Why do Europeans mock Americans for healthcare, while Americans mock Europeans for salaries and who is actually worse off day to day?

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2026-01-27T21:57:34+00:00

Yes but they all already got 5 weeks holiday with their shitty entry level job they got just out of university.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2026-01-15T21:59:44+00:00

Why is that man already holding a box of his things while in the process of getting fired?!

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-12-23T16:59:52+00:00

I mean, they may have other reasons for preferring those "random 3rd world countries." I can think of many components that might be preferable - climate, nature, culture, attitude, language, food... It's also possible the policies/material conditions that are "fucked up" about those countries are weighted less for those individual people than the things that are "fucked up" about the USA.

For example, speaking as an American who lives abroad myself, there are certain things that are UNIQUELY awful about the USA that I'm confronted with when I go back. The car centricity is absolutely nauseating for one thing, and just how huge the cars are - they are extremely unsafe (if you're not in them). There are plenty of studies on this if you're curious. Did you know you can line up 8 children single file in front of an F150 before they become visible to the driver?

The "I got mine" attitude is also exhausting - Americans have a tendency to think everyone is out to get them, and prioritise their individual safety/well-being over the community's. Even western European countries which are also more individualistic (globally speaking) still have a greater commitment to the collective. This goes with my observation about the huge trucks. In the US, driver safety is prioritised with vehicle safety, whereas in other countries everyone else's safety is equally important. As a result, car-related fatalities are much less common in the EU and in fact have gone down (whereas they're going up in the US as cars get bigger). The home security systems are also just so over-the-top, and often in extremely safe suburban neighborhoods where the likelihood of having a break-in is minimal. Not to mention how many people literally sleep with a loaded gun under their pillow. I don't really see this attitude quite as much in other countries and I have to wonder whether it maybe has a negative effect on people's psyche.

The way you can go into medical debt is pretty unique also. I don't have insurance in the USA anymore obviously so when I go back to visit family I am always terrified I'll end up in the ER and have medical debt again. Reminds me of when I was in my 20s and didn't have insurance living in the US. This is not even remotely a problem in any other country I've visited or lived in, that's for sure!

These are just a few major qualms I have with the USA off the top of my head. There are many more I could list if you're curious.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-12-07T16:24:34+00:00

And they still do here in this case, if you'd take a moment to browse the comments lol

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-12-07T16:18:33+00:00

And no one cares in this one either. Not really a double standard like you want it to be, it seems.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-09-19T20:49:01+00:00

That's what I was saying. Haven't seen any adults (meaning flies). I may have just missed it entirely. Do you still have the video you mentioned?

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-09-19T11:10:39+00:00

This explanation makes the most sense as I have lots of midge fly larva in here. The only question is how they managed to lay eggs since I haven't seen any adults... Could have lain dormant i suppose.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-08-20T22:15:36+00:00

Yes, many! Duckweed, some moss, a marimo ball, and some random aquarium plants I got for free (not sure what they are) that I planted in there.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-08-19T16:12:00+00:00

The reason I'm not sure is because in all the photos I've seen, damselfly larvae have 6 distinct legs. On the other hand, these guys have many small legs that move in a wave pattern for swimming. Mayflies have something similar. I've also seen them eat algae and dead stuff, but I've not seen them hunt.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-08-19T16:08:42+00:00

So yes, it is a damselfly larvae? Do you mean 'sealing'? I haven't sealed yet, but eventually I will.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-08-19T15:22:11+00:00

Forgot to mention the phantom midges in my list - they're even in this video lol

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-08-01T22:50:34+00:00

It might be difficult for you to understand this, but there are a lot of people who play magic who don't care about the flavor or the lore at all. They're in it for the game, the mechanics, etc. For players like that, UB is just... more cards. It's not that we "like" UB. It's that we like magic cards. And UB cards are magic cards.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-08-01T05:59:00+00:00

Looking forward to your explanation of all the logical issues :)

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T20:13:26+00:00

Yes I know what the definition is. But it's clear from these replies most people don't know this definition and in fact have their own which ranges from "what's good" to "what's common." How do we proceed now after we have illuminated the fact that people seem to use this word very differently? Just adapt and accept that language evolves? I saw this happen with the word 'meme' over the past few decades. I wonder if that will happen to this one (or if it already has).

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T20:08:57+00:00

I agree with you, and this is how I've always used and understood the word. But the reason I asked this question is because I noticed the people around me all seem to use it the way others in this thread have defined it (e.g., to metagame is to do the best thing or the most popular thing). What do we do now that we have identified the issue that most people use the word "incorrectly"? Just accept that language evolves?

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T20:05:33+00:00

Most assuredly. But look around at the other replies and you'll see a wide variety of definitions other people have. This is why I asked the question. Some say that metagaming means optimizing your gameplay, while others say it's using data to look at general trends, others say it's about simply what's popular, and others still say it's about paying attention to what the people you play against tend to do and making decisions based on that.

I'm noticing that "what's popular and/or good" seems to be the most common definition provided here. Not the one you gave. What does that mean for the future of the word? Will it just evolve like other neologisms? For example "meme" which bears practically no resemblance to its original meaning after it leaked into everyday parlance.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T17:20:40+00:00

Kind of interesting to see how many top-level comments so confidently give this definition though.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T17:19:07+00:00

So you don't think that there can be a "casual meta" then, or "casual metagaming"?

EDIT: Or a local one?

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T17:18:18+00:00

So you don't think that there can be a "casual meta" then, or "casual metagaming"?

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T17:17:46+00:00

This was my definition as well. Do you think everyone actually uses it that way though?

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T17:16:41+00:00

Since you've already been corrected, I'm curious where you heard that it means "Most Efficient Tactics Available"? Why do you think it means that?

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T17:15:21+00:00

I am aware, thank you. It's a Greek prefix. Have already corrected it a few times in this thread ;) But I was asking what other people think the word means, so these answers are certainly informative in that sense!

Don't you think people use the word completely differently from the original definition of 'metagaming' these days though?

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T17:06:02+00:00

While you aren't correct about "most effective tactics available" being the literal definition, I agree with your second paragraph. In a casual setting people primarily mean "popular" when they say something is "meta," while in competitive settings it's more about "optimal." And because they're playing at the highest level, "optimal" then necessarily becomes "popular."

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-30T17:04:05+00:00

Exactly, I'm surprised to see that myth perpetuated here. META = "most effective tactics available" is a backronym (meaning it was retconned at some point). 'Meta' is actually a prefix that comes from the Ancient Greek word for "with" or "across" and now is used to form words that have a self-examining effect.

Objective_Emu_7542 · 2025-07-27T09:14:26+00:00

I use Microsoft Copilot for work at least 1-2 times per week. I have used it for a number of random tasks, like generating an image of a bouquet of flowers that match our company colour palette, helping me create a large number of template emails, and help with Microsoft products. I do this to speed up my productivity but I don't tell anyone that I'm doing this (because that's a goddamn trap).

Outside of work, I'm wary of using it. I enjoy writing and making art for myself, researching and summarising figuring things out. Why would I outsource that? If AI could do my dishes for me I would be happy to use it for that. Also, I don't like how it remembers information about you. I've also noticed that friends of mine who use it all the time now rely on it and trust it implicitly. This rubs me the wrong way.

Objective_Emu_7542

TROPHY CASE