I might be living in a time machine. Or at least that’s how I feel when talking to my American friends. When they complain how harder they have it than their boomer parents did, I’d never trade places with mine. When they speculate about how people used to live in the good old days, I still have firsthand witnesses to tell me how it really was.
Totally agree with the overall point of your essay, but I think it’s hard to understand what’s going on in America without having lived here for many decades. Ofc I know it can seem wild to Europeans who follow Americans online. America is going through a really rough time and it looks crazy from the outside esp since we export our culture so heavily! It’s personally heartbreaking being an American and watching an unprecedented epidemic of mental health problems here. A lot of us are losing family members young to addiction. I really do long for a time before the heroin epidemic and school shootings, but also realize that was a time with less gay rights and less civil rights for black Americans. It’s complicated. My grandfather lost his sister to influenza, I lost my brother to heroin. Different times, different problems. Although I still feel lucky overall to be here.
My perspective on childbirth is that we aren’t returning to work in America a few weeks after giving birth because our value system is messed up, it’s because we fear we’ll be fired if we don’t. There aren’t great labor protections for pregnant women here currently. I’d recommend the book “birth strike” if you’re interested in US vs European policy around pregnancy. US government/corporations want Americans to have more kids for the economy, but want to push all the costs and work of doing so on to individuals.
I never meant to say it's US moms who choose to prioritize the economy over their kids. What I was trying to point at is that the whole system is set up to prioritize companies over people, starting with legislation. Polish companies just can't fire new moms even if they extend their usual 12-month leave paid by the government, because it's strictly forbidden by law here.
Thank you about my brother, it was a while ago. My life is going pretty well now, but I know for a lot of people in the US, things are getting worse. Esp with young men and mental health.
Yes, you’re right. Companies are completely prioritized over people. And the sad thing is many of us think it’s normal. Our labor movement isn’t very strong and a lot of it is due to effective propaganda! Seeing the difference in labor rights traveling to Scandanavia is eye opening. I definitely think Americans can learn a lot by seeing how some things are done in other countries. Thank you for sharing your experiences from Poland, they are very interesting to hear! I appreciate connecting with you here now that I’m off Twitter. 💗
Watching from afar, the American way of living seems to care much more about the economy than about quality of life. I’d much rather live in a small apartment and drive the cheapest car than return to work a few weeks after giving birth - Not having kids myself but very much resonate with this perspective. I really like your writing :)
Totally agree with the overall point of your essay, but I think it’s hard to understand what’s going on in America without having lived here for many decades. Ofc I know it can seem wild to Europeans who follow Americans online. America is going through a really rough time and it looks crazy from the outside esp since we export our culture so heavily! It’s personally heartbreaking being an American and watching an unprecedented epidemic of mental health problems here. A lot of us are losing family members young to addiction. I really do long for a time before the heroin epidemic and school shootings, but also realize that was a time with less gay rights and less civil rights for black Americans. It’s complicated. My grandfather lost his sister to influenza, I lost my brother to heroin. Different times, different problems. Although I still feel lucky overall to be here.
My perspective on childbirth is that we aren’t returning to work in America a few weeks after giving birth because our value system is messed up, it’s because we fear we’ll be fired if we don’t. There aren’t great labor protections for pregnant women here currently. I’d recommend the book “birth strike” if you’re interested in US vs European policy around pregnancy. US government/corporations want Americans to have more kids for the economy, but want to push all the costs and work of doing so on to individuals.
I'm so sorry to hear about your brother 💔
I never meant to say it's US moms who choose to prioritize the economy over their kids. What I was trying to point at is that the whole system is set up to prioritize companies over people, starting with legislation. Polish companies just can't fire new moms even if they extend their usual 12-month leave paid by the government, because it's strictly forbidden by law here.
Thank you about my brother, it was a while ago. My life is going pretty well now, but I know for a lot of people in the US, things are getting worse. Esp with young men and mental health.
Yes, you’re right. Companies are completely prioritized over people. And the sad thing is many of us think it’s normal. Our labor movement isn’t very strong and a lot of it is due to effective propaganda! Seeing the difference in labor rights traveling to Scandanavia is eye opening. I definitely think Americans can learn a lot by seeing how some things are done in other countries. Thank you for sharing your experiences from Poland, they are very interesting to hear! I appreciate connecting with you here now that I’m off Twitter. 💗
Included this post in a weekly roundup I do called Five Cool Things. Enjoying your writing as of late!
https://thingsthatshouldexist.substack.com/p/five-cool-things
The past can only be understood backwards...
Watching from afar, the American way of living seems to care much more about the economy than about quality of life. I’d much rather live in a small apartment and drive the cheapest car than return to work a few weeks after giving birth - Not having kids myself but very much resonate with this perspective. I really like your writing :)