Capo Was Right

Why does Vance loathe Europeans so much? I honestly don’t understand it. Explanations? Maybe it’s because Europe quietly lives the kind of life many Americans secretly dream of. Picture this: You wake up to the sound of church bells echoing through narrow, winding streets. The smell of fresh bread from the corner bakery drifts up to your window. You walk to work—or maybe bike—passing sunlit plazas where people are already gathering for morning coffee. The pace is gentle. The rhythm is human. In Europe, life isn’t a race to the top; it’s a balance. People work, yes—but they also live. With six or seven weeks of vacation a year, it’s normal to take long summer holidays, to spend time with family, to explore other countries, languages, and cultures. After work, cafés and pubs fill with laughter. Friends meet for wine, football, deep conversation—or just to sit in silence together, watching the world go by. There’s no need for three jobs to survive. Healthcare is there when you need it. Higher education won’t bankrupt you. Public transport connects you to beautiful cities, peaceful countryside, and coastlines that look like they’re pulled from a postcard. Most people have a passport. Many speak more than one language. Travel is a way of life. People walk more, eat well, breathe cleaner air. They live longer, with fewer chronic illnesses. Joy and connection are built into the structure of daily life—through long dinners, slow Sundays, and deep-rooted social ties. Maybe Vance doesn’t hate Europe. Maybe he just can’t understand a society where people come first—and where success is measured in quality of life, not in the number of hours you work or how loudly you shout about greatness. Because when you really look at Europe, you don’t see a threat. You see a mirror. And maybe that’s what makes some people uncomfortable. Not because Europeans are the problem— But because the life they live reminds us of the one we could have, too.