10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America

satansbed

DS1119 wrote:

Everything you get in this World is paid for. Unless the doctors, nurses, hospitals, medical companies, etc. all work for free in those two countries. Their money comes from somewhere.

I completely agree, they pay for it in higher taxes but what is different is that it is viewed as a social good(and by good i mean item for consumption) rather than in america it is viewed as an individual good.

the thing that struck me while i was in america is that in general it was more individualistic than where i come from. and ireland isn't a bastion of collectivism or anything but america seems to be much further down the path of individualisation while europe seems to be somewhere in between, in that yes we reward people for success etc but there is a far greater sense of community here than what i witnessed over in America. and this doesn't come down to the government or anything like that, i think it comes down to society in general

Byrnzie

Traveling's addictive. It's pretty much all I want to do - see everything, and go everywhere.

And fortunately the World's a big place. I'm not sure anyone could exhaust it.

cincybearcat

satansbed wrote:

DS1119 wrote:

Everything you get in this World is paid for. Unless the doctors, nurses, hospitals, medical companies, etc. all work for free in those two countries. Their money comes from somewhere.

I completely agree, they pay for it in higher taxes but what is different is that it is viewed as a social good(and by good i mean item for consumption) rather than in america it is viewed as an individual good.

the thing that struck me while i was in america is that in general it was more individualistic than where i come from. and ireland isn't a bastion of collectivism or anything but america seems to be much further down the path of individualisation while europe seems to be somewhere in between, in that yes we reward people for success etc but there is a far greater sense of community here than what i witnessed over in America. and this doesn't come down to the government or anything like that, i think it comes down to society in general

Personally I think generalizing America as a whole in regards to individualism is not fair. It'd be like saying the french are the same as the english. USA is a very large country with a very diverse population. Certainly, individualism is championed, but more so in some places than others.

As far as traveling abroad goes, I do wish everyone could do it. I certainly have the opportunity to and have done so on some occasions, but I have also used my time with my young daughter at places like Disney World. It all has it's place in a nice, enjoyable, full life.

Traveling abroad (or anywhere) just for vacation would certainly give you a skewed opinion of a place though. Let's face it, everyone is happier and easier going on vacation, just soaking everything in. You can over romanticize a place when you don;t have to deal with everyday life there. Hell, locally, I love New Orleans for a nice SHORT trip. I have no interest in actually living there though.

It would be nice to have about 10 lifetimes to love so that you could see a lot more and live a lot more places. Almost every place in this world has something unique and good to offer.

cincybearcat

Byrnzie wrote:

Traveling's addictive. It's pretty much all I want to do - see everything, and go everywhere.

And fortunately the World's a big place. I'm not sure anyone could exhaust it.

Do you have a family? Traveling can get pretty expensive as you add more and more people to your group.

I do think what you do is pretty cool. I would say you are lucky, but it's not really about luck, it's about choices. I look forward to a nice cultural European vacation with my little girl when I feel she is old enough to truly appreciate it. I think we will probably avoid much of asia. I don;t have much interest and my wife, who has been to several places actually did not enjoy herself...which is REALLY rare. She's been a few more places than me and has basically loved everywhere except China and maybe the country areas of the Czech Republic. To each there own, you can't like everything or everywhere.

redrock

A lot of people here are talking about travelling - as in tourism - which is wonderful. But yes, it's expensive and family commitments, etc....(but isn't that true for everyone, not just americans?). Though it would seem that some do not have the desire at all to leave their country and see what else there is 'out there', whether cultures, landscapes, food, etc. - that I find a bit sad in a way, very limiting.

But travelling is not all. I find that a lot (or some as I don't want to generalise!) who do their tourist bit, do so in a very superficial way - see the sights in the guidebook but still want to eat and seek out 'american' food (if you get my drift) and do not fully immerse themselves in the country visited. Same goes for those who work abroad in multi-nationals. A lot (most, I will say - and this is from experience working/dealing with these people for many, many years) do not bother learning the language of the country, even if they will be there for 2/3 years, live in 'american' neighbourhoods, socialise amongst themselves. When they go 'back home', they have not even had a valid experience of the country that was home to them for several years.

To me (and again this is not all) but comparatively to other nationalities that I know well, Americans seem to be sort of reluctant to travel or live abroad and, if they do so, to 'be part' of where they happen to be. Even with the younger generation. Sure, there is plenty to see/do in the US and the US is diverse/interesting/ beautiful in many ways but excluding discovering other countries because of this is a bit restrictive. Like not wanting to try a lychee because one likes oranges and has plenty around so why bother with something different or not local.

cincybearcat

redrock wrote:

But yes, it's expensive and family commitments, etc....(but isn't that true for everyone, not just americans?).

Yes, but in europe you can take weekend trips to different countries. Just a tad bit closer.

mikepegg44

satansbed wrote:

9. We Are Very Unhealthy
Unless you have cancer or something equally dire, the health care system in the US sucks. The World Health Organization ranked the US 37th in the world for health care, despite the fact that we spend the most per
A routine STD test that can run you over $200 in the US is free in many countries to anyone, citizen or not. My health insurance the past year? $65 a month. Why? Because I live outside of the US. An American guy I met living in Buenos Aires got knee surgery on his ACL that would have cost $10,000 in the US… for free.

Isn't part of that ranking access to care related? or was that strictly quality of care?


Also, I work at a clinic that provides free sti testing and treatment to people who cannot afford it, no matter where they live, or are from originally...citizen or not. We also never bill...meaning that no matter if a person can afford it or not, if they don't have insurance, we simply get donations or nothing at all...

Many major cities in America have that same set up one way or another...but I suppose it does very state to state...

interesting read though...I always like opinion pieces on all things American in sort of generalization mode...they are great conversations starters that, if kept constructive, can really help educate people

redrock

cincybearcat wrote:

redrock wrote:

But yes, it's expensive and family commitments, etc....(but isn't that true for everyone, not just americans?).

Yes, but in europe you can take weekend trips to different countries. Just a tad bit closer.

That is very true! I used to jump on the train (not driving in those days) to go spend a day in Paris or Amsterdam enjoying their 'niceties' . Though many Europeans do have a predilection for far away destinations

cincybearcat

redrock wrote:

cincybearcat wrote:

redrock wrote:

But yes, it's expensive and family commitments, etc....(but isn't that true for everyone, not just americans?).

Yes, but in europe you can take weekend trips to different countries. Just a tad bit closer.

That is very true! I used to jump on the train (not driving in those days) to go spend a day in Paris or Amsterdam enjoying their 'niceties' . Though many Europeans do have a predilection for far away destinations

Right, but by growing up where heading off to another country for a weekend or a day is the norm, I would think that it would tend to lead to more travels later in life, farther. You get comfortable with travel so it;s not stressful. If it is thought of as stressful...why would you "waste" you vacation time on it when you could go to the beach a couple hours away and relax!

tybird

cincybearcat wrote:

redrock wrote:

But yes, it's expensive and family commitments, etc....(but isn't that true for everyone, not just americans?).

Yes, but in europe you can take weekend trips to different countries. Just a tad bit closer.

And they have options like high-speed rail...or even rail for that matter. For example, my options for rail destinations from my city are New Orleans (8 hour trip by rail), Atlanta, the Carolinas and Washington D.C. (close to or over 20 hours by rail). That is one train going south and one train going north daily. New Orleans and D.C. are the first stations where I could make any connections to other trains. Any connection through NOLA would require spending the night there. I love traveling by rail, but it is not the efficient way to travel the U.S.

It is also important to remember that this is a vast and diverse country. There is a lot to see and do here, but the size does make it expensive to travel across the country. My wife just paid $800+ round-trip to go to Buffalo, New York on a business trip via Southwest Airlines, an economy flier.

redrock

cincybearcat wrote:

Right, but by growing up where heading off to another country for a weekend or a day is the norm, I would think that it would tend to lead to more travels later in life, farther. You get comfortable with travel so it;s not stressful. If it is thought of as stressful...why would you "waste" you vacation time on it when you could go to the beach a couple hours away and relax!

I didn't grow up that way and when I 'grew up', it was a long time ago - week-end jaunts were definitely not the norm, anywhere (though my parents did meet in a far away land for both of them and I met my husband in a far away land for the both of us!). But you hit a point here too... vacation time. Almost negligible in the US (legally).

And it's not only being a tourist, as I said, it's also the whole concept of leaving the country to live/work somewhere else. Expanding horizons, willing to try something new/different. Not needing to fill a void of any kind as some may have suggested but just for personal 'development', getting to know the world, getting to be more tolerant to the world, not being so insular.

tybird - I love travelling by train too! Crossed Australia, the US and all over Europe by train (with stops!) and plan to do the trans-siberian one day!

polaris_x

traveling is always going to be a function of priorities ... yes, canada and mexico are the only "close countries" depending on where one lives in the US however, with the strength of the dollar (moreso previously) - americans would generally well afford to travel especially to places in latin america where meals and accommodation are way cheaper than most places in the states ... but the priorities for most americans are homes and big cars ... and big screen tvs ...

Jeanwah

Byrnzie wrote:

Traveling's addictive. It's pretty much all I want to do - see everything, and go everywhere.

And fortunately the World's a big place. I'm not sure anyone could exhaust it.

You're lucky Byrnzie. I'm guessing you're not tied down to a house payment or other debts? I would do it in a heartbeat if I wasn't tied down. There's something very freeing to be able to travel with no abandon, and be open enough to truly experience other cultures without fear or judgement.

Jeanwah

redrock wrote:

cincybearcat wrote:

Right, but by growing up where heading off to another country for a weekend or a day is the norm, I would think that it would tend to lead to more travels later in life, farther. You get comfortable with travel so it;s not stressful. If it is thought of as stressful...why would you "waste" you vacation time on it when you could go to the beach a couple hours away and relax!

I didn't grow up that way and when I 'grew up', it was a long time ago - week-end jaunts were definitely not the norm, anywhere (though my parents did meet in a far away land for both of them and I met my husband in a far away land for the both of us!). But you hit a point here too... vacation time. Almost negligible in the US (legally).

America offers the least amount of vacation time in the world. I'll have to find a link but read a lot about it after burning out from a mind-numbing job that offered very little time off. European mandates leisure time and it's a priority for them. Something else America can learn and improve upon... There's a reason we're so busy and stressed.

tybird

redrock wrote:

tybird - I love travelling by train too! Crossed Australia, the US and all over Europe by train (with stops!) and plan to do the trans-siberian one day!

Would love to do the cross-Canadian rail thing....my wife and step-daughter did a bit of Euro-Rail last year....the Trans-Siberian sounds uber-cool...would love to do that too.

tybird

polaris_x wrote:

traveling is always going to be a function of priorities ... yes, canada and mexico are the only "close countries" depending on where one lives in the US however, with the strength of the dollar (moreso previously) - americans would generally well afford to travel especially to places in latin america where meals and accommodation are way cheaper than most places in the states ... but the priorities for most americans are homes and big cars ... and big screen tvs ...

...And the majority of us here in the U.S. have to have a car....period. No car, in most cases, equal no job. Walking or riding a bike to work in our urban/suburban sprawl tends not to be doable. Public transit....yeah, right.

redrock

Jeanwah wrote:

America offers the least amount of vacation time in the world. I'll have to find a link but read a lot about it after burning out from a mind-numbing job that offered very little time off. European mandates leisure time and it's a priority for them. Something else America can learn and improve upon... There's a reason we're so busy and stressed.

Usually between 4 to 6 weeks in European countries with 'bank holidays/national days'. I hated working the US because of that! No real 'paid holidays', just a number of days that were to be used for holidays, personal reasons, sick days, etc. Now I know that each company is different and depending on that, plus length of service, etc. this varies but it's still very stingy. Maybe if more Americans worked abroad and enjoyed these benefits, they would 'tackle' this issue with unions, companies, etc.!

polaris_x

tybird wrote:

...And the majority of us here in the U.S. have to have a car....period. No car, in most cases, equal no job. Walking or riding a bike to work in our urban/suburban sprawl tends not to be doable. Public transit....yeah, right.

yeah ... but there are choices there ... you can't deny that many americans often make consumer choices beyond their means ... i just got back from iceland and sweden where 90% of the cars are small fuel efficient vehicles with hatchbacks despite being in northern climates ... it screams of a culture/society that is more practical than status based ... most people friggin' drive SUV's in the states ... it's absurd ...

Jeanwah

tybird wrote:

...And the majority of us here in the U.S. have to have a car....period. No car, in most cases, equal no job. Walking or riding a bike to work in our urban/suburban sprawl tends not to be doable. Public transit....yeah, right.

Ever been to New York City? The majority living there do not own a car.

Jeanwah

redrock wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

America offers the least amount of vacation time in the world. I'll have to find a link but read a lot about it after burning out from a mind-numbing job that offered very little time off. European mandates leisure time and it's a priority for them. Something else America can learn and improve upon... There's a reason we're so busy and stressed.

Usually between 4 to 6 weeks in European countries with 'bank holidays/national days'. I hated working the US because of that! No real 'paid holidays', just a number of days that were to be used for holidays, personal reasons, sick days, etc. Now I know that each company is different and depending on that, plus length of service, etc. this varies but it's still very stingy. Maybe if more Americans worked abroad and enjoyed these benefits, they would 'tackle' this issue with unions, companies, etc.!

If more Americans worked abroad and enjoyed those benefits, they'd probably move there! Unions and companies here are so wrapped up in politics here that nothing will change with them. Too much red tape for anything to actually change. It's why I've been thinking of moving out for a while now.