To be a bit envious of this lifestyle? (USA)

[ThePinkPonyClub]

I've just watched School Swap: UK to USA on Channel 4 and have ended up feeling a teensy bit jealous of the kind of lifestyle that's possible over there.

Even normal, non wealthy families seemed to be able to live really outdoorsy lifestyles where they can hike and hunt and boat amongst the gorgeous scenery. I feel like in the UK, even rurally it isn't possible as everywhere is so densely populated especially when the weather is nice. The weather is also a limiting factor!

I'm obviously not jealous of the MAGA/Trump craziness or the crappy healthcare and all the rest of the political stuff but purely the lifestyle side of things, it seems so much more possible to live in that free, outdoorsy kind of way.

And the schools seemed to have a much more positive, enthusiastic culture with things like school sports and dances, compared to the UK teens in their drab uniforms staring at their phones the whole time in their miserable, run down secondary school.

aibu? Anyone live this kind of life in the UK? If so, where?!

There is recourse to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision, and the Department of Labor, and there's a procedure for whistleblowing. Plus it's quite cheap to sue people, I think.

Thanks for that actually didn't have a clue.

No, all you need to worry about is dying before the ambulance arrives or you get treated at A&E.

Btw you can stop trying to convince me - I already said I don't live in either the UK or the US. However I do read the horrific posts on MN about medical care in the UK, especially in maternity, and watching programmes such as Ambulance, where the UK and Australian versions are like night and day.

I feel for you, but please know that it isn't just the UK. Whenever the country where I live, or its neighbour, come up in threads the Brits let loose with all their insults.

Apparently the UK is some sort of utopia and we should all aspire to living there. Meanwhile, we are reading many of the threads on MN and at times shuddering!

I think a lot of MNers live in a little bubble, where NHS care is great, there is no litter in their town, life is just wonderful etc. - and they don't have enough imagination to see that life is not like that for everyone else.

Oh, they do that to your country too? Brits are very rude, as a rule. Americans have far better social skills.

Oh, he was probably in Back Bay, in the centre. That part is very clean and preppy. He needed to get on the Orange Line and go to Roxbury or Jamaica Plain to see some life!

I had no idea Arlington was dry. Every day's a school day!

Recruiting for Massachusetts! 😂

Most of the blue states are pretty reasonable.

You have double the bills too. Nearly 40% of the US population lives in poverty. Why do you think food is so cheap in some areas? Because the people living in poverty can't afford to pay much which drives prices and food quality down. They can't afford to eat a good variety of food which leads to health issues which can't be treated as they have no money and no government health care. Poverty in USA is a short road to an early death. Health issues are apparent in children when they are born and gets worse as they get older. Most of these people experience generational poverty and so the cycle goes on. That's why food is cheaper in some places.

My bills aren't double...And the poverty rate in the US is 11%, not 40%.

Yes, that is what I meant.
I am well aware of UK employment laws - and grateful for them - but I did have an unfortunate encounter with a company that didn't want to play by those rules. I fought back but it was awful. Point is, there are bad employers anywhere and even with protections, you can end up in a shitty situation.

Someone mentioned the right to choose....abortion rights here are not as bad as the media hysteria would have you believe. In many states, the limit is more generous than the UK. In 23 states you can choose an abortion between 18 and 24 weeks, and later in case of medical issues, and in 9 states plus D.C., there is no limit at all! Six states have 6-12 week limits, and only 7 states out of 50 ban abortions out of choice, as opposed to medical risk to the mother. And you can travel out of state if you need to, which is easy. Plus you can get abortion pills mailed.

It's because a lot of MN posters in the UK are wealthy and live in large, beautiful homes, leading very affluent lifestyles.

You speak as if food deserts don't exist in the US. It can even be tricky finding fresh produce in central Chicago for god's sake.

But according to you, Boston is representative of the whole country...

European short-haul flights are often considerably cheaper than the equivalent distance in the US. The competition between the likes of Ryanair, Easyjet and Wizz really is cutthroat.

I know. I'm very far from being wealthy, or leading an affluent lifestyle, but would say I am comfortable. However I can see that a lot of others aren't and don't imagine that my life is the same as other peoples - something many on MN are incapable of doing. I think people in the UK live in a bubble even more than they do here, where we have a more egalitarian society.

Here's map of grocery stores in Chicago. Edit: not attached the first time.

Here's a map of grocery stores in central Chicago.

I live about an urban mile to a food store (which is the definition) and I don't feel that I live in a food desert, I'm afraid.

Utter rubbish. The Europeans think that you've been sold a pup. You have a terrible standard of living. Unless you earn loads. Just think of your kids if you are lucky, lucky enough to be be earning ok. And only ok.

You say that you can have a far better life on less, but realistically, your education is crap in terms of accessibility for the poor. If you're not lucky, you're doomed. I don't understand why relatively affluent Americas think that leaving their poorest to rack and ruin is a good strategy. Seriously, not all of your middle class children are want to do the jobs you need. Also, most of you are middle class and you do not have enough money to insulate yourselves against ill health etc etc

The UK does not have poverty like the US. It just doesn't. You can wave your arms as much as you want, it's just not the truth. We don't have death in general health care that you do ( diabetes for example) . We don't have vaccination programs vulnerable to Idiot Adminstrations, we are just safer, from lunatic fringes. You're doomed and you guys voted for it.

It depends if you're flying high or low season. I've seen flights from Boston to Florida for $600 and I've also seen them for $80. 🤷‍♀️

I'm British and I didn't vote for him because I have no vote. Not that I would have done anyway.

I can only speak from my experience, but my life is way, way better here. 32 years in Britain, 18 in the States.

Poverty rate is 11% here and 22% in the UK. Median annual average household income is exactly double the UK's. Yes, there is some dreadful poverty, like there is in the UK, but the VAST majority of people do not live like that. And no one thinks that poverty is a good idea or OK. Much of it is helped by churches and communities, food banks, Facebook swaps and giveaways, charities, and locally-run programmes, such as toy drives at Christmas, wishing trees, food drives, and many Americans spend a lots of time volunteering. This kind of help doesn't make it into the stats.

If you haven't lived here for many years then you do not know this place and you do not know what you're talking about.

The poverty is significantly worse in the US than the UK? Somehow I doubt it. Councils rent houses to people that are covered in black mould - and charge them for the privilege!

And education access is not crap for the poor; it's better than in the UK. If you get good grades, but your family doesn't have a lot of money, you can get a free ride to somewhere like Yale or Boston University or Harvard, whose sticker price is $70k a year. Hardly anyone pays that. Some places, like Berkeley - very well-respected - charge much less than UK universities. The name-brand universities - like the Seven Sisters and the Ivy League - have enormous endowments, so if you get the grades, you can go, no matter your wealth.

Once again, you do not know the States.

Do you know, in my 18 years here, I've never heard an American dismiss someone else's viewpoint with "Utter rubbish." Brits are so rude compared to Americans. And only a Brit would so rudely dismiss someone who has such depth of experience of living in both countries when they themselves do not.

@TankFlyBossW4lk You're doomed and you guys voted for it.

I could say the same to you about Brexit and the utter Tory debacle of the last few years....almost a decade on, the pound still hasn't recovered against the dollar, your inflation is terrible, you have a housing crisis, your health service is on its knees, your councils are going bust, you have no money for anything, ...and you guys voted for all of it.

And btw, only 31.5% of Americans voted for Trump.

You do not know this country.

Fundamentally, I don't want to rely on the charity of my fellow citizens to feed my kids or insure my healthcare, 10% or not. Because that's what it is in your"perfect" US world. Charity. If you are happy with a system that relies on the charity of fellow man for the BASICS, then you and I will always differ.

By the way, I'm in the top 1% of UK earners. I've never relied on anything I haven't earned. But my goodness, I know I'm lucky.

Why, why, why do Brits INSIST on treating the UK as a homogenous mass? States are hugely different from each other. Massachusetts, where I live, has very generous social welfare programmes, as do many other states. Red states in the Deep South, not so much.

Britain has food banks, too, and charity assistance. You have the Red Cross and the Samaritans, don't you?

Edit: The median annual household income in the US is $80k. In the UK it's just under $40k equivalent. Most people do not live in abject poverty here. Those that do, sadly are often living with addiction. Some cities, like NYC, San Fran, Boston, and others have some good programmes to help, if they want it. Slightly different but related, Boston has enough beds in homeless shelters to accommodate every homeless person every night. No one sleeps on the streets here unless they don't want to go to a shelter (I spoke to one homeless man, Harry, who said he didn't like the curfew), and medical treatment is freely given to the poor at Mass General, one of the world's best hospitals.

Sorry to be a parrot, but you do not know this country.

Meant to write treat the US as a homogenous mass, not the UK.