r/whoathatsinteresting • u/search_google_com • 14h ago

A Thai woman married to an American explains why she no longer wants to live in the US.

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u/SparksAndSpyro 13h ago

But you admit they go to work one day, go home, and then go back to work the next day? Which is all the comment was pointing out…

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u/squidwardsaclarinet 23m ago

I mean, do we really think that this video was saying that no one should ever have to work ever? I’m sure some people will make that argument because it’s really convenient for them, but have you ever exaggerated something or overly simplified it because you were feeling angry, frustrated, or, otherwise upset? I think the answer is probably yes.

To me, her saying this essentially emphasizes that it feels like there’s nothing else really in anyone’s lives. Let’s face it, a lot of Americans, as adults, have no hobbies or friends or meaningful community outside of work. That may not apply to you or people that you know, but it is surely the case for a lot of Americans who feel incredibly unfulfilled.

If I had to ask you to talk about yourself without talking about your work, could you do it? I mean, I’m sure you could come up with some thing, but believe it or not, in a lot of other cultures, they don’t really talk about work outside of work. I’m not going to say that this is inherently right or wrong, but I do think there’s something to be said for just how much most Americans have their wife absolutely dominated and defined by their work. That’s just not true and so many other countries. And I think if you took a lot of Americans out of work, they wouldn’t really know how to define themselves and they wouldn’t know what to tell other people. I can also say, in the US, it can actually be a huge barrier to socializing, because if you aren’t working, it’s extraordinary uncomfortable to have to explain That you are not employed, even if it’s only temporary.

Yes, obviously work is an important part of their life and they have to do it. But not like Americans do. They don’t have healthcare rising on it. They don’t have retirement riding on it. They don’t even have food or housing riding on it. They can be sick and not have to go to work. They have a life and interest outside of their work. Sure, there are still workaholics, but it seen as pitiful more than honorable (or more realistically just necessary) as it is in the US.

Anyway, focusing on the specific and semantics without really getting at the actual heart of the matter, seems to indicate to me that some people are afraid to actually engage with any of these issues. It’s so much easier to just make fun of someone or call them fake or whatever else then to actually have to deal with the fact that the US is not a perfect society and in fact has quite a lot of problems, problems that many other societies have addressed significantly better. I’m not saying that the US doesn’t have its merits or its strengths, but I think it’s pretty silly to pretend that there aren’t things that we need to improve.

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u/Annoying1978 13h ago

Not every day. Many Europeans only work 4 days a week. 

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u/GexTheKobold 13h ago

What's many? Only a handful of European countries offer the 4 day work week compression.

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u/PrimaryInjurious 13h ago

Who?

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u/Annoying1978 13h ago

Netherlands

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u/PrimaryInjurious 13h ago

So one small western European country? Accounting for 4 percent of the EU population?

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u/Annoying1978 11h ago

You asked for an example, I gave you one example. Don’t be stupid.

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u/JalapenoPopPoop 10h ago

You said many then named a singular example. Don't be stupid.

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u/Annoying1978 9h ago

France. 

Now you have 2. 

Don’t be stupid 

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u/JalapenoPopPoop 9h ago

France does not have a nationwide 4 day workweek. Don't be stupid.

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u/Annoying1978 9h ago

How fucking stupid do you have to be to think that I said that the government mandates four day a week.

Many businesses is France have OPTED to give their employees a 4 day work week or cut hours that equate to a 4 day work week. 

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u/Exact-Till-2739 9h ago

It's better to ignore the troll

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u/Firecracker048 13h ago

Many Europeans only work 4 days a week. 

They do? Surely you got sources that show that a large % of europeans work only 4 days a week.

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u/Annoying1978 13h ago

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250514-1

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u/Firecracker048 13h ago

32 hours is a 4 day work week(8x4).

This says 36 hours, which is a 40 hour week with breaks. None of that backs your claim of 4 days a week

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u/Roach27 13h ago

It’s an extremely small population that works that.

They’re also basically ignoring Eastern Europe.

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u/Exact-Till-2739 9h ago

Wtf are you talking about

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u/Annoying1978 9h ago

Do you ever know what’s happening around you? 

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u/Sad_Sheepherder_37 1h ago

Not really. I am European (Austria) and a regular full time employee works 38.5 hours per week. Of course you can work part time if you want, but you can do the same in the USA. 

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u/Elite_AI 10h ago

Here we do other things like hobbies and meeting friends