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?!

Swings and roundabouts indeed.

We lived in America for about 15 years. Materially, if you are middle class it is easier and more comfortable; your suburban house at a given price point will likely be larger and more functional, if less characterful. Autos are cheaper and fuel costs almost nothing, comparatively.

Is all of this comfort good for the planet we share? That’s a different question

School shootings are horrific beyond words, but the likelihood of being involved in one is vanishingly small. They receive so much publicity because the idea is unspeakable and because the country refuses to enact sensible laws which would go a long way towards preventing them.

For the poorer people in any community and particularly those without medical insurance, life is probably harder in America than in the UK. (Particularly for immigrants at the moment, of course). Gun violence is concentrated in poorer areas, also, though not exclusive to them.

Racism? Occasionally guns can make it much worse, especially when used by the police, in America. But as a white immigrant to the UK from a ‘desirable’ country, I am constantly being tested gently as to whether I am sympathetic to Reform, share my interrogator’s disgust with immigration, interracial marriage, etc. I cannot fathom where this is coming from. I find it shocking.

This literally never happened to me in America - worst case, one could laugh off a difference of opinion with the plumber or whoever and no hard feelings.

I lived in Switzerland. It’s like living in a beautiful painting. So much beauty in one small country. Even walking round town is an amazing experience as everything is so lovely.

We are the northern neighbour of the USA and agree, outdoor lifestyle is on another level here. We have lots of hiking trails, ski slopes and beaches all within 15 mins. At school there are 3 recesses a day all outside and half a day outdoor education every week. There are also forest schools for those who want education to be even more outdoorsy.

That programme made me so, so grateful for what we have here in the UK

Who told you US has crappy healthcare? And that everyone is MAGA?

It really quite strange to see people in this country slating US healthcare, you know, what with our wonderful NHS with no doctors appointments, die before the ambulance arrives wait times, 2,3,4 year waiting lists for basic hospital treatment, and rationed drugs so that you can’t actually get lifesaving drugs.

But hey, you can delude yourself that you have better healthcare than Americans.

Any healthcare that causes bankruptcy to access( it’s the biggest cause of bankruptcy ), that fleeces patients and insurance companies needlessly, that leaves patients with massive bills even if they have insurance is a crap system.

We are so very very lucky having the NHS.

I’m currently getting world class treatment in the US at the moment 🤷‍♀️

A friend of mine from USA who married an English man said she loves it in UK because we spend so much time outdoors. We can eat outside or have drinks outside most evenings in summer. Where she lived in US, it's too hot. And we can walk everywhere - to school, shops, friends' homes, into town whereas they have to get in a car to go anywhere.

Define world class. I’d take NHS staff any day. Also being fleeced and paying far more than you should be along side being able to afford healthcare and the premiums on top at all is not something everybody can afford. It only lasts whilst you can afford it and doesn’t cover everything. I’d hate to be living in fear that bad luck with health or income for me my husband or children could cause me to lose everything.

I haven’t seen the program. But I also lived in the US for several years.

There are lots of lovely houses with pools and access to outdoor activities due to nice weather.

There’s also UNBELIEVABLE poverty like you’d never see in the U.K.

My children’s school was great but there was also a lot of competitive fundraising (kids publicly competing against each other to have raised the most fun run sponsorship and running totals announced over the tannoy) Also no breaktimes and only 30 mins for lunch.

And the armed police officer on duty on the elementary school was unnerving.

Our doctor and dentists were amazing. But it cost $30 every time you walked inside the door (and that was with fantastic insurance cover).

Even with fantastic insurance if one of us has been diagnosed with something cancer we’d have been bankrupted.

And yes, a LOT more racism, very openly, most of the time

Start another US healthcare bashing thread and I’ll be happy to contribute I don’t want to derail the OP’s thread.

Goodness me, rural Arkansas was frightening. The head teacher was carrying a gun in school, there was open racism, that one boy had never been on an escalator and if you weren’t white Christian you would never fit in. I am a big fan of the US but there are few first world places I’d like to live than there

I grew up in the US. I have no idea what you are watching, but no it’s not like that at all. There is no real right to roam there. And no real network of public footpaths. People definitely just don’t go off hiking and enjoying the outdoors. 😂 You’d get shot frankly.

There are national parks, just like here, but you’ve got to get to one. Most of the beautiful ones are a plane ride and then a long rental car drive away. Most Americans might go there once in a lifetime, if ever. I’ve never been the the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone or Yosemite. I lived there 30 years. We did go to like the local state nature reserve, which was like a lake with some wetlands and a playground. Many people can barely afford to travel to see the beautiful bits anyway.

Generally though, Americans if I were to stereotype are not keen on the outdoors, except like the hippy outdoorsy types living in very specific areas like the Pacific Northwest. Where I grew up on the east coast, it’s too hot and too mosquito-y. People go from their air conditioned houses to their air conditioned cars. Where my family lives in Florida, you largely don’t even sit in your garden, only behind a screen on the patio because bugs are so bad. Americans really are not known for enjoying the outdoors at all. 😂

That said, I live in a beautiful area of a National Park in England. I can hike and camp for 2-3 days and probably hardly see a soul. Lots of rivers and lakes to wild swim in. Right to roam so I can walk anywhere without being told I’m trespassing and I can wild camp most places. Beautiful dramatic beaches within 45 minutes drive too. As a child growing up in the US, I never saw a beach that wasn’t crammed with people and their coolers of beer and their loud music. They exist, but they are far from where most people live and a lot of them are private.

Can’t speak to American school spirit and enthusiasm. They definitely have it, not sure it’s a plus though. I both wore uniforms and no uniforms growing up and I much prefer uniforms. My friends kids go to school in like bras and short shorts and flip flops and I think it’s pretty grim. I’d rather they be dressed sensibly and especially in an age when everyone has a phone.

Anyway, given the choice to raise children there or here in the UK, I couldn’t pack my bags fast enough!

YANBU everything about the UK is so shabby, grey, cramped and in some state of disrepair. Everything looks messy and like an afterthought. The weather is absolute garbage and the housing is even worse.

It does depend on where you live…but not necessarily which country.

The Northumberland coast, the Lake District, Cornwall you can be more outdoorsy more easily than inner city Birmingham or Milton Keynes.

Parts of the states you were looking at probably weren’t inner city Baltimore or Brooklyn.

I agree that lifestyle is what stands out. The US places great importance on convenience and at least appearing outdoorsy. Outside of large inner cities, houses are bigger, people have cars.

But school life: they kind of glossed over book bans. And manipulation of the curriculum to reflect small-town Christian values. And the fact that Arkansas consistently ranks low or last for state-ranked educational acheivement. The downside of school spirit is bullying and exclusion for those that don't fit in. The unnatural pressure of having a 'date' for dances. Imagine being gay in that school. The content of history lessons and the large gaps in what is allowed to be said.

Some things about US high schools are far better, like sports facilities and provision. I can see why that would be really appealling.

Exactly this ,and no amount of outdoor lifestyle etc can ever make up for it.

I agree with you wrt the schools. They really do try their best to encourage school spirit and to treat students with respect, which is expected to be mutual. In general they have excellent sports and other facilities, and they don't require uniforms. Instead, problems are addressed by staff dedicated to finding causes and remedying them.

I disagree with a pp's contention that students go to school daily with the fear of being shot - I'm not saying school shootings are not a horror, but they are far in the background, with daily pressing concerns front and centre (tests, homework, presentations, etc).

The undercurrent of bullying, the blatant and unaddressed disengagement, and the mutual disrespect between students and staff that you find in many British schools is a far more serious problem imo, along with the appalling lack of facilities for extra curricular activities or even facilities that make the students feel welcome in the school, like lockers. It's been my observation that schools in the US do their utmost to encourage each individual student to find a way to shine, to grow, and to find their path in life.

Wrt getting out in nature - it's definitely possible but not always practical and not everybody wants that lifestyle. I live in a major city and I tend not to prioritise hiking or biking in a forest preserve or heading to local beaches, lakes, or rivers, but there are lots of people who fish, hike, bike, bird-watch, swim, cross country ski, ice fish, kayak, etc, without having to spend too long in the car getting to places where all of that is possible. They would have to go much further afield if they wanted to hunt or shoot. Life in a more rural area would be much more outdoorsy (but you'd still need a vehicle).

Yes we’ve gone through the same thought process. We live in rural UK but the sheer amount of space vs population in the US is very appealing. And the fact that not all land is ‘strictly’ owned like it is here (if you’re into hiking/off road biking there is a lot more accessible space to use).

@28FluctuationsThe vast majority of Americans students live in nonMAGA major cities and their suburbs, and go to schools where books are not banned, where being gay is not at all noteworthy, where you don't need a date to go to a school dance, and where the curriculum is not based on what MAGA thinks of as 'values'. Arkansas, along with other predominantly rural and relatively impoverished states, is not representative of the US as a whole.

The majority of Americans don’t live like this and depends where you live. You paint a verge rose coloured picture based on a tv show.

I grew up in NA and it is a better quality of life but you couldnt pay me to live in the US now.

Also, try very minus degree weather with lots of snow, or degrees of over 35 for months in the summer, you have to drive everywhere, guns, crime, lack of affordable healthcare, serious racism, etc.

Dont romanticise a tv show. And going on holiday to a country for two weeks is nothing like living there. Believe me culture shock is real.

Ah so you have nothing to reply with.

Access to healthcare for all is a key part of lifestyle. The most important part a really so very much part of this thread.

Ditto education and I don’t call book bans, shooting drills alongside zero diversity schemes good education.

Re the outdoors. I’ve been to several National Parks and beautiful parts of the states. It absolutely isn’t what it’s all like. It’s almost impossible to walk anywhere and public transport is dire. Getting to those parks even if you’re in the same state is hours of driving. Also you need a certain amount of wealth to live in safe areas with safe access to the outdoors. Those big houses cost. They didn’t show the poor areas. You need good jobs with decent healthcare included in the states as there is very little back up if it all goes to pot. Obviously you also now need to not care about democracy, women’s rights, the environment or freedom of speech either.

It may be old with variable weather but I’ve recently become to appreciate the uk far more. Access to healthcare, safe education , women’s rights and democracy is more than the vast majority of the world have. The gloss has completely gone from the states and I doubt it will ever return. We now can all see it for what it really is.

@vitahelp- there's no right to roam in the US, but at least where I live there are numerous easily accessible woodlands (known as forest preserves), lakes, and rivers, which have well maintained kayak docks, fishing piers, picnic areas, dog poop bag dispensers and bins, and many such areas locally are accessible by reliable commuter train.

@Strawb3rrypinkthere's a lot more to the American outdoors than the national parks.

You're painting with a very broad brush in your post. I'm not denying the US is in bad hands right now, but it's not the complete picture.

Well aware of that. It’s not about just being in bad hands it’s about the fact that all these dreadful things can actually happen. You don’t even have a free press anymore. Good luck with protesting too!
There are book bans in 43 states now.