Bryan David Goldberg's Blog

It's Hard to Say Bad Stuff About America...

• Robin: The US is one of the only countries where people don't take time out to do nothing during the day, or to take naps.
• Jakob: Maybe the 9-5, Monday to Friday workday evolved so people wouldn't have enough time to think about what they're doing.
• BRYAN SAYS:
• The US is "one of the only" countries? Poor Robin. She is entirely incorrect. Virtually the entire continent of Asia — where half the world lives — works MUCH harder and longer hours than we Americans. In Japan and Korea, death from overwork is a common occurrence. And don't get me started on rural China or India, where people work to the bone to survive. Next we get to Africa. Have you ever met an African living in America? They work their assess off, because they value the opportunity they have, since most of their countrymen are forced to toil in the hot sun every day for almost no money. So, really, what Robin means is that people have shorter work days in Western Europe, and not the whole world. And Western Europe is a great place to live if you don't value innovation and ambition. Why is it that so many of the best entrepreneurs in Europe inevitably come to America? Because they know that this is where great ideas come to thrive. But if you are like 75% of Frenchmen, who desire to work for the government because it's a cushy job (that stat is from the NYT), then go for it!
• Robin, I understand that you are a wonderful person, but on this point you are terribly mistaken.