I'm in a much better position now, but I definitely relate to the grinding capitalist pushback here. The UK is in many ways the U.S. of Europe – our legislation in terms of employment and annual leave is a lot less generous than many European countries (although I accept wholeheartedly that that's coming from a very western-European vantagepoint), and especially with the unbelievable rise in cost of living currently going on, I definitely relate to the stress and pressure that late-stage capitalism is putting on all of us right now.
Having free healthcare is a MASSIVE advantage of course, and in general things like having guaranteed minimum annual leave/better job security legislation/less obsessive grind culture are obviously game-changing, but I still remember struggling in an entry-level job where my personal time was scrutinised to the minute and getting a mortgage on my £10hr salary was almost impossible. I know many people who currently struggle. The number of people living in Scotland below the poverty line hovers around 20%, people die while waiting for ill health benefits and no one knows until the jobcentre tries to send them a letter deeming them fit to work. Our welfare system has killed over 2400 disabled people in the last decade, and that's pre-COVID. With a conservative government firmly in the driver's seat, I don't know what the future will look like for us.
I think it's important not to pretend that capitalism – or whatever you call the root of this thing we're all here railing against – is an isolated phenomenon. Just because we have arrangements in our countries that hugely mitigate the effects doesn't mean there aren't any whatsoever, and it's gonna take global solidarity to cultivate change in a form that endures. I think it's perfectly possible to acknowledge this while also acknowledging that the U.S. is currently uniquely horrendous. So what are your situations in other European countries?
(Apologies if this seems like I'm discounting/ignoring other continents, UK/Europe is just what I know, please chime in with your own stories by all means!)