Maternity leave, which directly benefits all of society by giving infants a good start at the most critical period of life and thus creates the foundations for a healthy society, isn't something that I personally can make use of so and that's a thing I take major issue with.

You can take an American out of a culture steeped in hyper-individualism but apparently you can't take the hyper-individualism out of an American.

[–] BanMeFromPosting@hexbear.net 22 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I think of something Bill Maher (ew) once said, while contrarian meant being a social democrat: "Sure I don't want to pay a lot of taxes, but I also don't want to live somewhere where sick people are dying in the streets!"

Pretty succinct way to explain to an individual list how "it doesnt mean you dont benefit, just because you don't directly benefit"

[–] ReadFanon@hexbear.net 21 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Likewise for Ch*msky:

You can get a good measure of the sentiment of the masses towards the government based on how they feel when it comes to paying their taxes.

There are other, better people who have talked about why they support things like free education and welfare programs for early childhood development when they themselves do not have any children. Turns out that a well educated, well supported society makes the whole country safer, happier, more productive, and all round better for everyone in it regardless of whether or not they are receiving those benefits directly themselves.

I swear some of these people have a mentality so backwards that it's not even on the level of the Europeans living in the era of cholera who demanded better sanitation infrastructure. Though I guess that's obvious since American infrastructure is crumbling, septic tanks are a common feature over there, and they made a fucking folk hero out of a guy who went on a rampage because he was told multiple times over years that he couldn't dispose of his shit into the local groundwater supply because it was not Europe in the middle ages where you can just dump your shit in the streets.

[–] BanMeFromPosting@hexbear.net 13 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Remembering the un report from 2016 about the quality of life in the us that detailed conditions usually only seen in third world states suffering from civil war.
The comments were full of people saying their state was worse.

Wasn't the killdozer guy also forbidden from improving his wastewater condition? I remember something about him offering to pay to fix the water system at his place, and it was denied.

[–] WalleyeWarrior@midwest.social 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

No, the neighbora offered to pay to get it fixed up. He wanted the city to pay for his sewage hookup while he was pumping his shit into a concrete mixer he buried in the yard.

[–] BanMeFromPosting@hexbear.net 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I hear so many different things about the killdozer guy. I wish I had an article with actual sources instead of just 500 cracked top ten lists about him

[–] WokePalpatine@hexbear.net 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Not as good as an article, but still informative and well-researched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvl_7_Up7zU

[–] BanMeFromPosting@hexbear.net 4 points 2 days ago

Appreciate it!

[–] HexReplyBot@hexbear.net 1 points 2 days ago

I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:

[–] huf@hexbear.net 19 points 3 days ago (1 children)

oh yeah. contrast these two parts:

For example, I didn't have kids, nor was I expecting any, so Denmark's generous maternity leave and excellent childcare were of no use to me.

Looking back, my time in Copenhagen taught me that independence has its limits. Community, balance, and a sense of belonging matter more to me than I realized, and if I were to live abroad again, I'd need to know I'd have them.

wonder-who-thats-for

[–] SuperZutsuki@hexbear.net 16 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This loser couldn't help telling on himself lmao. I've found more community on a 10 day trip to a city than this chud was able to in nearly two years. He was probably always complaining about everything and being a miserable prick all the time.

[–] xijinpingist@hexbear.net 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There are people out there who are not happy unless they are complaining. Living in a foreign country gives them plenty of opportunity to do it, all the time. I've had to cut friends off because they wouldn't shut up about how stupid the people are and how much it sucks here. I came out and asked one who complained she couldn't leave, "oh, you can leave right now! Nothing's stopping you!" Without missing a beat, she answered, "student loans." I supposed part of being educated is making intelligent choices about which major to pursue that would get you a lucrative career afterwards. Unfortunately they let in anyone with a degree and so many are wildly unqualified, feel frustrated, and complain all the time. Another one, a good friend, tried my patience too many times and I told him the same thing. He looked downcast and said, "what am I going to do, go back to Holland and be a clerk in a convenience store?" He did eventually go back home and last I heard he was managing a children's amusement park.

[–] TraschcanOfIdeology@hexbear.net 5 points 2 days ago

There are people out there who are not happy unless they are complaining.

They are called Germans.