I wrote this intro to HA for our Facebook group description. It sounds more positive and friendly, without any AW bashing, but culture bashing instead, making it less controversial. Should we use it on the home page or pamphlet since it's more agreeable and less anti-AW? That way, people of both genders may be interested, since there are women who feel the same way about American culture.
Intro to HA Facebook Group:
"Welcome to HappierAbroad. We are a group for people who are Happier Abroad because we experience far better social connection, dating, relationships, freedom, authenticity, confidence, self-esteem, and lower cost of living overseas than in North America (or other Western countries). Our website is at
http://www.HappierAbroad.com
As all who are aware know, modern American culture and society has become very toxic, insane and soulless. People are paranoid, uptight, inauthentic and the social environment is extremely isolating and disconnected. There is no human connection in America. You can't even talk to strangers or socialize anymore. Communication is now strictly for business only.
All this is totally unprecedented in that never before in thousands of years of human history have people been so isolated and disconnected. It's not normal or natural at all. Thus modern America is an aberration. (And even in America, it was not like this prior to the 1980's.)
Fortunately, it is not like this in most of the other 200 countries of the world outside America. And that's the Good News, for it means that one can still go abroad to experience a better, healthier and saner life. Thus we promote this as the only real solution that works.
As the libertarian author Harry Browne stated:
"It takes far less effort to find and move to the society that has what you want than it does to try to reconstruct an existing society to match your standards." - Harry Browne, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World
This is the logic and philosophy we live by. It makes perfect sense if you think about it.
Yet we seem to be the only ones proposing this solution. While even the US media acknowledges the social isolation and disconnection in America, it has no solution to it (but we do) because recommending people to leave the country and go overseas is taboo and unpatriotic. So it is not ever considered by either the mainstream media or the alternative media.
Even the conspiracy subculture groups and New Age groups do not advocate this as a solution. For some reason, it's the most taboo solution or suggestion. So we are the only ones left to promote it.
Plus there is this fallacy and false assumption in America that America = The World, and therefore, all the problems and dysfunctions in America are the same everywhere else. Even the conspiracy subculture and alternative media assume this. But I swear to you that nothing could be further from the truth. There are many countless differences between America and other cultures, both major and minor, and are listed on our website at HappierAbroad.com. These are life-changing differences. Just look at the testimonials on our site, as well as the photos and videos, and you will see absolute proof of this.
So if you believe in our cause, we welcome you on board.
You may visit our website and forum at:
http://www.happierabroad.com
Sincerely,
Winston Wu and the HappierAbroad Team
Addendum: A few more noteworthy points
In America we are taught that the US is the greatest country in all things and that everywhere else can only be worse. So it is taboo to say that anything abroad is better, even if you've experienced it. But nevertheless many we know who went overseas to escape the toxic culture in the US say that they felt much better, happier, healthier and more free. Their self-esteem improved too, because abroad one does not feel as insecure as they do in the competitive disconnected environment of America.
So going overseas is a real SOLUTION to the problems in America, even though it's a taboo one. There are many important benefits to living and dating overseas, but which are not publicized.
The bottom line is that we FEEL BETTER about ourselves and our relationships and friendships overseas. There is a greater sense of connection, natural state of being and wholeness in many other countries that is missing in America. That is a life-changing truth that is almost never discussed publicly.
Happier Abroad is the first website and movement to discuss this publicly, and offers a proven overseas solution to the lonely, isolating, dateless, expensive, toxic, insane, soulless, mentally unhealthy, inauthentic culture of America.
Love, dating and social connection are important aspects of life. To some they are the most important areas of life. Yet Lonely Planet and other travel guides and websites consider this to be an off-limits taboo subject. And the mainstream media only considers jobs and economic news to be newsworthy. But we can't neglect this important part of life. So we have to fill in this gap for them."
