Absolutely spot on. It's kinda cool to see someone who is not an American get our elections better than most of us seem to, especially our deluded legacy media. I would also add that we don't like being gaslighted, projected to, and called garbage and worse.
Every left-wing partisan is trained to say that people who don't hate the rich oppose attacks on the rich because "they hope to be rich someday too". In the purest sense, EVERYBODY hopes to be rich someday, but being unrealistic about their chances isn't why people oppose punitive left-wing attacks on the productive.
It's because we understand interdependence.
We understand that attacks on "the rich" don't help the rest of us; they hurt the rest of us. They reduce both production and asset valuation (aka stock prices). Those things hurt the working class. Moreover, the purported benefit of "tax the rich" isn't anything that actually helps the rest of us. It's just "give the government more money", which is something that left-wing partisans SAY is the ultimate good for the "poor". But it isn't.
Interestingly, I literally just stepped out of a meeting at the office. A mixed audience of Americans and Europeans, all “elite” types. The common refrain from all of them was, “I don’t understand how this happened.”
Perfectly and concisely said. I hope to be able to pass this on to my shocked and surprised colleagues at Cornell, but right now they are not ready to read this.
They likely never will be. I've been reading some of the post mortems on the lefty media. They completely don't get why Harris lost. To them, it's all about messaging and turn out strategy. Their messaging and turn out strategy were just fine. People got their message loud and clear and therefore didn't turn out for Harris.
To their credit, at least some of the lefties on MSNBC's Morning Joe are starting to question the woke strategy the dems have been following the past few cycles.
I have hope. I am patient. I respect my colleagues. But I believe you are right in general. I want to be there for them in case they are ready to question their own views--and challenge mine if they like.
Thank you Konstantin, for pointing out that Americans and America are not the villians and "phobes" and the enemy of the other side. It lightens the soul to get a compliment!
Most of my friends are progressive, and I hope they can emotionally get to the point where they can see this.
Thank you, KK! The left has been apologizing for this nation and trying to buy love from the rest of the world, unburdened by what has been. Thank you for seeing and understanding the character of America and our people. I am so grateful that God has given us another chance to right the course of the west. Join us!!!
I sincerely hope you over there in the UK can push back the encroaching totalitarian crap that's been fouling your beautiful island over the last few years.
I've been an anglophile ever since I was a kid and first read David Copperfield, and it hurts me deeply to see what's happening over there. I hope you all will survive until you can make Farage your next PM. Until then, I'll continue rooting for Reform UK , and hope they gain more seats locally and in Westminster.
Best of luck to you and yours and give FF my best regards,
2 Europeans live in Europe and get their news from the progressive press in both their country and the U.S., not from living their daily life. I just visited Scandinavia and, to a person, no-one could even understand why Trump or Vance could even be allowed to stand for office, much less believe that they might have a following.
Note however that just under half of the votes went for Kamala, so perhaps every use of "Americans" in your post should be replaced with "a majority of Americans".
Hey KK, I'd also like to add in, from my vantage point as a Scottish immigrant to the US, that another factor on Trumps win is the growing disillusionment with the American education system. The declining test scores across grade levels and recent policy shifts have led to an unprecedented surge in homeschooling families - now close to 4 million kids and that's a lot of parents.
My family's personal journey mirrors many others: after seeing the quality of remote education during COVID (absolute DEI pish!), we made the difficult decision to transition to homeschooling. While I'm not particularly aligned with Trump, his education proposals - especially regarding school choice and restructuring federal education oversight - have resonated with everyone we know in the homeschooling community.
Trumps policies (not just joy and brat) on the potential dissolution of the Department of Education and implementing student-centered funding models where resources follow the child are deeply popular and really resonate with people.
From what I have heard about the deterioration of the quality and focus of education in the USA. I agree with you. Home schooling produces better results. I’m a 76 year old Canadian and I don’t have direct connection to our own school system. However what I hear it’s become far too Woke.
Konstantin, one of the main reasons I subscribed to Triggernometry (and now your substack) was your (and Francis') dedication to open mindedness, wide-ranging conversations, and equally as important: nuance. It's this last point that I'm really surprised to read this article from you, as I see many oversimplifications and generalisations.
I'm Canadian, been living in Belgium for 15 years, and have never lived a day in my life in America. My point about nuance is not about the American perspective but rather your criticism of Europe. Have you lived anywhere in Europe besides Russia and the UK? It's a bit disingenuous to group 100s of millions of people that vary drastically in culture and perspective, especially since many European countries (if not all) are radically different from the UK, let alone each other.
It's your point 4 that I especially take issue with: "Unlike you, Americans do not believe in socialism. They believe in meritocracy." I'm sorry, but since when is socialism vs meritocracy a binary option? Capitalism exists here as well. Also, have you been to Switzerland? Not exactly a leftwing socialist state. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that over here we also value quality of life, and if some socialist elements are part of the society that enhance our lives, who are you to criticise? It's not about resenting the rich or success, it's about peace of mind. For e.g.
1. My son was hospitalized for 2 nights last year for pneumonia; in a separate instance my wife had a planned operation last year as well. Both times, the hospital bill was peanuts, and they both were treated extremely well. Is this the case for 100% of all Americans, or only the ones that can afford good health insurance?
2. My kids go to public school and we love the quality of education they're receiving - the focus is purely on French and math, not DEI self-flagellation as social causes are strictly prohibited at this age. What's public school like over there?
3. Just because some of us prefer 4 - 6 weeks vacation per year rather than the most amount of money in our bank accounts as possible doesn't make us socialist. It means spending time with family and friends in nice locations mean more than working for that promotion.
4. It's actually incredibly easy to become an independent contractor in Belgium and if you find your niche you'll become rich very quickly. Finding tax loopholes is a national past time of Belgians.
5. In our recent general elections in June, the French Socialist party (traditionally the strongest party from the French side) were pummelled and will sit in the opposition for the next 5 years licking their wounds. We have nuance and context as well as Americans.
Don't get me wrong, this country also drives me crazy in many ways, but I hope I've given you enough examples of this small country in Europe that contradicts your broad generalisation. I have American friends living here that are perfectly happy here, in this "socialist" state, and as of this moment I see 49% of the popular vote is for Harris, so this isn't exactly a landslide for Trump and Republican values. I don't read the legacy media any more as I'm sick of their oversimplifications and narrative; while I really respect your opinions and value your content, please don't make the same mistakes as them with articles like this.
I paid solely so that I may help you understand a bit about how your framing of the American condition is largely off.
Konstantin is generally spot on. Of course he is speaking in generalities because it would be impossible to write a singular opinion that everyone agrees upon. This piece is clearly barbed. I assume because of how ignorant Europeans have become to American politics. It isn’t your (generally) fault as it seems you all prefer inaccurate generalities of Americans over understanding the scope/scale of complexity a country this massive and powerful could have.
You state the “quality” of healthcare in your country as a positive. I hope it is and your family receives exactly what they want and are happy/healthy. Yet you also seem to be insinuating that in America it is a healthcare dystopia where a not insignificant group of people are denied medical care. This, in a (speaking generally) American viewpoint, is so passé and ignorant. Healthcare is not denied to basically anyone, nor is medical insurance. Medical debt can not even be forcefully collected like other debt. A singular hospital may not have the facilities or capability to handle specific issues, but no bodies line the sidewalk outside of our hospitals. Criminal’s gunshot wounds are treated in the same hospitals that illegal-immigrant mothers are having a child and suburban women are getting face lifts. It is just in America we permit people to decide whether they will accept the financial burden and way the risk of paying for health insurance or not. Many chose not to, but a majority do. Insurance is not unaffordable either as many will chose to opt out for the sake of more material comforts (generally, yet again). The cost of medical procedures are incredibly high, true if you chose to not have insurance, but this was NOT the case when healthcare was less socialized. According to Statista 4 of the 10 greatest hospitals in the world are in the U.S.
Our public education system is inferior in some regards to European education. But that is due to a constant lowering of standards by what is a massive majority left-leaning education administration that prioritizes social education over STEM and trade skills education. Yet again, America has 4 of the top 10 universities in the world, whose enrollment is largely meritocratic.
I think Konstantin and you would generally agree that Belgium (center for EU) is an outlier for success in Europe as a whole. Since he was speaking in generalities and on political ideology rather than cataloging systems, you shouldn’t take his socialist comment so literally. It is inarguably true that taxation, political protections, and business/trade is far less socialistic (meaning less restrictive) than Europe as a whole and almost in every individual case.
This article was describing an American population that didn’t vote for Trump, but rather refused to vote for a political party that shares values with the real muscle from Brussels (EU). Not because Americans want harm to come to the EU, or that Americans don’t want Europeans to have your own values. Rather American wish to have the freedom to choose for themselves to sacrifice an inexpensive hospital bill for a lower tax rate. Americans prefer a less intrusive global policing policy for a more focused national protection. Americans do not embrace defeatist attitudes towards improving industry over banning it. Americans don’t want a state that chooses the illusion of safety over rights we see as inalienable.
Europeans used to pride themselves on their sophisticated understanding of global politics. It makes sense as you have been to war in almost every country on Earth (that isn’t a jab, it is a reference to how old you are as a collective). Why is it that you can see such ambiguity in far more polarized and homogenized societies like those in the Middle East yet you stereotype and defend stereotypes of a nation that emigrated from your own boarders? Konstantin spent a not insignificant amount of time traveling across the US and speaking with people global media completely ignores. The way he speaks of America is how Americans view themselves which is far more helpful to understand than the stereotypes Europeans continually repeat.
Thanks for your time you put into your response (and for your subscription that I've apparently cost you - I'll gladly repay you in Belgian beer and/or euro if you're ever on this side of the pond :D)
I want to reiterate that I haven't lived a day in the US and my post wasn't to disparage Americans nor the American way of life (and am not currently travelling around the US and speaking to people like KK); rather it was to point out inaccuracies and oversimplifications of how Europeans live their lives. Had he made a more general article addressing non-Americans, I would have read it, probably liked it, and moved on.
That said, I fully see how my comments about American health care and education come across as judgmental, which I didn't intend, sorry about that. While I do have personal stories of American friends that have had horror stories with their insurance, my point was to tie back into my "peace of mind" argument: we're (including Canadians) generally more comfortable with subsidised services (health care, education). It's not a question of which is better - I of course would only wish good medical experiences to you (and anyone for that matter) and I'm the last person to judge someone on their preferences. Just wanted to make that clear.
But coming back to KK's point 4, this was a pretty big misrepresentation of how elements of socialism ties into countries that I know well, like Belgium and Canada. While other points as well were also a bit off about my experience in Belgium, he made it seem that Europeans are socialists that are against success. I would have preferred that he would have left the "unlike you" part out, because European cultures, histories and systems are not that simple and pretty diverse (and in Belgium they're complex to the point of madness).
Lastly and just for the record, I alluded to things that drive me crazy in Belgium in my post, and socialism in general is one of them. Life is good here, but that's not to say there aren't problems (major ones), and for me personally the taxes they take from me are out of control. But again, in the grand scheme of things, as a society we're in this together and need to push back against the worst tendencies of different systems when we see them IMO.
I would LOVE to visit Belgium one day soon. I have scratched several European countries off the bucket list, but Belgium has not been one yet. Your beer is FAR BETTER than anything our country pumps out and I apologize if you ever visit here and try ours; so a drink would be lovely.
In no way do I think you are intending to disparage America. When we see all of Europe react so pessimistically and sardonically towards our re-electing Donald Trump it leaves a bitter taste in our mouths. Especially when it is buttressed up against European standards (that in comparison is viewed as average - generally and by American standards). We aren't collectively 'angry' as we are used to being mocked by Europe as "crazy cowboys"; some Americans even like to imagine the characterization is accurate. But it should not have been such a surprise to Europeans as it was, in our opinion. Your media seems to suffer from similar problems to ours of pretending dissenting views are an outlier. Some are starting to become concerned that European (media/politicians) are sliding to an opposition footing and mischaracterizing our politics. Most Americans recognize those are not the mindset of Europeans as a people, but there is an effort to try and keep a growing social media conversation/information exchange between us from communicating without censorship. Konstantin has credibility, but is always discredited for what he says by how he says it. Which would be fine if it was just he that was dismissed and not what he is saying.
I think Konstantin's purpose was to get Europeans to stop negatively viewing our elections by reminding Europeans that your preferences are different to ours (your Overton window is less focused on liberty and choice). You may not view your ideals as "socialistic", but in comparison to America's view of liberty your culture is definitely socialistic - not meaning communism, but rather less libertarian or individualistic. On a state level, we share more in common in ideals, but on a Federal/National level, cohesion and social decisions are made with thinner and thinner margins of support; sometimes with no democratic support at all like "Obamacare", or "Patriot Act". I think you understand as the EU has had problems satisfying every European country's needs with EU decisions. This is probably the reason you are seeing Europeans parrot American political arguments (kind of like Konstantin's article).
This is not to further the argument as I do get your point about healthcare, but I have a Canadian anecdote on their healthcare system failing a friend of mine. Like you said, it isn't about "better". It is becoming more popular in America to discuss socialized healthcare. There isn't a single person in the country that likes insurance companies, but many recognize that socialized care is not specialized care and would prefer the risk for the reward.
The most important point KK made to explain the largest differences between the two cultures is his comment on American ingenuity. Americans actually believe that nothing is good enough and with more effort, can ultimately be improved. This is why we work more hours, prioritize economics/business, celebrate individual success, and care little for regulation. Europeans seem to want to find comfort with what they have. They walk instead of drive, take more time off, and celebrate the average. Neither is better, IMO. Americans have a love of Europe uniquely, and almost always celebrate getting to travel there. Our politicians are starting to involve us in affairs of Europe that Americans don't want to be a part of and are using our instincts to help those less fortunate as a way to turn us into a global police force that we don't want to be. America strongly needs to be given grace to pull back and correct course before we end up becoming a nation whose interests have nothing to do with the culture of its people. A world that continues to look down at our simple ways will only encourage nationalists that will not take seriously a growing global threat (like we were aimed to do in WWII). I think that is why KK's article hits a soft spot for us, because if America allows itself to forget what makes it unique (dare I say great - we are optimists, forgive the grandiosity), it would likely be a dark future for the world. Europeans think we are electing a "felon" "dictator" because our fundamental hatred of diversity is radicalizing ethno-nationalism. A more rational framing is that Americans are resisting bureaucratic decision making and the comforts it promises for a more libertarian and complex meritocracy.
I'll take your point, but I think what he was pointing out that is true for Americans in this race is that we just don't like the idea of taking from the productive to give to the unproductive. You may not have those people there, but America is large and diverse. Literally half the country pays taxes for the whole.
Thanks for the information about the non-UK Europe.
And your point about nuance is well taken.
I'll push back on 49% of Americans don't agree. Trump has a lot of flaws and would not have been my choice so the surprising thing here is that despite these flaws he still got 51%. Perhaps these points Konstantin made are more prevalent than they appear because of Trump's imperfections. The flip side of this is with Kamala's glaring imperfections Trump still got 51%.
"They don't resent success, they celebrate it. " That is all the evidence needed to prove the assertions of other commenters that this is 'spot on'; de Tocqueville could not have put it better. We should not take this to refer to Americans who voted in this election - too much TDS clouding the thinking of that '49%'
Absolutely correct...although there appears to be an alarming and growing number of people who've adopted many of the "less practical" approaches to our problems that Konstanin described above. This is why the Democrats were trying to appeal to people's resentments of the rich, and trying to promote the notion that DEI would "solve" our problems by treating people as belonging to a particular demographic pigeon hole, rather than as unique but flawed individuals with unique talents, skills, interests, and limitations. I'm relieved that voters rejected virtue-signalling and self-destructive policies that the Democrats embraced...and hope that this marks the high-water mark of their insanity.
Well put, america is not britain, and doesent behave like it, two countries separated by the same language, Hopefully it will bouy the right in the UK so we get back to something sensible not Ed Miliband advising himself as govt minister to destroy the power infastructure here!
Absolutely spot on. It's kinda cool to see someone who is not an American get our elections better than most of us seem to, especially our deluded legacy media. I would also add that we don't like being gaslighted, projected to, and called garbage and worse.
Almost spot on. #4 is a common mistake.
Every left-wing partisan is trained to say that people who don't hate the rich oppose attacks on the rich because "they hope to be rich someday too". In the purest sense, EVERYBODY hopes to be rich someday, but being unrealistic about their chances isn't why people oppose punitive left-wing attacks on the productive.
It's because we understand interdependence.
We understand that attacks on "the rich" don't help the rest of us; they hurt the rest of us. They reduce both production and asset valuation (aka stock prices). Those things hurt the working class. Moreover, the purported benefit of "tax the rich" isn't anything that actually helps the rest of us. It's just "give the government more money", which is something that left-wing partisans SAY is the ultimate good for the "poor". But it isn't.
💯. We like when super rich people have money. They give us jobs and good pay. When they do well, we do well.
I haven't seen a man beat a woman this badly since the Paris Olympics.
Funny!
I see what you did there. 😉
Spot on Konstantin. I would also add that Americans abhor incompetence. We are inherently skeptical of “experts” and authority.
Interestingly, I literally just stepped out of a meeting at the office. A mixed audience of Americans and Europeans, all “elite” types. The common refrain from all of them was, “I don’t understand how this happened.”
The fact that they don’t only demonstrates their arrogance.
Dear Konstantin,
Perfectly and concisely said. I hope to be able to pass this on to my shocked and surprised colleagues at Cornell, but right now they are not ready to read this.
Thanks,
randy
They likely never will be. I've been reading some of the post mortems on the lefty media. They completely don't get why Harris lost. To them, it's all about messaging and turn out strategy. Their messaging and turn out strategy were just fine. People got their message loud and clear and therefore didn't turn out for Harris.
To their credit, at least some of the lefties on MSNBC's Morning Joe are starting to question the woke strategy the dems have been following the past few cycles.
Dear Matthew,
I have hope. I am patient. I respect my colleagues. But I believe you are right in general. I want to be there for them in case they are ready to question their own views--and challenge mine if they like.
Thanks,
randy
I also believe that men as a group who have been demonised and emasculated for 50 years are now identifying as a group and voting for their interests.
This is an interesting point.
Thank you Konstantin, for pointing out that Americans and America are not the villians and "phobes" and the enemy of the other side. It lightens the soul to get a compliment!
Most of my friends are progressive, and I hope they can emotionally get to the point where they can see this.
Thank you, KK! The left has been apologizing for this nation and trying to buy love from the rest of the world, unburdened by what has been. Thank you for seeing and understanding the character of America and our people. I am so grateful that God has given us another chance to right the course of the west. Join us!!!
Thanks for the good word, KK.
I sincerely hope you over there in the UK can push back the encroaching totalitarian crap that's been fouling your beautiful island over the last few years.
I've been an anglophile ever since I was a kid and first read David Copperfield, and it hurts me deeply to see what's happening over there. I hope you all will survive until you can make Farage your next PM. Until then, I'll continue rooting for Reform UK , and hope they gain more seats locally and in Westminster.
Best of luck to you and yours and give FF my best regards,
An American Admirer
One suggested edit and one addition:
1 “Most Americans…”
2 Europeans live in Europe and get their news from the progressive press in both their country and the U.S., not from living their daily life. I just visited Scandinavia and, to a person, no-one could even understand why Trump or Vance could even be allowed to stand for office, much less believe that they might have a following.
You should come pop by in Denmark. We are at least 3 people (I know two besides my self 😝 [I bet there *is* more, just not people I know personally.]
Jeg elsker Danmark; boede i Vedbæk for nogle år siden. Fornuftige menesker.
Wow! What a great concise post.
Note however that just under half of the votes went for Kamala, so perhaps every use of "Americans" in your post should be replaced with "a majority of Americans".
🎯
Hey KK, I'd also like to add in, from my vantage point as a Scottish immigrant to the US, that another factor on Trumps win is the growing disillusionment with the American education system. The declining test scores across grade levels and recent policy shifts have led to an unprecedented surge in homeschooling families - now close to 4 million kids and that's a lot of parents.
My family's personal journey mirrors many others: after seeing the quality of remote education during COVID (absolute DEI pish!), we made the difficult decision to transition to homeschooling. While I'm not particularly aligned with Trump, his education proposals - especially regarding school choice and restructuring federal education oversight - have resonated with everyone we know in the homeschooling community.
Trumps policies (not just joy and brat) on the potential dissolution of the Department of Education and implementing student-centered funding models where resources follow the child are deeply popular and really resonate with people.
Will he follow through on it is now the question!
From what I have heard about the deterioration of the quality and focus of education in the USA. I agree with you. Home schooling produces better results. I’m a 76 year old Canadian and I don’t have direct connection to our own school system. However what I hear it’s become far too Woke.
Konstantin, one of the main reasons I subscribed to Triggernometry (and now your substack) was your (and Francis') dedication to open mindedness, wide-ranging conversations, and equally as important: nuance. It's this last point that I'm really surprised to read this article from you, as I see many oversimplifications and generalisations.
I'm Canadian, been living in Belgium for 15 years, and have never lived a day in my life in America. My point about nuance is not about the American perspective but rather your criticism of Europe. Have you lived anywhere in Europe besides Russia and the UK? It's a bit disingenuous to group 100s of millions of people that vary drastically in culture and perspective, especially since many European countries (if not all) are radically different from the UK, let alone each other.
It's your point 4 that I especially take issue with: "Unlike you, Americans do not believe in socialism. They believe in meritocracy." I'm sorry, but since when is socialism vs meritocracy a binary option? Capitalism exists here as well. Also, have you been to Switzerland? Not exactly a leftwing socialist state. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that over here we also value quality of life, and if some socialist elements are part of the society that enhance our lives, who are you to criticise? It's not about resenting the rich or success, it's about peace of mind. For e.g.
1. My son was hospitalized for 2 nights last year for pneumonia; in a separate instance my wife had a planned operation last year as well. Both times, the hospital bill was peanuts, and they both were treated extremely well. Is this the case for 100% of all Americans, or only the ones that can afford good health insurance?
2. My kids go to public school and we love the quality of education they're receiving - the focus is purely on French and math, not DEI self-flagellation as social causes are strictly prohibited at this age. What's public school like over there?
3. Just because some of us prefer 4 - 6 weeks vacation per year rather than the most amount of money in our bank accounts as possible doesn't make us socialist. It means spending time with family and friends in nice locations mean more than working for that promotion.
4. It's actually incredibly easy to become an independent contractor in Belgium and if you find your niche you'll become rich very quickly. Finding tax loopholes is a national past time of Belgians.
5. In our recent general elections in June, the French Socialist party (traditionally the strongest party from the French side) were pummelled and will sit in the opposition for the next 5 years licking their wounds. We have nuance and context as well as Americans.
Don't get me wrong, this country also drives me crazy in many ways, but I hope I've given you enough examples of this small country in Europe that contradicts your broad generalisation. I have American friends living here that are perfectly happy here, in this "socialist" state, and as of this moment I see 49% of the popular vote is for Harris, so this isn't exactly a landslide for Trump and Republican values. I don't read the legacy media any more as I'm sick of their oversimplifications and narrative; while I really respect your opinions and value your content, please don't make the same mistakes as them with articles like this.
I paid solely so that I may help you understand a bit about how your framing of the American condition is largely off.
Konstantin is generally spot on. Of course he is speaking in generalities because it would be impossible to write a singular opinion that everyone agrees upon. This piece is clearly barbed. I assume because of how ignorant Europeans have become to American politics. It isn’t your (generally) fault as it seems you all prefer inaccurate generalities of Americans over understanding the scope/scale of complexity a country this massive and powerful could have.
You state the “quality” of healthcare in your country as a positive. I hope it is and your family receives exactly what they want and are happy/healthy. Yet you also seem to be insinuating that in America it is a healthcare dystopia where a not insignificant group of people are denied medical care. This, in a (speaking generally) American viewpoint, is so passé and ignorant. Healthcare is not denied to basically anyone, nor is medical insurance. Medical debt can not even be forcefully collected like other debt. A singular hospital may not have the facilities or capability to handle specific issues, but no bodies line the sidewalk outside of our hospitals. Criminal’s gunshot wounds are treated in the same hospitals that illegal-immigrant mothers are having a child and suburban women are getting face lifts. It is just in America we permit people to decide whether they will accept the financial burden and way the risk of paying for health insurance or not. Many chose not to, but a majority do. Insurance is not unaffordable either as many will chose to opt out for the sake of more material comforts (generally, yet again). The cost of medical procedures are incredibly high, true if you chose to not have insurance, but this was NOT the case when healthcare was less socialized. According to Statista 4 of the 10 greatest hospitals in the world are in the U.S.
Our public education system is inferior in some regards to European education. But that is due to a constant lowering of standards by what is a massive majority left-leaning education administration that prioritizes social education over STEM and trade skills education. Yet again, America has 4 of the top 10 universities in the world, whose enrollment is largely meritocratic.
I think Konstantin and you would generally agree that Belgium (center for EU) is an outlier for success in Europe as a whole. Since he was speaking in generalities and on political ideology rather than cataloging systems, you shouldn’t take his socialist comment so literally. It is inarguably true that taxation, political protections, and business/trade is far less socialistic (meaning less restrictive) than Europe as a whole and almost in every individual case.
This article was describing an American population that didn’t vote for Trump, but rather refused to vote for a political party that shares values with the real muscle from Brussels (EU). Not because Americans want harm to come to the EU, or that Americans don’t want Europeans to have your own values. Rather American wish to have the freedom to choose for themselves to sacrifice an inexpensive hospital bill for a lower tax rate. Americans prefer a less intrusive global policing policy for a more focused national protection. Americans do not embrace defeatist attitudes towards improving industry over banning it. Americans don’t want a state that chooses the illusion of safety over rights we see as inalienable.
Europeans used to pride themselves on their sophisticated understanding of global politics. It makes sense as you have been to war in almost every country on Earth (that isn’t a jab, it is a reference to how old you are as a collective). Why is it that you can see such ambiguity in far more polarized and homogenized societies like those in the Middle East yet you stereotype and defend stereotypes of a nation that emigrated from your own boarders? Konstantin spent a not insignificant amount of time traveling across the US and speaking with people global media completely ignores. The way he speaks of America is how Americans view themselves which is far more helpful to understand than the stereotypes Europeans continually repeat.
Thanks for your time you put into your response (and for your subscription that I've apparently cost you - I'll gladly repay you in Belgian beer and/or euro if you're ever on this side of the pond :D)
I want to reiterate that I haven't lived a day in the US and my post wasn't to disparage Americans nor the American way of life (and am not currently travelling around the US and speaking to people like KK); rather it was to point out inaccuracies and oversimplifications of how Europeans live their lives. Had he made a more general article addressing non-Americans, I would have read it, probably liked it, and moved on.
That said, I fully see how my comments about American health care and education come across as judgmental, which I didn't intend, sorry about that. While I do have personal stories of American friends that have had horror stories with their insurance, my point was to tie back into my "peace of mind" argument: we're (including Canadians) generally more comfortable with subsidised services (health care, education). It's not a question of which is better - I of course would only wish good medical experiences to you (and anyone for that matter) and I'm the last person to judge someone on their preferences. Just wanted to make that clear.
But coming back to KK's point 4, this was a pretty big misrepresentation of how elements of socialism ties into countries that I know well, like Belgium and Canada. While other points as well were also a bit off about my experience in Belgium, he made it seem that Europeans are socialists that are against success. I would have preferred that he would have left the "unlike you" part out, because European cultures, histories and systems are not that simple and pretty diverse (and in Belgium they're complex to the point of madness).
Lastly and just for the record, I alluded to things that drive me crazy in Belgium in my post, and socialism in general is one of them. Life is good here, but that's not to say there aren't problems (major ones), and for me personally the taxes they take from me are out of control. But again, in the grand scheme of things, as a society we're in this together and need to push back against the worst tendencies of different systems when we see them IMO.
I would LOVE to visit Belgium one day soon. I have scratched several European countries off the bucket list, but Belgium has not been one yet. Your beer is FAR BETTER than anything our country pumps out and I apologize if you ever visit here and try ours; so a drink would be lovely.
In no way do I think you are intending to disparage America. When we see all of Europe react so pessimistically and sardonically towards our re-electing Donald Trump it leaves a bitter taste in our mouths. Especially when it is buttressed up against European standards (that in comparison is viewed as average - generally and by American standards). We aren't collectively 'angry' as we are used to being mocked by Europe as "crazy cowboys"; some Americans even like to imagine the characterization is accurate. But it should not have been such a surprise to Europeans as it was, in our opinion. Your media seems to suffer from similar problems to ours of pretending dissenting views are an outlier. Some are starting to become concerned that European (media/politicians) are sliding to an opposition footing and mischaracterizing our politics. Most Americans recognize those are not the mindset of Europeans as a people, but there is an effort to try and keep a growing social media conversation/information exchange between us from communicating without censorship. Konstantin has credibility, but is always discredited for what he says by how he says it. Which would be fine if it was just he that was dismissed and not what he is saying.
I think Konstantin's purpose was to get Europeans to stop negatively viewing our elections by reminding Europeans that your preferences are different to ours (your Overton window is less focused on liberty and choice). You may not view your ideals as "socialistic", but in comparison to America's view of liberty your culture is definitely socialistic - not meaning communism, but rather less libertarian or individualistic. On a state level, we share more in common in ideals, but on a Federal/National level, cohesion and social decisions are made with thinner and thinner margins of support; sometimes with no democratic support at all like "Obamacare", or "Patriot Act". I think you understand as the EU has had problems satisfying every European country's needs with EU decisions. This is probably the reason you are seeing Europeans parrot American political arguments (kind of like Konstantin's article).
This is not to further the argument as I do get your point about healthcare, but I have a Canadian anecdote on their healthcare system failing a friend of mine. Like you said, it isn't about "better". It is becoming more popular in America to discuss socialized healthcare. There isn't a single person in the country that likes insurance companies, but many recognize that socialized care is not specialized care and would prefer the risk for the reward.
The most important point KK made to explain the largest differences between the two cultures is his comment on American ingenuity. Americans actually believe that nothing is good enough and with more effort, can ultimately be improved. This is why we work more hours, prioritize economics/business, celebrate individual success, and care little for regulation. Europeans seem to want to find comfort with what they have. They walk instead of drive, take more time off, and celebrate the average. Neither is better, IMO. Americans have a love of Europe uniquely, and almost always celebrate getting to travel there. Our politicians are starting to involve us in affairs of Europe that Americans don't want to be a part of and are using our instincts to help those less fortunate as a way to turn us into a global police force that we don't want to be. America strongly needs to be given grace to pull back and correct course before we end up becoming a nation whose interests have nothing to do with the culture of its people. A world that continues to look down at our simple ways will only encourage nationalists that will not take seriously a growing global threat (like we were aimed to do in WWII). I think that is why KK's article hits a soft spot for us, because if America allows itself to forget what makes it unique (dare I say great - we are optimists, forgive the grandiosity), it would likely be a dark future for the world. Europeans think we are electing a "felon" "dictator" because our fundamental hatred of diversity is radicalizing ethno-nationalism. A more rational framing is that Americans are resisting bureaucratic decision making and the comforts it promises for a more libertarian and complex meritocracy.
Thank you for the conversation!
I'll take your point, but I think what he was pointing out that is true for Americans in this race is that we just don't like the idea of taking from the productive to give to the unproductive. You may not have those people there, but America is large and diverse. Literally half the country pays taxes for the whole.
Thanks for the information about the non-UK Europe.
And your point about nuance is well taken.
I'll push back on 49% of Americans don't agree. Trump has a lot of flaws and would not have been my choice so the surprising thing here is that despite these flaws he still got 51%. Perhaps these points Konstantin made are more prevalent than they appear because of Trump's imperfections. The flip side of this is with Kamala's glaring imperfections Trump still got 51%.
"They don't resent success, they celebrate it. " That is all the evidence needed to prove the assertions of other commenters that this is 'spot on'; de Tocqueville could not have put it better. We should not take this to refer to Americans who voted in this election - too much TDS clouding the thinking of that '49%'
Well said!
Absolutely correct...although there appears to be an alarming and growing number of people who've adopted many of the "less practical" approaches to our problems that Konstanin described above. This is why the Democrats were trying to appeal to people's resentments of the rich, and trying to promote the notion that DEI would "solve" our problems by treating people as belonging to a particular demographic pigeon hole, rather than as unique but flawed individuals with unique talents, skills, interests, and limitations. I'm relieved that voters rejected virtue-signalling and self-destructive policies that the Democrats embraced...and hope that this marks the high-water mark of their insanity.
Well put, america is not britain, and doesent behave like it, two countries separated by the same language, Hopefully it will bouy the right in the UK so we get back to something sensible not Ed Miliband advising himself as govt minister to destroy the power infastructure here!