Health | Supplements | Nutrition | Diet | Exercise | Why Are Americans So Greedy?

I think it’s more or less the other way around, us Europeans being more greedy than the Americans. Many within Europe would rather take too little than too much because it’s seen as a shame and waste of money in the end if food or anything else for that matter has to be thrown away.

Not just Americans but many other cultures throughout this world think the complete way around when it comes to food, in example one day I went for lunch along with a friend which came from Afghanistan. Apparently his mom cooked a warm meal, something which I’m not too used to at lunch but not that I can’t handle it. But the plate I received would be something I wouldn’t even finish for dinner, and then even there was plenty more where that came from.

Why us Europeans grab so little or the rest of the world puts so much onto a plate, I’m clueless . Perhaps an important factor is that many kids at least here get taught to finish their plates or otherwise they get whatever punishment, on a psychological level I can see how that can teach one from at a very young age to rather take multiple servings rather than pile up your plate at once.

Certainly I know that a lot of people are told that they need to eat everything because there are children in Africa starving. I was never told that and only eat what I can manage.

From what my Mum and Dad told me about the cruise it seemed that the Americans acted like children in a sweet shop. They didn’t know what to have so they just grabbed at everything.

I think most Americans see things like cruises as smorgashborgs of excess where they can get as much of what they like without anyone harassing them. In real world America most people don’t act like you describe.

Just look at the difference in portion sizes between american and european restaurants. The american people are used to getting huge plates of food its not surprising they fill their plates. its normal for them to see that much food on a plate.

I think the author just doesn’t like Americans.
Why else would she pick such a petty thing like how much one has to eat on ones plate.

I’m an American and don’t consider myself greedy in the least.
But the blanket statement made by the author implies Americans “in general” are greedy people.
Three hundred million clones, all stuffing their faces and snatching bits of food from others plates when they’re not looking.

Please except my invitation to the USA so you can see how it really is before making offending untrue remarks about us.
We’re just people like you.
By the way, spent 4 months in the UK a few years back. Loved it.
Great people, deeply interesting culture, hope to return someday and meet my grand daughter in London for the first time. Cya.

Greed permeates American society, infact it’s built upon it. When you can sleep at night knowing millions of your fellow citizens go without adequate social services just so you pay less tax you’re not going to think twice about taking more food than you can possibly eat.

Fraser, that’s the dunbest thing I’ve ever heard.
I, my family and everyone I know, barely make it from month to month. We eat one meal a day, because we have little money left after rent, food, and other mandatory items.
Your statement proves you don’t know any Americans, just propaganda that you’ve either heard or dreamed up.

I believe that making broad statements like this blog does makes alot of “straw-man” attacks at something that they don’t understand. People in American, people like me, do not constantly gorge ourselves. Did you ever stop to think that maybe if you pay to go on a cruise you might want to get what you paid for, instead of sitting around hungry knowing you want to eat more but you do not just so that you can keep up appearences. I mean seriously, do you even think before you post things on the internet you wrote: “Europe people tend to just put on their plate what they can eat. If they are still hungry they’ll go up for seconds or even thirds (or fourths).” So what you basically were say was that you guys do the same exact thing that we do except you are sneakier when you do it? I just think you are as an individual are so arrogant, and ignorant you know absolutly nothing about Americans and you want to bash us. You did not even actually see the things you talked about your parents did. So get some first hand experience and then make assumptions, but do not sit around posting your presuppositions and calling them facts.

I’ve always been wary of making blanket statements about population groups. While there are good people and bad in every society, one might identify a “median” cultural identity, a stereotypical way of thinking/acting. Whatever it may be would depend on the perceiver as well as the subject. Therefore, everyone may have a different opinion of the Americans.

When it comes to greed, I’ve always felt business marketing will continually push their products to increase revenue. “I could build a better, more useful product that will sell itself or just convince the public they need more of what I already produce”. The more they sell, the more they revenue they make. And I think the indoctrination of the marketer’s ideas start at an early age, when the child is still so malleable. And then it becomes habit. So why would the CEOs want more and more money when they have far more than they’ll ever need? They, too, were subject to the indoctrination and will always want. A vicious cycle, indeed…

I’m an American citizen, but I’m relatively non-materialistic. Many of my friend don’t understand why I only buy what I need, why I don’t live at a level of luxury I could afford. I simply have no need to. But I’ve tagged along with them to buffets on occasion and can understand the feelings of the “cruise” couple in the original story. They had to endure the revolting behavior throughout the cruise; I see have to see it everyday and know others will think I behave the same just because I’m American.

Like TL says, I’m unique – don’t lump me in with a stereotype (please!). But we here have more than our share of the greedy, and they are out there, like it or not.

I’m not at all in any way an American. I’m part of the American’s neighbors… I’m Canadian. I have been to the U.S. before and am not ashamed to report that we Canadians have much of the same life-style as Americans do. I understand why people think of us as very greedy people who have no regard for the environment or for the meals we are taking away from other people worldwide. We consume almost more than half of the world’s resources, to live the comfortable lives we are right now. The others like TL and random are right though… not all of us are the same. There are tons of us who don’t eat all on our plates and keep left-overs for later. There are a lot of us who sign petitions against wasting food. Many of us try not to over-eat at buffets (we don’t always win but we don’t always fail). Everyday people are commiting themselves to stop over-eating (me being one of them) and we’re trying to stop. You’d be surprised at the amount of people who don’t overeat in both Canada and the U.S… Anyways… I can’t explain our cultures all in one comment. But you should one day visit our side of the world and see for yourself how we live.

People, when on vacation, tend to eat more… That might explain the cruise people’s behavior. You don’t see that high-quality food everyday! You can’t assume that our everyday lives are spent doing the exact same things as they are on vacations, because they’re not the same. You’d have to see for yourself. Take a vacation in America, and then go into a major city when it’s not a holiday, you’ll see the difference in their attitudes.

The average income globally is less than $10,000/year (US dollars). It’s true americans are greedy. Usually it’s just because they don’t know about the human condition as a whole on this planet and many americans can’t remember the last time they went a day without eating. I live in the USA and indeed there is alot of waste here. To people who respond to inquiries like this saying, “I think you just hate…” that’s fine but a question is just a question. If you don’t think that americans are greedy then just don’t reply and stop being a pain in the world economy’s ass. Bottom line: americans are greedy because they are ignorant.

I think the only thing ignorant here is the article and the previous statement. You can’t just lump an entire country’s population together and make broad generalizations like that. That’s stereotyping people and is prejudice. I am an American and have lived here my whole life. There are a lot of things in this country I hate and greed is high on the list. However, there are people living here who disagree with the way our country is being ran and are trying to change it. Personally I would much prefer to have higher taxes for better social services as someone stated earlier. There’s just a lot of people here with a lot of money and they will do anything to protect it. Progress is being made though painfully slow. So just remember when you talk shit about a whole population like that you’re talking shit about the people who are being victimized by the situation and the people who are against it and trying to change it assholes. Regarding food though, there is a lot of obesity and waste going on. The way food is processed and marketed here is terrible. I’ve heard of people coming here from other countries and gaining 15 lbs eating the same things. I think a lot of people just don’t know any better and a lot of people just get addicted to food. Concerning the cruise though, I think people just eat more on vacation. Also, people who can afford to go on a cruise probably can afford to be wasteful.

I am an American, I was born in New York, grew up in Texas and now lives in Florida. I’ve been all over the United States and been to Canada and Mexico. Not only are Americans the most greedy and selfish people in the worldas a result of the fattest,it’s disgusting. The second leading cause of preventable death in the United States is obesity which will soon overtake cigarettes as the number one cause.while the rich here live disgusting lifestyles of excess.

Americans cannot stand to pay taxes either, even though they pay less taxes than any industrialized nation in the world. They’re poor and sick are going homeless and dying for lack of health care and other human necessities.

the rich and powerful ( what we call the special interests) basically run the country, using lobbyists, it’s legal in the United States for corporations to give money to politicians for favorable treatment. In this way they run the country and most of the population is not smart enough to recognize what is happening. The poor and middle class are told that government is the enemy and that they should fear the peak government. Only because rich corporate America knows small government is easy to control. At the same time the economy of the United States is collapsed, and the government is completely broke – downright bankrupt! and they still talk about cutting taxes, they’re allowing their own government to disintegrate under debt, I can’t wait to see what happens when the Chinese call in their debt!maybe then Americans would have wished they supported their government and not the rich, greedy, corporate special interests that run America.

Were talking about the people who elected George W. Bush, 27% of Americans still think Bush was a good president, think about that.

first of all americans were never civilazed just look at are history.americans are self absorebed and nasty unless they want something from you.

It is not only americans that are greedy but the whole world is greedy.America is comprised of all kinds of different races and they are all greedy.
It is human nature to be selfish and arrogant that is of the wholoe world not only America.
The thing is that America can pursue those things that are of a selfish and arrogant nature because that is what their country represents.Capitalism and democracy is saying get all you can get which causes selfish and arrogant people which through time will cause a hateful soceity because they have the attitude you don’t care about me I don’t care about you.
But if any country could pursue wealth and material things that country would be like America too because the selfish and arrogant nature would come out.

I’d like to agree first with all the suggestions of the previous posters. To a degree, though. Yes, every person is selfish. Every country has a materialistic society. Everywhere you look you can see greed. But all to a certain degree. In some countries/places/people you see more of it, in others – less. In the America though you see quite a lot of all the above. What the author’s parents observed, was something you can see in many places across the western world, but the truth is, The United States IS the world’s largest single consumer and the greatest producer of wastes(The United States, with less than 5 % of the global population, uses about a quarter of the world’s fossil fuel resources—burning up nearly 25 % of the coal, 26 % of the oil, and 27 % of the world’s natural gas -http://www.worldwatch.org/node/810)
How many American people will walk more than 50m even just to drop by a friend get some milk? How much food do they need to consume in order to satisfy their hunger? I’ve known closely a few American people. They were all (4) big eaters and struggling with weight issues. Yet… they ALL drank DIET drinks and claimed to avoid butter…?!?
Unfortunately, I do see the rest of the worls slowly following in that path and I’m really hoping they will learn their lessons before it’s too late.