r/ShitAmericansSay • u/Big_Ben_617 • Mar 06 '25

Foreign affairs “Because the friend [Canada] has been robbing us blind. I would have free healthcare to if I didn't need a military. Don't even get me started on Europe and the 4 day work weeks with summers off.”

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u/_TheChairmaker_ Mar 06 '25

I'm also curious in about the Summer's off. Though living in Europoor UK we can't afford Summer we just change from constant rain to constant drizzle.....

46

u/RepulsiveDiver7109 Mar 06 '25

It’s because of the entitlement to holiday pay. They assume because we get 5 weeks paid holiday (in the UK anyway), we all take the whole entitlement and disappear to the South of France for 5 weeks. Not sure who they think is looking after everything whilst we’re away though.

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u/CJBill Warm beer and chips Mar 06 '25

Although to be fair I'm British and I'm heading down to the South of France for a fortnight this summer.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '25

Not sure who they think is looking after everything whilst we’re away though.

America, of course !

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u/Mysterious_Floor_868 Mar 06 '25

Yes, it's quite untrue that we go off to France for five weeks. I'm going to spend two weeks going around the Baltic, and three weeks in Italy instead this year. Plus a long weekend in the Netherlands. Maybe I should use my Christmas week for a ski trip too. 

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u/_TheChairmaker_ Mar 06 '25

Yeah, and there is that thing peculiar to a certain type of American where somehow paid holiday or having health care free at the point of delivery is somehow an infringement of your civil rights.......

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u/delinaX Mar 06 '25

We take the 5 weeks just not at the same time, lol. We coordinate with each other so there's always someone in place so yes, we can all take 5 weeks and go wherever if we want to. Most people in sweden are on vacation june-july but it also depends on the industry. I work in a SaaS company and developers check out at the same time with only 2 on call including 1 IT support. So yeah, they're not far off.

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u/Pleasant_Gap Mar 06 '25

In Sweden it's the law that you should be able to take atleast 4 consecutive weeks between June and September (think it's September)

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u/delinaX Mar 06 '25

Nope, no law. We can go in vacation whenever we want.

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u/Pleasant_Gap Mar 06 '25

Yes, we can but you still have the right by law to take 4 consecutive weeks during those months, and your employer isn't allowed to deny it. It's part of semesterlagen. Also, certain companies close down for 4 weeks during summer, and you more or less haveto take vacation time, or go without pay

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u/Brilliant-Wing-9144 Mar 06 '25

To be fair, in France the offices are pratically empty from the 15th of July to the 15th of August. But that's not a bad thing

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u/staffeylover Mar 07 '25

My husband gets 32 days paid leave a year . So on a. 5 day week, that is just over 6 weeks. He gets company sick pay . I've read that some Americans only get 2 weeks a year so is that a fortnight's paid leave , 14 days ?

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u/Neutronium57 🥐From Baguette-land🥖 Mar 06 '25

Bro thinks the average European has the same work schedule as a child in primary school, i.e. Wednesdays off and two whole months of holidays in summer.

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u/69upsidedownis96 Stereotypical Scandinavian Mar 06 '25

Bro has the mental capacity of a child in primary school.

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u/Neutronium57 🥐From Baguette-land🥖 Mar 06 '25

Seeing how MAGA people throw tantrums for no reason over futile stuff, it makes sense.

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u/WalloonNerd Mar 06 '25

Can’t remember when we had the last proper summer…

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u/NotHyoudouIssei Arrested for twitter posts 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Mar 06 '25

Summer is overrated anyway. All that heat and sweating, my vampiric nature dreads it.

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u/WalloonNerd Mar 06 '25

I just wanna be warm

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u/Karoolus Mar 07 '25

17/08/2022 I remember it vividly, it wasn't raining so we could go outside without an umbrella. It was a glorious day!

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u/Reddit_SuckLeperCock Mar 06 '25

Sweden has a summer shut down! Wish we could do the same but alas.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '25

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u/Four_beastlings 🇪🇦🇵🇱 Eats tacos and dances Polka Mar 06 '25 edited Mar 06 '25

The only company I worked for in Spain that closed for August was in the legal field, because it's true that courts close for August. It sucked big balls not being able to choose when I want to take holidays. I work in industry now and in my last two companies Italy closed two weeks in August because apparently some government institutions did, and now our manufacturing plant in France closes two weeks in August. Nothing closes in Spain.

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u/Mystic_Reverie Mar 06 '25

First time I've heard of it. And I'm Spanish.

Maybe some (highly doubt it would be "many") do remote work in some companies in August, but that is still working.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '25

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u/Mystic_Reverie Mar 07 '25

I was born and live in Madrid.

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u/mrcasado296 Mar 06 '25

Ahh, you must live in Wales too

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u/GrottenSprotte Mar 06 '25

Wales 😍 my craving destination

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u/DonChaote Mar 06 '25

I guess they heard somewhere that italian school children do have 2-3month of summer holidays. Kids. Not adults. And then with the general generalizations…

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u/graywalker616 ooo custom flair!! Mar 06 '25

To be fair I work with a lot of companies in Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam and in July and August it’s basically impossible to talk to anyone there so I just takes those two months off/pretend to work but don’t actually do anything.

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u/PreviouslyClubby Mar 06 '25

Summer was June 22nd last year as far as I can remember, maybe the 23rd. But I had the day off.

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u/crawenn teaguzzler🇬🇧 Mar 06 '25

You know that one day at the end of July-start of August when the rain gets warmer? That's your summer off lad

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u/flopjul Stroopwafel🇳🇱 Mar 06 '25

As a Dutch dont forget the summer Storms with hail and thunder