A New Study of Europeans who think American’s “addiction” to air conditioning is “stupid” reveals exactly why they "feel" that way, and how they "adapt" themselves into "feeling" that they don't need air conditioning.
Posted on 07/23/2015 7:23:22 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
I know, I know … Europeans also believe in the fantasy that they can live in a socialist utopia of sorts and the bill will never come due too. Er, except in Greece, of course.
This “new” outrage, though, is simply the usual Euro “superiority” fantasy. They always have a better/smarter/eco friendlier idea and we New Worlders, well, we’re wasteful, uncouth and unsophisticated barbarians, or something:
Overall, it’s safe to say that Europe thinks America’s love of air-conditioning is actually quite daft. Europeans have wondered about this particular U.S. addiction for a while now: Back in 1992, Cambridge University Prof. Gwyn Prins called America’s love of air-conditioning the country’s “most pervasive and least-noticed epidemic,” according to the Economist. And according to the Environmental Protection Agency, it’s getting worse: American demand for air-conditioning has only increased over the past decades.
The U.S. has been the world’s leader in air-conditioning ever since, and it’s not a leadership Americans should necessarily be proud of. According to Stan Cox, a researcher who has spent years studying indoor climate controlling, the United States consumes more energy for air conditioning than any other country. In many parts of the world, a lack in economic development might be to blame for a widespread absence of air-conditioning at the moment. However, that doesn’t explain why even most Europeans ridicule Americans for their love of cooling and lack of heat tolerance.
Well good for them. Because as we recall back in 2003, their “superiority” worked out so well for them, didn’t it?
At least 35,000 people died as a result of the record heatwave that scorched Europe in August 2003, says an environmental think tank.
[…]
The EPI calculated the huge death toll from the eight western European countries with data available. “Since reports are not yet available for all European countries, the total heat death toll for the continent is likely to be substantially larger,” it says in a statement.
France suffered the worst losses, with 14,802 people dying from causes attributable to the blistering heat. This is “more than 19 times the death toll from the SARS epidemic worldwide”, notes the EPI.
Yes, that’s right, air conditioning can save lives. Lots of lives, apparently.
I’ll bet those 35,000+ might have found air conditioning being available to be lifesaving? We certainly lose a few to heat each year, but I’ll be honest, if I’d lost 35,000+ to heat in a single summer, I wouldn’t be smug enough to bring up America’s affection for air conditioning in a negative way.
But then, we’re talking about Europe, aren’t we? The land of very short memories, it seems.
To the left, Europe is the standard that we must look up to. Must be descendants of Tories during the American Revolution...
I just came back from Europe. Everytime I asked for ice, I got it.
It’s like ordering tea in the South, if you don’t say anything, you get sweet tea, you have to explicitly ask for unsweetened tea.
Europeans are VERY snobby about their traditions. I was bashed all the time as the American in the room, for all the stupid things we supposedly do. My favorite story, I wish you all were there or I had a video camera at the time:
I was invited to a Christmas party in Germany. A lovely large home with lots of people milling about drinking wine. One big moment was when the man of the home lit the real candles on the real Christmas tree. He made a snide comment to me in front of everyone. “Isn’t this beautiful?” (It was gorgeous, of course.). “You Americans just put on those colored light bulbs on a string. But THIS is the real way to light a Christmas tree!”
Well, my fellow Americans, I was young but I just HAD to respond. “You know, the reason we don’t light real candles is because it’s a safety hazard.”
“Ach! You Americans think EVERYTHING is a safety hazard! Ha ha ha!”
About half an hour later, as we all sat and talked and sipped, his glorious dead tree caught fire. One branch blazed into a huge flame very quickly. My host had no time to do anything but open his back door and heave his decorated, candle bedecked Christmas tree out into the snow.
I remained happily silent because no words were needed. America won that one, too.
Hey Eruoweenies! Try a Kansas City August without air conditioning and then get back to me.
Have you heard of David Lebovitz?
He is a well known chef who just moved to Paris. He says that it is torture shopping at big stores in Paris because they don’t have A/C ... or maybe they just don’t use much A/C.
Anyway, he said it is awful since everyone is sweating and miserable and they want to get out of there.
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2006/07/paris-in-the-su-1/
See # 3
OK, you had to ask for ice? They would service a Coke and no ice unless you asked? How much ice were you given?
Hilarious!
Most buildings in Germany (and most of Europe) are made of some sort of block. The floors are poured concrete, with block walls. I watched them build houses in Germany and they put up a crane, lay the concrete and block, and then wait a while for it to settle to finish. Truly amazing and I understand that it is difficult to run duct work in block walls so they often run pipes and use radiators or electric heat. That said, it does get pretty frickin hot in Europe in the summer and if I built a house there I would want A/C.
Also, what kind of idiot throws away an empty canteen? If you find water what are you going to carry it in?
Heat resistant my ass! I work outside in the SW AZ desert in average temps of 115. From July to Sept the Monsoon moisture comes screaming through making it juicy on top of the heat. When I get home from work I love my AC.
We’ll keep you and your house in mind should we ever decide a constitutional reform is needed along those lines.
(Though I think I’d rather we get someone from the House of Paleologos to take the job [:-)===== (Orthodox monastic smiley).)
I live in Fairfax County - maybe 20 miles airline from my house to the center of DC, so I’m well acquainted with Washington summers.
I spent several years living in Europe in the early 1990, mostly Germany, but also Italy and Portugal.
The German summers without A/C weren’t all that bad, but one hotel I spent several months at had no screens so you had a choice between sweating all night or waking up covered with mosquito bites. Got the the point where I made a count of new bites every morning - record was 29. Eventually one of my German colleagues showed me their trick - a wall plug in insect fogger. That worked more or less, along with flypaper.
Italy was worse in the summer as the heat lasted longer and 90F days were not uncommon.
One interesting thing I remember well about Italy were the roadside prostitutes - they were on high seats, with a beach type umbrella, overall very similar to a beach lifeguard arrangement. The ones I saw were all black women, probably from Italian speaking parts of Africa. When I asked about it, I was told that their primary clientele were truck drivers... this was on a relatively rural two-lane highway 5 or so miles outside a town with a population of perhaps 25K people. In any event, never saw anything like that in my European travels.
A New Study of Europeans who think American’s “addiction” to air conditioning is “stupid” reveals exactly why they "feel" that way, and how they "adapt" themselves into "feeling" that they don't need air conditioning.
“Oh you Ameericinz are wasting zee rezources! Sham on you!”
~Euroeconazi
Yeah, but America has developed and discovered more than our share, so you all can shut up about us using more.
Don't even think about bringing up the nonsensical Climate Change Hoax into the discussion. Most Americans are smart enough to see that it's a scam.
Most girls and women braid the hair on top of their heads instead of under their arms.
It's none of your business anyway. Work a few more hours a week to keep your sinking Socialist system afloat.
Help your friends in Greece and stop worrying about what America does.
Peer-reviewed analysis places the European death toll at more than 70,000
A high percentage were elderly. I’ve often wondered why so many europeans didn’t even bother to come back and save their older moms and dads. Many continued to vacation leading the elderly to fend for themselves. I guess it wasn’t all bad and sad. By experiencing death early inheritances were fatter to the survivers.
You would have a/ c if you lived in Houston.
* Europeans think American’s “addiction” to air conditioning is “stupid” *
The collective opinion of Europeans about what they think of us Americans is worth about the same as the string on a Band Aid package on the International Exchange.
Or Richmond. BTW, the Euroweenies don’t like ice either.
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