Does everyone want to live in the US?

[AteRiri]

I was talking to an American friend and he made this blanket statement, "Everyone wants to come here!"

Is this true?

He's talking horseshit.
I would hate to live in America.

old You don't understand the American system. Salaries are much higher. To give a comparison a nurse in south jersey is making $100k a year while a nurse in north jersey is making $130-150k. The higher salaries are because welfare stops at $45k for a family of 5. They need to pay $$$ otherwise people won't do the job. Yes we have horrendous bills at $50k for medical but we pay 10% tax so it all ends up being equal to what we would be paying in the U.K.

I'd like to add, too, that the OTT comments, especially ones aimed at Americans, rather than issues with the US as a country, make me question whether I am welcome on MN. How many other MNers have the same opinions but just don't post them? One other American poster said much the same and she has not been back to post since.

I agree. I posted on the "Loud Americans" thread but couldn't be arsed dealing with the same insults on this one. If these kinds of threads were posted about any other country, I think MN admin would have shut it down very early on.

As one minor example cote d'azur upthread "very superficial social interactions" Really??

You live in the US and you are complaining on a UK site about the insincere interactions you have in your daily life in teh US?

Or you once went on a visit to Florida or NYC or similar and felt the shop assistants saying "have a nice day" didn't really CARE about you the way british shop assistants do when they grunt and stick your money on the counter?

And that is one of the milder comments. I particularly loved "god no, it is full of americans' and then Seneca was told she was being way too sensitive taking that personally - being an american.

I live here. My social interactions are perfectly sincere. The country has issues. Like any country does.

I do feel utterly unwelcome on MN as an American. Not sure if I am any more welcome as an Irishwoman tbh.

Pallisers - 'god no its full of americans'. Nice, right? Especially the Americans on here.
When I first moved here I thought the nice social interactions were fake. Took me a while to realise so many are genuine. I love that about here. Hate the customer service in the UK.

And despite some of the truly amazing people I met in the states (lived in the north east and in the 'Bible Belt' I felt utterly unwelcome.

One of the incidents that truly stands out is a Baptist Christian gleefully taking my ex-husband to one side at a Christmas party and asking if it was true that English men spent every evening in the pub and went home afterwards to beat their wives - and that was just the tip of the bigoted iceberg.

That's interesting, Banty. I've been welcomed with open arms. I'm sorry you had a bad experience.
You're not helping though by calling Americans septic-tanks, in reply to an American posting. Even if it was an apology.

This thread is sad. The way the UK is heading I'm not sure I want to live here either!

My liberal US family (I am British) think the way most posters do about trump, guns, healthcare etc.

I do think Americans are friendlier than British people especially on first meeting. It might be superficial friendliness but on the while it's preferable.

I would live there if I had the opportunity. Probably only in the democratic states if I had the choice but very envious of my brother who is out in California for a year for work. He loves it.

DixieWishbone it wasn't my family that said that, it was a group of people I had just met. I was in the US visiting my family.

You're not helping though by calling Americans septic-tanks, in reply to an American posting.

And I do know a bit of Cockney rhyming slang. I'm not a Yank though; I'm a Southerner.

I left this thread for a day hoping it would have improved. Not so much. My husband, his family and some of my best friends are American. As am I. Perfect country with perfect people? No. But then neither is the country of my other passport which is the UK. By all means criticise the political choices some of us made. (Shall I mention brexit anyone?). By all means criticise our gun laws. I do on a fairly regular basis. but to generalise about millions of people and their views based on time spent here for work or pleasure, what you read in the papers or that one random American tourist who was too loud (they annoy me too) seems... Well a little rude.

Me too Seneca!

Seneca I was just about to say that the rhyming slang technically wouldn't apply to Southerbers but that would be a completely different thread in many ways.

I have a lot of truly fantastic American friends - it's just unfortunate that in my experience the gun-toting-bible-thumping-racist-greedy stereotype does seem to prevail.

Another anecdote from my ex-New Jersey MIL who defected to Florida in her early teens:

'Oh, she's black, but she's a lovely lady'. WTF.

Failing to find any "good genuine customer service" here in the states all so fake and clearly scripted part of the sales prowess.

Have to add much that I wouldn't move to the states. I don't plan on staying in the U.K. long term.

Sorry, the anti septic thing wasn't supposed to be offensive, its just in my parlance/idiom.

I'm not anti american, lived there for years in both rural and NYC so I know there are differences.

Sorry for any offence.

I am the first to say that America is not perfect BUT neither is the U.K. The issue I have is that the U.K. imports the worst aspects of the US and tells everyone 'this is how it's done in the US so we must do the same'. Take tuition fees. Yes everyone pays tuition in the US but classes are scheduled so you can work 35 hours a week while you study. With education, inclusion doesn't mean SEN sit in the same classroom. It means you sit in the same school but in a separate class with specialist help. I honestly want to shake these people who import these half baked ideas and stick a post-it on it saying 'Imported from USA'.

And also, lord save me from bloody bumper stickers, I honestly couldn't care less if your car will be unmanned because of your dusoensastionilist beliefs, your child is on the honour roll, you have X-amount of guns in your home or which political party you support.

Sales assistance is all based on where you shop. Nordstrom has excellent service. I walk in and they know me and my son who has a heck of a time in shopping malls. They have opened early to accommodate him. Macy's at my local mall OTOH is insincere and robotic. Price of Nordstrom is more than Macy's but I spend less because I buy what I actually use/like.

You buy in target/Walmart/JCP/Sears you will get mediocre service at best. Their employees are on min wage with no benefits.

*dispensationalist

No, I have visited 5 times and love some parts of the country but the guns and some of the stories American friends have told me about the police shooting people scare me. Police seem to shoot vulnerable people rather than protect them.

banty I love the bumper stickers. Don't have any of my own but my kick ass female partner has 'Jersey Girls don't pump gas' on her back end. Always makes me chuckle.

A witty sticker was a rare, but welcome, find when stuck bumper to bumper on the I95.

Best one I ever saw was:

The only Bush I trust is my own.

We can't wait to get back to the US. Healthcare, dental, friendly people not obsessed with class, cheap cost of living, a bathroom for every bedroom, sun, snow, weekend trips to Las Vegas, Whole Foods, barbecues in summer, much cheaper private schools if we decide not to use state. I could go on. Our quality of life was way better out there despite a higher salary here.

Not at the moment ' but it is bound to improve after that last useless President.

I do mid Whole Foods, and Chipotle, Chick Fil A, Cheescake Factory.

Speaking of bumper stickers, y'all might appreciate this car from my home state.