Not being subject to US foreign policy.
Mfw i'm not subject to u.s. foreign policy:
Mfw i'm subject to u.s. domestic policy
It's very pretty. Like there are truly, wonderously beautiful places in the us. There's genuine wilderness. Not much, but there's some. The people can be very cool. There's a lot of good food.
I drove through the Rockies a couple years ago (California -> Nevada -> Utah -> Colorado) and it was breathtaking. Every hour the terrain changed shape and color into something more beautiful. I never saw anything like it in the Bible Belt where I grew up. Literally all I did was drive on the interstate to get to my destination, yet it felt like a vacation.
It's a gorgeous drive. You're in the desert the whole time, but I never knew there were so many kinds of desert.
If you enjoy sugar than oh boy are we the country for you
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_tea
I hope sweet tea is as horrifying to non-Americans as it is to me.
Stop the sweet tea bigotry !
the free access to public bathrooms is increasingly less true for parts of some cities that are trying to be hostile to the unhoused population.
lots of locked bathrooms and "CUSTOMERS ONLY" crap. very exciting stuff to experience if you've gotta go while walking around in an unfamiliar city.
when people complain about shit and piss on the streets of their city, as far as I'm concerned they are telling on themselves for living in a city that gate keeps extremely basic facilities.
Diversity, both of people and geography. You can find a much wider spectrum of people (ethnicities, etc.) than in many other countries, and experience almost every biome the planet has to offer with some truly spectacular natural features.
We are, of course, doing our best to get rid of both those positive things.
Public land. There is so much of it in yankieland and it really is so amazing. However, Native Americans should be in control of all public land as a part of landback.
Ice with drinks without asking
Free flowing treats
The food is amazing bc of the diversity
I would challenge your bathroom claim, they may as well not exist and are disgusting
black american art and music
The level of junk food so much more advanced. I'm vegan, I went to the Northeast ten years ago, and the amount and quality of vegan ice cream, cakes, etc blew me away.
Honestly despite everything, the US is overall extremely diverse. If you're in a major city you have access to a huge amount of cultural diversity and it's all available to you. You can go to street festivals. You can go to restaurants. You can go to art shows and poetry slams and book readings and movies and music and anything and everything and it's all right around the corner from you if you just go look. It's one of the best parts of the US for sure.
Something I’m old enough to remember… it used to be that it was reasonably affordable to buy a high-mileage used car and just drive it until it couldn’t run anymore, then get another one. That’s why my dad did his whole life. Driving sucks I would infinitely prefer public transport but if you’re gonna make car ownership a requirement to live at least make it cheap.
Then Obama did the Cash for Clunkers program, which absolutely obliterated the cheap used car market and it hasn’t recovered since. It was a not-so-hidden giveaway to the car companies because it put a lot of people into situations where you had to buy a new car, thanks Obama.
ITT: People listing things that aren't unique to America because they've never left and don't have any point of comparison
I'm pretty sure nearly every country has those three to some extent.
- ???
NYC public metro is pretty cool, maybe it's just because I was raised in NYC but I still think it's a cool thing. Too bad they're going to sell it to some Israeli dumbfuck when Zionism collapses.
indigenous nations
i get to live in a place with bears, wolves and lions
chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy
weed's more legal than in most countries
big enough that you can still disappear into the bushes
legally enshrined firearm worship inadvertently means you can defend yourself against fascists
me
you can turn right at red lights and stores are open at 11pm
Right on red definitely kills people
Yeah and it makes cycling/walking more dangerous
I remember that Americans were more upfront and friendly than other countries. I'm unsure if that's still true.
It depends on the area I think. I've heard from multiple individuals that people are generally assholes on the east coast, one person told me when he visited California he felt like he was in a Disney movie.
It's complicated. People on the east coast move fast and speak their minds. If they're mad at you they'll let you know. But at the same time, they can be very helpful and kind, they're just going to be assholes about it. I used to joke that you've finally adjusted to living in Philly when you can tell the difference between "I am going to stab you and then piss on your grave" fuck you and "hey do you want to come over for dinner and meet my mom" fuck you. It's a very aggressive, frank culture, but not necessarily a cruel one.
Meanwhile, down south, there's a whole system of intense social violence built around cruel courtesy. Folks will use phrases like "bless your heart" the way we use "Deeply unserious". Then go over to Texas and you tend to get genuinely, weirdly friendly people. Up in the Midwest folks are superficially polite but really extremely cold and distant. In California everyone's friendly but the stereotype is that it's a superficial friendliness that doesn't reach the eyes. This is, of course, all dependent on race, class, gender, and a dozen other factors.
Folks say there's no culture in the US, but there really is. Deep, complicated cultures with their own norms, problems, joys, dialects. And then you get in to PoC and other minority groups. Like, White Minnesotans have a totally different culture than Hmong Minnesotans, African American Minnesotans, or Somali Minnesotans. There's overlap, but also a huge amount of difference.
My dad had a girlfriend who would say "Bless their heart" in the most passive aggressive way possible.
Then go over to Texas and you tend to get genuinely, weirdly friendly people.
So true though. I’ve lived here my whole life, but most of my coworkers are from other states. I’m the one that’s always convincing people to eat lunch with me instead of alone at their desks. It’s been fun getting all these dorks to open up and get to know each other.
I also enjoy occasionally sprinkling some leftist stuff into these lunch conversations. Nobody expects communism from the person with the yeehaw accent
this depends on where you go and what you're expecting. The way I've always phrased it is like:
- People in the south are polite, but not nice.
- People in the north are nice, but not polite
- And people in the pacific northwest are somehow both nice and polite
Disagree on PNW lol, Portland and Seattle are some of the most passive aggressive places I've ever been too
Yeah hard disagree on the PNW. The west coast is extremely passive aggressive. They're neither nice nor polite, they're just couching their rage under passive aggression.
Every american male ive met irl has ranged in personality from arrogant annoying fuckwad to detestable racist piece of putrid shit. Americans of other genders were ok.
My city is one of the best places on earth to be trans, as far as being normalized and culturally-supported. The rest of this country is very not, but this oasis is pretty rad.
People love to shit on the south, but the food is delicious. You'll need a nap afterwards, but it's unlike anything I've had elsewhere in the country.
Free heavy metal poisoning
In some areas, there is an absence of the liberal poverty and imperialist violence that the US usually exports to other countries.
Also arent ~~most of~~ all those "national parks" on stolen land...
Buddy the whole country is on stolen land
youre damn right, so ALL those national parks are on stolen land
IME, and surprisingly, the public libraries here are better than other countries
being able to throw poopy toulet paper down the toilet is pretty nice, so that you don't have to see it all piled up in public restrooms whoch can be kinda gross.
I've never been to USA and I've never been in a restaurant that didn't offer free tap water, I feel like this myth comes from yankees going to the worst tourist traps available
Ice in drinks, at least if they clean the ice machine regularly
Nobody ever cleans the ice machine
chapotraphouse
Banned? DM Wmill to appeal.
No anti-nautilism posts. See: Eco-fascism Primer
Gossip posts go in c/gossip. Don't post low-hanging fruit here after it gets removed from c/gossip