As a British person, there is a lot of negative views and ideas about American people and the country itself. I’m curious to find out from Americans themselves what is good about the states, and what is not so good.

29 comments

  1. We live here because it’s our home.. not because of a pro/con list.

    Like, if someone is trying to improve their life, “move to another country” is suuper low on the list of todos

    ——

    ^(A little out there compared to what you asked.. I get that.. but still)

  2. Idk, this is home and I love it here.

    Great nature, diversity, any kind of food you could possibly want in basically every major city.

    Obviously the politics suck and there is room for improvement, but name me a country where the politics don’t suck

  4. Negative views and ideas of American people being parroted by non-Americans need to be taken with a truckload of salt. We are a nation of 335+ million people, is that really something that anyone with a sound mind thinks can be generalized?

    Based on what I know from speaking with my friends in Europe, I think career advancement, climbing the professional ladder seems to be easier here. Additionally, salaries tend to be higher. In many ways, because of the size of our country, we simply have more options of places to move, it’s easier to shift gears (both in a professional context but also just in life) within our country and really experience a change without any major roadblocks like language barriers and cultural differences because we are, largely, more similar than we are different relative to Europe. In school, I felt way less tunneled into a specific field or industry at a young age and was allowed to explore my interests and passions far longer and way more than Europeans seem to (referencing, primarily, the French Bac system as that’s what I’m most familiar with).

    Cons: Fewer social safety nets, we work alot harder with a lot less collectively to show for it, healthcare is more of a nightmare if you aren’t lucky to have a decent set up with work, and certain things (like university) are astronomically overpriced.

  5. Pros:

    Beautiful nature, my salary is double the average salary in the uk for the same job, it’s home, I can experience a continents worth of places without ever leaving the country, lots of diversity because we are a nation of immigrants.

    Cons:

    Honestly most of my cons would be political, but people vote and that’s how democracy works so can’t really be upset about it. And every country has their political issues so it’s not a con unique to the us by any stretch of the imagination.

    Edit: easier / cheaper travel to other countries would also be nice, but that’s kinda in conflict with one of my pros, and I’d rather have that pro tbh.

  8. the pros:
    – the natural beauty. unmatched
    – the *space.* you can drive for hours and hours through a mix of rural and urban areas and find things you’ve never seen before.
    – the comfort and convenience. drive thru pharmacies, free refills, free public bathrooms, some stores open 24 hours.
    – the people. helpfulness and friendliness are American virtues. we’re also very chill in some ways, I think. like no one really cares what you’re wearing or what you’re doing as long as you’re not harming/bothering anyone.
    – the diversity. we have such a beautiful mix of cultures here & I think it’s one of our best features as a country.

    the cons:
    – health insurance is annoying and complicated to deal with. I wish we had a system that was less burdensome for the patient.
    – although there’s a lot to do here, compared to Europe, we are quite geographically isolated. it’s hard for a lot of people to visit other countries.
    – natural disasters. tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes
    – not enough public transportation

  9. It’s an absolutely beautiful country – tons of variety in the landscape. Our national parks are amazing. We are a pretty friendly country for the most part. Our food is awesome. We are a fairly adventurous country – unlike some of the more rigid, ‘don’t like to deviate from the norm’ European countries.

  10. Pros for where I live, high levels of individual freedom compared to most parts of the world, a relatively low cost of living, and a solid jobs market. Cons…gets really cold in the winter and hot and humid in the summer.

  11. Pros: The quality of life is honestly better here, and I say that having lived in the UK, having family there, having spent a lot of time there. It’s cheaper overall for what you get (there are individual items that are cheaper there, though), and wages are higher and taxes lower, even when you factor in having to pay for health insurance. The nature here is amazing, and the food is more diverse.

    Cons: The polarization thing is real, to the point that the culture can be downright toxic at times. Worse, there’s a culture of competitiveness and ideological fundamentalism (NOT just religious fundamentalism, it pervades every ideology) here that doesn’t exist there. You guys are easiergoing than we are, and I do appreciate that. There is a commercialization factor to our culture which can be excessive. You have more shows available on DVD as our entertainment industry has pushed hard toward streaming service exclusivity. The weather is far harsher here. It’s not generally as walkable, but I mean I could technically walk/use public transportation more than I do, but the weather is also an obstacle to that. Your cities are generally prettier than ours, too.

    No difference experienced: I’ve never felt particularly unsafe either place. I know unsafe places existed in both countries. Both places have good food. The people both places are friendly, and the queuing is equal both places.

  12. Ive noticed middle aged well travelled brits that have actually spent considerable time in America have views that arent as negative.

    Its usually pissy gen z people that lean a certain way and spend alot of their life online and reading sensationalized click bait stuff about america. Or much older bitter british people that still have a complex towards America.

    Brits arent the only ones this can be said about though and SOME of their negative views have merrit.

    That being said the pros —

    1. Wages in professional fields are much higher than in britain. I was appaled at how low most high skilled british jobs were paid. In my field I on average make literally 3 to 4 times the average brit. Even factoring in our more expensive healthcare we still come out with much more disposable income on average on the professional end.

    2. Consumer options. Ive been on every continent but Anatartica and have yet to go somewhere that has the consummer options from tech to dozens of other things thats in America. We tend to get things released here first as well.

    3. Varied landscapes and climates. No other single country has the diversity of climates and landscapes. From tropical islands, to frigid artic to scorching deserts. All.under one flag.

    4. The cultural hedgemony. American music, brands , movies and tech currently have the strongest reach and influence in the world. Theres some other players of course, but they still have a VERY long way to go.

    5. Military power. Say what you will and yes America spends a fortune on it but if shit every hit the fan on a massive global scale i feel better being under the umbrella of the country that has a more powerful military than the next 6 combined.

    6. Entertain options — the sheer amount of themeparks, venues, national parks etc.

    Cons—

    1. High violent crime rate for a rich country. Not as bad as click bait media makes it seem.and nowhere near as bad as the really high violent crime countries. Still higher than it should be for a rich developed country. Mainly in certain pockets that arent that hard to avoid.

    2. Expensive healthcare. Partly Subsidized by most peoples jobs though and most atates are starting to adopt free healthcare for adults under a certain income. Its a screwed up system but not as bad as click bait news would have you think. Still.no excuse and we need a better system.

    3. Some of the culture is shiity. Alot of me first polarized politics. Alot of shitty media that stirs dvisiion for views. That being said most people are still relatively civil. The divide isnt as bloody as the media plays it up to be.

    Overall from someone whos been to 30 different countries– America isnt perfect but comparitively is still very high on my list for liveability.

  14. I like living in a single family detached house in a quiet suburb. I don’t have to put up with living next to a bar or coffee shop or store or even have to share a wall with another person. Just my own house in peaceful area surrounded by other houses.

    It’s so easy and cheap to drive everywhere.

    I have the right to bear arms, which means I can defend myself against muggers on the street or criminals invading my house.

    There’s so much scenic beauty you can see without ever having to leave the country. And you can travel the country without knowing a foreign language.

    Our clinics and hospitals have short wait times. In hospitals, multi-patient wards disappeared decades ago and only in hospitals over 20 years old do you have to share a room with even one other patient, all the ones built after that are all private rooms. Some people from the U.K. I talked to told me they waited an entire year to see a therapist, but I got an appointment the week after I called, and the actually apologized for not having an appointment the next week.

    I don’t like how crime keeps going up, and our politicians are unwilling to do anything about it.

    Cost of housing is a huge issue

    Cost of college is a huge issue.

    The disappearance of blue collar middle class jobs is a huge issue.

    Natural disasters are an issue in a lot of the country. In Minnesota it’s tornados, Elsewhere it’s hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires.

  15. I mean most of the negatives are of people who *think* they know what the US is like. This isn’t to say that we don’t have our problems, but not nearly as bad as people think and not nearly as universal

    That’s said:

    Pro’s- variety. Pretty much you can find virtually anything you want and it’s available for you to consume, especially in media. This isn’t a negative of other countries but most countries, by en large follow soccer and only soccer with niche fans following other sports. In the US it’s not uncommon to watch 3 or 4 different sports. Not, leagues (EPL, la liga, etc). But sports like basketball, American football, hockey, baseball, etc. By extension this applies to most things to varying degrees of popularity, but generally there’s a market for whatever you want

    Cons- international travel sucks. It’s the size of a continent so you get the variability of climate but not so much culture. Sure one region is vastly different enough to get a culture shock but not unique enough to really learn how ways of life work different from what you’re used to.

  16. The biggest pro is that homes are bigger and more modern. Idk if this is just because i visited tourist places and parts of the UK but European homes seem less modern and are statistically smaller. Even when direct comparisions are made, the average UK home is half the size of Rhode Islands even though they have the same population density.

    Also incomes are on average are higher than every European country except the Nordics. But if you want to compare the richest European states with American ones, you will make more money in the states of Massachusets or Maryland. If you were to compare by position for anything with a highschool degree and no criminal background, income will be higher even when including expenses.

    People who dont like car culture will have a hard time outside NYC/NEC, but personally cars are nice. And American cars that have no practical way to drive in Europe (think the Cybertruck which is only practical in the NA/Oceania market) are really nice.

  17. I live in a good job market that still has plenty of open spaces for hiking or whatever. Schools are good, even by international standards and universities are great. Car dependant, but I like the flexibility of driving. I don’t really have a commute (15min drive, WFH 4 days) so having to drive in isn’t a bother.

    Biggest downside would be that not every state is lovely, and it sucks to be poor here.

  18. Honestly I don’t even recognize the version of America parroted by what seems to be mainly edgy teens and Europeans on the main page. It’s like a copy of a copy of a copy of a parody taken at face value.

    It’s a big country, which means it’s hard to make generalizations perhaps, but that also means there’s a lot of variety. Lots of states, lots of cities, lots of climates, lots of nature, lots of people, lots of choices.

    Here are things I personally like:

    * I like that I can and have switched career directions.
    * I like that people are generally supportive of attempts to improve one’s life or innovate.
    * I like that we have so many cities and so many industries that everyone with career ambitions isn’t stuck in a couple of metropolitan areas.
    * I like the beauty and the diversity of our landscapes and people.
    * I like that I could spend the rest of my life traveling around our country and never run out of things to see.
    * I like that I can live somewhere with pretty extreme four seasons, and yet I can go somewhere warm in the winter without crossing national borders.
    * I like that I have the freedom to criticize politicians without repercussions from the government.
    * I’m not saying I do this, but I like that I could feasibly grocery shop in my pjs on a Sunday evening.
    * I like our parks and libraries and universities.
    * I like my fellow Americans and how friendly they are.

    And here are some things I personally dislike:

    * I don’t like our dependence on cars.
    * I don’t like our byzantine health care setup.
    * I don’t like whatever is going on with skyrocketing higher education costs and loans.
    * I don’t like that we elected Trump, nor the way that media will play up the extreme for page views.
    * I don’t like several of our previous foreign policy forays in other countries.

  19. I travelled to London before the 2012 London Olympics. It was a great experience!

    I was born in the States but grew up in a different country. Here is my pros and cons of living in States.

    ​

    Pros

    – it is very obvious, but USA is still an English-speaking country

    (You may hear tons of Spanish in cities like Miami and Los Angeles)

    – the US dollar is one of the most used currencies in the world, so it is very easy to send and receive money internationally.

    – various climates and beautiful national parks

    – USA was built by immigrants so you can eat authentic ethnic food in major cities

    ​

    Cons

    – medical expenses are very costly.

    – university tuition is very expensive

    – poor public transportation except a few cities like New York City

    – USA still uses the imperial measurement system like mile and gallon and the Fahrenheit scale as opposed to the Celsius scale

    (If you love to travel abroad, you know my pain…)

  20. (Mostly) a pro: Culturally, the U.S. don’t have so much of a concept of a “proper” way of doing things. In fact the very *word* proper can get our dander up. (Check the comments here whenever some innocent soul asks “do you have proper [noun] in the US?”)

    For comparison, when I talk to my cousins in Sweden, I am always struck by how they have this tone of “on Wednesdays we wear pink.” Like, there is the night that everyone eats tacos, the day that all the children are given their allowance, the day that everyone puts on the winter duvet. Everyone knows what will be on the plate on Christmas Eve dinner.

    In the United States, we’ve said fuck it, we’re doing whatever works best for us. What’s for Christmas dinner? Lasagna, duck, barbecue, lo mein, tofu, doughnuts, tamales, whatever. What if we don’t celebrate Christmas? That’s cool man, you do you. And expand this attitude across nearly every aspect of life. No judgments. We’re a country in goblin mode.

    The cons of this are that it can feel like we have fewer shared apolitical cultural anchors. When I visit the CasualUK sub, I see people bonding over a lot of shared cultural artifacts like “posties” and bins and curries and chain grocers and having cute disputes like whether the jam or the cream goes on the scone first.

  21. Pros (some of these beg negative responses, but will cover those in the cons):

    * My family and friends are here.
    * We have some of the best universities and hospitals in the world.
    * Given our size, we are quite diverse in climate, nature, and culture, so you can really find a place that works for you. And, if you don’t like it, you can try another one.
    * Kind of a subset of the above, but we have a lot of really cool places (natural and cities/towns). Sure, we don’t have all the history of Europe, but you could spend a life time just traveling to interesting and unique places within the US.
    * Lots of jobs with high salaries.
    * None of our neighbors want to or are able to invade us and we are separated from the “Old” world by oceans.
    * American passports can get you a lot of places hassle-free.
    * English is the world’s lingua franca and our native language.
    * We have amazing food. Given our immigration, you can find food from all over the world. And, our “native” food is quite good too (see American BBQ, Southern Cuisine, New England seafood/seafood generally, hamburgers, buffalo wings, etc).
    * Our democracy and constitutional freedoms are so old and relatively unchallenged we take them for granted.
    * We have people from all over the world and they all contribute their old cultures while being fully American.
    * Restaurants always serve you ice no questions asked. And, water without charge.
    * Our bathrooms and toilets are spacious and you don’t feel like you are squatting on the floor.
    * You almost never have to pay to use said bathroom.
    * Americans are generally friendly.

    Cons:

    * It’s very much a have and have not society. If you don’t have a good income, and many don’t, you won’t be able to enjoy many of the above pros.
    * We have continued issues with racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Contrary to perhaps common wisdom, I think we are better on those fronts than most countries, but certainly issues we continue to deal with.
    * Way too many fundamentalist Christians.
    * Our political system is breaking if not broken. We’ve become incredibly polarized to the extent many people have lost friends over politics in recent years. A large segment of our population believes completely crazy lies. And, more fundamentally, our Constitution gives incredibly disproportionate power to rural states and populations. That was less an issue historically when we were more divided over region than the modern urban/rural divide. But, now it means the majority is significantly disenfranchised and our government is significantly more conservative than the general population. I guess that’s a pro if you are conservative and don’t have any scruples over the anti-democratic nature of it all.
    * Edit – outside a few cities, public transit is a joke.

  22. This country has a **lot** of pros, and cons.

    **Pros:**

    * Diversity – cultures and ethnicities, religions (or lack thereof), culinary, topography, climates
    * People still migrate, or want to migrate, here in droves
    * Outdoor recreation of almost any kind
    * Globally recognized cities
    * “Pleasant surprise” cities (e.g., Omaha, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City)
    * Most places honestly are safe
    * Economic opportunities
    * Relatively low cost of living away from major employment centers
    * Low-ish taxes (depends on the state)
    * Excellent universities and colleges
    * Entertainment capital
    * Insanely powerful military
    * Friendliness (highly dependent on the region or even city)
    * Strong patriotism (as long as it’s not blind)
    * Healthcare quality (generally)
    * Great customer service in *some* industries
    * Some great news sources (NYT and PBS/NPR come to mind)
    * The freedom of self-defense by firearm
    * Global Entry/Pre-Check
    * Ability to travel from Hawaii to U.S. Caribbean territories to the UP of Michigan without a passport
    * Canada’s the best neighbor ever (and underappreciated by Americans)
    * Mexico’s also next door
    * Disneyland and Disney World

    **As for other pros:** California, Oregon, Utah, and pretty much the whole western US. It’s the best part of America, IMO (heck, even crazy Arizona and Idaho are pretty neat).

    **Cons:**

    * Fewer social safety nets (compared to other wealthy countries)
    * Generally poor primary and secondary education
    * Very high crime rate *relative* to other wealthy countries (mostly limited to certain areas, and still safer than most of Latin America)
    * Access to firearms (it was even easier until the 1990s, but it’s still too easy now)
    * Most colleges and universities are stupidly overpriced, and our federal loan system ironically doesn’t help address that issue
    * Some awful news sources (Fox and CNN, never mind all the histrionic whining from both the far left and far right)
    * Many cities’ downtowns are often still dead zones after normal business hours
    * Most cities are dirty (contrast that with cities in Canada, Germany and Austria)
    * Poorly address social problems in some cities (e.g., homelessness, vagrancy)
    * Sometimes our patriotism crosses the line into idiocy and nationalism
    * Current political situation
    * Healthcare access and affordability can be a problem
    * Waste in the military (too much on equipment contracts, not enough on personnel and veteran pay, benefits and healthcare)
    * IRS and the highly confusing federal tax code (and confusing tax codes in certain states, e.g., California, New Jersey)
    * Some of our police officers really are **that** bad
    * Obnoxious, rude and officious immigration and customs officers (ours should learn from Australia about how to be stern yet kind)
    * Mostly crummy airlines
    * Customer service going downhill in some industries
    * Politeness and manners are taking a backseat in society (the UK, Canada and New Zealand do much better than even the US South).

    **Oh, and other cons:** Texas and Florida (even with its nice beaches). Not all, but some, parts of the South and Lower Midwest are just awful (except the areas where I grew up, lol). But Texas and Florida seem proud of – or at least don’t care about – their reputations.

  23. Things I like as a Californian. I can go to the snow or the beach within a 3 hour drive or less. A,though I live in a major metropolitan area, I can be in nature in minutes. I love the diversity of people and cultures,but at least by me we all get along. Incomes are way higher. I just looked it up and a job I would get $300k+ would only be $60k (£50k.) If I leave California and travel to other states, I’m still in my own country but the culture can be vastly different. If you have the right job medical insurance is great and our medical care is better. It’s only worse if you have bad to no insurance. I love being able to get different types of food here. The weather is fabulous.

    Cons though, is it’s all about where you live as my experience with a lot of things wouldn’t be the same elsewhere. Overall though I don’t know many people who regret moving here.

  25. The wages are quite high, I absolutely adore southern culture, and the US tends to tolerate eccentrics like me. Those are some of the main reasons I personally stay here rather than either moving to the UK (where a ton of my family lives & where we immigrated from) or Australia (where I have a ton of personal connections & time spent there).

    And i find it bizarre and frankly rude that so many people in first world nations negatively obsess about us where we just don’t do the same in reverse to those countries

  26. Pros

    – The most powerful and affluent country in the world is a *nation of immigrants*. We are diverse. Anybody can become an American. Demographic fun fact: 40% of Americans are non-white.

    American identity is so much different in comparison to other affluent countries. For all the misconceptions people have about us, our country is known to include everyone. I see so many Western European countries struggling to integrate non-white immigrants into their countries…. considering race and nationality has practically been synonymous with each other in these countries. (United Kingdom gets a pass on this).

    – Class mobility (The American Dream). I’d say an obvious route is through pursuing higher education or a great trade. This country has the most top-ranked universities in the world. It’s a great return on investment (even with high tuition depending on the cost)…

    – It’s home. I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. For all the issues we continue to address in this country… I’m grateful to be here. My grandparents immigrated here from Mexico and managed to attain the American dream.

    Cons:

    – Politics can get messy… especially amongst ignorant people. All of my cons are political lmfao

  27. Pros: friendly people, unpretentious, amazing and vast landscapes, diversity, relatively high pay and low taxes compared to a lot of other countries
    Cons: expensive healthcare, gun culture, car culture that makes cities less enjoyable, politics that plays out like reality tv, lack of work life balance.
    I guess it really depends on personal preferences, but remember… where ever you go, there you are

  28. My pro is the culture of American self determination. While individual families may vary, the overarching American culture is you can be who or whatever you want to be without any real societal pressure. Want to be a truck driver even though you come from a family of doctors? Dope. Want to move to the city even though you grew up on a farm in Iowa, rock on. Want to live as your true self and be gay, straight, non-binary; overall, American society won’t look down on you. Filial obligation? Nope. “What will your family say?” Nope. We as Americans have the right to aspire without consequence of going against cultural norms.

  29. **Pros:**

    The natural wonders. We have deserts, mountains, tropical beaches, arctic tundra, pine forests, swamps, canyons, sand dunes, etc. Any climate and any geography you want can be found here.

    The most culturally diverse country on the planet. Do you feel like an American? Congratulations, you’re an American. Doesn’t matter what your ethnicity is, where you were born, or even when you moved here.

    You can also more easily find cultural enclaves here if you want to feel like you’re in the majority. For example, I live in San Francisco where it’s 35% Asian. Atlanta is 50% black. Miami is 72% Latino. Dearborn is 50% Arab.

    Most diverse food scene in the world as a result. IME, nowhere else has the same amount of food diversity in their major cities.

    Warm, welcoming people. Americans are very friendly, very social, and move around the country a lot, so our social circles tend to be more open. It’s relatively easy to make friends here.

    Choose-your-own adventure mindset. The country is big enough with enough opportunity that you can (potentially) do anything you want, no matter how out there.

    The US may not be a classical arts hub, but it’s the frontline of modern arts and culture.

    We’re also more egalitarian, so people of different ages and backgrounds can rise much faster in their careers.

    System designed for entrepreneurship. The US economy is set up to make it easier to start and own your own business. This can also be a con, but if you want to be an entrepreneur, it’s a great place to be one.

    We’re culturally very optimistic, encouraging, and forgiving of failure. It’s never too late here. We love to hear stories of people pursuing their dreams, taking risks, and persevering despite the odds. We think anyone can change their life course at any time, and a lot of us go back to school to change our careers in our 30s and 40s. We love an underdog story. It’s ok if you fail here. We admire how people respond to failure..

    We still have cities that are relatively low cost of living. Yeah, our major cultural centers and coastal cities are very expensive. However, I’m originally from a mid-sized US city and all my friends back home bought houses in their 20s on single, middle class incomes because you can there.

    Geopolitical safety. There’s no fear of invasion here since we have an ocean between us and any hostile actors. We also have enough resources here that we could isolate ourselves North Korea style and still be ok.

    **Cons:**

    The healthcare system obviously. You can see a specialist within the month and people fly here from all over the world for our cutting edge medical innovations, but our basic primary care system is a shit show.

    Crime. It’s generally more dangerous here than the rest of the first world. We have a wider gap between rich and poor, less social services, and highly available firearms. It’s a recipe for some rough parts of town.

    It’s hard to get anywhere. This country is huge. Just the state of Texas is twice as large as the entire UK. An hour long commute to work is common here. It will take you 3-5 hours to drive between two US cities that are considered close together. It takes 5-6 hours to fly from NYC to LA. There isn’t good interstate rail, so you either have to drive long distances or take a plane somewhere. International travel is also incredibly expensive.

    Contrary to popular belief, we do have cities with good transit systems (New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco…), but they’re in the minority.

    While our mid-sized cities are still pretty affordable, our major cities are quite expensive. I live in San Francisco and the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment here is $3K per month.

    Education is incredibly expensive.

    Demanding work culture. Our work culture is more intense than Europe, but less intense than Asia. Prepare for higher stress and less vacation days compared to Europe. That said, you will make way more money.

    Extreme climate. Last week, it was -20C in my hometown. In the summer, it will be 40C with 80% humidity. You will also have to be conscious of hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, dust storms, or tornadoes depending on where you live. Also, we have dangerous wildlife to rival Australia.

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