UK and USA - compare and contrast

[KateandtheGirls]

Turquoise and I were talking a little bit about this earlier this week and we thought it would be interesting to start a thread.

Now I know there are many problems in the USA, and I'm still feeling quite sickened by the way the majority of people in this country voted the other day. But in a lot of ways things are so much more pleasant and civilised here.

For example:

*Halloween. Trick or Treating is a fun activity for the kids. No-one's house gets vandalised if they don't have treats.

*Bonfire Night/July 4 (i.e. the night when there are fireworks). Again, this is done in a fun, civilised manner. There certainly aren't gangs of teenagers roaming around letting off fireworks at all times of the night.

*Houses/cars being broken into. Happens a lot more often in the UK. In fact a lot of people here don't even lock their cars, and some people don't lock their house doors when they're out. There's a level of trust here that you don't get in the UK.

Thoughts? Comments?

Better than in the UK then. I haven't rung them since it was privatised, but certainly the old Directory Enquiries used to make you feel you had interrupted a good conversation the operators were having among themselves and they desperately wanted to go back to it ASAP.

where are you from hana because I'm looking for people from Ontario so I can ask them a few questions on some things.. Do you mind saying?

DH's family is from Toronto

Daddycool - am from Halifax. One sister lives in Waterloo, what do you need to know?

have a Friends Reunited contact in Whistler - or she has a place there - is that way over west?

Whistler is way over west JoolsToo. Nice place.

hana - do you mind if I 'CAT' you (never used it so bare with me) because I've got a few questions regarding places to live in Ontario etc.

ohhh!! I've never lived in Ontario, so not sure if I could help, but sure, CAT me what ever that is!!

Yes, Nuts is a really sleazy weekly. Nice stocking stuffer!

Yes, all magazine are materialistic. Maybe materialistic isn't the right word. For instance GQ used to talk about manly things like cars with big engines, tobacco, sexy woman who didn't look like skeletons. Now its all personal grooming and articles that only cater to >60k wage earners.

Whoah screwed that up! wrong thread!

Daddycool, I'm from Ontario, although I've not lived there for, um, close to 20 years. I do go back every year though. I might be of some help. Feel free to CAT me.

Just thought I'd add my views - haven't read the whole thread but heres my experiences of living in the US.

Dh was transfered to Chicago about 8 years ago and I truly hated living there, due to the US visa rules I wasn't allowed to work. I didn't have children at the time and found it difficult living in a place where I felt like a second class citizen. If I went out I was constantly asked for money by beggars. We lived in a very nice part but a couple of blocks away was a really dodgy housing complex and it could be scary to go out at night.

I found that if you were rich life was great but if you weren't then you really were in trouble. Funnily enough I don't remember ever seeing a white shop assistant in the local stores everything was so divided between rich and poor it was very noticable where we lived. I don't think the UK is like that at all.

The TV was shocking - nothing but chat shows all day long and only American news in the papers and on TV (the rest of the world isn't too significant over there). The food was awful, vegetables were old and didn't look fresh and the bread tasted of sugar not a great place to be vegetarian.

I am mainly talking about living in Chicago and it may have changed a lot in the last 8 years but I definitely would never want to live there again.

Before living there I had worked on a summer camp twice and travelled through at least 15 states and thought it was a fantastic country but things are definitely different when you live somewhere permanently. I would still like to go back on holiday one day (but not to Chicago)

I watched wife swap last night and another similar thing on TV again today. I was shocked by how class obsessed the American subjects were - I've never heard class referred to on the UK version, but it was a big issue. I thought we Brits were meant to be the class obsessed ones!

Oh no, Stripey! My husband and I lived there for 7 years and loved it. Did you live in Lincoln Park or by Cabrini Green? We lived in Lincoln Square (Ravenswood), so it was a different dynamic. It's very much a city of neighbourhoods and each has its own character. We had great local businesses and fabulous neighbours. I miss it a lot, although don't want to go back anytime soon because I love it here (Hackney) too.

Sorry you had a bad time there. I somehow feel personally responsible!

Yep we lived in Lincoln Park near the Zoo and the water and not far from all the expensive shops but yes also near Cabrini Green.

I think Brits are more obsessed with class, but it's a much more delicate subject here - perhaps because here, class is seen as permanent, but in the US it's seen as temporary? (Americans believe anyone can move class, when really it's not very likely at all.)

There is a class system in the US. It's called money. Your think you're absolutely right NotQuiteCockney, it's temporary as opposed to permanent and it's talked about much more.