I hope this post won’t be flooded with people stating why they love it so much in the USA.
As someone from a developing country, I fully understand why so many of my countrymen choose to immigrate to the US as well as the benefits of living there.
Because I know all the good things, I find it strange I see a lot of sentiment of Americans saying they’d like to “leave.
This question is directed at people who **genuinely** have the sentiment that they don’t like it in the USA and not those who just say it as a passing statement.
Please don’t downvote me to hell, I’m genuinely asking.
9 comments
I dont dislike America exactly. I dislike what is happening to it. It feels like I’m witnessing the slow death of my country. It feels like more than half the politicians in charge would happily burn everything to the ground if they could profit off the ashes, while lying to everyone on how they only want what’s best for the nation.
Civility and intelligence in our politics is long gone. There is no more polite discourse, no more cross party cooperation and half of them will blatantly lie on record and there is no consequences.
Class inequality is growing and shows no signs of stopping. Corporations are strangling the life out of everything just to make a buck. Crippling debt from a medical system that should be a national embarassment. Misinformation and false news permeating every facet of the media. The rise of neo nazism and Christian fascists. Police who seem more concerned woth protecting themselves than protecting the public. Rampant inflation and stagnating wages fueled by corporate greed. An absolutely fucking insane amount of gun violence.
It saddens and infuriates me beyond belief because my nation doesn’t have to be this way. We have the power and wealth to be a truly great nation but the majority of the rich and powerful seem bafflingly content to strangle the golden goose.
And the truly scary thing is that anyone with half a brain can see it’s not sustainable. Something’s got to give. And I worry what the might mean. Societal collapse? Civil war? It scares me that it seems like my nation might very well fsll in my lifetime.
Personally, I love the US.
Tennessee (and the country in general) is gorgeous,
We have a lot of amazing cities that are fun, modern(ish) and beautiful.
The US has one of the best Salary/Cost of living ratio in the 1st world (which means higher Salary and lower cost of living)
But I understand that others might have their own personal reasons to dislike a place
I left because Donald Trump got elected. And that’s not hyperbole. I started looking for an overseas job two days after the election, got an offer ten days later, and was on a plane December 21, 2016. I refused to spend one second in America while he was in charge and I didn’t.
I love the United States. I hate certain parts of it. I think it’s our duty to be critical of both our society and our government.
Americans that hate the United States because of what it’s supposed to stand for, or those that hate it and don’t care to do anything about it or even think about how to improve it, by all means, see yourself out. No hard feelings.
As a general rule, the people who quite dislike the US tend to be much more politically to the left than average. They tend to compare the US to some northern european countries, whose politics are more their speed. But it’s rare irl (more common online though) for one’s politics to be so strongly held that they override one’s sense of home. Also, this complaining rarely manifests in significant nunbers of people actually leaving; most Americans who leave are retirees taking their pension money to developing countries
I don’t *hate* America, I just hate the politics and ignorance. I love the traditional cultures of the US and find the entire country to be beautiful. If it weren’t for the garbage politics and sheer amount of ignorance, I wouldn’t mind living here as much.
Theres a lot of wonderful things about America. We’re a rich nation full of natural beauty and blessed to have freedom, peace, and the rule of law – not every country has those things, and not everyone realizes just how valuable they are. However, not everybody wants the same things out of life, and there are many reasons why somebody might want to go somewhere else.
Most people who don’t want to live here dont want to go to somewhere like Somolia or Venezuela- they usually want to go to another developed country like France or New Zealand, though there are some developing countries that are also destinations, but the folks who want to move there are usually retired folks who want to live cheap.
Sometimes, a potential emigre is disillusioned or just want a change in their life. Sometimes people want to live somewhere else because they don’t like the political climate here or feel they’d fit in better somewhere else. Some folks go to another country for work or to start a business, just like folks come here to do the same
There have been times I’ve wanted to leave for some of the reasons I’ve mentioned above and also just cause I’d like to see other places. That being said, It’s basically impossible for me to emigrate. I’m not a particularly desirable candidate since I don’t have qualifications or aptitudes and have developed some health issues in the last few years. The only way I’d get a visa is if I married a foreigner or struck it rich. Neither of those is likely to happen.
Another thing I keep in mind is that If I feel like an alien in my hometown and in the other places I’ve lived here in America, I’d probably feel even more out of place in a foreign country. On top of that- everything I care about is here.
Sorry for writing a book, but I felt luke I had some insight into this as somebody who has thought about leaving but doesn’t think my country is bad.
I’ll do my best to list it out and hope others will fill in gaps I miss. Understand I’m comparing us to other developed nations:
Income inequality
Healthcare
Cost of education
Money in politics
General political structure (divisive 2 party system)
Poor infrastructure
Quality of education
Cost of living
Modern day monopolies under the guise of capitalism
Pick yourself up from bootstraps mentality
Dismissiveness of social welfare
All this with a sense of superiority amongst the privileged few
Ignorance.
I personally love the US, but observing a few internet and real-life comments you find a few patterns:
* Actually dislike the state of the world and project it to the US. Example: dread over climate change, populist politics, economy, etc. These are worldwide trends that are not US specific. Often, these people dream of a country called Europe that has all the best parts of every country in the EU and the negatives of none, and which gladly welcomes unskilled immigrants.
* Guns. Some people really do not like firearms and the easy access to them in the US.
* Healthcare. A legitimately very bad experience for some people, especially those with chronic conditions.
* Driving. Unless you live in one of a few cities, driving is a requirement. Some people can’t or do not like to drive.
* The US has a foreign policy. Whether its because the US sends in the military or uses trade/sanctions, or does not use its military or soft power, no one will be happy with every outcome. You can get around this by living in a country with no pull on the world stage.
* Religion. Some are upset that the US is too religious. Others that it is not religious enough. There are countries out there that go in both directions.