Is America Really That Bad?

Cannizzaro@feddit.ch to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 313 points –

Been seeing a lot about how the government passes shitty laws, lot of mass shootings and expensive asf health care. I come from a developing nation and we were always told how America is great and whatnot. Are all states is America bad ?

322

You are viewing a single comment

America is harder to live in the poorer you are, and it’s on a steeper scale than in other industrialized nations because there are fewer and less robust social services, especially health and child care, and declines in union membership have paired with a rapid increase in wealth inequality that is forcing the shrinking middle class downward and stomping on the poor even harder.

You can live a comfortable life (for now…) if you are firmly middle class and up. Your higher salary than your counterparts in Europe is eaten away at by higher costs, and you deal with risks that they don’t in the form of transportation being car dominated (more accidents and less walking exercise) easy access to guns (the most dangerous being the one in your own home, to you) and less strict food safety laws. Compared to those in Eastern Europe, however, your likelihood of suffering from a foreign attack is drastically lower, not that it was ever very high to begin with.

One thing that Americans take pride in (and rightly, mind you) and full advantage of is our First Amendment right to not have our speech be curtailed, so a large amount of the bitching about America, and especially in English, is Americans bitching about America(ns). So there’s a cultural element to it that may or may not exceed the truth.

a large amount of the bitching about America, and especially in English, is Americans bitching about America(ns).

Absolutely.

I would also add that the capitalist class loves to promote the idea if America as the greatest nation on earth because that storyline benefits them. They've already won the game and are benefiting from our current system. They don't want it to change.

If we admit we have shortcomings--large gap in wealth equality, lack of accessible and affordible health services, piss poor public transportation, unaffordable child care paired with living costs so large 2 incomes are required, poor school funding, pervasive gun violence, and Policing that emphasizes violence, just to name a few-- then we are also acknowedging that we have to change things. Why would those who greatly benefit from our current system want change?

Why are there "removed" words in your comment?

I have heard lemmy.ml blocks curse words. My account is on lemmy.world and I see no removeds.

You can't be serious. I am using lemmy.ml.

Can you see the word "bitch"?

If you're saying "the B word," then no, I can't.

The lemmy.ml server even rejected a post I attempted that addressed this:

I can't upload another photo, because Connect says that the image service is "down," but it rejects with "error: slurs"

Anyway, this is my last post here. It's been fun, lemmy.ml.

Not removed for me.

Maybe you have a potty mouth blocking Greasemonkey script or something.

Oh right, I had heard about that: there’s a filter. I’m not sure what instance it’s on and what words it filters, though.

I was using the verb version of a word for a female dog.

It's lemmy.ml and saying bitch is not allowed. I don't need a nanny instance.

And certainly not one where you can't even have a proper discussion about dogs.

1 more...