Do you like living in the US?

27 comments

1. Yes. Don’t listen to Reddit’s negativity on basically anything

2. Yes, I wouldnt want to live anywhere else

   mass random shootings are rare most of the numbers are inflated by drug and crime related shootings. Depending on where you settle you may never even see a legal firearm outside of maybe a police officer in your lifetime. It’s very much you’ll only find trouble if you go looking for it.

   People just like to shit on the US.

3. I’m 66. Never been shot. Never saw anyone shot. Never knew anyone that was shot. “If you live in a cow pasture, you’re eventually gonna step on a cow pie”. The overwhelmingly number of people shot in America are gang bangers, domestic fights, and suicides

   I love living here

4. You should be alright in the north east.

5. As someone who has lived in another country that doesn’t have the gun violence we do, it’s really not that different. Don’t be out too late away from large groups and don’t go to the bad part of town. Mass shootings happen but it’s never been closer to me than just something on the news.

   Edit: forgot to mention the food and diversity of the country is amazing

6. Unless you plan on:

   -Joining a gang

   -Dealing illicit drugs and contraband

   -A life of assorted other violent crimes

   Committing that self-inflicted end of life act

   You’re highly unlikely to ever encounter it. And if you are planning one of things, please stay home or get help.

7. Yes, but like anywhere else it’s important to live in a place that works for you. I don’t just mean safety–don’t let the internet blow that out of proportion–but I mean a place that works for your lifestyle. When I moved out of the US to another country, the reason it worked for me is because I moved to a city that matched my lifestyle.

8. I do like living here but look into the laws of which state you go to.

   For example: California has insanely strict gun laws.

   You need to have a valid hunting license or have been in the military to buy a gun if you are under 21

   “Assault weapons” are banned, which includes almost every single semi auto rifle designed after ww2. The almost is for the sks and the m14

   Don’t go to California if you like having a gun.

9. A thousand fanatical reddits crap on the US.

   Literally millions of people apply for visas every year, or try to sneak in regardless.

10. No, not really.

11. I live in Florida and to be honest, I’m not experiencing to much of the radical racial and political extremism that I keep seeing on the news. I live near Orlando. It’s pretty hot, but I’m used to it. People here can be pretty friendly, don’t let a few bad apples define the entire state. But I would love to explore some other states.

12. Neither I nor anyone I have ever met has ever been involved with or experienced a mass shooting

13. It is not a war zone, you will not get shot on the sidewalk.

    Yes, there is a lot of (deserved) press when idiots do idiot things with guns; but that is not the norm everyday, in every city.

    Broad stereotypes and blanket judgments are not going to contribute to your decision. If you want to move here, do your homework on which region/states appeal to you – we have 50 of ’em!

    Figure out what you top priorities are when it comes to quality of life. Then find cities that satisfy those. Meanwhile save every penny you can and look into whatever visa you are going to need.

    Good luck and I hope you make the leap!

14. No

15. Yes, but I don’t think I’d like it if I lived other places in the US.

    And there are aspects of my life that are more challenging here than they would be in other countries.

    I don’t think you can make a life-changing decision based on the Reddit hivemind.

16. America is so big. There are 50 states. Anyway my brother lives in Maryland, he would like to relocate to SW someday. MD housing is getting crazy expensive.

17. A 65-year old Midwesterner here. It’s your call: You take your chances no matter where life takes you. But be aware: The prevalent gun violence in the US is appalling, whether it’s in Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, Columbus, Louisville, St. Louis, or Detroit, not to mention Chicago, so be prepared to be see Yeehawdis strapped to the nines just to go to the neighborhood Kroger for a quick gallon of milk. Also, the expense of healthcare and our poor outcomes relative to other developed nations make living in the States a poor choice. Yes, there is an influx of migrants who want to come here, but there is also an outflux of American immigrants to other nations that is unprecedented.

18. Listen, please do, You NOT going to be the victim of a mass shooting. one of the most misleading statistics i see is that weird one where it says there is 200 or 300 mass shootings a year or something which, the factors that are used to get that number, are beyond misleading.

    In a year, the mass shootings youll actually hear about? roughly 4-7 are the “high profile” ones.

    I did do a calculation based off the statistics a while back, i couldn’t tell you the exact numbers i used for all of them so you can do your own research on it if you’d want but the chances of you being caught up in an actual mass shooting are similar to that of you getting struck by lightning.

    One thing i’d say though, and this is gonna be up to you is that if you want to be safe try to get yourself a gun, a glock or Ruger LCP, or whatever. Get a concealed carry permit, train with it, train with it, train with it. I get it, “well if there was no guns in the US i wouldn’t have to have a gun to begin with” which might be true but at the end of the day the cat is already out of the bag and there is no putting it back. If youre really worried about shootings you need to have the ability to defend yourself because at this point, unarguably, its been shown that you can rarely depend on the police to be there in time to defend you if at all like the case of uvalde. You are your own last line of defense.

    You can live comfortably in the US without risk of getting shot in your entire life so long as youre not intent on living in a literal tourist trap city but if you want that extra seal of safety in event of life and death – a firearm cant do you wrong if you know how to use it.

19. The average person is not on Reddit. Reddit is not a positive place.

20. I do hate the gun culture here but I do like living here. I have a really good life and love the city I live in

21. I really like it here: many climates, variety of profitable industries, a mix of different cultures, and the government mostly stays out of your life.

    Unless you are coming here to join a gang or sell drugs, you are more likely to die in a traffic accident than a shooting.

22. TIL “hella” has made it out of California and the U.S. and is used internationally.

23. Yes, I love living here.

    Don’t listen to Reddit, especially not Europeans on Reddit.

24. We’ve got an extremely high standard of living, our water is clean and safe to drink, we have more consumer choices than anywhere in the world, all of my family and friends and stuff are here.

    Look, life wasn’t super easy for people in their late teens early 20s in the 90s either. The economy isn’t great right now, but it’s hardly in the toilet. Most of the folks complaining about housing prices will own houses 10 years from now, I didn’t own until I was 30.

    Yeah, it’s fine here. It’s not like I have any choice, it’s not easy to just go somewhere else.

25. Over 60% of gun deaths are suicide. Something like 85% of the remainder are criminal on criminal. Including most of those “mass shootings” you are hearing about. Unless you plan on slinging dope in the inner city the chances of you ever experience gun violence are very low.

26. I’m from one of the least restrictive gun states in the country and grew up around guns yet I’ve never seen or been in a mass shooting ever. Stay away from the bad areas and your chances of being randomly shot are astronomically low.

27. Yes. I love it here. I’ve never seen a gun. Never been a victim of a crime. Never been turned away for healthcare. Never been unable to pay for healthcare. Never been able to not find food in the grocery store. Never not found a high paying job that rewards me for my skill set. Never felt like there’s nowhere new to explore. Never felt like I was missing out on good food. Never felt like the locals were unfriendly. Never been bored of my city. Never felt the urge to leave the country.

    It’s an amazing, unique, rewarding place to live.