Were You Born on the Wrong Continent? Buchzusammenfassung - das Wichtigste aus Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?

Einleitung anhören

00:00

Zusammenfassung von Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?

Name: Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?
Rating: 3.8 (11 reviews)
Author: Thomas Geoghegan

Thomas Geoghegan

How the European Model Can Help You Get a Life

3.8 (11 Bewertungen)

23 Min.

Kurz zusammengefasst

'Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?' by Thomas Geoghegan argues that people born in Europe enjoy a better quality of life than Americans. He compares labor laws, work-life balance, and access to healthcare to support his case.

Themen

Internationale Wirtschaft

Inhaltsübersicht

Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?
in 9 Kernaussagen verstehen

Audio & Text in der Blinkist App

Kernaussage 1 von 9

What’s in it for me? Discover why policy in the United States could benefit from a little social democracy.

If you follow certain news outlets, you might think the countries of Europe are on the verge of economic collapse, ruined by the irresponsible policies of socialist-leaning governments. Has France become the new North Korea, you wonder, only with better wine and chocolate?

So you travel to Europe to witness this economic destruction for yourself, but when you land, what you see doesn’t add up. Instead of crushing poverty, there are thriving boutiques, schools that are clean and successful, packed cafés abuzz with ordinary people enjoying ample free time.

So what’s going on? Where is this so-called socialist collapse, and why do Europeans look so contented?

These blinks will help you to make sense of what’s happening in Europe, and how European policy norms differ from what’s standard in the United States. You’ll learn how social democracy can not only improve a citizen’s quality of life but also even stabilize struggling economies.

And if you’re European, you’ll understand why you were born on the “right” continent, after all.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why higher wages can harm your health if you live in America;
how to make your country (appear) wealthier by using air conditioning; and
how living in a social democracy is related to reading newspapers.

While doomsday predictions about Europe dominate headlines, the real story is in the travel section.

While newspapers love to spin the sensational, there’s nothing that shocks and surprises better than first-hand experience.

A case in point is Europe: there’s a big difference in the way the continent is portrayed in the media, and how things are on the ground.

From The Wall Street Journal to the New York Times, US newspapers have warned readers of Europe’s “imminent” financial collapse for decades. Business columnists cite high unemployment rates, low wages and high labor costs as the telltale signs of the continent’s coming collapse.

It seems that failing European nations are no match for a strong America and its impressive GDP. Even the country’s poor are thought to be living better lives than the poor in Europe.

As a result, many Americans imagine that Europe is a gloomy place, filled with crumbling buildings and downtrodden citizens. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The author discovered this personally while traveling through Zurich. Much to his surprise, this Swiss city’s buildings were beautiful, its streets pristine. Citizens were good-natured and content.

It was an experience of Western Europe that you probably wouldn’t hear about in the pages of an American newspaper – except in the paper’s travel section.

The New York Times travel section is filled with praise for European cities and the European lifestyle. From the warm beauty of Barcelona to Copenhagen’s vibrantly cool character, American travel columns paint a vivid picture of the true condition of the European economy – describing an aesthetic that American cities just can’t match.

If you want to learn about the real state of Europe, don’t read the financial pages but turn to the travel section!

But what about the American state of affairs? As you’ll see in the next blink, statistics on taxation and public benefits reveal much about the lifestyle gap between Europe and America.

We all pay taxes, but Europeans receive far more benefits than Americans for tax paid.

In general, European citizens pay higher taxes. Americans, on the other hand, can rest easy knowing that the government doesn’t want that large a share of their hard-earned income.

But are higher taxes, in general, such a bad thing?

European professionals enjoy higher living standards than their counterparts in the United States.

What’s life like for an average, middle-management European professional? Turns out it’s pretty good, starting with the worker’s commute to the office.

European countries support far more effective and affordable public transportation systems than do US states. Because public transport works so well, European commuters are ten times more likely to use local transit to get to work than US commuters are.

Statistics like GDP per capita can give a false impression about the health and wealth of a nation.

Taking a look at nothing but the numbers and it seems straightforward: The United States is statistically better off than other developed nations, especially those in Europe.

But when you take a closer look at American GDP figures, for example, you’ll find that some factors bloat oft-cited prosperity statistics.

The “German miracle” has powered on, through global recession and competitive threats.

“Rhineland capitalism,” or social capitalism, has long been regarded as opposing the tenets of American capitalism. To understand what makes Germany’s social democratic system and economy different from others, let’s first compare Germany with another European country, France.

When French workers are dissatisfied, powerful workers’ unions encourage members to take to the streets, often resulting in violence. Some actions have even led to employees imprisoning their bosses in the office when demands aren’t met.

The seeds of Germany’s thriving social democracy took root in the years after World War II.

Many politicians in the United States sniff at Germany’s economic system, disdainful of its “socialist” roots. Yet the seeds of social democracy in Germany were planted by the Allies after World War II.

At the end of the war, the people responsible for planning a sustainable economic future for the new West Germany were decidedly pro-labor. Many were either socialists from the British Labour Party or New Dealers, Americans who advocated liberal social ideas. Meanwhile, US Generals also welcomed the idea of workers having a say in how the country was rebuilt. This principle has remained at the core of German business practices, even today.

The average German worker needs to stay engaged and informed about politics and the economy.

As media outlets go out of business in the United States, printed media continues to thrive in Europe, as any German train full of reading commuters will demonstrate. German citizens still consume a large percentage of daily news and current affairs from newspapers or magazines.

Frankfurt, one of Europe’s major cities for business, is located just a few hours by train from other financial centers such as Berlin, Paris or Amsterdam. Many professionals travel between these cities daily, the perfect opportunity to read a newspaper cover to cover.

Even as the economy struggled, the German system protected its citizens and built for the future.

The German economy today is robust. But in the late 1990s, the picture was very different.

At the time, the economy seemed close to collapse, with the reunification of East Germany and West Germany adding to the enormity of the crisis.

When it comes to dealing fairly with citizens amid a financial crisis, Germany has got it covered.

The dark cloud of the 2007-2009 financial crisis still looms over North America, as the economy continues to struggle with enormous levels of debt.

Like the United States, Germany holds a large external debt; yet the country is technically debt-free. How? Germany is a net creditor, meaning its external assets are large enough to balance out its external liabilities.

Du möchtest die gesamte Zusammenfassung von Were You Born on the Wrong Continent? sehen?

Kernaussagen in Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?

Mehr Wissen in weniger Zeit

Sachbücher auf den Punkt gebracht

Kernaussagen aus Sachbüchern in ca. 15 Minuten pro Titel lesen & anhören mit den „Blinks”

Zeitsparende Empfehlungen

Titel, die dein Leben bereichern, passend zu deinen Interessen und Zielen

Podcasts in Kurzform ^Neu

Kernaussagen wichtiger Podcasts im Kurzformat mit den neuen „Shortcasts”

Worum geht es in Were You Born on the Wrong Continent??

Were You Born on the Wrong Continent? (2010) examines the true nature of the American economy as revealed by an eye-opening investigation that compared living standards in the United States with countries in Europe. By examining differences in health benefits and employee rights, among other issues, these blinks reveal how European nations such as Germany have quietly taken the lead when it comes to economic health and prosperity.

Bestes Zitat aus Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?

People blow up over Germany because, for all its left-wing bent, it may be a more plausible form of capitalism than ours.

—Thomas Geoghegan

Wer Were You Born on the Wrong Continent? lesen sollte

Middle-class Americans wondering why they work such long hours
People thinking about moving to Europe
Readers keen to learn the inner workings of social democracy

Über den Autor

Thomas Geoghegan is an American labor lawyer. Based in Chicago, he is the author of several books and articles on labor law and politics.

Kategorien mit Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?

Wirtschaft Politik

Ähnliche Zusammenfassungen wie Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?

Homo Deus

Yuval Noah Harari

A Brief History of Tomorrow

20 min

4.3

The Power of Discipline

Daniel Walter

How to Use Self Control and Mental Toughness to Achieve Your Goals

The Small Changes That Change Everything

22 min

4.6

The Psychology of Money

Morgan Housel

Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness

How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain

A Psychiatrist's Memoir

Why Democracy is Failing to Deliver Economic Growth – and How to Fix It

How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success

The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life

20 min

4.1

Toward a Psychology of Being

Abraham H. Maslow

Understanding Human Nature & the Fundamentals of Our Well-Being

The Architecture of Belief

Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self

20 min

4.4

The 48 Laws of Power (Old Version)

Robert Greene

The secret methods to getting what you want

15 min

3.9

In a Sunburned Country

Bill Bryson

Discover the delights of “down under”

A 400-Year History of American Capitalism

37 min

4.3

Savor

Thich Nhat Hanh and Lilian Cheung

Mindful Eating, Mindful Life

21 min

4.2

Great by Choice

Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen

Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck – Why Some Thrive Despite Them All

How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection

16 min

4.2

Magnificent Sex

Peggy J. Kleinplatz and A. Dana Ménard

Lessons from Extraordinary Lovers

17 min

4.2

Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism

Kristen Ghodsee

And Other Arguments for Economic Independence

How to Accept Your Fears, Release the Past, and Live Your Courageous Life

A Very Short Introduction

Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

19 min

4.5

Your Brain on Art

Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross

How the Arts Transform Us

How Britain Made the Modern World

The New Psychology of Success

The Two Decisions that Move Your Biggest Goals from Possible, to Probable, to Inevitable

A Trip into the Mirror World

19 min

4.1

Thoughts Without a Thinker

Mark Epstein

Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective

17 min

4.4

The Overthinking In Relationships Fix

Rodney Noble

Toxic Thoughts That Can Destroy Your Relationship And How To Fix Them

The Surprising Solution to Overthinking

The Revolutionary Generation

26 min

4.6

Buddhism – Plain and Simple

Steve Hagen

The Practice of Being Aware, Right Now, Every Day

A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life

12 min

3.8

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was

Barbara Sher with Barbara Smith

How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It

Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution

How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything – Even Things That Seem Impossible Today

How Europe Went To War in 1914

22 min

4.6

Simple Rules

Donald Sull and Kathleen Eisenhardt

How to Thrive in a Complex World

18 min

4.2

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

John Mark Comer

How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World

How To Make Good Decisions

The Remarkable Truth of How a Small Change Can Help You Stress Less and Enjoy Life More

24 min

4.3

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Ramit Sethi

The easy approach to smart banking, saving, spending and investing

Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally

22 min

4.7

The Surrender Experiment

Michael A. Singer

My Journey into Life’s Perfection

How to Conquer Negativity and Thrive in a Chaotic World

16 min

4.3

The Leading Brain

Friederike Fabritius & Hans W. Hagemann

Powerful Science-Based Strategies for Achieving Peak Performance

15 min

4.3

Stop Reading the News

Rolf Dobelli

How to Cope with the Information Overload and Think More Clearly

Achieving More by Doing Less

Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner

20 min

4.5

❤️ für Blinkist️️️

Ines S.

Ich bin begeistert. Ich liebe Bücher aber durch zwei kleine Kinder komme ich einfach nicht zum Lesen. Und ja, viele Bücher haben viel bla bla und die Quintessenz ist eigentlich ein Bruchteil.

Genau dafür ist Blinkist total genial! Es wird auf das Wesentliche reduziert, die Blinks sind gut verständlich, gut zusammengefasst und auch hörbar! Das ist super. 80 Euro für ein ganzes Jahr klingt viel, aber dafür unbegrenzt Zugriff auf 3000 Bücher. Und dieses Wissen und die Zeitersparnis ist unbezahlbar.

Ekaterina S.

Extrem empfehlenswert. Statt sinnlos im Facebook zu scrollen höre ich jetzt täglich zwischen 3-4 "Bücher". Bei manchen wird schnelle klar, dass der Kauf unnötig ist, da schon das wichtigste zusammen gefasst wurde..bei anderen macht es Lust doch das Buch selbständig zu lesen. Wirklich toll

Nils S.

Einer der besten, bequemsten und sinnvollsten Apps die auf ein Handy gehören. Jeden morgen 15-20 Minuten für die eigene Weiterbildung/Entwicklung oder Wissen.

Julia P.

Viele tolle Bücher, auf deren Kernaussagen reduziert- präzise und ansprechend zusammengefasst. Endlich habe ich das Gefühl, Zeit für Bücher zu finden, für die ich sonst keine Zeit habe.