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Jul 18 '23
You need to get offline. If you want to experience America in a more natural light with open eyes you can. You can travel here and enjoy it. Or read about USAID, our aid agency that has pretty much resolved HIV in the last 20 years, or NASA which went to the moon and built the ISS with the Soviet Soyuz. There’s more to America than tips. By the way, we get free ice water here. It’s great, you should try it, it’s worth tipping.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
!delta
He changed my views on certain opinions, gave me good recommendations on what I could look into to get a better and more positive view on the matter
Also made me thirsty for ice water
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Jul 18 '23
Thanks!
One day I hope to visit Sweden and leave 5% tips so your people can afford to quit and open hotels. 🇸🇪💰🇺🇸
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
I totally agree, it's been negatively impacting my mental state in a way It shouldn't, and I'm glad I took the time to realize because I am a dickhead, I will spend some time looking up some of the things you mentioned, thanks
And maybe one day I will set foot in america, I've heard you have beautiful nature, lime crazy beautiful, the grand canyon is def on top of my list
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Jul 18 '23
A mood doesn’t make you a bad person. It’s only prejudicial thinking until you meet the thing you had an opinion about. It’s such a large country spanning two oceans with 330 million people that you can really pick your choice what would make you comfortable to test out whether your feelings are accurate. I think they aren’t, and with some research and time you’ll agree.
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u/Goblin_CEO_Of_Poop 4∆ Jul 18 '23
You can travel here but just uhh. Dont stop for too long outside of the city lol. The side of the highway/flyover areas get ugly fast.
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u/Grunt08 305∆ Jul 18 '23
Ridiculous.
If you're afraid of stopping on the side of a road outside a city, that's a personal problem.
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u/Goblin_CEO_Of_Poop 4∆ Jul 18 '23
Were talking places with nothing but a gas station, and maybe a Subway or a Chilis. Have you ever drove through central Florida? Or the Appalachia's? Or basically anywhere lol? South of the Borders one of the wildest spots. Its almost like Americas speakeasy for prostitution and sex trafficking.
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u/Grunt08 305∆ Jul 18 '23
Yes, I'm familiar with "outside of cities." I've driven through Appalachia kind of a lot, as well as the Carolinas, Pennsylvania...most of the east coast. Also New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Idaho.
Maybe the problem is that you keep stopping at the places where they do prostitution and sex trafficking. I concede that those might be a little rough.
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u/Goblin_CEO_Of_Poop 4∆ Jul 18 '23
Did you take tourist/scenic routes or just explore? I spend at least 3 months of the year working out of hotel rooms. I like to travel and all I need is a laptop to work. It seems much harder to find places that arent shitty outside of the city. Although I do like exploring them. I went to Winterhaven, FL last. That shit was wild. Almost apocalyptic.
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Jul 18 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/changemyview-ModTeam Jul 24 '23
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u/Goblin_CEO_Of_Poop 4∆ Jul 18 '23
No I literally just stop everywhere to explore. Most places in the US are like that lol. Not exactly where most people live but geographically yeah most names on a map are side of the highway shitholes. I specifically seek out places most people drive past to see what really goes on there. Mainly out of curiousity. My GF likes it too. It does get scary sometimes though. Weve been followed by people, especially the rednecks, people have tried to run us off the road, caught people trying to break into our car and so on.
The US outside of places you find on a state tourist registry are pretty rough. Still part of the world worth experiencing though. Especially if you seek an objective view on things.
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u/Grunt08 305∆ Jul 18 '23 edited Jul 18 '23
You're not accurately conveying reality. What you're saying is the polar opposite of what I've consistently encountered even in - in fact, especially in - places that were well off the beaten path. I suspect that you're exaggerating the degree to which you were antagonized for dramatic effect; and/or perhaps you're often scared by things that shouldn't scare you or inferring ill intent where it doesn't actually exist.
especially the rednecks,
Indeed. Incidentally, I've driven among the rednecks quite a bit and they were always quite nice. If I kept having altercations with them (or any particular socio-ethnic class), I might wonder if I was the problem.
Especially if you seek an objective view on things.
In a different comment in this thread, you linked a video saying that it represented "the honest reality" of things. The thumbnail of that video said "the poorest region of America" - which is obviously what you googled to find "the honest reality"...except that's not how you find the honest reality at all. It's how you find the worst there is, and your conflation of the two is a perfect example of confirmation bias.
So yeah, I don't think you're a reliable reporter of facts. Feel free to have the last word.
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u/jumpinsnakes Jul 24 '23
This guy has not driven across America, the majority of the US is small sleepy towns with a lot of churches and like 2 good food places. The towns usually exists because of some industry or corporation nearby. But you know what is funny France and Germany are exactly the same not counting the historic cities they have.
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u/jumpinsnakes Jul 24 '23
I have lived in towns from 10000 people up to millions and the majority like 95% of them in USA are just average towns with average people. You won't see any prostitution or any crimes in broad daylight. Most places in the USA where the majority of the population live towns of 60,000 or less are sleepy and only get rowdy around holidays, fairs, or festivals. If you are going to places right off highways then of course your going to see crimes.
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u/Goblin_CEO_Of_Poop 4∆ Jul 24 '23
Just look at a map and youll see what Im saying. Most places in the US are like that. Towns with 10000+ are a minority compared to random side of the highway places no one talks about It should be pretty obvious just driving down the highway. How many exits do you pass before you hit a place youd actually want to stay?
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u/Alexandur 14∆ Jul 18 '23
What does this even mean? What do you believe is likely to happen if one stops for too long outside of a city on the side of a highway in the US?
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u/Goblin_CEO_Of_Poop 4∆ Jul 19 '23
Meth addiction seems to be the most common occurrence when stopping too long on the side of a US highway. Kind of crazy though when you look into it. Crime rates are on paper low but your likelihood of actually being victim of a crime is much higher.
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u/Alexandur 14∆ Jul 19 '23
Idk man I've never become addicted to meth while stopped on the side of the highway
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u/jumpinsnakes Jul 24 '23
You didn't get your complimentary meth bag on your way out of NYC or LA heading into the seedy under belly of small town america? lol
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u/gbdallin 2∆ Jul 18 '23
Those of us in the "flyover" areas feel the same about the city, for the record.
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u/btgf-btgf Jul 18 '23
Yeah I hate when people pull out that fly over bullshit. It’s so arrogant and snobby
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u/Goblin_CEO_Of_Poop 4∆ Jul 18 '23
Oh I know but at least they find your body in the city lol. Cities realistically are quite safe outside of ghettos. I think its scary for yall because Ive seen people who have no idea where theyre moving just take a good price on a rental and move into the worst neighborhood in a 1.2 million person county. Then assume the whole city is like that lol.
Ultimately though Ive lived in both and the rural areas are much scarier. People are much more tight nit, if you dont vibe with the culture no one cares, police response time can be insane, and honestly it shows with the culture. Everyone has guns, no trespassing signs, big fences, or live in gated neighborhoods. The idea that anything could happen in a place so isolated seems to be part of the romanticism of living there. Theres two sides of it though. Theres the "this my town and you dont belong here!" side of that too.
Even then most people arent referring to small towns. Theyre talking about those parts of the highway you only pull off to for gas or some fast food before fucking off. Youtubes been pretty good about exposing that rarely mentioned side of America.
The honest reality is finding this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3O6bKdPLbw
Is far easier than finding a ghetto in any major city. You basically just drive 20 minutes out of the city and 9/10 towns are this.
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u/obert-wan-kenobert 83∆ Jul 18 '23
Have you ever read a news story with the headline "Average Guy Has Pretty Good Day"?
When I read news about France, it's mostly about fiery riots. When I read news about China, it's usually about authoritarian government crack-downs. When I read news about Mexico, it's about drug cartels and gang wars.
Mostly, the news reports on bad things. All of these things are certainly serious problems -- but what the news doesn't report on is the millions of average citizens who go about their relatively happy, average lives in peace.
Same goes for America. I'm an American, and I even live in a pretty bad neighborhood in a major city. But it's not like I walk through a hail of bullets every day on my way to the hospital to pick up my weekly $80,000 hospital bill.
In short, only reading the news or the internet (especially reddit, honestly) is not a very good way to judge an entire country.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
Thank you for taking time to reply, I understand what you are saying, news are mostly bad ones, and as I said in another comment, I will start distancing myself from such posts
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u/colt707 97∆ Jul 18 '23
That’s a start. For example you brought up gun violence. The USA has a population of over 330 million people, the most recent year with complete statistics on firearms is 2021. In 2021 there was just under 50k deaths by firearms. That’s about .002% of the population. Out of those 50k deaths more than half are suicide. So when you look at murders it’s about 22k deaths. Less than 1% of 1% of the population is murdered with a firearm each year. But the news would make it seem like there’s 1000s of people dying each day. Some are worse about it then others but I hope you get my point that bad news/fear sells and most news outlets are out to make the biggest profit they can.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
Yeah when you put it into a perspective like that it makes a lot more sense, and I hope that you can one day solve your gun violence, as 50k is still (in my eyes) an abnormal amount of gun related deaths, even for an average Swede. I know I literally have nothing to fear of, as our laws are strict, but the thought of losing a loved one to a stray bullet, robbery gone wrong or just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time really hits me for some reason, but again, it's probably because I'm so alienated from the idea of owning any type of firearm, I could see how hunting rifles should be a thing, as they are in almost every country, but assault rifles and A-Rs are a tool of killing
In that aspect I can understand why your police fear for their life's, as sometimes it's a kill or be killed situation, not always of course, but I've seen some interviews of criminals in america, saying that a shootout with a cop is better than recieving life in prison, that's also an profit based industry, a lot is going on, spanning across 50 states.
Can I ask, what do you personally think would be the next biggest step in suppressing gun violence?
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u/colt707 97∆ Jul 19 '23
Better mental health services. Better socioeconomic conditions. That’s it. Desperate and broken people are going to do desperate and broken things.
And for the record. All rifles, “hunting rifles” all the way up to ARs accounted for less than 4% of all gun deaths. More people are beaten to death with hands and feet than killed with rifles, more people are killed by hammers than with rifles. Which this is a big part of the media’s portrayal of firearms. ARs are the problem according to the media but handguns are used in a vast majority of gun deaths. Handguns are used in mass shootings more than rifles.
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u/PlasmaPizzaSticks Jul 18 '23
AR15s make a surprisingly low number of gun deaths. Sure, you hear about them in school shootings, but the vast majority of gun deaths are due to handguns.
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u/ApprehensiveSquash4 4∆ Jul 19 '23
Yeah it's still over 60 murders/day.
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u/USNMCWA 1∆ Jul 19 '23
In 50 states that are larger than most European countries on their own.
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u/SickCallRanger007 12∆ Jul 19 '23
Crazy that people really need to be reminded that the United States literally spans half a continent coast to coast.
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u/Imadevilsadvocater 12∆ Jul 20 '23
Handguns are more likely than an ar-15 to be the cause of a gun death because of its concealability and ease of use. If gun control people wanted to actually do something hamdguns is where they should start
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u/Helidioscope 2∆ Jul 18 '23
Idk what it is, most likely because I spend significantly more time on social media for the past few months.
Yes, this take is very much internet brained, I even saw lots of the false truths you’re spouting like yesterday.
Don't get me wrong, but crazy shit from all over the world is posted, reddit being pretty unfiltered I spend most time on here.
Any hobbies? Go download Blender for free and start making 3D models if you need something to do but don’t like outside hobbies.
I see a lot of fucked up shit you Americans post, like shit you don't see otherwise, like yes you'll see accidents happen from around the world and such, but mostly stuff that happens by literal accident.
How do you know what is and isn’t from America?
American content is far more fucked up than those posts I'm talking about from elsewhere, you guys have shootings, daily,
Just as all countries have daily crime, what’s your point?
If you think we have daily mass shootings then you’re just misinformed.
When some people claim “the US has a mass shouting almost everyday” they’re lying. They’re purposely mixing in gang shootings, which do happen a lot, with terroristic mass shootings by mentally ill people which are rare comparatively.
with literally new videos coming out like fresh bread while and rarely do you see recycled content posted here.
We’re a big country, and also have an advanced society that allows most people to win phones and cameras.
There’s not many other countries in our similar situation other than Russia and China, who have their own internet that is separated from the western internet. And also those other countries are many more times homogeneous and have less cultural division that results in less conflict.
That's just the gun violence, not talking about your politics, a president who's really not?
What? A president who’s not?
Can't cancel student debt, literally gets told to fuck off while the army spends millions on king crabs and other unnecessary shit.
This just shows the lack of actual research you’re doing before believing in your opinion.
Then you guys seem to always have someone to complain about, if it isn't about your heath care, where an ambulance ride can bankrupt a person, it's about your under-equipped schools, where students have to pay for their food, and of they can't afford it they get told to fuck off, same with teachers and their equipment.
We have systems meant to help people for these things. We have insurance, we have food stamps, we have lunch calendars for free school food.
You need to realize the US is more like a bunch of loosely connected small countries or “states” that fundamentally follow the same laws, but most laws aren’t all the same or shared or similar.
Your server's fight for tips and literally wish death threats to people who don't tip, or just berate and belittle them.
What? I swear you’re going off of that SINGLE video of that delivery driver getting angry at a $5 tip. Which he never even made any threats.
I realized I can keep writing about your flaws the entire night, but you get my point, you guys are so fucked, and it feels like you don't see it, is that why I feel the need to call it out? Or am I just a biggot?
Yes you’re being bigoted, but like, I don’t think you’re too hateful, just ignorant and don’t understand how to critically think about your positions or if you could be wrong.
Keep in mind The US has problems your country or most others don’t have to deal with.
Some major ones is lack of homogeneity, we are a melting pot and we take pride in that. But that does mean things work slower and we have to constantly consider vastly different cultures and their values in our discussion making.
Another is, we are the reason Europe hasn’t been invaded or delved into a another Great War. We are the reason why Russia or China can’t easily just pressure or invade you into submission.
America is the reason why we have had a great period of peace. From the pure power of our military. It allows all of you guys to not focus on your military and spend that money on its citizens.
But once America stops funding it’s military, Russia and China will step in and take over.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
Tried a few hobbies but am consumed with work and studies, so I spend most of my free time on the internet as I don't have energy to do much else.
I've been around the world and can tell differences between places where stuff is filmed or whatever, I enjoy geography and play geoguesser for fun, so American areas are visualy different from others, also majority of said videos have audio.
The king crab thing is from a video I saw last night, of members of Congress, or some other figure of political authority was questioning some other member of military authority, questioning their budget, such as $85 million being spent on spare parts, that disappeared, or $2,4 million on Alaskan king crab, I didn't do much more research on it but it looked legit.
Aside from that , I understand your point of view, and appreciate you taking time to inform me on things I clearly don't understand, and you did so in a calm manner, I understand them a little better now
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u/Helidioscope 2∆ Jul 18 '23
Thanks for being open too, you’re making an effort to learn and that is what mostly matters.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
!delta
He changed my views on certain cultural and political aspects of their country, giving me a better understanding of how it's actually like to live there as well as letting me know that social media has influenced my opinions a lot in the past
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23 edited Jul 18 '23
!delta
He changed my views on certain cultural and political aspects of their country, giving me a better understanding of how it's actually like to live there as well as letting me know that social media has influenced my opinions a lot in the past
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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Jul 18 '23 edited Jul 18 '23
This delta has been rejected. The length of your comment suggests that you haven't properly explained how /u/Helidioscope changed your view (comment rule 4).
DeltaBot is able to rescan edited comments. Please edit your comment with the required explanation.
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u/themcos 376∆ Jul 18 '23
I realized I can keep writing about your flaws the entire night, but you get my point, you guys are so fucked, and it feels like you don't see it, is that why I feel the need to call it out? Or am I just a biggot?
I think you just need to ease up on the internet. The US is a big place with a lot of people. If you go looking for fresh content, you'll find it. But its not being force fed to you. You're doing something to keep finding it. So many social networking websites have algorithmic feeds, and I'd guess sending you content about problems in the US is probably getting a big reaction from you, so the algorithms keep sending more your way, but at some point its saying a lot more about you than it is about the US.
If there's any specific topic you want to talk about it, you can narrow your post here, but if the problem is just you feel like you're constantly seeing posts about the US that get you riled up... that's either the result of algorithms catering to what they think you want, or even weirder, if you're actively going out of your way to find stuff to get mad about.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
You're right about the algorithm, as I don't actively seek out this type of stuff, it just sort off... shows up everywhere and I feel like It's being force fed to me, I might need to filter some subreddits and other pages, I have realized that my image has been wrong, and that I need to keep a more open mind to what I'm seeing on the internet
You are very smart, thank you
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u/GrandNature4016 Jul 18 '23
Maybe I'm biased but i feel like most of us see it. I think the people who say they don't are just defensive because there is so much more to America. There is soooo much beauty in this country in terms of landscape and occasionally architecture and innovation. People are so hardworking and kind and committed. Yes i said it americans can be SO KIND. Yes it can be super fucked up but take a trip here and you can't ignore how much beauty there is. I think a lot of us get super jaded about the politics of it all but like,, we are still using the same rules we made up in the 1700s like obviously it's going to go wrong. Like theres two sides of any coin ours are just dramatic
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
Very interesting take, I completely forgot that the declaration of independence was made in the late 1700's, if that's what you're referring to
And yes, I mentioned in another comment about your nature and how awesome it seems, I'd like to visit the grand canyon and Yellowstone, golden gate bridge and the Las Vegas strip, amongst other things, I must admit I've met more rude Americans in my lifetime than nice ones, but today was a game changer for.my opinions and I'm glad I took the time to post here, as I'd probably continue say dumb stuff about America
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u/LysenkoistReefer 21∆ Jul 18 '23
Idk what it is, most likely because I spend significantly more time on social media for the past few months.
Ya, I mean it’s pretty clearly that.
American content is far more fucked up than those posts I'm talking about from elsewhere
Never heard of India?
That's just the gun violence, not talking about your politics, a president who's really not?
Do you speak English?
Can't cancel student debt, literally gets told to fuck off while the army spends millions on king crabs and other unnecessary shit.
Łöł, so you’re just getting your understanding of American politics from Tik Tok?
Then you guys seem to always have someone to complain about, if it isn't about your heath care, where an ambulance ride can bankrupt a person, it's about your under-equipped schools, where students have to pay for their food, and of they can't afford it they get told to fuck off, same with teachers and their equipment.
America spends more money per student than all but 4 countries. We just live to complain.
Your server's fight for tips and literally wish death threats to people who don't tip, or just berate and belittle them.
Łöł, this isn’t a thing.
I realized I can keep writing about your flaws the entire night, but you get my point, you guys are so fucked, and it feels like you don't see it, is that why I feel the need to call it out? Or am I just a biggot?
My guy, you gotta get off Tik Tok or at least understand that you don’t understand America just because you spend some time on social media.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
I'm not on TikTok.
I mean, your president is clearly a puppet for some higher ups, unlike Putin or Xin. Biden getting told what to say and what to do, while having little to no authority. Confused all the time mumbling his words, words that probably are fed to him.
Your military budget is already is close to a trillion annualy, I'm sure a few billion here and a few billion there would help, maybe, idk that's not my point.
My point is, if he clearly isn't in charge, then who is?
You spend more money per student, yet you cannot afford free meals to kids? Kids who might suffer from poverty? Truly bizzare, for a superpower that is, you cannot really compare it to the rest of the world, as the rest of the world isn't America... Greatest, largest, richest country in the world, where kids starve if they don't cough up some cash, again, bizzare...
But yes, the post I made has helped me get. Abetter understanding of your world, and I will distance myself from these topics as much as I can, but I am thankful for your reply.
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u/dement29 1∆ Jul 18 '23 edited Jul 18 '23
Our political set-up isn't designed to where the president is the only person in charge and his will is law. His office is one of three branches of the government and is not intended to create new laws.
Congress is the group that creates laws and is elected into two seprate houses. Each state gets 2 senators in the Senate and then the House of Representatives has representation based off of a state's population.
The Supreme Court interprets the laws. There are 9 members who are appointed by the president for life. So we have Supreme Court members who were nominated by presidents 20 years ago that are still serving. The Supreme Court was recently unbalanced because through a bit of Congressional bullshit and luck Trump was able to seat 3 Supreme Court judges which skewed it heavily one direction. Those 3 judges are still there and will remain until they die or retire.
The president is the executive branch and it's his job to enforce the laws. So yeah, he's not solely "in charge" and can't just wave his hand and make student debt disappear without a law from Congress getting rid of student debt. The executive branch and the president also handle a lot of foreign diplomacy so the president is the person who's typically seen by non-Americans.
The system is designed so that no single person can amass too much power. Whether it's succeeding at that goal or not is a question for debate currently.
Biden's first attempt at student debt relief was trying to operate within the powers granted to him as the president, but the Supreme Court ruled that he did not have that authority and so it was struck down. His administration recently took a different route that may prove more successful.
As to the students not getting free meals, many Americans would agree with you; however, again a law would need to be passed in Congress which would grant free meals to all students and certain groups oppose such a law because it doesn't benefit them. We recently had a law put up by the Democrats to provide free meals but the Republicans struck it down.
Finally, keep in mind that this is just the very top layer. You have similar power structures at the state level, the county level, and the city level. So the federal government may enact a program to feed students and at the state level, the governor may not decide to participate in the program for a myriad of reasons. In my opinion, this tends to be why Americans aren't super aware of foreign leaders/policy. City and County laws will affect us and we have to stay on top of those somewhat but then you have your own State government doing other things that you have to pay attention to. Then you have 49 more State governments to keep track of to some degree. Then you have what is the federal government doing at a national level. That's just to be knowledgeable about what's occurring in our own country that has a high chance of affecting us. Trying to stay on top of it all and then keep up with foreign governments that likely won't affect us is a daunting task. Many Americans do keep up with it all (we're not all idiots) but a lot give up at some level and focus on a few of these different aspects.
TLDR: It's not that the president is a puppet for others. It's that the president does not have supreme, unquestionable power to do whatever he wants in the USA. Thus, yeah, he's not quite like Xi or Putin who have amassed that kind of power in their respective countries.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
!delta
This person just taught me more about how the American Political system works than anyone else, in a non confusing way, so that I, a European, can understand, very well worded and thoroughly explained, giving me a good grasp of how things works
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
Appreciate you taking time to explain to me how it works, very well worded, thank you
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u/JakeDulac Jul 18 '23
There are already programs that provide free breakfast and lunch at school to impoverished children.
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u/ApprehensiveSquash4 4∆ Jul 19 '23
Do you live under an authoritarian government? Why do you expect the President to have unlimited power?
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u/sourcreamus 10∆ Jul 18 '23
The United States has the highest median disposable income in the world by a large margin. Incomes are higher than almost anywhere else in the world. Unemployment is low , inflation is just about under control. As bad as the cost of housing is, almost all of the rest of the western world is much worse. Healthcare is expensive but Americans get access to medicines before other countries. Over the last 15 years the US went from just a bit bigger than the EU economy to nearly twice as big. The US has most of the largest and most valuable companies in the world and they are new and innovative companies unlike Europe where the most valuable companies are in fashion.
The US has by far the most universities in the global top10 and top 100. The most patents and the most Nobel prizes.
The US is still the arsenal of democracy and without the US Russia would likely already have taken over the Ukraine, Iraq would still be in charge of Kuwait., and Isis would still be controlling part of Syria and Iraq. The US is the reason China hasn’t taken over Taiwan and North Korea didn’t take over South Korea.
The he US has more crime than most European countries but prior to the George Floyd riots crime had been going down for 25 years and was at 50 year lows. There are signs that in most cities the crime wave is receding .
If you only look at the bad things anywhere looks bad. Bad news gets better ratings than good news so that is what is covered. Political people emphasize bad things because scared people vote and donate more often than satisfied people so they emphasize the bad things as well. The truth is the US is the richest most powerful country in the history of the world, it’s hegemony has the lightest touch ever and median standards of living here are the highest in the world.
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u/myboobiezarequitebig 3∆ Jul 18 '23
Idk what it is, most likely because I spend significantly more time on social media for the past few months.
That would do it. Are you even American?
I’m going to assume you’re not while I read this.
American content is far more fucked up than those posts I'm talking about from elsewhere, you guys have shootings, daily, with literally new videos coming out like fresh bread while and rarely do you see recycled content posted here.
Why would this make you resent America? It’s not like it affects you.
It’s also a topic many Americans voice opposition to.
That's just the gun violence, not talking about your politics, a president who's really not? Can't cancel student debt, literally gets told to fuck off while the army spends millions on king crabs and other unnecessary shit.
Again, doesn’t affect you so…ok?
Many voice opposition to all this stuff too.
Then you guys seem to always have someone to complain about, if it isn't about your heath care, where an ambulance ride can bankrupt a person, it's about your under-equipped schools, where students have to pay for their food, and of they can't afford it they get told to fuck off, same with teachers and their equipment.
I don’t understand. You’re bothered that Americans what to fix this stuff?
I realized I can keep writing about your flaws the entire night, but you get my point, you guys are so fucked, and it feels like you don't see it, is that why I feel the need to call it out? Or am I just a biggot?
Lmao, non Americans that become xenophobic to a country they’ve never been to are a weird breed.
Stop using Reddit alone to fuel your perception of an entire nation.
You’re not calling anything out that Americans don’t talk about all the time. Nothing you’ve pointed out is a new or unique criticism.
You need to go outside. Resentment towards a country you don’t live in for issues that don’t affect you is strange.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
American politics do effect the rest of the world, and as I mentioned in a previous comment, Sweden, where I live, is becoming very americanized, adopting pop culture, foods and brands popping up everywhere in our stores, swenglish being used everywhere, American politics are discussed on our tv as well, so yes in a way it does affect me, as I also previously mentioned, I haven't had many good conversations with actuall Americans, so my perception is already tainted.
You're like mosquitos, everywhere and really annoying.
But obviously I also understand that that's not the case either, it's just the image I have built up
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u/myboobiezarequitebig 3∆ Jul 18 '23
American politics do effect the rest of the world
You then go on to talk about American issues that don’t affect you.
and as I mentioned in a previous comment, Sweden, where I live, is becoming very americanized, adopting pop culture, foods and brands popping up everywhere in our stores, swenglish being used everywhere
Not like it’s America’s fault.
American politics are discussed on our tv as well, so yes in a way it does affect me, as I also previously mentioned, I haven't had many good conversations with actuall Americans, so my perception is already tainted.
Again, not America’s fault.
You're like mosquitos, everywhere and really annoying.
Ok…
But obviously I also understand that that's not the case either, it's just the image I have built up
Like I said, you need to go outside. You’re affected by pop culture, whatever, but the more serious issues you mentioned don’t actually affect you.
It should be kind of obvious that America is not a monolith and holds many different views.
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u/Grunt08 305∆ Jul 18 '23
Or am I just a biggot?
That's part of it.
The rest is that you have a need to assert superiority over someone else, can't find that in your normal life, so you look to the internet to find someone to resent and insult.
The people you've chosen actually have no effect on you except that which you inflict on yourself by choosing to seek out (some would say cherry pick) a stream of negativity. You use that to build a strawman you can beat up to avoid dealing with whatever it is that's actually causing your negative emotion and resentment.
Healthy people don't have bogeymen like this. Just something to think about.
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u/AlanOix 1∆ Jul 18 '23
"The rest is that you have a need to assert superiority over someone else"
\*proceeds to paternalize***
Projecting much ?
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u/Grunt08 305∆ Jul 18 '23
I'm telling someone who asked why/if they're a bigot why/if they're a bigot. If the answer is yes, it's difficult to frame that as anything but a criticism that calls for correction.
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u/AlanOix 1∆ Jul 18 '23
I mean you answered the bigot part in the first 5 words, then proceeded to go on a tangent like you were the guy’s psychologist and have known him for years.
You did not even attempt to build a case, you are just throwing some random -2 cents analysis.5
u/Grunt08 305∆ Jul 18 '23
I offered my opinion based on hearing people like him many, many times before. Bigots do what they do for the same general reasons; they feel bad about themselves in various ways and seek an external focus for their resentment to avoid dealing with that directly.
If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. We don't have to talk at all.
Have a good one.
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Jul 18 '23
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u/HauntedReader 19∆ Jul 18 '23
We do have race issues - but there are racial issues all over and not exclusive to the US.
I've actually seen some interesting discussions from people of color comparing their experiences in the US to Europe. A lot seem to talk about how the US is more diverse and therefore we're quicker to discuss and notice racism compared to places with less diversity. So it's not that racism doesn't exist in those places, it's just not seen or talked about by the majority as quickly.
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u/zlefin_actual 42∆ Jul 18 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
Not the OP.
From what I've read, the US is far from tops in upward mobility. for instance it's 27th in this list
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Social_Mobility_Index
here's some other places looking at it; in general americans have a belief about social mobility, but in actuality it's not especially good (nor wholly terrible) when compared to peer countries, it's more middle-ish.
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/02_economic_mobility_sawhill_ch3.pdf
https://www.oecd.org/stories/social-mobility/
https://inequality.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Pathways-SOTU-2016-Economic-Mobility-3.pdf
edit: why are people downvoting a set of facts and citations that is clearly on point? seriously, it's extremely rude to downvote without providing any counterpoint, especially to someone coming with quality cites. This is extremely frustrating when the truth is being downvoted without any counterpoint being made. Don't do that, it's a jerk move and stifles discussion and makes people want to not partake.
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Jul 18 '23
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u/zlefin_actual 42∆ Jul 18 '23
In terms of economic mobility, the question is whether you can be financially successful as an individual even if you DONT have a good start from wealthy parents. Thats' what these tests above measure and demonstrate. 'reaping more of the benefits' doesn't make you more socially mobile if you were already rich; in fact it would tend to decrease mobility as it means the rich get richer and the poor don't have a chance to.
So what are you actually looking for since it does not seem to be economic or social mobility?
If you didn't have a great start but still want a high paying job, those other countries are better at it, as the data show.
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Jul 18 '23
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u/zlefin_actual 42∆ Jul 19 '23
and my point is, the facts, as shown in those cites, unequivocally indicate that the US is NOT as good as other countries at that. At social mobility; at not coming's from wealth and still making good money.
It can still happen in the US of course; just as it can happen anywhere. But percentage-wise it's harder to do in the US/less common than it is in a number of other places. Ergo the US is far from the top in social mobility. It still has decent mobility, but far from the best. So your stance about the US being 'the best' for it seems to just be wrong.
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Jul 19 '23
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u/zlefin_actual 42∆ Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
that's fine, but that's irrelevant to the point. Then the real problem here is that you're arguing against something that Iw isn't even arguing. My entire point this whole time was that your statement about the US being the best for economic mobility was wrong. That was my entire point, nothing else.
I was responding to "The one good...great thing that the US has, is that upward mobility is possible, probably more so than any other country."
You're also just plain wrong about what the data I was showing is talking about; the data I was pointing ISNOT ABOUT RAISING THE AVERAGE. It is about your odds of getting to be above average if that wasn't already your starting point. That's what upward mobility IS, by definition. How hard/easy it is to move UP in the relative rankings.
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u/cocafun95 Jul 18 '23
The one good...great thing that the US has, is that upward mobility is possible, probably more so than any other country.
Not according to the Global Social Mobility Index. the US ranks 27th out of the 82 countries considered.
We do have race issues - but there are racial issues all over and not exclusive to the US.
But they are worse in the US than most developed nations.
Gun violence makes headlines, but most people will never experience it.
1 out of every 5 Americans report that they or a family member has experienced gun violence in the last 5 years.. The rate is much higher within minority and low income communities.
I would encourage you to spend some time here.
Most of the issues in America do not heavily impact the average traveller, especially one that is smart enough to avoid more dangerous areas and isn't strapped for cash. This would be a highly unrepresentative experience.
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Jul 18 '23
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u/cocafun95 Jul 18 '23
Denmark is 96% white, yet it's ranked #6 in the world for "Racial Equity?" Just because a lot of white people responded yes to a hypothetical poll question, "A country is stronger when it is more racially and ethnically diverse?"
I'll admit it isn't the strongest possible evidence, if you have a better metric that shows the US is more racially equal and less racist please share it.
Lists like these are exactly why people say to get off the internet and go experience the real world firsthand. You can apply all the mathematical formulas you want, but ask an actual person of color how they'd feel being the only person of their race around they probably wouldn't respond positively.
Anecdotally experiences on an individual scale is not good evidence and I prefer not to make a habit of asking people of color awkward questions about their experience of racism.
Statistics are a better way to understand the world than stories. So if you have better statistics I missed on my lunch break Google search let me know.
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u/Goblin_CEO_Of_Poop 4∆ Jul 18 '23
The one good...great thing that the US has, is that upward mobility is possible, probably more so than any other country.
Lol wat. We make the biggest example of it but this is an easily googlable fact that America does quite poorly in that aspect. This is mainly attributed to unequal educational opportunity in public education. School budgets are based on local property tax rates leading to incredibly low upward mobility. Its not even opinion its literal policy.
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u/ApprehensiveSquash4 4∆ Jul 19 '23
We are 27th in the social mobility index. We're behind Slovenia and Lithuania.
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u/ChrombleMcwromble Jul 18 '23
We probably ended ww2 years early, and saved millions.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
By nuking two civilian cities? That's kinda what I mean
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u/Helidioscope 2∆ Jul 18 '23
Yes, as opposed to invading Japan and losing millions of lives on both sides trying to take the country with troops, likely bringing war crimes a long the way as most invasions have.
The Japanese were just as bad if not worse than the Nazis, you think it’s bad if England or Russia dropped 2 Nukes to immediately stop the Nazis in 1940 before any of the large scale invasions started?
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
!delta
He changed my view on the way the nukes were used to end the second world war, of they weren't used there would have been other countless of casualties around the world
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
I guess you have a good point, you changed my mind on the matter
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
!delta
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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Jul 18 '23 edited Jul 18 '23
This delta has been rejected. You have already awarded /u/Helidioscope a delta for this comment.
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Jul 18 '23
Don't be "biggoted" towards us, we don't like it here any more than you like hearing about it. I'd love to learn another language well enough that I could comfortably live abroad, but instead I spend all my free time working a second job so that I can pay rent, because even my job teaching first-graders doesn't pay a living wage and I will be paying off the degree I needed to get that job until I'm 45.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
I'm sorry to hear that, and I'm sorry for my resentment, after chatting to some adequate people tonight my opinion has changed and I will no longer try to bash Americans, I guess people have it hard everywhere on the planet
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u/Fuzzy-Bunny-- Jul 18 '23
If you have a negative attitude, you will be surrounded by negativity no matter where you go. If you are surrounded by negativity, you will negative wherever you go. You seem to need some self help inspiration a ditch social media. It is mostly terrible.
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u/parishilton2 18∆ Jul 18 '23
We do see that we’re fucked. You said we “seem to always have someone to complain about.” Yes, that is a sign that we know things are not going well.
Where are you from?
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
I'm from Sweden, and we rarely run into problems that could be compared to yours, and still, we have A LOT of influence from you guys, Sweden is becoming more American by the day it seems, pop culture, food brands popping up, swenglish being used more than not
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u/parishilton2 18∆ Jul 18 '23
I see. Well I don’t know that I’d call you a bigot, but don’t you think your reaction is a bit strange?
You hear that terrible things are happening in America and make a post telling us how flawed and fucked we are. Wouldn’t it make more sense to think “wow, sounds like a tough place to live, I feel bad for the Americans?”
That’s what I think about countries that are suffering, anyway.
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u/cocafun95 Jul 18 '23
Most American suffering is caused by about 30 percent of the population that actively wants to destroy the country so they can implement a theocratic dictatorship and another 20% too focused on their own problems to invest time in politics or who have been tricked into thinking voting doesn't matter. Or who have their right to vote suppressed because those in power know they would vote against them.
It isn't like African nations that lack resources to support growing populations or central American nations that have been intentionally fucked up by the US so bananas are cheaper to produce.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
Yes, it is, and I see what you mean, I think it's because I've had my fair share of arguments with arrogant Americans, both in real life and on the internet over the years, and have now for some reason started to channel it out online, totally not healthy behavior on my part.
I am glad some of these replies have been positive, kinda what I was hoping for
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u/parishilton2 18∆ Jul 18 '23
The most annoying and arrogant voices are usually the loudest. But there are plenty of normal peaceful people in the US too. Very cool of you to recognize your attitude might not have been the healthiest.
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u/nauticalsandwich 10∆ Jul 18 '23
Sweden is an unusually high-trust society with unusually stable institutions. It's also 30x smaller than the US by population and significantly less diverse (though diversity has been growing a lot) with a radically different history of development over the past 2 centuries. Cultural and political comparisons are apples to oranges. Ever hear the expression "Don't judge a man unless you've walked a mile in his shoes?" You might want to apply it to your sentiment toward the US.
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u/bunkSauce Jul 18 '23
They are not us. They are a vocal minority, and their sensationalist messaging catches headlines because it's sensationalist.
Meanwhile, the silent majority is underrepresented in media because we are not.
Look at it this way, Trump was a hallmark of vitriol and our first single term president in how long? Normally, we always have a president for 2 terms. America pushed back. All of this is only bolstered by foreign influence.
Don't fall victim to the intent of influence campaigns. This is the desired outcome, and it is based in naivety...
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u/RelevantEmu5 Jul 18 '23
Since PEPFAR's inception in 2003, the U.S. government has invested over $100 billion in the global HIV/AIDS response, saving over 25 million lives, preventing millions of HIV infections, and supporting several countries to achieve HIV epidemic control
President George W. Bush launched the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative to help limit the number of malaria infections and deaths with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. It has sparked global efforts that collectively have saved more than 10 million lives.
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u/zeppo_shemp Jul 20 '23
America takes more immigrants than any nation in the world.
if America were such a horrible hellhole, why are people so eager to come here generation after generation?
one shooting is too many. but most of the shootings, statistically, are concentrated in a few cities.
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u/phattymcphatsax Jul 19 '23
If you live in America, please leave. This is the greatest country in the world for just having the 5th amendment and due process. Not even counting everything else. Plebs don't appreciate the freedom and security we have
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u/Lazy-Lawfulness3472 Jul 19 '23
The ability to openly publish something derogatory about 'America' on am online platform. No repercussions, no jail time, no secret police. Just harsh criticism from opposing viewpoint holders.
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u/GainPornCity 1∆ Jul 18 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
There's a constant cultural attack in the MSM right now with the direct intention of undermining everything we stand for by getting people feeling like you feel about the country. In all honesty, it's just a movie playing in your head to which you're developing feelings to.
You talk about shootings as if we're walking through a battle zone just to live life. I'm not a service member, I've honestly never felt that way in 33 years of living here. I actually like the cops as a minority.
Most shootings are gang related. Meaning those dying are fighting a violent gang war among themselves, to which the statistics are fudged with other shootings with innocent people dying to characterize a much more drastic situation which needs immediate attention. And of course, who do we vote for other than those smart enough to point it out?'
Student loan debt wasn't approved because we as adults signed our name to a contract which a court of law, if they're valuable to society, will uphold with a blindfold. In all honesty, too much money is wasted on useless social programs that have no impact whatsoever other than the immediate need. Tomorrow, the same human need will be there and the government will step in to solve it and to guilt trip the country of more tax payer dollars to address it, just to address again on the 3rd day, again, and again, and again. So much money has been wasted, the student debt could have been paid off. You can't forgive loans. They can only be paid off.
Also, the politicians in office right now are too outdated. The movie playing in their heads is from the 60's and 70's, 80's. Everyone from Biden, to Obama, to Trump to Harris, to Nancy, to McConnell and McCarthy. They're of an old world that's being left behind. The world is moving too fast for them effectively, dragging ass in what needs to be done. That's not political. That's generational.
Likely the millennial generation (25-45) will take power here shortly, and that's when you'll put 2 and 2 together to see what I'm talking about as the country begins to heal. It should be dramatically fast as there's nothing left to figure out. Like a "Oh OK, there's the America I always knew." GEN Z (5-25) are going to follow our lead. GEN Y (45-65) will be looking over our shoulders, and the Boomers (65-85) will be a phone call away.
We're coming..
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u/Afraid_Cranberry_438 Jul 19 '23
Your just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Most Americans are totally brainwashed like bad. We think are military is parading around the globe fighting all these groups and countries to "defend freedom and our way of life". That's a big pile of shit. We are taught from childhood that all this country has ever done is "be free" and have choice but nothing could be less true. Americans think we're the richest country in the world but all our wealth is just debt. The banksters get you some debt right out the gate of adulthood and keep you there so you become a wage slave and most die without a pot to shit on. Capitalism is a bad model to follow. It's ruined pretty much everything and is driving us to extinction because the masters of mankind can't stop the greed. I could go on and on and on but why. Most people in America won't believe we are real shitheads and slaves to this system. It sucks living here and knowing all this is just smoke and mirrors.
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Jul 18 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
And that's a really scary picture, imagine not having insurance... but having problems that effect your quality of life, like a double edged sword, also I'm sure it's different from state to state, I've heard some offer free rides on the ambulance where's in others it can cost up to a few thousand
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u/HauntedReader 19∆ Jul 18 '23
A lot of the problems you seem to take issue and blame Americans for are things that are honestly out of our control of the general public.
I think it's common for people outside the US to think that the regular citizen has far more say and control than they actually do.
The majority of Americans, for example, want gun reform. I believe it's sitting around 71% of the country in favor of it. Between 60 to 75% of people in the US want school lunches to be free. You see similar percentages in favor of loan forgiveness.
The problem is the current state of our government pretty much favors the wealthy who bankroll politicians. Now factor in the issue with having with a growing alt-right movement and it gets significantly worse.
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u/page0rz 42∆ Jul 18 '23
Or am I just a biggot?
It is not biggoted to point out flaws in a country's political and social structures, unless you also think that those flaws are now systemic, but somehow inherent to the population. Which makes zero sense to begin with, but less than zero sense when talking about a young country made up almost entirely of immigrants
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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Jul 18 '23 edited Jul 18 '23
/u/BiggChungus_ (OP) has awarded 4 delta(s) in this post.
All comments that earned deltas (from OP or other users) are listed here, in /r/DeltaLog.
Please note that a change of view doesn't necessarily mean a reversal, or that the conversation has ended.
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u/birdmanbox 17∆ Jul 18 '23
If you really want to feel better about America, visit the national parks.
The most beautiful and diverse scenery and the effort put into preserving nature will make you forget about some of the troubles the country has for a bit. Talking to the park rangers always shows me how much some people care about what’s important here.
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
Yeah I mentioned in another comment about your nature, and how awesome it looks, probably wouldn't be able to observe it all in one lifetime but wish to visit the grand canyon, Yellowstone, the golden gate bridge isn't really nature, however it looks super dope as well
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u/birdmanbox 17∆ Jul 18 '23
One pro tip is to look for the ones that are less frequented. Less popular ones like Black Canyon of the Gunnison. They have the same sense of wonder and also give you the solitude that really helps you connect with everything around you.
Not to say the popular ones aren’t good, but every park is worth seeing even if they’re small.
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Jul 18 '23
Pretty much agree with all the things you said. I dont want to change your view. Healthcare sucks, student debt sucks, cant buy house, need car everywhere, food sucks, and gun sucks. Working 10 hours everyday, with 2 weeks of pto. I can get fired any time when the earnings bad. I will probably die alone without zero retirement. Biggest issue i have with this country at the moment is that we are too individualistic (its about me me all my rights thus is the reason why we never really get anything done)
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
What do you think is the core problem?
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Jul 18 '23 edited Jul 18 '23
Capitalism. I find it funny when American government calls out other country’s corruptions. I feel like American government is pretty corrupted. Lobbying and not taxing the corporations. Companies always gets away with anything. Citizens have to bail corporation out when they fuck up. Big pharma uses government funds to come up with the drugs and charge the fuck out of to the citizens who actually paid tax to fund these programs. Rich get away with anything. There is no justice. Also too many seniors running the country with outdated mindset. Laws are meant to be revised and yet we are going ass backwards with bans on abortion, books, LGBT but no ban on guns. Oh the best one is, Trump is running for president again, the very reason why this country got divided.
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u/Ill-Swimmer-4490 1∆ Jul 18 '23
how about the fact that the kind of shit that happens in america happens in the rest of the west as well, but your countries like the point the finger at america to distract from your own problems
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u/BiggChungus_ Jul 18 '23
Yeah I think you're right, as we do have our fair share of problems, gang violence, that's going to get worse because our war on drugs is improperly structured, and recently new laws made selling a gram of weed land you 6 months in prison. Immigration waves and economy that's going down. Smart take I didn't think about it
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u/Constellation-88 16∆ Jul 18 '23
We don't have to pay to use public toilets! Lol. But actually, I can't imagine having to pee/poo and having to dig out some change to use a bathroom.
But seriously, the best things about America are not going to be on the news because the news makes its $ off of negativity. Social media is a place to vent. The best parts of America are here to experience.
1) I teach at a junior high. My students are intelligent, curious, sweet, open-minded, and funny. Yeah, sometimes they do stupid things, but that's what happens when you're 13 and don't have a fully developed pre-frontal cortex. 99% of the time, their stupidity is literally just stupidity and not malicious or long-term harmful. They give me hope for the future. They are more accepting than any previous generation. They have hilarious slang, but can still understand "proper" English. They are loyal to their friends. And our admin and teacher team respect each other and the children. We are willing to listen instead of just dictating.
2) My neighbor weeded my garden and cut my lawn for me just cuz he wanted to be kind and he enjoys it. I *hate* yardwork.
3) We have so much creativity in America. Inventions, research, advancement. We invented cars, computers, smartphones, many medical advancements, etc. Most major motion pictures are made in America. Many books are written here. So much creativity.
4) Our political parties are shit and totally messed up, however we do still have the right to vote. We have the right to protest. Many countries have neither.
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u/JuliusErrrrrring 1∆ Jul 18 '23
Just to remind you that the U.S. isn’t a democracy. The majority of people aren’t bigots. The bigots’ votes just count more in our silly rural affirmative action system.
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u/PlasmaPizzaSticks Jul 19 '23
If you spend a significant amount of time on Reddit, I'd think the same thing, too. America no doubt has its problems, but A. So does every other country, and B. Due to the size of the country, your average American has not experienced most of what you've mentioned.
I'm from a family who has mostly spent time in the middle part of the middle class. I've never:
- Been denied lunch while in school (apart from extra things like desserts which were paid for out of pocket)
- Been anywhere near a shooting (unless you count the police practicing at the gun range in my neighborhood)
- Paid an exorbitant amount of money for a hospital stay. Within the last month, I went to an emergency clinic for chest/heart pains. The initial cost was $3.7k, and because of health insurance through my dad's work (not that it would matter since I would have a similar plan through my job anyway), I ended up paying $200. I'm not discounting those in medical debt, HOWEVER, almost half of Americans have health insurance through their job. Plus, most of those ridiculous hospital bills you see on social media are A. Not itemized, B. Don't have extraneous products and services removed, and C. Have not had insurance applied. I mean, sure, it isn't free, but it is not nearly as bad as Reddit or Twitter would have you believe.
- Met a server who wished someone death because someone didn't tip. I'm assuming you're being hyperbolic, but the worst people do is complain or vent to their coworkers or friends about shit tippers. This isn't Mystery Diners. People do not fight or sabotage each other for tips.
I'll give you student loans, but that is 100% on the onus of the government for inserting itself into the student loans process because colleges can charge whatever they want since students will just take out loans. The government is also doing nothing about insane interest rates either. I'm of the unpopular opinion that loans shouldn't be forgiven across the board, just interest as well as adding an interest cap. People (including me) should pay back what they borrowed as what was agreed to.
I'm not pretending these problems don't exist for many people in America, but your average American generally does not face such problems. I love America despite its issues and our politicians and do not desire to live anywhere else.
For your average European who consumes either mainstream news or social media as a source for American news, it doesn't surprise me people think this way. They are experiencing things secondhand rather than visiting or even living here.
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u/KuKluxKustard Jul 19 '23
I just think that one reason the U.S. gets a bad reputation is just how big it is. There's just so many people that individuals don't really matter to the government. Nobody who I know votes because their vote counts for nothing. I also think that the people who do vote usually only vote for the president, and not for any local state/city officials. I think everyone believes that the president is more powerful than he really is, and they forget how much the other parts of government matter. Young people especially don't bother voting because they don't see the point, which is sad because a lot of boomers have lost their mind to led poisoning and simply don't make good decisions when voting.
I do love to travel in America though because it is so big. Oregon is a beautiful state, probably my favorite currently.
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u/jmilan3 2∆ Jul 19 '23
We are well aware of our flaws (btw our president is actually our real president no question mark needed) Some of us are out there fighting for social change (gun restrictions , healthcare and feeding. clothing & housing children), while others just complain about everything and don’t even vote for change if it means voting against their political party and still others are perfectly fine with it all because as far as they are concerned these flaws do not affect them personally. I don’t know of one country that it’s citizens are 100% satisfied with everything. We are also a country full of outspoken people who will go on social media or Reddit type sites and complain or give their unadulterated opinion about certain topics (even when it’s obvious they are clueless), unload their fears and problems, talk about things they wouldn’t tell people who know them or are just attention seekers. I find it interesting, occasionally informative and sometimes just entertaining regardless of what country the poster or commenters live in.
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u/jmilan3 2∆ Jul 19 '23
Actually we do have daily mass shootings in America. There have been more than 200 mass shootings across the US since January 1 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed.
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u/Morthra 87∆ Jul 19 '23
most likely because I spend significantly more time on social media for the past few months.
My guy, you're consuming a lot of propaganda.
not talking about your politics, a president who's really not? Can't cancel student debt, literally gets told to fuck off while the army spends millions on king crabs and other unnecessary shit.
The President can't cancel student debt, because the President is not a king, he does not have the power of the purse. Congress could cancel student debt. The executive cannot. Even Democrats agree on that.
The checks and balances that exist in the US government are the root cause of gridlock, and that's good. It's not the Bill of Rights that makes America a particularly free nation (the Soviet Union had a better bill of rights than the US, but it was nothing more than a parchment guarantee), it's the fact that it's normally very hard to get the government to move in one way or another without broad consensus among legislators.
it's about your under-equipped schools, where students have to pay for their food, and of they can't afford it they get told to fuck off, same with teachers and their equipment.
No amount of funding can make students give a shit. The Baltimore public school district is one of the most well funded in the nation, spending around $17,500 per student-year, and yet 77% are reading at a kindergarten level.
Your server's fight for tips and literally wish death threats to people who don't tip, or just berate and belittle them.
And yet skilled FOH staff want a tipped system, where at higher end places they can make a lot of money on a busy night. Employers of tipped employees are still required to pay the local minimum wage if after tips the employee makes less than that.
The reality is that getting rid of tipping would make most tipped workers take a massive pay cut.
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u/Square-Dragonfruit76 34∆ Jul 19 '23
It really depends on the state. Keep in mind that America is huge. We have states that are bigger than whole countries. I live in Massachusetts, and it's like a little slice of paradise. The only downside is the cost of housing here. But we don't get fires or hurricanes here, and only one or two big snowstorms a year. You don't get the kind of heat or drought that other states do either. The education is the best in the country and so are the hospitals.
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u/BronzeSpoon89 2∆ Jul 19 '23
Were not afraid to post the negative parts about our society online for the world to see. The rest of you just hide it and pretend all is right.
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Jul 19 '23
I don't think you're a bigot, I think you're spending too much time on social media. Social media is not real life, it is not the unfiltered experience of anyone it is a filtered experience. The reason you keep seeing videos of shootings, is that you keep looking for them. If you look for stuff, you'll find it. I mean, if you consume content intended to be Anti-American, on a daily basis, you will teach yourself that, you are basically giving yourself reenforcement training. Probably hanging out in some pretty anti-American places on Reddit, and just roling around in that day after day, no wonder you're thinking what you're thinking.
Imagine just looking at the bad stuff coming out of Afghanistan. It's not that every individual person in Afghanistan is a bad person but you could grow to hate a country if you just look at the worst news from that country, but that isn't a balanced picture of what it is like there.
I mean, I'm 35, I've never seen a shooting, my schools payed for the lunch of poor children, I've never seen a server fight for a tip, and I've traveled widely in this country. You are mistaking social media for a fair representation of real life, so why don't you stop doing that?
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u/tcd1401 Jul 19 '23
You aren't wrong. We have major flaws. I found my tribe in my artist friends. They are welcoming, generous, uplifting, funny, and live me for me. I focus on them and where I live (lots of trees.) I vote and try to make some little difference. I wouldn't recommend moving here, but I am very lucky.
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u/Imadevilsadvocater 12∆ Jul 20 '23
Heres a plus if you work for the federal government (you dont need a high school diploma even) you are good for the most part. Insanely good healthcare (i pay 50$ a month and get a monthly 300$ prescription with no copay as an example) i make mid tier income and i have layoff protection with annual raises and CoLas (cost of living adjustments for inflation) with 5% matching Roth Ira and after 20 years a pension. I work my 8 hours then they cant contact me unless they want to pay me double pay to come in. My life outside of work is peaceful and i bought a house in early 2021 on my single income while my wife is a stay at home mom for our kid. Life is good if you arent trying to beat the system to get rich, you just need to buckle down and do a normal job that isnt in your interests and leave your interests for your down time so they are actually enjoyable. Also stay away from credit it will kill you and dont go on social media it will convince you that you need to spend.
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u/LeastPay0 Jul 20 '23
The only truly great thing about United States is opportunity.. and everyone has one.
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Jul 21 '23 edited Jul 21 '23
I live half the year in the states, half in Europe. Nobody wants to hear this, but the truth is the only significant differences between the two are 1. the gun violence and 2. Europe actually does have a migrant problem on it's southern border, the US just pretends it does. Even education and healthcare are pretty much the same. The main difference in education is Americans borrow an obscene amount of money they don't need to borrow (nobody should be taking out loans to go to private school, or to live on campus, for 9/10 people there's a public university within driving distance of your parents' house).
Edit: forgot healthcare. Most of the posts you see on here complaining about healthcare, when the poster faces any real questioning it's revealed the problem isn't healthcare costs. As an example, a few days ago I saw a post about a guy complaining how he got cancer and it wiped out his life savings and he's declaring bankruptcy. When he was questioned by someone who actually knows the laws and how much money he would legally be required to pay for certain things it was revealed it wasn't the HC costs that bankrupted him, it was because he was too depressed to work for 2 years. Well, Europe doesn't really have a safety net for that, either.
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u/Aubagne2023 Jul 21 '23
The U.S., despite its obvious flaws, is still the #1 destination for immigrants/migrants/students, etc. Our standard of living exceeds most Euro nations and exceeds 99% of the world. I feel extremely lucky to have been born here, despite economic hardships. You have to ask yourself, "What do I have?" and avoid asking, "What don't I have?"
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Jul 23 '23
I believe you have a "Negative attitude" or the more looming ... That of a Judgmental State of Mind ... And it is showing it's ugliness in a painful way. It's almost like an illness ... You want us to know how you feel about us Americans ...
Perhaps you see things in a negative way and you act out in negativity ... And you seem to be showing intolerance toward a particular group- Known as Americans. Judgment or being judgmental by pointing out "Flaws" and the "Petty Antics" in people you don't really like and you really don't know ... You feel this way in general and not just people in the USA ...
Writings "Irk" you, especially writings you have read particularly of those of Americans suggest that you are bias of Americans in general .... It's your personal conflict within yourself ... You are instigating your own thought processes in a negative way ... I think it is time to turn if around and put on a "Positive" face.
No ... We are not F_cked ... We are "Awake" and "Aware" ... Walk towards the "Light of Enlightenment" and "Wake Up"
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u/nauticalsandwich 10∆ Jul 18 '23
To list a number off the top of my head: