[Borealis]

Hmm interesting. I'm European as well, a Norwegian. Let me tell you, people here do n o t historically have any aristocratic attitude towards money and spending. We never had much of an aristocracy here, we were poor farmers and fishermen. Since we found all our oil, however, and could afford good oil-funded Social Security and a Socialist health care system, good disability pensions and so on and so forth, it seems we have lost our old self reliance and become rather spoilt and somewhat useless. We don't seem to generate other significant industries. We mostly sell oil and invest a lot of the money (OilFund) internationally. Our own national economy is not able to absorb the profits from all the oil. Strange or what?

As to buying behaviour, I think we Europeans are just as "bad" as the americans. We have just as much advertising telling us this chewing gum is a quality lifestyle choice and that soft drink will make you more attractive to the opposite sex etc, etc.