People often ask me, “Dave, what would you say are the biggest cultural differences between young people in the US and Europe.” Ok, only one person asked me that, and it was my mom when I saw her last weekend. But I’ll pontificate on it in my blog for you all anyway.The first thing that shoots to mind is the level of knowledge of the world. European gen X’ers (that’s my generation right?) tend to have a much more developed knowledge of geography, politics and current affairs than their American counterparts. They also tend to have a more nuanced view on the world, seeing complexities and shades of gray where Americans, even of my generation, see black and white.
So that was the first thing that came out of my mouth when my mom asked me that question. But my second answer surprised me, because it’s something I wouldn’t have said two months ago.
“Ambition,” I said. “Honestly, I really feel like there’s a huge difference in the level of ambition.”
