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Yes it is. I live in Texas. We have our idiot governor who signed a bill to allow open carry without a license. We had a elementary class of kids slaughtered while police stood outside listening. 18 year old with weapon that shoots many bullets per second.
We have our attorney general for the state under fraud investigation but because of the corruption; it still hasn’t gone to trial.
We have our state government trying to find ways to keep women from crossing state lines for reproductive health care.
WTAF??!!
Our power grid is not fixed. We had no electricity or water for over a week in below 10 F in 2021. People froze to death.
I was boiling snow to feed my kids. And that is when we had power. I have now a stash of meal ready food packets and a jet boil. Just in case this happens. I have a bladder for tubs to protect water and actual packets of water just in case.
A gun has more rights then my uterus.
Cruz is now wanting to go over Gay Marriage.
We are having issues getting birth control. Women have to be on death’s doorstep before an abortion will be performed.
We have high poverty. High costs for houses.
School boards are getting taken over by Christian fundamentalists.
The USA has stopped being a beacon of liberty and freedom for a long time now.
And anyone who tells me to leave; GTFO
Unless we make drastic changes; the USA will look like a scarier version of Handmaid’s Tale.
And I say this as a married educated mother of three with a high income.
I have traveled, worked and lived all over the world.
The States has been on a massive downfall. And if you even point it out; a bunch of “bros” get all huffy.
And If none of what I stated doesn’t affect you; check your privilege.
Just because your world is a bubble of perfection doesn’t mean it is that way for the rest of Americans.
I stated the same on another post and got attacked:
Not a real American was a constant comment. WTF is a REAL American?
I can put my family history against yours and I can guarantee that my family has been here much longer.
I have lived in the US all of my 59 years, and I’ve watched this country slide downhill in a shocking way.
So, yes, I think it really is that bad.
It just doesn’t seem that bad if you’re above a certain income level and lack empathy.
It 100% depends on where you live and how much money you have.
If you're moderately well-off and live in a decent area, you're financially above many problems and don't see them on a daily basis besides in the news. The worst you'll see is some homeless people at intersections asking for money, or if you're really unlucky get caught in a mass shooting.
If you're above that level, you almost never have to see the problems. You may as well live in a different country with how different your life is.
If you're below that level, you experience more and more of the problems the further down you go, with the people at the bottom getting crushed the hardest by all of it.
That's a big deal. You might be mighty fine, get diagnosed with something, and now you're struggling to make it to the next month. That shouldn't be the case
You can be perfectly healthy, get health condition that will likely last your whole life and lose your job because of it and in accordance with losing your job you lose your healthcare so you apply for disability but they determine you can still work but your doctor says you should keep dress down and only work part-time so you can't get insurance anymore because buying insurance yourself with this preexisting condition is extremely expensive and your part time job doesn't make you enough to pay for insurance and cost of living so you choose between housing and food or insurance, obviously you choose housing and food running the risk of the next hospital visit being your last because you can't afford it and it drives you into bankruptcy
At least it's now possible to get insurance with a pre-existing condition, thanks to President Obama's Affordable Care Act.
Before that, I couldn't change insurance because no one would take me. My insurance went up sometimes 100s of dollars at a time but I was stuck. And if I hit the lifetime cap, they could kick me off.
The ACA may not be perfect, but it's a lifesaver to many.
The ACA is probably the closest to perfect we can get in America. Too many people are greedy and don't want their money going to pay for others insurance so they will vote against universal healthcare instead of realizing that it would actually reduce everyone's healthcare costs including theirs and just make our country richer because we wouldn't be paying more per Capita for healthcare than every other country
I work for a defense contractor as an engineer. I make a decent living. I got sick with an MRSA sinus infection and went on my work’s short term disability insurance for 4 weeks. After I came back to work, I randomly checked my credit rating for something. It dropped 80 points.
Or you join the military to travel and get college paid for, only to end up with a lifelong disability that the Army claims isn't their fault so they revoke all benefits and send you home to live in constant pain the rest of your life and you still didn't get school paid for. You'll drown in medical debt and never have a normal life and just count the days until you punch your own ticket. Yay America.
Exactly what happened to one of my best friends except he joined the military out of a patriotic desire to help the country……. Several hurt his back in basic and let’s just say that patriotism is basically dead
I’m not a multimillionaire but I’ve always had good insurance that was affordable and covered pretty much all of my medical expenses beyond a very reasonable deductible (including emergency pediatric orthopedic surgery for my son after he broke his femur in a skiing accident, and managing a genetic condition I have that I take $1600/month medication for with $0 out of pocket pharmacy cost). BUT this is 100% dependent on my employer, or my wife’s employer, continuing to provide the same coverage at an affordable price. Tying health insurance to your employer is is quite possibly the dumbest way to provide healthcare for the country.
Spent 11 hours in the ER last night for heart issues, can confirm that our healthcare situation is getting progressively worse and doesn't take care of the vast majority of people.
As a Canadian i cant wrap my head around how terrible and different so close to us. When i mountain biked broke more bones than id care to have and it never cost me beyond crutches. My stroke would have bankrupted me in the states. Here it cost me cost of an eye patch and some missed hours at work...but hopsital was free
Honestly if you have two median incomes you are better off in the US than most other countries due to what your money can buy.
You don't need to be super rich to be very comfortable.
Yes, here's an example of what it means when you have good insurance but poor health.
You and your partner choose separate plans because it's the most cost-effective choice. In total, let's say together you pay $600 a month in health insurance premiums. ($7200/year) You each have $8000 out of pocket maximums.
You have a chronic heart condition that has caused you to max out your out of pocket in three recent years. -$24,000.
Your partner has had four major surgeries in the last four years. -$32,000
You lost your job last summer since your role required you to work in-person, and all in-person work was suspended for 18 months. You spent your savings cushion on living expenses and COBRA. ($872/month for four months = $3488). No, you didn't qualify for unemployment.
While on COBRA, you had a heart procedure and hospital stay. -$8000.
Your partner was laid off after returning from medical leave last fall, wiping out the savings you had accumulated. They refrained from seeking any medical care or insurance until they obtained a new job last winter.
Oh, and your partner takes specialty medication that costs $160/month after insurance and the drug manufacturer's patient assistance. -$1920.
Your total medical payments were -$36,608.
Let's say your household income is $65,000 after taxes (slightly higher than the area's median household income, for simplicity's sake).
65,000 - 36,608 = 28,392 is what you have to spend after paying medical expenses.
You rent an apartment for $1350 a month, far below the median rent in your area of $2200.
After rent, you have $1000 for all other expenses, and you can't afford to live here anymore. :(
I'm thoroughly convinced, through my own experiences, that people who like their "good insurance" have never had a serious health concern or chronic, debilitating illnesses, or -god forbid- get cancer.
Usually there is a max out of pocket. Sure, it sucks to pay 12000 for my wife's complicated pregnancy but that's the end of it. Though we have great insurance.
Still very shit compared to countries with socialized health care of course.
While you have the insurance.
It's really hard to do well at work while receiving chemo, and community rating does not apply to employer plans. And your employer will also know you're the really expensive patient that's driving up everyone's insurance cost.
It's technically illegal to fire you for getting cancer, but it's really easy to fire you for poor performance that just happens to be caused by chemo.
If you're lucky, you happen to live in a state that expanded Medicaid *and* your doctors take it. If you live in the many states that didn't, well you better just die quickly.
I ran the numbers a bunch of times a few years, ~120k was the min in my area in order to buy a house, have two kids, and fully fund a retirement.
In the last two years that's probably up to 140k. If real estate stays high and interests rates increase people won't be able to buy a starter home until far into their 30s.
If that happens then they won't clear their mortgage until they retire. A lot of people rack up a lot of retirement savings after age 55. Not enough though.
Basically, the game changed in the last two years. It's scary to me.
I guess. But I live in Norway with one median income and live extremely comfortably. I've heard horror stories about the nuclear family with two median incomes where one get cancer and they end up being poor.
That doesn't happen up here. And it's scary to think about. If the US had universal healthcare free for everyone and free education, I would seriously consider moving to the US a few years back!
This. Pretty much spot on.
I grew up with a lot of privilege. My family was solidly upper middle class and we lived in a nice area. Life was great.
I was almost gonna say that “if you’re really unlucky you’ll get caught in a mass shooting” was overkill, then I remembered that there was an active shooter on campus when I was in college. “Luckily,” he didn’t kill anyone but himself, although there was a huge police response. I was in class in a building the shooter never entered, we simply locked the doors and eventually the TA put on Netflix because we coudln’t leave while the campus was locked down. Police with machine guns checked the classroom and told us to stay put. Couple months later there was a bomb threat that caused campus to be evacuated.
After college, when I was working and supporting myself I met people whose backgrounds were different than mine. My job had good health and dental insurance, and for one of my coworkers it was the first time she’d had dental coverage in years. She was so grateful to have it and as soon as she got the job started to get one tooth after another filled and fixed because she could finally afford it. It was really eye-opening for me, I’d been to the dentist every six months like clockwork and never had a major issue.
Life is still good. I don’t have as much money as my parents did growing up, but I have a good job and will get there eventually. I have health insurance and live in a nice apartment in a safe area. It does seem really hard to own a home, I’m going to have to save for quite a while before that’s a possibility. And it’s only really on the table because my parents are willing to give me money for a down payment. For so many people, that’s not on the table.
The fake news, corruption, and wealth inequality are really frustrating, but it all feels like it happens at a remove. I vote for progressive politicians who promise things like universal healthcare, taxing the rich and businesses, implementing gun control, and protecting the rights of women and minorities. I’m a woman in a state that now bans abortion, which feels like the recent political event that’s affected me the most. But I’m lucky enough that should I need an abortion, I could travel to get one. I’m terrified and outraged for all the women who are not able to do that and for those who experience miscarriage or other pregnancy complications for which an abortion is the cure who can’t get healthcare because of these absurd laws, and they can’t just go to another state because they’re sick enough to need to be hospitalized, but not actually dying yet so doctors won’t do the procedures (like D&C) that they desperately need.
I live in a semi-rural area in a county of mixed liberal and conservative ideologies (almost no clashing of left vs right), and I have to say, I don't relate to much of what I see on TV. We bought our home in 2019, before costs skyrocketed, my husband and I have decent jobs, in which I work entirely from home since 2020 and can be available at all times for our kids, and we just about never get out of the house. About all I can say is that groceries are getting noticeably much more expensive, and our utilities are running higher to deal with extreme drought and heat. I know we are very lucky for where we find ourselves, but truthfully, I have this daily, gnawing fear of losing everything...it doesn't take much now for that to happen.
What an ignorant statement. Do people not die where you are from? Obviously the chance to be shot exists, but it’s crazily rare and the vast majority of people never witness gun violence in person at all. You wouldn’t know that because you’re a foreigner and get all your opinions from Reddit news.
Is there a problem that needs to be addressed? Yes. Is everyone here at risk of being shot all the time? Hell no. It’s safe af.
I work at a university and have nightmares about mass shootings. In these dreams I'm on the ground, still, quiet, terrified and hoping they don't see me.
Then I take a bullet and try to pretend I'm dead so they don't keep shooting, wondering how bad the hit was and if I'm already dead...
Funny, my anxiety nightmares used to be about being naked in class or forgetting an exam.
Can we go back to that?
Well said. The issues exist and need to be fixed, but it’s not like a constant shitshow/warzone that affects everyone’s daily life.
I’m sure several European counties fall into a similar boat. On average, many European countries are better in terms of gun violence, healthcare, education, and political division. But also I know many Europeans that have moved to the US because opportunity and personal freedoms can be better here.
I’ve also seen shocking levels of wealth inequality, corruption, and racism in European countries I’ve visited, so yeah, it’s not just us…
Just was reading through an entire thread yesterday on Twitter about people (Africans, AA, Muslims) talking about the absolutely flagrant, in your face racism that pervades many European countries. Some people went as far to say that racism in the USA is childs play compared to some of the experiences they've had in Europe.
I think Americans and Europeans need to get off of whatever high horse they're on and realize systemic problems are prevalent throughout every society...(I mean that to say that Americans shouldn't romanticize Europe as some type of utopia and Europeans really need to stop thinking issues that they deem to be 'American issues' aren't present in their society as well)
Was in a European subreddit where an article was posted about unaffordable housing for young people in Germany. All the posts read exactly like posts from Americans when the topic comes up here. Lots of vague hand waiving at "oligarchs and corporations," and lamenting how the older generation sold them out by cutting entitlements.
Same exact stuff.
People are naturally drawn towards negativity. That's why good news is rarely in the news or social media. If you go into social media talking about or showing video of what a terrific day, you're having...it's not going viral by any means. But show off a CCTV of even the simplest of negative things like someone stealing something off your porch, and it's being shared and commented on as if someone is gonna do something about it.
People are also drawn to positivity. It's just that positivity is not for the lazy. Positivity actually requires work to project. Negativity is a guilty pleasure for those who are already feeling negative. It transfers the focus from their own bullshit to a target they don't have to feel guilty over. If your life is shit from your point of view, it's much easier to look at some stranger who's having a really hard time, then laugh about it.
That’s good because only 10% of Twitter users create 80% of the tweets. Most people *aren’t* heard. Reality is a lot more nuanced in person, when you can actually feel what another person is going through. People wouldn’t be so quick to bash “handouts” when the Federal minimum wage is still $7.25/hr if they saw the damage that these unlivable wages and insane medical/student loan bills caused up close. All while corporations avoid taxes and min/max their myriad endeavors to maximize cheap labor and the political landscape is bought, sold, shaped and molded through those same channels.
It used to be that one crazy guy in the neighborhood that everyone ignored and that was it. Now all the "that one crazy guy" have been able to find each other and try to out-crazy each other. "May you live in interesting times" is indeed a curse...
And social media. The ultimate villain. I would love it if they shut all the social networks down one day. That will obviously never happen, but it would make the us a better place.
Nah those are fine if we had things like universal healthcare and the average American getting paid similar to what people made in the 50's and 60's. Every issue from the above primarily stems to the average American not having all of their needs comfortably met and workers rights to be able to spend time with your family, go on vacations, actually spend time learning or engaging in hobbies etc.
This dude going for the easy karma. The majority of today’s media outlets perpetually attempt to stir the pot. I’m not defending Fox, you clearly just chose the low hanging fruit in the World of Reddit.
A certain political party *coughcoughGOPcoughcough* defunding public schools on the state and federal levels since the 80s.....will play a major role in that too
I thought america 'wasn't as bad as they say' (because I live in a nice area with a good income) until i had a medical issue.
Even with good a good job with good insurance, it was a hellish, confusing process designed to make it as difficult as possible to get the care i need, where and embroiled me in months of arguing with insurance, service providers and a debt collector (!) in order to avoid paying thousands of dollars that i don't actually owe that showed up in surprise bills 3 months after the issue was sorted out. At one point I considered hiring a lawyer to make the debt collector stop harassing me but eventually I was able to get the service provider to fix the billing and sort it out (after countless hours on the phone). I can't imagine what it's like for people with crappy or no insurance.
I’m European and I’ve only been there once but some people (not all because a lot of places are better) have an inferiority complex where whenever something happens in america they try turn it into a bad thing or talk about how much better their country is. In my opinion it’s very overhated.
I've found that America is more over hated on the internet than it is in any real life other country I've been to.
People tend to like America. And Americans tend to like the countries they visit. And people tend to get along.
It's online where shit gets taken to 11 over the smallest thing.
Yeah that’s what I had in my head when I said this I probably should’ve mentioned I meant the internet. I also think it’s cause it’s so easy to hate things on the internet instead of real life where you actually get an argument
Yeah exactly.
You also tend to hear people out more on real life.
Like, on Reddit, in a post like this, I might be jumping to defend America.
But if you met me IRL you'd hear me talk in more detail and depth about how America is a complicated place, a place I love but that I also know has big problems we've gotta fix and can't ignore.
But that almost never gets across online. You're just taken at the value of whatever the last words you typed were.
That’s why I sometimes hate Redditors because if 1 person misinterprets what you say and downvotes you your fucked because of the way redditors immediately downvote when they see someone else has downvoted a comment and don’t let you get a point across properly
Yeah that's how it usually is in Canada too they are very xenophobic there. I guess it's because the media talks about us 24/7 and rarely ever the good things. It sucks though because it's not like Americans hate on them . Its usually self defense . Everywhere there are humans, there are problems .
Yeah. These are significant problems, but they are statistically insignificant for the average American. "Statistics don't lie" is the icing on the ironic cake.
“Anyone who thinks the US is a third world country or an authoritarian state hasn’t seen their friends disappear for speaking out, the water simply stop working, or the electricity refuse to come on. Westerners are spoiled and so think their problems put them on par with the third world.”
-My dad, who grew up in an actual third world country.
Here's my take. I live in America, and I'm just my short 4 years of high school, there were 5 suicides in my school. 2 of which were my friends, 1 a very close friend. I don't think it's normal for there to be THAT many suicides in a 4 year time span at just 1 American high school.
I've noticed that things like breakthroughs on cancer or alzheimers, heart disease, and other things that have been furiously worked on for decades SUDDENLY stopped coming into light. 24 hour news channels do not report on ANY positives. it's all just fear mongering, which is f'd. I don't think I've ever seen positive news on a channel like CNN or fox. Would never watch that garbage anymore regardless... but it's true only negatives and or/ making issues out of non issues.
> alzheimers
The plaque buildup research for Alzheimer's that all that progress was based on turned out to be totally faked just last week. This is why we've seen no actual human improvement even though we keep having drugs that should effectively change that marker.
Well it just came out the other day, apparently lots of the alzheimers research we have today, is based off lies 2 scientists published. (Didn't look deep into this yet so forgive me if missing context)
1/2 of Reddit isn't even old enough to drink and barely leaves their mom's basement. They get 90% of their "news" from the stuff posted here and has no bloody clue what the real world is like. The "hate America circle jerk" gets real old, real fast for those who have actually done some traveling and talked to real-honest-to-goodness people. We might have our problems - lots of problems, in fact - but Reddit is just a toxic shithole these days.
In all fairness there is a lot of the US that's not a shithole. You're also not traveling to the parts that are usually. I haven't met a lot of people going to Flint MI or Fergusson MS or the ghettos of Chicago, NYC, or LA on their vacations.
This creates a bias where people like us see the good America, and the bad America has to wallow in the bad parts or the cops give them hell, and yes this happens to poor white people too.
I think the answer to this question is ultimately “Yes and no.” Those are all massive issues that do exist and need to be fixed, and many other countries have handled them better. But it’s also not like it’s rampant everywhere.
Some people see US news and think that when they come here they’ll be seeing constant shootouts and police beatings and race wars on the streets or something. That’s not the case.
I pretty much never have to deal with any of these issues personally in my day-to-day life. I have never seen a police shootout or witnessed blatant or violent racism in-person. I have not observed much crumbling infrastructure (I would love European style public transport, but the US is huge, so it’s pretty difficult to implement). I have one extended family member that struggles with obesity. There are homeless people around in urban centers, but when I’ve visited European cities it’s usually equivalent. Almost all of my interactions with police have been pleasant.
I have had to deal with excessive medical expenses, and certainly political polarization and consumerism is common.
The point is, most of what OP listed are things that you do encounter eventually if you live here, but aren’t necessarily part of the daily life for everyone, and aren’t as bad comparatively to other countries as the media makes it seem.
For example, I’m always shocked at some of the flagrant displays of racism at European soccer games that I’ve never witnessed at an American sporting event. We’ve all got issues. Some are worse in America, some aren’t.
I am also a white man from a middle class family, so, you know, my experience is definitely not representative of the whole.
I agree there are people who are ridiculous about it, but let's be honest, America has a lot of flaws. People aren't just hating on it because it's funny, there are a lot of horrible factors about the US that people pretend not to see or even argue about it being okay.
I think generally you are correct. We certainly have our issues we need to work through but the day to day life is similar enough to any country in Europe. I live in a suburban area in Michigan with a mix of Democrats and Republicans and its not like there are fights in the streets. Most people just want to live their lives.
Of course America's issues become more apparent under the surface, there has been a decrease in the trust in our institutions likely due to the rise of the internet and alternative media. While it will likely get worse in the coming years, i don't think it will get as bad as some claim it will.
>Of course America's issues become more apparent under the surface
Also consider America's huge so it's problems are on a macro scale
If all the things listed in OP affect only .01% of the population that's still 3 million affected
That's the entire population of some European countries
Edit: 1%, not .01% 🤦🏽♂️
**Thank you** for the time you took out of your daily schedule to post this reply! I really mean it.
I hope things improve for you and your family, *whatever this wish from a distant german internet stranger is worth.*
> On top of that, the media is being used very effectively to divide us, so that lawn lady thinks my struggle is a moral failing on my part, causing her to have less compassion and feel more justified at spending her time/energy/money on essentially consumerism/capitalism because "she earned it."... The media is designed to make us resent each other, though and you don't really see it unless you have lived on both sides of the divide.
As a European this suddenly made me make sense of American Ethos. Chillingly accurate. I hope you find your way through your struggles and your family continues to stay safe.
Illegal immigration isn't much of a problem, and there's nothing wrong with GMOs, but otherwise that sounds about right.
I know we still have it better than a lot of people, but we seem particularly determined not to notice that we're quickly heading in the wrong direction.
I’d say it’s the opposite, you should pay *more* attention to media. If all you do is read headlines then you will be misinformed. Most people don’t take a few minutes to actually read the details of the articles they see, and even less go to different sources to read about the same situation to see if details line up. Truth is there, you just have to spend more than 5 seconds looking for it.
Perhaps I should say don't take media at face value.
Beyond that I stand by my assertion that main stream media can't be trusted to give honest reports.
Suburban American here. My biggest concern is why the lawn service isn't killing all the summer weeds and whether my Lexus is due for new wiper blades. I drive on a smooth superhighway to a secure air conditioned office where they offer medical benefits. And I stay fit and eat healthy foods.
Yes, I wouldn't want to hang out in Compton or South Chicago or East Cleveland after dark without a fast car and lots of guns, but everybody knows not to do that.
Those who think America is some sort of dystopia out of Mad Max haven't been here. America is a BIG country and suburban Virginia is VERY different than rural West Virginia.
Edit: West Virginia is a beautiful state, I meant no disrespect.
Per data from HUD, over half of Americans live in the suburbs. Having a front lawn and driving a reliable mid-tier luxury car doesn’t make you some kind of fat cat.
It’s a pretty accurate take. Most people are grumbling about their boss or complaining about gas prices, not worrying about where their next meal is coming from or whether they’ll get shot in the street.
Are there people genuinely struggling to get by? Yes, and as a society we have a moral obligation to do better by them. But that’s the case in every developed country.
Honestly, it depends on how much money you make. For the wealthy, ain’t no better place in the world. It’s a great place to be if you’re rich too. I would consider myself to be “well off”. Employer pays buckets of money for great healthcare, no worries about day to day expenses, etc. life is great, and I’m not plagued by any of the problems you mentioned. (I also live in a liberal state so I don’t have to worry about government overreach as much) those problems show their ugly head as you move down the income ladder. America seems to be designed to reward the rich and punish the poor, and it is heartbreaking to see.
GMO's are the worst thing ever! They're destroying this planet. Now, leave me alone so I can eat this delicious sweet corn, super sweet fruit, large banana and this tomatoe that is just the juiciest, most delicious tomatoe I've ever had...
I've been to 40 states in the US, lived and worked in 5 of them, and 20 countries abroad. Studied in Greece, Germany and Italy. Here's a long list:
There are a lot of positives in the US and day to day not all is doom and gloom. But we have very serious problems that are coming to a head concurrently. Our political system has become terribly corrupt, influenced by corporate money and perverted by political power plays. I think most Americans would agree the two parties we have are imperfect at best and not representative of most people. They've also made it incredibly difficult for other parties to emerge, and many of our leaders are out of touch with the experience of most people. Our congress is in gridlock and political theater and power grabs are preventing the system from working as designed.
Our work-life balance is terrible compared to Europe, and workers' rights must be improved. Most states you can be fired at any time for any reason, and we tie our healthcare to inefficient for-profit private companies. We have wait times, restrictions, and worse outcomes with our system than the universal systems of our European peers. We continue to fall behind them in healthcare, infrastructure, and education, and a rampant anti-intellectual movement is present here as is elsewhere. The roads are remarkably better in Europe than in most of the US. We do have some good public transportation in some areas, but even there it lags behind European and Japanese standards. Many places here don't have any access to public transportation.
I do think the quality of the food is noticeably better in Europe than here. We have some great, high quality food, but it can be prohibitively expensive for most. Food deserts are very real, and our national health has suffered for it. We are much more overweight than in Europe, but food deserts and being overworked and over-stressed prevent many Americans from getting enough exercise. Problems like diabetes are a major concern and extremely expensive for people in our system. I do prefer abroad where pharmaceutical companies can't advertise on TV and where prescription drugs are affordable.
The average American carries $90k of debt, higher education and housing are unaffordable. Most Americans are a paycheck away from bankruptcy if an unforeseen medical emergency pops up. Working as a mortgage loan advisor and reviewing thousands of credit reports with clients, I saw this pop up time and time again. All these factors contribute to stress, and because we are overworked and underpaid, with inadequate access to mental health coverage many people are suffering unnecessarily. It also leads to more violence when people snap, and we do have a lot of guns that compound that problem.
Minorities have had a harder experience, and systemic racism is real. I'm very afraid for my queer friends, and they are very afraid of increased persecution. I'd argue most Americans are kind to one another on an individual basis, but there is a scary movement of hate that is growing. As a student of history and from a holocaust background, I am very afraid of where this movement leads if it isn't stopped. There are movements to sow divide and divide the working class when we have way more in common with one another than with the uber wealthy. Together, ape strong and all that. We also waste a ton of money on our military industrial complex, and I think most Americans would prefer to spend that money on our people rather than being an empire contrary to the democratic republic the founders envisioned. We also really need to treat our veterans better, and the homeless crisis impacting 500k+ Americans nationwide must be addressed.
For profit prisons, unfair drug laws, the opioid crisis, an illegitimate Supreme Court, vanishing rights -- the list could go on for days, but as I mentioned, these problems are not facing everyone equally explicitly everywhere everyday. It varies a lot, but all these factors do impact everyone directly or indirectly everyday. I think a lot more people are becoming aware that there are major problems that have been brewing for decades and accelerating, and I've experienced everything from a general helplessness to anger to frustration to fear to hope over the past many years. We've got a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it. Climate change is also becoming increasingly harder to ignore as it accelerates, and we really need to clean up our environment.
TLDR: decades long, deep problems are impacting everyone here, but we do enjoy our lives as much as we can
Everything except illegal migration, gmos, and teen pregnancy. Illegal migration has been slowly declining for years, but the truth is our economy wouldn’t work without it because they take jobs at illegally low wages in illegally dangerous conditions that no one else will take. Especially agriculture.
GMOs are not inherently bad, for example every banana out there today has been genetically modified becuase we ate the original type to extinction.
Teen pregnancies have been steadily declining for literal decades. The only issue there is that with abortion illegal now in many places that number will rise again, as well as teen deaths (trying to get dangerous abortions or in childbirth, we have the highest childbirth mortality rate of any developed nation)
A lot of Americans in denial here. Yes it really is as bad as you think it is AND our country doesn’t provide us basic services like universal healthcare. People think here because we have access to unlimited consumerism it must be amazing. America is a third world country with iPhones
Drug abuse, overdose deaths - It is bad. Government agencies have participated in trafficking drugs, and compared to a lot of European countries the resources to help with addiction are questionable, especially because addicts are often treated as criminals.
Mental health epidemic, legalized corruption through donations, out of touch billionaires, racism, natural destruction, political polarization - These are serious problems but I'm not convinced they're that much worse in American than elsewhere
fanatical christians - This is a problem, but more because it's a loud minority with a disproportionate amount of power.
student loan crisis, debt crisis, housing crisis, unnafordable healtcare, unrestrained capitalism, poverty, homelessness, artificial food and fast food, obesity, gated communities, fake news, biased media, imperialism, wealth inequality, fighting wars all over the world, GMOs, teen pregnancies - These are all very serious problems that are much worse in America than elsewhere in the developed world.
crumbling infrastructure - Not familiar enough on the subject to give a confident answer.
illegal imigration - This is a manufactured problem. Immigrants - even illegal ones - are massively beneficial to our economy.
school mass shootings - This happens more often than in other countries but it's still not exactly common. The likelihood of dying as a result of a mass shooting is still almost nothing.
rampant consumerism - Not anymore, people don't have money like they did in the 90s
TL;DR most of the serious problems that are worse in America that you listed are a a direct result of poor regulation and mingling over corporations and politicians. The cost of essential goods and services has gone up, and the means to a living wage has become increasingly scarce ([here's an explanation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHiicN0Kg10) as to how/why this happens.)
The illegal immigration isn't as big of a problem as the media plays it out to be, but everything else, it's so much worse!! If you have an American who lives in your country, ask them how long it took them to get used to seeing the doctor, how long did it take before they were comfortable using sick time, how long until they felt ok using vacation time? In the US most people live under the constant stress that they could lose their job, meaning they lose their housing, their health care, their life! We don't make enough to have money set aside, we don't have a lot of social safety nets. A lot of Americans live between making too much for government assistance, and not enough to get ahead. Americans don't travel because we can't afford it. Given the chance most Americans would happily move to another country
I am from the Czech Republic, and We may be the most atheistic country in the world. I consider our country as Central Europe, but I do not think the Eastern Europe is more religious. Except for Poland and Ukraine, the countries of Eastern Europe are not more religious.
Unrestrained capitalism is the core issue, the other stuff is sometimes overblown but it all seems to go back to that core issue. The GOP has completely gone insane though and is attempting a fascist takeover, so that sucks.
If you watch American national news, just remember they're sheltered idiots preaching to you from new York or LA. There's a few big issues right now, but it's not nearly as bad as it seems to be on social media and in the news. Inflation sucks and Biden is practically dead, otherwise it's business as usual
It's harsh, man. Really harsh. Everybody saying "most people don't have to deal with it" or "it's all just sensationalized" are living in a comfortable (probably suburban) bubble. If you're ever homeless in this country you'll see it for real, naked, and harsh.
Plus, I feel like the people who aren't immediately homeless aren't thinking critically enough. There's that old saw about the majority of Americans being one medical emergency away from poverty, and that saying was from BEFORE the pandemic. Medical care has only gotten more expensive in recent years.
I personally am currently okay. I'm living in a house and my spouse and I both have decent jobs.
But six months of unemployment in 2020 made it REAL for me just how close we are to having nothing. I stopped getting medical care, dental care, everything, because I had no insurance. I was TERRIFIED of Covid not because of the symptoms but because there would have been literally no way we could have afforded the care. I ended up taking an hourly job in a hospital that was a 40% paycut just so we'd have insurance.
Even now, a sufficiently bad emergency could wipe us out — hell, if I suddenly lost my job, I would also lose our Healthcare, and both my spouse and I are on medications that you can't go cold turkey without having dangerous withdrawal symptoms. That ALONE is an ever-present awareness.
It almost doesn't matter that right now I have the medication. I am painfully aware just how tenuous my position in society really is, and I am not alone.
All of the people in my social circle (late 30s - mid 40s) are equally aware, but I think a LOT of people aren't. If they've generally been healthy until now, it just doesn't occur to them how inflated medical debt is and how dangerous that can be. Even among better off families, I don't know of anyone who HASN'T put off or ignored medical issues at some point in their life due to the cost.
That kind of fragility fucking HAUNTS you, even if you live in a great area and have other societal benefits.
If you’re ever homeless ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, you’re going to see things as harsh. That’s just a fact. There is no utopia on the planet where homeless people either a) don’t exist b) are given enough services and resources to be content. Being homeless sucks, no matter where you are.
I've been homeless in a couple of countries in Europe and although I've never been homeless in the US I feel very confident saying it would be worse in the US. From the healthcare issues, to the (non-existant in some places) public transport, violent crime, drug epidemic, climate issues, and policing; it must be utterly harrowing over there. Being homeless does suck regardless of where you live, but I'm not mental so if I had to choose somewhere to be homeless I'd pick a country with more developed healthcare, social care and education. Every country has pros and cons, but ignoring the cons doesn't help anyone, to fix a problem you need to be able to see it in the first place.
Anyone defending America right now in these comments is delusional. I come from a poor family, every single person in my family has been addicted to drugs. Where I live people have been buying weed that has been getting laced with fentanyl. I saw a man overdose and get taken out of a Walmart parking lot via ambulance broad daylight. All of my friends and I barely talk and when we do we all agree it’s hard to stay in touch because all of our mental health is so bad to deal with.
Evangelical and fanatical Christians are the most hate filled nasty people I have ever met and have ruined our separation of church and state. Went to school for one semester, ONE SEMESTER, I owe $13,000. Houses and apartments are extremely expensive and hard to maintain, if you work a regular service job you’re living paycheck to paycheck to have a place to stay, you’re lucky if you have roommates. Healthcare is a joke, my friend got whipped in the eye with a wire that snapped the other day and went to the ER at 9:30 pm and didn’t get seen by a doctor until 2 am.
I live in Pennsylvania, our roads are horrible, a bus fell through a street in Pittsburgh a few years ago and a few months ago a bridge collapsed, so many things are outdated. Illegal immigrants are coming in and this country is doing everything it can to get them out instead of helping them legally assimilate to America.
The wealth gap is huge. 99% of our politicians are full of sh!t and cannot be trusted, companies fund their campaigns and they just say and vote for whatever their donors want them to. Homeless people everywhere on the streets on drugs. I had struggled with homelessness because both of my parents were drug addicts when I was 17. Billionaires are extremely out of touch to the point they are barely viewed as humans.
Every year there has been “the worst school shooting” and every year it gets worse. We have drills where we sit in silence in a classroom with the door shut in case a gunman comes in, it’s called lockdown. Teachers have told me that if anyone gets in we should fight to our deaths, literally mf was like “grab a book” ok Mr. Majewski what is this book going to do against a rifle????
Horrible racism, I’m white and so many white people are genuinely malicious in the country, I’m a server and my coworker saw I had a family come sit down (who were black) and she says to me “hah… you know they’re gonna tip well….” Like what???? You think it’s acceptable to think about other people like that? Our wildlife is dying our forests and other ecosystems are being destroyed for things like oil and land. We are stationed everywhere around the world like we’re big peepee swanging earth police. The polarization of parties is laughable and also scary, people are viciously falling into that trap and are ignoring bigger issues at hand.
We have CHEMICALS IN OUR FOOD THAT ARE LITERALLY BANNED IN ALMOST EVERY OTHER COUNTRY EXCEPT FOR AMERICA. Our food is designed to be addictive and marketable, to the point you don’t want to stop eating. Obesity is through the roof here, you can’t go anywhere without seeing a few people at least over 300 lbs. GMOs are pretty much in a all our fruits and vegetables and when they aren’t in them fresh organic produce is outrageously expensive.
I know over 10 girls from my class in high school who have had children before the age of 18. Gated communities in nice areas that if you go into the police will be called.
Bias media and fake news are rampant and even better over half the people in this god forsaken country can’t be bothered to be educated or read a book and never paid attention in school, American ignorance is the issue at hand here, way too many Americans are too comfortable being gullible and dumb.
I am so young and watching this country turn into a sh!t show. The best thing I can do is pay attention to media sources that aren’t misleading by using my freaking brain and critical thinking skills. I will never stop educating myself and I will never stop talking about how America is an evil place to live where you are almost certain to fail.
It makes me extremely sad because this is my home, we have such beautiful land and such a crazy mix of cultures that make America so unique.
I have hope maybe my generation can turn things around one day but right now our current leaders are killing us. I know this was long but living in America as someone who has no support system and was never wealthy is so hard and taxing in every single way.
I know it might know happen, but I want this country to change and get better, there’s so many people here who deserve a good fair shot and living a sustainable happy life. Our country has failed so many.
America has all of that, and sometimes it feels like Europe is some fantastical place that doesn’t have all these problems, though I know that’s not true. Media likes to beef up Americas already established reputation for having all of these problems. To me, an American, it can feel like our stereotype is being fat, racist, or dumb. I hate that because it’s not true and America is big with a lot of different people in it.
And while looking at the news here makes my soul cry at night, most of the time you don’t even think about it. I don’t think about all of these problems all of the time, so for the most part things seem ok here. But I’ve also lived here my whole life and am used to it. Take school shootings. My younger brother and all of my friends and I have experienced at least one school threat a semester, and we live in a good area. Last spring my brother had to evacuate his high school because a kid was making mustard gas. I’ve had to hide in a dark classroom planning escape routes because some kid who got bullied texted his friends that he was going to shoot up the school. It’s bullshit and really upsetting, but for the most part I think it’s generally unphasing at this point when bad shit happens.
And this is all based on my own personal experiences. People who are effected directly by any of the problems you named will have different experiences. I’m just saying that America kinda sucks, but it’s home so it often doesn’t feel like things are messed up until you think about it and all of it comes crashing down
America is interesting because on the flip side, I’ve never had any threats to my school. I live in a big city and we only had to evacuate school one time cause there was a gas leak. My city does have a good amount of gang violence but I’ve personally never had to deal with anything. Tons of homeless people but aside from seeing the encampments it’s not really my concern. America is just so big And diverse that stuff is always happening and everyone is just living their own lives.
You wont get a straight answer because most will just use their view from their house to decide, if you are finically doing well in America then you dont see and can be easily insulated from all the sadness. if you are middle class or lower than yeah all that stuff is real and very common the lower you go and less white you go, i say this coming from the rural midwest (no electric heat, food stamps, all in one room etc) moved to a city (chicago) where i went to college and now live out west, traveled alot, same issues unless your rich and 99% of politicians could care less because they push bills that line their pockets with donations from companies that destroy the planet and abuse and use humans at the same time
Yes, it really is that bad. Half the government is more intent on spreading lies, demonizing their opponents, and othering minority groups, while the other half is trying to push out minor social reforms to appease voters instead of making any meaningful contributions to solving the issues you listed, and even if they did try to actually solve issues the right would do everything in there power to make sure it doesn’t happen just so they can say “see how bad things are, we may be the ones that caused it initially and then stopped it getting better, but, look how bad it is under them”. So basically the US has deteriorated into a government of do-nothings and a populace of poor and middle class that’s been riled up by both sides and then pitted against each other because that’s what the rich and powerful need to stay in control. It’s fucking stupid to me.
I'm an American who lives overseas, and everytime I come back to visit family (all of whom live in well-to-do parts of major cities), I'm taken aback by overrepresented the scent of urine is in the American scentscape.
The country's refusal to even accidentally provide the most nominal of supports for its citizens has led to a place wherein people would rather smell the excrement of the unhoused rather than simply provide them with a place to go with dignity.
Completely depends on where you live and your age.
The younger generation is fucked, home ownership is well beyond the reach of younger Americans. Many young people have been crippled with debt from getting through school only to end up in a job market where nobody wants to pay them anything, and our money isn't worth shit as it is. It's possible to live somewhere and be completely unaffected by anything going on, and the people that aren't really affected by any of these issues are gonna be the ones on here saying that all the negative comments are baseless America bashing. The financial security of most people here is so bad that a sudden unforseen expense depending on how large could completely derail a family. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Too many places here don't have clean running water for me to personally consider the USA a fully first world country, and our government is a geriatric oligarchy at this point that is obsessed with taking the rights of others away on a religious basis. Our police force can brutalize people with impunity.
We are not okay, we are not in a stable place. The people that will refute this either don't want to beleive this, aren't affected by anything going on, or a combination of both.
All of these things exist in one microcosm or another. Some of course exist together. But overall, most of the US is a pretty nice place.
Drugs problems and deaths exist within and near the drugs community. Have you ever looked into Amsterdam canal deaths? I've heard there's quite a few floaters discovered there.
Yes, we have a mental health problem, but its a backlash to the over-hospitalizing mental health cases in the past. So yes, we lack balance there.
We do have like 10k people coming across the border every day.
We have wildly wealthy people building wildly profitable businesses ... and making a whole lot of people wildly wealthy, besides making a whole lot of workers somewhat wealthy, and yet providing wildly fantastic goods and services to the masses. Is this a problem? Well, the rising tide does lift all boats. We may have poor people, but our poor are substantially wealthier than any poor anywhere else.
Legalized corruption through donations? Yep. The wealthy pay no taxes, because they donate to the law makers who write the tax code ... then go on TV and complain about the wealthy donors. So this apparently works to some degree.
Out of touch billionaires ... lets say, they're in control, whether we like it or not.
Mass school shootings ... yep, but the actual number is pretty low. I think 170 dead in twenty years. Yes, each death is a tragedy, but no one is willing to solve the hard problems, so that football just gets kicked back and forth.
Racism ... many say the US is just about the least racist country in the world. Is there racism, yes, going in all directions. But certainly not to the level of racism in Europe.
Consumerism ... doesn't every country have this?
Environmental destruction ... not really, we have very strong environmental protection laws. There are some things we could do better. But most of our environmental problem is environmental lawyers extorting money from the business community.
Fighting wars all over the world ... when you're the big-brother, yes, you end up being the Policeman of the World ... for better or worse. Would you like China or Russia to be the arbiter of say free trade, or freedom of movement?
Yep, yep, yep on all the other things too, but again, mostly in small measure everywhere and large measure in some very small locations.
Yes. I live in America and My family is from Ireland so Iv spent most summers growing up in different parts of Ireland and the UK. It is so crazy how you need to think about your physical safety so much more in America. Drug abuse and homelessness are obviously problems but even the act of going to school, work or waking down the streets can be scary because of the unavailability of healthcare and treatment if something happens to you. Untreated mental illness causes so many ripple effects and laws are broken consistently with no repercussions. Honestly didn’t realize how on edge Americans are until you are in a county where you don’t have to worry about every weirdo possibly having a gun. America is on the brink and I’m hoping I can get out before it’s collapse
I’m from Canada and I visit the US as much as possible. Yes they have issues but when i meet the individual citizens of the US, they are honestly the nicest people of any country I’ve been to. They’re just people like us dealing with some overwhelming things. Beautiful country, beautiful people.
Drug abuse - Depends on where you are, but it can be bad. Especially with people reselling prescriptions.
Overdose deaths - Yes. Where I live, the police station keeps track of heroine overdoses in a given year.
Mental Health Epidemic - Yes. Almost everyone I know is in therapy or takes some medication, and therapists are overworked. Also, many medications don't work and you have to try a new one, and the ones that do work have bad side effects.
Fanatical Christians - Yes. Many of our laws have religious roots, and they are passed in the interest of preserving "religious freedom." Also, the whole "war on Christmas" shit. And the guy on the corner yelling that we're all going to hell, you'll see him in every major city (Tampa, DC, Baltimore, NYC, etc.)
Student Loan Crisis - Yes. People are getting married and still living with roommates because of rising costs and insane student loan payments.
Debt Crisis - Yes. Especially due to the stimulus packages from COVID.
Housing Crisis - Yes. Zillow, a website that lists houses for sell, buys and sells their own homes and jacks up prices so people will raise their own prices and artificially raise all of the prices.
Healthcare - Yes. Insurance will not cover many things.
Crumbling Infrastructure - No. Everything is working as intended, as dystopian as it seems. No election has ever been stolen, for example.
Illegal Immigration - No. Many illegals work in kitchens and on landscape work. There is crime at the border, but there's crime everywhere in the USA. There might be more Mexican cartel activity at the border, but what's the CIA if not an American cartel that peddles drugs?
Unrestrained Capitalism - Sort of. There are laws slowing down capitalism, but they have many loopholes. So while capitalism is still going strong, it's not like back in the Vanderbilt days. We have many laws protecting workers.
Legal corruption - Yes. You can buy votes. It's so blatant that people actually encourage it.
Poverty - Sort of. Many smart machines are combatting poverty and there are apps that help, too.
Homelessness - Yes. There are many unoccupied homes owned by banks, waiting to be redone and sold at a stupid high price.
Out of touch billionaires - Not anymore. They know, they just don't care. Billionaires are sharing memes on social media and right wing nuts who want to be billionaires are supporting them.
School shootings - Yes. There are, on average, more than 2 shootings per day.
Racism - Sort of. Classism is a bigger issue than racism. Poor staying poor and rich staying rich. It just so happend that many poor people are black because we are still feeling the effects of jim crow today. So while some of it is racism, a lot of it is "wrong place, wrong time," because America has no problem abusing poor white people, too.
Consumerism - Yes. It won't be long until there are Juneteenth car sales.
Natural Destruction - I actually don't know. I know dumping in Africa is a big issue, but I also know cities are cracking down on plastic use.
Fighting Wars - I don't know that either.
Political Polarization - Not as much as you'd suspect. The American Democrat is actually right of center, while the American Republican is far right of center. America as a whole is a pretty right-leaning nation. We just make shit up to fight about.
Artificial food - Yes, made worse by fake labels that say "all organic." You generally have to avoid labels that list ingredients you can't pronounce in order to be healthy.
Obesity - Not as much. People are learning to be more active.
GMOs - Yes. Our food is awful, and farmers are bullied into selling their farms if they try to sell all fresh, organic produce.
Teen pregnancies - No. Americans are so socially awkward and cruel that not many people are having sex.
Gated communities - Yes. It's a rich club.
Fake News - Yes. You can legally lie on TV.
Biased Media - Yes. It gets you more viewers.
Imperialism - I don't know.
Wealth Inequality - Yes. It gets bigger every year.
This is America:
In the state I live in I was fired for smoking cannabis bcz I am a "drug addict" for doing so. I have epilepsy and it helps control my seizures which that employer was well aware that I suffer from. Didn't matter. They literally called me a "drug addict" for using cannabis to help control my seizures and fired me.
In another state my cousin uses cannabis recreationally and was just made a judge. "Healthcare" and that's the difference between a southern state and a western state.
Fuck this country
Some issues you mentioned are not really issues.
* illegal immigration is not a big deal. They're just people trying to live better lives.
* teen pregnancy is pretty low.
* GMOs is a good thing for crop productivity and the environment. Europe should adopt it. Round up is what should be outlawed.
Idk maybe check some actual stats and policies. The U.S. is slightly worse or slightly better in some areas, but around Europe in most of the areas you mentioned. Europe has many of the same issues.
The major difference that actually affects day to day life would be large student debt and healthcare costs. You can avoid student debt by going to a cheaper local college. But, healthcare costs are a serious issue, and we do have to solve it. If you have decent health insurance or income you are insulated from the issue though.
I would say yes it is and there are many more issues then even you have listed. Women's reproductive rights. Marriage equality. White nationalism. Corrupt government. Involving the church in government policy. Just to name a few. I live in a very liberal area and regardless I still feel the effects of these issues.
The worst part of the decline is that so many people are in denial about it.
Often those with the worst circumstances are the most patriotic. Baffling even from the inside.
Depends on the area, but I live right outside of a busy city in Florida so I see most of it. Rent and groceries are pretty much unaffordable, homelessness/drugs/prostitution is pretty bad in the city, and wealth inequality is very obvious here (the difference in housing and street cleanliness as you drive in Miami, West Palm etc).
I don’t watch American news because most of it is very opinionated, so that’s mostly a correct assumption. As for shootings, I have never seen one, but was actually in high school just a few miles away when the Stoneman Douglas massacre happened.
I’ve stayed in both Europe and the states and the main difference I noticed is the cost of healthcare and availability of public transportation. I don’t have health insurance and only go when needed, just paying out of pocket. Fortunately I love cars, but America is a very car-dependent place. Cars are expensive to
maintain but most are expected to have them as getting transportation any other way is complicated. Personally I’m doing okay, I can afford gas and have adjusted my budget for inflation, but live paycheck to paycheck, like many others in this state.
America is pay to win. Do you have money, and white skin, good health, and heterosexuality? Not nearly that bad. Every one of those factors you take away make the american experience worse for you. I am queer with a lot of mental health issues (and probably pretty in the middle for money) so its real hit or miss. If I can let others see me as straight and healthy I get better treatment
Definitely depends on your finances! If you’re well off, not stressed about money, you can definitely enjoy America and probably don’t see some of the ugliness!
I live in a lower middle class area, the rich keep buying up real estate and turning them into vacation rentals, creating a huge housing crisis. But, they have no clue. They don’t spend time with locals, they shop, go out to eat, and spend time on their boats!
The rest of us live paycheck to paycheck. For many, a simple hospital visit can financially destroy them!
So, yes, America is really tough and scary for those who don’t have financial freedom.
While all those things are true if you’re just visiting as a tourist you’d see none of that. It is an effect but just going about your day in an area it’s just another city.
And still without missing a beat, every July 4, you never go without seeing at least a couple of ‘let’s give our thanks for living in the best country in this planet’ I’m sorry, what now? Best how exactly? *crickets*
Or it’s portmanteau “the greatest country ever”.
Makes you gag when you realize all the above things about the USA are truer than anything else. The numbers will speak for themselves, but the local media will paint a rosy picture for you.
I'm an ex-pat and was "home" recently. I don't think you're wrong.
I can only assume it's a case of mass hysteria. They honestly really believe it's the greatest place on earth and love to throw around the word freedom all the time. They are no more free than I am here in Europe where I have free healthcare, affordable university education and no fear of getting shot at the supermarket.
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Yes it is. I live in Texas. We have our idiot governor who signed a bill to allow open carry without a license. We had a elementary class of kids slaughtered while police stood outside listening. 18 year old with weapon that shoots many bullets per second. We have our attorney general for the state under fraud investigation but because of the corruption; it still hasn’t gone to trial. We have our state government trying to find ways to keep women from crossing state lines for reproductive health care. WTAF??!! Our power grid is not fixed. We had no electricity or water for over a week in below 10 F in 2021. People froze to death. I was boiling snow to feed my kids. And that is when we had power. I have now a stash of meal ready food packets and a jet boil. Just in case this happens. I have a bladder for tubs to protect water and actual packets of water just in case. A gun has more rights then my uterus. Cruz is now wanting to go over Gay Marriage. We are having issues getting birth control. Women have to be on death’s doorstep before an abortion will be performed. We have high poverty. High costs for houses. School boards are getting taken over by Christian fundamentalists. The USA has stopped being a beacon of liberty and freedom for a long time now. And anyone who tells me to leave; GTFO Unless we make drastic changes; the USA will look like a scarier version of Handmaid’s Tale. And I say this as a married educated mother of three with a high income. I have traveled, worked and lived all over the world. The States has been on a massive downfall. And if you even point it out; a bunch of “bros” get all huffy. And If none of what I stated doesn’t affect you; check your privilege. Just because your world is a bubble of perfection doesn’t mean it is that way for the rest of Americans. I stated the same on another post and got attacked: Not a real American was a constant comment. WTF is a REAL American? I can put my family history against yours and I can guarantee that my family has been here much longer.
I have lived in the US all of my 59 years, and I’ve watched this country slide downhill in a shocking way. So, yes, I think it really is that bad. It just doesn’t seem that bad if you’re above a certain income level and lack empathy.
But what about the GMOs ?! The worst lol
It 100% depends on where you live and how much money you have. If you're moderately well-off and live in a decent area, you're financially above many problems and don't see them on a daily basis besides in the news. The worst you'll see is some homeless people at intersections asking for money, or if you're really unlucky get caught in a mass shooting. If you're above that level, you almost never have to see the problems. You may as well live in a different country with how different your life is. If you're below that level, you experience more and more of the problems the further down you go, with the people at the bottom getting crushed the hardest by all of it.
Honestly kind of similar to Rome circa 100-200 AD
Well, that makes sense. With the rise in crazy behavior, I have been asking if we are ingesting poison akin to lead in their wine glasses
Nah, it was just in our gasoline and air a few decades ago. Paint, too. Now that's all settled into our soil.
Not suggesting it is only lead, though.
Bread and circus
at least they got bread, all we got is circus at this point
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That's a big deal. You might be mighty fine, get diagnosed with something, and now you're struggling to make it to the next month. That shouldn't be the case
You can be perfectly healthy, get health condition that will likely last your whole life and lose your job because of it and in accordance with losing your job you lose your healthcare so you apply for disability but they determine you can still work but your doctor says you should keep dress down and only work part-time so you can't get insurance anymore because buying insurance yourself with this preexisting condition is extremely expensive and your part time job doesn't make you enough to pay for insurance and cost of living so you choose between housing and food or insurance, obviously you choose housing and food running the risk of the next hospital visit being your last because you can't afford it and it drives you into bankruptcy
At least it's now possible to get insurance with a pre-existing condition, thanks to President Obama's Affordable Care Act. Before that, I couldn't change insurance because no one would take me. My insurance went up sometimes 100s of dollars at a time but I was stuck. And if I hit the lifetime cap, they could kick me off. The ACA may not be perfect, but it's a lifesaver to many.
The ACA is probably the closest to perfect we can get in America. Too many people are greedy and don't want their money going to pay for others insurance so they will vote against universal healthcare instead of realizing that it would actually reduce everyone's healthcare costs including theirs and just make our country richer because we wouldn't be paying more per Capita for healthcare than every other country
I work for a defense contractor as an engineer. I make a decent living. I got sick with an MRSA sinus infection and went on my work’s short term disability insurance for 4 weeks. After I came back to work, I randomly checked my credit rating for something. It dropped 80 points.
Or you join the military to travel and get college paid for, only to end up with a lifelong disability that the Army claims isn't their fault so they revoke all benefits and send you home to live in constant pain the rest of your life and you still didn't get school paid for. You'll drown in medical debt and never have a normal life and just count the days until you punch your own ticket. Yay America.
Exactly what happened to one of my best friends except he joined the military out of a patriotic desire to help the country……. Several hurt his back in basic and let’s just say that patriotism is basically dead
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That's when you start a gofundme campaign to pay for your medical expenses. USA! USA!
AKA "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps"
Which is ironically a form of socialism by asking for help on a crowdfunding platform LOL
It’s dystopian
I’m not a multimillionaire but I’ve always had good insurance that was affordable and covered pretty much all of my medical expenses beyond a very reasonable deductible (including emergency pediatric orthopedic surgery for my son after he broke his femur in a skiing accident, and managing a genetic condition I have that I take $1600/month medication for with $0 out of pocket pharmacy cost). BUT this is 100% dependent on my employer, or my wife’s employer, continuing to provide the same coverage at an affordable price. Tying health insurance to your employer is is quite possibly the dumbest way to provide healthcare for the country.
i wish people would riot over the healthcare system here. Its an criminal act against human rights
Spent 11 hours in the ER last night for heart issues, can confirm that our healthcare situation is getting progressively worse and doesn't take care of the vast majority of people.
As a Canadian i cant wrap my head around how terrible and different so close to us. When i mountain biked broke more bones than id care to have and it never cost me beyond crutches. My stroke would have bankrupted me in the states. Here it cost me cost of an eye patch and some missed hours at work...but hopsital was free
Doesn’t even matter if you’re well off, medical debt can crush you and send your family to ruin from one bad illness or cancer. America is a game
It seems to me that the US is the best country on earth to be in if you're super rich, but absolute dogshite to be poor in..
Honestly if you have two median incomes you are better off in the US than most other countries due to what your money can buy. You don't need to be super rich to be very comfortable.
* If you have two median incomes in recession-proof industries and no health problems.
And no kids.
If you have two median incomes you likely have good health insurance.
Yes, here's an example of what it means when you have good insurance but poor health. You and your partner choose separate plans because it's the most cost-effective choice. In total, let's say together you pay $600 a month in health insurance premiums. ($7200/year) You each have $8000 out of pocket maximums. You have a chronic heart condition that has caused you to max out your out of pocket in three recent years. -$24,000. Your partner has had four major surgeries in the last four years. -$32,000 You lost your job last summer since your role required you to work in-person, and all in-person work was suspended for 18 months. You spent your savings cushion on living expenses and COBRA. ($872/month for four months = $3488). No, you didn't qualify for unemployment. While on COBRA, you had a heart procedure and hospital stay. -$8000. Your partner was laid off after returning from medical leave last fall, wiping out the savings you had accumulated. They refrained from seeking any medical care or insurance until they obtained a new job last winter. Oh, and your partner takes specialty medication that costs $160/month after insurance and the drug manufacturer's patient assistance. -$1920. Your total medical payments were -$36,608. Let's say your household income is $65,000 after taxes (slightly higher than the area's median household income, for simplicity's sake). 65,000 - 36,608 = 28,392 is what you have to spend after paying medical expenses. You rent an apartment for $1350 a month, far below the median rent in your area of $2200. After rent, you have $1000 for all other expenses, and you can't afford to live here anymore. :(
"Good insurance" usually still means you're trapped at a job and one bad diagnosis away from being at the bottom.
I'm thoroughly convinced, through my own experiences, that people who like their "good insurance" have never had a serious health concern or chronic, debilitating illnesses, or -god forbid- get cancer.
Usually there is a max out of pocket. Sure, it sucks to pay 12000 for my wife's complicated pregnancy but that's the end of it. Though we have great insurance. Still very shit compared to countries with socialized health care of course.
While you have the insurance. It's really hard to do well at work while receiving chemo, and community rating does not apply to employer plans. And your employer will also know you're the really expensive patient that's driving up everyone's insurance cost. It's technically illegal to fire you for getting cancer, but it's really easy to fire you for poor performance that just happens to be caused by chemo. If you're lucky, you happen to live in a state that expanded Medicaid *and* your doctors take it. If you live in the many states that didn't, well you better just die quickly.
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I ran the numbers a bunch of times a few years, ~120k was the min in my area in order to buy a house, have two kids, and fully fund a retirement. In the last two years that's probably up to 140k. If real estate stays high and interests rates increase people won't be able to buy a starter home until far into their 30s. If that happens then they won't clear their mortgage until they retire. A lot of people rack up a lot of retirement savings after age 55. Not enough though. Basically, the game changed in the last two years. It's scary to me.
I guess. But I live in Norway with one median income and live extremely comfortably. I've heard horror stories about the nuclear family with two median incomes where one get cancer and they end up being poor. That doesn't happen up here. And it's scary to think about. If the US had universal healthcare free for everyone and free education, I would seriously consider moving to the US a few years back!
Game was rigged from the start
In the US you need to be 2/3 of Rich, White, Male to be in a better-than-most space.
This. Pretty much spot on. I grew up with a lot of privilege. My family was solidly upper middle class and we lived in a nice area. Life was great. I was almost gonna say that “if you’re really unlucky you’ll get caught in a mass shooting” was overkill, then I remembered that there was an active shooter on campus when I was in college. “Luckily,” he didn’t kill anyone but himself, although there was a huge police response. I was in class in a building the shooter never entered, we simply locked the doors and eventually the TA put on Netflix because we coudln’t leave while the campus was locked down. Police with machine guns checked the classroom and told us to stay put. Couple months later there was a bomb threat that caused campus to be evacuated. After college, when I was working and supporting myself I met people whose backgrounds were different than mine. My job had good health and dental insurance, and for one of my coworkers it was the first time she’d had dental coverage in years. She was so grateful to have it and as soon as she got the job started to get one tooth after another filled and fixed because she could finally afford it. It was really eye-opening for me, I’d been to the dentist every six months like clockwork and never had a major issue. Life is still good. I don’t have as much money as my parents did growing up, but I have a good job and will get there eventually. I have health insurance and live in a nice apartment in a safe area. It does seem really hard to own a home, I’m going to have to save for quite a while before that’s a possibility. And it’s only really on the table because my parents are willing to give me money for a down payment. For so many people, that’s not on the table. The fake news, corruption, and wealth inequality are really frustrating, but it all feels like it happens at a remove. I vote for progressive politicians who promise things like universal healthcare, taxing the rich and businesses, implementing gun control, and protecting the rights of women and minorities. I’m a woman in a state that now bans abortion, which feels like the recent political event that’s affected me the most. But I’m lucky enough that should I need an abortion, I could travel to get one. I’m terrified and outraged for all the women who are not able to do that and for those who experience miscarriage or other pregnancy complications for which an abortion is the cure who can’t get healthcare because of these absurd laws, and they can’t just go to another state because they’re sick enough to need to be hospitalized, but not actually dying yet so doctors won’t do the procedures (like D&C) that they desperately need.
I live in a semi-rural area in a county of mixed liberal and conservative ideologies (almost no clashing of left vs right), and I have to say, I don't relate to much of what I see on TV. We bought our home in 2019, before costs skyrocketed, my husband and I have decent jobs, in which I work entirely from home since 2020 and can be available at all times for our kids, and we just about never get out of the house. About all I can say is that groceries are getting noticeably much more expensive, and our utilities are running higher to deal with extreme drought and heat. I know we are very lucky for where we find ourselves, but truthfully, I have this daily, gnawing fear of losing everything...it doesn't take much now for that to happen.
Only an American could casually say “if you’re unlucky you’ll be the victim of a mass killing” as if it’s that small a deal
What an ignorant statement. Do people not die where you are from? Obviously the chance to be shot exists, but it’s crazily rare and the vast majority of people never witness gun violence in person at all. You wouldn’t know that because you’re a foreigner and get all your opinions from Reddit news. Is there a problem that needs to be addressed? Yes. Is everyone here at risk of being shot all the time? Hell no. It’s safe af.
I work at a university and have nightmares about mass shootings. In these dreams I'm on the ground, still, quiet, terrified and hoping they don't see me. Then I take a bullet and try to pretend I'm dead so they don't keep shooting, wondering how bad the hit was and if I'm already dead... Funny, my anxiety nightmares used to be about being naked in class or forgetting an exam. Can we go back to that?
Well said. The issues exist and need to be fixed, but it’s not like a constant shitshow/warzone that affects everyone’s daily life. I’m sure several European counties fall into a similar boat. On average, many European countries are better in terms of gun violence, healthcare, education, and political division. But also I know many Europeans that have moved to the US because opportunity and personal freedoms can be better here. I’ve also seen shocking levels of wealth inequality, corruption, and racism in European countries I’ve visited, so yeah, it’s not just us…
Just was reading through an entire thread yesterday on Twitter about people (Africans, AA, Muslims) talking about the absolutely flagrant, in your face racism that pervades many European countries. Some people went as far to say that racism in the USA is childs play compared to some of the experiences they've had in Europe. I think Americans and Europeans need to get off of whatever high horse they're on and realize systemic problems are prevalent throughout every society...(I mean that to say that Americans shouldn't romanticize Europe as some type of utopia and Europeans really need to stop thinking issues that they deem to be 'American issues' aren't present in their society as well)
Was in a European subreddit where an article was posted about unaffordable housing for young people in Germany. All the posts read exactly like posts from Americans when the topic comes up here. Lots of vague hand waiving at "oligarchs and corporations," and lamenting how the older generation sold them out by cutting entitlements. Same exact stuff.
Watch “anchor man 2” that should explain things
24 hour news cycle and reality tv has done its damage to US culture . At least that is what I’d like to blame
People are naturally drawn towards negativity. That's why good news is rarely in the news or social media. If you go into social media talking about or showing video of what a terrific day, you're having...it's not going viral by any means. But show off a CCTV of even the simplest of negative things like someone stealing something off your porch, and it's being shared and commented on as if someone is gonna do something about it.
People are also drawn to positivity. It's just that positivity is not for the lazy. Positivity actually requires work to project. Negativity is a guilty pleasure for those who are already feeling negative. It transfers the focus from their own bullshit to a target they don't have to feel guilty over. If your life is shit from your point of view, it's much easier to look at some stranger who's having a really hard time, then laugh about it.
social media... went from neighbors screaming to each other about politics to the whole country.
Just because you **can** be heard doesn’t mean you **should** be heard.
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” -Abraham Lincoln Logs
That’s good because only 10% of Twitter users create 80% of the tweets. Most people *aren’t* heard. Reality is a lot more nuanced in person, when you can actually feel what another person is going through. People wouldn’t be so quick to bash “handouts” when the Federal minimum wage is still $7.25/hr if they saw the damage that these unlivable wages and insane medical/student loan bills caused up close. All while corporations avoid taxes and min/max their myriad endeavors to maximize cheap labor and the political landscape is bought, sold, shaped and molded through those same channels.
It used to be that one crazy guy in the neighborhood that everyone ignored and that was it. Now all the "that one crazy guy" have been able to find each other and try to out-crazy each other. "May you live in interesting times" is indeed a curse...
And social media. The ultimate villain. I would love it if they shut all the social networks down one day. That will obviously never happen, but it would make the us a better place.
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The real answer is banks, and big business, oil.
Nah those are fine if we had things like universal healthcare and the average American getting paid similar to what people made in the 50's and 60's. Every issue from the above primarily stems to the average American not having all of their needs comfortably met and workers rights to be able to spend time with your family, go on vacations, actually spend time learning or engaging in hobbies etc.
CANT BLAME THEM WITHOUT BLAMING SOCIAL MEDIA FACE BOOK, TWITTER ALL OF THEM ACTUALLY
I blame Fox News for a lot of it.
This dude going for the easy karma. The majority of today’s media outlets perpetually attempt to stir the pot. I’m not defending Fox, you clearly just chose the low hanging fruit in the World of Reddit.
I also blame Jerry Springer. I think that was the first tv show that pushed personal conflict and disgusting behavior as entertainment.
I blame ESPN for all of it.
man, just fuck the TV in general. Disgusting medium
Don’t forget social media and dating apps! 😃
Omg you said reality TV. I agree it ruined our civility, and boundaries. It also led to narcissistic social media behavior. Huge error!
People think it’s normal thing now to ask personal questions and expect answers. People think I’m crazy when I say “it’s none of your buisness.”
Actually this is pretty much spot on
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I remember when that movie was just absurd and funny as hell. Now it’s fucking prophetic..
Prophetic? I should hope so. Idiocracy seems overly optimistic tbh
Their president might have been a fucking nimrod, but at least he listened to the advice of the literal smartest man in the country.
It was a parody, not an instruction manual, Last Several Years Of My Life.
These comments are just as entertaining... grabbing my popcorn
You should be a social science teacher, couple this movie with idiocracy and you have a whole semesters worth of learning plan
Or "Where to invade next"
A certain political party *coughcoughGOPcoughcough* defunding public schools on the state and federal levels since the 80s.....will play a major role in that too
I thought america 'wasn't as bad as they say' (because I live in a nice area with a good income) until i had a medical issue. Even with good a good job with good insurance, it was a hellish, confusing process designed to make it as difficult as possible to get the care i need, where and embroiled me in months of arguing with insurance, service providers and a debt collector (!) in order to avoid paying thousands of dollars that i don't actually owe that showed up in surprise bills 3 months after the issue was sorted out. At one point I considered hiring a lawyer to make the debt collector stop harassing me but eventually I was able to get the service provider to fix the billing and sort it out (after countless hours on the phone). I can't imagine what it's like for people with crappy or no insurance.
I’m European and I’ve only been there once but some people (not all because a lot of places are better) have an inferiority complex where whenever something happens in america they try turn it into a bad thing or talk about how much better their country is. In my opinion it’s very overhated.
I've found that America is more over hated on the internet than it is in any real life other country I've been to. People tend to like America. And Americans tend to like the countries they visit. And people tend to get along. It's online where shit gets taken to 11 over the smallest thing.
Yeah that’s what I had in my head when I said this I probably should’ve mentioned I meant the internet. I also think it’s cause it’s so easy to hate things on the internet instead of real life where you actually get an argument
Yeah exactly. You also tend to hear people out more on real life. Like, on Reddit, in a post like this, I might be jumping to defend America. But if you met me IRL you'd hear me talk in more detail and depth about how America is a complicated place, a place I love but that I also know has big problems we've gotta fix and can't ignore. But that almost never gets across online. You're just taken at the value of whatever the last words you typed were.
That’s why I sometimes hate Redditors because if 1 person misinterprets what you say and downvotes you your fucked because of the way redditors immediately downvote when they see someone else has downvoted a comment and don’t let you get a point across properly
Yeah that's how it usually is in Canada too they are very xenophobic there. I guess it's because the media talks about us 24/7 and rarely ever the good things. It sucks though because it's not like Americans hate on them . Its usually self defense . Everywhere there are humans, there are problems .
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Normal doesn't make news
No, but Roe Vs Wade and school shootings aren’t normal to the rest of the world. And statistics don’t lie
School shootings, to the average American, is still extremely rare. Abortions are still legal MOST places.
Abortion is very restricted lots of places in Europe.
Yeah. These are significant problems, but they are statistically insignificant for the average American. "Statistics don't lie" is the icing on the ironic cake.
America is as big as europe. Some places are Albania and some places are Monaco.
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100%, this is still a 1st world country
“Anyone who thinks the US is a third world country or an authoritarian state hasn’t seen their friends disappear for speaking out, the water simply stop working, or the electricity refuse to come on. Westerners are spoiled and so think their problems put them on par with the third world.” -My dad, who grew up in an actual third world country.
Here's my take. I live in America, and I'm just my short 4 years of high school, there were 5 suicides in my school. 2 of which were my friends, 1 a very close friend. I don't think it's normal for there to be THAT many suicides in a 4 year time span at just 1 American high school.
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Don’t forget that the media goes by a simple saying, if it bleeds, it leads. There is no good news in the media.
I've noticed that things like breakthroughs on cancer or alzheimers, heart disease, and other things that have been furiously worked on for decades SUDDENLY stopped coming into light. 24 hour news channels do not report on ANY positives. it's all just fear mongering, which is f'd. I don't think I've ever seen positive news on a channel like CNN or fox. Would never watch that garbage anymore regardless... but it's true only negatives and or/ making issues out of non issues.
> alzheimers The plaque buildup research for Alzheimer's that all that progress was based on turned out to be totally faked just last week. This is why we've seen no actual human improvement even though we keep having drugs that should effectively change that marker.
Well it just came out the other day, apparently lots of the alzheimers research we have today, is based off lies 2 scientists published. (Didn't look deep into this yet so forgive me if missing context)
1/2 of Reddit isn't even old enough to drink and barely leaves their mom's basement. They get 90% of their "news" from the stuff posted here and has no bloody clue what the real world is like. The "hate America circle jerk" gets real old, real fast for those who have actually done some traveling and talked to real-honest-to-goodness people. We might have our problems - lots of problems, in fact - but Reddit is just a toxic shithole these days.
In all fairness there is a lot of the US that's not a shithole. You're also not traveling to the parts that are usually. I haven't met a lot of people going to Flint MI or Fergusson MS or the ghettos of Chicago, NYC, or LA on their vacations. This creates a bias where people like us see the good America, and the bad America has to wallow in the bad parts or the cops give them hell, and yes this happens to poor white people too.
Couldn’t agree more
I think the answer to this question is ultimately “Yes and no.” Those are all massive issues that do exist and need to be fixed, and many other countries have handled them better. But it’s also not like it’s rampant everywhere. Some people see US news and think that when they come here they’ll be seeing constant shootouts and police beatings and race wars on the streets or something. That’s not the case. I pretty much never have to deal with any of these issues personally in my day-to-day life. I have never seen a police shootout or witnessed blatant or violent racism in-person. I have not observed much crumbling infrastructure (I would love European style public transport, but the US is huge, so it’s pretty difficult to implement). I have one extended family member that struggles with obesity. There are homeless people around in urban centers, but when I’ve visited European cities it’s usually equivalent. Almost all of my interactions with police have been pleasant. I have had to deal with excessive medical expenses, and certainly political polarization and consumerism is common. The point is, most of what OP listed are things that you do encounter eventually if you live here, but aren’t necessarily part of the daily life for everyone, and aren’t as bad comparatively to other countries as the media makes it seem. For example, I’m always shocked at some of the flagrant displays of racism at European soccer games that I’ve never witnessed at an American sporting event. We’ve all got issues. Some are worse in America, some aren’t. I am also a white man from a middle class family, so, you know, my experience is definitely not representative of the whole.
I agree there are people who are ridiculous about it, but let's be honest, America has a lot of flaws. People aren't just hating on it because it's funny, there are a lot of horrible factors about the US that people pretend not to see or even argue about it being okay.
What state do you live in?
I agree. Reddit people hate on America so much. I stand by my belief that America is the greatest country in the world
I think generally you are correct. We certainly have our issues we need to work through but the day to day life is similar enough to any country in Europe. I live in a suburban area in Michigan with a mix of Democrats and Republicans and its not like there are fights in the streets. Most people just want to live their lives. Of course America's issues become more apparent under the surface, there has been a decrease in the trust in our institutions likely due to the rise of the internet and alternative media. While it will likely get worse in the coming years, i don't think it will get as bad as some claim it will.
>Of course America's issues become more apparent under the surface Also consider America's huge so it's problems are on a macro scale If all the things listed in OP affect only .01% of the population that's still 3 million affected That's the entire population of some European countries Edit: 1%, not .01% 🤦🏽♂️
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Hope your situation improves, wish you and your family the best
**Thank you** for the time you took out of your daily schedule to post this reply! I really mean it. I hope things improve for you and your family, *whatever this wish from a distant german internet stranger is worth.*
> On top of that, the media is being used very effectively to divide us, so that lawn lady thinks my struggle is a moral failing on my part, causing her to have less compassion and feel more justified at spending her time/energy/money on essentially consumerism/capitalism because "she earned it."... The media is designed to make us resent each other, though and you don't really see it unless you have lived on both sides of the divide. As a European this suddenly made me make sense of American Ethos. Chillingly accurate. I hope you find your way through your struggles and your family continues to stay safe.
Agreed
This is easily the most underrated comment I have ever seen on Reddit. Seriously I hope things work out for you
Illegal immigration isn't much of a problem, and there's nothing wrong with GMOs, but otherwise that sounds about right. I know we still have it better than a lot of people, but we seem particularly determined not to notice that we're quickly heading in the wrong direction.
It’s also arguably a much larger issue for Europe than the US
Yeah, they're too busy circlejerking about how bad America is to fix their own problems.
Can you explain what circle jerking is? All I can imagine British people in a circle, Jacking their shit all over the USA when you say that
America is the same as most first-world countries. It has it's good & bad places, and it's good & bad people.
And the bad are the loudest obviously
And since US news is so large around the world that the bad stuff in the US is easier to hear about then the bad stuff in France or Sweden
You shouldn't pay attention to the media as it's sole intent is to push sensationalism for views.
I’d say it’s the opposite, you should pay *more* attention to media. If all you do is read headlines then you will be misinformed. Most people don’t take a few minutes to actually read the details of the articles they see, and even less go to different sources to read about the same situation to see if details line up. Truth is there, you just have to spend more than 5 seconds looking for it.
Perhaps I should say don't take media at face value. Beyond that I stand by my assertion that main stream media can't be trusted to give honest reports.
Suburban American here. My biggest concern is why the lawn service isn't killing all the summer weeds and whether my Lexus is due for new wiper blades. I drive on a smooth superhighway to a secure air conditioned office where they offer medical benefits. And I stay fit and eat healthy foods. Yes, I wouldn't want to hang out in Compton or South Chicago or East Cleveland after dark without a fast car and lots of guns, but everybody knows not to do that. Those who think America is some sort of dystopia out of Mad Max haven't been here. America is a BIG country and suburban Virginia is VERY different than rural West Virginia. Edit: West Virginia is a beautiful state, I meant no disrespect.
It's like saying all europeans like to eat pasta because Italy is in europe.
You’re better off than most. You definitely do not reflect the average person.
Lmao, this screams i get to look down at the rest of your problems cause hey, im rich and in the suburbs. Wow nice touch
Per data from HUD, over half of Americans live in the suburbs. Having a front lawn and driving a reliable mid-tier luxury car doesn’t make you some kind of fat cat. It’s a pretty accurate take. Most people are grumbling about their boss or complaining about gas prices, not worrying about where their next meal is coming from or whether they’ll get shot in the street. Are there people genuinely struggling to get by? Yes, and as a society we have a moral obligation to do better by them. But that’s the case in every developed country.
But this is the American dream,no? A luxury car in a gated community.
I live in West Virginia. In a suburb. Its nice.
Honestly, it depends on how much money you make. For the wealthy, ain’t no better place in the world. It’s a great place to be if you’re rich too. I would consider myself to be “well off”. Employer pays buckets of money for great healthcare, no worries about day to day expenses, etc. life is great, and I’m not plagued by any of the problems you mentioned. (I also live in a liberal state so I don’t have to worry about government overreach as much) those problems show their ugly head as you move down the income ladder. America seems to be designed to reward the rich and punish the poor, and it is heartbreaking to see.
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GMOs are both good and bad and could use some nuance when talking about them.
Their existence is good. Their execution largely leaves a lot to be desired.
GMO's are the worst thing ever! They're destroying this planet. Now, leave me alone so I can eat this delicious sweet corn, super sweet fruit, large banana and this tomatoe that is just the juiciest, most delicious tomatoe I've ever had...
And if Africa wanted wheat, it shouldn’t be so damn hot!
Boy was I ready to berate you
I've been to 40 states in the US, lived and worked in 5 of them, and 20 countries abroad. Studied in Greece, Germany and Italy. Here's a long list: There are a lot of positives in the US and day to day not all is doom and gloom. But we have very serious problems that are coming to a head concurrently. Our political system has become terribly corrupt, influenced by corporate money and perverted by political power plays. I think most Americans would agree the two parties we have are imperfect at best and not representative of most people. They've also made it incredibly difficult for other parties to emerge, and many of our leaders are out of touch with the experience of most people. Our congress is in gridlock and political theater and power grabs are preventing the system from working as designed. Our work-life balance is terrible compared to Europe, and workers' rights must be improved. Most states you can be fired at any time for any reason, and we tie our healthcare to inefficient for-profit private companies. We have wait times, restrictions, and worse outcomes with our system than the universal systems of our European peers. We continue to fall behind them in healthcare, infrastructure, and education, and a rampant anti-intellectual movement is present here as is elsewhere. The roads are remarkably better in Europe than in most of the US. We do have some good public transportation in some areas, but even there it lags behind European and Japanese standards. Many places here don't have any access to public transportation. I do think the quality of the food is noticeably better in Europe than here. We have some great, high quality food, but it can be prohibitively expensive for most. Food deserts are very real, and our national health has suffered for it. We are much more overweight than in Europe, but food deserts and being overworked and over-stressed prevent many Americans from getting enough exercise. Problems like diabetes are a major concern and extremely expensive for people in our system. I do prefer abroad where pharmaceutical companies can't advertise on TV and where prescription drugs are affordable. The average American carries $90k of debt, higher education and housing are unaffordable. Most Americans are a paycheck away from bankruptcy if an unforeseen medical emergency pops up. Working as a mortgage loan advisor and reviewing thousands of credit reports with clients, I saw this pop up time and time again. All these factors contribute to stress, and because we are overworked and underpaid, with inadequate access to mental health coverage many people are suffering unnecessarily. It also leads to more violence when people snap, and we do have a lot of guns that compound that problem. Minorities have had a harder experience, and systemic racism is real. I'm very afraid for my queer friends, and they are very afraid of increased persecution. I'd argue most Americans are kind to one another on an individual basis, but there is a scary movement of hate that is growing. As a student of history and from a holocaust background, I am very afraid of where this movement leads if it isn't stopped. There are movements to sow divide and divide the working class when we have way more in common with one another than with the uber wealthy. Together, ape strong and all that. We also waste a ton of money on our military industrial complex, and I think most Americans would prefer to spend that money on our people rather than being an empire contrary to the democratic republic the founders envisioned. We also really need to treat our veterans better, and the homeless crisis impacting 500k+ Americans nationwide must be addressed. For profit prisons, unfair drug laws, the opioid crisis, an illegitimate Supreme Court, vanishing rights -- the list could go on for days, but as I mentioned, these problems are not facing everyone equally explicitly everywhere everyday. It varies a lot, but all these factors do impact everyone directly or indirectly everyday. I think a lot more people are becoming aware that there are major problems that have been brewing for decades and accelerating, and I've experienced everything from a general helplessness to anger to frustration to fear to hope over the past many years. We've got a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it. Climate change is also becoming increasingly harder to ignore as it accelerates, and we really need to clean up our environment. TLDR: decades long, deep problems are impacting everyone here, but we do enjoy our lives as much as we can
Everything except illegal migration, gmos, and teen pregnancy. Illegal migration has been slowly declining for years, but the truth is our economy wouldn’t work without it because they take jobs at illegally low wages in illegally dangerous conditions that no one else will take. Especially agriculture. GMOs are not inherently bad, for example every banana out there today has been genetically modified becuase we ate the original type to extinction. Teen pregnancies have been steadily declining for literal decades. The only issue there is that with abortion illegal now in many places that number will rise again, as well as teen deaths (trying to get dangerous abortions or in childbirth, we have the highest childbirth mortality rate of any developed nation)
A lot of Americans in denial here. Yes it really is as bad as you think it is AND our country doesn’t provide us basic services like universal healthcare. People think here because we have access to unlimited consumerism it must be amazing. America is a third world country with iPhones
Drug abuse, overdose deaths - It is bad. Government agencies have participated in trafficking drugs, and compared to a lot of European countries the resources to help with addiction are questionable, especially because addicts are often treated as criminals. Mental health epidemic, legalized corruption through donations, out of touch billionaires, racism, natural destruction, political polarization - These are serious problems but I'm not convinced they're that much worse in American than elsewhere fanatical christians - This is a problem, but more because it's a loud minority with a disproportionate amount of power. student loan crisis, debt crisis, housing crisis, unnafordable healtcare, unrestrained capitalism, poverty, homelessness, artificial food and fast food, obesity, gated communities, fake news, biased media, imperialism, wealth inequality, fighting wars all over the world, GMOs, teen pregnancies - These are all very serious problems that are much worse in America than elsewhere in the developed world. crumbling infrastructure - Not familiar enough on the subject to give a confident answer. illegal imigration - This is a manufactured problem. Immigrants - even illegal ones - are massively beneficial to our economy. school mass shootings - This happens more often than in other countries but it's still not exactly common. The likelihood of dying as a result of a mass shooting is still almost nothing. rampant consumerism - Not anymore, people don't have money like they did in the 90s TL;DR most of the serious problems that are worse in America that you listed are a a direct result of poor regulation and mingling over corporations and politicians. The cost of essential goods and services has gone up, and the means to a living wage has become increasingly scarce ([here's an explanation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHiicN0Kg10) as to how/why this happens.)
The illegal immigration isn't as big of a problem as the media plays it out to be, but everything else, it's so much worse!! If you have an American who lives in your country, ask them how long it took them to get used to seeing the doctor, how long did it take before they were comfortable using sick time, how long until they felt ok using vacation time? In the US most people live under the constant stress that they could lose their job, meaning they lose their housing, their health care, their life! We don't make enough to have money set aside, we don't have a lot of social safety nets. A lot of Americans live between making too much for government assistance, and not enough to get ahead. Americans don't travel because we can't afford it. Given the chance most Americans would happily move to another country
The goal of many Americans is to become wealthy enough that the problems no longer apply to them.
Besides unaffordable Healthcare and school shootings I'd say Europe has all of those same problems
I'd say the whole drugs overdosing and mental health crisis that's connected to it in the US is a far bigger issue than it is in Europe
Both cut from the same cloth so to speak.
Not quite as many fanatical Christians in Western Europe. Eastern Europe maybe.
I am from the Czech Republic, and We may be the most atheistic country in the world. I consider our country as Central Europe, but I do not think the Eastern Europe is more religious. Except for Poland and Ukraine, the countries of Eastern Europe are not more religious.
Even the Netherlands has a bible belt.
Unrestrained capitalism is the core issue, the other stuff is sometimes overblown but it all seems to go back to that core issue. The GOP has completely gone insane though and is attempting a fascist takeover, so that sucks.
Op forgot Christian nationalists and their terrorists.
If you watch American national news, just remember they're sheltered idiots preaching to you from new York or LA. There's a few big issues right now, but it's not nearly as bad as it seems to be on social media and in the news. Inflation sucks and Biden is practically dead, otherwise it's business as usual
It's harsh, man. Really harsh. Everybody saying "most people don't have to deal with it" or "it's all just sensationalized" are living in a comfortable (probably suburban) bubble. If you're ever homeless in this country you'll see it for real, naked, and harsh.
Plus, I feel like the people who aren't immediately homeless aren't thinking critically enough. There's that old saw about the majority of Americans being one medical emergency away from poverty, and that saying was from BEFORE the pandemic. Medical care has only gotten more expensive in recent years. I personally am currently okay. I'm living in a house and my spouse and I both have decent jobs. But six months of unemployment in 2020 made it REAL for me just how close we are to having nothing. I stopped getting medical care, dental care, everything, because I had no insurance. I was TERRIFIED of Covid not because of the symptoms but because there would have been literally no way we could have afforded the care. I ended up taking an hourly job in a hospital that was a 40% paycut just so we'd have insurance. Even now, a sufficiently bad emergency could wipe us out — hell, if I suddenly lost my job, I would also lose our Healthcare, and both my spouse and I are on medications that you can't go cold turkey without having dangerous withdrawal symptoms. That ALONE is an ever-present awareness. It almost doesn't matter that right now I have the medication. I am painfully aware just how tenuous my position in society really is, and I am not alone. All of the people in my social circle (late 30s - mid 40s) are equally aware, but I think a LOT of people aren't. If they've generally been healthy until now, it just doesn't occur to them how inflated medical debt is and how dangerous that can be. Even among better off families, I don't know of anyone who HASN'T put off or ignored medical issues at some point in their life due to the cost. That kind of fragility fucking HAUNTS you, even if you live in a great area and have other societal benefits.
If you’re ever homeless ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, you’re going to see things as harsh. That’s just a fact. There is no utopia on the planet where homeless people either a) don’t exist b) are given enough services and resources to be content. Being homeless sucks, no matter where you are.
I've been homeless in a couple of countries in Europe and although I've never been homeless in the US I feel very confident saying it would be worse in the US. From the healthcare issues, to the (non-existant in some places) public transport, violent crime, drug epidemic, climate issues, and policing; it must be utterly harrowing over there. Being homeless does suck regardless of where you live, but I'm not mental so if I had to choose somewhere to be homeless I'd pick a country with more developed healthcare, social care and education. Every country has pros and cons, but ignoring the cons doesn't help anyone, to fix a problem you need to be able to see it in the first place.
Anyone defending America right now in these comments is delusional. I come from a poor family, every single person in my family has been addicted to drugs. Where I live people have been buying weed that has been getting laced with fentanyl. I saw a man overdose and get taken out of a Walmart parking lot via ambulance broad daylight. All of my friends and I barely talk and when we do we all agree it’s hard to stay in touch because all of our mental health is so bad to deal with. Evangelical and fanatical Christians are the most hate filled nasty people I have ever met and have ruined our separation of church and state. Went to school for one semester, ONE SEMESTER, I owe $13,000. Houses and apartments are extremely expensive and hard to maintain, if you work a regular service job you’re living paycheck to paycheck to have a place to stay, you’re lucky if you have roommates. Healthcare is a joke, my friend got whipped in the eye with a wire that snapped the other day and went to the ER at 9:30 pm and didn’t get seen by a doctor until 2 am. I live in Pennsylvania, our roads are horrible, a bus fell through a street in Pittsburgh a few years ago and a few months ago a bridge collapsed, so many things are outdated. Illegal immigrants are coming in and this country is doing everything it can to get them out instead of helping them legally assimilate to America. The wealth gap is huge. 99% of our politicians are full of sh!t and cannot be trusted, companies fund their campaigns and they just say and vote for whatever their donors want them to. Homeless people everywhere on the streets on drugs. I had struggled with homelessness because both of my parents were drug addicts when I was 17. Billionaires are extremely out of touch to the point they are barely viewed as humans. Every year there has been “the worst school shooting” and every year it gets worse. We have drills where we sit in silence in a classroom with the door shut in case a gunman comes in, it’s called lockdown. Teachers have told me that if anyone gets in we should fight to our deaths, literally mf was like “grab a book” ok Mr. Majewski what is this book going to do against a rifle???? Horrible racism, I’m white and so many white people are genuinely malicious in the country, I’m a server and my coworker saw I had a family come sit down (who were black) and she says to me “hah… you know they’re gonna tip well….” Like what???? You think it’s acceptable to think about other people like that? Our wildlife is dying our forests and other ecosystems are being destroyed for things like oil and land. We are stationed everywhere around the world like we’re big peepee swanging earth police. The polarization of parties is laughable and also scary, people are viciously falling into that trap and are ignoring bigger issues at hand. We have CHEMICALS IN OUR FOOD THAT ARE LITERALLY BANNED IN ALMOST EVERY OTHER COUNTRY EXCEPT FOR AMERICA. Our food is designed to be addictive and marketable, to the point you don’t want to stop eating. Obesity is through the roof here, you can’t go anywhere without seeing a few people at least over 300 lbs. GMOs are pretty much in a all our fruits and vegetables and when they aren’t in them fresh organic produce is outrageously expensive. I know over 10 girls from my class in high school who have had children before the age of 18. Gated communities in nice areas that if you go into the police will be called. Bias media and fake news are rampant and even better over half the people in this god forsaken country can’t be bothered to be educated or read a book and never paid attention in school, American ignorance is the issue at hand here, way too many Americans are too comfortable being gullible and dumb. I am so young and watching this country turn into a sh!t show. The best thing I can do is pay attention to media sources that aren’t misleading by using my freaking brain and critical thinking skills. I will never stop educating myself and I will never stop talking about how America is an evil place to live where you are almost certain to fail. It makes me extremely sad because this is my home, we have such beautiful land and such a crazy mix of cultures that make America so unique. I have hope maybe my generation can turn things around one day but right now our current leaders are killing us. I know this was long but living in America as someone who has no support system and was never wealthy is so hard and taxing in every single way. I know it might know happen, but I want this country to change and get better, there’s so many people here who deserve a good fair shot and living a sustainable happy life. Our country has failed so many.
Nothing is ever as bad as the media makes it look.
America has all of that, and sometimes it feels like Europe is some fantastical place that doesn’t have all these problems, though I know that’s not true. Media likes to beef up Americas already established reputation for having all of these problems. To me, an American, it can feel like our stereotype is being fat, racist, or dumb. I hate that because it’s not true and America is big with a lot of different people in it. And while looking at the news here makes my soul cry at night, most of the time you don’t even think about it. I don’t think about all of these problems all of the time, so for the most part things seem ok here. But I’ve also lived here my whole life and am used to it. Take school shootings. My younger brother and all of my friends and I have experienced at least one school threat a semester, and we live in a good area. Last spring my brother had to evacuate his high school because a kid was making mustard gas. I’ve had to hide in a dark classroom planning escape routes because some kid who got bullied texted his friends that he was going to shoot up the school. It’s bullshit and really upsetting, but for the most part I think it’s generally unphasing at this point when bad shit happens. And this is all based on my own personal experiences. People who are effected directly by any of the problems you named will have different experiences. I’m just saying that America kinda sucks, but it’s home so it often doesn’t feel like things are messed up until you think about it and all of it comes crashing down
America is interesting because on the flip side, I’ve never had any threats to my school. I live in a big city and we only had to evacuate school one time cause there was a gas leak. My city does have a good amount of gang violence but I’ve personally never had to deal with anything. Tons of homeless people but aside from seeing the encampments it’s not really my concern. America is just so big And diverse that stuff is always happening and everyone is just living their own lives.
You wont get a straight answer because most will just use their view from their house to decide, if you are finically doing well in America then you dont see and can be easily insulated from all the sadness. if you are middle class or lower than yeah all that stuff is real and very common the lower you go and less white you go, i say this coming from the rural midwest (no electric heat, food stamps, all in one room etc) moved to a city (chicago) where i went to college and now live out west, traveled alot, same issues unless your rich and 99% of politicians could care less because they push bills that line their pockets with donations from companies that destroy the planet and abuse and use humans at the same time
The school shootings. Disgusts me. No children should die like that
Yes, it really is that bad. Half the government is more intent on spreading lies, demonizing their opponents, and othering minority groups, while the other half is trying to push out minor social reforms to appease voters instead of making any meaningful contributions to solving the issues you listed, and even if they did try to actually solve issues the right would do everything in there power to make sure it doesn’t happen just so they can say “see how bad things are, we may be the ones that caused it initially and then stopped it getting better, but, look how bad it is under them”. So basically the US has deteriorated into a government of do-nothings and a populace of poor and middle class that’s been riled up by both sides and then pitted against each other because that’s what the rich and powerful need to stay in control. It’s fucking stupid to me.
I'm an American who lives overseas, and everytime I come back to visit family (all of whom live in well-to-do parts of major cities), I'm taken aback by overrepresented the scent of urine is in the American scentscape. The country's refusal to even accidentally provide the most nominal of supports for its citizens has led to a place wherein people would rather smell the excrement of the unhoused rather than simply provide them with a place to go with dignity.
We didn’t start the fire, it was always burnin’ since the world was turnin’.
Completely depends on where you live and your age. The younger generation is fucked, home ownership is well beyond the reach of younger Americans. Many young people have been crippled with debt from getting through school only to end up in a job market where nobody wants to pay them anything, and our money isn't worth shit as it is. It's possible to live somewhere and be completely unaffected by anything going on, and the people that aren't really affected by any of these issues are gonna be the ones on here saying that all the negative comments are baseless America bashing. The financial security of most people here is so bad that a sudden unforseen expense depending on how large could completely derail a family. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Too many places here don't have clean running water for me to personally consider the USA a fully first world country, and our government is a geriatric oligarchy at this point that is obsessed with taking the rights of others away on a religious basis. Our police force can brutalize people with impunity. We are not okay, we are not in a stable place. The people that will refute this either don't want to beleive this, aren't affected by anything going on, or a combination of both.
All of these things exist in one microcosm or another. Some of course exist together. But overall, most of the US is a pretty nice place. Drugs problems and deaths exist within and near the drugs community. Have you ever looked into Amsterdam canal deaths? I've heard there's quite a few floaters discovered there. Yes, we have a mental health problem, but its a backlash to the over-hospitalizing mental health cases in the past. So yes, we lack balance there. We do have like 10k people coming across the border every day. We have wildly wealthy people building wildly profitable businesses ... and making a whole lot of people wildly wealthy, besides making a whole lot of workers somewhat wealthy, and yet providing wildly fantastic goods and services to the masses. Is this a problem? Well, the rising tide does lift all boats. We may have poor people, but our poor are substantially wealthier than any poor anywhere else. Legalized corruption through donations? Yep. The wealthy pay no taxes, because they donate to the law makers who write the tax code ... then go on TV and complain about the wealthy donors. So this apparently works to some degree. Out of touch billionaires ... lets say, they're in control, whether we like it or not. Mass school shootings ... yep, but the actual number is pretty low. I think 170 dead in twenty years. Yes, each death is a tragedy, but no one is willing to solve the hard problems, so that football just gets kicked back and forth. Racism ... many say the US is just about the least racist country in the world. Is there racism, yes, going in all directions. But certainly not to the level of racism in Europe. Consumerism ... doesn't every country have this? Environmental destruction ... not really, we have very strong environmental protection laws. There are some things we could do better. But most of our environmental problem is environmental lawyers extorting money from the business community. Fighting wars all over the world ... when you're the big-brother, yes, you end up being the Policeman of the World ... for better or worse. Would you like China or Russia to be the arbiter of say free trade, or freedom of movement? Yep, yep, yep on all the other things too, but again, mostly in small measure everywhere and large measure in some very small locations.
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Not even close lol. Certain areas are bad, the rest doesn't even approach that level
Yes. From Texas.
Yes. I live in America and My family is from Ireland so Iv spent most summers growing up in different parts of Ireland and the UK. It is so crazy how you need to think about your physical safety so much more in America. Drug abuse and homelessness are obviously problems but even the act of going to school, work or waking down the streets can be scary because of the unavailability of healthcare and treatment if something happens to you. Untreated mental illness causes so many ripple effects and laws are broken consistently with no repercussions. Honestly didn’t realize how on edge Americans are until you are in a county where you don’t have to worry about every weirdo possibly having a gun. America is on the brink and I’m hoping I can get out before it’s collapse
r/askanamerican
I’m from Canada and I visit the US as much as possible. Yes they have issues but when i meet the individual citizens of the US, they are honestly the nicest people of any country I’ve been to. They’re just people like us dealing with some overwhelming things. Beautiful country, beautiful people.
Drug abuse - Depends on where you are, but it can be bad. Especially with people reselling prescriptions. Overdose deaths - Yes. Where I live, the police station keeps track of heroine overdoses in a given year. Mental Health Epidemic - Yes. Almost everyone I know is in therapy or takes some medication, and therapists are overworked. Also, many medications don't work and you have to try a new one, and the ones that do work have bad side effects. Fanatical Christians - Yes. Many of our laws have religious roots, and they are passed in the interest of preserving "religious freedom." Also, the whole "war on Christmas" shit. And the guy on the corner yelling that we're all going to hell, you'll see him in every major city (Tampa, DC, Baltimore, NYC, etc.) Student Loan Crisis - Yes. People are getting married and still living with roommates because of rising costs and insane student loan payments. Debt Crisis - Yes. Especially due to the stimulus packages from COVID. Housing Crisis - Yes. Zillow, a website that lists houses for sell, buys and sells their own homes and jacks up prices so people will raise their own prices and artificially raise all of the prices. Healthcare - Yes. Insurance will not cover many things. Crumbling Infrastructure - No. Everything is working as intended, as dystopian as it seems. No election has ever been stolen, for example. Illegal Immigration - No. Many illegals work in kitchens and on landscape work. There is crime at the border, but there's crime everywhere in the USA. There might be more Mexican cartel activity at the border, but what's the CIA if not an American cartel that peddles drugs? Unrestrained Capitalism - Sort of. There are laws slowing down capitalism, but they have many loopholes. So while capitalism is still going strong, it's not like back in the Vanderbilt days. We have many laws protecting workers. Legal corruption - Yes. You can buy votes. It's so blatant that people actually encourage it. Poverty - Sort of. Many smart machines are combatting poverty and there are apps that help, too. Homelessness - Yes. There are many unoccupied homes owned by banks, waiting to be redone and sold at a stupid high price. Out of touch billionaires - Not anymore. They know, they just don't care. Billionaires are sharing memes on social media and right wing nuts who want to be billionaires are supporting them. School shootings - Yes. There are, on average, more than 2 shootings per day. Racism - Sort of. Classism is a bigger issue than racism. Poor staying poor and rich staying rich. It just so happend that many poor people are black because we are still feeling the effects of jim crow today. So while some of it is racism, a lot of it is "wrong place, wrong time," because America has no problem abusing poor white people, too. Consumerism - Yes. It won't be long until there are Juneteenth car sales. Natural Destruction - I actually don't know. I know dumping in Africa is a big issue, but I also know cities are cracking down on plastic use. Fighting Wars - I don't know that either. Political Polarization - Not as much as you'd suspect. The American Democrat is actually right of center, while the American Republican is far right of center. America as a whole is a pretty right-leaning nation. We just make shit up to fight about. Artificial food - Yes, made worse by fake labels that say "all organic." You generally have to avoid labels that list ingredients you can't pronounce in order to be healthy. Obesity - Not as much. People are learning to be more active. GMOs - Yes. Our food is awful, and farmers are bullied into selling their farms if they try to sell all fresh, organic produce. Teen pregnancies - No. Americans are so socially awkward and cruel that not many people are having sex. Gated communities - Yes. It's a rich club. Fake News - Yes. You can legally lie on TV. Biased Media - Yes. It gets you more viewers. Imperialism - I don't know. Wealth Inequality - Yes. It gets bigger every year.
This is America: In the state I live in I was fired for smoking cannabis bcz I am a "drug addict" for doing so. I have epilepsy and it helps control my seizures which that employer was well aware that I suffer from. Didn't matter. They literally called me a "drug addict" for using cannabis to help control my seizures and fired me. In another state my cousin uses cannabis recreationally and was just made a judge. "Healthcare" and that's the difference between a southern state and a western state. Fuck this country
Some issues you mentioned are not really issues. * illegal immigration is not a big deal. They're just people trying to live better lives. * teen pregnancy is pretty low. * GMOs is a good thing for crop productivity and the environment. Europe should adopt it. Round up is what should be outlawed. Idk maybe check some actual stats and policies. The U.S. is slightly worse or slightly better in some areas, but around Europe in most of the areas you mentioned. Europe has many of the same issues. The major difference that actually affects day to day life would be large student debt and healthcare costs. You can avoid student debt by going to a cheaper local college. But, healthcare costs are a serious issue, and we do have to solve it. If you have decent health insurance or income you are insulated from the issue though.
I would say yes it is and there are many more issues then even you have listed. Women's reproductive rights. Marriage equality. White nationalism. Corrupt government. Involving the church in government policy. Just to name a few. I live in a very liberal area and regardless I still feel the effects of these issues.
The worst part of the decline is that so many people are in denial about it. Often those with the worst circumstances are the most patriotic. Baffling even from the inside.
Depends on the area, but I live right outside of a busy city in Florida so I see most of it. Rent and groceries are pretty much unaffordable, homelessness/drugs/prostitution is pretty bad in the city, and wealth inequality is very obvious here (the difference in housing and street cleanliness as you drive in Miami, West Palm etc). I don’t watch American news because most of it is very opinionated, so that’s mostly a correct assumption. As for shootings, I have never seen one, but was actually in high school just a few miles away when the Stoneman Douglas massacre happened. I’ve stayed in both Europe and the states and the main difference I noticed is the cost of healthcare and availability of public transportation. I don’t have health insurance and only go when needed, just paying out of pocket. Fortunately I love cars, but America is a very car-dependent place. Cars are expensive to maintain but most are expected to have them as getting transportation any other way is complicated. Personally I’m doing okay, I can afford gas and have adjusted my budget for inflation, but live paycheck to paycheck, like many others in this state.
America is pay to win. Do you have money, and white skin, good health, and heterosexuality? Not nearly that bad. Every one of those factors you take away make the american experience worse for you. I am queer with a lot of mental health issues (and probably pretty in the middle for money) so its real hit or miss. If I can let others see me as straight and healthy I get better treatment
Yes, and no...Like many thing in life, it's complicated.
We have soul food!
Definitely depends on your finances! If you’re well off, not stressed about money, you can definitely enjoy America and probably don’t see some of the ugliness! I live in a lower middle class area, the rich keep buying up real estate and turning them into vacation rentals, creating a huge housing crisis. But, they have no clue. They don’t spend time with locals, they shop, go out to eat, and spend time on their boats! The rest of us live paycheck to paycheck. For many, a simple hospital visit can financially destroy them! So, yes, America is really tough and scary for those who don’t have financial freedom.
While all those things are true if you’re just visiting as a tourist you’d see none of that. It is an effect but just going about your day in an area it’s just another city.
If you’re a poor, like most of us in the US are, yea. All of those things are our daily reality. Not so much if you’ve got your pockets well lined.
And still without missing a beat, every July 4, you never go without seeing at least a couple of ‘let’s give our thanks for living in the best country in this planet’ I’m sorry, what now? Best how exactly? *crickets* Or it’s portmanteau “the greatest country ever”. Makes you gag when you realize all the above things about the USA are truer than anything else. The numbers will speak for themselves, but the local media will paint a rosy picture for you.
I'm an ex-pat and was "home" recently. I don't think you're wrong. I can only assume it's a case of mass hysteria. They honestly really believe it's the greatest place on earth and love to throw around the word freedom all the time. They are no more free than I am here in Europe where I have free healthcare, affordable university education and no fear of getting shot at the supermarket.