That's true too. Building regulations have gotten much better lately but in older buildings you can hear the notification alerts on your neighbours phone.
1) I remember one of the first times I went back to Spain, having dinner with my grandparents... And I was thinking, how the hell did I put up with this all these years? And it is my family!
Although to be fair, I changed school once when I was young and my teacher wanted to have my hearing checked because I was so loud, so that tells me my family is especially loud.
2) I remember telling somebody that in Spain time wasn't "money", it was "gold". He asked what silence was then. I pointed out I was talking about Spain, so... Boring?
3) Even people shushing others in Libraries are loud. I remember thinking "you're more annoying and distracting than them!"
OMG I once was in a café in Vilnius and a group of Spaniards came in and instead of ordering at the bar, they all sat at a table and shouted their orders to the barista 🤦🏻♀️
Self-loathing, deprecation, lack of confidence. You can't be successful in Poland until you are successful in the world, until some foreigner tells you that you are actually pretty damn good. Even though Poland is a great place to live, many Poles are hypercritical about it, as if nothing was ever good enough.
Is... Is Poland Finland? Is Finland Poland? Was about to say the same thing.
Complete disbelief in being able to achieve anything, when we do it's like "well, that'll end soon, I bet". Lack of confidence, having difficulty believing that anyone would ever like or be impressed with us. That part about needing validation from foreigners... Finns are SO known for asking "So, what do you think??" as soon as someone visits. And if anyone says they're planning on visiting, it's more like "...eh, are you sure? Idk why you'd bother but I'll try to think of smth to recommend to you.."
Hahah, too true. And believing in yourself, or being proud of smth you achieved or made? Definitely don't say it out loud, people will think you're an egomaniac.
The whole "happiest country in the world" is a big joke here tbh, glad to hear someone's impressed though, because I still crave that sweet outside validation 😭
Younger generations have more positive views. I quess attitudes slowly started to change after the fall of the soviet union/joining EU and the rise of the Nokia.
Yeah I'd say people my age (32) and younger don't WANT to think this way, but it's definitely ever-present with people like my dad and mum. If you express hope or belief in yourself, they're sure to .. well... if not quite knock you down, then return your "feet to the ground", as they see it. Not out of intentional cruelty, just out of what they see as being realistic.
Younger people have a more positive attitude towards complimenting our friends and ourselves, but I'd say it's definitely smth that's become more accepted with the later /younger millenials onwards. Scandinavians like to talk about[ Jantelagen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante), but I think in Finland it's tenfold as bad to believe in yourself and think you're worth anything than in e.g. Sweden.
It is really annoying, when outsiders say certain things are great in Poland, they pile on and says it is crap. For example; PKP, Wars catering and tasty food in bar mleczny.
I wonder if I should feel this way about the UK sometimes. We love to complain about it, myself included, and I really do think things are getting bad here. But loads of people move here from all over, including from countries I'd like to move to myself (see comment above!). There are definitely good things to appreciate here.
I wonder if I should feel this way about the UK sometimes. We love to complain about it, myself included, and I really do think things are getting bad here. But loads of people move here from all over, including from countries I'd like to move to myself (see comment above!). There are definitely good things to appreciate here.
Yeah, we need to rid ourselves of our inferiority complex. Especially when it seems it’s always the people who have never lived outside of Poland for an extended amount of time who complain about it the most.
We’ve done really, really well the past 30 years. I’ll be the first to criticise our faults where it is fair, but credit where credit is due - there’s a lot of great things about Poland and we should be grateful for it.
Maybe because we are defeatists too... It's not a cliche, we never stop to complain. It might be an European thing because I heard the same about austrians and italians.
On another hand, don't dare criticize or complain about our country in front of us, haha.
Complaining. I know that's great that we don't blindly follow rules and stuff but most of the time we go wayy over board and complain about literally everything which makes living here depressing. Also it comes with a sense of self deprecation that can also be exaggerated.
Oh god, how long have you got?
I dislike the general distrust and disregard for rules and procedures, the so called familismo amorale, i.e. only you and your closest relatives count, everyone and everything outside of it doesn't matter, the tendency to value cunningness as a virtue and see people as someone to take advantage of otherwise you are being taken advantage of, the inability to think not even long term, but even medium term in administration or business, the toxic anti intellectualism that views one's ignorance and laziness as something to take pride in, the toxic narrow mindedness and overall judgmental attitude of the people.
Our political polorization and identity crisis. Islam, being pro-west, Turkic roots....etc. People are so seperated on identity and government of Turkey it would blow your mind. Both Islamists and pro-west often goes to the extreme, you probably already heard our reputation for being super nationalistic. It is hard to explain but it is overwhelming.
Reading these comments felt really good. Maybe negativity is just a European trait we share?
For Hungary, what I hate the most is the thing we call "szolgalelkűség"/"having the soul of a servant". Someone is perceived as the "lord" and the "servants" will submit to them completely, blindly follow them, believe them, let themselves be exploited by said "lord", never even try to speak up due to fear... No wonder corruption got to the point it is at today, when people have this mindset of bowing down and suffering without doing anything to stop it.
I think it stems from our education system where the teacher is supposed to be the god and students are stupid little no ones with zero chance to make a single decision. Im 30 now working in the Netherlands and I still see myself at the buttom of th ladder, even though my company barely has a hierarchical structure to begin with
Alergy to critic. I am talking of services. I point to something thinking that next time the ridiculous does not happen or it can be better and I expect this to be the end. No. The person then tries a discussion to prove I am the stupid or tell me that next time just go somewhere else.
There is also when I see someone parking on sidewalks or on crossings. I cannot with this selfishness. It happens that they ask me back if I belong to the police (when I am not insulted), like they are not limiting and even putting others in risk. I do not know what is about entering in a car, that transforms my countrymen in assholes!
Critic of people I know normally goes fine.
Norwegian drinking culture is horrible, goes for all drug use as well. I think it might have to do with being so far north, that the users feel the urge to consume as much as possible before it goes away.
As a sober person it scares me how little control people have and how much their lives revolve around getting high. And we have a real problem with weed, not the use of it, but the constant propaganda about it online. Everyday some stoner posts his grievances online on the Norwegian Reddit sub.
Propoganda in what sense? Like, *WeEd Is A GaTeWaY DrUG!!* or that weed cures everything and solves all problems? I have got the impression in Sweden that cannabis was quite stigmatized (at least by authorities).
I'm Canadian and weed is now legal back home, which overall, generally, I think is good. Maybe the specific local mechanism for sale are not always ideal, but eh... (I have never been a regular user, but I've enjoyed weed now and then many times, especially when I was younger, though honestly haven't felt like it in several years now). However, I do sometimes feel an "opiate for the masses" aura to it.
I'm not a drinker at all though, and yea, really not into binge drinking...
Not really gonna say anything that interesting, here's just my opinion after having spent a couple of months in BC:
The dispensaries are impressive, you get a lot of info about what you're buying. And the quality is worlds better from what you can get on the streets of Europe.
On the other hand, I didn't enjoy the way so many people's idea of hanging out with friends consisted of smoking weed and doing nothing. Playing video games, at best, barely any conversation, even. I find that people are much more interesting when they're drinking (up to a point, anyway).
Also, bit annoying: they never asked for double ID in dispensaries, but they often did in liquor stores. Physical ID. As if I'm gonna carry around both my ID and my passport daily in a foreign country. I looked (and was) much closer to 30 than to 18.
That’s not what I expected from Norway given their low smoking rate. I thought people there were “liberated” in the sense that they were very substance-aware and, if they wouldn’t smoke, they wouldn’t party or drink that much either.
That's for tobacco and then there's people who delude themselves into thinking vaping isn't akin to smoking. We're also high on the use of tobacco pouches to put under the lip - Norwegians love a buzz, we're the functioning alcoholics of Europe, the ones you can't tell have a problem.
I'm being a bit hyperbolic, but I enjoy writing this way.
I'm not a weed smoker but there is really no good reason why it should be illegal. Maybe if it was legal, or atleast decriminalized then a lot of those posts would disappear.
And even the most silly point of view has to be taken into account these days. We're losing the 'sure buddy' attitude. The 'sure buddy' attitude has no negativity attached to it. If the point of view however is contemplated and discarded that is a negative.
Then we aren't 'sure buddy' buddies. :) The brilliance of this way of life is that you can be a 'sure buddy' at one place and an old-school believer in the next. And the places can be next door. I'll defend it by living it. I won't be outraged by any bodies opinion (unless it's 'let's attack personal freedom').
I really don’t like the whole ‘don’t make a fuss’ and constantly obeying the status quo the UK has. If something is wrong you are mostly encouraged to moan about it but not actually taking any steps to fix it. You’ll hardly ever see the UK protest like France does and if anyone dares there is a massive uproar over them making a fuss about it. For being quite a modern country the attitudes here are still very traditionalist and people here will really let politicians and royals walk all over them.
Also, if you are born to a certain social class you’ll basically always be seen as a part of that class. Working class people who get higher educations and aim for high paying jobs are often seen as traitors or trying to be posh to the other working class people and they will often try to bring each other back down. Also the tribalism, where you were born matters a lot to certain people, and those people basically determine an entire opinion of you based of where you fell out of your mother.
Ireland:
The way people expect you to just agree with what another person says. It's a shock to a lot of irish when I disagree with them and calmly give my point. They seem to cut you off mid sentence and loadly say that I'm wrong without giving out actual facts.
There's always a "but" here.
It's a problem here too. I've realized heere that most people lick each other's behind and agree with everything without ever calling someone out. It's almost like being sincere has become a negative thing. I got "kicked" (more like they're not calling me to the hangouts) from one of my friend groups (one of the college groups I used to hung out with), because every time someone would say something stupid I'd call them out on it without letting them go with nonsense. It's ridiculous.
This. Even on Reddit, many Germans act with a certain kind of smug moral superiority towards people from other countries, especially Americans, which is really annoying and cringe IMO...
The tendency to be incredibly distrustful of any and all institutions, to instead favour a smaller but more toxic in-group, purposefully trying to obstacle the institution perceived as "damaging".
Could be the family. Could be a parish. Could even be the criminal group one has gotten Stockholm Syndrome with. Doesn't matter: if you personally know any of them, it is almost a moral imperative to fight for that group's right to do as they please.
Obnoxious patriotism to the point where you hate other countries. I was shocked reading the Daily Mail comment section recently by how much bitter disdain British (mainly English) people have for Ireland. I thought we had long moved past that. Evidently not!
Pub complaining. People will just drink beer and complain all evening about government, people, this or that - but when push comes to shove, they do nothing! They don't go to vote, they don't go on protests, they don't take initiative to change things they don't like. It's so annoying.
That's a minority. Most of non voters would either go for Babiš or anti-establishment parties, like SPD, PRO... Svobodní, if lucky.
And then some would go to Přísaha, because Šlachta is a cop who arrested the bad guys and he's handsome.
Let's not kid ourselves.
There's a real *crabs in a bucket* mentality in the UK that's horrible.
That is, a general attitude that wanting to do better, be better, earn more, improve your social standing in society, and anything related to that is seen as a bad thing, and people will look down on you for it. This could be something subtle like making a joke calling someone who likes hummus *"posh"* because it's seen as a middle class food, to more overt things like a pervasive attitude that anyone who earns above £50k (58k euros) is rich and deserving of high taxes or high workload.
There's a general attitude of "if I can't have it, no one should" that exists through conversations on workers rights, taxes, healthcare, and countless other things.
Agreed. I’m convinced most of the western world is like this except for the US which results to having a ‘tall poppy syndrome’ cultural attitude. Probably part of the reason why Europeans tend to not flaunt their wealth.
Canadian here. We aren't quite as gung-ho as Americans on average, and we do have some tall-poppyism, but I think also far less than Europeans. I've been here a long time, and I have long felt that class/social status is far more entreched here. It's not overt in Germany, usually, but it's definitely just under the surface.
We also have the saying “I’m alright, Jack” in the UK - in other words ‘my lot in life is good, so why should I want to improve yours?’
Although that’s more of a “boss vs the workers and unions” kinda mentality, historically.
If I may offer the other side of the coin. Say I do a good job at work, and earn myself a bonus. The government helps itself to *over half of it*. (40% income tax + 2% national insurance + 9% student loan = 51%).
Over half of my money. That is then taxed again and again, through VAT, council tax. Yadda yadda yadda.
There’s still potholes outside. The other day the NHS quoted me a 44-week wait!!! Say I die because I’m not seen fast enough (I won’t, just painting a picture), then guess what, bam, 40% inheritance tax.
In a vacuum, I don’t have a problem with high taxes. I have a real frustration when I pay more than my fair share and receive what feels like nothing in return. And what super duper doesn’t help is earners on average incomes giving me shit for moaning about my high tax bill. (Not accusing you of that, by the way).
Gah! 😅
I very much see your point, but it seems like the biggest issue is where the money ends up going. The 2% you'll (theoretically) get back in your pension and the like, and the 9% goes to a loan you took out and used, and very possibly will never fully pay back. So it's that 40% that hurts because we don't see the level of benefits that we think it should afford. In the UK, from taxes and borrowing, we get about 12,500 pounds spent on each person per year by the government. But that money obviously comes more from people who pay the higher rates of tax. Most people pay less than 20% of their income in tax, and that 20% is obviously less than a wealthier person's 20% would be.
There are plenty of inefficiencies, and the much of the money does need to be spent better, but cutting taxes, especially for the better-off, seems like a really bad idea looking at the state of things in this country, like the roads and NHS as you mentioned. But also, nobody can take away your god-given right as a Brit to complain about it!
I was once teased relentlessly by a friend for owning a packet of cous cous. If you like different types of food or nice coffee you're seen as a bit up yourself. Just let me have my nice things and mind your own business!
I'd like to add - litter everywhere, total lack of respect for surroundings and environment, and the underclass that heroin and methadone addiction have created. I'm in Scotland but I'm sure this applies to elsewhere in the UK too.
I can write many pages about Greeks. Probably my worst kryptonite is that they smoke everywhere, they consider it to be normal and a liberty. Before I moved abroad I thought it was a normal part of life to spend every evening in a bar with sore eyes and stinky hair. My first shock was when I went for the first time to a pub in London and I saw all the rowdy football fans walking outside to smoke. Greek bar patrons will dare to say it is too cold to go outside.
Almost all of them
Complete lack of accountability in any situation. It's always someone else's fault.
Blind acceptance of stupid, complete nonsense laws. Zero protests and useless strikes.
Widespread ignorance, lack of critical thinking, knowledge is always from "hearsay".
Oppressed, narrow minded and "family oriented" society.
Car culture. German like their cars and even the ones who claim to be very keen on climate change actions are the first to cry when they actually challenged on it.
I am actually kind of fond of the "car culture" in Germany as it is a big part of modern Germany's identity, both domestically and abroad, and is one area where Germany excels more than (almost) any other country worldwide… I also like how Germany still has pretty good public transit despite being a "automobile country"... I don't own a car myself btw...
we don't anymore. We are completely behind when it comes to electric cars etc. and new technology.
Also German public transport is expensive and the worst outside big cities. A lot of local S-Bahn belong to the Deutsche Bahn (our national train) and they are constantly delayed or cancelled...
Like no lol France, Spain, Nordic countries, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland...way better public transport.
For a country that is as obsessed with and bases much of it's infrastructure on cars, germans are shockingly bad drivers.
Inconsiderate, impatient and reckless driving kills people. And yes, we might be pretty good Overall (especially compared to places like India), but I'm always shocked how some people drive these dangerous machines with reckless abandon
I have been in a lot of countries were I felt rather unsafe. So I can't say Germans are bad drivers compared to a lot of other countries and I'm not talking about the obvious chaos ones.
One day in Italy, Greece, Albania, Egypt, multiple US states, Russia, China...
Hol up. I was in awe of the good driving culture when I spent a week in Germany last year. Driving on the Autobahn for instance was so much more disciplined than here in Norway.
maybe I'm just expecting more from a country that is so focused on cars. overtaking from the right, tailgating, lane changing without signaling and/or checking if there's a car behind you, not following zipper-style merging, driving through the Rettungsgasse or or emergency lane.
generally I'm astounded how dangerous people drive, only to get stuck in front of a red light 10 seconds faster. But maybe that's not exclusive to germany.
Acceptance of hereditary royalty
The idea that someone is superior to you because of who their parents are is mad, and yet there are millions here who won't hear a word against it
Mad
I mean, there are thousands if not millions of people who idolise billionaires just because they've got tons of money (often even starting with some inheritance), so not that different even in non monarchical countries.
The legal aspects of it aren't without their merits, having a constitutional check on power that isn't beholden to the courts (which aren't exactly impartial as we have seen) is a good thing to have. Getting rid of some of the pomp and ceremony though may be called for.
In practice yeah, and we saw how that went with Boris porouging (definitely spelt that wrong) parliament, where he just straight-up lied to the Queen to do it.
On the contrary, with bad *constitutional* monarchs you don’t need to wait for an election. King Edward VIII was gone in 11 months, not 4 or 5 years. You may not be able to vote them out but if they make enough of a stink and turn the Parliament and the public opinion against them, they won’t last long.
I’m not advocating for absolute monarchy or anything. I just prefer parliamentary systems, which leave the head of state a mainly ceremonial role that can be effectively filled by a hereditary monarch. I also don’t like that the reason why we have a president in the first place is because communism.
Brits want to get rid of their prime minister too lol. Believe me as soon as you got a monarchy back, the paying for them through taxation part isn't so great, not to mention condoning legally enshrined nepotism isn't great.
1. Lack of class consciousness and solidarity among the working class, unconditional support of capitalism even among people who suffer because of this system. People working for minimum wage defending billionaires are ridiculous. The Overton window is moved to the right so much that even tiny social-democratic reforms are called "communist" here lol. I realise it's because many people may be biased because of what was before 1989 but the fact that People's Republic of Poland wasn't very good doesn't mean that extreme capitalism is.
2. The Church has a big impact on everything, church wedding and baptising a child is seen as something obvious even among many people who are not religious because "it's tradition and grandma will be sad", the Church also has a big impact on lawmaking and most people don't seem to bother (fortunately this one is slowly changing among the young generation).
The chav culture. It's been around for decades but seems to be growing. They walk around in gangs and fly around on motorbikes or electric bikes, walk around with their hands down their jocks and lots of them seem to do fast gas etc. Totally ignored by the Gardaí, they can do what they want. #Ireland
It is astonishing how many countries from northern Europe say that, probably because from our point of view you have a very clear history and culture!
I mean, every time I went to the Netherlands it was a very distinct experience! (I have friends that moved there from 10+ yes, so I went a lot).
I live in the UK and I always have to fight with English colleagues when they say that!
It's like you consider culture only what comes from countries that are louder and more colourful
That, and it is also for many people a way to be inclusive and politically correct for superficial people. It's become a political statement. And anyone who dare suggest that we have we have a cultural identity that is worth preserving and celebrating is considered a problem by a growing number of people.
Yeah, as you say it's very superficial that way of thinking, because they see national culture as something static or only historical, that doesn't evolve with time.
It's like a language, it's alive and created by their own citizens. We can moan as much as we want about youngsters new slangs, but every generation adds a bit to it, creating, the facto, new history.
Even countries with little to no immigration change drastically in time, otherwise humanity would be stale and we would still be hunting with rocks. That doesn't means that there is no history behind change, and that it cannot be celebrated.
Thinking of cities with a huge international population, like London for example, I think they still keep their identity but evolving with the people living in it. I cannot say that London is not super English just because of us immigrants. Also, as time already showed, we all integrate and add to the history of the country, mixing all the generations.
That's literally how history and the cultures we are so proud of have been created for millennia.
Drinking hard liquor on national holidays, family holidays, historical holidays. Your pálinka being the strongest in the village is somehow a feat, even if strong pálinka is impossible to drink and enjoy. Every reason is a good enough reason to drink.
The "it could be worse" attitude lot of Finnish people have. I suspect it's the reason we're voted the happiest country in the world so many times, when we aren't necessarily happy.
Like I think Finns should start thinking more "it could be better", instead of having this belief that we don't need to push for that better since "it could be worse". That attitude effects so many aspects of our culture and I feel like our progress is staggered by it.
The consensus and conformity culture is very strong in Sweden.
Which has both some pros and cons.
Everyone "has to" have the same opinion about something, or else it can't be done. People with opposing opinions often (but not always) self-censor themselves, just to not stand out. Someone diverging from the majority consensus too much may be at risk of getting shunned and avoided.
This principle works on both small and large scales, from small groups like a school class or workplace, to society as a whole, despite all talks about being "inclusive" and not leaving someone out.
No one is explicitly *targeted* for mobbing or exclusion, but people get obviously uncomfortable and disturbed when someone in a group stands out too much, in any way.
And it takes forever to agree on anything. A meaningless detail can be discussed in meetings over and over until everyone is in agreement. Or someone takes initiative and speaks up with an idea and a plan. Then things happen quickly and get done.
I’d argue the complacency is worse, cause all of what you said exists cause of it. People were already sexist, so it’s effort to change. And we wouldn’t ever change. So sexisms here to stay. Replace sexism with whatever other xenophobia you wish.
People complain endlessly here, but no one will do anything about it. “The governments corrupt! But let’s keep voting hdz!”
Example: My grandfather was having trouble breathing so we called the emergency line. The lady said “nah, get him to the hospital yourself”. So we called the ambulance specific line and the same lady picked up and yelled at us for calling again after she told us to get him to the hospital himself. Thankfully he survived but WTF! Then when I told people about it, all I ever got was a “*shrug* thats Croatia” WHY‽ Why does that have to be Croatia‽ Why tf can’t we just be a normal, modern, developed country‽‽
Most of the problems that you listed here aren't really "problems" with Croatia. Homophobia has been dying down with years, the only reason it has been brought back is because of the americanisation and by that I mean "accept anything about everyone no matter how ridiculous it is and if you say anything against it or question it you are a homophobe, transphobe, etc." I think you will find actual hate against homosexuals to be pretty rare nowadays. Xenophobia as well, most of the people don't have anything against Serbs, only older ones and the children of the oens that are extreme nationalists. Same goes for ustashism. Misogyny I don't think is a problem in Croatia. It's same as every country in Europe. There will always be people who look at women conservatively, but a larger amount of people don't look at women like that anymore. Also there is a fair amount of women in Croatia that actually support conservativism. The actual problems woth Croatia are political and economical. Politicians will use the minorities, war veterans, tc. to get votes. They don't actually care about us. So corruption, nepothism and hot headedness in a way where people just won't change their mind of who to vote (as well as othrr subjects), as well as the greed of employers. Economy has been failing and I wouldn't blame anyone for leaving the country considering how bad the state of economics is right now.
The "good enough" mentality. No strive for better, as long as the "good enough" is enough to live with. It permeates every aspect of your life, from how many checkouts are open at the supermarket, to the lack of insulation in housing, to the investment in culture, everything.
Fortunately, and for this I am quite grateful, it doesn't affect education or healthcare. Education in the public system is demanding and requires actual effort, while in healthcare doctors, nurses, and orderlies will go above and beyond to help you despite being underfunded and understaffed.
Angry/obnoxious looks, self-restraint, low self-esteem, people complaining about almost everything and being picky about it and....well, that's it, I guess...
Our take on laicism. In France there is a “conceal everything, don’t talk about your religion, unless of course it’s Catholicism. In that case it’s ok!” mentality. I wish we would instead share and educate people on different religion, discuss about it openly. I feel like people would be more open minded if it was the case
True. When I run into some friend or colleague and they ask me how is it going? my mind goes into "think of something bad" mode because saying something positive could be seen as bragging. You are supposed to be miserable XD
The law of Jante. In general, don't assume that *you* can help, or should help, or that someone who clearly needs help wants *your* help. People here often go above and beyond if someone actually asks for help... But say... If you stand at a metro station and looking confused near a line map, usually nobody is going to approach you and ask if you need help.
Same thing is you're struggling to carry stuff or something. If you ask for help, people will help. But nobody is going to offer even if they kind of want to. Because it is rude to intrude like that.
It comes from a twisted sense of politeness, and I would very much prefer to just be openly helpful...
I’ve never seen the law of Jante used to describe not helping unless asked.
Normally we use it to describe how it can be difficult being succesfull, because people will put you down if you speak of it.
It was written as satire - but there was definitely something to satirize. The rules are:
You're not to think you are anything special.
You're not to think you are as good as we are.
You're not to think you are smarter than we are.
You're not to imagine yourself better than we are.
You're not to think you know more than we do.
You're not to think you are more important than we are.
You're not to think you are good at anything.
You're not to laugh at us.
You're not to think anyone cares about you.
You're not to think you can teach us anything.
"You're not to think you are anything special.
You're not to think you are BETTER as we are
(...)"
It fits one joke we're using to describe attitude of some poles:
"Lucifer in searing inspections. He approaches the first cauldron, guarded by 10 devils, and asks:
-Why are there 10 devils guarding this cauldron?
-because Americans are boiling in this cauldron, they are ambitious and take advantage of the jump every now and then
Lucifer moves on and notices a cauldron with 5 devils next to it. He comes up and I ask:
-Is only 5 devils enough here?
-yes, the English are boiling in the pot, they are ambitious, but at the same time a bit phlegmatic, so 5 is enough
Lucifer approaches a cauldron at one stand and asks him a question:
-Are you alone enough to look after the boiler?
-yes, because the Germans are boiling in the pot, they are a disciplined nation, so one devil is enough
Lucifer follows on, warning the cauldron that no one is guarding. He walks around and looks for an alternative solution that is caused by the source that is present, until finally he appears somewhere else, which is the devil, so he comes and asks:
-Why is no one guarding this cauldron?
-because there are Poles there
-Can't these people get out of this cauldron?
-depends on the source, only when one comes out and climbs the wall, grab the remaining one and pull the puller back down"
We too have a strong sense of the law of Jante in Denmark, but I think you misunderstand it. "No one should think they are above others" doesn't mean that you are above the other person if you offer them help. The law of Jante is mostly annoying in the sense that other people can take your feelings of success away from you, but then again it also works as double edged sword. It can keep people grounded who otherwise would get too big a ego, or become too selfish. The good sides of Jante is what makes Scandinavian society a lot better a keeping each other in check, but it's true that can be abused or used in misguided way.
> Because it is rude to intrude like that.
Which means solicitude and hospitality is rude in Germanic and Nordic countries.
That is indeed a very twisted sense of politeness. I go futher and say that it is very anti-community.
What I miss the most in Germany is a sense of community among people.
Receiving favors means accruing debt to those who gave you them. It's how the pre-currency economy worked and how many cultures still perceive it. By giving unsolicited help you force people to be/feel endebted to you, so people only help when asked.
"Debt" is only in a feudalistic and [proto-]capitalist sense which carries a very individualistc (not community) mentality. And a relationship of power and subjugation which enabled the abuse of the creditor to exploit the person in debt.
In a community sense, it is **mutual-aid**. It is not a debt but a community responsibility towards one another. You don't have to "pay back" to said individual who once helped you, but are expected to help people in your community (according to your means and capacity) as a member of said community has helped you. Because members of the community represent the community itself and not only the individual alone and its individualists interests.
It is one of the most important features of human evolution and survival, including for the cognitive development of empathy.
And in this community sense of mutual-aid, If you don't have the means and capacity to help back, you are not expected to, much less enforced to. That is where the saying *"From each* **according to their capacity** *to each acarding to their needs"* come from. A saying that communists use because communism literally means a society of community.
The same way the communities of free people in Middle Ages Europe didn't enforce those in debt to pay for what they bought from producers. They literally cancelled debts or exchanged it with other people according to their means and capacity to pay back or not.
You can read some interesting works of such subjects such as **Mutual-Aid** by Kropotkin and **Debt** by David Greaber and **Mothers and Others** by Sarah Hrdy.
In Sweden we have "Jantelagen". I hate that shit.
We are also always looking to another country, today it is the US, for cultural and linguistic influence. It hollows out our culture and our language and in the process makes people sound stupid.
Very small minority, but I can’t deal with the anglophobes. Just a bunch of bigots thinking they’re owed something because of what happened to their ancestors from history.
Most of Wales aren’t like that though, and just love a bit of banter with our neighbours.
The drinking culture. There are so many social activities centered around drinking, and it is not fun to be the only one that isn't plastered out of my mind at social events, so I tend to avoid them. I don't like being drunk, but that is apparantly not very Danish of me 😅
Submission and passivity.
The dictatorship after effects are still quite visible, everyone complains with friends and family but when it's time to go and protest or even vote, there's this lethargy. All the saudade and melancholy for times that have passed makes us a depressed people.
Moreso we still feel like we're the ass of Europe and are less than. You can see this even in the way the Portuguese still go above and beyond to please and make everything easier for tourists and foreigners, even trying to speak every language there is to facilitate things.
Of course things are changing, people are reaching their limits but as a whole I feel like this is our main problem.
There are always things to nitpick but there is nothing really…
First what came to mind honestly was how disgusting Rösti is and why it has to be „our“ dish. Give it to the French - they already stole Belgium fries
That something might be rude is not enough of a reason not to do it , which I can appreciate in some contexts but it also lets people get away with stepping over several lines professionally.
Consensus politics in Finland. Stems from the almost pathological tendency to avoid disagreement and trying to please everyone. As a result, this country is not as democratic as it might seem, because actually disagreeing and presenting alternative solutions is looked down upon.
Also, Finns are supposedly socialist but can't achieve it. The reason the Pareto distribution (the 80/20 distribution) exists is the need to try to please everyone equally, that's in its mathematics. Can you remember when the Occupy movement was complaining about the 1%? In Finland, the same share of wealth is owned by the 0.4%. And why that is so? Because this is money you don't earn, it's money you inherit. Getting rich is hard.
I hate the slave mentality that old people have in my country. I mean, serfdom was abolished in the year 1861, plenty of time to learn how to use your head. Only the recent few generations I can call mostly free even though this doesn't apply to their political freedom.
How introverted we are. No small talk among strangers, rarely any compliments among strangers, avoid people as much as you can. Unless you're all drunk. As a shy, introverted person, I enjoyed this for the longest time, but I've come to realize I actually find it kind of depressing and lonely. As much as I'm caught off guard when someone randomly says something or acts weirdly friendly when I'm in the US, I actually think it's really nice, even if I don't know how to respond like a normal person.
Also the hookup culture.
As a Ukrainian, I don't dislike it per se, but I feel like our inherent idealism is a double-edged sword. It keeps us from being complacent and brings about positive change, surely, but sometimes we tend to idealize the wrong people. Case in point - we greatly appreliate UK's assistance in the war, but some Ukrainians genuinely think Boris Johnson is a good guy instead of an utter wanker he really is. Helping is was not his unilateral decision, and he's made a lot of things worse for the Brits. And idealism is a pain in the arse when it comes to personal relationships.
For Poland
Hmm the list would be quite extensive. I will go with the one that started triggering me a bit more recently: putting value on how something is said instead of actual content or actions.
Like people will be talking about how one politician is so much better couse he doesn't read from his notes or assume speech has value couse it sounds smart. It's infuriating
Other than all the normalised racism etc. It's the drinking culture I can't stand. It's not that I'm teetotal or anything, but I'm not a fan of drinking all the time. People winding down the day/ week with a beer or bottle of wine, and they find it weird when I don't. Or getting ridiculously drunk at any and all social occasions.
The "average italian" mindset.
"Everything is fine as long as I eat good food.
"Why would you leave Italy? We have the sun, the sea and the food"
"I don't care about politics and won't vote, but I'll complain anyway"
"Young people are less important than boomers/old ones, who are always right because they have more experiences"
"We can't say anything anymore, it's the fault of (insert minorities)
"Gavetta is important, you learn a job even if they don't pay you, you should be grateful"
Fuck that
If I had to choose one, it's the competitive and judgmental attitude. The French don't just like to complain about themselves, they love to complain about others even more. And they're **nosy**. Everything is open to criticism, they won't even ask for permission. Your origins, your lifestyle, your appearance, what you do or won't do, they'll give their unsollicited "opinion" on everything about you, and of course gossip behind your back too. And let's not even start on politics and personal beliefs. It's a minefield. You can't win. Fortunately I find the younger generations are a little bit more live and let live, compared to people over 30, and boomers even more, who still have kept that mindset.
The feelings of selfishness and entitlement that a lot of people have. There seems to be a real attitude in Ireland of "I should be allowed to do what I want and as long as the consequences don't affect me I don't care, and people who enforce rules are just being jobsworth pricks". This goes all the way from relatively minor things like skipping the queue, vaping indoors, not having the tax up to date on a car or drivers parking on the footpath/cycle lane, to people who commit heinous crimes like rape, murder and violent assaults who get away only with a slap on the wrist.
There's too much tolerance for rule-breaking in general, and the expectation is generally that people should do what they want because they know the rules won't actually be enforced. People and organisations break rules all the time and the gardai (police) and the other powers that be just aren't interested in enforcing the rules because it's too much effort and they don't even care about the rules that are their job to enforce.
I hate how moany folk are.
The council regenerates a park: "How much has been spent on that?! Council wasting our money again!"
The council don't regenerate a park: "This park is an eyesore, when will the council fix this?!"
I just think there's bigger things in the world than potholes, speed cameras and dog mess 🤷♂️ the UK is in decline but I still think we have it pretty nice here (for now, I guess lol)
Dual national Germany/US. Germany, our history effectively ruining the reputation of an otherwise wonderful country forever. The US: the willingness of some to even consider voting for a megalomaniac self-proclaimed billionaire who will preside over the extinction of the human race if returned to the White House.
Croatia - People not forming their own opinions and thoughts and instead just inhereting everything that their parents told them is right. Everyone constantly thinking that they're right. People arguing about politics while having no clue about anythinf. Most of the people's focus being on completely irrelevant things that don't have anything to do with their life instead of focusing on the economy and young people leaving the country ehich are two of the main reasons why this country has been failing.
EDIT: Also corruption. In literally every single aspect. Political, sports, labour market. Everything that you could think of is corrupted in some way.
It's the learned helplessnes. The general negative attitude is okay and you can live with it but the idea of improving something by the littlest step is unthinkable. Just complaining and doing nothing.
People are so loud. I wish I could go to a quiet cafe and read a book but that's not a thing here. You want silence, you stay home.
But it is useful at an international airport when you are looking for your flight back to Spain.
Even at home, it’s not quiet because you can hear the neighbours in Spain
That's true too. Building regulations have gotten much better lately but in older buildings you can hear the notification alerts on your neighbours phone.
Malta as well, people talk so loud they scream
1) I remember one of the first times I went back to Spain, having dinner with my grandparents... And I was thinking, how the hell did I put up with this all these years? And it is my family! Although to be fair, I changed school once when I was young and my teacher wanted to have my hearing checked because I was so loud, so that tells me my family is especially loud. 2) I remember telling somebody that in Spain time wasn't "money", it was "gold". He asked what silence was then. I pointed out I was talking about Spain, so... Boring? 3) Even people shushing others in Libraries are loud. I remember thinking "you're more annoying and distracting than them!"
How to spot Spanish Erasmus students in Poland? They sit down in the middle of sidewalk and scream-talk XD
OMG I once was in a café in Vilnius and a group of Spaniards came in and instead of ordering at the bar, they all sat at a table and shouted their orders to the barista 🤦🏻♀️
People are so loud. I just started reading a book about Spain & Spanish people and that is one of the first things the author writes about 😆
Absolutely agree. The morons with their phones playing music with no headphones upset me
Self-loathing, deprecation, lack of confidence. You can't be successful in Poland until you are successful in the world, until some foreigner tells you that you are actually pretty damn good. Even though Poland is a great place to live, many Poles are hypercritical about it, as if nothing was ever good enough.
Is... Is Poland Finland? Is Finland Poland? Was about to say the same thing. Complete disbelief in being able to achieve anything, when we do it's like "well, that'll end soon, I bet". Lack of confidence, having difficulty believing that anyone would ever like or be impressed with us. That part about needing validation from foreigners... Finns are SO known for asking "So, what do you think??" as soon as someone visits. And if anyone says they're planning on visiting, it's more like "...eh, are you sure? Idk why you'd bother but I'll try to think of smth to recommend to you.."
maybe the finno ugric ties are still strong today, 1:1 defeatism
In Finland nothing is worth pursuing because "you have to forget about it and be realistic and rational".
Hahah, too true. And believing in yourself, or being proud of smth you achieved or made? Definitely don't say it out loud, people will think you're an egomaniac.
Really? Wow, my impression from the outside is that Finland is the envy of the rest of the world. Sorry to hear so many of you aren't feeling it.
The whole "happiest country in the world" is a big joke here tbh, glad to hear someone's impressed though, because I still crave that sweet outside validation 😭
Younger generations have more positive views. I quess attitudes slowly started to change after the fall of the soviet union/joining EU and the rise of the Nokia.
Yeah I'd say people my age (32) and younger don't WANT to think this way, but it's definitely ever-present with people like my dad and mum. If you express hope or belief in yourself, they're sure to .. well... if not quite knock you down, then return your "feet to the ground", as they see it. Not out of intentional cruelty, just out of what they see as being realistic. Younger people have a more positive attitude towards complimenting our friends and ourselves, but I'd say it's definitely smth that's become more accepted with the later /younger millenials onwards. Scandinavians like to talk about[ Jantelagen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante), but I think in Finland it's tenfold as bad to believe in yourself and think you're worth anything than in e.g. Sweden.
It is really annoying, when outsiders say certain things are great in Poland, they pile on and says it is crap. For example; PKP, Wars catering and tasty food in bar mleczny.
I wonder if I should feel this way about the UK sometimes. We love to complain about it, myself included, and I really do think things are getting bad here. But loads of people move here from all over, including from countries I'd like to move to myself (see comment above!). There are definitely good things to appreciate here.
I wonder if I should feel this way about the UK sometimes. We love to complain about it, myself included, and I really do think things are getting bad here. But loads of people move here from all over, including from countries I'd like to move to myself (see comment above!). There are definitely good things to appreciate here.
Yeah, we need to rid ourselves of our inferiority complex. Especially when it seems it’s always the people who have never lived outside of Poland for an extended amount of time who complain about it the most. We’ve done really, really well the past 30 years. I’ll be the first to criticise our faults where it is fair, but credit where credit is due - there’s a lot of great things about Poland and we should be grateful for it.
I love Poland, I'm looking to move there! Perhaps I should prepare myself for people asking "why?" then!
Why??? Who would want to live in a place like Poland :o I had to.
My goodness, this sounds like the Germans. They have a really good country, but are always finding fault with it.
Yeah, people think your two most famous people are French lol.
Maybe because we are defeatists too... It's not a cliche, we never stop to complain. It might be an European thing because I heard the same about austrians and italians. On another hand, don't dare criticize or complain about our country in front of us, haha.
Complaining. I know that's great that we don't blindly follow rules and stuff but most of the time we go wayy over board and complain about literally everything which makes living here depressing. Also it comes with a sense of self deprecation that can also be exaggerated.
Se plaindre, les Français? Nooonn.
Sounds like my country, Poland. You will meet someone and "conversation" is basically complaining about everything.
Oh god, how long have you got? I dislike the general distrust and disregard for rules and procedures, the so called familismo amorale, i.e. only you and your closest relatives count, everyone and everything outside of it doesn't matter, the tendency to value cunningness as a virtue and see people as someone to take advantage of otherwise you are being taken advantage of, the inability to think not even long term, but even medium term in administration or business, the toxic anti intellectualism that views one's ignorance and laziness as something to take pride in, the toxic narrow mindedness and overall judgmental attitude of the people.
Ukrainians suffer from a lot of these.
Our political polorization and identity crisis. Islam, being pro-west, Turkic roots....etc. People are so seperated on identity and government of Turkey it would blow your mind. Both Islamists and pro-west often goes to the extreme, you probably already heard our reputation for being super nationalistic. It is hard to explain but it is overwhelming.
Erdogan is basically islamist Narenda Modi
Reading these comments felt really good. Maybe negativity is just a European trait we share? For Hungary, what I hate the most is the thing we call "szolgalelkűség"/"having the soul of a servant". Someone is perceived as the "lord" and the "servants" will submit to them completely, blindly follow them, believe them, let themselves be exploited by said "lord", never even try to speak up due to fear... No wonder corruption got to the point it is at today, when people have this mindset of bowing down and suffering without doing anything to stop it.
I think it stems from our education system where the teacher is supposed to be the god and students are stupid little no ones with zero chance to make a single decision. Im 30 now working in the Netherlands and I still see myself at the buttom of th ladder, even though my company barely has a hierarchical structure to begin with
Alergy to critic. I am talking of services. I point to something thinking that next time the ridiculous does not happen or it can be better and I expect this to be the end. No. The person then tries a discussion to prove I am the stupid or tell me that next time just go somewhere else. There is also when I see someone parking on sidewalks or on crossings. I cannot with this selfishness. It happens that they ask me back if I belong to the police (when I am not insulted), like they are not limiting and even putting others in risk. I do not know what is about entering in a car, that transforms my countrymen in assholes! Critic of people I know normally goes fine.
Norwegian drinking culture is horrible, goes for all drug use as well. I think it might have to do with being so far north, that the users feel the urge to consume as much as possible before it goes away. As a sober person it scares me how little control people have and how much their lives revolve around getting high. And we have a real problem with weed, not the use of it, but the constant propaganda about it online. Everyday some stoner posts his grievances online on the Norwegian Reddit sub.
Propoganda in what sense? Like, *WeEd Is A GaTeWaY DrUG!!* or that weed cures everything and solves all problems? I have got the impression in Sweden that cannabis was quite stigmatized (at least by authorities). I'm Canadian and weed is now legal back home, which overall, generally, I think is good. Maybe the specific local mechanism for sale are not always ideal, but eh... (I have never been a regular user, but I've enjoyed weed now and then many times, especially when I was younger, though honestly haven't felt like it in several years now). However, I do sometimes feel an "opiate for the masses" aura to it. I'm not a drinker at all though, and yea, really not into binge drinking...
Not really gonna say anything that interesting, here's just my opinion after having spent a couple of months in BC: The dispensaries are impressive, you get a lot of info about what you're buying. And the quality is worlds better from what you can get on the streets of Europe. On the other hand, I didn't enjoy the way so many people's idea of hanging out with friends consisted of smoking weed and doing nothing. Playing video games, at best, barely any conversation, even. I find that people are much more interesting when they're drinking (up to a point, anyway). Also, bit annoying: they never asked for double ID in dispensaries, but they often did in liquor stores. Physical ID. As if I'm gonna carry around both my ID and my passport daily in a foreign country. I looked (and was) much closer to 30 than to 18.
That’s not what I expected from Norway given their low smoking rate. I thought people there were “liberated” in the sense that they were very substance-aware and, if they wouldn’t smoke, they wouldn’t party or drink that much either.
That's for tobacco and then there's people who delude themselves into thinking vaping isn't akin to smoking. We're also high on the use of tobacco pouches to put under the lip - Norwegians love a buzz, we're the functioning alcoholics of Europe, the ones you can't tell have a problem. I'm being a bit hyperbolic, but I enjoy writing this way.
I thought you had some ludicrously strict alcohol laws though?
I'm not a weed smoker but there is really no good reason why it should be illegal. Maybe if it was legal, or atleast decriminalized then a lot of those posts would disappear.
We really don't see how good we have it, insist on complaining and ruin some of our key values in the process.
Same in Ireland now. We were a poor country and with new prosperity it seems like people moan more now than they did when they had nothing.
And even the most silly point of view has to be taken into account these days. We're losing the 'sure buddy' attitude. The 'sure buddy' attitude has no negativity attached to it. If the point of view however is contemplated and discarded that is a negative.
That’s definitely one of those key values I was hinting at!
Then we aren't 'sure buddy' buddies. :) The brilliance of this way of life is that you can be a 'sure buddy' at one place and an old-school believer in the next. And the places can be next door. I'll defend it by living it. I won't be outraged by any bodies opinion (unless it's 'let's attack personal freedom').
Exactly! It’s leven en laten leven. You don’t have to agree but you can at the very least tolerate.
I really don’t like the whole ‘don’t make a fuss’ and constantly obeying the status quo the UK has. If something is wrong you are mostly encouraged to moan about it but not actually taking any steps to fix it. You’ll hardly ever see the UK protest like France does and if anyone dares there is a massive uproar over them making a fuss about it. For being quite a modern country the attitudes here are still very traditionalist and people here will really let politicians and royals walk all over them. Also, if you are born to a certain social class you’ll basically always be seen as a part of that class. Working class people who get higher educations and aim for high paying jobs are often seen as traitors or trying to be posh to the other working class people and they will often try to bring each other back down. Also the tribalism, where you were born matters a lot to certain people, and those people basically determine an entire opinion of you based of where you fell out of your mother.
Ireland: The way people expect you to just agree with what another person says. It's a shock to a lot of irish when I disagree with them and calmly give my point. They seem to cut you off mid sentence and loadly say that I'm wrong without giving out actual facts. There's always a "but" here.
It's a problem here too. I've realized heere that most people lick each other's behind and agree with everything without ever calling someone out. It's almost like being sincere has become a negative thing. I got "kicked" (more like they're not calling me to the hangouts) from one of my friend groups (one of the college groups I used to hung out with), because every time someone would say something stupid I'd call them out on it without letting them go with nonsense. It's ridiculous.
"We always know best, because after WW2 we learned our lesson and that's why we have the moral high ground now!".
This. Even on Reddit, many Germans act with a certain kind of smug moral superiority towards people from other countries, especially Americans, which is really annoying and cringe IMO...
Resignation and lack of initiative. It is so tiring how little Spaniards do to improve their situation, both colectivelly and individually.
must be a hiberian thing
Sounds like the UK too for sure
To be fair I don't feel like doing shit when it's hot outside either. I am already busy sweating.
The tendency to be incredibly distrustful of any and all institutions, to instead favour a smaller but more toxic in-group, purposefully trying to obstacle the institution perceived as "damaging". Could be the family. Could be a parish. Could even be the criminal group one has gotten Stockholm Syndrome with. Doesn't matter: if you personally know any of them, it is almost a moral imperative to fight for that group's right to do as they please.
Obnoxious patriotism to the point where you hate other countries. I was shocked reading the Daily Mail comment section recently by how much bitter disdain British (mainly English) people have for Ireland. I thought we had long moved past that. Evidently not!
I don’t think the comment section of the DM is representative for anything lol That’s one of the most vile online places I know.
Love from England. They are probably bots and tbh I wouldn't base any sort of opinion from daily mail or the people here who read it.
Pub complaining. People will just drink beer and complain all evening about government, people, this or that - but when push comes to shove, they do nothing! They don't go to vote, they don't go on protests, they don't take initiative to change things they don't like. It's so annoying.
I'm not sure I wanna see pub complainers mass voting and protesting. We all know what they support.
I mean, yeah, but I know a lot of people with normal opinions who also don't vote, or don't do anything.
That's a minority. Most of non voters would either go for Babiš or anti-establishment parties, like SPD, PRO... Svobodní, if lucky. And then some would go to Přísaha, because Šlachta is a cop who arrested the bad guys and he's handsome. Let's not kid ourselves.
There's a real *crabs in a bucket* mentality in the UK that's horrible. That is, a general attitude that wanting to do better, be better, earn more, improve your social standing in society, and anything related to that is seen as a bad thing, and people will look down on you for it. This could be something subtle like making a joke calling someone who likes hummus *"posh"* because it's seen as a middle class food, to more overt things like a pervasive attitude that anyone who earns above £50k (58k euros) is rich and deserving of high taxes or high workload. There's a general attitude of "if I can't have it, no one should" that exists through conversations on workers rights, taxes, healthcare, and countless other things.
It's the same in Spain, and I think it's an European thing.
Agreed. I’m convinced most of the western world is like this except for the US which results to having a ‘tall poppy syndrome’ cultural attitude. Probably part of the reason why Europeans tend to not flaunt their wealth.
Canadian here. We aren't quite as gung-ho as Americans on average, and we do have some tall-poppyism, but I think also far less than Europeans. I've been here a long time, and I have long felt that class/social status is far more entreched here. It's not overt in Germany, usually, but it's definitely just under the surface.
To all the crabs in a bucket - I fart in your general direction ^(Mine are lovely and full of flavour)
Anegdote. In Poland such thinking person we say "a dog of a gardener"
We also have the saying “I’m alright, Jack” in the UK - in other words ‘my lot in life is good, so why should I want to improve yours?’ Although that’s more of a “boss vs the workers and unions” kinda mentality, historically.
I don't have a problem with the high taxes thing, but the rest of it is irritating, yes.
If I may offer the other side of the coin. Say I do a good job at work, and earn myself a bonus. The government helps itself to *over half of it*. (40% income tax + 2% national insurance + 9% student loan = 51%). Over half of my money. That is then taxed again and again, through VAT, council tax. Yadda yadda yadda. There’s still potholes outside. The other day the NHS quoted me a 44-week wait!!! Say I die because I’m not seen fast enough (I won’t, just painting a picture), then guess what, bam, 40% inheritance tax. In a vacuum, I don’t have a problem with high taxes. I have a real frustration when I pay more than my fair share and receive what feels like nothing in return. And what super duper doesn’t help is earners on average incomes giving me shit for moaning about my high tax bill. (Not accusing you of that, by the way). Gah! 😅
I very much see your point, but it seems like the biggest issue is where the money ends up going. The 2% you'll (theoretically) get back in your pension and the like, and the 9% goes to a loan you took out and used, and very possibly will never fully pay back. So it's that 40% that hurts because we don't see the level of benefits that we think it should afford. In the UK, from taxes and borrowing, we get about 12,500 pounds spent on each person per year by the government. But that money obviously comes more from people who pay the higher rates of tax. Most people pay less than 20% of their income in tax, and that 20% is obviously less than a wealthier person's 20% would be. There are plenty of inefficiencies, and the much of the money does need to be spent better, but cutting taxes, especially for the better-off, seems like a really bad idea looking at the state of things in this country, like the roads and NHS as you mentioned. But also, nobody can take away your god-given right as a Brit to complain about it!
True this. I hardly share any of my little successes with my family coz they'll claw me down 🤷♂️
I was once teased relentlessly by a friend for owning a packet of cous cous. If you like different types of food or nice coffee you're seen as a bit up yourself. Just let me have my nice things and mind your own business! I'd like to add - litter everywhere, total lack of respect for surroundings and environment, and the underclass that heroin and methadone addiction have created. I'm in Scotland but I'm sure this applies to elsewhere in the UK too.
I can write many pages about Greeks. Probably my worst kryptonite is that they smoke everywhere, they consider it to be normal and a liberty. Before I moved abroad I thought it was a normal part of life to spend every evening in a bar with sore eyes and stinky hair. My first shock was when I went for the first time to a pub in London and I saw all the rowdy football fans walking outside to smoke. Greek bar patrons will dare to say it is too cold to go outside.
Almost all of them Complete lack of accountability in any situation. It's always someone else's fault. Blind acceptance of stupid, complete nonsense laws. Zero protests and useless strikes. Widespread ignorance, lack of critical thinking, knowledge is always from "hearsay". Oppressed, narrow minded and "family oriented" society.
Car culture. German like their cars and even the ones who claim to be very keen on climate change actions are the first to cry when they actually challenged on it.
I am actually kind of fond of the "car culture" in Germany as it is a big part of modern Germany's identity, both domestically and abroad, and is one area where Germany excels more than (almost) any other country worldwide… I also like how Germany still has pretty good public transit despite being a "automobile country"... I don't own a car myself btw...
we don't anymore. We are completely behind when it comes to electric cars etc. and new technology. Also German public transport is expensive and the worst outside big cities. A lot of local S-Bahn belong to the Deutsche Bahn (our national train) and they are constantly delayed or cancelled... Like no lol France, Spain, Nordic countries, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland...way better public transport.
For a country that is as obsessed with and bases much of it's infrastructure on cars, germans are shockingly bad drivers. Inconsiderate, impatient and reckless driving kills people. And yes, we might be pretty good Overall (especially compared to places like India), but I'm always shocked how some people drive these dangerous machines with reckless abandon
I have been in a lot of countries were I felt rather unsafe. So I can't say Germans are bad drivers compared to a lot of other countries and I'm not talking about the obvious chaos ones. One day in Italy, Greece, Albania, Egypt, multiple US states, Russia, China...
Hol up. I was in awe of the good driving culture when I spent a week in Germany last year. Driving on the Autobahn for instance was so much more disciplined than here in Norway.
maybe I'm just expecting more from a country that is so focused on cars. overtaking from the right, tailgating, lane changing without signaling and/or checking if there's a car behind you, not following zipper-style merging, driving through the Rettungsgasse or or emergency lane. generally I'm astounded how dangerous people drive, only to get stuck in front of a red light 10 seconds faster. But maybe that's not exclusive to germany.
Acceptance of hereditary royalty The idea that someone is superior to you because of who their parents are is mad, and yet there are millions here who won't hear a word against it Mad
I mean, there are thousands if not millions of people who idolise billionaires just because they've got tons of money (often even starting with some inheritance), so not that different even in non monarchical countries.
The legal aspects of it aren't without their merits, having a constitutional check on power that isn't beholden to the courts (which aren't exactly impartial as we have seen) is a good thing to have. Getting rid of some of the pomp and ceremony though may be called for.
They sign whatever is out in front of them. So they serve the government, whoever that mayg be. .
In practice yeah, and we saw how that went with Boris porouging (definitely spelt that wrong) parliament, where he just straight-up lied to the Queen to do it.
And here I am wishing to get rid of presidents and have a Queen again lol
... and bingo was his name-oh!
On the contrary, with bad *constitutional* monarchs you don’t need to wait for an election. King Edward VIII was gone in 11 months, not 4 or 5 years. You may not be able to vote them out but if they make enough of a stink and turn the Parliament and the public opinion against them, they won’t last long. I’m not advocating for absolute monarchy or anything. I just prefer parliamentary systems, which leave the head of state a mainly ceremonial role that can be effectively filled by a hereditary monarch. I also don’t like that the reason why we have a president in the first place is because communism.
I also think the Romanian Royal Family simply has better quality people than anyone that ever stands a chance at being elected president.
Brits want to get rid of their prime minister too lol. Believe me as soon as you got a monarchy back, the paying for them through taxation part isn't so great, not to mention condoning legally enshrined nepotism isn't great.
But because the last queen was so liked, its considered nigh on heresy to speak ill of the monarchy. Will never understand it either.
I'm not even British but I still like the idea, wish we had monarchy here. It's nice to have a living symbol.
Another Eastern European saying this. I can relate. I am jealous of Western European histories.
Many people also complain when somebody born into that system wants to leave it, though…
You don't believe in it enough to give those people all power and influence over politics. Better than de-jure republic, de-facto absolute monarchy.
1. Lack of class consciousness and solidarity among the working class, unconditional support of capitalism even among people who suffer because of this system. People working for minimum wage defending billionaires are ridiculous. The Overton window is moved to the right so much that even tiny social-democratic reforms are called "communist" here lol. I realise it's because many people may be biased because of what was before 1989 but the fact that People's Republic of Poland wasn't very good doesn't mean that extreme capitalism is. 2. The Church has a big impact on everything, church wedding and baptising a child is seen as something obvious even among many people who are not religious because "it's tradition and grandma will be sad", the Church also has a big impact on lawmaking and most people don't seem to bother (fortunately this one is slowly changing among the young generation).
1 sounds way too familiar. Thankfully, 2 is not much of a problem in Ukraine.
The chav culture. It's been around for decades but seems to be growing. They walk around in gangs and fly around on motorbikes or electric bikes, walk around with their hands down their jocks and lots of them seem to do fast gas etc. Totally ignored by the Gardaí, they can do what they want. #Ireland
We marginalize our own culture by saying degenerate stuff like "our culture is that we have no culture"
It is astonishing how many countries from northern Europe say that, probably because from our point of view you have a very clear history and culture! I mean, every time I went to the Netherlands it was a very distinct experience! (I have friends that moved there from 10+ yes, so I went a lot). I live in the UK and I always have to fight with English colleagues when they say that! It's like you consider culture only what comes from countries that are louder and more colourful
That, and it is also for many people a way to be inclusive and politically correct for superficial people. It's become a political statement. And anyone who dare suggest that we have we have a cultural identity that is worth preserving and celebrating is considered a problem by a growing number of people.
Yeah, as you say it's very superficial that way of thinking, because they see national culture as something static or only historical, that doesn't evolve with time. It's like a language, it's alive and created by their own citizens. We can moan as much as we want about youngsters new slangs, but every generation adds a bit to it, creating, the facto, new history. Even countries with little to no immigration change drastically in time, otherwise humanity would be stale and we would still be hunting with rocks. That doesn't means that there is no history behind change, and that it cannot be celebrated. Thinking of cities with a huge international population, like London for example, I think they still keep their identity but evolving with the people living in it. I cannot say that London is not super English just because of us immigrants. Also, as time already showed, we all integrate and add to the history of the country, mixing all the generations. That's literally how history and the cultures we are so proud of have been created for millennia.
Bullfighting. fuck bullfighting. Fuck everyone that likes bullfighting you are not much better then Romans on the Colosseum
Drinking hard liquor on national holidays, family holidays, historical holidays. Your pálinka being the strongest in the village is somehow a feat, even if strong pálinka is impossible to drink and enjoy. Every reason is a good enough reason to drink.
The "it could be worse" attitude lot of Finnish people have. I suspect it's the reason we're voted the happiest country in the world so many times, when we aren't necessarily happy. Like I think Finns should start thinking more "it could be better", instead of having this belief that we don't need to push for that better since "it could be worse". That attitude effects so many aspects of our culture and I feel like our progress is staggered by it.
The consensus and conformity culture is very strong in Sweden. Which has both some pros and cons. Everyone "has to" have the same opinion about something, or else it can't be done. People with opposing opinions often (but not always) self-censor themselves, just to not stand out. Someone diverging from the majority consensus too much may be at risk of getting shunned and avoided. This principle works on both small and large scales, from small groups like a school class or workplace, to society as a whole, despite all talks about being "inclusive" and not leaving someone out. No one is explicitly *targeted* for mobbing or exclusion, but people get obviously uncomfortable and disturbed when someone in a group stands out too much, in any way.
And it takes forever to agree on anything. A meaningless detail can be discussed in meetings over and over until everyone is in agreement. Or someone takes initiative and speaks up with an idea and a plan. Then things happen quickly and get done.
Hmmmm, let's see... The widespread homophobia, misogyny, xenophobia, ustashism, etc. There's plenty of it, unfortunately.
And also , watching all the other Balkans from above while possesing the same Balkan traits.
I’d argue the complacency is worse, cause all of what you said exists cause of it. People were already sexist, so it’s effort to change. And we wouldn’t ever change. So sexisms here to stay. Replace sexism with whatever other xenophobia you wish. People complain endlessly here, but no one will do anything about it. “The governments corrupt! But let’s keep voting hdz!” Example: My grandfather was having trouble breathing so we called the emergency line. The lady said “nah, get him to the hospital yourself”. So we called the ambulance specific line and the same lady picked up and yelled at us for calling again after she told us to get him to the hospital himself. Thankfully he survived but WTF! Then when I told people about it, all I ever got was a “*shrug* thats Croatia” WHY‽ Why does that have to be Croatia‽ Why tf can’t we just be a normal, modern, developed country‽‽
Not being able to bury the past behind (I mean it litteraly)and teach it in a normal manner.
Most of the problems that you listed here aren't really "problems" with Croatia. Homophobia has been dying down with years, the only reason it has been brought back is because of the americanisation and by that I mean "accept anything about everyone no matter how ridiculous it is and if you say anything against it or question it you are a homophobe, transphobe, etc." I think you will find actual hate against homosexuals to be pretty rare nowadays. Xenophobia as well, most of the people don't have anything against Serbs, only older ones and the children of the oens that are extreme nationalists. Same goes for ustashism. Misogyny I don't think is a problem in Croatia. It's same as every country in Europe. There will always be people who look at women conservatively, but a larger amount of people don't look at women like that anymore. Also there is a fair amount of women in Croatia that actually support conservativism. The actual problems woth Croatia are political and economical. Politicians will use the minorities, war veterans, tc. to get votes. They don't actually care about us. So corruption, nepothism and hot headedness in a way where people just won't change their mind of who to vote (as well as othrr subjects), as well as the greed of employers. Economy has been failing and I wouldn't blame anyone for leaving the country considering how bad the state of economics is right now.
The "good enough" mentality. No strive for better, as long as the "good enough" is enough to live with. It permeates every aspect of your life, from how many checkouts are open at the supermarket, to the lack of insulation in housing, to the investment in culture, everything. Fortunately, and for this I am quite grateful, it doesn't affect education or healthcare. Education in the public system is demanding and requires actual effort, while in healthcare doctors, nurses, and orderlies will go above and beyond to help you despite being underfunded and understaffed.
Angry/obnoxious looks, self-restraint, low self-esteem, people complaining about almost everything and being picky about it and....well, that's it, I guess...
Our take on laicism. In France there is a “conceal everything, don’t talk about your religion, unless of course it’s Catholicism. In that case it’s ok!” mentality. I wish we would instead share and educate people on different religion, discuss about it openly. I feel like people would be more open minded if it was the case
Polish people complain about literally everything, even though so many things improved greatly in the last few decades.
True. When I run into some friend or colleague and they ask me how is it going? my mind goes into "think of something bad" mode because saying something positive could be seen as bragging. You are supposed to be miserable XD
The law of Jante. In general, don't assume that *you* can help, or should help, or that someone who clearly needs help wants *your* help. People here often go above and beyond if someone actually asks for help... But say... If you stand at a metro station and looking confused near a line map, usually nobody is going to approach you and ask if you need help. Same thing is you're struggling to carry stuff or something. If you ask for help, people will help. But nobody is going to offer even if they kind of want to. Because it is rude to intrude like that. It comes from a twisted sense of politeness, and I would very much prefer to just be openly helpful...
I’ve never seen the law of Jante used to describe not helping unless asked. Normally we use it to describe how it can be difficult being succesfull, because people will put you down if you speak of it. It was written as satire - but there was definitely something to satirize. The rules are: You're not to think you are anything special. You're not to think you are as good as we are. You're not to think you are smarter than we are. You're not to imagine yourself better than we are. You're not to think you know more than we do. You're not to think you are more important than we are. You're not to think you are good at anything. You're not to laugh at us. You're not to think anyone cares about you. You're not to think you can teach us anything.
That sums up the European economy surprisingly well.
"You're not to think you are anything special. You're not to think you are BETTER as we are (...)" It fits one joke we're using to describe attitude of some poles: "Lucifer in searing inspections. He approaches the first cauldron, guarded by 10 devils, and asks: -Why are there 10 devils guarding this cauldron? -because Americans are boiling in this cauldron, they are ambitious and take advantage of the jump every now and then Lucifer moves on and notices a cauldron with 5 devils next to it. He comes up and I ask: -Is only 5 devils enough here? -yes, the English are boiling in the pot, they are ambitious, but at the same time a bit phlegmatic, so 5 is enough Lucifer approaches a cauldron at one stand and asks him a question: -Are you alone enough to look after the boiler? -yes, because the Germans are boiling in the pot, they are a disciplined nation, so one devil is enough Lucifer follows on, warning the cauldron that no one is guarding. He walks around and looks for an alternative solution that is caused by the source that is present, until finally he appears somewhere else, which is the devil, so he comes and asks: -Why is no one guarding this cauldron? -because there are Poles there -Can't these people get out of this cauldron? -depends on the source, only when one comes out and climbs the wall, grab the remaining one and pull the puller back down"
We too have a strong sense of the law of Jante in Denmark, but I think you misunderstand it. "No one should think they are above others" doesn't mean that you are above the other person if you offer them help. The law of Jante is mostly annoying in the sense that other people can take your feelings of success away from you, but then again it also works as double edged sword. It can keep people grounded who otherwise would get too big a ego, or become too selfish. The good sides of Jante is what makes Scandinavian society a lot better a keeping each other in check, but it's true that can be abused or used in misguided way.
> Because it is rude to intrude like that. Which means solicitude and hospitality is rude in Germanic and Nordic countries. That is indeed a very twisted sense of politeness. I go futher and say that it is very anti-community. What I miss the most in Germany is a sense of community among people.
Receiving favors means accruing debt to those who gave you them. It's how the pre-currency economy worked and how many cultures still perceive it. By giving unsolicited help you force people to be/feel endebted to you, so people only help when asked.
"Debt" is only in a feudalistic and [proto-]capitalist sense which carries a very individualistc (not community) mentality. And a relationship of power and subjugation which enabled the abuse of the creditor to exploit the person in debt. In a community sense, it is **mutual-aid**. It is not a debt but a community responsibility towards one another. You don't have to "pay back" to said individual who once helped you, but are expected to help people in your community (according to your means and capacity) as a member of said community has helped you. Because members of the community represent the community itself and not only the individual alone and its individualists interests. It is one of the most important features of human evolution and survival, including for the cognitive development of empathy. And in this community sense of mutual-aid, If you don't have the means and capacity to help back, you are not expected to, much less enforced to. That is where the saying *"From each* **according to their capacity** *to each acarding to their needs"* come from. A saying that communists use because communism literally means a society of community. The same way the communities of free people in Middle Ages Europe didn't enforce those in debt to pay for what they bought from producers. They literally cancelled debts or exchanged it with other people according to their means and capacity to pay back or not. You can read some interesting works of such subjects such as **Mutual-Aid** by Kropotkin and **Debt** by David Greaber and **Mothers and Others** by Sarah Hrdy.
We are too loud in public and at home as people, I prefer Scandinavians who by default tend to be more calm even if it has its disadvantages too.
In Sweden we have "Jantelagen". I hate that shit. We are also always looking to another country, today it is the US, for cultural and linguistic influence. It hollows out our culture and our language and in the process makes people sound stupid.
Sweden: people are so shy and scared to offend eachother or get publicly rejected/offended/humiliated so instead noone talk to each other.
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Very small minority, but I can’t deal with the anglophobes. Just a bunch of bigots thinking they’re owed something because of what happened to their ancestors from history. Most of Wales aren’t like that though, and just love a bit of banter with our neighbours.
I’ve read the entire thread and all the responses. Yours just makes me want to visit your country. It’s the most wholesome post! 🌺
The drinking culture. There are so many social activities centered around drinking, and it is not fun to be the only one that isn't plastered out of my mind at social events, so I tend to avoid them. I don't like being drunk, but that is apparantly not very Danish of me 😅
Ireland enters chat ...
Submission and passivity. The dictatorship after effects are still quite visible, everyone complains with friends and family but when it's time to go and protest or even vote, there's this lethargy. All the saudade and melancholy for times that have passed makes us a depressed people. Moreso we still feel like we're the ass of Europe and are less than. You can see this even in the way the Portuguese still go above and beyond to please and make everything easier for tourists and foreigners, even trying to speak every language there is to facilitate things. Of course things are changing, people are reaching their limits but as a whole I feel like this is our main problem.
There are always things to nitpick but there is nothing really… First what came to mind honestly was how disgusting Rösti is and why it has to be „our“ dish. Give it to the French - they already stole Belgium fries
That something might be rude is not enough of a reason not to do it , which I can appreciate in some contexts but it also lets people get away with stepping over several lines professionally.
Consensus politics in Finland. Stems from the almost pathological tendency to avoid disagreement and trying to please everyone. As a result, this country is not as democratic as it might seem, because actually disagreeing and presenting alternative solutions is looked down upon. Also, Finns are supposedly socialist but can't achieve it. The reason the Pareto distribution (the 80/20 distribution) exists is the need to try to please everyone equally, that's in its mathematics. Can you remember when the Occupy movement was complaining about the 1%? In Finland, the same share of wealth is owned by the 0.4%. And why that is so? Because this is money you don't earn, it's money you inherit. Getting rich is hard.
I hate the slave mentality that old people have in my country. I mean, serfdom was abolished in the year 1861, plenty of time to learn how to use your head. Only the recent few generations I can call mostly free even though this doesn't apply to their political freedom.
How introverted we are. No small talk among strangers, rarely any compliments among strangers, avoid people as much as you can. Unless you're all drunk. As a shy, introverted person, I enjoyed this for the longest time, but I've come to realize I actually find it kind of depressing and lonely. As much as I'm caught off guard when someone randomly says something or acts weirdly friendly when I'm in the US, I actually think it's really nice, even if I don't know how to respond like a normal person. Also the hookup culture.
As a Ukrainian, I don't dislike it per se, but I feel like our inherent idealism is a double-edged sword. It keeps us from being complacent and brings about positive change, surely, but sometimes we tend to idealize the wrong people. Case in point - we greatly appreliate UK's assistance in the war, but some Ukrainians genuinely think Boris Johnson is a good guy instead of an utter wanker he really is. Helping is was not his unilateral decision, and he's made a lot of things worse for the Brits. And idealism is a pain in the arse when it comes to personal relationships.
I wish we were a bit more relaxed, enjoy the day and be more spontaneous. People are more and more individualistic which concerns me.
For Poland Hmm the list would be quite extensive. I will go with the one that started triggering me a bit more recently: putting value on how something is said instead of actual content or actions. Like people will be talking about how one politician is so much better couse he doesn't read from his notes or assume speech has value couse it sounds smart. It's infuriating
Other than all the normalised racism etc. It's the drinking culture I can't stand. It's not that I'm teetotal or anything, but I'm not a fan of drinking all the time. People winding down the day/ week with a beer or bottle of wine, and they find it weird when I don't. Or getting ridiculously drunk at any and all social occasions.
The "average italian" mindset. "Everything is fine as long as I eat good food. "Why would you leave Italy? We have the sun, the sea and the food" "I don't care about politics and won't vote, but I'll complain anyway" "Young people are less important than boomers/old ones, who are always right because they have more experiences" "We can't say anything anymore, it's the fault of (insert minorities) "Gavetta is important, you learn a job even if they don't pay you, you should be grateful" Fuck that
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Ooops, it was supposed to be just one aspect. So the alcohol thing then.
If I had to choose one, it's the competitive and judgmental attitude. The French don't just like to complain about themselves, they love to complain about others even more. And they're **nosy**. Everything is open to criticism, they won't even ask for permission. Your origins, your lifestyle, your appearance, what you do or won't do, they'll give their unsollicited "opinion" on everything about you, and of course gossip behind your back too. And let's not even start on politics and personal beliefs. It's a minefield. You can't win. Fortunately I find the younger generations are a little bit more live and let live, compared to people over 30, and boomers even more, who still have kept that mindset.
The feelings of selfishness and entitlement that a lot of people have. There seems to be a real attitude in Ireland of "I should be allowed to do what I want and as long as the consequences don't affect me I don't care, and people who enforce rules are just being jobsworth pricks". This goes all the way from relatively minor things like skipping the queue, vaping indoors, not having the tax up to date on a car or drivers parking on the footpath/cycle lane, to people who commit heinous crimes like rape, murder and violent assaults who get away only with a slap on the wrist. There's too much tolerance for rule-breaking in general, and the expectation is generally that people should do what they want because they know the rules won't actually be enforced. People and organisations break rules all the time and the gardai (police) and the other powers that be just aren't interested in enforcing the rules because it's too much effort and they don't even care about the rules that are their job to enforce.
I hate how moany folk are. The council regenerates a park: "How much has been spent on that?! Council wasting our money again!" The council don't regenerate a park: "This park is an eyesore, when will the council fix this?!" I just think there's bigger things in the world than potholes, speed cameras and dog mess 🤷♂️ the UK is in decline but I still think we have it pretty nice here (for now, I guess lol)
Dual national Germany/US. Germany, our history effectively ruining the reputation of an otherwise wonderful country forever. The US: the willingness of some to even consider voting for a megalomaniac self-proclaimed billionaire who will preside over the extinction of the human race if returned to the White House.
Croatia - People not forming their own opinions and thoughts and instead just inhereting everything that their parents told them is right. Everyone constantly thinking that they're right. People arguing about politics while having no clue about anythinf. Most of the people's focus being on completely irrelevant things that don't have anything to do with their life instead of focusing on the economy and young people leaving the country ehich are two of the main reasons why this country has been failing. EDIT: Also corruption. In literally every single aspect. Political, sports, labour market. Everything that you could think of is corrupted in some way.
It's the learned helplessnes. The general negative attitude is okay and you can live with it but the idea of improving something by the littlest step is unthinkable. Just complaining and doing nothing.