This is a topic that has been touched on in three out of my four classes this semester but nobody seems to be able to give me an answer for. Americans live to work they don't work to live. In Europe the people go to work an hour later than we do and come home an hour later than we do and lead a comperable lifestyle. In some countries they even take siestas in the middle of the day! Why do we work so hard and enjoy life so little? Answers have ranged from its because of the work ethic installed in us from the times of the puritans, that idle hands do 'the devils work' and others attribute it to our materialistic culture that works so hard to obtain 'things' that they think will make them happy? What do you think? Any sociologists or economists out there?
Q: why do americans work so much
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People dont want to go home to their families!
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I work with guys that say "You dont have to pay me OT, just let me stay another hour".............
I work with guys that say "You dont have to pay me OT, just let me stay another hour".............
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yea... I try to get away from that ideology too.
Not that I am an expert on any of this cause I don't even "work" necessarily but I think people work so much because they acquire so much "stuff" and get into debt because they want to keep up with the Jones' and buy the biggest house and expensive cars to impress their friends or people who could care less. Also, I believe from experience too many people want instant gratification so they rack up credit and don't plan for the future, also people don't believe in staying within their means. So that is why I believe everyone works so much. Or believe work is their life. That is just so sad.
When I used to work their were women (not to offend anyone) but they would have three kids and they'd put them in daycare just so they could drive a fancy car and live in a big house while they are paying half their salary for daycare and missing out on the most precious years that they could stay home. Now that's ludicras! I plan on making money but have my own ideas of how to do it, and I'm not going to live my life for work !! Life's too short. I wish I could live in one of those countries for a time !
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When I used to work their were women (not to offend anyone) but they would have three kids and they'd put them in daycare just so they could drive a fancy car and live in a big house while they are paying half their salary for daycare and missing out on the most precious years that they could stay home. Now that's ludicras! I plan on making money but have my own ideas of how to do it, and I'm not going to live my life for work !! Life's too short. I wish I could live in one of those countries for a time !
not that I think this group does that per-se, you all seem to enjoy life and get out and have fun, but I'm looking at my life and all I do is work and run around like a crazy woman. Then I'll graduate from college, get a real job and work some more to pay off the loans, then I'll start having kids and so on and so forth....I don't anticipate ever having time to relax!
Not to rip on the American system. I will say having lived and worked on both sides of the pond that its all about corporate america ensuring that they are squeezing the last drop of productivity out of the work force. When I worked in Germany, I had a contract which took me out to age 63. Gauranteed 6 weeks vacation per year, and was scheduled to work a standard 32.5 hour work week. In May we received vacation money as a bonus which was your regular monthly paycheck plus an extra check of 75% of your base salary. When you took vacation you could leave for 3 to 6 wks at a time and no one questioned whether it was the end of the world if you were on your vacation or not. That check paid for not just a great vacation, it pays for a "fabulous" once in a lifetime type vacation. In November, the workers receive an extra check called Christmas money, of 60% of their base salary so that they can buy outstanding presents and also have a little nestegg to save for the year. Sorry Wiz, I don't wanna even debate this with you but those folks think we are nuts for killing ourselves at the expense of the time spent with our families. Sure I paid 40% taxes but the extra checks, free health care and the fact that if my kids weren't numbskulls they could go to college for free more than made up for the extra cash I was paying out.
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QUOTE(traveler @ Nov 3 2003, 01:34 PM)When I worked in Germany, I had a contract which took me out to age 63. Gauranteed 6 weeks vacation per year, and was scheduled to work a standard 32.5 hour work week. In May we received vacation money as a bonus which was your regular monthly paycheck plus an extra check of 75% of your base salary. When you took vacation you could leave for 3 to 6 wks at a time and no one questioned whether it was the end of the world if you were on your vacation or not.
I think people would be happier/healthier and the fact they could spend more time with their family (like they should) would be great. Maybe kids would be better adjusted, too.
I think people would be happier/healthier and the fact they could spend more time with their family (like they should) would be great. Maybe kids would be better adjusted, too.
QUOTE(threecrabs @ Nov 3 2003, 01:42 PM)QUOTE(traveler @ Nov 3 2003, 01:34 PM) When I worked in Germany, I had a contract which took me out to age 63. Gauranteed 6 weeks vacation per year, and was scheduled to work a standard 32.5 hour work week. In May we received vacation money as a bonus which was your regular monthly paycheck plus an extra check of 75% of your base salary. When you took vacation you could leave for 3 to 6 wks at a time and no one questioned whether it was the end of the world if you were on your vacation or not.
I think people would be happier/healthier and the fact they could spend more time with their family (like they should) would be great. Maybe kids would be better adjusted, too.
BINGO Doll!!! No one is envious of us and the way we work in these countries. They think we are really missing out on the more important things in life. These are issues that they don't sweat or deal with so much, especially in Europe.
I think people would be happier/healthier and the fact they could spend more time with their family (like they should) would be great. Maybe kids would be better adjusted, too.
BINGO Doll!!! No one is envious of us and the way we work in these countries. They think we are really missing out on the more important things in life. These are issues that they don't sweat or deal with so much, especially in Europe.
QUOTE(fatcat660 @ Nov 3 2003, 01:50 PM)Cause we dont relize that time is the most precious gift that we have.
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Time whatchyou talking about willis I dont have time for nothing. He He.
We have cooler stuff and better ways to spend our money. Plus we might /maybe/ we get taxed a little more.
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Not sure. But Im sure we have newer and nicer homes, newer and nicer everything. Oh yeah are chicks want more stuff to and are harder to impress, their chicks dont shower or shave their legs.
Oh yeah,
WERE NOT F#CKING LAZY
Time whatchyou talking about willis I dont have time for nothing. He He.
We have cooler stuff and better ways to spend our money. Plus we might /maybe/ we get taxed a little more.
Oh yeah,
WERE NOT F#CKING LAZY
Couldn't agree with you more Fatcat!!
Pink Floyd said it best!
And you run and you run to catch up to the sun
But its sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
Sun is the same in a relative way but your older
Shorter of Breath and one day closer to death.
Pink Floyd said it best!
And you run and you run to catch up to the sun
But its sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
Sun is the same in a relative way but your older
Shorter of Breath and one day closer to death.
QUOTE(CBJ @ Nov 3 2003, 02:03 PM)QUOTE(fatcat660 @ Nov 3 2003, 01:50 PM) Cause we dont relize that time is the most precious gift that we have.
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Time whatchyou talking about willis I dont have time for nothing. He He.
We have cooler stuff and better ways to spend our money. Plus we might /maybe/ we get taxed a little more.
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Not sure. But Im sure we have newer and nicer homes, newer and nicer everything. Oh yeah are chicks want more stuff to and are harder to impress, their chicks dont shower or shave their legs.
Oh yeah,
WERE NOT F#CKING LAZY
Eric, we toss up prefab homes which will blow away in a stiff wind. The houses in the villages there are a different style but absolutely beautiful and built into the natural landscape without taking away from nature. Also they are not lazy by any stretch of the imagination either,
Time whatchyou talking about willis I dont have time for nothing. He He.
We have cooler stuff and better ways to spend our money. Plus we might /maybe/ we get taxed a little more.
Oh yeah,
WERE NOT F#CKING LAZY
Eric, we toss up prefab homes which will blow away in a stiff wind. The houses in the villages there are a different style but absolutely beautiful and built into the natural landscape without taking away from nature. Also they are not lazy by any stretch of the imagination either,
What kind of home do you live in?
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J/K...
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If our reputaion is for working our lives away why does everybody keep coming here. Those homes you speak of, those are for the rich folk not the average peeps. How ever the average Peep here usually has a pretty nice pad, these day Big screens are pretty common as well, as well as our SUV's, nice boats and X box's, etc....
I think we want a little more out of and arnt afraid to work for it.
So poop on you Mike. Oh yeah you wanna watch the game later or are you going it starts at 10:00.
If our reputaion is for working our lives away why does everybody keep coming here. Those homes you speak of, those are for the rich folk not the average peeps. How ever the average Peep here usually has a pretty nice pad, these day Big screens are pretty common as well, as well as our SUV's, nice boats and X box's, etc....
I think we want a little more out of and arnt afraid to work for it.
So poop on you Mike. Oh yeah you wanna watch the game later or are you going it starts at 10:00.
Sounds great eric and I think folks know my mind and I think that we all just agree to disagree on those ones. Gonna miss the game, gotta see my own little superstar in her Basketball game today. We're all feeling really great today, she went to the doctor and he said that since everything seems to be progresssing well and she is in remission with the hair loss that she needs no more foams, steroids or shots of any kind. Packing up my Grandma to take her and then popping by my friends for a night cap. Catch you on the flip side and I PROMISE I'll get out with you for a game this season as well!!
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QUOTE(fatcat660 @ Nov 3 2003, 02:50 PM)Cause we dont relize that time is the most precious gift that we have.
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I do.
I am trying to establish a way to get payed to play. I have resolved to the fact that I will probably never be "rich" by other's standards. That is why I opened Dolphin. People actually pay me to crawl around and talk about boats.
Do what you want to do, the money usually follows. If you try to go for money, you'll never get enough and typically be unhappy in what you do. There's no worse jail cell than going every day to a place that you hate.
I do.
I am trying to establish a way to get payed to play. I have resolved to the fact that I will probably never be "rich" by other's standards. That is why I opened Dolphin. People actually pay me to crawl around and talk about boats.
Do what you want to do, the money usually follows. If you try to go for money, you'll never get enough and typically be unhappy in what you do. There's no worse jail cell than going every day to a place that you hate.
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I often ask myself the same question. I work closely with my companies French and German Offices. Everyone there leaves for the month of August and they don't check voicemail. French law mandates a minimum of 5 weeks vacation for everyone. I also read a study of productivity levels in different countries, and France was right up there with the USA. I think they use their time much wiser than we do.
QUOTE(traveler @ Nov 3 2003, 02:51 PM)Sounds great eric and I think folks know my mind and I think that we all just agree to disagree on those ones. Gonna miss the game, gotta see my own little superstar in her Basketball game today. We're all feeling really great today, she went to the doctor and he said that since everything seems to be progresssing well and she is in remission with the hair loss that she needs no more foams, steroids or shots of any kind. Packing up my Grandma to take her and then popping by my friends for a night cap. Catch you on the flip side and I PROMISE I'll get out with you for a game this season as well!!
Im very happy to hear your daughters on the upedy up....That is great news. Back to the topic at hand, we also have early retirements, and if you play your cards right you can retire extremely wealthy. Oh yeah one more thing I know everything cuz Im smarter then you.
Im very happy to hear your daughters on the upedy up....That is great news. Back to the topic at hand, we also have early retirements, and if you play your cards right you can retire extremely wealthy. Oh yeah one more thing I know everything cuz Im smarter then you.
QUOTE(CBJ @ Nov 3 2003, 03:02 PM)QUOTE(traveler @ Nov 3 2003, 02:51 PM) Sounds great eric and I think folks know my mind and I think that we all just agree to disagree on those ones. Gonna miss the game, gotta see my own little superstar in her Basketball game today. We're all feeling really great today, she went to the doctor and he said that since everything seems to be progresssing well and she is in remission with the hair loss that she needs no more foams, steroids or shots of any kind. Packing up my Grandma to take her and then popping by my friends for a night cap. Catch you on the flip side and I PROMISE I'll get out with you for a game this season as well!!
Im very happy to hear your daughters on the upedy up....That is great news. Back to the topic at hand, we also have early retirements, and if you play your cards right you can retire extremely wealthy. Oh yeah one more thing I know everything cuz Im smarter then you.
S.M.R.T. THATS ME!
Im very happy to hear your daughters on the upedy up....That is great news. Back to the topic at hand, we also have early retirements, and if you play your cards right you can retire extremely wealthy. Oh yeah one more thing I know everything cuz Im smarter then you.
S.M.R.T. THATS ME!
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Veronique, I have worked in a field all of my life in Die-Design, Sheet Metal Stamping.. From 1966 until 1983 I worked at different Job Shops designing. We always worked 58 hours a week to make the dates given on the jobs. If you were contracting you also worked during the evenings plus you normal working hours. From 1983 until present working at General Motors we have also worked 58 hours a week. I believe some trades just work more overtime. But, you will find out living here in the USA that you do have to pay for college unlike Traveler's home country... So, working overtime helps you give your children a head start in life. My goals were to give my children an education without them having to take student loans and working overtime has made that possible. I would like to work 40 hours a week and in a few more years I hope to. Just my .02 cents..
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QUOTE(CBJ @ Nov 3 2003, 03:04 PM)QUOTE(CBJ @ Nov 3 2003, 03:02 PM) QUOTE(traveler @ Nov 3 2003, 02:51 PM) Sounds great eric and I think folks know my mind and I think that we all just agree to disagree on those ones. Gonna miss the game, gotta see my own little superstar in her Basketball game today. We're all feeling really great today, she went to the doctor and he said that since everything seems to be progresssing well and she is in remission with the hair loss that she needs no more foams, steroids or shots of any kind. Packing up my Grandma to take her and then popping by my friends for a night cap. Catch you on the flip side and I PROMISE I'll get out with you for a game this season as well!!
Im very happy to hear your daughters on the upedy up....That is great news. Back to the topic at hand, we also have early retirements, and if you play your cards right you can retire extremely wealthy. Oh yeah one more thing I know everything cuz Im smarter then you.
S.M.R.T. THATS ME!
CBJ that goes without saying! The proof is in the numbers CBJ+1 hot Wife = smarter than Mike!!!!!
Traveler + 2 ex-wives = dumber than s-it and early retirement for them!!!
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Im very happy to hear your daughters on the upedy up....That is great news. Back to the topic at hand, we also have early retirements, and if you play your cards right you can retire extremely wealthy. Oh yeah one more thing I know everything cuz Im smarter then you.
S.M.R.T. THATS ME!
CBJ that goes without saying! The proof is in the numbers CBJ+1 hot Wife = smarter than Mike!!!!!
Traveler + 2 ex-wives = dumber than s-it and early retirement for them!!!
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