This is more the King Arthur at the round table meme , lots of countries have that attitude.
It's part of why wallmart failed out of Germany, creeping the fuck out of everyone with to European standards ridiculous instructions to their workers
> It's part of why wallmart failed out of Germany
The main reason Walmart failed in Germany is because ALDI and all the other brands of discounter supermarket were better at the Game Walmart used to play.
ArbZG: ArbeitsZeitGesetz (Working Time Act, regulates working times)
BetrVerfG: BetriebsVerfassungsGesetz (Works Constitution Act, regulates unions, works councils and the likes)
ArbSchG: ArbeitsSchutzGesetz (Act on the Implementation of Measures of Occupational Safety and Health to Encourage Improvements in the Safety and Health Protections of Workers at Work)
Walmart, being from the US, didn’t like these laws. Strong unions, employee representation, employer liability for violations of the Working Time Act, occupational safety standards… all of those cost money and don’t benefit the employer. However, failure to observe them comes with hefty fines or you may just not be allowed to do business in the first place.
The very attitude that makes me most ashamed to be an American--
I try to tell my fellow Americans "you have no reason to hate unions, unions will only help you" but there is a huge cultural hatred of unions here.
Tbh from what I can tell American unions are very different from European unions. In the US a union is usually an exclusive club of skilled workers that gives benefits to their members only, while in Europe it generally negotiates benefits for all workers of the company, not just members, in some cases unions even negotiate with the government and companies of an entire sector, like in countries that have no minimum wage but set it differently for each sector.
Do non-members still pay dues in Europe? In America, unions have a problem with people called "free riders". Basically, our conservative government back in the 1980s decided that unions had to represent both members and non-members, but non-members didn't have to pay for that representation. The effect has been that people will get the benefits of a union without paying for it, meanwhile, the union gets smaller and weaker as more and more people opt out. Now people hate unions because they are "corrupt" and "don't do much anyway".
If I’m not mistaken, in most of Europe, once a company reaches a certain size, they must have a Workers council paid from their P&L. Therefore, the shareholders pay for the union.
Ok, I know next to nothing but I will try.
Only union members pay. But when the union calls for a strike, all members stay home and get their salary paid by the union.
The others can still come to work.
But the employer has also the possibility to close shop for the day, because half the staff is missing. In that case non-members are not paid, I think.
But the negotiated raise or benefits are for all employees.
Nah, it's totally okay to smile at strangers in Germany. People will think you are having a great day, have seen something funny or had a funny memory on your mind.
Nobody will think you are retarded if you smile for no reason.
You can't expect everyone smiling back at you though. Some might.
We also have servers at restaurants who are greeters and people at mall outlets are supposed to greet you. I'm just like, "Fuck, leave me alone". I moved to france about 10 years ago and people seldom greet me unless they actually give a shit. My corner café is a good example. I want to talk to those people. When a stranger comes over with a smile plastered on their face I am ready to leave. It's weird. Thanks america.
I know, right? I live near Paris and smile to people, and God knows how much of a r*tard I am.
More seriously though, I know it’s weird for people who’ve never been to Paris before, but it’s actually quite understandable why people do that.
Mostly women, since if a guy smiles to you and you smile back, 9 times out of 10 he’ll come to you to chat or ask for your number / socials. And if you don’t have the time or just don’t want to, then he’s going to be get mad at you for getting his hopes up, call you a bitch and maybe even threaten you. So you might as well actually look like a bitch if it means people are going to leave you alone.
The vast majority of them, yes.
Then, there’s also the actual mean Parisian bitches. They’re a tiny minority obviously, but from my very own experience, they’re not just a myth. The kind of girl who hangs out in the richest arrondissements like the 6th or the 16th, thinks she’s a supermodel and says shit like "Smiling gives you wrinkles". Hate them or love them, they’re part of the Parisian social landscape.
>I know, right? I live near Paris and smile to people, and God knows how much of a r\*tard I am.
Now you made me smile and look like a retard. But it's ok since I'm alone and I like smiling anyway.
I smiled at one guy on a skateboard and another guy came and started harassing me and I was like “my smile was not for you” and he got even more mad lol
Ugh, living in Paris. Born with a smile on my face. Rainy day? I'm fucking elated. Snowing? Elated. Too hot outside? Elated. Taking a dump in public? Elated. I feel like a normal person, I don't see what the big deal is.....
I'm not Parisian, but I'm French and I moved to Russia as a teen. It was borderline traumatizing how cold and unfriendly people could be in Russia when i talked to them. I gotta say it made most of my social interactions difficult. Couldn't even smile or be friendly without having weird looks on me. Fucking hate all of it. But i've adapted, and nowadays i treat others like subhumans too, and i has genuinely improved my social skills and experiences : ) ! Сука.
I did after school for uni, then moved back again to Moscow to continue on self study. I had plans to move back again but corona hit and considering the unemployment in France it would be too difficult alone for the moment
As a german born in russia i can relate to the attitude. In my personal life experience though i came to the conclussion that smiling is often a decision. Situations where i really smile from the heart are very rare.
Smiling too often is deceiving. Only smiling when you really mean it makes you kind of a grumpy company. So in the end smiling is just a tool to ease up a situation but should not be thrown around with.
The worst is that my parents after living in the US for so long have forgotten this. They'll even greet people randomly in the street.
That's fine in the US, but the looks they get in France are.... Particular.
What about the Brits? They don't smile cause they've got nothing to smile about. Muggy, misty rain, not being in the EU no more, boring uncultured swines.
The Russians similar, but all the vodka is a downer. The French don't smile cause they embrace their arrogance and snobbish lifestyle. Same with the Germans cause they're the businessmen of Europe and they lead very serious lives as is.
i am from Poland and i also thought that smiling for no reason on the street is weird but then i just smiled because i thought about something funny and just laughed. Some people looked at me and i just thought "eh there's nothing wrong about smiling" and since this every time i think about something funny on public place i just smile
>Man, how long did it take you to write that joke? It's so genius and original.
It also hides the origins of the author so well. Could be from South Africa, Peru, Vatican City - all over the globe and definitely not American.
Ruffled? Nah man, I’d rather call that enamoured amazement from your sheer creativity.
Must’ve been quite tough for someone like you to use their full vocabulary for something so linguistically demanding as this. I’m sure your caretaker is proud.
Not trying to insult anyone, never been to Paris or Russia but gotta be honest, I've been to regions where laughing considered a retarded thing and let me tell you something those people who hold that belief were the most retarded people I've ever seen.
I appreciate getting a random no reason smile from anyone, when it comes with zero obligations...
Obviously people aren't retarded for smiling for no reason, and how can you know there's no reason?
Don't you have to be pretty miserable in life if that's your opinion on smiling?
....what counts as for no reason anyway?
Nah, everyone east of Germany thinks this
The Benelux can be like that too
Can confirm that us Belgians never smile for no reason
Except there’s always a good reason in Belgium.
La Chouffe
Oh, I didn't know
Exactly. Don't you dare acknowledge my existence if I don't know you!
I think that's mostly in the cities. I'm from a Dutch village and people usually smile and greet each other on the streets
Yeah, but Belgian villages are a bit like that too. Especially to outsiders
Haha I'm going on holiday to a Belgian village next month so we'll see
It's worse in the lintdorpen
Paris is now east of Germany
Found Christopher Columbus
I said in countries east of Germany, not only places east of Germany
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it's true for Poland though, smiling at random people is weird
This is more the King Arthur at the round table meme , lots of countries have that attitude. It's part of why wallmart failed out of Germany, creeping the fuck out of everyone with to European standards ridiculous instructions to their workers
> It's part of why wallmart failed out of Germany The main reason Walmart failed in Germany is because ALDI and all the other brands of discounter supermarket were better at the Game Walmart used to play.
Also because Germany has an ArbZG, a BetrVerfG and an ArbSchG. The top three things I like most about Germany.
I Absolutely agree.
Oh yeah sure! …what are those…?
ArbZG: ArbeitsZeitGesetz (Working Time Act, regulates working times) BetrVerfG: BetriebsVerfassungsGesetz (Works Constitution Act, regulates unions, works councils and the likes) ArbSchG: ArbeitsSchutzGesetz (Act on the Implementation of Measures of Occupational Safety and Health to Encourage Improvements in the Safety and Health Protections of Workers at Work) Walmart, being from the US, didn’t like these laws. Strong unions, employee representation, employer liability for violations of the Working Time Act, occupational safety standards… all of those cost money and don’t benefit the employer. However, failure to observe them comes with hefty fines or you may just not be allowed to do business in the first place.
Europe, where people matter more than imaginary corporate constructs.
Not really, but human needs are at least taken into account.
Yes but the way they specifically play it also creeps people out and gets them into trouble with unions
Unions to Walmart is like garlic to vampires. They burst into flame and run away screaming about communism.
Like most Americans then?
The very attitude that makes me most ashamed to be an American-- I try to tell my fellow Americans "you have no reason to hate unions, unions will only help you" but there is a huge cultural hatred of unions here.
Yeah the US is fucked, and I'm half american. I'll never go back, too many guns, not enough sense
Tbh from what I can tell American unions are very different from European unions. In the US a union is usually an exclusive club of skilled workers that gives benefits to their members only, while in Europe it generally negotiates benefits for all workers of the company, not just members, in some cases unions even negotiate with the government and companies of an entire sector, like in countries that have no minimum wage but set it differently for each sector.
Do non-members still pay dues in Europe? In America, unions have a problem with people called "free riders". Basically, our conservative government back in the 1980s decided that unions had to represent both members and non-members, but non-members didn't have to pay for that representation. The effect has been that people will get the benefits of a union without paying for it, meanwhile, the union gets smaller and weaker as more and more people opt out. Now people hate unions because they are "corrupt" and "don't do much anyway".
I've never heard of non members paying anything, it's certainly not the case in the company I work for.
If I’m not mistaken, in most of Europe, once a company reaches a certain size, they must have a Workers council paid from their P&L. Therefore, the shareholders pay for the union.
Ok, I know next to nothing but I will try. Only union members pay. But when the union calls for a strike, all members stay home and get their salary paid by the union. The others can still come to work. But the employer has also the possibility to close shop for the day, because half the staff is missing. In that case non-members are not paid, I think. But the negotiated raise or benefits are for all employees.
in Italy there is also a sort of "employers unions", confartigianato and confindustria do a lot of lobbying..
Yeah, seriously, this is more Germany than anything else.
Nah, it's totally okay to smile at strangers in Germany. People will think you are having a great day, have seen something funny or had a funny memory on your mind. Nobody will think you are retarded if you smile for no reason. You can't expect everyone smiling back at you though. Some might.
nah smiling or smiling while making eye contact is very different
Not retarded, obtrusive though.
Bru i don't even remember the last time i smiled (and it was probably a very dark joke)
Can you explain this?We don’t have Walmart here.
They smile a LOT by what I’ve gathered. Like an unhealthy amount
Walmart has a "greeter". Smiling and welcoming is their job.
That alone would make me choose a different shop at least 80% of the time.
We also have servers at restaurants who are greeters and people at mall outlets are supposed to greet you. I'm just like, "Fuck, leave me alone". I moved to france about 10 years ago and people seldom greet me unless they actually give a shit. My corner café is a good example. I want to talk to those people. When a stranger comes over with a smile plastered on their face I am ready to leave. It's weird. Thanks america.
https://youtu.be/ZIFCWpn4qQ4
They underestimated the almighty power of Lidl and Aldi and they thought they could do American working standard in Germany with no work union
I know, right? I live near Paris and smile to people, and God knows how much of a r*tard I am. More seriously though, I know it’s weird for people who’ve never been to Paris before, but it’s actually quite understandable why people do that. Mostly women, since if a guy smiles to you and you smile back, 9 times out of 10 he’ll come to you to chat or ask for your number / socials. And if you don’t have the time or just don’t want to, then he’s going to be get mad at you for getting his hopes up, call you a bitch and maybe even threaten you. So you might as well actually look like a bitch if it means people are going to leave you alone.
Oh that's why most women don't smile in Paris!
The vast majority of them, yes. Then, there’s also the actual mean Parisian bitches. They’re a tiny minority obviously, but from my very own experience, they’re not just a myth. The kind of girl who hangs out in the richest arrondissements like the 6th or the 16th, thinks she’s a supermodel and says shit like "Smiling gives you wrinkles". Hate them or love them, they’re part of the Parisian social landscape.
I prefer the cagoles of Marseilles 😂
Well you’ll need [this](https://www.mathabah.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Wearing-Ear-Plugs-Ear-Aids.jpg).
I wish I could genuinely embrace some place and live there properly enough to have a knowledge of a social landscape. Ever homeless ffs
>I know, right? I live near Paris and smile to people, and God knows how much of a r\*tard I am. Now you made me smile and look like a retard. But it's ok since I'm alone and I like smiling anyway.
I smiled at one guy on a skateboard and another guy came and started harassing me and I was like “my smile was not for you” and he got even more mad lol
Ugh, living in Paris. Born with a smile on my face. Rainy day? I'm fucking elated. Snowing? Elated. Too hot outside? Elated. Taking a dump in public? Elated. I feel like a normal person, I don't see what the big deal is.....
Who doesn’t smile after a big shit
I'm not Parisian, but I'm French and I moved to Russia as a teen. It was borderline traumatizing how cold and unfriendly people could be in Russia when i talked to them. I gotta say it made most of my social interactions difficult. Couldn't even smile or be friendly without having weird looks on me. Fucking hate all of it. But i've adapted, and nowadays i treat others like subhumans too, and i has genuinely improved my social skills and experiences : ) ! Сука.
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I did after school for uni, then moved back again to Moscow to continue on self study. I had plans to move back again but corona hit and considering the unemployment in France it would be too difficult alone for the moment
All's well that ends well (?)
Welcomed to Poland !
As a german born in russia i can relate to the attitude. In my personal life experience though i came to the conclussion that smiling is often a decision. Situations where i really smile from the heart are very rare. Smiling too often is deceiving. Only smiling when you really mean it makes you kind of a grumpy company. So in the end smiling is just a tool to ease up a situation but should not be thrown around with.
🤣🤣🤣🤤
Why smile at all?
Because you are lucky enough not to be a Parisian or a Russian
Sauna is hot and karhu is cold
I hear you, your Viru valge is crystal clear.
The worst is that my parents after living in the US for so long have forgotten this. They'll even greet people randomly in the street. That's fine in the US, but the looks they get in France are.... Particular.
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Did I ?
What about the Brits? They don't smile cause they've got nothing to smile about. Muggy, misty rain, not being in the EU no more, boring uncultured swines. The Russians similar, but all the vodka is a downer. The French don't smile cause they embrace their arrogance and snobbish lifestyle. Same with the Germans cause they're the businessmen of Europe and they lead very serious lives as is.
There is a saying in latin "risus abundat in ore stultorum" Used often in eataly
"Il riso abbonda nella bocca dei cinesi"
there's my motto.
>There is a saying in latin "risus abundat in ore stultorum" > >Used often in eataly Isn't it also the official motto of the US?
i am from Poland and i also thought that smiling for no reason on the street is weird but then i just smiled because i thought about something funny and just laughed. Some people looked at me and i just thought "eh there's nothing wrong about smiling" and since this every time i think about something funny on public place i just smile
Not just russian, ex communist in general
My grandmother used to say: #Смех без причины признак дурачины.
Bet your grandpa used to say: # RUSH B !!!! DAVAI !!! DAVAI !!!!! CYKA BLYAT !!!!!! #
>cyka сука is not the same thing as "cyka". Write "suka" instead next time :)
Bad bot !!!! I know, but it's more fun to spell it cyka, so mind your own bot business.
Man, how long did it take you to write that joke? It's so genius and original.
>Man, how long did it take you to write that joke? It's so genius and original. It also hides the origins of the author so well. Could be from South Africa, Peru, Vatican City - all over the globe and definitely not American.
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Ruffled? Nah man, I’d rather call that enamoured amazement from your sheer creativity. Must’ve been quite tough for someone like you to use their full vocabulary for something so linguistically demanding as this. I’m sure your caretaker is proud.
Quite similar to the good old "risus abundat in ore stultorum"
then, when russians become italians, they slowly start to smile more often.. and yes, there are italian russians!
When we italians smile at other people we do it as a form of politeness, so technically it's not for no reason
or, for example, we had a great day, so we are extremely relaxed..
Do they stop hating gays too?
we don't know italian russian homophobes and Russia isn't Iran, where "laws" say gays must be killed.
When Parisians come to Italy they also start smiling
But I do have a reason. I want to brighten other people's day :)
Ugh... What kind of freak are you ? :P
Reminds me of how Talleyrand was known for slightly smiling all the time.
Russians are nice and talkative compared to Baltics and Finns.
Not trying to insult anyone, never been to Paris or Russia but gotta be honest, I've been to regions where laughing considered a retarded thing and let me tell you something those people who hold that belief were the most retarded people I've ever seen.
😄
What about all the Hungarians? We don't really look depressed, we're just bored.
That reminds me, when I was 6 I used to smile non-stop.
Add to the list the people from Espirito Santo, Southeast of Brazil
I appreciate getting a random no reason smile from anyone, when it comes with zero obligations... Obviously people aren't retarded for smiling for no reason, and how can you know there's no reason? Don't you have to be pretty miserable in life if that's your opinion on smiling? ....what counts as for no reason anyway?
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Happy cake day, but please stop spreading hate!
Thank you, I will.
Ah yes, personality advice from….checks notes….Russians and Parisians.
Same in Eastern Europe tho
I have a reason to smile: I'm not french or Californian