A post from /r/BuyFromEU got my blood boiling. I don’t have an account there any longer, so I have to vent here:
Personally, I am not buying into this idea that you should support a certain business just because it is based in your vicinity. I will buy the product that comes at the best price for the quality I desire. If it is Japanese or American or Chinese, so be it.
In my opinion, the BuyFromEU movement will fail unless the governments of EU countries make a serious attempt to understand the reasons why businesses struggle in the EU and address the structural issues preventing them from scaling up.
Essentially, it is the government’s job to fix the reasons why people weren’t buying from EU in the first place. Unless the government cuts down on regulations, unless they makes it easier for people to grow their wealth by working hard and not having to pay 50% of their paycheck in taxes, unless they make electricity and gas cheaper, unless they fix the housing shortages in all major cities of Western Europe - this movement will FAIL. Buying Paturain instead of Philadelphia cream cheese is never going to help your economy grow strong.
My choice to not buy Nike and buy Adidas instead will only help the top bosses at Adidas. I am going to still be taxed at 50% of my income, so I might as well buy the cheapest product. The government should give me a serious incentive to buy European, then I will.
The Reddit OP shows a perfect example of:
- Deflecting towards the government instead of taking personal responsibility
- Complaining about taxes and greedy cooperation, while only looking for a personal financial benefit
We as as Europeans must be willing to be uncomfortable again. We ARE the system. So to change the system, we are the ones that must change. Stop whining, start winning.
@Ideonek Either you WANT to support European / private solutions or you don’t. It IS that easy. It’s need vs want
I’ve been a Workspace and MS365 user and Admin for years.
And you are throwing the free and business tiers together like it’s the same. It’s not.
Free? It ain’t free. US companies make you pay with your #data and #privacy. That should be worth SOMETHING to you. It is to them. Millions.
#Linux not out of the box? Is #Windows? How long did it take you to learn that? #nobigtech
I honestly think that approach like this is hurting the movement. You’re dismissive about experience of someone who deleted Microsoft account and canceled most US-based serviced and social media that he was most engaged with. And you’re literally explaining to me how convinient it is to me?
This revolution is way to small, to start eating their own already.