[smoldesu]

As an American citizen, let me assuage your concerns; nobody here is adopting technology any faster than you are in Europe. We don't even accept cardless transactions in the majority of places, you're straight-up delusional if you think our proximity to Apple and Google helps us. No, we get dogfooded the worst technology and watch as it rots out beneath our feet and companies avoid taking responsibility. We let businesses expand to unrealistic, dangerous sizes and then shirk away from regulation and standardization because we're afraid of making it worse. American citizens are conditioned to accept whatever insane demand or TOS they are presented, because their FUD is stronger than their consciousness. Our lack of mediated progress has arguably ruined television, telecommunications, advertisement, and now the internet and software distribution at-large.

> Don't know where you're getting your views on consumerism from, but it's not anything I've seen here.

You won't hear it "here" because Hacker News is a bubble. Conversations shy away from disparaging consumerism because half the people here would sell their own mom to a pimp for investment funding or stock in Apple. Go read Y-Combinator's request for startups and just try getting optimistic for "America's future". It has the same nuance and vision as a loaf of sourdough bread.

If you don't yet understand why unions are necessary, just keep watching the American labor market. It will get far, far worse before anything gets better over here in the esteemed Land of Opportunity.