It could be anything real, unreal or surreal

47 comments

  1. I left for a job in Switzerland.

    I miss the U.S but I’ve also come to appreciate things here in stanky cheese land as well.

  2. My list used to be: 1) If I was going to marry a foreigner, and it just wouldn’t work staying here for some reason or 2) some sort of terrible Michael Bay thing that somehow only affected the US, but going to (say) Canada would be fine.

    Well I got married to another American, so that leaves 2.

  3. I guess a lucrative job or some sort of catastrophic disaster that destroys the whole place or makes it unlivable.

  4. Why do people always assume we want to live somewhere else? All of my friends, family, and stuff are here and it takes a long time to get here from most places. Assuming I no longer have friends or family, I’d want piles of money to make my life in MyCountry easy.

  6. My wife is a dual British/US citizen, and I could see us potentially moving there for a few years once we retire. Beyond that, I can’t imagine such a situation.

  7. * A lucrative position in my dream job.

    * Some disaster made the US physically uninhabitable.

  8. I did it because I wanted a change in life and wanted to experience something new. And combined that with doing a graduate degree abroad.

  9. If I had a job offer in Norway, Switzerland, Austria or Germany.

    I lived in Germany for 6 years and loved it, so this is not just a “grass is greener on the other side” kind of thing.

  10. Total War? Alien invasion? I’d dig my heels in and defend my homeland.

    Nuclear/Zombie Apocalypse? I’d most likely be dead, but if we didn’t die in the initial wave this would be the best place for us to survive.

    *Maybe* if there was an authoritarian seizure of power and we were being targeted for genocide, I would take my kids and leave so they could have a future.

    I think it says something when I really can’t imagine a scenario where I’d want to leave the USA, beyond being stripped of all rights and personhood and death squads targeting my children.

  13. I am not entertaining that idea at all. It would have to be very dire circumstances that left the entire country uninhabitable. America is not perfect, but it’s my country, I love it, and I’m not leaving.

  14. A presidential candidate successfully overthrowing an obviously fair election using a combination of political cronies and violence might make me think about living elsewhere. Especially if in this hypothetical scenario he had supporters who were less than supportive of the interracial marriage that I’m in

  16. Meeting my soulmate, or in a more negative light, the end of democracy or collapse of the government.

  17. It would take a major natural disaster or a devastating war for me to leave the country.

    I am also more likely to stay here and attempt to rebuild than to leave.

  18. Real – I don’t know of any country that would accept me, and I don’t have the money to move anyway.

    Unreal – Wouldn’t it be nice to own a summer villa in Tuscany or the French countryside?

    Surreal – If the conservative supreme court strips away rights of LGBT people, there could be no choice but to start making escape plans.

  20. I really wouldn’t want to move my kids away from my parents. Doesn’t seem fair for them

  23. Idk why you got downvoted for this as it’s a hypothetical and it’s not like you’re telling anyone they should leave America, but asking if there’s any situation in which people would. But anyways for my answer, I’ve thought about trying out living in another country once in my lifetime when I get enough money. Idk how realistic that will be though because it depends on if the person I get with in a relationship wants to move with me, unless I move then get into a relationship. I’m also afraid of leaving my parents behind because I’d know they’d make a huge deal out of it and I don’t feel like dealing with that.

    My mom already cried when I went off to college, so I can only imagine if I moved to another country. And my dad already looks down on my one cousin that moved to Cuba because he thinks she’s a traitor to the country, so yeah. But if I ever get a chance, I would love to move to the UK specifically because I would want another country that already speaks English so I don’t have much of a language barrier or have to learn another language while also being an interesting country. I thought of Canada initially, but the thing about Canada is I feel like it wouldn’t really be exotically different whatsoever, (aside from maybe Quebec, but most of Quebec speaks French) so I feel like Canada would be nice but a bit boring. The UK is similar enough, yet also has enough differences from the US for it to be more interesting.

  27. In middle school we watched a short movie about what America would be like without the Bill of Rights.

    In a situation like that, I would definitely try to leave.

  28. Despite all its problems I really do like my life here. It would take some sort of total collapse into fascism, *and* there would have to be another country that would take me.

  29. If I got a job where I would make 3x my current take home, was located in Scotland, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, and if I was offered an expedited path to citizenship for myself and my family upon arrival. That’s what would make me pack my stuff and move, bonus points if my future employer also assisted with liquidation of my assets (home, automobiles, retirement accounts).

    However, I do not believe there would be a realistic position I’d take where my salary in another anglophone country would be high enough for my take home to triple

  30. This is an extremely uncomfortable question to be coming from someone called /u/Genocide_Creator

  35. If the January 6th coup attempt was successful, I would’ve gotten out of here. Even if I don’t agree with whatever party is in charge, as long as they continue to uphold the ideals of democracy and free and fair elections, I’ll stay and attempt to make a difference. Once that goes out the window, the foundation of America is shot.

  36. Given the fact that I already lived through my birth country’s collapse (the USSR), getting out is something I’d consider if the US political and economic system crashes (or is about to crash).
    My wife and I discussed contingency plans for an EU Golden Visa (Portugal is preferred, Latvia would be easy).

    We also looked at jobs abroad just for a change of scenery – like London, Berlin, etc. But salaries are half what we earn.. so .. not going to happen.

    Plus, I love it here.

  38. If it literally didn’t exist anymore, but then I wouldn’t have to leave it would just be gone lol

  39. It would take a lot to voluntarily leave the US. The amount of money I’d have to make to replicate the QOL we have here would be very high.

  42. After watching how our system treats the elderly if I had the option to leave, I would. I’m watching my dad go through all his retirement money to pay for assisted living. Is apartment and services cost about $4000 a month. They charge him $1000 a month just to hand him his medicine. They even charge if someone asks for help because they dropped something on the floor. He has an infection and falls because he is too weak. Now they are saying he has to go to the nursing home. That is going to be $12,000 a month. I’m tired of watching people get sick or old and lose everything because of it. It is just greed because there are no options.

  46. 1. Love.

    2. A dream job.

    3. Or the Yellowstone Supervolcano that threatens to decimate the entire North American continent. In which case, I would likely not pack more than some clothes and some food. I’d just leave.

    Edited because I can’t type or read.

  47. A fantastic job.

    The Yellowstone Caldera exploding.

    Hitting the lottery.

    Donald J. Trump getting reelected.

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