The American Game
I'm sitting at Andar Cafe in Sarajevo, and the drinks menu is on a shoe... yeah. Apparently this guy and his fathers used to make shoes, but it's no longer profitable so this guy decided to make it into a cafe that celebrates shoes. Who knew.
I've never seen a place like this in the States. It probably does exist somewhere in the country, but these days I've been wondering about the difference between the US and Europe.
Before I left, I met a professional squash player from Pakistan. Forget his name, but he lived in Europe for 14 years and noticed what everyone does when they get to the states: public transport is garbage and America is not walkable. The guy didn't even need a driver's license in 14 years, but needed one as soon as he got to Maryland.
More interestingly though, he said that in the US, every process for doing things is complicated to the point where you need to hire a lawyer or professional help to do it efficiently. He was referring to his eperience starting a business, applying for a greencard, taxes, etc. But personally, I just took it for granted that that's how it inevitably has to be when you deal with government. Perhaps not.
Either way, things do feel broken. Surely, you agree? If it doesn't cause you to relive too much trauma, just think back to your last encounter with health or car insurance.
But even in Bosnia, a poorer country that was just ravaged by a war 30 years ago, I've heard different experiences from people here. Apparently, if your car breaks down and it's not too complicated, it might get towed to a shop, fixed in a couple days, and you might only get a call saying it's ready for you. All without paying an arm and a leg. Maybe it's just Geico's lizard-level-IQ, but things are so stupidly put together that I have to babysit every step of the goddamn process in the US. Appalling.
Similar story applies for health insurance. Some basic things are free for everyone here. Right now I don't have insurance because I got laid off and I just can't bring myself to pay 500-1000 dollars a month for insurance that only buys me access to horribly slow and mediocre health care.
US discussions about government healthcare immediately devolve into some kind of mentally retarding talking points. Something about "Socialism Bad", "No Handouts", or "look at all the other bad things happening in those countries." There's some kernel of truth buried deep, deep down, even in these 3rd-grade level arguments. But I think the best country in the world should aspire to and achieve better outcomes.
Or perhaps it's not the best country in the world. At least not anymore. I guess it was at the end of WW2 because we didn't get bombed to smithereens, and for some decades after that. But now? I really don't see how a categorical statement like that could be made. It does seem that in some European countries you can be an average person and still lead a reasonably stable life. Even average people don't have to worry about insurance, it's apparently much harder to fire someone even in private companies, they seem to be able to take vacations.
It's probably true that these guarantees make people more complacent and less driven, but Americans go without many of those things I mentioned, and it seems like a steep price to pay to maintain a hypothetically motivated citizenry. So if you are not a workaholic and just want a normal life, nothing too flashy, maybe that's easier as a European citizen.
But getting wildly rich is apparently harder in Europe, for reasons I'm not clear on. It seems if you're very motivated and hardworking and fortunate, you can make more money than our foreign counterparts. And so maybe if that's what you want America's better.
Or maybe it's not. Because many people want that. And so it's competitive. Everyone can't be better than everyone else, there are only a few spots, and so it looks a lot like winner takes all. And when any game gets saturated, objective merits and potential aren't the limiting factors, because there are tons of people who are equally deserving. And so people try to distinguish themselves in all kinds of ways. And this continues throughout people's careers.
I think all this adds up to "The Rat Race". And maybe the winners think, on balance, the American system is workable. But everyone doesn't win. Maybe the losers would be better off European. Who knows.
But I do know that it's very easy to identify the strategies that work or don't work in America and think that there is something intrinsically natural about the level of success of those strategies. As though they are holy truths about success and living a good and meaningful life. Maybe. But to assume that without examination seems like a mistake. Maybe they are just artifacts of The American Game.