My sources are mostly the cia website which I do not believe to be an overtly anti-american propaganda organization.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2046.html
and the annual UBS study which you may download here:
http://www.ubs.com/1/ShowMedia/ubs_ch/wealth_mgmt_ch/research?contentId=103982&name=eng.pdf
Do you really think you'd suddenly be in poverty if you moved to america?
No. But then again, I believe something's not quite right when the world's richest countries has 12% of its population living in poverty.
Do a bunch of Mcdonalds-eating fat soccer moms and trailerpark trash bringing down the life expectency in this country have anything to do with your lifestyle choices affecting your health?
There we go again with this self-centered, individualistic, narrow-minded point of view that gets in the way of having a decent and open debate about general issues.
so... NO! I am fine, I am fit and healthy, thanks. All I am saying is on the whole American lifestyle, food, habits, lack of medical care for a vast part of the population may be the reason why the US have a lower life expectancy than many European countries.
Do you really believe the bullsh*t rape statistics, considering the huge number of rapes that never get reported in some countries, and the number of false rape accusations in the US?
I thought about this false accusation thing. But if that was cause for such high numbers, then wouldn't it still be a very relevant indicator of some serious dysfunction of the American society?
Would anyone be forcing you to take a job that works your ass 60 hours a week? First you criticize the US for its obsession with wealth, then for the number of hours americans work. Which of those would be forced upon you if you moved here?
The 60 hours a week culture and the obsession with wealth are closely related.
Let me take an example. For a previous company I worked in, I went on several audit missions of a factory in the UK and met an american guy there that was working on the same mission. When we came back after a long day of work, we sat at the bar and he began telling me his version of the American Dream.
His neighbour went to buy himself a new car, nothing fancy. All he had in mind was beaten ol' Civic so he could commute. But the salesguy showed him a couple of sport cars and got him to the point where he knew the poor chap would bite the hook and swallow the bait. So off he went with a second hand Corvette or whatever it was, drives around his block, makes his neighbours jealous, his girlfriend is very impressed and gives him a fantastic blow-job while on the highway. Only thing is, he hadn't bought the car yet. He had just given enough money to the salesguy to come back first thing in the morning on monday, give the Corvette back and get the Civic. That was a test drive, nothing more.
But, as my colleague told me, you don't need to be a genius to figure that no suburban middle-class man in his right mind would ever consider bringing a car back that boosted his fragile ego and got him more attention than anything else he ever did before. So he kept the car payin an expensive lease on his modest income.
Then his girlfriend wants to go on holidays, he's broke as **** but he just can't say no so he starts working extra-shifts and then a second job to keep up with his mortgage and the lease on the car. That thing goes on for two years, the guys is working pretty much every day and most of every night until he just broke down and shot himself.
"That, he said, happens everyday. Every f--king day."
Now, tell me. Was my colleague totally out of his mind or does that make any kind of sense?
What does any of that have to do with what you do or don't have from living outside the US?
I believe criminality, poverty, illiteracy and a dysfonctionnal healthcare system can cause serious social tensions in any country and have adverse effects on the well-being of
all of its inhabitants.
And again, you make my point about american individualistic culture as you seem incapable of thinking any further than the implications on
your precious self.
You're coming off as one of those Eurosnobs whose entire view of the US is based on the occasional american tourist you notice, meaningless/distorted statistics you find off the internet, and the all too popular hate-on for america that is based on the very kinds of stereotypes, cliches, generalizations and cultural ignorance people like you love to blame americans of.
Look, I have had an American girlfriend for years, I have had American friends, I played in a band with American guys, I played in Hockey team with American players, I travelled to several major cities in the US, I worked in American companies with American colleagues and I feel pretty much entitled to my own opinion.
One thing I found interesting too is that after a couple of months in Europe, most of them, if not all came to the realization that they had been kept in almost complete ignorance and were fed a buffet of cliches and stereotypes about Europe for all of their life.
I guess all I am saying is America is probably not the best place in the world to live in but how would you know?
