I have been thinking recently about some of the differences between American and European societies, and the way people function within it. In particular, I have been thinking about trust. I noticed this the most in Amsterdam, but I assume it could be expanded to more of Europe: In general it is assumed that people will be honest and have integrity, whereas in the United States, it is assumed that everyone is dishonest crooks.
A prime example is the tram system: One can purchase a 24 hour or multi-day pass, and then simply hop on and hop off of the trams as much as they like, and only occasionally does the conductor or ticket person inspect it or even need to see it. This is true despite the fact that there is often a dedicated ticket person on many of trams who could easily check every time.
Another example perhaps, is the service in restaurants. Here, they will never bring you your check until you ask, and will never ask you to leave. And in doing so, it is extremely easy to just get up and leave without being noticed for a while and without paying... Perhaps my point is more of a consequence, in this case, of other social dynamics, but I think it still stands.
My friend Kal who is traveling right now in Greece (his first trip to Europe) tells me that he has had similar thoughts regarding social ethics in Greece. he brought up another good example, one which I have also observed in the Netherlands and elsewhere:
Many of the super-markets and shops for instance place a
lot of things outside in front of the building. Although the
motivation for this is most probably one that concerns lack of space,
there is often no attempt to thwart would-be thieves. For example, the
cash register is placed in the far back of the building with no line
of sight to the front of the building. Even in places with windows in
the front, the check-out is often placed in a bad location that makes,
it in many ways, easier for someone to steal than it otherwise should
be, or than I am otherwise used to as an American. This is by no means
always the case, i have met my fair share of shops with magnetic
detectors on the entrances and the like. However, I think one is much
more likely to find exploits in this country throughout than say
throughout America. The past month my American eyes have spotted many
(for me) obvious exploits in numerous facets of the society that I
have been in contact with.
Kal goes on to talk about another example with the bus system:
The situation with the buses here are not
as relaxed as what you experienced in Amsterdam but even the buses can
be cheated in many cases. For example two weeks ago I took a boat from
an island to mainland Greece with a connecting bus to Athens.
Everyone's tickets were checked at the departure location, but no
tickets were checked upon reentry on the bus at any of the rest stop
locations. The bus do this path daily most probably stopping at the
same rest places. It would be easy for anyone to hop on the bus at any
of these locations for a free ride to Athens. Now although this
example is not that profound, it stood out in my mind as something in
America one wouldn't usually see. I couldn't help but thinking that in
America my tickets would be checked repeatedly. I think you are right
when you say European societies are in general much more trusting than
the American society. This is just the vibe I get from being around
the people and in part noticing all the little exploits that
eventually add up to something bigger.
Thinking about this a little more, and looking through some of my photos, another really good example occurred to me: museums. And the funny thing is, I remember thinking this 2 years ago on my first European trip when I was in the British Museum. Almost immediately, then, the same thoughts past through my mind. I had never been in a museum outside of the states, and the exhibits there are almost always well guarded, protected with thick glass and weird screws that you can't take out with a typical screw driver. Often even high tech infra red detectors that sound an alarm if you touch the priceless work of art. But then, there at the British Museum, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Almost all of the exhibits are left unprotected, and simple honor system prevails. And all of the museums I went to in London on my first trip, and in Italy and elsewhere on this trip were like that.
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