to refuse., to say "No." You aren't advocating for freedom. So stop trying to hide behind a concept you reject.

[@karstenvoigt7280]

One thing that I often notice, when U.S.-citizens talk about their culture shocks outside the U.S. is, that they often had no idea about how much their culture is still influenced by puritanism - and that the rest of the world isn't. Especially when it comes to things like nudity, "dirty" words or alcohol.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Don't get me started on the cussing... Oh my

[@rebeccasimantov5476]

Totally agree with your comment. I also think Prohibition also plays a part... especially re: alcohol.

[@carefulwatcher3073]

​@@rebeccasimantov5476 I think that prohibition came about because of the US's existing puritanical attitude towards the consumption of alcohol and as such it's an effect and not a cause

[@danielmuller2701]

@@rebeccasimantov5476 prohibition was the reason for a lot of the stance towards alcohol. But it came, just like many of the other "propriety" issues like purety culture - because the US in it's Westernized sense was founded by people who were religious refugees (the Mayflower folks) - they came to America because they were persecuted in Europe - for being too religious.

[@heribertosarmiento1265]

Thank you Puritanism is why this nation has so many issues when it comes to nudity,sex attitudes and sex education. I remember a friend that was an evangelical he was stunned when he visited japan and notice nudity is not an issue lol. I believe that was what broke the grip Puritanism had on him.

[@sandrab.764]

All these storys you told just made me very sad. Germany is not perfect, but I'm so glad to live here, all our moaning about things that are "bad" in this country is really moaning on a very high level. When I was a child, it was my dream to live in the USA, the older I got, the more thankful I was not to live there.

[@sandrab.764]

@Joe Strange thing, that all these peolple who do this are still free an Posting on Insta, Facebook or KZbin. Feel free to move to North Korea to see the diffenrence between a dictatorship and a democracy. 😉

[@tyronevaldez-kruger5313]

I'm happy for you because you are way better off here.

[@RickDistance]

Aha. They're moaning on high level. Then my sh*t is not so bad as they SHOUTING SHUT YOURSELF UP. Sorry, there was something distrackting. Peace. ✌

[@thomaskalbfus2005]

Germany is not the home of Elon Musk or SpaceX. Germany is the Fatherland of modern rocketry, but Elon Musk saw his opportunity to build a space company in the USA. Elon didn't come to the USA from South Africa for the Healthcare benefits, he came for the opportunities. A country that taxes alot does not have a lot of opportunities for him!

[@sandrab.764]

USA is good to its rich citizens but it isn't to the average citizens. Not everyone is Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. So the System works for the minority of the people an gives a s**** about the others, it's sink or swim. I'm glad not to live in that Kind of society

[@MeganKelleySaysHi]

I've also had surgery in Germany, followed by a stay at a physical rehabilitation center for 4 weeks. I remember the first night I was at the rehab center I almost didn't eat dinner because I thought I had to pay extra for it and I was so worried about how much the whole thing would cost. I had to call my (German) now ex-husband and ask him what to do about food. He said, just eat, it's all covered by our insurance. In the end, I paid 300 euros total for the five days I spent in the hospital plus 28 days of rehab. Basically nothing. Several years later I spent another 6 months in the hospital and I only paid 300 euros again. For those that don't know, you pay 10 euros a night in the hospital, but you can only be charged for the first 30 days. After that, you pay nothing. Another thing about being sick is that when I say I'm sick here, nobody questions it. In fact, most people acknowledge that you don't have to LOOK sick in order to be sick. I still feel guilty about cancelling classes when I'm sick, but nobody ever says, "are you sure you're not sick?" In fact, usually they say, "Are you sure two days off is enough?" :D

[@indrinita]

I love that Germany has radicalized you towards supporting worker rights, public health and safety, and humane social service policies!

[@arnewengertsmann9111]

As a german, I find it kind of funny, that you would call asking for normal and selfevident rights radical. Before I talked to Americans, I would never have thought of them as anything but normal and unquestionable.

[@haroldvonschwartzenstien3581]

De-radicalised you mean?

[@MissMoontree]

It is de-radicalized

[@haroldvonschwartzenstien3581]

@@MissMoontree not in the civilised world 😉

[@BrokenCurtain]

@@arnewengertsmann9111 The word "radical" gets a bad rap for no reason. It just means having and expressing a strong non-mainstream opinion. I guess it's because it gets confused with "extremist", which means being okay with people hurting and dying for your beliefs - but there are many extremists who don't qualify as radicals, like people who lie about climate change and say it doesn't exist because they want to continue profiting from fossil fuels.

[@teckyify]

Donating payed time off is probably the most mind blowing. 🤯😂 To quote Gordon Ramsay "this is work, family is at home".

[@cynic7049]

I can kind of get my head around it, what I can't get my head around is the employer at least going in and doubling the amount of days collected. To me that would be the bare minimum of decency.

[@KiraDaBeastNY]

@@cynic7049 I'm telling you right now. 90% of large corporations have no integrity or decency. The US allows companies to abuse people damn near however they want because the government gets "lobbied" (read: bribed) by these companies not to pass workers rights laws that are common in a significant portion of the world. To make matters worse our Supreme Court is case by case making it easier and easier for politicians to be bribed. There is a case I can't remember the name of where the Court decides that "gifts" like Ferrari's, expensive watches, etc weren't in the purview of bribery. They've mad violations of multiple laws to prevent this type of thing so fucking *narrow* that basically nobody could actually get caught for bribery. And if you wanna get thrown for a loop, look up the results if recent case "FEC (Federal Election Committee) v. Ted Cruz for Senate".

[@karstenbursak8083]

It's not Chef Ramsay if it doesn't contain the F-word 😉😁

[@noth6051]

Especially considering how few paid holidays Americans seem to get in the first place. They're getting screwed over at every turn by their employer...

[@barbaras5550]

I’m a German living in the US. I bake a lot of German cakes. Whenever we had a birthday party for the kids, their American friends were always very confused with the cake because it wasn’t the overly sweet with 2“ frosting type of cake! I read about a study that said even products that are available in a lot of countries (e.g Heintz Ketchup), the US product has always more sugar and/or fat in it than the same product even in Canada or Mexico. It works the other way round, too: Haribo gummy bears in the US have more sugar in it than in Germany (and of course the artificial colors that have been outlawed in the EU).

[@lilstardrops]

I REALLY wish the US would stop putting so much sugar in everything. It's TOO sweet, even for a kid 😂

[@ekozoidmajiker6186]

too much sugar would give them diabetes in the long run.

[@eljefeamericano4308]

I'm American, grew up in the U.S., all of that... I hate how much sugar is in everything. Hate the fake colors, too. They're so unnecessary! I worked with a Russian girl once, and she complained about how even our normal bread is too sweet.

[@t.a.yeah.]

I guess I will never go to the US. :D I have a fructose intolerance. It's hard enough in Germany to find products without some kind of sugar I can't digest. I have to cook a lot by myself.. and I hate cooking. -_-

[@lovevamp5446]

Reminds me of the croissants I ate in the US hotel. So much sugar, so gross. In the EU there normally is no sugar on top of it. In that Hotel theere wasn't a breakfast there that was healthy. And the US bread! People please don't put so much junk in it.

[@courgette3401]

The irony with American health is that America spends twice as much per person than any European country. Every person in America could have fantastic health care for less money than is currently paid. So odd!

[@sonialinsey8083]

Well everyone here is fat and refuses to stop and if you point it out you’re a bigot. That’s the only thing I hate about America.

[@CasualTS]

I've heard the "we're family" talk from people on YT joking about working at Walmart. However I've never heard of donating your sick days to another employee. That's ridiculous, the company just needs to deal with that and not force other employees to sacrifice their own benefits.

[@Ammieboo15]

Some also have where you can “buy sick days” it’s crazy

[@thesavagegame6459]

Only the most twisted of families would expect a sick relative to show up.

[@michaelmiller3012]

Dude... I work in for the US Department of Veteran's Affairs -- to be clear, the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT -- and donating sick days is a thing. AND it has to be authorized and approved by management. God, I wish I was kidding.

[@izabelastrzakowiec2307]

When I first heard about donating paid leave days my thought was "How this is even legal?!"

[@reinhard8053]

@@izabelastrzakowiec2307 Exactly. We don't need it here (A) but it wouldn't be legal at all. Paid leave days are for the sake and health of the worker. You aren't allowed to switch them against money and you are even noticed if you have too many left from previous years. And of course you can't donate them. Nobody would even consider such a thought. If you are thick you stay at home, that's it. If we have some important project waiting you might come a day earlier as the doctor stated if you feel reasonable well. But that would be considered as what it is - a sacrifice - and not expected. I had such a thing when I broke my collarbone. After two weeks (of four) I was asked if I could come in as I was the only one working on something urgent. They had no problem paying the cabs because I couldn't drive, yet. But that was completely out of the norm. And nobody would have thought bad of me if I had denied.

[@nebulouskatbanter9055]

I can completely relate to this. For example, my mother once drove herself to the hospital while actively having a heart attack because she wasn't sure why her chest hurt and she didn't want to pay what was more than a month of her rent for an ambulance ride if it turned out to be acid reflux or something. At the hospital they told her she was having a heart attack, and they had to put in a couple stents. This country is insane. The idea that we live in a free country is only propaganda. This is feudalism with corporations instead of kings, and fewer days off. So what that you can quit your job and find another? You cannot quit the system. The freedom to choose between masters still leaves you in slavery. Wage theft accounts for a greater percentage than any other kind of theft in this country, and yet the companies are rarely held accountable, but heaven forbid someone should take a dollar from the till. What about freedom of speech? That too is undermined and illusory. We are silenced not by suppression but by clutter and over stimulation and noise. The US hides the needle of truth by providing a haystack and calling that freedom. Shout all you want. No one can hear you. Everyone else is screaming too. Sorry. That got a bit dark. Must not be enough sugar in my food today.

[@Alex-df4lt]

If you're that unhappy, you should consider moving to the EU. The US is not good for everyone.

[@darknebula5555]

Best comment I have ever read regarding this matter.

[@Tvtyrant2]

I was once charged 400 dollars for checking in at an ER and the nurse telling me they wouldn't be doing any tests because I had been seen for my chest pains recently. I literally was charged to have a nurse look at my chart for a few seconds.

[@midgetwaffles8635]

"What about freedom of speech? That too is undermined and illusory. We are silenced not by suppression but by clutter and over stimulation and noise. The US hides the needle of truth by providing a haystack and calling that freedom. Shout all you want. No one can hear you. Everyone else is screaming too." THIS. *THIS.* I'm an American, and I've never been able to describe the issue with the "freedom of speech" thing because I haven't been able to find the words for it. And low and behold, I just found them right here. Very accurate.

[@EnbyFranziskaNagel]

@@midgetwaffles8635 Tom Nicholas did a interesting video essay about Elon Musk buying twitter for free spech and the development os debate culture. One interesting point was that the USA defined free speech wrong. The 1st ammendment defines free speech as a lack of government interference. Congress can't pass laws restricting free speech. So as long as the government doesn't pass any laws free speech exists even if the conversational climate is so hostile that some people (esp. Minorities) are too afraid to speak. And the US doesn't even follow the 1st amendment, as it has laws regulating pornography and commercial speech, both restricting free speech. So the first amendment stictly interpreted bans clearly useful legislation and doesn't provide usefull guidelines to determine witch legislation is okay. The text suggests that fewer laws = more free speech, that doesn't help in evaluating the particular law you are trying to pass. In contrast the german constitution defines free speech as: "everyone has the right to share their opinions. There is no censorship". The second paragraph lists the limits of free speech: Laws that don't target particular opinions, laws protecting minors, and the right to personal honour. This definition of free speech is better than the first amendment since it provides limits and a usefull guideline to evaluate new legislation. The goal is build a society where everyone can participate in the public conversation.

[@thenotsodiscretewolf2098]

The idea of the "we are a family" logic is used as an anti union and anti pay raise system, its a way they take money from the working class.

[@EnbyFranziskaNagel]

We are not a Family we are in a mutually beneficial contractual relationship.

[@MissMoontree]

If they were really family they would have made your bed and given you soup.

[@aaronsmith-q8v]

...............or to promote social "cohesion" in a truly diverse environment. The only diversity Germany has is Turks and Middle Eastern. And boi o boi they are doing well assimilating them in society lol

[@neilmccarthy5102]

Yeah… when your mother & father are sociopaths!

[@thenotsodiscretewolf2098]

@@neilmccarthy5102 right the reason is for why would you betray your family by asking for more money or joining a union to help yourself and your fellow workers. Same reason most contact's say "don't talk about how much your paid with other workers" or the don't want you to and the reason for that is so you don't realize your getting screwed.

[@lavalamp6410]

I have a good friend who lives in Oregon, she had an aneurism about 8 years ago and was unconscious for around 7 weeks leading to all sorts of issues including liver failure and kidney disease. She was accidently sent the bill which should have gone to her insurance company, it was over $800,000. About 3 years ago she was diagnosed with leukaemia so she cannot work at all, her insurance said they can no longer cover her so she had to go onto medicare I think it is called, or medicaid maybe, she still has access to her oncologist but her primary healthcare Dr didn't take that so she had to find another Dr who accepted it. It took over a year before she could find a Dr who would accept medicare which just sickens me. She cannot even stand more than a few minutes without support, she will fall over, one of the side effects of being unconscious for so long. I told her I can walk into any of the 20 odd hospitals in my city here in Australia and get treatment without paying a cent, or walk into any general Dr's practice if it is an emergency and be seen and receive treatment without worrying about paying anything, that upset my friend as you can imagine. Being without a Dr for so long with her medical conditions is criminal in my opinion, it makes me angry every time I talk with her and she says she is in terrible pain and she won't seek medical treatment because her new insurance won't pay for it. America, not the land of the free or brave but the land of the oppressed and downtrodden masses in my opinion. Sorry about the rant Hayley, this is one topic that angers me.

[@Mayagick]

and rightful so. This is effective Darwinism, survival of the fittest, Corporate Greed, as you see in the opioid crisis, but pharmacy industry saw a chance to make you an addicted customer. Efficient Capitalism, some say brutal. Take some over the top sugared soda or sweets.

[@TheLassenman]

You have to think like an businessman or woman in america, because it's all about the money no matter what.. America is all about capitalism, nothing else..

[@Sleeping_Insomiac]

I literally just brought my mom home from aneurysm surgery here in Germany. They found out that her main artery has an aneurysm about two years ago, all the way from her heart down to where it splits into the legs. She got three surgeries with custom made implants (made in Australia 🇦🇺), that condition is so rare that the university asked for permission to tape the procedure, and all that for free! She's now preparing for post surgical physiotherapy and a three weeks "Kur" in a medical hotel, all paid by health insurance. And still, the US pays about double the amount pet capita in healthcare cost than we do! It's totally unreal! And I don't even want to imagine the stress and pressure we would have felt if our family would've had to decide if we could raise the money for the procedure and if it's worth spending that amount on a seventy year old, or that she would have to live with the knowledge that her grandchild would not be able to go to college because those funds went to her surgery! It is inhumane and just pure evil! I lost a good American friend many years ago... She found a man, married him, put her feelings of weakness and frailty on the marriage stress, so never went to a doctor for fear of not being able to have her dream marriage. It wasn't stress, it was cancer. Sorry for the rant, that topic gets me pretty angry, too!

[@jasperzanovich2504]

How are insurances allowed to drop you once you are no longer profitable? What's the point of paying for it then?

[@Mayagick]

@@TheLassenman it's not inherintly evil to think of a businessman, but it seems they like the family spin only as long as it serves them, bottom line you're Out! All the pledge for solidarity amongs the staff to fill in or donate their sick days is pretty welcome. Germany is planned as social market economy hence not stripped from capitalism. So there is another successful way of doing business.

[@germanjake1288]

With the company saying "But we are a Familiy" in my german ears i would think "oh good thanks for understanding for taking sick leave" Cause a family is there for you when you need help or are sick!

[@adrianaheiler9794]

We are family? Oh gteat, does rhat mean someone from HR will show up at my house later to bring me extra blankets and make me tea? You know, like actual family does for a sick family member!

[@tjshultz89]

It takes a long time to decompress from years of living in the US. I'll tell my coworkers here in Australia about how we used to do active shooter drills in high school and at work and they'll have a shocked look on their face. Americans will normalize and rationalize a lot of very unhealthy experiences and won't know just how far down the rabbit hole they really went until they go overseas.

[@darrellhambley7245]

OH, and now, to read stories of the 4th of July shooting in Highland Park. Children were pulling their parents toward "safe areas", behind dumpsters, into doorways. The frightening fact is that, because of active shooter drills, the children had already instinctively scoped out the area even before the parade.

[@smilingbandit4975]

@@darrellhambley7245 That’s so sad words can describe.

[@johnscaramis2515]

@@darrellhambley7245 If you take a step back and really think this through you can only come to one conclusion: WTF, that's even beyond messed up for a country.

[@Alex-df4lt]

We tend to have online active shooter drills in Europe at American companies. They are bringing this fear onto us as well 🙂

[@tnit7554]

@alex. Insane.

[@ThePixel1983]

"You, my employer, are family? Great! Thanks for not making me work when I am sick and thank you for supporting me financially when I am sick!"

[@jenniferbellerose7463]

Sadly, you say that, you are out of a job

[@sushi777300]

I love traveling to the US but I could not live there. You need a certain safety net to truely live independently and it hurts that a lot of Americans still don't understand this

[@dannyholland7209]

How is this "Social Safety net" Any different than the "We are family" Schtick? Its honestly the same thing except one is forced upon you by the govt. while one is just trying to manipulate you into a desired result.

[@Navajonkee]

@@dannyholland7209 Well, first and foremost, the social safety net isn't a lie. Secondly, while it is 'forced' upon you, it is done so in your best interest. Would you rather save some money and not have this safety net present in your life? Would you rather gamble with your own fate so that you can skimp on taxes? Well, you can in the US. In fact, you pretty much have to, because there's no safety net there, whether you want it or not. You have just as much choice: none. So which non-choice would you prefer? One that provides you with a chance to bounce back if the ground runs out from under your feet, or the once where you'll be free falling to your doom when that happens? Is saving a bit more money more important than being able to live life without the fear that your entire existence could turn upside down in an instant with no chance of escaping? People in the US may feel absolutely disgusted by this idea, but sometimes your government knows better than you.

[@HistoricLife]

@@dannyholland7209 The social safety net works and makes the life of the vast majority of workers better. Not going broke from getting sick is a big deal. Vacation time, sick time, paid time off for kids; all a big deal for the vast majority.

[@EnbyFranziskaNagel]

@@dannyholland7209 Most important to me is that the social safety net is consistent. You don't have to hope that your coworkers donate sick days or that you can get enough money on go fund me. It is a realistic possibility that you won't get enough voluntary dontions. The social safety net is always there. I know what programs exist and how much support I can get. And most importantly the support is for everyone and is only dependent on your needs. With the "We are family" Schtick how much support you can get can vary greatly depending on how much you appeal to the biases of the public. For example the US society pities woman more than men and white people more than black people. Many people won't donate to cover a trans persons medical care after a car crash because that would mean supporting "crazy people". And if you had prior convictions you are way less likely to get support even though you already paid your debt to society.

[@genreofstubby]

When i went to Australia.... i wasnt believed when i told them about what really goes on in this country. Now they believe me. You ARE experiencing PTSD. How the USA lives... is not normal. But because so many are use to it... it has become the norm. I wish i could go back to Australia. I felt so safe there. You woke up to an ugly truth. And it has opened your eyes... and from the tone of your voice... you are grieving. And you have every right to do so. cuz it never had to be like this. Hugs. Gentle hugs.

[@misterjoey3384]

Bruh somethings wrong when you're safer in a country where reptiles and spiders eat Mario mushrooms.

[@genreofstubby]

@@misterjoey3384 truth!

[@julzhunt7790]

Australia is awesome. I feel so lucky to live here.

[@nisrael673]

I have to agree. When I lived in Slovakia as a kid we grew our own veggies and fruits. The best time of my life, honestly! Maybe it was simply because I took part in the process and was eager to enjoy the fruits and veggies I grew.

[@kiko7119]

Es hat mich wirklich schockiert, dass du gleich zweimal in der Schule eine so krasse Erfahrung machen musstest. Vielleicht ist es ja wirklich eine Art Trauma, wo Therapie dir helfen kann. Vergleiche zwischen Ländern finde ich immer super interessant. Freut mich, dass du dich in Deutschland wohl und sicher fühlst. Fühl dich gedrückt 🤗

[@muddyfeet69]

Ja, unsere Hayley gehört einfach zu uns ♥

[@spaceowl5957]

Hayley is my idol

[@Osmone_Everony]

Das scheint bei Amerikanern (verständlicherweise) weit verbreitet zu sein. So etwas habe ich nämlich nicht zum ersten mal gehört.

[@RickDistance]

@@Osmone_Everony Ja, du bist ja abgehärtet und seelenlos wie der Rest von schwarz-machtgeil Deutschland.

[@kristian9639]

tut sie aber nicht! In einem anderen Video sagt sie wir Deutsche wären so Rassiten.Aber klar da war sie ja wieder in den USA

[@endtroducing]

Totally agree about GoFundMe. Although it is great to see the generosity and kindness that Americans have, it is really worrisome that people even need to resort to crowdsourcing to pay for healthcare. It just seems sad that American tragedy also becomes some strange capitalistic game. I'm sure GoFundMe sure makes a lot from these.

[@Freiya2011]

It's horrible when a society RELIES on GoFundMe. That's a sign it is broken.

[@Yotanido]

The funny thing is, crowdsourcing medical costs is exactly what health insurance is. The system in the US is just so bad, they had to re-invent it... Except it is still much worse than a proper health insurance. And, here's an idea, limits on how much they can charge. Crazy, I know.

[@endtroducing]

@@Yotanido exactly!! it's like a roundabout, more inequitable way to do what health insurance essentially does. I'd rather pay more taxes (like in a single payer health insurance) and KNOW I have a safety net rather than this relying on this whole charade of charity that involves for-profit companies like GoFundMe 😒

[@hanserikkratholmrasmussen6623]

I love the part about being "a family." If that's being a family, I'd rather be without a family.

[@colibri1]

And that is really common in the US. More common, though, is for bosses to say that we're all a "team," working together for the benefit of all, yet only those lower in rank are asked to contribute to sick coworker funds; the bosses just sit there.

[@ninaschust3694]

that reminds me of Terry Pratchett when Sam Vimes talks to new recruits...

[@Julia-lk8jn]

If it's the family, the owner is the dad. Anybody asked him to donate like, 1% of his monthly income? Like I wouldn't know.

[@agnesleuenberger3713]

Fully agree! This "we're a family" statement is weird and almost creepy coming from a company... I already have a family, no need for a fake one!

[@matthiasbaumbach5393]

When you came up with the shots and the fireworks I could relate so much. I'm a former army officer and suffer from serious ptsd. Fireworks are the hell for all those who experienced gun violence in anyway. Living in the European cultural capital of Weimar we have fireworks every other weekend. On the other side we have many refugees from war zones like Syria, the Ukraine or East Afrika. When I feel the stress during fireworks as a former military professional I still can barely imagine the horrors which the refugees have to go through. This made me an activist against fireworks and there are more good reasons to ban them like environmental issues and the blunt burning of precious money.

[@Valjean666dk]

I think here in Denmark fireworks are illegal except on new years eve, or at least a very limited period. Doesn't mean that some idiots aren't lighting something up from time to time, but it is down to a minimum. I thought that was common, but then I don't really have a frame of reference other than that's how it is in Denmark, and generally we have rather similar laws in Europe.

[@Valjean666dk]

Just checked out of curiosity. In Denmark the "fireworks season" is from dec. 27th till jan 1st. But normally it just picks up in the evening on the 31st, and then goes crazy at midnight.

[@matthiasbaumbach5393]

@@Valjean666dk Yeah it's the same here in Germany with private fireworks. But in a town like Weimar you frequently have to experience large public fireworks. Did you know that those huge sparkling explosions in the sky are made by apparatuses which are called bombards? And believe me they sound like artillery. The rather small ones sound frighteningly real like small gun fire. Even the cadence of the sounding is quite similar to sound cadence in a gun fight situation. My stand is that all fireworks should be banned. It's an unnecessary luxury.

[@bladerunner3314]

Another factor is animals. Despite me staying calm during Silvester, my cats are on the edge and it sure desn't help to have a neighborhood full of kids that start at noon of Slvester and proceed to burn off fireworks way into January.

[@FulloutPostal]

@@matthiasbaumbach5393 good luck with your effort! also, if you haven't already, you may want to try and get refugee organizations on board to at least reduce the number of fireworks (and thus stress for refugees)...

[@shiftymenno]

America is so messed up compared to the rest of western countries. I used to laugh about it but now it genuinely terrifies me.

[@Lukas-fq9lp]

Even in the Balkans and protestingFrance:There are no Elementary schoolshootings. So:America is the new*Barbarian land*

[@kevinschafer6345]

I don't think so. There are lots of damn messed up countries in europe. Even the bigger ones like France. Germany too. Germany is just messed up in another way. For example the ambulance thing. People take advantage of calling the ambulance because it's "free" (or better said, because they don't charge extra. And let me add another aspect: For having health care in Germany so cheap lots of people working in there are not as well paid as those in the USA. The salaries of Notfallsanitäter or Nurses are rather laughable. Therefor the health care industry has its problems finding staff). People call the ambulance although they're not in need. They call it for they want the drivers to change a simple bandage or people want a free taxi because they live near the hospital. The drivers have to follow and are not allowed to lecture people. So they might be stuck with some unnecessary task while somewhere else someone with a real problem has to wait. There is even a documentary about that sort of abuse on YT. And the "we are family or Friends" and the "low hierachy" thing is something you find everywhere in Germany either. i wonder, since you know your company isn't your family then why do you see it as normal they have to pay you anything when not working? may it be vacation or being sick? It's a kind of parasitic mentality. Why not staying away and accepting not to get paid? just my 2 cents.

[@aaronsmith-q8v]

When you don't understand the culture and history of the US, its very easy to make these sweeping statements. And no, living there doesn't automatically enshrine upon you understanding. Like this channel. A relentless America bashing machine without naunce. Only surface level arguments. Enjoy the polarity. It's fun to hate US, but there isn't a greater country in the world out there.

[@Mayagick]

Nice trick though "we're Family". If employers find out you're pregnant, it can lay you off to ditch maternity leave, unpaid or not. You probably think more of your newborn, real family, than your Business Family.

[@mihaicolceriu-nicola7148]

i also used to laugh and now it makes me sad. i really feel sorry for US americans. they live such miserable and unhealthy lives and worst is that they think their lives are better compared to the rest of the world 🙁. i wouldnt move to US even if some1 would give me 1 mil $ lol

[@Enlightize]

I'm an American living in Japan for 7 years and I noticed the exact same things as you! I do think though, Japan has also messed me up in regards to earthquakes. Sometimes I think I feel one, when there isn't one...but aside from that as a Black female traveler, I've never felt safer, healthier, and calmer than now.

[@davedeal9152]

Sis, you aren't imagining. You are just sensitive. They have tons of tiny eqs all the time and you notice 'em while the Nihonjin just don't notice unless its 4.0. Gambare!

[@humancaos]

When a corporation/company want's to compare itself to a family, it would normally be the parents that would help out if one of the kids get sick and not force their other kids to do more, and in the picture of a corporation being a family it would be the owners that are the parents. And you knows America messed you up when getting sick can make you homeless.

[@colibri1]

And being homeless in the US (a phenomenon of the past forty years only) can result in you getting physically attacked by cops and by the public, who have vicious attitudes toward the poor in their dog-eat-dog country and frequently spit on the homeless, dump coffee on the homeless, call the police on the homeless, have their dogs attack or urinate on the homeless, etc.

[@martinmckowen1588]

And if one of your family members gets sick you wouldn’t want them infecting other family members.

[@bintisf]

That's actually how insurances were created in Germany after the Industrial Revolution. Some companies saw themselves as the "father figure" that had to raise and take care of their workers. They created the idea of covering some of the costs for medical procedures to tie the workers to their company on the one hand, but also because they realised that unhealthy workers are bad workers. The rest of the story is more complex than that but if you want to learn more about it you can do some research on the "Sozialgesetze" by Bismarck from 1889, who was pressured by the SPD and the working class.

[@viomouse]

Yeah, this family stuff is really bullshit. When sb in the family is sick, you put them to bed and bring them a hot beverage and some form of entertainment and check on them ever so often, but the last thing you'd do is put them to work...

[@iWriteWithPride]

I was born in Wiesbaden and didn't come to the US until I was 9. The way my mental health deteriorated so quickly was insane. I hated being here and still do. I wish more than anything that I could go back to Germany.

[@iWriteWithPride]

@bradley brown That’s actually what I’m trying to do. Maybe not back in Wiesbaden directly, though.

[@BalticSeaLady]

Ich kenne Deine persönliche Situation nicht, aber Amerikaner, die hier auch arbeiten und ein ordentliches Leben führen wollen, sind sicher sehr willkommen. Wenn Du in Wiesbaden geboren wurdest, müsstest Du ja auch die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit haben und könntest immer hierher zurückkehren. Ich lebe in Deutschland im Norden an der Baltic Sea, von dort liebe Grüße Tanja

[@nleem3361]

My uncle drove himself to the ER with a collapsed lung... My sister is a paramedic. She explained to him afterwards how the ambulance is equipped all kinds of medical tools & meds to handle a situation going from bad to worse (cardiac arrest). Which is much better than passing out while driving or having the ambulance needing to find you on the side of the road. I've heard majority of Americans who file bankruptcy is because of medical bills. It's way out of hand. The USA should look into the Swiss system of non-profit medical insurance... I don't think we can switch directly to the way most of Europe does it with free health care, but we could switch to non-profit, affordable health insurance.

[@englishguy215]

I am English and I can tell you we do not have free health care. Every payday a tax called national insurance is deducted from us and part of that goes to pay for health care when we need it, so our medical bills are pre-paid. However if you are visiting the country for whatever reason and you need a hospital you can access it for free. I do believe that anyone who is not a UK citizen should at least be covered by some form of insurance and use that to pay when needed.

[@lukaszwojtowicz1981]

There is over 600000 medical bankruptcies per year in the USA. 😕

[@Kloetenhenne]

Wow, that cancer story with the paid leave is awful! We really have to be more grateful for the things we have and get in Germany.

[@RodolfLeclerc]

In Canada it's pretty much the same as Germany.

[@wwbuirkle]

My unemployed friend had cancer and eventually died but was treated without insurance so don't believe the hype

[@wwbuirkle]

@@RodolfLeclerc IN Canada you have to wait forever to see a specialist

[@tasminoben686]

Hallo Marie_ liebe Urlaubsgrüße vom Ijsselmeer in Holland! Hab ein nice Wochenende Henne!

[@Kloetenhenne]

@@tasminoben686 ach hi! Du schon wieder 😀 ich wünsche dir einen schönen und erholsamen Urlaub

[@SABRINA.ARMY.BTS.]

Lol I’m not American but I lived in the USA for some time and when I first moved in with my host family they served me vegetables and they were drenched in butter or cheese sauce the kids never had them without and after a month I was in charge of cooking and just bought fresh vegetables and cooked them the way that I used to cook them and yes it took some time for them to like the vegetables this way but around 6 month later I noticed that the family changed it and left the butter and cheese sauce out because they didn’t like it anymore!

[@HayleyAlexis]

It took me awhile to get used to it... The family I used to work for really did a number on me with food.. There are some things I really enjoy eating now that I would have never had tried in the USA

[@melfinn1978]

Like creamed spinach. A staple German side dish!

[@embersfire2957]

I'm really genuinely shocked about donating vacation days. I really didn't know that was even possible. It's absurd and should be illegal! Here in the Netherlands it is similar to Germany. It is regulated by law that you have, 4 times the number of working hours per week, on paid time off . So if you work 30 hours a week, you have 120 hours of vacation per year. And that is without the public holidays which are paid time off as well. At my company I am obliged to take 2 weeks of those 4 weeks. If I only take 2 weeks of vacation this year then I am obliged to use the other 2 weeks the following year. So the following year I really have 4 weeks of compulsory and a 2 weaks optional vacation. And there are a lot of options for more extra vacation days on top of that like "compensatieverlof". At my company I am also obliged to take a half hour break after 4 working hours and I am not allowed to work more than 9 hours a day without any permission from my company. My manager has to request the company in advance if I can work more than 9 hours on a specific day and he has to explain why it's necesarry because if I work more than 9 hours I'm being paid extra (extra fee to my normal wage and I have to take extra time off on another day to compensate). The whole idea is that working too much hours in a week, and not having a propper work/life balance, makes employees way less productive (they work more hours but the don't produce more), less motivated and inovative and is also bad for their health. If I'm sick, my supervisor really "kicks" me back home. If I don't call in sick I will eventualy have to call in sick anyway but that period of being sick will last longer than if I would have called in sick straight away. And when you come to work with a cold, or with the flu, you might infect your coworkers as well. And employees with no life/ work balance might leave the company eventualy which leaves the company with a experiance drain and knowledge drain. All that will cost companies in the long term way more money than "slave labour" yields. When I was pregnant with my oldest son, I spent more than 6 months in hospital with preeclampsia and hyperemesis gravidarum (non stop vomitting). When I was finally a bit up and running after 6 months, I wanted to work a few hours per day. I was realy sick an tired of being alone at home, not able to do something usefull and I missed my co workers. Because I was sick for more than two weeks I had to made an appointment with the company physician. He told me that I was right out of my mind. He allowed me to visit with my colleagues for an hour a week to keep in touch, just to drink a cup of coffee, but I was absolutely not allowed to work until after my maternity leave. If anything would happen to me or my baby than it could have an huge effect on me and therefore on my team as well (companies can not fire someone if the have a good "track record" over muliple years). So the company physician was not having it. Such a different to american work culture where I would have to beg my co workers for their paid time of.. Realy absurd. There are a lot of good things in and about America but the way employees are treated, and the lack of regulating employees rights by law, is shockingly short sighted.

[@HayleyAlexis]

A lot of people don't talk about this and a lot of Americans don't know this is possible... BUT depending on what state there are clear laws... I know one state only allows up to 1,000 donated hours for a sick employee- after that they are SOL but I don't remember which state unfortunately :/

[@tanyas6643]

Nurse here… I can seriously relate to the “we are a family” bs, having worked for hospitals and medical facilities where that was a “lip service motto” by management. We’d have All-Employee Meetings where the management/administration would praise their staff…. but especially the LOWEST PAID skilled and unskilled labor as “vital” to running the facility… and “part of THE FAMILY”…the former which was true… and they would pay for a 1 hour “party” with cheap grocery store chip’n’dip and cheese and fruit plates… and give out t-shirts with the “company” logo (which was what many nurses aids, housekeepers and maintenance employees would wear as a uniform top anyway)… while not paying them a living wage or being skimpy with benefits packages. We nurses and the upper management/administration would have a separate meeting later…. at a fancy restaurant where an entree ran at least $30 and an average bill per person was around $70… all paid by the boss without blinking. And we often got gift certificates and “Visa cards” we could use anywhere in town or online, worth at least $100. And at certain times we may even get bonuses. But only when there was an issue within the nurses group, we’d also get the “we’re a family” speech, to guilt us into fixing the problem without management having “to get involved” aka having to pay for something to fix the problem. Because ultimately…. “saving company money” is the only reason for the bosses to use the “we are a family” speech. (Fwiw… several of my nurse colleagues and I would often gift the certificate or “Visa cards” to any of the low wage staffers who needed that little extra to help make a few ends meet.) And as a nurse I’m also quite aware of US patients waiting “too long” for medical care and then showing up in my ER, when things were really bad, because they feared the cost. And even when we nurses (sometimes even with the help of some of our doctors!) would figure out a way to either not charge for something or to look for cheaper alternatives… the bill could still be a challenge (and shock). It can get quite demoralizing for a med pro who is in the field, out of “love” for others, because it can make us feel powerless, ineffective and “insufficient.”

[@Julia-lk8jn]

That is such a slap in the face to the lower qualified workers - they are probably as vital as the others, because they take some of the load of them, if it's only allowing them to have clean work place. And I love that you handed them some of the gifts; you shouldn't have to, but I imagine it meant a lot to them. Praise might be valuable, but it's also cheap and it doesn't pay for a new pair of shoes.

[@kelly1827]

I was a paramedic for 21yrs (now disabled from an AI disease) and we would very often see very sick pts refuse treatment from us, insisting their family/friend drive them to the ED, or refuse care altogether because of medical debt. Or a pt would insist we take them to a certain hospital which was further away or didn't provide services they needed, e.g. cardiac cath lab, because they had already established a Charity Care plan with that hospital or their insurance only covered care at that facility. We'd explain that the EMTALA law covered them for emergency stabilizing treatment, but they often knew from past experience that they'd have to be transferred once stable and they'd be billed for the transport. It was incredibly frustrating for everyone involved.

[@Alex-df4lt]

I live in the EU and I always found working for American companies to be preferable as they are good at praising and rewarding employees. When searching for a new job, one of the criteria is it has to be an American company.

[@tanyas6643]

@@Alex-df4lt I suspect you still benefit from all of rules, regulations and employment benefits that European governments insists workers get… That’s not the case if you worked IN THE US. So you get the “praise” and “rewards” on top of other benefits.

[@Alex-df4lt]

@@tanyas6643 Yup that's what I meant. We get the best of both worlds at American companies in the EU. They are a fantastic place to work at.

[@Kamakiri711]

Thing is, donating sick/vacation days and successfull go-fund-mes for medical bills are amazing and super social things. Problem is: they shouldn't be neccesary in the first place.

[@ToddMagnussonWasHere]

Won me over on the “we are a family” point, at the very least. Before 2020 I actually had a point of pride fighting through my sickness to do full days of work in a major city.

[@Caffinated_Chaos]

I went to Germany for a couple of days when I was a kid as in teenager. we were sent out in groups to do a little scavenger hunt type thing through a small area of a town. My group heard what we thought was a gun shot close by as well and we all did the duck and cover thing we were taught to do in school. We huddled together in the back of a little store a couple of kids on look out while I called our tour guide and our chaperons. The lady running the cash register came over to ask if our group was ok and when we told her what happened, she just...went outside to check. We heard another go off and she came back inside with the most sympathetic smile and told us that it was ok. It was just fire works, but that we could stay in her store until the adults came to get us. Needless to say the adults did come get us, but by then we had relaxed and done some shopping in the store while we waited. We were embarrassed to tell them what actually happened, but our guide said that it was normal and he's seen a lot of people from different places react that way when they hear fire works there.

[@apextroll]

I heard a story of a woman who fell between a train and platform somewhere in America and was torn up badly. People shouted, "Call 911, call 911!". As she dragged herself across the platform with a trail of blood she said, "Don't call 911, I can't afford it!!".

[@karorevera4975]

OMG

[@KiraDaBeastNY]

@@karorevera4975 Yeah this actually somewhat common. There's also a video of a guy running from the ambulance to the hospital which was just in sight because he got hurt and the ambulance tried to pick him up but he didn't wanna catch that charge so he just ran the little bit to the nearby hospital. You know Uber? They actually had to install a policy that you couldn't call them if you got hurt because they aren't an ambulance because people would go and call them when they got hurt instead of an ambulance because the Uber would be cheaper.

[@humtidumty1]

That also explains the claims for enormous amounts. That is the only way for people to survive an error or accident because one needs it to live on. There are probably no security systems like payable insurance for losing your income...

[@sabrinamadison8769]

Probably true

[@NikolasHonnef]

I really hope more Americans start to realize these things. We like to make fun of their ignorance, but the only real difference is that they grow up thinking everyone has to fight and survive for themselves. The problem is that it becomes true if everyone around you believes it too, like a self fulfilling prophecy. You'd have to get the whole country out of that mindset to fix these problems.

[@Brandanus]

I hope Germans and other EU citizens start to realize these things as achievements to preserve.

[@MM-kd3cb]

Let’s talk about Germany, a country where fascism inculcated in the 19th and 20th centuries, they regressively ended modern farming methods and as a result made healthy food so expensive poor people have a hard time affording it.

[@ThcBanaman]

@@MM-kd3cb Why do you have to be triggered? Can't take objective criticism? "No MUH country better!! 1!" much?

[@nunya2076]

@@ThcBanaman Says the person who got triggered by criticism 😂

[@ThcBanaman]

@@nunya2076 Nah

[@colibri1]

I've known a few people from Europe who were in the US for various reasons, school, research, etc, who said similar things about US food. One French woman complained particularly about US bread, saying she could just taste all the preservatives, and even finding organic breads in the US to often be virtually tasteless or too sweet from added sugar. She lived in the US because of a relationship and so was there for a few years and got diagnosed with cancer there. Though it's impossible to know exactly where a person's cancer comes from, she is convinced that hers came from all the chemicals in US food and all the pollutants all over the place in the US, from lawn chemicals to plastics everywhere.

[@aaronsmith-q8v]

classic definition of bias.

[@berulan8463]

@@aaronsmith-q8v classic definition of BS.

[@sirtob1]

Not Sure about the cancer, cant comment on that, but literally learned how to bake during my Semester abroad in the us because the bread was so bad. 100% agree that its almost inedible, and its SOOOOO SWEET... Even like the most whole grain healthy whatever bread was sweet as hell

[@tr9268]

How about those eggs - average eggs in Germany (yellow yolk) versus average eggs in us (some other color). It is enough to throw one’s appetite off to see eggs with a sickly pale yellow yolk. That always bothers me when I see it. Maybe its possible to get yellow yolk eggs in some bio shops in the us?

[@aaronsmith-q8v]

@@tr9268 Are you kidding me lol

[@JojoBerlin89]

Honestly the story with the sick coworker who needs donations to get time off makes me sick in my stomach.. its horrible how companies in the USA do stuff like that.

[@HomeWorkouts_LS]

Slightly misleading because the US does have the FMLA for illnesses, child birth, taking care of loved ones with illnesses, etc. Unfortunately, small companies with less than 50 employees do not have this. :(

[@CJ-vw3dt]

Hearing this makes me appreciate my home country so much more... Your story reminded me of something: I love travelling (and I always travelled a lot, thanks to 30 holidays per year). When I was in turkey I was sitting with this young couple from Syria in a spa, when this loud noise came (some motor malfunction). I just shrugged it of, but they reacted by crouching down, hugging each other. What I'm saying is that your ptsd reaction is pretty much the same as it is for people who just came out of a war zone. I'm very happy that my son is not growing up like this.

[@jeanyluisa8483]

I'm german living in Germany and I think if it comes to call an Ambulance many Germans are similar hesitant, even if its because of a different motivation. Ambulances are for emergencies and no free ride to the hospital. So I think if someones is healthy enough to ask someone to bring him to the hospital or to take a taxi, he/she should do so. Taking an ambulance always means, this ambulance is not available in case someone else needs it more urgent. Amulances also are not cheap or for free in Germany. Using them costs a lot of money, the main difference to the US is, that this money is paid by the health insurances, which means the costs are shared by all of us. So if someone really needs or suspects to need an ambulance for medical reasons, she/he of course should call one, but only then.

[@anniestumpy9918]

when my boyfriend had a biking accident we had to pay 10 euros for the ambulance that took him to the hospital. It cost 600 euros of which the health insurance paid the rest.

[@drunken_masasura13]

I can tell you as someone living in America if I’m hit by a car and still alive I’d rather someone call a family member then call an ambulance even with insurance an ambulance ride alone is 800$ no matter the situation or how bad your injured is if rather wait 3 hours in severe pain on a sidewalk till family come get me then pay that 800$ plus the medical bill I’ll get from the hospital when I get there. It’s pretty sad that if I get cancer I’d rather just die from it then even try to get help from doctors knowing I’ll forever be in debt and that it’s cheaper to die then get help

[@KitsuneHB]

Hesitate to call an ambumlance can be very dangerous. Two years ago I had a stroke and my boyfriend didn't hesitate to call the ambulance. That is very important in case of a stroke. I recovered fast and yes, I'm glad I was born in Germany.

[@GeorgRusbeck]

Seems medical treatment in the US is more a crime than a help.

[@teachersusan3730]

When I was in the US I found it mind boggling how sweet food was. And the big portions …

[@TreyDaze]

Bruh…as a Floridian now living in Germany (Stuttgart), I FELT EVERYTHING IN THIS VIDEO!!!

[@ChrisDragon531]

This was on my requested videos but I'm glad I watched this! I lived in Japan for a few years, and I can totally relate to the surprise at the cost of healthcare. In the US i don't go to the doctor's or dentist's office alot because of the cost, but when I was in Japan I got the cost and I was like "wait, that's it?".

[@Beeboop10000]

Congratulation for the 100k subscribers and nice, funny and informative video. Stay awesome.

[@jamjamme]

When I was a young guy, early in my career (in the Netherlands) my employer reacted exactly the other way around then what you're describing about the US when I came into work while I was ill. "Are you trying to infect everybody else in here? Please go home (fully paid sick leave) and come back in as soon as you're feeling better." :)

[@lazyperfectionist1]

16:29 😔 Oh, Hayley. I graduated from high school in the '90's. Things were bad _then,_ but _never_ like what you're describing here. I graduated from high school in _Colorado_ and it troubled me to hear that there were _some_ parts of the country where schools were being fitted with _metal_ detectors but I derived reassurance from the fact that they had yet to be necessary in _my_ school district. Then, when I was away in the Navy, I heard about the shootings at Columbine High School and I thought, "Well, _that_ age has ended." Looking back now, I can see this is a continuation of the tendency, in this country, to treat the _symptom_ instead of the underlying _problem._

[@anitapenkert389]

Watching videos like this make me understand things I experienced years ago and couldn't really make sense of. I worked in a global company that was bought by a US corporation. We started to get mails from the US headquarters (that worked in a totally different field of business) and we had those WTF moments. The first I remember was an urgent mail that we should pray for one of the bigwigs who was taken sick to hospital. A person I didn't even know and they were asking for something like praying? Religion is totally private in Germany. But in line with this video, the second big WTF moment was when we were asked to donate holidays for a sick co-worker overseas. We were totally confused and bewildered and if I remember correctly the operation was aborted. Thankfully the German work laws applied to us even if the ownership of the company was US American.

[@diasigimbayev6865]

Happy 100K!!! 🎉🥳🎊🎉🥳🎊

[@markberlin6608]

all the germans constantly complaining on the terrible situation their country is in right now (inflation, fear of war,too warm,too cold,trains full and late,etc) should watch your videos. they are living on an island of peace and comfort compared to the us and most of the world. thanks for reminding.

[@Noireinself]

very true

[@liessibrand2383]

Ok so we should be aware that we have it good BUT critic is important for improvement.

[@KitsuneHB]

But our trains are late! :D Okay, you are right. We say "Meckern auf hohem Niveau" - "complain at a high level". But that's also very german. ;)

[@bernhardneef7996]

Absolutely true

[@merrydiscusser6793]

First, just because someone has it worse doesn't mean your own situation can't be improved. Saying that Americans should stop complaining about their food because there are starving people in other countries doesn't help anyone. Second, the national sport of Germany is complaining. :D A saying/joke in Germany is: "Not complaining is praise enough."

[@Opa_Andre]

Wasn't expecting this video today. Rather one opening a bottle of wine or even champaign. Congrats to 100k subs, well deserved Hayley. 💯 Right in time for celebrating over the weekend.

[@tasminoben686]

Moin Andre, offenbar sind wir beide die Einzigen, die die 100 k unserer Deern bemerkt haben.. Das sind ja vielleicht treue Fans! LG Ben

[@Opa_Andre]

@@tasminoben686 Tja die Jugend von heute ist auch nicht mehr das, was sie mal war, Ben. Dich mal ausgenommen. 😂

[@tasminoben686]

Danke für die Blumen! Bin Jahrgang 55! Grins!

[@Opa_Andre]

@@tasminoben686 Hehe, hatte mich von Deinem Avatar verleiten lassen.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I am VERY excited and will be making a video soon! I already had this video made before I hit 100,000 and decided to upload it because when I tried to make my 100,000 subscriber video I cried and it was not the cutest face I have made on my channel. I will have a video up soon saying thank you and sending virtual hugs!!

[@schwab_squad]

That's a deep topic. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙏😊

[@ninniele]

15 years ago I stayed in the US for 3 months, ate as usual, and gained 15 kg. I have no idea why, but yes, something is different with the food.

[@zoomer325]

I agree with everything you say in this video. We emigrated from the UK to the USA 23 years ago due to a job opportunity and had to accept certain things over here such as knowing we had less rights as an employee and healthcare was going to end up being an additional financial factor, something we were not used to. However, at the time all this was based on seeing the potential for a better life for us and our children, you could say we fell for the American Dream. It has always however, been difficult to deal with so much hypocrisy over those 23 years especially with how people in the USA are brainwashed. Sadly things have got more worse over those 23 years especially in connection with healthcare and insurance, employee rights and also how my benefits at work especially in terms for retirement and paid time off have changed negatively. It is also becoming very apparent that the divide between the rich and poor is widening. It might be different for people that have come from a third world country coming to the USA. But most Europeans and Canadians would be reluctant to emigrate here these days unless they have an outstanding opportunity. The USA has moved so far away from being a democracy on the grounds that politicians of both parties are mostly controlled by corporations. Sadly all the brainwashing has created a big divide between the people of this country which stands to have a very negative impact in the future. We have two friends over here one with a family, who have both moved to Germany and they do not want to move back to the USA for all of the same reasons you say. We also are looking to move back soon. Americans deserve better. This country has so much to offer but at the same time has so much to lose.

[@davenwin1973]

Sadly, Canada is not much better either. I was thinking about Canada, but there's just as much bureaucracy there as the US, that even Canadians are leaving for Europe. I'm currently watching 2 Canadian expats on KZbin (Adventures and Naps who lives in England, and Life in Germany in Germanyof course), and watch their lives in the countries they chose. As for other Americans on KZbin in Europe, not sure if the Girl Gone London channel will talk about what Haylay has brought up. For her, she's a dual US and UK citizen, which she chose to do, in case she decides to return to the US for an extended period of time, so she wouldn't lose her immigration status. I don't see the Black Forest Family channel getting this controversial, as their channel makes them a lot of money. But I learned from their channel recently, that Johnathan might be eligible for German citizenship, as his great grandfather immigrated to thr US from Germany. He has to find out if his great grandfather signed paperwork that he would remain a German citizen. If his great grandfather did, he's eligible for German citizenship, while retaining his US citizenship. His current son, and any future children would automatically be eligible for dual citizenship. His wife Ashton, unfortunate does not qualify, as it was her great great grandfather who came over to the US from Germany, and the cutoff is the great grandparent(s). When given the opportunity, I'll look into this when doing my family tree. Though I would prefer Germany, I would have to look at Austria, as I know my great grandmother came from there, and if the criteria is similar to Germany, I might be eligible for citizenship there. But she was a child when she immigrated to the US. Unfortunately on my dad's side of the family, my dad's side came over more like the 1700's, and automatically won't be eligible for any citizenship in any part of Europe, based on family members.

[@BalticSeaLady]

@@davenwin1973 Es gab aber in diesem Jahr auch eine Gesetzesänderung hier in Deutschland, die es ermöglicht a) schneller deutscher Staatsbürger zu werden und b) zwei Staatsbürgerschaften zu haben (vorher ging das nur durch Geburt in Deutschland, wenn ein Elternteil z.B. aus den USA war - dann bekam man beide Staatsbürgerschaften). Wenn Du wirklich Interesse hast und lieber nach Deutschland kommen würdest, ich denke, da findet sich ein Weg wie z.B. sich einen Job hier in Deutschland auf einem amerikanischen Stützpunkt zu suchen. Wenn Du erstmal hier bist, dann wirst Du auch bleiben können (ich glaube nach neuestem Gesetz schon nach ca. 3 Jahren). Viele Grüße von der Ostsee

[@madmansurfing]

dang Hayley. this is a really well done summary of issues going the wrong direction in the US. I knew all the items before, but it is the first time hearing it at the same time and that is really terrifying!

[@stevestone1527]

As a UK citizen I am in no place to criticise other counties as we have more than enough problems of our own. However, I feel that as we have so little distance to travel between different countries here in Europe, it makes self awareness readily available. As more and more Americans travel, I hope they can take advantage and start to ask questions themselves.

[@friederike114]

I am so sorry to hear that. I am German and I am very happy for you to be here and experience a healthier approach to food and healthcare. And I 100% agree that what you describe about loud noises and gunshots sounds like PTSD - not laughable at all. I'm not a professional but I think you have enough reason to consider seeing someone for this if it gives you anxiety and makes your life harder - which it absolutely would for me.

[@howardcohen6817]

Hay Hayley! So, over the course of these two years, your morals have certainly grown more social and wonderfully attractive. When I got here in 1981 (im Ruhrgebiet, not where you are) I had to revise what "being alive" meant for me and I'm glad to have had found a society in which the elderly had a caretaking place, the children a Kindergarten-spot, the job contracts were regulated etc. this has been crumbling over the past 40 years - especially in the larger towns and cities. You've shown me, though, that values can be developed well after others are already in place and then DIS-place them. So good for you and thanks.

[@colibri1]

In the US, too, a lot of times even wealthy people worry about healthcare costs, because they're so unpredictable and nobody likes to get ripped off, even the rich. I worked at a US university for years that had a lot of wealthy students, and when some of those wealthy students had health situations that necessitated an ambulance or a visit to the hospital, even their wealthy parents would sometimes balk, for the same reasons you did: the ambulance ride alone can cost a thousand dollars or more, the hospital visit is going to be even more. It's not that these people didn't have that kind of money, but there's always this feeling in the US that you're going to be ripped off. At the same time, there's a blame-the-individual atmosphere in the US that means that the real sources of the problem are never addressed, so some of these parents would blame their kids for somehow deliberately getting sick or injured or even (another US tendency) for not thinking positive enough to keep from getting sick.

[@kellychuba]

I incurred a 38K dialysis bill. The provider wanted all of my finances to put me in an indigent program. I refused and got a lawyer. When they find out you have resources they will 'sell the bill' to someone who will aggressively collect it.

[@jasperzanovich2504]

I have heard of this mindset; that you are not a useful enough member of society when you can't afford those medical bills and hence don't deserve the treatment. It's fucked up.

[@colibri1]

@@jasperzanovich2504 And it's really common in the US, that attitude.

[@bengaljam4550]

@@kellychuba If you have kidney failure and require Dialysis then Medicare will pay for most if not all treatments. No matter what age you are. "You can get Medicare no matter how old you are if your kidneys no longer work, you need regular dialysis or have had a kidney transplant, and one of these applies to you: • You’ve worked the required amount of time under Social Security, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), or as a government employee

[@sarahhavillamelooliveira5825]

@@bengaljam4550 What if a 6-year-old had kidney failure and needed it? They haven't worked a day in their lifes, yet they are some with the most to loose.

[@claudiaernst6225]

Hayley, ❤-lichen Glückwunsch zu den 💯⭕⭕⭕ Abonennten.💐 In the "good old times", when we had the East Block the different socialistic countries were called brother countries. So the USSR was the big brother to East Germany. There was also an organization called Deutsch-Sowjetische-Freundschaft, German-Sovjet-Friendship. When one talked about the sovjet as friends some people said satirical that they are our brothers because friends you can choose, brothers you have to take how ever they are. But you could go in trouble when you said it to the wrong person (Stasi aso).

[@samfetter2968]

I am what americans call a combat vet. I won't laugh at you...cause what you are describing is the very symptoms of PTSD. Without medical help it took me 15 years to get to a place where the interaction with my civilian suroundings could be considered halfway normal. Ya don't want to know how I still feel at new years eve, tho...still uncomfortable 25 years later. So yea...you do have PTSD. Almost all american children are growing up with that nowadays. and they really shouldn't

[@tilltronje1623]

Quick clarification: that is not PTSD. When a soldier suffers extreme stress in a deadly situation and from then on is severely hindered from integrating into normal life and suffers panic attacks, anxiety and other such symptoms that is PTSD. Haily and Americans in general associating every loud noise with gun shots and instantly assuming protective behaviour in such situations does not stem from a specific traumatising event but is usually socially conditioned from the way they grew up. While the results may be similar there is a difference between a soldier with PTSD having a disorder reaction and a civilian being conditioned to live with deadly threats every day

[@samfetter2968]

@@tilltronje1623 that isn't even technically correct. PTSD doesn't stem exclusively from one traumatic event. It very often...especially with soldiers, but not exclusive to...stems from living in a condition of constant stress. The constant school shootings and the shooter drills can...and do cause PTSD. Unless you are a psychologist...and figuring from your less than accurate description I assume ya just not...I suggest to not talk about things ya have no idea about...will ya?

[@tilltronje1623]

@@samfetter2968 luckily for you I am in fact a psychologist. And given that you don't know a lot about conditioning - or even psychological paradigms as a whole - I suggest you follow your own advice. And maybe calm down a bit instead of flying into a rage at the slightest disagreement.

[@samfetter2968]

@@tilltronje1623 yea...and because you claim you are I am going to believe you, right? Honey...I was diagnosed with PTSD. Tell me...what was the single me being in fear for my life danger event that caused it? Hint...there was none. You realize that even a simple google search already says you are full of it, yes? Btw...conditioning only comes with actual exposure to a stimulus...unless we talk about genetically inherited conditioning...so lets rule out they are born with an angst for guns, shall we? And I didn't have to research or google that in order to know it. Most americans never have heard a real gun shot in their lives. So how do they...in your "expertise" get conditioned to fear gun shots? Come on...give us some insight. When you are at it...tell us which ones of the 7 main psychological paradigms is at fault here and how. (Another hint...I am not a psychologist. That doesn't mean I don't know at least the basics) And when you bring up psycholgical paradigms there are only so many associated with actual conditioning...so shoot my lying friend. Don't worry about me being upset. For you to be able to upset me...you have a lot studying in psychology to do. Maybe when you finished your first semester successfully...in a year or two😏

[@Julia-lk8jn]

@@tilltronje1623 Okay, if you're a psychologist, you are rotten one. There isn't a hint of "flying into a rage" in the comment you are responding to, and doing this "oh you need to calm down" to pretend somebody's being irrational is such a cheap shot. From a psychologist, I would have expected something less obvious, and less obviously false.

[@agnesmetanomski6730]

Every time I hear mention what healthcare costs in the US I'm horrified. I'm in Portugal now, and people told me that dentists aree not included in the general social health plan, and would be expensive. So of course once I made an appointment with a dentist that was recommended to me, the first thing I asked was how much for the consultation. It's a hugey "expensive" 40 euros! (for people earning the minimum salary of 600 euros here it IS expensive) I've asked around, and this is actuallly a reasonable to low price for a dentist. I got a tooth refilled and an X-ray of the tooth done for this price. I could need a crown done on another tooth and the dentist told me if I did the more expensive, long-term procedure it would cost me around 400 euros in her rough estimate. That I call an expensive procedure. The prices in the US are not "expensive", they're downright highway robbery!

[@manub.3847]

Some dental treatments are also in Germany not included and co-payments are required, also for visual aids. Someone who survives via mini-job or social assistance definitely needs a doctor who knows exactly which text numbers/text designations are required in order to get this treatment paid for by the social systems.

[@bengaljam4550]

Most people have Dental insurance in America. Semiannual exams are free and the cost to fill a tooth would be less than what you paid.

[@duhsunnyday8590]

@@bengaljam4550 what you pay in insurance in a year outweighs the cost of the procedure. A filling without insurance is $200, a dental crown is $1300, a root canal is $1400. So yes, a crown that cost 400 euros is nothing. Considering the dollar and euro are equal right now that's only $400! 1/3 the price we pay here! You probably pay $2000 a year for dental insurance and that doesn't cover major procedures til 2 years have passed. So that "free cleaning" that normally costs $100 is costing you $2000 a year in dental insurance insurance if you're not getting any other procedures done throughout the year

[@bengaljam4550]

@@duhsunnyday8590 My Dental insurance is $42 a month and if needed would cover most procedures. Had a root canal and crown put on. I think I paid $350 in co pay. They even paid $4000 for my sons braces. In any event i brush and floss and the insurance is just a backup.

[@sissidieauswanderin]

Congratulations to 100K!!! Well deserved!!! Wohoo!!! 🌹🎈🎉🍾🥂💖💞💕❤️💋🎊

[@tobiaslacademia4849]

Lived in Germany for 5 years as a Californian. The firework thing is real. SO glad you brought that up

[@RNS_Aurelius]

Gun ptsd and health care fears/trauma seem to be the most common things shared by American immigrants.

[@tnit7554]

Congrats to 100.000 subscribers. Great work. 🍾🥂🎂

[@ChantalUwe]

Hey Hayley, I wanted to tell you how much you impress me recently with your sharp political focus. I think what you do can be really impactful regarding the perspectives germans have on the United States. On the other hand, I really hope that some people being part of the american society are also watching it and acknowledge the current and ongoin defects. When I put myself into the shoe of a progressive-thinking american citizen it must be a really challenging time, especially regarding the abortion ban. But thanks so much to speak up! XO, Lea.

[@ChantalUwe]

Since it’s so easy to listen to it as a German citizen, I really wonder how American citizens perceive to your critical remarks. For sure it depends on the political camp people are locating themselves but do you have any experiences regarding this? Would be a nice perspective (at least for me). Another question of mine: how do you always take through the topic so complexly and don’t forget what you wanted to say? Thank you also for your profound research which you clearly always do before approach the camera.

[@3laxx766]

You talk so calmly and evenly. It's very soothing and in stark contrast to other KZbinrs feeling the need to be hyper and loud to be noticed. You got my subscription! But also, everything you said was so true, I'm glad you shared with us

[@DoktorIcksTV]

With your points about work and the health care system, you've already said some very important things. I can think of two more topics off the top of my head, where the U.S. is also f* up on a completely different level: Environmental awareness and homelessness. We here in Germany are still far away from the awareness we need to keep our planet habitable for the next generation but when I look at this indifference and ignorance of the majority of US citizens I can only shake my head and cry out in despair. Homelessness and far too high rents especially in the big cities are also a serious problem in Germany. However, homelessness almost only affects people who have mental health problems and/or who are struggling with addictions. In the U.S., on the other hand, you will find lawyers, doctors and other people with steady jobs who have to live on the streets even though there are enough apartments. This is capitalism in its final stage and there is still no revolution - just unbelievable. Both points are in my eyes the result of the same brainwashing you already mentioned: Maximum egoism, maximum greed and maximum stupidity. "Social responsibility and social cohesion", it is drilled into every second sentence, "is socialism and socialism is EVIL". Stupid Stupid Stupid.

[@grahvis]

People don't revolt when they think being badly treated is normal. The American dream appears to be living in a way where you only think of yourself, anyone who falls by the wayside deserves to be there as they obviously didn't work hard enough.

[@hartfischer5509]

Karl Marx: “ Socialism is the intermediate step towards Communism “ . Inter National Socialism is equally bad as is National Socialism. Collectivism destroys the human spirit. Environmentalism is just a fake religion to promote Socialism. Our environment in America is almost as clean as in Germany, but the propaganda in Germany does not allow people to realize that. The CO2 Hysteria crowds out efforts to address real pollution and environmental issues.

[@KiraDaBeastNY]

@@grahvis Yeah basically. It's really something that only younger people in the generation after the baby boomers onwards have started to shake off. It's elements of classism and racism that helped to create this here in the US, and it's really unfortunate and I don't know hownwe fix it.

[@HomeWorkouts_LS]

Germany has a higher number of homeless people per capita than the US actually...Still an important issue in both countries though. :(

[@peppermint_latte]

I've had the same type of realizations since moving to Norway from the US. In the US, for example, my birth control for one month was $32, that's how much I pay for an entire YEAR in Norway! The SAME exact pill too (just different name). I had a minor surgery to remove a mole off my face and it was only $60. It's just such a stark difference to the US.

[@cherylhartnett6887]

French butter. Oh, how I miss it! When I went to France in 1990 and 1993, I couldn't get over the sweet, fresh creamy taste of French butter. Even European style (unsalted) butter from American creameries does not compare. Americans tend to add more sugar to their pastries because it is a cheaper ingredient than the supposed flavor (apple, chocolate, blueberries). If you want good North American sweets and pastries, go to Montreal (especially the East end) and try the croissants made with good Quebecois butter made from French breeds of dairy cows.

[@freuleinandrea9833]

Congratulations to 100000 subscribers! You really deserve it! ❤️

[@ArtistLisaM]

Never been to Germany (though I would like to go one day), but I've found myself interested in the culture. When I started learning the language, I found some delicious looking sweets that I wanted to try my hand at baking. The first time I made Apfelkuchen, I was surprised at how sweet it was for how little sugar the recipe called for. Most of the sweetness came from the apples, which I could actually taste without all the sugar covering it up. I've noticed that this is the case with a lot of German sweets. Most of the sweetness comes from the fruit used in the recipe, be it apples, cherries, or citrus. The only exception I've found is Bienenstich, but that's only because it uses more honey than sugar.

[@frauleinbird]

I once did some remote work for a US company. From Monday to Friday, I would get a thousand failed voice control commands each day to transcribe. It was horribly mind numbing, but paid good money for a student. However, they wouldn't leave me alone about working on weekends, too. At some point I politely informed them that we don't usually do that in Austria. Anyways, jokes on me now: As a teacher, I often have to grade exams and prepare lessons on Sundays. Plus, there's a lot of guilt when I take a sick day because my colleagues will have to take over all my lessons.

[@beldin2987]

That "donating vacation time to sick co-workers" is such a perversion. How far away is it from slavery and paying the boss maybe with sex ? Seriously. A few would now scream "Wahh .. you can't compare that" .. but really think about it a bit longer. You more or less really owe your whole life here already to your boss. Its not such a big jump to the next level.

[@alphabetasearch624]

I never thought about it.. but you are right 👍 The company where I've been working for years is becoming bigger and bigger, more and more international. And I realized that colleagues from many other countries are even working during their holiday and while they are sick. That was absolutely not the case some years ago. At that time we took a leave for the WHOLE week even it was only a cold 🙈. Nowadays not imaginable especially during the home office time :(

[@Nephilim63744546]

As a U.S. citizen. I've had crazy expensive stuff. I had 1 lung biopsy cost me over $8,000.

[@weirdcultist5025]

As an insurance employee I always try to learn more about health insurance systems in the European countries and the rest of the world. But I didn't knew that people in the US need to seek help for health costs from strangers on the internet 😳 And if you think about it, 'Socialism' in the USA exists! The difference is, in the USA socialism means, that the poor donate the poor, to help the companies (and their owners) to get rich. And in Europe socialism means, everybody has to give something to help the weak. WTF? Gratulation to your 100k 😊 That prooves, you do a great work with your videos 👍 And after this long time in Bavaria you already can call yourself a 'bavarican' girl 😉 Greetings from your neighborhood 60 km north 😊

[@phexter]

My first response to when I heard "Wouldn't you care if you sister is sick?" would be "Yes, but wouldn't dad care, too?"

[@BlueUncia]

I knew sick days are a thing in the US, which to me is already crazy. I didn't know you could also donate them to a co-worker, though. You hit the nail on the head with that comment about corporations just sitting back and letting someone else fix a problem they could easily fix themselves. I really hope more Americans learn that it doesn't have to be that way, you all deserve better!

[@lennat24]

There are also cases in Germany where you donate vacation time to your colleague. This is usually the case when a child dies and the sufferer needs a few months off. The company also helps here.

[@katjahuskinson3428]

And here I am complaining about a doctor sending a sick person to a "Testzentrum" cause they need a verified "Schnelltest" in order to do a PCR Test... I still think that's also not ok, but compared to some of the stuff you talk about... It just reminds me how lucky I am to have been born in a country that doesn't instill all those fears... Germany's not perfect, but we're not doing so bad. 😅

[@sakutaro3musik486]

Love your videos with opinions, they are always so interesting 😊

[@9Luna6]

About the PTSD-Thing: I'm German/Mexican and lived until I was 19 in Mexico. Since then I'm living in Germany. The first years being here I always had hardcore anxiety as soon as I heard fireworks. Now is not that bad but even 10 Years later, I still get panicky for about 2 seconds until I realize that I am safe. Kinnda spooky, isn't it?

[@walterpleyer261]

I've had employers in Austria that made me sort of guilty for simply going home at the end of the day, even when I was not sick. This sort of a**holes can be found everywhere.

[@LisaMaierLiest]

Hi Hayley, one thing I am always missing, when people talk about the health systems of US and other countries is the first aid. In Germany (like in most European countries) you can be sued, if you refuse to help. People have to try their best to keep you alive. (And everybody should have at least a first aid course once in their lives. Many even have it on annual basis.) In US you may be sued because you helped and things didn't go smoothly. (So - theoretically, if you feel bad, like in the gym, the one thing you should NOT do is be on yourself. If you get unconscious strangers will automatically call 911 and put your body in a position you can breath. I'm living alone - and one day on a weekend the world spun around me. Because the doctors weren't open, I went into a parc instead of my bed, so if it gets worse or I get unconscious, I get emergency treatment.)

[@anniestumpy9918]

Yes this is really sad when people don't help at all out of fear of making a mistake. So far I had to take a first-aid course twice and each time the instructor would stress multiple times that in Germany never ever was a person sued or got in any kind of legal trouble for helping in a first-aid situation.

[@szeddezs]

Congrats on the 100k Hayley! 🥳

[@50043211]

Next video Hayley will first sing The International before telling us that she started a union remotely in her former home town in the US! ;)

[@MrAxel1892]

Love your way of talking and focusing things. And of course, Haley, after what you described, in the way your all day life went with existential questions and risks, plus what have had happened at school, if that’s not traumatic I ain’t no clue what else it should be

[@CediEntertainment]

Thank you for your honest opinion. In the 1990s I took part in the greencard lottery. Happy now it didn't work out.

[@HayleyAlexis]

America is an interesting country... It can be amazing if you have the right cards dealt to you... and work your ass off but if you don't have those things you will suffer

[@Alex-df4lt]

@@HayleyAlexis I have been interviewed by an American company that seems to be interested in relocating me from Europe to US. The pay should be about $300k pa according to glassdoor. I'm not really enthusiastic about relocating so I will probably just ask for more money and see how it goes. I think greencard lottery is a waste of time. People who can't make good money will suffer terribly. It takes a lot of money to persuade us Europeans to move to US.

[@ChristopherLRussell]

All fair points. CONGRATS ON 100K!!!🎉

[@HayleyAlexis]

🎉 One step closer to world domination :p

[@Gnarlf]

The family part is used here as well and I came to work sick way to often, because we handn't enough employees for the shifts or I was the only one who could do that particular task. It just sucks. If they were really family, they wouldn't pressure, but step up and care for you instead. Regarding your last point, I just want to add, that "hearing a sudden loud noise" triggering a flight or fight response is normal. Don't worry to hard about it, as long as you don't get panic attacks or something more serious. With your experiences as a child, PTSD or something simmilar is certainly possible. It is your decision to what extend you will act on that worry, but noone should laugh about this at all.

[@ThePixel1983]

When it comes to work, you're family, when it's about the financial gains it's capitalism...

[@tobyk.4911]

"I was the only one who could do that particular task" is always dangerous, because there's always the risk that the "only person who can do that task" suddenly can't do it because of a serious sickness, an accident, a hospital stay, etc.

[@skiptindle5976]

I lived in Germany for 2 years and I was happy to come back home thank you very much! Half of my family still live there.

[@jorik41]

the donating time thing it reminds me a lot of a certian type of good feel news out of the usa eg. kids sells all his toys to help pay for a neighbors his surgery. yes that kid is a hero but the real storie here is "kid takes up the hero cape after a lot of adults refuse to help".

[@MrHerrFreundlich]

Congrats for the 100k!!! Keep up the great videos, you're a very likeable person :)

[@patrickssmith3594]

You know what Hayley.. I remember well how tomatoes and watermelons tasted growing up down in GA... sorry to say this.. but the tomatoes the Germans import from Holland have no taste at all. Maybe it’s those greenhouses in Holland.. other climate perhaps. But in summer, we had “Mater sandwiches“ in GA all the time. Just a little bit of salt.. red or green tomatoes.. and That was it. Not to mention those World famous Sweet Georgia watermelons.. those 10-15 pounder suckers. The watermelons here are practical... because they‘re smaller. But not all of them have taste . However.. the good thing the Germans get right.. are German strawberries.. not those from Holland or Spain.. the German strawberries aren’t around long... but really good.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Well... that is true because a Florida orange ... is really the best orange out there

[@JMS-2111]

At. 9:00 min, I had to go back and listen again. Really, donate time. I mean that's a lot of solidarity, but it is also sooooooo wrong. If people had a choice of being sick or being healthy, most would choose healthy. I just can't get over how the USA, called the land of the free, imprisons their people in chains of debt and poor health.

[@tobyk.4911]

In my company (a German company with several thousand employees) there was a "donate worktime or vacation days for a colleague" request a year ago after the flood disaster in western Germany. Some colleagues live in the disaster area, some suffered heavy loses and damages to their property, and in the days and weeks after the flood, they were busy with reorganizing their lives and dealing with the consequences of the flood for them, for example cleaning their house from the mud, starting repairs, etc... As far as I remember, the company gave them about 2 weeks of paid leave, and then they were able to get additional free days from worktime that colleagues donated. Of course,. that was a reaction to the results of an extraordinary natural disaster, and not a replacement for sensible worker's rights (like not having to work when you are sick)