What a bunch of slobs!

[jamesbond]

What is that big lump in her pants in the photo above?!?!?

I was thinking the same thing. When you first see pictures of people like her, you start to laugh .............. then you start to vomit!

[dreamer82]

I had a similar problem after spending a year in Seoul. Coming back here to California was a much bigger shock than going to Korea. It looks like things are getting even crazier here with the economy.

As part of a class, we're reading about student diversity and differences between Asian and Western thinking. Asians take on a more holistic view of the world. They are skilled observers and look at relationships between events. Westerners see things in more analytical ways. They see objects as discrete and separate from their environments. For example, if you showed three pictures of say, a cow, a chicken, and grass, and told an American kid to pick two that are most similar, he would take the chicken and the cow because they are both animals. The Chinese kid would pick the cow and the grass because the cow eats grass. To apply it here, an American would get red-faced and threatening if you accidently cut in front of his white pick up truck and pull out his shotgun while the Chinese driver would shake it off because it doesn't matter.

[have2fly]

Guys, I have a friend who is very well established programmer in the U.S., he owns a very good house which is 75% paid off and has no other debts and decent money saved up, he is driving a Lexus, but he was born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine. So he goes back to Kiev every 2-3 years (he lives in the U.S. for 15 years now). He got married 2 years ago to a decent Russian girl. It was going well until he took his recent trip to Kiev. He called me in a few days when he returned from Kiev crying that his total life here is useless! His career, his money, his nice car, his wife, his education... He just said: "What is THE point of all this if all you do is drive to work and back every day through empty streets seeing mostly obese women at grocery stores?" He is currently looking for an apartment to buy in Kiev and will be moving there within the next year. And yes, he will be divorcing. He says he never had his youth in America, the youth people enjoy in Ukraine when clubs are filled with hot girls, when party never stops unless you want to, when model-looking women are everywhere you go, when girls actually want to meet you and value you for just being A MAN!

And this guy used to say he loves America and his great job. I have no words! I am speechless at this point.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

I have been back here for 5 months and it is pretty darn bad. People are just as rude and discourteous as can be. Also, I have found that many people lie without hesitation in the US now. There is no sense of right and wrong and morality is completely relative depending on the desired outcome.

The USA sucks and I cannot wait to leave again in several more months.

[odbo]

His career, his money, his nice car, his wife, his education... He just said: "What is THE point of all this if all you do is drive to work and back every day through empty streets seeing mostly obese women at grocery stores?"

Tell the newly awakened cog that he is a slave. A worker bee working for the queen bee, not for himself.
Finding real purpose in life should be a personal journey. All pre-packaged avenues lead to servitude.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.� -Oscar Wilde




bigger: http://i42.tinypic.com/drb5lk.jpg , http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/aoi/c/crk/c/34.jpg

[jamesbond]

He says he never had his youth in America, the youth people enjoy in Ukraine when clubs are filled with hot girls, when party never stops unless you want to, when model-looking women are everywhere you go, when girls actually want to meet you and value you for just being A MAN!

And this guy used to say he loves America and his great job. I have no words! I am speechless at this point.

Wow, that would be nice to live in a country where hot looking women are everywhere you go and these women are actually nice and friendly and WANT to meet men!

You won't find this in the anglosphere, only in non-english speaking countries.

[sushiman]

Asians take on a more holistic view of the world. They are skilled observers and look at relationships between events. Westerners see things in more analytical ways. They see objects as discrete and separate from their environments.

That's very true and I've pointed out the same thing many times. It's huge, in their fast talking narrow analysis they miss *everything*. Context isn't grasped, which is nuts.

I guess the biggest thing that sticks with me after this week back is just that *nobody* listens to each other. When you are talking, they ain't listening. They ask a question and then proceed to ignore you when you answer. Nobody is home in there. And actual communication makes them uncomfortable, they want fake. It's really weird.

I have more heartfelt interactions with a total stranger serving me chicken in Asia than with a 5yr "friend" in the US.

[jamesbond]

I have more heartfelt interactions with a total stranger serving me chicken in Asia than with a 5yr "friend" in the US.

That's sad, that things in the US have become so artifical and fake. It's hard to make genuine friends in the USA anymore.

[NorthAmericanguy]

I guess the biggest thing that sticks with me after this week back is just that *nobody* listens to each other. When you are talking, they ain't listening. They ask a question and then proceed to ignore you when you answer. Nobody is home in there. And actual communication makes them uncomfortable, they want fake. It's really weird.

I know what you mean and I agree.

In my opinion, it's because a conversation requires THINKING, apposed to when a person is being fake, they make you feel good because they're subtlety entertaining you and inflating your ego to make you feel more important than you really are.

To make matters worse, there is no point in even wanting to get close with an average American because all they want to do is watch sports, drink/consume drugs, or participate in some form of mass entertainment void of anything intellectually stimulating.

I have more heartfelt interactions with a total stranger serving me chicken in Asia than with a 5yr "friend" in the US.

Part of this reason is due to the fact that Americans live to work apposed to working to live. For example, a person just told me about one of her "successful" younger friends who just tragically had a stroke at 40 and is currently in the hospital.

This woman was living the American dream to the fullest working like crazy to pay for her house (probably too big), her kid, and her fancy car. A few months ago people were holding her up as an acceptable STANDARD way to live.

[Taco]

I used to see women like Lillian about 30 or 40 times a day in China walking down the street, it was huge stress reliever.

Thursday Girl Lillian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peGloSzOLCA


Now, the only thing I see is crap like this.

American Psycho
http://www.break.com/index/chick-dances ... at-2272103

[stillcode]

Living in Japan was the best time of my life. I had absolutely no culture shock when I moved there.

On the other hand, I experienced some bad reverse culture shock on moving back to the US. The people in Japan were so kind and gracious, moving back here felt like I was surrounded by hooligans at every turn. The thing that makes me the most disappointed with being back in the US is how so many people here are loud and obnoxious. We have a terrible culture that is self-centered and people make a lot of noise to get noticed. ("Squeaky wheel gets the grease") I get embarrassed when I see brazen people shouting like monkeys or honking their horns in traffic when there is clearly no need to. I get embarrassed to be an American when just walking down the street I see so much litter tossed to the side. It's just plain embarrassing to be back in the US. People where I live currently worship football more than anything else and could care less about the things that matter more such as the local economy.

Everyday I reminisce on how great life was while living in Japan. The only reason I'm back in the states is to make money and earn a living, but it really does crush your soul. I feel more of an outsider here in the US than when I was in Japan.

[zboy1]

Living in Japan was the best time of my life. I had absolutely no culture shock when I moved there.

On the other hand, I experienced some bad reverse culture shock on moving back to the US. The people in Japan were so kind and gracious, moving back here felt like I was surrounded by hooligans at every turn. The thing that makes me the most disappointed with being back in the US is how so many people here are loud and obnoxious. We have a terrible culture that is self-centered and people make a lot of noise to get noticed. ("Squeaky wheel gets the grease") I get embarrassed when I see brazen people shouting like monkeys or honking their horns in traffic when there is clearly no need to. I get embarrassed to be an American when just walking down the street I see so much litter tossed to the side. It's just plain embarrassing to be back in the US. People where I live currently worship football more than anything else and could care less about the things that matter more such as the local economy.

Everyday I reminisce on how great life was while living in Japan. The only reason I'm back in the states is to make money and earn a living, but it really does crush your soul. I feel more of an outsider here in the US than when I was in Japan.

Dude, everything you just said about the U.S. is 100% right on! It's exactly how I feel about this country.

[thecobra2]

I felt the same way after living in Japan for a year and then returning to Canada. I was shocked at peoples behavior, language and disrespect. I became deeply depressed for about 2 years and then I just said f**k it. This is not worth my unhappiness. So I moved back to Japan. And guess what, all of my depression and anxiety went away. It's so nice not having to worry about being robbed, stabbed or assaulted while walking to work everyday. I have no plans of returning!

I may be earning less money but I am a hell of a lot happier!