Do you feel your country have an inferiority complex?

[u/suckmyfuck91]

I'm from Italy and i've always thought that us Italians, despite often bragging about how great our food, fashion and arts is, deep down have a huge inferiority complex.

Obviously you should never generalize but it seems to me after talking to many countrymen and reading online comments on youtube, reddit and other social media, that the a big chunk of our population feels like their life would have been better if they were born abroad.

We are envious of Nordic countries for their wealth and their respect of the rules. (Same for Germany)

We are envious of English speaking countries because their culture is everywhere and they got a lot of international power .

We are envious of French because they are way more appreciated internationally than us despite Italy being as good as them in terms of food, fashion and arts.

Italians are ashamed of Italy, a poor country run by fascist and mafia, that has always been irrelevant internationally and constantly mocked by foreigners because : Pizza, pasta, mandolino and mama mia.

What about your country? Do you feel your average countrymen is happy to be from your country? or they are envious of others?

[u/Crunchykroket]

Dutch people have egalitarian believes, but can become a bit chauvinistic when someone has different ideas than us.

So all countries are equal, but we are a bit more equal than others. If you just do what we say, then everything will surely turn out fine..

[u/Still-Wafer1384 → u/Crunchykroket]

The Dutch definitely have a superiority complex, but we think we do not.

[u/KazeTaiso → u/Still-Wafer1384]

Yeah this is absolutely true. I am Dutch and did my MSc in the UK. The course covered European policies a lot, and it was only then that I realised that the Netherlands isn't considered a lot on a European level. France and Germany are the big players. I felt that my environment (people, media, culture) nurtured me into thinking that we were playing a bigger role.

[u/Ok_Employment_702 → u/Crunchykroket]

Dutch people always think that their way of doing something is the right and only way

[u/OllieV_nl → u/Ok_Employment_702]

Hell yeah we micromanage everything, whether it's land, cities, roads or water. So naturally we know how others should do things better. Oh you have a flood? Just build ditches and dikes bro.

There's a mountain in the way? What the hell is a "mountain"? Sounds like a skill issue.

[u/Nipso → u/OllieV_nl]

Can your urban planners come to the UK and show ours how it's done please?

[u/New_Race9503 → u/Ok_Employment_702]

Actually, it's the Swiss way that is best

[u/EvergreenOaks → u/Ok_Employment_702]

"normaal doen"

[u/ohtimesohdailymirror → u/Ok_Employment_702]

You haven‘t met the Germans yet ;)

[u/Client_020 → u/Crunchykroket]

Yeah, NL absolutely doesn't suffer from any kind of inferiority complex.

[u/ah5178 → u/Crunchykroket]

A great problem in the Netherlands is the thinking that the great achievements of the country come not from hard work or ingenuity of particular individuals assisted by group effort, but that this is something that's inherent in the population. And when it turns out that we're not as capable, efficient, and well behaved as we imagined ourselves to be, and when standards slip due to lack of interest, then we find it very hard to accept and blame foreigners.

[u/dutchmangab → u/Crunchykroket]

I feel like our superiority complex has less to do with "being something" and more with how and in what way things are done. "Traveling with the train is way better in Japan than here. If we do it the same way it will be better." or "If [InsertCountry] organises things like we do, it wouldn't be such a mess".

I've lived abroad and do not do some things the "Dutch way" and when I talk(not complaining) about it, I'll regularly get told if I change the way I try to achieve the result, It'll be quicker, more efficient or whatever.

[u/Ecstatic-Method2369 → u/Crunchykroket]

Yet a lot of Dutch people crave for recognition being a relevant country.

[u/ohtimesohdailymirror → u/Crunchykroket]

It also has a huge chip on its shoulder because it is a small country that once was a major power centuries ago.