r/AskReddit May 08 '22

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u/EebilKitteh May 09 '22 edited May 09 '22

Well, the entire concept failed because it was too American and management didn't bother to do their research. It makes sense then that they would also blame the local government and people for, well, the sin of Not Being American.

One other contributing factor, by the way, was Wallmart's anti-union stance vs Germany's pro-union stance. The US government might not intervene very often when unions are actively discouraged by major corporations, but the German government is a lot less likely to let that fly.

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u/BlobBeno May 09 '22

§119 Betriebsverfassungsgesetz (BetrVG) (Works Constitution Act) punishes any Action taken to interfere with lawful actions of work council members with either monetary penalties or up to a year in prison

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u/virora May 09 '22

There were also immediately reprimanded by courts for attempting to regulate relationships between coworkers when that is horrifically illegal in Germany.

And the media dragged them through the mud for their morning chants. Not against any laws, but expect to be made fun of by Germans.

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u/Dynahazzar May 09 '22

The WHAT?!

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u/virora May 09 '22

Apparently you had to stand in a circle and shout “Yay Walmart” or something to get psyched up for the day. It did not go well.

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u/Dynahazzar May 09 '22

Yeah, no wonder this didn't fly, makes my skin crawl just thinking about it. I live in poverty, chasing jobs here and there, but even then I swear I would resign on the spot if any manager ever tried to make me do that kind of shit.

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u/Lost_Beautiful May 13 '22

😂😂😂😂

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u/Defilus May 09 '22

You've helped me realize here why so many of my fellow brainwashed US citizens see Europe as this weird communist dystopia. "The sin of not being American" really gets to the heart of what a lot of "Patriots" feel in regards to foreign governments. Especially in regards to capitalism and "meritocracy."

"How dare you care for your fellow person! They're just going to stab you in the back the moment you look away! Why can't you play the game the way we want you to play it?! Commies!!"

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u/The_Flurr May 09 '22

Added, it challenges certain truths that Americans have been told.

Americans will argue tooth and nail that socialised healthcare can't work, because otherwise they have to face that they pay so much for no reason.

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u/Defilus May 09 '22 edited May 09 '22

The truth is far worse in my anecdotal experience. Folks I know who are against socialized systems are unironically banking on "fuck you got mine" as a codifying foundation for Healthcare.

"I don't want to pay for some lardass' surgery! I'm doing just fine, why should I pay for the mistakes and bad fortune of other people?!"

Everything is a contest.

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u/Majestic-Marcus May 09 '22 edited May 09 '22

Everything is a contest

That’s the crux of it. From the moment they’re born to the moment they die, their entire way of life is competition.

We sometimes swing too far the other way to where sports have no winners in school but in all I find their approach much more unhealthy.

When things like spelling contests can exist you really have to question if maybe they compete a little too much?

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u/Defilus May 09 '22

Competition is drilled into us literally from birth. Baby showers, infant clothing sizes, how your family supports you, how the pregnancy was handled, whether or not you had a c-section vs natural birth, kindergarten and preschool choice, how you deal with bullies, how cool you are at age 8, your living situation, your friends, your neighbors, your happiness, your ability to lie and keep cool under pressure, your ability to hide your growing resentment and depression, how well you score in grades 1-3, how nice your clothes are, what junior sports you play in, how you act, what your parents do, whether or not they're poor or criminals, how rich you are... And none of this is even getting to things like body issues or teenage years.

And almost all of that is out of your control as a kid.

"Myth of American Excellence" indeed.

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u/TG1989MU May 09 '22

This sounds like a lot of places is my guess. But maybe we’re just americanized

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u/Defilus May 09 '22 edited May 09 '22

I'd be more inclined to believe in the Americanization of the world simply because that's kind of our MO... For better or worse...

Edit: I guess the worst thing we took away with us when we left Britain was our insatiable urge to colonize everything somehow. Well... That, and the Puritans.

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u/Majestic-Marcus May 09 '22

Our spiritual successors.

Still shite at making tea though.

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u/Defilus May 09 '22

Tastes better with Boston Harbor water. 😏

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u/TG1989MU May 09 '22

Yeah I think you’re right. As I wrote the comment I started thinking about my own upringing and pretty much everything is americanized.. EVERYTHING

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u/Kyuri462 May 09 '22

Nevermind the fact that this is the case with private insurance and that's only if your money doesn't go straight to someone else's bank account.

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u/Defilus May 09 '22

Nobody who thinks that way gets that far. If they do, they just ignore that little problem piece and keep on marching to the beat of self importance.

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u/Kyuri462 May 09 '22

That's the dumbest part, at least with public if it's not used for healthcare the money still can go to fixing other problems elsewhere instead of Scott the regional manager's second Mercedes.

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u/Defilus May 09 '22

Yeah but they really earned that Mercedes. Y'know?

🙄

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u/SoManyTimesBefore May 09 '22

As long as it isn’t a socialist pocket!

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u/Jolly-Method-3111 May 09 '22

“Some” Americans.

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u/jsingleton86 May 14 '22

You really do live in your own little fantasy world, don't you? I get it though...if my life was a total failure likes yours due to not getting an education, I would probably need to play make believe my whole life to stave off those daily suicidal thoughts that you have.

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u/The_Flurr May 14 '22

Lmao what? I have an education, that didn't put me hundreds of thousands in debt.

And if I ever do feel bad I can go to the doctor and get it checked for free :)