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?

No.

I do want to visit though.
I'd probably prefer NZ or Canada to be honest, living wise.

But a few places in America that I'd like to see.

I think he was just generalising - like saying all Brits love tea. Maybe 25% like it but as its a fairly large number you're just generalising if that makes sense.

Plus now Trump is going to be in the White House you couldn't pay me to live there.

I would rather live literally anywhere in Western Europe, Australia, Canada or New Zealand than America. I have nothing against Americans and have had amazing holidays there and met lovely people, but I wouldn't want to live there in a million years.

Yes. It's horrific the racist abuse that is directed at Americans by many in the UK, particularly trendy left wingers. The US consists of a great many people and the US that is shown on UK tv is NOT the heartland, not the rural, not the poor, not the blue collar.

Yes, we speak the same language, but we are a different culture. Being from the US and happily settled with DH in Scotland I suffered a lot of abuse (ironically from white UK upper-middle class lefties who thought I had a hotline to GW Bush). The most supportive were working class people who admired qualities of family, support, loyalty and patriotism. These qualities are held up by many in the UK I agree, but many Smugs seem to enjoy berating them.

In short, please imagine replacing "America" with Africa / India / Pakistan and their peoples. If you would still say it then go ahead, but if you would not be willing to say "I hate Africans" then why is saying "I hate Americans" any more acceptable?

Btw I love Americans as a rule. Such friendly people.
If there is an American that joins a group I'm in I'll be the first to talk to them provided their friendly of course.

user I agree. I have a theory it's because the majority of upper middle class people from the UK wouldn't be able to make it in America. I've been there for 10 years and we have made our money, every single penny of it, through taking a risk and using every resource we had.

My education from the U.K. left me totally unprepared for the American workplace. I had a good job moving over but it was impossible to move up because I just didn't have the right education. Compared to my British counterparts I'm streets ahead now and those upper middle class people who come over fall flat on their face once their network isn't there.

I wouldn't even want to visit, never mind live there.

Having read old guard posts. Sound mostly the same reasons I chose where I live in the U.K. Currently.

I do hate the us culture of me me me and I can make more money than you. Also the lack of employment security that sees people in my SIL workplace being given unlimited leave but being afraid to take any as it's fround upon by the boss so most take less time off.

You couldn't pay me to live here. Also not sure about the comparison about saying you don't like Americans compares to saying you don't like Americans. The us isn't a continent and the Canadians and Mexicans are okay. In Africa don't like the South Africans much but those from Namibia and Kenya are all right. It's horses for courses and you still couldn't pay me to live here (in the US). But I visit from time to time.

Want2b again, I find myself saying the same to you. I think the problem is far more complex than you realise. Black people are viewed differently to white people. That's why so much racist abuse goes unnoticed - people don't even realise that they are being racist. They feel "threatened" by a black person showing signs of frustration, perhaps for being stopped for the third time that week. They feel that it is fine to respond to signs of frustration ("aggressive behaviour") by shooting that person dead.

Black parents have to have conversations with their children when they reach a certain age about how to conduct themselves in the presence of police officers: "Don't ask why they're stopping you", "say 'yes sir'", "always put your hands up." All so their children don't get shot. And even then there is no guarantee that they won't shoot anyway. White people do not have to worry about how their emotions come across in that way.

So yes, there is a huge problem with institutional racism across the USA. Having "some good cops" just doesn't cut it.

I don't even want to visit the US.

You couldn't pay me enough. Shudder

angela Where in the US are you living? It sounds from the way you are positing you are in the rust belt or south or have watched television focusing on those areas.

"because the majority of upper middle class people from the UK wouldn't be able to make it in America"

See its attitudes like that, that get people's backs up and an utter nonsense statement. You do realise that the US is the worst place in the developed world for social mobility right?

I've lived and worked in America, I didn't find the work place culture all that different, this is in NYC and then in other places. What I did find different as a young person was the standard of my education was better.

I'd be honest and say too that if you have a university education in the states things were slightly easier than here, there was less competition for each job, because there were more graduate level positions and not as many graduates competing for the jobs that there were.

Your "they would fall flat on their face" shows a smug complacency which is really unbecoming, and actually shows a startling lack of self awareness.

It's horrific the racist abuse that is directed at Americans by many in the UK, particularly trendy left wingers.

Racist abuse?
Do you even realise what racism is?

I notice the "left wingers" point is raised again, what does being left wing have anything to do with it?

Interestingly no one has yet referenced exactly who were the first founders of the USA: the U.K. And I feel that our imperialistic roots helped it and subsequently the UK and Europe to adopt a superior-approach-on-steroids towards the rest of the world - that is a simplistic approach though. Perhaps if the UK remembered that it's various 'heroes' such as Churchill were painted in their true colours, people who came from a past with attitudes that helped to shape the US, there would be less judgement and more understanding.

They wouldn't make it in the US. You can't get a top job in the US just because you have a posh British accent and spoon fed your entire life. They don't like entitled brats and value hard work, particularly when you've come from the bottom. My DH company has hired alot of ex UK forces at their base in CA because they have so much more skill than new graduates here. Comparing NYC is invalid, NYC is nothing like the rest of the US.

I love visiting America...I could see myself living in Arizona of California. It is such a shame about things like the aggressive police and Homeland Security at airports (personal experience)..I didn't go back for several years after a pretty horrific incident.

The warmongering is depressing...but then a lot of west seems to be involved in that too?!

Arizona 'or' California that is!

They seem to love entitled brats - esp the white, moneyed, male ones who assault unconscious women.

want2b no I live in the U.K., (which like I said isn't great either.) I have several family members across the US - cousins in Atlanta who feel the worst of it, other cousins in New York and some in Chicago. The ones in New York seem to feel it the least, they say they are stopped more often than their white counterparts and are not always spoken to respectfully, but don't feel the threat when at home like they do when they travel to other parts of the country. Still their parents had to have The Talk with them just to be safe.

Fuck, no.

Seeing a reference to Bush reminds me of another odd thing I've noticed in some Americans. If you criticise their government they take it as a criticism of them, even a government they claim to hate. Very odd.

"You can't get a top job in the US just because you have a posh British accent and spoon fed your entire life"

Umm who did you just elect as President then?

Be serious, in America ( and the UK) the income of your parents is the largest deteriinent on the level of success of the child and has been for decades.

www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/america-social-mobility-parents-income/399311/

I also said I'd worked out of NYC.

Angela Atlanta and Chicago are not great places. I go to Chicago quite an it for our business as our facility is in Ohio. That town is a mess. The self segregation is awful. DH has a colleague who lives in Chicago and he has to be home before it's dark otherwise it's not safe (as in bullets flying). DH was on he phone with him once and we could hear gunfire in the background. I was horrified. Apparently this is an up and coming part of Chicago. I dread to think of just how bad the south side must be at night.

Atlanta has suffered from this too. The south though has suffered more from lack of education. It's changing now but the results won't be seen for another decade or so.

NYC is where I am. My experience has been that the police are firm but fair.