Comment Find your bootstraps (Score 1) 1208
My parents always believed in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. To me, this means solving your own problems.
Privacy is your own problem. Never expect other people to solve it. Solve it for yourself. Encrypt, shut up, set up trusts, use pseudonyms, whatever. I don't do any of that because I personally don't care about privacy. I don't see the threat. And I'm not embarrasable and cannot be blackmailed because I am a stand-up person. So I don't care.
But if I did, I would.
As for countries, I second the New Zealand responses. I'm a U.S. expat living here since May. Even though the country is somewhat nanny-state leaning, the culture of the people has a stronger effect. People are very reasonable and practical, which in itself more than makes up for the nanny-state part. People have strong moral ethics and a solid sense of duty. People believe in their government, and participate, and have hope (as opposed to the U.S. where people only get involved to milk the system). People don't seem to abuse positions of power. Politicians are suprisingly regular people. People care about each other. It seems quite possible to be heard, and to have a positive effect, because it's so much smaller. There is a tall-poppy syndrome, which has good and bad effects. Also, because of the history (1984, Rogernomics, and the reasons that had to happen), people here are clued into all the benefits of free-trade, market competition, etc. Overall, I have to say that the positives far outweigh the negatives.
The downsides are (1) schools are going from bad to worse, for predictable reasons of a lack of proper market forces (2) same with health care. Also, as a small economy, economies of scale, uh, don't. Cost of living is dearer, more work required for less output. Oh, and Kiwi's are very nationalistic (I say "bad") and tend to isolate themselves... not enough world trade going on down here.
But lots of land, not too many people. Great place to relax if you have fears of war.
I've heard Chile is nice, but I haven't visited yet. And I don't want to bother with a language/culture barrier.
Privacy is your own problem. Never expect other people to solve it. Solve it for yourself. Encrypt, shut up, set up trusts, use pseudonyms, whatever. I don't do any of that because I personally don't care about privacy. I don't see the threat. And I'm not embarrasable and cannot be blackmailed because I am a stand-up person. So I don't care.
But if I did, I would.
As for countries, I second the New Zealand responses. I'm a U.S. expat living here since May. Even though the country is somewhat nanny-state leaning, the culture of the people has a stronger effect. People are very reasonable and practical, which in itself more than makes up for the nanny-state part. People have strong moral ethics and a solid sense of duty. People believe in their government, and participate, and have hope (as opposed to the U.S. where people only get involved to milk the system). People don't seem to abuse positions of power. Politicians are suprisingly regular people. People care about each other. It seems quite possible to be heard, and to have a positive effect, because it's so much smaller. There is a tall-poppy syndrome, which has good and bad effects. Also, because of the history (1984, Rogernomics, and the reasons that had to happen), people here are clued into all the benefits of free-trade, market competition, etc. Overall, I have to say that the positives far outweigh the negatives.
The downsides are (1) schools are going from bad to worse, for predictable reasons of a lack of proper market forces (2) same with health care. Also, as a small economy, economies of scale, uh, don't. Cost of living is dearer, more work required for less output. Oh, and Kiwi's are very nationalistic (I say "bad") and tend to isolate themselves... not enough world trade going on down here.
But lots of land, not too many people. Great place to relax if you have fears of war.
I've heard Chile is nice, but I haven't visited yet. And I don't want to bother with a language/culture barrier.
