America the Best Country?

[MrMan]

My wife, who is from Indonesia came back from a trip to the middle east. She's was talking to a friend on the phone and was saying that America is the best country. She was talking about the roads, how developed things are. Parts of the middle east were friendlier, but we live in a fairly friendly part of the US. She was also talking about freedom and other things like that.

The US is fairly evenly developed. If you go out in the country, you don't see dirt floor shacks. Small towns have decent shopping. The standard of living is pretty good.

I didn't argue with her. I don't hold to the idea, as many do here, like a tenant of their religion, that the US is lousy and overseas it is better.

I can understand why some countries, in general, might be better for finding a wife, especially for a foreigner who has a bit of mystique, who is from a developed country. As far as day-to-day life goes, if you get a decent job, you can live a fairly cushy life in the US. There is a lot off opportunity, too, especially if you are smart and develop your intellect.

Skilled trades pay well in the US, too. That isn't true of all countries.

[kangarunner]

My wife, who is from Indonesia came back from a trip to the middle east. She's was talking to a friend on the phone and was saying that America is the best country. She was talking about the roads, how developed things are. Parts of the middle east were friendlier, but we live in a fairly friendly part of the US. She was also talking about freedom and other things like that.

The US is fairly evenly developed. If you go out in the country, you don't see dirt floor shacks. Small towns have decent shopping. The standard of living is pretty good.

I didn't argue with her. I don't hold to the idea, as many do here, like a tenant of their religion, that the US is lousy and overseas it is better.

I can understand why some countries, in general, might be better for finding a wife, especially for a foreigner who has a bit of mystique, who is from a developed country. As far as day-to-day life goes, if you get a decent job, you can live a fairly cushy life in the US. There is a lot off opportunity, too, especially if you are smart and develop your intellect.

Skilled trades pay well in the US, too. That isn't true of all countries.

If you have the money to protect yourself and your family in a private gated community in a safe area, then maybe what you're saying can be true. Only if you have the money, is America a decent place to live. If not, it's a misery.

The majority of Americans are nasty, selfish, disgusting pigs. That's disrespectful to pigs. Pigs are better than Americans.

[kangarunner]

You people in this country are disgusting, worthless pieces of shit.

[MrMan]

My wife, who is from Indonesia came back from a trip to the middle east. She's was talking to a friend on the phone and was saying that America is the best country. She was talking about the roads, how developed things are. Parts of the middle east were friendlier, but we live in a fairly friendly part of the US. She was also talking about freedom and other things like that.

The US is fairly evenly developed. If you go out in the country, you don't see dirt floor shacks. Small towns have decent shopping. The standard of living is pretty good.

I didn't argue with her. I don't hold to the idea, as many do here, like a tenant of their religion, that the US is lousy and overseas it is better.

I can understand why some countries, in general, might be better for finding a wife, especially for a foreigner who has a bit of mystique, who is from a developed country. As far as day-to-day life goes, if you get a decent job, you can live a fairly cushy life in the US. There is a lot off opportunity, too, especially if you are smart and develop your intellect.

Skilled trades pay well in the US, too. That isn't true of all countries.

If you have the money to protect yourself and your family in a private gated community in a safe area, then maybe what you're saying can be true. Only if you have the money, is America a decent place to live. If not, it's a misery.

We don't have a lot of crime around here. I've never seen anyone walking along the street with firearms threatening he neighborhood. (I am sure many of them own weapons to defend their homes or for hunting.) Do you live in Chicago?

There is crime in other countries, also.

The majority of Americans are nasty, selfish, disgusting pigs. That's disrespectful to pigs. Pigs are better than Americans.

What is your nationality? Do you live in America?

[Cornfed]

It seemed to me that the public infrastructure in the US and the West generally is now much worse than other places. Compare LAX to Shanghai or Incheon airports, for example. Busses in Mexico are probably better than busses in the US. The standard of behavior expected in public is way down in the West. It is sometimes said that the West is a third world shithole now, but in many respects it is much worse.

[MrMan]

It seemed to me that the public infrastructure in the US and the West generally is now much worse than other places. Compare LAX to Shanghai or Incheon airports, for example. Busses in Mexico are probably better than busses in the US. The standard of behavior expected in public is way down in the West. It is sometimes said that the West is a third world shithole now, but in many respects it is much worse.

In the US, local city governments have their own bus systems (if they have them at all), so you would have to compare one specific city to Mexico City. Much of the US has little bus coverage. And in much of the US, if you don't have a car, it is hard to go anywhere. A rural county might have a taxi if that. Now, with Uber, maybe it's easier. I used Uber in the US once when I was living overseas and went to California to present at a conference.

I haven't been on the great Seoul subway system since the early 2000s. But I would imagine no matter how nice it is, that it is wicked crowded most of the time. In the US, you don't have to deal with Seoul crowds. I haven't been to NYC since I was a baby and I have only been to LA once as an adult a little over 20 years ago. So I don't know if these or other cities have any places that compare to Seoul for crowdedness, but I would imagine they do not. That's another positive factor about the US. Not only is there infrastructure, but you usually have breathing and leg room (if you aren't on an airplane.)

I don't know if the US is 'the best' but it has a combination of good infrastructure, space, air, land, etc.

[Cornfed]

In the US, local city governments have their own bus systems (if they have them at all), so you would have to compare one specific city to Mexico City. Much of the US has little bus coverage. And in much of the US, if you don't have a car, it is hard to go anywhere.

Right, so it is a sub-third-world shithole, due in large part to a sub-third-world population - blacks - that isn't properly controlled.

I haven't been on the great Seoul subway system since the early 2000s. But I would imagine no matter how nice it is, that it is wicked crowded most of the time.

I haven't been there in over a decade, but outside rush hours it used to be pretty uncrowded.

[kangarunner]

What is your nationality? Do you live in America?

Just like a pimple on the left, somebody says something and you don't like it.....and you don't like it.

[Yohan]

USA is not the best country in this world, but of course there are many other countries which are by far worse than USA.

However USA has some serious issues, which cannot be denied. It's a strange country for a visitor not familiar with the life-style in the States.

One problem is the fact, that many people in the USA do not have any health insurance, or they had it and were kicked out because of their age or because of their illnesses which makes treatment costly. Medical help and drugs are overpriced.

Another problem is about the legal situation, states are acting almost independent from each other, legal assistance is extremely costly.
Nobody knows what is right and wrong.

Prison population is remarkable, one of the highest in the world....Millions in jail.

Also USA has strong racial issues, I do not know another place where race plays such a major role and also the communication among people in general is rather disturbed with feminism and woke culture, nobody is trusting anybody anymore.

In USA clearly the difference between people who are really rich and people who own nothing at all is appalling. Homeless or sleeping in a car can be observed in many places.

For foreign visitors annoying is the aggressive way of tipping - regardless if in hotels, restaurants, delivery services etc. - everybody expects a tip from you for the smallest favor, for doing just what is their job.

I found also the hygienic situation to be bad, toilets are all substandard, public restrooms are often not existing, even in a Hyatt Hotel in a restaurant I made this observation, the restroom was totally different from other parts of the hotel, very primitive, had only a little piece of the cheapest soap, cheapest toilet paper, cold water, no towel - if I compare this with a restroom in an upper class hotel in Japan....I was really surprised about the low standard.

Also garbage collection is not functioning well, many streets in the cities are quite dirty....

Some places in the States really can be compared with the living standard of an underdeveloped country.

I also felt surprised how many ordinary US citizens refer to police as 'thugs with a badge' 'gangsters with a gun' etc. I was shocked about the low image of police in the States.

---

Of course I say it again, USA is NOT the worst place in this world, other countries and not so few of them are worse - but to call USA to be a paradise and a country for everybody to feel free and happy is not true either.

[Yohan]

I haven't been on the great Seoul subway system since the early 2000s. But I would imagine no matter how nice it is, that it is wicked crowded most of the time.

I haven't been there in over a decade, but outside rush hours it used to be pretty uncrowded.

True! Not so crowded except during rush hours....

Subway systems in the States cannot be compared with subway systems in Korea and Japan.

Korean and Japanese subways are quite similar to each other, also all train and bus systems are all clean and safe, no graffiti, no vandals and they are running on time.

Totally different from public transport you see in the States.

[MrMan]

What is your nationality? Do you live in America?

Just like a pimple on the left, somebody says something and you don't like it.....and you don't like it.

Shaka when the walls fell!



If Americans are excrement.... what is your nationality? That's my question. I don't agree with your comments about Americans. You are way overgeneralizing.

There are lots of problems with the US, and the overall culture is not a good environment for producing good wives, but it doesn't spoil all of them. Women tend to be fatter than they used to be. That's a negative for a lot of men, with at least one exception on this board. The government is going crazy promoting gay and trans stuff and other weird ideas.

But there are also a lot of positive things about living in the US. There is a reasonable level of opportunity, at least for those who have some degree of intelligence and diligence and a reasonable stable home life growing up. There are a lot of resources. We aren't freezing our butts off this winter. If our government allows it, we can provide enough energy for ourselves. There is a lot of space. Development is generally good. If someone lives in a lousy crime-ridden unfriendly city, he can move somewhere less crime ridden.

It isn't as good as in 2019, but shopping is still easy in much of America. There are shopping centers, Walmarts, even malls, online shopping, usually fast delivery. Goods and services are evenly distributed across the country, not clustered in a few over-crowded countries. Development reaches the small towns. Clean water. Electricity. Reasonably clean air in most places. Allowed to own firearms and to hunt. Plenty of open country to hunt in. Plenty of places to fish. It's a bit regulated, but still legal. If you get a decent job, there is the opportunity to get credit to buy a house. A lot of people abuse credit. That's their choice.

[MrMan]

I haven't been on the great Seoul subway system since the early 2000s. But I would imagine no matter how nice it is, that it is wicked crowded most of the time.

I haven't been there in over a decade, but outside rush hours it used to be pretty uncrowded.

True! Not so crowded except during rush hours....

Subway systems in the States cannot be compared with subway systems in Korea and Japan.

Korean and Japanese subways are quite similar to each other, also all train and bus systems are all clean and safe, no graffiti, no vandals and they are running on time.

Totally different from public transport you see in the States.

I did like Korean subways. It's just that they were crowded. I used to spend some weekends in Seoul hanging out with a fellow expat teacher friend that I had worked with. He said, wait here a minute. Everyone on that subway walked up the steps. It was like they were marching in unison, all crammed together in sardines, a sea of black heads filling up every square inch of the stairs going up the subway. As I recall, there was a full row on the bottom step that moved upward, leaving the next step empty. They marched up in perfect unison, all crowded together. After that happened, we walked up the stairs, with no crowds. Koreans are very much used to being crammed together like sardines, at least in Seoul. Some people bump shouldiers with you.

When I was carrying or rolling a bag around (on a cart, before roller bags became the thing) for the weekend, I'd get tired and people would bump into me or just get uncomfortably close. I was in a rare uncrowded part of the underground tunnel/mall network that spreads through Seoul, and someone passed me, violating my personal space, just go to up the stairs. There was plenty of space. I started carrying a large pointed umbrella under my arm so that oncoming foot traffic would steer clear. I thought about carrying a cloth-covered bird-cage and saying 'chush me, baem ida' or however you say it-- "Look out! There is a snake!" That would have been dishonest and might have caused trouble or a death-inducing stampede, so I never did.

I really liked the underground tunnels. It seemed like most of it was shopping mall. It was great in the winter, and pretty good in the hot summers. Even the city I lived in had a decent stretch of that for the city size under the main street down town area. Winters are severe and so are summers there. But riding the subway around town meant lots of stair climbing. Have they added escalators all over?

I'd get out of a subway and try to take a taxi. If the trip required them to turn around and go the opposite direction, they'd shake their hand. Often I wanted the taxi to avoid the trip down the stairs and up again on the other side of the street to give my legs a rest. I don't know why they would not just turn at red lights since I was paying.

[MrMan]

Btw, Japan and Korea have much smaller land area than the US. I don't think the US has done that well for interstate transportation. Everyone has to have their own car to be truly mobile. There are some parts of the country with Amtrack. The US has a federal as opposed to centralized government, and much of it is sparsely populated in the middle. I haven't really looked at how well-covered China is for trains. Much of their population is toward the east, at least where most of the Han live, though there are some large western cities also.

I moved once with a UHaul and had to ride a Greyhound back to get my vehicle to drive. It wasn't all that expensive... not dirt cheap... but I was going a long way. It was a night trip, and a toddler cried for its 'binky' for most of the trip, making it hard to sleep. I haven't tried traveling all over with Greyhounds and Ubers. I don't know that it would even be possible. If you do it enough, you probably save money owning a car.

This year, I hear used cars went up about 40%. An acquaintance of mine who teaches business who is into buying cars said if you have a used car, sell it now, and buy one next year. But I need my car in the meantime. Historically, in my lifetime, used cars have been relatively cheap in America.

I suppose if you owned land in the right place you could just live an 1800's lifestyle if you could scrape up the property taxes.

[Yohan]

What you see here is a long distance train in Japan (Tokyo to Hokkaido), you cannot compare that with USA.

What this guy recorded is the 'economy class' and NOT the first class.
Check out the economy class and its restrooms and other services.

Korea has only a few long distance lines, as the country is really crowded and small.
Japan is wider, with more rural areas.

This is the first class, same route

[kangarunner]

But there are also a lot of positive things about living in the US. There is a reasonable level of opportunity, at least for those who have some degree of intelligence and diligence and a reasonable stable home life growing up. There are a lot of resources. We aren't freezing our butts off this winter. If our government allows it, we can provide enough energy for ourselves. There is a lot of space. Development is generally good. If someone lives in a lousy crime-ridden unfriendly city, he can move somewhere less crime ridden.

It isn't as good as in 2019, but shopping is still easy in much of America. There are shopping centers, Walmarts, even malls, online shopping, usually fast delivery. Goods and services are evenly distributed across the country, not clustered in a few over-crowded countries. Development reaches the small towns. Clean water. Electricity. Reasonably clean air in most places. Allowed to own firearms and to hunt. Plenty of open country to hunt in. Plenty of places to fish. It's a bit regulated, but still legal. If you get a decent job, there is the opportunity to get credit to buy a house. A lot of people abuse credit. That's their choice.

I'm starting to think this user is a Fed or FBI or police with the way he posts. He's not one of us. The site is called "Happier Abroad" because we hate America and want to find "happiness abroad".

On alternative forums like this one, most police or Feds will have some kind of monitoring.

@MrMan is a Fed. f**k OFF.