Which one are you

[brenthutch 388]

There is a story about the difference between an American and a European. An American riding on a bus sees a successful businessman in a big luxury car and thinks to himself "I will have a car like that one day". The European in the same circumstance thinks "I hope one day he loses everything and has to ride the bus like me"

Which one are you?

[Skwrl 56]

Where's the "Neither, I like my life as it is." option?

Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography

Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

[billvon 2,434]

Don't forget your "I hope this car company fails" option!

[quade 3]

You left off the Los Angeles Red Car option.

The businessman looks at the guy on public transportation and says, "Ya know... If we take over that and shut it down, all these suckers will be forced to buy automobiles and once that system is entrenched, it will be nearly impossible for them to get another effective one up and running again. They'll be on the automobile treadmill forever! Fuck them poor slobs."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Electric_Railway

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[GeorgiaDon 340]

The fact that you would even think that those are the only two options is beyond pathetic. Is your world really that myopic? Must suck big time.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[kallend 1,648]

Quote

You left off the Los Angeles Red Car option.

The businessman looks at the guy on public transportation and says, "Ya know... If we take over that and shut it down, all these suckers will be forced to buy automobiles and once that system is entrenched, it will be nearly impossible for them to get another effective one up and running again. They'll be on the automobile treadmill forever! Fuck them poor slobs."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Electric_Railway

Businessmen screwing the public for their own gain is the capitalist way, Paul.

Big tobacco
Big oil
Big coal
Big auto
Big pharma
Big banks

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[quade 3]

Certainly there must be a way to run a business without fucking over the public. I know there are some that exist. I see far too many though that seem to think they have to fuck you, me and even their own employees over to sell their products.

I don't believe in heaven or hell, but if there is a hell, I certainly hope all those business owners end up there.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Lefty 0]

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Big tobacco
Big oil
Big coal
Big auto
Big pharma
Big banks
Big education
Big labor
Big environmental
Big food
Big Apple
Big coffee

You missed a few. Strange.

Provoking a reaction isn't the same thing as saying something meaningful.
-Calvin

[quade 3]

Quote

Quote

Big tobacco
Big oil
Big coal
Big auto
Big pharma
Big banks
Big education
Big labor
Big environmental
Big food
Big Apple
Big coffee

You missed a few. Strange.

I don't think he was making an all inclusive list, which would be quite long, but even on a short list you probably need to include;

Big religion

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Lefty 0]

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Big religion

Good addition.

Provoking a reaction isn't the same thing as saying something meaningful.
-Calvin

[pirana 0]

I haven't spent a lot of time in Europe - maybe a total of 3 months. But I still have a hard time believing that is how Europeans think overall about each other.

Are you saying most think that way? Just a simple majority? Could you quantify that please?

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[brenthutch 388]

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Quote

You left off the Los Angeles Red Car option.

The businessman looks at the guy on public transportation and says, "Ya know... If we take over that and shut it down, all these suckers will be forced to buy automobiles and once that system is entrenched, it will be nearly impossible for them to get another effective one up and running again. They'll be on the automobile treadmill forever! Fuck them poor slobs."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Electric_Railway

Businessmen screwing the public for their own gain is the capitalist way, Paul.

Big tobacco
Big oil
Big coal
Big auto
Big pharma
Big banks

Obviously suffering from megalophobia.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

Quote

There is a story about the difference between an American and a European. An American riding on a bus sees a successful businessman in a big luxury car and thinks to himself "I will have a car like that one day". The European in the same circumstance thinks "I hope one day he loses everything and has to ride the bus like me"

Which one are you?

I really don't care how expensive other peoples' cars are and am more interested in making enough money that I no longer need to work for a living than having an expensive car.

[brenthutch 388]

Quote

The fact that you would even think that those are the only two options is beyond pathetic. Is your world really that myopic? Must suck big time.

Don

No, there are obviously shades of grey; I was just asking which way you lean. A political/economic litmus test if you will

[Shotgun 1]

I can't see myself thinking either one of those thoughts.

Well, maybe if the car really appealed to me for some reason, I might think I'd like to have a car like that one day, but I'm generally not interested in big luxury cars. And I definitely don't sit around wishing successful people would lose everything they have.

So I guess that makes me slightly more the "American" in this story, though I don't know if the American vs. European portrayal is accurate. Sort of a broad brush there.

[champu 1]

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There is a story-

Is there...

[brenthutch 388]

I am using the story to illustrate the larger point, which is: am I more worried about how I can make my life better, or am I worried about how I can take other people down?

[Shotgun 1]

Quote

I am using the story to illustrate the larger point, which is: am I more worried about how I can make my life better, or am I worried about how I can take other people down?

So, do you think (generally) that Americans are more interested in making their lives better, while Europeans are more interested in taking other people down? Or were the nationalities not supposed to be significant?

[brenthutch 388]

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Quote

I am using the story to illustrate the larger point, which is: am I more worried about how I can make my life better, or am I worried about how I can take other people down?

So, do you think (generally) that Americans are more interested in making their lives better, while Europeans are more interested in taking other people down? Or were the nationalities not supposed to be significant?

The nationalities were not to be significant at all. It was to be illustrative of a larger point.

[Skyrad 0]

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Where's the "Neither, I like my life as it is." option?

Nicely said.

@ OP: What a stereotyped load of codswollop.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Skyrad 0]

Quote

Quote

Quote

Big tobacco
Big oil
Big coal
Big auto
Big pharma
Big banks
Big education
Big labor
Big environmental
Big food
Big Apple
Big coffee

You missed a few. Strange.

I don't think he was making an all inclusive list, which would be quite long, but even on a short list you probably need to include;

Big religion

Big Healthcare

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[brenthutch 388]

Quote

Certainly there must be a way to run a business without fucking over the public. I know there are some that exist. I see far too many though that seem to think they have to fuck you, me and even their own employees over to sell their products.

I don't believe in heaven or hell, but if there is a hell, I certainly hope all those business owners end up there.

Ill put you and Kallend down for option 2

[Gravitymaster 0]

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Certainly there must be a way to run a business without fucking over the public. I know there are some that exist. I see far too many though that seem to think they have to fuck you, me and even their own employees over to sell their products.

I don't believe in heaven or hell, but if there is a hell, I certainly hope all those business owners end up there.

I can assure you the public tries to fuck over businesses far more often than the other way around. You would absolutely not believe the complete and utter bullshit that business owners have to put up with because of a fucked up attitude that businesses have all this money and therefore should be responsible evrytime some idiot mis-uses their products, drops something and breaks it after purchasing and then tries to claim it was like that when they bought it. Seriously, you have no clue as to what goes one with consumer rip-offs of businesses.

Oh, and if you don't give in to their ridiculous demands? They will go on an internet rant and trash your company.

[kallend 1,648]

Quote

Quote

I am using the story to illustrate the larger point, which is: am I more worried about how I can make my life better, or am I worried about how I can take other people down?

So, do you think (generally) that Americans are more interested in making their lives better, while Europeans are more interested in taking other people down? Or were the nationalities not supposed to be significant?

Big luxury cars are a pain in the butt in European cities with narrow windy streets. I guess brenthutch has never been there, or if he has, he failed to notice anything in his disdain for Europe.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[kallend 1,648]

Quote

Quote

Certainly there must be a way to run a business without fucking over the public. I know there are some that exist. I see far too many though that seem to think they have to fuck you, me and even their own employees over to sell their products.

I don't believe in heaven or hell, but if there is a hell, I certainly hope all those business owners end up there.

Ill put you and Kallend down for option 2

You can put me down for "Quite satisfied with my regular car, my antique sports car and my airplane, thank you"

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.