Another reason to hate the French

badabeu wrote:

tyui wrote:

As for uncleb, if he thinks any western society can afford to have people retire at 60 and live off the state for 30+ years, he is just a fool, that's all. No need to debate him on anything and let him start blaming the jews for it.

Tyui, if UncleB is a fool how should we call you? You are as stupid as our french president who said today that half of high school guys are going to live over 100 years old :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy

Even if life expectancy improves a little bit (not sure by the way)we still will be far to "live off the state for 30+ years", especially in the US! Looking at the US place in this ranking, you should probably that something is going wrong in your country...

hi bababeu. Here's how life expectancy tables work: The one to which you linked includes everyone who was born. That comes out to 84.1 for women.

The thing is, once you hit 60, you are blessed with genes and lifestyle to likely get you far past the median.

That might be a little unclear, so here's a link that shows what I mean:

It shows that if a woman makes it to age 60 in France, the median life expectancy from that point is 86.18.

Within a boule toss of 90, non? And many millions will live to 90+.

ok?

Marion Cotillard is a reason not to hate the French.

betterbutter wrote:

Evil Man wrote:

I disliked the French just because it was the typical American thing to do until my wife got a job she couldn't turn down in France and we moved.

The quality of life in France is so much better it's unreal. They do stick up for what they want and benefit from it.

Can you elaborate on the differences in quality of life, seriously? I know it is often the talk that europeans get weeks more vacation, work less hours, etc but is this actually the norm over there?

I'm an american who lives in France now. The BS spewed in the USA, especially by the tea party and the lik) is unbelievable. People think they are some type of super patriot tough guy slash marlboro man for letting the private sector screw them over and again - anything from health care to retirement to education - anyhting other than the private sector is communist!

After living here for a while I realized that it was ok to relax. The average middle class person takes 2 vacations a year of two weeks or more. They work 35-40 hours a week. They do crazy things like reading, cooking, riding their bikes and spending 3 hour dinners with their family and friends, beacuse they're not busting their ass 50-60 hours a week like the average american. They're not terrified to go to the doctor for fear of racking up a bill in the thousands of dollars. Anyone can go to university virtually free. 'Another reason to hate the french' indeed.

I understand that america is not france, but I seriously think that anyone who criticizes the french lifestyle so harshly should take a serious look at their own. Believe it or not, there is more to life than work and s material possessions, and the protesters are defending thier way of life.

agip wrote:

hi bababeu. Here's how life expectancy tables work: The one to which you linked includes everyone who was born. That comes out to 84.1 for women.

The thing is, once you hit 60, you are blessed with genes and lifestyle to likely get you far past the median.

That might be a little unclear, so here's a link that shows what I mean:

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/planning-to-retire/2009/03/16/countries-with-the-longest-life-expectancy.html

It shows that if a woman makes it to age 60 in France, the median life expectancy from that point is 86.18.

Within a boule toss of 90, non? And many millions will live to 90+.

ok?

I think you might want to reread what you've written - if the total median age is 84.1 and the adjusted median age is 86.18, the difference is slightly over 2 years - not "far past" the total median.

[/quote]

I think you might want to reread what you've written - if the total median age is 84.1 and the adjusted median age is 86.18, the difference is slightly over 2 years - not "far past" the total median.[/quote]

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right, well, this badabeu called someone stupid and said french people were far from living 30+ years off the government. So they are in fact living something like 26 years off the government.

I wanted to show to him that 30+ is lived by a large portion of the population.

I am not sure what we are discussing here.

I'm an American living in Germany, the same is true over here, shorter work weeks, people sit for hours to eat a meal, most go on at least 2 vacations a year, people read, ride their bikes, drink coffee, there is at least 2-3 protests every 6 months about, people go get their balls rubbed by prostitutes, etc., etc., the quality of life is definitely better here as well as the healthcare (which I've experienced personally).

There are pros and cons definitely, but the one thing for sure is that their quality of life is definitely better then America's.

One interesting thing is that from a very early age and I mean early they are taught sexual education, sex is like a bodily function over to them it's like taking a crap.

I've been here since 2006, not a bad place to train at all.

Guten Tag, Germany! Ich spreche ein klein Deutsch und viele Zeite uber denken on welche Sprache ist besser, Deutschland oder USA? Konnen sie diese frage antworten?I have thought about seriously relocating to Germany, with my family, but did not know how it compared to other countries, like France. Can you elaborate on the sex ed thing? Does that mean they view personal, monogomous relationships as secondary to just having sex or are they just not wrapped up in the complete religious/guilt garbage that has so many people feeling bad about having sex outside of wedlock in the USA.

Germany wrote:

I'm an American living in Germany, the same is true over here, shorter work weeks, people sit for hours to eat a meal, most go on at least 2 vacations a year, people read, ride their bikes, drink coffee, there is at least 2-3 protests every 6 months about, people go get their balls rubbed by prostitutes, etc., etc., the quality of life is definitely better here as well as the healthcare (which I've experienced personally).

There are pros and cons definitely, but the one thing for sure is that their quality of life is definitely better then America's.

One interesting thing is that from a very early age and I mean early they are taught sexual education, sex is like a bodily function over to them it's like taking a crap.

I've been here since 2006, not a bad place to train at all.

Golly-- arguing the difference between typo and error? You guys sure are making your points convincingly. Now let's talk about the necessity of the Oxford comma!

[quote]tyui wrote:

"the uber rich are not doinking everyone" -

God help us suffer fools like you. People accumulating fortunes worth hundreds of millions and even billions while the middle class loses more and more and you see no connection?

Germany wrote:

I'm an American living in Germany, the same is true over here, shorter work weeks, people sit for hours to eat a meal, most go on at least 2 vacations a year, people read, ride their bikes, drink coffee, there is at least 2-3 protests every 6 months about, people go get their balls rubbed by prostitutes, etc., etc., the quality of life is definitely better here as well as the healthcare (which I've experienced personally).

There are pros and cons definitely, but the one thing for sure is that their quality of life is definitely better then America's.

One interesting thing is that from a very early age and I mean early they are taught sexual education, sex is like a bodily function over to them it's like taking a crap.

I've been here since 2006, not a bad place to train at all.

I think the point is that this is an unsustainable model. Sure it would be nice for workers to work 35 hours per week and have luxurious life styles. But that isn't going to last because it has been financed by debt.

When you have 5 billlion people willing to work for less...you can't keep up with those 6 weeks of vacation every year.

Life is like that - not meant to be a luxury cruise. Sorry Europe!

The real UncleB wrote:

[quote]tyui wrote:

"the uber rich are not doinking everyone" -

God help us suffer fools like you. People accumulating fortunes worth hundreds of millions and even billions while the middle class loses more and more and you see no connection?

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yup, that's the marxist line - stay on it, uncleb! Oh wait, the jews are the Marxists...no wait, they are the bankers..no wait...

aahck wrote:

I think the point is that this is an unsustainable model. Sure it would be nice for workers to work 35 hours per week and have luxurious life styles. But that isn't going to last because it has been financed by debt.

Yeah-- the problem is that American households carry much more debt than German households. The unsustainable lifestyle is the American one.

German gov't debt is slightly higher as a percent of GDP than US gov't debt, but the difference is relatively small.

When you have 5 billion people willing to work for less...you can't keep up with those 6 weeks of vacation every year.

Life is like that - not meant to be a luxury cruise. Sorry Europe!

That's what is funny-- the U.S. spends more on luxury items than the Germans-- the German spend more on luxury lifestyle. Houses are smaller in Germany. Germans have fewer cars per capita. Public transportation actually works and has the whole demographic spectrum on it. A ten by twenty back yard is a luxury for many Germans.

Most Germans shake their heads at the luxury lifestyle of McMansions, multiple car garages, big yards, and multiple TV sets of Americans...

@betterbutter

As far as English is concerned the schools teach British English. Regardless of what a Germans will say they are all taught English in school and American culture is big with the younger generation so most of them can hold a conversation with you. Some Americans when they come over here and speak English to a German do this thing were they slow down their speech and start talking in almost a German-Indian accent which they think will help the German to understand their English better... depending on the German that can be offensive. Most Germans though enjoy the practice of speaking English so if your trying to learn German it can be frustrating because they have very astute ears and even with a fluent American they will ask if they can speak English.

Despite legal prostitution and the fact that on any given day you can find a full page spread eagle naked chick in the newspaper centerfold, Germany has one of the lowest rates of sexual activity in the EU. They just don't have a lot of sex. Ironically they aren't ice queens all you have to do is ask and be flirtatious and you'll get laid. Show a German girl some attention and she'll take care of you in almost a motherly way and despite their reputation the sex is quite conservative.

Sex isn't taboo over here and it's definitely not wrapped up in any religious dogma, in fact a lot of teenagers are sexually active and their parents are kept in the loop. Nonetheless emphasis is still placed on the family unit and infidelity not encouraged because of the instability it brings to marriages and children but that is more of an emotional thing then a sexual thing. Ask a women and she'll tell you that their is a big difference between just having sex and having a emotional affair and sex with another woman. The women here are loyal and more concerned with the emotional bond they have with their partner.

I'd be more than happy to answer any more of your questions just ask.

[The butter is definitely better along with all their other dairy products, cheese etc. There is a rumor though that Europeans drink raw milk as opposed to pasteurized and homogenized milk, I can only speak for Germany, but that isn't true you can only find pasteurized and homogenized milk in big grocery stores (however raw cheese made from raw milk and unpasteurized is very available)(even German grocery store milk beats American milk by a long shot I believe they use A2/Jersey cows), however raw milk and other dairy products are much more available through some "reformhaus" (like a health food store), and most Europeans drink fermented milk products like Kefir or yogurt instead of straight milk.]

all of the hippie left wing radicals who don't work and suck the tax payer dollar should move to France. Then they can join the rioting since they're all pretty damn quiet here lately shaking in their boots knowing that the tea party is going to take back over control this November. When you go against educated people it's hard to win..

France tax rate is between 40 to 50%. Germany is higher.

Western Europe is great to visit, not to live. You could double my salary & offer me a job in Western Europe & I still would rather live in the USA.

http://www.businesspundit.com/12-countries-with-the-highest-lowest-tax-rates/

Actually, it was the idiot Wall-Street types who worked 100 hours a week in pursuit of excessive wealth and instead racked up debts of gazzillions which are now being paid off by governments in the US and European countries. That model was far less sustainable and is now being financed by far higher levels of debt.

EuroGrad wrote:

Actually, it was the idiot Wall-Street types who worked 100 hours a week in pursuit of excessive wealth and instead racked up debts of gazzillions which are now being paid off by governments in the US and European countries. That model was far less sustainable and is now being financed by far higher levels of debt.

huh? how is wall street responsible for the entitlements like the prescription drug benefit, medicare, social security, unemployment...

The main debt traceable to wall street are the bailouts of AIG, GM, etc, GS etc and well, that is only a hundred billion or so at worst and likely far less. And maybe you can blame wall street for people borrowing too much to buy their homes. But that is a little stretch.

please explain better what you are trying to say

you seem to be mixing corporate debt, household debt and public debt.

The European model is completely unsustainable. It is no longer a political problem at all, it is simply a math problem at this point. It might have been nice in the past, but not anymore. Failure to change will result in failure of the state. I would argue that the retirement age needs to be ratcheted up far higher than 62, and immediately, to have any chance of saving the French financial situation.

I hope it is satire, because having worked overseas for a large part of my life, I can assure you americans are the laziest group of ethnocentric individuals that ever walked the planet.