Yeah, the US is better than many countries with regards of laws that allow you to stand your ground. That's exactly the reason that made me consider moving there. Not any more :-(.
I might have overplayed the 'commie' part a little. Still what I see there is quite in line with the practices of the former Eastern Block - I am from Bulgaria and I had "the chance" to live in a communist society until I was 8. The witch hunting is copied basically 1:1, and also the "witch profile" is surprisingly the same - evil capitalist "pigs", presumably white and presumably racist/nazi.
The folks who think that the US is one of the best places to live in the world are usually folks who've never stepped outside of the US.
I've lived in several US states, a variety of European and Asian countries, and have travelled broadly - and the US, I put on a par with post-soviet Russia in terms of standards of living - and in terms of cultural attitudes.
It's amazing how similar the two are, to someone external to both worlds.
There are places where it's better or even very good in the Czech Rep. as well. The point is that sometimes, government fails horribly and there is no way out because well, it's the government, its whole job is to enforce its rule. BTW the USA as a whole is comparable to the EU as a whole in terms of corruption and competency.
Yes, European Countries, except some ex-soviet countries are better than Usa (excluded California or New York probably) on social matters aside maybe personal opportunities due to a Left-Conservatory enviroments
Yes it's better, because in America we don't get whisked off in the night to a work camp or straight up killed for simply airing our grievances about government or corporate control. It absolutely sucks that American companies have near total control over our lives here, but at least you and I are free to mention that fact online.
I'd argue that the US lost its reputation as "one of the best" quite some time ago. Communist Russia is probably still an overly contrasting comparison point - the US is not as bad as that - but compared to countries that are actually among "the best", the US has been quite low down the rankings for some time now.
So actually the OP's comparison seems fair. "The US may be bad these days, but at least it's not (yet) as bad as some of the worst in history!"
I wouldn’t say the US is absolutely superior in any way, if anything I’d place the progressive EU countries at the top of that list. There seems to be something rotting at the core of the US too. Just different. And while the US has its own atrocious human rights violations, so does China. And an Orwellian one-party government. We should not be defending totalitarian regimes of any kind.
And nice try trying to whitewash genocide and concentration camps, but I personally am steadfastly against fascism, for what it’s worth. You do you though.
And let's be honest, if one were to go to jail in the US, Brazil, or Russia, especially as a (formerly) wealthy American, the US is an order of magnitude better than the other two.
> ....it's still better than almost any government outside Western Europe, and is in some ways better than governments in Western Europe (e.g. with regard to free speech), though worse in others.
Only from an American view point is that true, lots of differing view points come to lots of different conclusions about which govt is "better". That is entirely the point with why the US insists on pushing it's value system on others (by force if neccersary).
Don't let the doomsayers dissuade you. Life is still very good here. Violent crime is near record lows. The air is much cleaner in cities than it used to be. You can find amazing salaries. We are making progress on social issues with same-sex marriage being a legal right.
I have the ability to move anywhere in the world and, all things considered, I'm staying in the US. It is not without it's problems, as you mention, privacy and a militarized police force are high on the list, but also keep in mind the positives. I think they still outweigh the negatives by a lot.
Well, this isn't the 80s anymore, no one talks of Russia anymore. What I meant was based on looking at European countries like Sweden and Finland or even France.
Also, I am not saying the U.S. is a horrible place to live in, I am just saying that it has the potential to be more liveable for all citizens, not just the very "best".
One thing I always say to myself when I start to really rail on the US/AU/UK/Can etc is that they are still orders of magnitude better places to live than Russia, China or other places of the sort.
Or so the story goes, anyway, since we only hear one side.
For all the complex and serious problems the US has, I think it's still generally a stable and safe place with plenty of opportunity and nice people. I'd feel safer there than many other historical places that had aimed more aggressively at more-or-less equal societies. Few people seem to risk their lives to defect from the US. And they wouldn't even have to because the US lets you leave!
I might have overplayed the 'commie' part a little. Still what I see there is quite in line with the practices of the former Eastern Block - I am from Bulgaria and I had "the chance" to live in a communist society until I was 8. The witch hunting is copied basically 1:1, and also the "witch profile" is surprisingly the same - evil capitalist "pigs", presumably white and presumably racist/nazi.
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