Does Capitalism push individuals away from social life?
I could not wait to come and be an American but now that i am here i notice americans live to work while europeans work to live. All people do is work work work! Everything is a robotic schedule. Where are the communities, the neighborly friendliness? Why arent neighborly kids playing say baseball on the streets. Where are the cafe's and restaurants that go til early morning w/ live music? All i see ppl do is wake up 6am go to work come home and sleep at 10PM. Why do you guys work 50 hours a week and stuck in traffic hours a day? And when weekend comes u see ppl go to a boring chain restaurant for an hour and go home. God knows what processed food they are. I notice ppl are so lonely with family ties so weak. In Europe its like 6 hours a day and we are out everynight enjoying with family friends at night clubs, weddings cafe's til light comes out! Streets are packed how maybe the only place in America that reminds me of Europe is Las Vegas....Any other Americans/ Europeans agree??? Thanks!
Comments
Stereotyping much ? I feel bad for you that you lead such a sad life but your assumptions about American people is totally wrong. I'm Italian and live in NY and I don't go to "chain restaurants" nor do I lead the life style you describe. And no, I go to Italy every year, for two month and a half and if I was living and working in Italy, I couldn't possibly afford to do that. With the Euro skyrocketing and the devaluation of the "dollar" bill, many Europeans work a little bit over a 9 hour shift a day. Las Vegas, is not like Europe, for your information. You could easily compare NYC like Rome or Hamburg or Paris. But maybe you don't know that because you've never been in those beautiful cities, where people can not afford to live if they do work only 6 hours a day ! Do the math !!
Does Capitalism push individuals away from social life? No, ignorance does.
actually if you wanna go new-marxist and follow the theory of consensus capitalism actually encourages us to remain within the capitalist system of the bourgoise exploiting those below them by offering up social insentives to in affect gain our consent at being exploited. so we work godawful hours because what little money we make buys us distracting and irrelevant things we gives us pleasure--dinners, drinks, movies, music ect. and keep us content enough so that we detract ourselves form the bigger questions of live and the unfairness of any effectively hierachal economy.
I feel personally that americans have become so focused on the physical gain of money than its true consensual gain that yes they are loosing their true selves--and perhaps this is why everything over there is big big big in order to compensate--you have less time to eat so why not have a bigger steak?
ps im british and work 9 hour days--there arent many people i know who dont.