We Ain't Number One

Where to Invade Next (2015)

The United States is the best country in the world...right?

Well, in the myopic of progressive documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, he doesn't seem to think so. In his satire film Where to Invade Next (2015), Moore looks at a variety of nations in Europe to look at their brilliant ideas they've incorporated into their own societies.

The title of the movie implies that the United States has invaded so many different countries over the course of its history so now it's time to invade other countries (like in Europe) and steal their ideas for our own use.

Moore travels to Italy, Slovenia, France, Finland, Portugal and Tunisia respectively and learns different ideas from each country. One of the more intriguing visits I found was Italy. Moore was fascinated by how relaxed the country was in regards to work, paid time off and company leadership. The country seemed to be on board with the idea of making sure all workers were relaxed and well-rested.

Italian couple shocked by two weeks paid vacation 

One couple he interviewed in particular were in love with the U.S. prior to the interview, but were shocked when Moore broke the news that two weeks paid vacation is the norm for American workers -- if you're lucky. Very, very rarely would you ever get a paid three weeks. In Italy, everyone from factory workers to CEOs get four weeks paid vacation, not to mean Italy's 12 paid holidays. Italian workers also get a two hour lunch break where they will go home, meet their families and have a nice meal -- not your typical vending machine snack in American offices.

Another pretty interesting concept in Italy is that couples have paid honeymoons. What? Yeah. That's pretty insane. Couples are basically paid to go vacation and make a baby. Not only that, but they also get parental leave -- for both parents. Here in the United States, there's no way that would ever happen. Very rarely will American women even get paid maternity leave.

Moore spoke with Claudio Domenicali, the CEO of an Italian bike company called Ducati, and got his take on the situation. Domenicali asserted that worker wellness was his top priority since happier, more relaxed people will be more likely to produce good work.

The other country Moore visited that really caught my attention was Slovenia, which offers tuition-free college to anyone -- not just Slovenian residents. At one point, Moore asked students of the university how much debt that had and all replied with "none." One student didn't even know what the word "debt" even meant.



There were one or two American students he spoke with who admitted that college in the United States was too expensive for them so they decided to study abroad in Slovenia. The rector of the University of Ljubjana Ivan Svetlik, who said that more than 100 classes at college were taught in English. He believed that education for all is in everyone's best interest.

If there's one thing that we can take away from this documentary, it's that we ain't number one no more. The United States has a lot of growing to do and that will only be accomplished by putting together progressive platforms that help bolster the middle class, not the rich. We cannot maintain our status as a world power when other countries are surpassing us in almost every other facet.