Positives About America?

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Wolfeye
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by Wolfeye »

Jester: Where are you at now? There's no woods or winter?
Jester
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by Jester »

Wolfeye wrote:Jester: Where are you at now? There's no woods or winter?
Thailand.

There are two seasons, "sweltering" and "January".

There ARE woods, but not convenient or closeby. Even Los Angeles had huge parks with hiking trails in urban areas. Thailand doesn't.

Plus here I do not have a car, so I can't easily GET to the backwoods. Gave up possessions when I left California and Mexico.

That was a major advantage of Mexico, you can f***ing drive there, and thus have a f***ing car.
"Well actually, she's not REALLY my daughter. But she does like to call me Daddy... at certain moments..."
Wolfeye
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by Wolfeye »

Cool. How's Thailand? I hear it's actually very beautiful, although it seems you can't get to them where you are. I also hear that Thailand's one of those weird places where the PARENTS actually raise the kids. One of my cousins was looking to go there, so a run down would be appreciated- if you've got the time & inclination.
Jester
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by Jester »

Wolfeye wrote:Cool. How's Thailand? I hear it's actually very beautiful, although it seems you can't get to them where you are. I also hear that Thailand's one of those weird places where the PARENTS actually raise the kids. One of my cousins was looking to go there, so a run down would be appreciated- if you've got the time & inclination.
I think I have a couple of threads on here already about my experiences.

Bump one of them (or if necessary start a new one) if you want more input.

I don't like to hijack an existing thread with off-topic content.
"Well actually, she's not REALLY my daughter. But she does like to call me Daddy... at certain moments..."
Wolfeye
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by Wolfeye »

Cool- I'll start another one, because I'm also curious about the Philippines & would like to hear if anyone knows about that.
MattHanson1990
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by MattHanson1990 »

After have been abroad for 9 months, here's my updated list of pros and cons about America.

Pros:

1) The variety of food choices, such as cuisines from all over the world. I also miss chains that you don't find abroad such as Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Sonic, McAllister's, and Five Guys. And I especially miss chains that you only find in certain regions of the U.S., such as In-N-Out (California, western and southern Arizona, and parts of Texas, Utah, Nevada, and Oregon), Whataburger (almost the entire southern part of the U.S., including the southwest; especially popular in Texas), and Blake's Lotaburger (New Mexico; a few new locations have recently opened in Tucson and El Paso).

2) The beautiful nature and national parks and monuments.

3) Customer service is generally efficient

4) People usually don't litter in streets and parks.

5) Houses and apartments are bigger and more confortable than in most countries outside the Anglosphere.

6) People speak English, which helps with communication. But my Spanish has been improving recently.

7) Large variety for consumer choices. And prices are kept reasonable for this reason.

Cons:

1) The women, the dating scene that's already screwed beyond repair, unfair divorce laws that screw men over, no release or outlet for sexually starving men.

2) Lack of human interaction, difficulty making friends, closed-off cliques, people only interacting with one another if it's business related.

3) Superficial hellos, fake smiles.

4) Live-to-work mentality, keeping up with the joneses.

5) Having to drive everywhere, even for the simplest of things (which is now my main pet peeve about America)

6) The Greyhound bus system is quite dismal. Mainly low-income Americans use Greyhound to get around the country. And no wonder it can feel sketchy, especially if you're traveling overnight. Many Greyhound buses aren't very comfortable (I hardly got any legroom when I took Greyhound from Albuquerque to Phoenix the last time I was in the U.S. of Gay). And sometimes they can smell horrible. The scheduling doesn't necessarily align with that of commuter intercity transportation (no wonder it takes me around 12 hours just to get from El Paso to Los Alamos and vise versa - I have a layover in Albuquerque that can last between 3 and 5 hours before transferring between the Rail Runner commuter train and Greyhound).

7) Bland cookie cutter architecture in most places.

8) Americans (both men and women) are generally uncultured and only care about popular trends such as celebrities, Facebook, being popular, etc.

9) The obesity epidemic (contrary to what the media claims, I noticed a much higher obesity rate in the U.S. than in Mexico).

10) Insane healthcare costs, even with insurance.

11) Gang-infested inner cities; increase in mass school shootings, many of which are committed by frustrated incels lashing out from desperation.
Last edited by MattHanson1990 on March 24th, 2017, 1:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
MattHanson1990
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by MattHanson1990 »

Jester wrote:What I miss most about Glendale California is

(1) Fun and conversation and parties with dancing with friendly positive Armenians
(2) Whole Foods Market
(3) Trader Joe's
(4) Variety of ethnic cuisine
(5) Steak
(6) Armenian car mechanics, the world's best and most honest
(7) Shoes and clothes that fit me

What I miss most about Athens Georgia is
(1) Family
(2) Good people who are simultaneously smart, open-minded, humble and loving.
(3) Woods.
(4) Winter.
What I miss about Tucson Arizona is
1) The beautiful desert around it
2) It's more upscale compared to Albuquerque and El Paso
3) Whataburger
4) In-N-Out
5) It's more of a university town than Albuquerque and El Paso (U of A is larger school and attracts more transplants, while UNM and UTEP are pretty much commuter schools, despite the former getting more dormitories my 5th year in university)

What I miss about El Paso Texas is
1) It's right across from Mexico
2) It's the least American city in the U.S. of Gay
3) Good Tex-Mex food, especially Chico's Tacos
4) People are bilingual, which allows me to practice my Spanish, unlike most other places in America where I can pretty much only communicate in English
5) Whataburger
6) People are quite humble

What I miss about Santa Fe New Mexico is
1) It's rich history and culture
2) The historic plaza with its beautiful colonial architecture, albeit it's mostly adobe structures
3) Authentic New Mexican cuisine
4) Blake's Lotaburger
5) Artsy people

What I miss about Albuquerque New Mexico is
1) It too has some rich culture and history, more so than El Paso
2) The historic Old Town plaza
3) Also an artsy place
4) Blake's Lotaburger
5) Saggio's
6) Green chili
7) Authentic New Mexican cuisine
8) I sometimes stayed in a hostel within walking distance of downtown
droid
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by droid »

MattHanson1990 wrote:
Pros:
4) People usually don't litter in streets and parks.

Cons
3) Superficial hellos, fake smiles.

5) Having to drive everywhere, even for the simplest of things (which is now my main pet peeve about America)

7) Bland cookie cutter architecture in most places.

8) Americans (both men and women) are generally uncultured and only care about popular trends such as celebrities, Facebook, being popular, etc.
My favorite part is that the streets are kept pretty spotless and people know they should throw their trash in the bin. And facades get painted on a regular basis.

As far as the hellos and smiles, I don't know, I think they're not all that fake. I guess yeah people don't invite you to their birthday or something unless you've known them for a long time. You can tell some people yearn for communication actually. But I'd rather have those 'fakeries' if you will than the more stern, seoul-less expression of say koreans, which have given me a different reference (lol get it? seoul-less :lol:).

Car culture and *void* sidewalks with clean but semi-temporary sheet-rock facades can be a bit depressing. No place is perfect it seems, either that or places with more people, but with deteriorating facades and more littering.
1)Too much of one thing defeats the purpose.
2)Everybody is full of it. What's your hypocrisy?
MattHanson1990
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by MattHanson1990 »

droid wrote:As far as the hellos and smiles, I don't know, I think they're not all that fake.
In the U.S., people only say hello just to get along, but they don't actually want to submit to a friendship. Thankfully I almost never encounter superficial hellos in Mexico; but instead, I have an easier time getting to know people on a deeper level. And yes, I do see fake smiles all the time whenever I'm in the U.S., especially in my ugly "hometown" of Los Alamos.
drealm
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by drealm »

MattHanson1990 wrote:
droid wrote:As far as the hellos and smiles, I don't know, I think they're not all that fake.
In the U.S., people only say hello just to get along, but they don't actually want to submit to a friendship. Thankfully I almost never encounter superficial hellos in Mexico; but instead, I have an easier time getting to know people on a deeper level. And yes, I do see fake smiles all the time whenever I'm in the U.S., especially in my ugly "hometown" of Los Alamos.
Does it occur to you that a Mexican saying hello to you is like a dog wagging it's tail? Yes it's genuine but it's more about instinct than because they really mean it.
MattHanson1990
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by MattHanson1990 »

drealm wrote:
MattHanson1990 wrote:
droid wrote:As far as the hellos and smiles, I don't know, I think they're not all that fake.
In the U.S., people only say hello just to get along, but they don't actually want to submit to a friendship. Thankfully I almost never encounter superficial hellos in Mexico; but instead, I have an easier time getting to know people on a deeper level. And yes, I do see fake smiles all the time whenever I'm in the U.S., especially in my ugly "hometown" of Los Alamos.
Does it occur to you that a Mexican saying hello to you is like a dog wagging it's tail? Yes it's genuine but it's more about instinct than because they really mean it.
Here in Mexico, I rarely get superficial greetings. But I get invited to places on many occasions.

So what does that have to do with a dog wagging its tail? It doesn't make any sense.

Mexicans are warm and friendly because it's part of the culture.
drealm
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by drealm »

MattHanson1990 wrote:
drealm wrote:
MattHanson1990 wrote:
droid wrote:As far as the hellos and smiles, I don't know, I think they're not all that fake.
In the U.S., people only say hello just to get along, but they don't actually want to submit to a friendship. Thankfully I almost never encounter superficial hellos in Mexico; but instead, I have an easier time getting to know people on a deeper level. And yes, I do see fake smiles all the time whenever I'm in the U.S., especially in my ugly "hometown" of Los Alamos.
Does it occur to you that a Mexican saying hello to you is like a dog wagging it's tail? Yes it's genuine but it's more about instinct than because they really mean it.
Here in Mexico, I rarely get superficial greetings. But I get invited to places on many occasions.

So what does that have to do with a dog wagging its tail? It doesn't make any sense.

Mexicans are warm and friendly because it's part of the culture.
It means that the same people who invite you places probably just as often flake on you or arrive late. And if you meet these same people at a taco stand, for a taxi, etc they'll price screw you. They'll also have sex with your wife after giving you a genuine smile.

Mind you I'm not saying they aren't genuine, I'm just staying their "genuine" behavior is instinctive like a dog wagging it's tail. They're animals beholden to whims. Where as Americans are predictable but soulless machines.
Masculine&Proud
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by Masculine&Proud »

1. America have been allies of Australia for years
2. Right to bear arms
3. Beautiful, if not too materialistic, women
4. Free speech (none in Australia)
5. Nice countryside
6. People of proud Christian faith
7. Donald Trump
8. Donald Trump
9. Donald Trump...
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jamesbond
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by jamesbond »

Masculine&Proud wrote: 3. Beautiful, if not too materialistic, women
Beautiful women in America, are you kidding? The US has the highest obesity level of any country in the world. On top of that, there just is not a lot of good looking women in the US period. In fact, outside of New York city and Los Angeles, there are almost NO attractive women!

You can walk through a big city like Chicago for days and out of the thousands of women you see, only 5% will be attractive. Believe me, I have done this and so have my friends. :lol:
"When I think about the idea of getting involved with an American woman, I don't know if I should laugh .............. or vomit!"

"Trying to meet women in America is like trying to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics."
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Contrarian Expatriate
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Re: Positives About America?

Post by Contrarian Expatriate »

Truthfully, the only positive thing I can say about America is there are clothes here that will fit me as a 6'4" 260 pound man. I aim to come back each year to shop.

Short of that, the USA sucks after being back here a week. Most of my investments are based out of here and my pension requires me to maintain US citizenship. Short of those two factors, I would have nothing other than the annual clothes shopping to do here.

Life is full of interpersonal relationships and not the male/female caste system that exists here. Trans men and homosexuals are simply aiming to be quasi upper caste (females) and that is why they are exploding in number.
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