I was in a cab, in Vegas, a few weeks ago talking to a cab driver from Nigera who had only been in the United States a few Months. I asked him how he liked living in the USA and he said he loved it! He said he made more money in 1 day then he was making in 1 month back in Nigeria. He rambled on for a while and then said, “you know why its possible for me to come to America and make so much money? Because Americans are fat and lazy.”
I thought that was pretty aggressive and I took offense to it. Who does this dude think he is? He just got off the boat… is making a good living… and now tells me that me and my countrymen are fat and lazy? Well I tried to put up a good argument but he kept pulling the card about how he makes good money working 16 hours a day but most American’s “prefer to be on welfare living the easy life”. It was really hard to debate this guy… He was just talking nonsense plus he was very difficult to understand with his accent. I know quite a bit about Nigerian people. My wife J volunteered for over a year after she graduated medical school practicing medicine in the bush of Nigeria. She has some crazy stories… anyway… A.D.D moment
So it was only like a 5 min cab ride but it really got in my mind a bit. Maybe it bothered me so much because I used to be a very fat and lazy American content to just work 9-5 @ a job that required hardly any mental or physical ability and made just enough money to pay the bills.
I remember about 3 years ago at the Berkshire Hathaway stockholders meeting Warren Buffett talked about how Americans have been so rich for so long and how its like we have this huge amount of land but everyday our land is eroding and we are not watching… One day we will wake up and find we have no more land when we look out our back door.
Alright… so… OK I give you that compared to other countries we are getting out labored. We probably have been for a long time. I think that became aparent when the Japanese started taking over the US industry in the mid-late 80’s but then came the big tech boom and we started rocking it. We had the economy so really if you were just smart and had a great idea you had a audience that could afford your product.
So where are we at now? Well I am not ready to say that Americans are fat and lazy but I think our future generations are in real trouble. It has been a long time since this country has had such a poor economy and while people would like to believe its our politicians I would offer that its more that the world has changed and Americans have lost the economic advantages that came from just being born in the USA.
The internet is an amazing thing. It allows anyone anywhere in the world to start a business. AND they have the world economy at their fingertips…. no longer does someone in a 3rd world country have to pray someday they can make it to a country where they can sell their idea or wares but they can compete from their home. America is in trouble.
“America is in trouble.”
I couldn’t agree more. Hopefully all Americans will wake up to why we’re heading in this downward spiral and start doing something about it.
replace america by any modern western country. i guess it’s just the former “3rd world countries” catching up and the overall ressources are limited.
i read somewhere that creativity is the new ressource that form a modern economy. think that fits to the web industry quite good.
The world is flat as some would say (and write books about). This is an interesting topic, one that can drain you. There is not one thing causing it or one thing that can fix it. Most people do not have the strategy and hustle to make things happen, so they just become content.
The truth hurts! We are fat and lazy! The cab driver just had the nerve to verbalize it!
America has one of the longest average working hours in the world! You think all the people working on Wall St, Silicon Valley, Hollywood etc are working 9-5?!?
In any case, long hours dont necessarily mean you are productive – France works less hours but produces more per worker as their productivity is higher…
(im from the UK btw)
We used to get our “creativity” by taking in the best and brightest from other countries, now our immigration has kinda flopped. There are also other factors, unless you consider oil a creative resource for many former 3rd world deserts…
I still remember the time one of my tenants told me she was getting a raise soon; one of her daughters was about to have a baby so the welfare check would increase 🙂
I suspect it will take some serious pain before most people notice the problem.
“no longer does someone in a 3rd world country have to pray someday they can make it to a country where they can sell their idea or wares but they can compete from their home. America is in trouble.”
No, they can now send out millions of spam emails to unsuspecting dimwits around the word and scam money for very little work. Sort of like they do bigtime, in um, Nigeria.
It’s not just America we have this problem in Canada as well and at 28 I have noticed it’s the people younger than me causing the problems. Take for instance my brother and brother in law both were content to live at home until into their 20’s not going to school, not paying rent just bumming around being lazy. I also worked with kids at my previous job who ranged in age from 15 – my age and let me tell you not one of them had any type of work ethic and they were only concerned with a pay cheque and doing only as much as necessary not to get fired not one of them cared even remotely about doing the job properly. I just hope that I can instill a work ethic into my children.
[…] Read more of this article at ShoeMoney.com […]
[…] Original post by Jeremy Schoemaker […]
Jeremy it is true, other countries see most americans as geographically illiterate and very fat, of course this is a stereotype like you must have from the portuguese that live there and do the same shity work they would do here and all have moustaches. 😉
About wellfare checks, that is true not only in the US but in Europe too, there are a lot of people living like that.
Don’t get offended by this, I know it’s hard to listen someone that came from a 3rd world country and start to criticize, but he’s and outsider and he has a different view of things and he can see what’s wrong on something we are used to do everyday.
better they make some bucks with spam than with drugs. the less money you have the lower your morals are to get some. thats was, is and will always be a fact.
besides that every cap driver around the world is making bucks from lazy people. else we would all ride bicycles 😉
[…] Update (12/19): Great commentary on this by Shoemoney today by way of his Nigerian cab driver: Americans are Fat and Lazy […]
Couple of quick thoughts. While I can see where you (and the cabbie) are coming from on this, Americans on average work far more hours and take fewer holidays than people in other industrialized countries. Also, with immigrants you are seeing a classic case of “selection bias” in that those who are willing to travel thousands of miles, leave their families and start a new life here are the top 0.1% (or fewer) of the hardest working and most risk-taking people in each country.
well thats good news for me! Blogging from Pakistan, I hope to make my place in the blogosphere as a kid blogger!
You’re in denial if you claim americans not to be generally fat and lazy. 60% of all americans are overweight, and 30% are obese. Whoa! That’s a whole lot of fatties. Not sure about the lazy part. But i’d say it’s about the same.
So the cab driver was right to some extent… Shoe himself USED to be fat and lazy. He was right on the money.
Just kidding. He shouldn’t have been talking smack. You should have asked him if his former job was being Nigerian scammer. lol
Ok I really don’t understand that post.
America is in danger because immigrants are taking away your jobs?
What’s that, Shoe’s white supremassy theory in the business world lol
I hate to interrupt all this anecdotal moralizing with some facts, but here goes:
In 1993 5,000,000 American families were on welfare, by the year 2000 only slightly more than 2,000,000 American families were on welfare. The United States is not being over run with welfare families.
Furthermore, by a number of measures, the American work force is the most productive in the world. That’s common knowledge among people who look at that kind of data.
Compared to most of the rest of the world, Americans are well educated and hard working. We do, however, eat way to much crap.
Well he pretty much hit the nail on the head. We are not in an obesity epidemic because we are not lazy.
I understand you use to be in this position and it might sting when someone is very blunt but we’ve become a very fat and lazy country.
eh…I don’t know if i agree about americans being lazy. Americans are fat, but most americans aren’t on welfare, and most americans work plenty. And even if you’re settling for a 40 hour work week job, it doesn’t make you lazy. I’d rather work 40 hours and have time with my family than work 120 hours and be loaded. Working 16 hours won’t make you rich either…you need to be smart…they should be figuring out a way to work 8 hours and make the same amount.
Niven & Pournelle’s Mote books elegantly make the point that humanity and individual societies that make up humanity live inside historical cycles that go largely unrecognized.
The U.S. is in a decadent part of its historical cycles, other societies are emerging from their decadence. The world as a whole may have cycles as well, and of course there are natural cycles to think of too (ice ages, frequency of metor strikes, solar cycles, etc.).
Many animals have built-in mechanisms that give them instincts about cycles vital to their survival.
The biblical Joseph is the first known economist … recognizing cycles of famine and plenty, and planning for them.
Coming from a land of famine, it was easy for that cabdriver to recognize plenty, and the psychological failure to appreciate the potential for famine that the plenty engenders. The Great Depression is too far in our past and we chalk up economic progress as economic invulnerability. Our mistake.
And I’m sorry, but I don’t envision a day anytime soon when people from india, nigeria, or pakistan are competing and winning in the e-commerce/internet world. Sure, they can do things for cheaper because they are willing to work and the cost of living is low. But an internet connection just gets you in the game, there’s a lot of people with an internet connection that can’t make money. And these are people with disposable income, smart, and motivated. It’s not as easy as just hard work…although that’s a good start. John reese tried saying the same thing in his ‘report’…just one small example why it won’t be the case online is outsourcing writing. There are tons of Indians willing to work for pennies, but there is still a HUGE market for writers who speak american english.
We are fat and lazy dude. Seriously, if you take a look at some other countries, and I don’t mean 3rd world here, you will see it’s true. Go do some traveling dude.
Just because one works 40 hours a week doesn’t take them out of the lazy pool either.
[…] By: jasongeiger Published in Uncategorized 19Dec This post is inspired by Shoemoney’s Americans are Fat and Lazy. Instead of arguing the whole thing I will argue against a couple of Shoe’s […]
we need to change our ways asap
we need to change our ways
If you’ve reached a level of income that satisfies you, why work more than you have to?
Let me clarify that.
If you work 40 hours a week you can be non-lazy OR lazy.
Also, just because one works 120 hours a week doesn’t mean they are not lazy.
I know plenty of people that work 60+ hours a week and are still lazy as one can get.
There was a time when knowledge workers in Britain worked 3 hours a day. But they friggin’ WORKED those 3 hours. The British were efficient enough workers to run an entire Indian province with one guy. Of course, it helped that the Indians were fairly good administrators in their own right.
I could not disagree with this statement any more. Americans are some of the hardest working people in the world. Americans work some of the longest hours of any nation. American ingenuity and productivity is the best in the world.
Let’s look at vacation and holiday time. Americans are getting fewer vacation days each year. American workers work more days a year than the Europeans. We get less maternity leave and paid paternity leave is unheard of.
It pains me to see this type of anti-American rhetoric. We can be criticized for a lot of things, but I certainly don’t think that we can be criticized for our work ethic.
SSSSHHHHH!!!! Some of us are doing pretty damn well working 16+ hours! Damn Shoe dont blow it man… hehehe… Great post!
There’s no debating the fat part. We are by far the fattest country on the planet. As far as lazy, some people are some aren’t. I don’t think you can make that generalization.
I find it especially funny that this guy thinks americans are lazy cause he shuttles them around in his cab for 16 hours a day in las friggin vegas, a vacation destination. Maybe if he was a cab driver around wall street he would see something different.
Fact: George bush has borrowed more money (aka accumulated more national debt) in his presidency than ALL of the previous presidents COMBINED. Wars will do that. You’re very right Shoe, we’ve never been this far behind the 8 ball before and if we miss just ONE bond payment to a country like Japan and our credit rating takes even the smallest of dips… extreme reccession will be unavoidable.
Sound harsh? In reality it should be happening already, experts think that the years between 2040 and 2050 will be extremely dim, running out of oil (current burn rate has zero crude oil left on the planet by 2043) won’t help.
Are we fat and lazy? I have to say “compared to what we NEED to be doing right now to get beyond 2050… we’re very fat and lazy”.
Americans may be fat and lazy, but an internet connection does not necessarily get you into the game.
Try shipping a product from Bangalore. The power doesn’t stay on, the tap water isn’t drinkable, and the roads make a 3km drive a 2 hour affair. You’ll have to bribe 50 different government workers just to move your products into export. The third world may be willing to work hard, but their infrastructure and corrupt governments keep them from exporting much of anything other than digital labor.
If you want to make it big, you still have to come to America.
I don’t think you should be applauded for working 16 hours a day. Especially considering more people are lucky to put in 3-4 productive hours per day, 16 productive hours is impossible. Nevermind the fact that if you work 16 hours, you probably don’t put much of a value on your time because there is probably 8 hours of work in there that could be outsourced for cheaper.
You forgot stupid. Fat, lazy and stupid.
If you are in the business of catering to fat, lazy and/or stupid Americans, the last two decades have made you wealthy indeed.
Nice post Shoe.. But since a majority are fat and lazy, this gives us the ones who work our butts off a better chance at succeeding.
He’s right. According to all the statistics Americans in general are FAT and LAZY. There’s no denying it. Next time your out in public just look around. There’s also been a complete abondonement of personal responsibility and accountability – everything is everyone elses fault (bad parenting is rampant in this country). I for one have pretty much given up hope and will be leaving for what I hope is a country with much better culture and nicer people – Thailand 🙂
I am one of those immigrant (from india), came here like 8 years ago…Yes, americans are fat & has a narrow worldview but i think most americans are creative & hardworking. Indians work hard too but imo lack out of the box thinking, thats why you find only code factories not software product companies from india.
The biggest asset america got in my opinion is its capitalist system & a entrepreneurial mindset. So barring any socialist screwups in the future, USA will remain one of the (if not the only) economic superpowers in the world.
Also US (along with canada & australia) is rich in natural resources unlike europe or china/india. This will not look like a competive advantage now but will be soon!.
Sorry Jeremy,
but you dont need to complain about the economic part. It’s Bushs fault and we all know that your economy was doing great while Clinton was on there.
And afaik you voted for bush.
Well like I’ve always been told…if you want to find the quickest way to do something give the job to someone lazy.
Negative.
Russia has more natural ressources than you can think about. And as far as I know, Middle east also counts as asia.
Oil ALWAYS looks like it will run out in the next few years because there’s no incentive to go prospecting for deposits that will fulfill more than a few years’ needs. If oil is truly aboigenic, there is more than anybody ever thought, but it may one day run out. If oil is biogenic then it is constantly being created (deep, hot biosphere), but of course there may come a day when we overtake the rate of its production. Either way, I think the bad days with respect to oil are so far off that other technologies will overtake the problem … petroleum was discovered well before the world ran out of whale blubber.
Ricardo, i should have mentioned russia, south america & africa rich in natural resources too. But my point was western europe, china, india & japan which are hyped to be the biggest longterm threats to US economic might are resource poor and thats their biggest threat to them 50-60 years down the line.
By natural resources i meant water, cultivatable land, forestry, minerals etc. I didnt accounted for oil as its going to be over in 50 years anyway!
As a personal trainer I have plenty of “fat” clients. Most people I come across know what they should be doing, but actually following through is where people crash.
Jeremy, I’m sure you’ve been amazed at the intensity and drive of the MMA fighters. I’ve had this type of drive too…for as long as I can remember.
There is a great feeling from training hard.
My problem and challenge is trying to get “regular” people to experience this for themselves.
Congrats on this story, and the best of health to you.
I agree 100%.
Great post, Shoe. I’ve posted similar stuff on my blog. Mainly about the immigrant attitude and how we could stand to adopt it. Also, on the rich getting richer, poor getting poorer meme. My contention is the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting lazier. (Has nothing to do with being fat, though, really. Plenty of industrious fat people in the US.)
Couple of posts on the subject:
http://www.dansherman.com/2005/06/migrants-can-see-what-we-sometimes-forget-2.html
http://www.dansherman.com/2005/05/rich-getting-richer-poor-getting-too-lazy.html
http://www.dansherman.com/2005/05/rich-get-richer-part-2.html
I’m not sure working 16 hours a day as a cab driver is really something I would aspire to. His point would carry more weight if he were an entrepreneur who had really made something work. There are plenty of these types of immigrants.
I prefer to try and earn more in less time, than just work longer hours.
I see a lot of cynicism here today…
Don’t get me wrong, I am not the type to embrace patriotic zealotry (I’m much to critical of our history for that), BUT I COULD NOT DISAGREE MORE WITH YOUR CONCLUSION!!!
I will give you this: you are right about our country’s obesity problem, you are correct in saying that a tremendous amount of our nation’s wealth is finding its way into the hands of foreign labor markets, it is true that a significant segment of our country’s population is complacent…
But, you are also overlooking many other pertinent facts:
1. the cab driver in your story, simply by virtue of being here (instead of in Nigeria) is much more ambitious than his former compatriots and not representative of the Third World. Lets face it, you can’t take for granted the determination this guy must have to move halfway around the world and settle in a country in which civil rights is barely one generation old.
2. The Warren Buffett analogy which you mention is not an accurate one of our economy: yes, a substantial amount of our nation’s wealth is finding its way abroad. But WE KEEP MAKING MORE WEALTH!!! Despite the persistent deficit in our current account, real per capita income continually increases.
3. #2 has less to do with our aggregate work ethic (or even productivity for that matter) and more with capitalistic free markets. Think about it: where else in the world can you:
. a) start your own business without needing the permission/blessing of the local overlords/Mafia boss/chieftain,
. b) enjoy limited government interference,
. c) not pay in exuberant amount of taxes (in the event that you succeed)
. d) not worry about debtors prison (in the event that you fail)
. e) expect the legal system to protect your property rights…
THE LIST GOES ON AND ON…
And should the day come when the rest of the world can say the above about themselves: WE ALL WIN.
American capitalism is like a sailboat trying to go up-wind: it will have to wildly zig and zag in the hopes of ultimately reaching its destination. Meanwhile, everyone else is trying to catch up to us.
my two cents thanks for reading…
Perhaps we are more afraid of pain than “lazy”
My thoughts exactly. He just has a negative premise towards Americans. Put this guy in Manhattan and he’ll be writing home, “Americans are so money-hungry and selfish. They need to relax.”
Okay so you are almost saying, if everyone was a shoemoney they could use the internet to make money online. But if everyone is a shoemoney then no one is a shoemoney. The world will never come to this because 1) not everyone has the motivation 2) not everyone has the resources 3) not everyone has the educational to put it all together. In america you just have more extremes because our society has adapted to fat and lazy people. In Nigeria their culture probably doesn’t allow for that.
Yes thats right internet allow people form other countries then us to make some good money. It wasnt so easy before.
search for Plecostomus…they are a local band (Omaha) – listen to their second album’s single… 😀
What could we accomplish if we pumped insane volumes of money into the research of new technology and education instead of a failing war?
I couldn’t agree more with you on this one Shoe. While there is great opportunity on the net, people still won’t take advantage of it. Example: I had someone return Build A Niche Store, sold through an affiliate link of mine, after a month of usinig it. Now, I’ll be dam*ed if you can’t make money using Build A Niche Store then there isn’t a lot of hope for you. Just continue to flip burgers if that’s the life you want.
How many people these days are really willing to put in a 16 hour day to get the job done?
I would go as far to say this post is also covering most of North America.
As Canadians, we are constantly comparing our lifestyle to our american cousins. In most conversations when America comes up the “fat and lazy” topic does come up, but honestly we are not far from it either. Especially if you grade on a “worldwide laziness curve.” I hate to say it but most of North America suffers from the Fat and Lazy syndrome
Your desire to change must be greater then your desire to stay the same 🙂
In every culture there are the lazy and the energetics. Maybe the US has more lazy people due to our luck of being born in this country or having had the opportunity to immigrate. The truth is that americans have had it good for a long time and many will need to re-learn how to make a living in the future. Complacency will come to any country that becomes and stays prosperous for a long time. This is not an american disease, just a disease.
You can work 100 hours a week and still be a lazy *something*, because if you do your job and come home and do absolutely nothing- you’re lazy. If you do your 100 hours, but don’t do anything in that 100 hours, then you’re lazy. It’s not all about the ruddy quantity all the time! Quality is what should be measured. It shouldn’t matter if you’re 20stone, just as long as you work like a *something* dog!
did you tip the cabbie?
Nice link bait article, Shoe 😉
how many people do you see in a parking lot waiting 10 minutes in their car for the closest spot to the entrance…
This is such a dumb comment. He’s got the guts to come across the world to start a new life, in a few weeks he’s got a job when millions of Americans stay on welfare, and he’s working sixteen hours a day to make it. Would love to know how inspiring you would be starting over in Lagos.
The world works in pendulum swings and right now we’re in a boon, the pendulum will swing the other way eventually and Americans will have to work 16 hours a day to survive. If you could live fat and happy in Nigeria, everyone would be there right now… it’s happened for eons and will continue to do so. Rome, then french then spanish then british … (or in some other order), but societies rise and fall.
No but he went to the strip club the guy recommended 🙂
People need to get out and exercise instead of sitting in front of their t.v.’s like drones.
While I think are national waist size is more of a health issue than any reflection on our work ethic, we are definitely on a downward trajectory economically. We used to be the largest creditor nation and had the savings rate in the world. In a few short years under Ronald Reagan, our debt became greater than that of all of the countries in the southern hemisphere combined. Just look at history: the 18th century was dominated by France, the 19th century was Britan’s. The 20th century was America’s. And the 21st century will belong to China with a strong eventual showing from India, and certain Latin American countries. It’s just the rise and fall of nations, the historical dialectic of Hegel, Marx, and Engels. Marx had a lot of things correct even though the capitalists love to bash him. China is still a very poor country in many areas and will continue to remain so even as it ascends to global economic dominance. America gets very pissy because it can’t muscle China into doing what it wants the way it’s used to doing to other countries. We friggin’ need China–and they need us too, for the time being. But that will become less and less the case.
We are in the sunset of the American Empire. That’s why you see all this completely off the wall religious zealotry, rampant materialism, senseless violence, obsession with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and all of the other symptoms of a decaying society. Life will go on, of course, as it has for Britan and France and every other country that was once powerful.
Why would you take anything a cab driver say seriously? He DRIVES A CAB. He has no skills other than to drive a cab. A MONKEY could drive a cab and do it better than 90% of the barely-English speakers currently toiling endlessly in our filthy, dirty, smelly yellow cabs. I make more in one day working 1-hour a day than this buffoon makes doing 16-hour days for a month straight. And yes, I am American, and I am very much lazy, but as to fat? Not so much. Point is, before you get stressed out over the comments of some FOB loudmouth, consider the source, my friend.
God, Tim, stop regurgitating things you hear other people say endless on TV shows and start thinking for yourself. I swear, there isn’t a single original thought in your entire (massive) comment. You could have just swapped all those words for “BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH” like the sheep you are and it would still come out sounding the same. You are not smarter just because you regurgitate buzz words, my friend. Get a grip and wear a helmet, it’s tough out there.
Hahahahaahaha. That dude is awesome. He has a point although he’s quite over generalizing.
I dont have to work 15+ hours per day, but I love to because I love doing what I do, working online. 🙂
Japan has almost no resources to speak of and a tiny fraction of our land. Yet, they continually kick our ass in the automobile and electronics sectors. There are many other nations with much richer natural resources than ours who are and will benefit from the global rise in commodity prices.
Seriously though, the Nigerian is right in what he sees compared to hard working people. His argument may also be based on all the tourists he picks up in Vegas, and they tend to be more on the fat and lazy side.
Endless TV shows? Hardly watch it my friend. My experience on China comes from living and working there. I also read a lot. Sorry you think I’m a sheep, Jackie. I’ll just listen to you dude.
I visited the States for a month and from what I had heard before and seen on TV, Americans weren’t all that fat and lazy. I expected some 200 kilo self-sustaining planets walking around the streets like grounded zeppelins, but in fact I found that you guys there (well in upstate NY where I stayed) were very nice, dedicated and hard working. I didn’t mind that everyone was “money hungry”, I think this drives a great society with high standards of living, as long as it’s done in between moral boundries.
I am not an American but I am offended by this post. A cab driver who has been in America for a few months is suddenly an “expert” on America! Give me a break!!!
Being an Aussie myself, I have to say that this perception of Americans is common..but still, that guy is a douche.
I have to agree with the cab driver, even as an American myself. I wonder about how I’m going to stay afloat and get this business moving, and every foreigner I know in my small town has a business here within 6 months of moving here. What gives?!?? What the heck am I doing? I need to get up off my rear and get busy.
hahah… America is a fat and lazy country… LOL.. =)
Well things are not much better here in Canada. Tons (no pun intended) of people sitting around doing jack all. Even the trades are suffering, as in no one wants to work hard so I kind of understand where that guys is comming from. But atleast from a Canadians point of view atleast our dollar is rocking, even better then the all might US’s – but I am not holding my breath it will last long anyways as we always screw something up……to much maple in our diet I think….lol
The next decade will all be about China. I just heard on the new today China bought 10 per cent of Morgan Stanley.
That is a great point.
Fred you need to travel in Asia. People work a lot more here. I have clients here and in the US. The Asian ones are at it longer. I am not sure about productivity, GNP and all that, but young people in Asia definately are generally a lot more hungry for success. These young people are not worried about a balanced life, etc. They just want to have a better life than their parents.
Like Russia…
I think as Americans we are blessed with a great system of government. I am afraid that all the years of plenty has softened us. Our grandparents who went through the great depression were tough but I am not sure about now…
I am worried that my kids will grow up in a country in decline unless at a personal level we can start taking advantage of our opportunites
I was thinking the same thing, was this an strip club affiliate cab?
That’s a really good point. I’m sure he works the airport routes so the only people he sees are those that are supposed to be lazy because they are on vacation!
I don’t think most people prefer to live on welfare, but that most people are stuck in dead end jobs because of a lack of education. Everything we begin to excel at in this country gets outsourced very quickly… we need to start developing great minds and grow an intellectually based economy that cannot be outsourced.
The U.S ecomony is based on war. Its always been that way. Its a war machine, war is its fuel. You could look at as spending those insane volumes of money as a investment as if were a business. It is a sad fact of the U.S….
You want to see a downward spiral? Go to any large university on a Friday night. While the Americans are out getting plastered at the bar, it’s the foreign students who are studying in the library. We’ve lost our work ethic, and we’re going to pay for it.
It’s not only in US this happens. I think it’s a modern tendency. Things are created to make humans use less physical effort…. and all this started with the TV remote!! lool
This blog is getting heavy on it’s frontpage, you should consider reducing the number os posts shown imho like i say here:
http://blog.dahh.net/wordpress-tip/
I Disagree, America is the greatest country in the world. The People that Think it is a fat and lazy country are the ones that are fat and lazy. This cab driver probably never thought in his wildess dreams he could be sitting in a cab for hours a day and make that type of money. back where he comes from You must labor for that type of reward. and still you recieve not much. ” The world is what you think it is”. Therefore America is what you think it is.
People can be very productive and still be fat and lazy. So are we talking about Productivity or are we talking about an individuals health? The obesity rate in america has been on the rise because of the lifestyle people choose. and the food they eat. If you have a desk job well seems to me you might want to add some cardio during your day. or eat the right food that help maintain your metabolism. I hope fully can solve this problem soon. with the launch of Trigeia.com
Yep, the foreign students have been eating our lunch for years now. Hopefully we will learn before it’s too late.
I read somewhere that advancing technology and finding new markets in the developing world will create a Long Boom that will essentially produce a similar effect worldwide to that which was felt in the U.S. after WWII. Tremendous value is predicted to pour out of an industry of ideas. But this was written (I think) before the Dot Com crash. Might still happen?
I think the rest of the world would agree – the US is in trouble
I am sorry but I kind of have to agree with the Nigerian. American’s do not appreciate anything that people do for them. I work in customer service (call center) and its amazing how many people expect for everything to be handed on a platter. I am American by the way but I did live in Mexico for 2 years, how the Mexicans live and honestly share the same opinion they do. Just my two cents.
Most Americans ARE fat and lazy…I even find myself slacking off a bit =) We do have it really good here. We should appreciate what we have and enjoy! Everyday is a gift!
Guys, i;m not in usa but i visited your country.Sorry to say but you are lazy(as a country).I think you have the highest obesity rate in the world also.I’ve been in west European countries also and it looked that they are a little too lazy also.I think this attitudine appears because you cam make a decent living without extra work.
Also i notice that there is the idea that if you have internet connection and internet you can make the same money as someone from usa.This is not as easy like it looks.In Est European countries the average salary is 500$ per month.You have to pay a rent , get a decent computer(around 1000 usd) and so on.I’m not saying is not possible but the start is preaty hard.
Yea and China’s money is coated with lead paint! They definitely have some things to overcome before they will move into a place of global dominance. They’ve been a closed society for so long it’s hard to really compete in the world with a mindset like that. They can’t just force shoddy products onto the rest of the world like they force rules onto their population. Most people in China can’t even access the “real” internet, just China’s version of it. That’s going to have to change.
‘Rome’ has already fallen. Have you guys recently converted a US$ to an Canadian. hahaha.. Soon they will start saying that the US is just a part of Canada.
I find that hard to believe that a Nigerian would say that since all the Nigerians I ever met are lazy people and thats part of their mentality which is why most of them are poor . I happen to think that Americans are the hardest working people out there compared at least to people in the UK and I say this after living in both places for several years .Here in the UK it pays not to work – all you have to do (and many asylum seeking Nigerians are experts at this) is calaim to be an asylum seeker . they then give you a flat and an allowance and most of these Nigerians and other “asylum seekers” live comfortably on the expense of the tax paying population .In America if you don’t work hard for your money you die or end up being in the streets which I feel makes a lot more sense. Next time you should drive a cab with an American driver- at least you’ll know he pays his taxes!
hear hear!
It is a stereotype, but it’s definitely one founded in fact. The average American *is* fatter and lazier than the average non-American.
Having said that, nobody is average.
People always say it’s the politicians because they are too fat and lazy to do anything about it themselves.
Nauru has a 95% obesity rate. Americans are fat but not the fattest.
yes, americans in general are fat and lazy. just because you take offense, the facts do not change. i’m suprised you’re even trying to argue this. oh wait, no i’m not.
With 3 teenagers in the house and one about to graduate, I have done a lot of talking over the years about how working for someone else really isn’t the way to go, and that you have to work hard on yourself to get to where you want to be in 5-10 years.
My wife and I have talked to our kids over and over about how things were different when we were growing up, how hard our parents worked to give us a good life, and how we had to work just as hard to get what we wanted when we were old enough to work.
I think too many kids these days are given too much and not made to be responsible for themselves. I admit we have done that a bit too often, but compared to some of the other parents the kids tell us about and their friends, we do make our kids work for things, they have chores they have to do and they do get grounded!
I think the only way we as Americans can better ourselves and our children is to get them going on their own, teach them how to take care of themselves, show them how they can succeed without others and that we as a country aren’t lost yet!
Ron Killian
Please do some research, or possess some real knowledge of the subject before offering uninformed opinions. Visit http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/get_file.php3/id/25/file/OECDInFigures2006-2007.pdf for more information and draw what conclusions you may. To rant that the US is not the best at everything and point to that as evidence of its inadequacy on the whole is ridiculous.
Not all Americans are Fat and Lazy.
SOME are fat
SOME are lazy
only Some are Fat AND Lazy.
“America is the only place where poor people are fat.” I heard a comic say that once and I thought it was funny and true.
Not only are we fat and lazy, we’re also getting horribly outnumbered. The situation isn’t so bad right now, but by 2050 only 6% of the world’s population is going to be living in western countries. Those 3rd world poor countries are only going to be as poor as this for so long. Countries like China, Brazil, etc, are very strong already, and by the time we get to 2050 lots of things will have changed.
We also won’t become poor somehow… we’ll just start to become irrelevant in the international scene.
I think that America goes down as dollar
I don’t think that most Americans are fat and lazy (and stupid and everything else). If so, we would have completely degenerated into a far worse mess than we are in today. Many Americans have the unique gift no found often in the rest of the world; the ability to adapt to situations. We are incredible about thinking our ways out of the box and around it. Hence the reason we have so many startups, millionaires and independent workers. While much of the rest of the world grades itself on how many big box companies and factories it has and how many “workers” they can shove into a factory or office, the US has the highest rate of individual success stories over any country at any other time in history. It is amazing. I hope we don’t try and “fine tune” things here in the US and screw it up.
Yea, the slippage of the US dollar is a serious problem, but it will take more than fat lazy Americans to fix that.
Oh is it now? If indians have to travel to america why is it that most corporations have started shifting to India now? You see what we are going through in India right now is the big industrial boom. And it’s not far when the powers transfer and it becomes the asian century (google it). And as far as america goes well mark my words- “PRIDE COMES BEFORE THE FALL”. And that’s exactly what’s taking place right now.
And the way the dollar is falling it would not be long before indian labor would be more expensive than american labor lol. Just wait and watch.
I don’t like Americans. An American Guy Killed a person from my country and now it is free ( your laws are very strange )
It doesn’t matter you are fat and lazy. most people are, but when it comes to an unpunished murder it is another way to see the things
Sorry, but latest UN reports have declared that US has the most productive workers.
I also think that americans aren’t that fat and lazy. Check out the article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20572828/
Most US workers work their butts off. Are there degenerates that live off the system? Absolutely, and there always will be. But I get worried because it gets kind of en vogue to start bagging on the US because the dollar is weakening. There are MANY factors that contribute to that.
And while it’s embarrasing that our childrens test scores don’t measure up with some other countries, those news reports fail to report that the US is the best “second chance” nation around. Kids eventually learn what they need to to become productive, and that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to learn where Nigeria is on a map.
Another thing, US hasn’t been all that rich for all that long. Once we get into serious trouble (No we’re not in serious trouble at the moment, it can get MUCH worse), Americans will rise to the challenge and do what needs to be done. People also said US was fat and lazy before wwII as well.
As for not raising taxes.. who cares, we heard that line from republicans in the last two elections, and now we are in debt; you guys must all be rich! Focus on the issues, and I bet you will see Barack Obama has the best ideas of all the candidates. Plus, he will bring on the absolute best advisor’s he can find, not someone who is the son of some oil executive. He is not corrupted by Washington. I love the USA too but if you can not see the increased corruption and arrogance for basic rights from the current administration you are living in a bubble, and I’m not even talking about Bush. We are a VERY safe country to live in, except for poor-on-poor crime there is nothing to worry about. What we need to worry about is the amount of money that is currently being wasted in Iraq.
I think this post title wins ‘Best blog title of 07’
I must tell you that the overall impression IS that americans are fat and lazy
Well many people in SA actually
Yo Shoe,
Some interesting points. Just remember that there are always ass holes in the world who talk a lot of shit. American economy does look like its in a bit of shit though eh. Pretty similar at the moment to us chaps in the UK. Its all going a bit Pete Tong. Thats (Wrong) BTW in cockney rhyming slang. I guess I need to translate that 🙂
thats because many ARE
Not necessarily. You dont always know where you are going or how to get there. Then there is a safety factor as well.
Hmm, So my previous comment was never shown to these guys. Well that guy can talk about bad conditions in different parts of the world but I am not allowed to make comebacks on it? Anyway it’s your site and I do understand the American Free Speech rule moreover you have the right to reject or accept any comment. Well I hope ron paul wins lol. Have a good one there!!
Being half-American and living in Europe- I’ll say in the “old continent” most people say Americans are FAT but not LAZY… LAZY NO. The baggy stile, fast food are the main reasons; but when most get to America they find it hard to keep up with the rush; they come back saying; “I didn’t see my mate for a week”.
Americans are thin and clever.
To some extent he’s right. I’ve been to many countries over the years, and there is a big difference between the US lifestyle and those of other nations. We drive more than we should, and walk way too little. We pay others to take care of some of our simple chores, such as mowing our lawns and painting our houses. However, those services we pay for create more jobs for others. Someone has to make the cars, provide the gas, mow our grass, etc… We could do more, however, and many of us here are. Blogging and selling on-line are really a second job for most of us. We just aren’t out in the “real world” collecting a typical paycheck and breaking our backs.
On a side note, this old man has gotten a jump-start on the “New Years Resolution” and I started exercising three weeks ago. The last time I actively went to the gym was … ummm … never. HAHAHA … but I use to row back in High School and College, so at one point in my life I was a very fit 155 lb guy. 45 lbs later, I’m a 60 hour-a-week worker. Our office now has access to a gym, so in the evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays I head over for an hour or two. I hope to get back down to at least 180 lbs. That should take two inches off the waist. So, hopefully I won’t be “fat” just as I’m not “lazy.” 🙂
it so so true i think
its true. americans are fat because they are eating fast-food
ouch that hurts for some hard working americans! maybe this guy is just overwhelmed with his earnings here. a dollar he is earning here will be doubled, tripled or more when he will send it to his family in his country.
i think, of course none d like tu put 16 hrs a day.
but that man es a WARRIOR ? ? . I mean, if it has to be done it has…
I can tell you how i see USA from southest america ( argentina )….
Still having a hiperproductive system, leading technology, prestigious universitys, and so on… it seems true that a large amount of people fits on being fat n lazy…
And when you get really fat, ( unless for illness related causes )… i think you are eating other people´s food.
I see USA as a MEGA EATER. U eat cash from china and japon, u eat oil from all the wordl, u eat drugs …
and blame the others.
This said, i must clarify there´s no hate to YOU PEOPLE.. but the country is doing that…. and those republicans are the exacerbation of all the worst in your country.
well hope none takes ofense.. just being sincere.
LOL ! true . true….
trhee comments in one post. wow…
I agree. BUT, USA default and crisis is difficult to happen.
I mean, this game SEEMS to be still convenient to all countries. They finance you, you buy from them… if you ppl go down… the whole wordl may suffer bigtime.
So i think your ass is gona be saved.
bush is a monkey , i wish hillary goes this time. please .
I agree that the “average” person in America is probably fat and lazy… the statistics show this. But, when did being fat and lazy ever get you ahead in ANY culture? Being successful (whatever your definition is) I’m sure includes some sort of ambition level, regardless of your weight.
I’ve always tried to concentrate on what the most successful people are doing, and follow that. If you’re doing what the masses do, you can almost guarantee being average…
It’s not so much that American are fat and lazy, but in many cases the gov, state, and local gov keep us from starting up small companies. They heavy fine and tax little companies and give tax breaks and bail out large companies. I worked 10 hours a day as a poker affiliate getting my income to 3k / month only to have USA pass anti-online gaming laws. But it’s ok to send me 1k electric bill this month, but it’s bad for someone to lose 300$ playing poker. This country is a masonic republic and they are the cause for the creation and destruction of the USA.
People half my age, I am 40, have never seen hard times financially. Many college grads today exit universities deep in debt for their education, clothes, cars, homes, and most of the meals they consumed while in college. This is all fine and good until companies start cutting back because of recession. The fed has been propping up our economy for several years. That support will not last forever.
Let the Democrats take over the White House and start reversing the tax cuts that have fueled the growth of our economy and watch what happens to the markets, interest rates, gas prices, the dollar and those cushy high five figure jobs twenty somethings get right out of college.
They should know, parties don’t last forever.
Corporations are not shifting to India. Corporations are outsourcing and setting up maintenance shops in India. They are exploiting cheap labor in India and executing their maintenance operations (Data entry, Call center, Telemarketing etc.).
India is a self proclaimed IT Leader, how many IT startups or products have you seen coming up from India? Engineering graduates are now able to make $2/hour on their new jobs, that doesn’t make you a global IT leader?
Indian IT companies like TCS, Infosys & Wipro are doing nothing more than outsourced maintenance tasks and call centers. Have you seen any product coming up from these companies? These companies & work force would be jobless if US stops outsourcing to them.
The so called “BIG INDUSTRIAL BOOM” of India is only profitable for investors. Its not benefiting general public in any way. Cost of setting up a business or buying a property is more than ever and it is most expensive in the World.
India’s majority of population still lives on $1 a day even after working for more than 16 hours a day. People don’t have jobs, no food to eat and dying of starvation. Is that what you call a Booming Economy? Its about time, Indians stop measuring their growth on Sensex and stock market.
Americans like canadians? or mexicans? What kind of person or attribute of the Americas? (I mean: the lands and regions of the two continents of the western hemisphere)
I may not like what the cabbie is saying…but he has a point.
its true we are the fattest country in the world…but fortunately there are places on that help you maintain your health like trainhero.com
If you don’t like Americaaaaa then you can GEEEEEET OUT!
This is surprising. I’ve noticed that many Americans are far but I didn’t think they were lazy. According to Madonna – Americans work far harder than we do in the UK. But, maybe Madonna just hangs out with the wrong crowd over here.
That is true – and it is all thanks to the wonderful US government.
Well – you said it, you would love to TRY and earn a lot more in less time. So we can assume that you’re not already doing it. And what was the word the cab driver called American’s again.
Why not TRY actually earning the money first then do it in less time, instead of criticising people who have actually made the effort?
Uh, this is a horrible way to think. It leads to the apathy that got us to this point in the first place.
blogging?
People from third world countries who come ot the West often have these sentiments. But they are only able to work in the West because our forefathers have built such a strong infrastructure. So these immigrants are benefitting from the work of generations of OUR forefathers(im not american, but same story here with immigrants).So, yes, Americans(and others in the West) are often fat and lazy, because they CAN be because their forefathers built a strong society. People from third world countries have to work hard, because their forefathers were incapable of building a good infrastructure. But the more America becomes like a third world country, the less you will be able to be lazy. You have to remember the attitudes of the past generations who made Western countries so rich…….they were hardcore in their attitudes to other races and very protectionist and hard working………but this generation is the opposite, and likes to let other races in to do slave labour under the guise of ‘equality and diversity’. That’s the wrong reason, and dishonest. On my last visit to America, i saw these signs of a declining nation. But there are some good attitudes too developing, as i saw many Americans become self sufficient vegans….. who work hard, cannot get fat and don’t rely on labor of the others. That’s a similar attitude to your founding fathers(except slave owners!).
My grandfather came here from Denmark at age 6 by himself! My son (and Not that I am any better) can’t wake up in the morning to go to school at 7, and then asks why his friend has more Bionicles.
However, I have been to Europe many times and American service and work ethic is soo much better. This is at a Macro level. Some Americans are fat ad lazy and I am sure some Nigerians are as well. But were you cannot compete is labor cost. However this is rising world wide as well. But until American get off the drug of cheap consumer goods an buy US manfactured only item, we will continue to lose jobs…If I can quote…”It’s all about the Benjamins Baby”
Gawd Shoe, how many American’s are you going to try and get against you today lol 😛
British people are fat too.
What a generalization! :p Everything thinks this too. I think it;s ridiculous!
I have friends who are from other countries and they share with me that in most other countries they simply do not have the opportunities to work for more money or start a business because the little amount they have to live on. When they come to America there is nothing but opportunity. My good friend says that all she had to do here in America was work hard and she could become successful. She went on and on about the opportunity to work her butt off and actually benefit from it.
“The U. S. Constitution doesn’t guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.” -Benjamin Franklin
Thanks,
Rob West
America is a CONTINENT, not a COUNTRY
Hi I live in Russia, and if to speak honourly that we consider the Americans “fat and lazy”, but you for example consider us eternally drinking though it not so)) Simply world consists of stereotypes. Thanks for yours blog!
I shall excuse pardon for my English))
Some are fat and lazy, some are fat but not lazy and some are lazy but not fat so thats about it!
Surely people will realise what their doing to themselves soon enough – it only takes one look at some TV documentaries like “Fat Mans Warning” and “Super Size Me” to realise whats going on.
But I agree that not all american’s are fat and lazy, though I think what the media potrays it seems like most of them are.
[…] liked the post Americans are fat and lazy. The post may have a provocative title, but here shoemoney argues that America has forgotten […]
Well the 16-hour-a-day cabdriver will still be earning a lot more than many, if not most, Internet startup founders and will still be in demand by those who do succeed. The trick is to balance both worlds – a combination of steady hard work with reliable income stream as well as the pursuit of easier money and clever ideas; ie, stay behind the while on one hand while trying to reinvent the wheel on the other.
Haha unfortunately its true lol … not really
Sad, but true…
Americans are seriously fat,lazy,arrogant and complacent. If the rest of the world is saying the same thing about you,what does it mean? Jealousy? I think not, more like the truth. Go to Europe or anywhere in Asia you will see that people enjoy life more but do not mind working extra hard at the same time and are modest and humble. The typical american got the entire starbucks/Mcdonalds menu memorized , is arrogant ,loud and ignorant and yells in English wherever they go in their oversized sweats and flip flops lol. It will take more than a lazy yank to fix your country’s slipping dollar and the increasing number of fatsos in the country. Every american ive came across is pompous and self centered and will tell someone from another country to eat more because they’re jealous fucks who cant get rid of the rolls on their stomach ( trust me. its not just one or two),whether theyre white,black or latin. how is the rest of the world starving to death but americans are dying of obesity,laziness and arrogrance. hilarious.
You should have said. “It’s mosly the niggers in this country that are fat and lazy” and see what he would’ve said. =]
And so are the lazy fat azzed Americans who want everything handed to their large behinds because they are white.
Isn’t that what the Indian CEO of HCL said about lazy white Americans. You entitled b@stards think because you’re white you should make a million a year for sitting on your arses all day.
If blacks are lazy its from centuries of them watching you sit under a magnolia tree, sipping whiskey all day while your slaves worked 17 hour days picking your dayum cotton.
I noticed a website yesteday that looked a decent amount like this, are you certain someone is not duplication this specific internet site?
I’m sorry, but american tourist where I live here in Europe are considered as Nice people. At the same time as people from another planet. Some words that appear is; bad style in clothing, no culture, always loud when speaking, eating for two, fat as sweaty etc. In a very new just released documentation it is shown that americans live is muchs shorte than other comparable countries.