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Joined 30 days ago
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Cake day: May 5th, 2025

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  • This is the way rational people think. However. You have the “American dream” to contend with. The dream is NOT 3 kids and a house in the suburbs. The American dream is, and always has been, the desire to collect enough wealth that the rules no longer apply.

    This is why we have trump. This is why the republicans wave American flags and condone corruption. Half of the American population either is or fantasizes about the possibility of being untouchable. It’s fascism, yes, but it’s far deeper than that. The American dream is to live beyond governance; to have “fuck you” money.

    Trump isn’t the cancer. Trump is the tumor. The cancer is the pursuit of limitless success.










  • I really think it’s a cultural thing. It would be like me(an American) saying “how can I be more Japanese?”

    To put a finer point on it, Americans have grown up in a culture where self expression and social interaction is encouraged. So we are less afraid of approaching a stranger for casual conversation. Add to that the fact that we, culturally, have very low self awareness. All we know is what offends other Americans. We rarely have the social intelligence to modify our behavior to match our surroundings.

    So while, yes, Germans may be more reserved by nature; don’t think that is a value judgement. If you want to be more outgoing do it in a German way. Americans are the way we are because we are Americans.

    That said, if I could offer a suggestion to mitigate your social anxiety; I would suggest that other people don’t think about you and your behavior anywhere near as much as you think they do. Most people don’t give a shit. If you can’t think of anything to say but you want to start a conversation a compliment is always a winning strategy. But nothing is a substitute for genuine curiosity.