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Fri, 01 Aug 2025 17:41:12 +0200

cmccullough@polymaths.social

I'm almost 59-years-old, and have lived in the US all of my life. In all those years, I still haven't figured out what makes us the greatest country on the planet? I keep hearing that we are, but seeing no evidence that would convince me. Please, someone tell me how we're the greatest country on the planet. Convince me. I mean, there's plenty of evidence that we're a shit hole.

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 17:53:28 +0200

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

@Chad McCullough Probably not what you want to hear, but as a European who's grown up hearing about this fantastic land of the free since I was born, I wouldn't (yet) call the US a shithole country, but I do think you're going into that direction at an alarming speed.

When I visited the US in the last 2 decades (some 7 times), it alway struck me how dog-eat-dog American society is. Making lots of money is the highest target in life, anything else comes second (at best).

On our side of the ocean we're much more socialist, we have many laws that protect those in need, there aren't nearly as many homeless people on our streets as in San Francisco or Salt Lake City (the two American cities I've visited most). Unfortunately the US has always been very clear: socialism = bad.

I was flabbergasted that when Obama wanted to make sure everybody would at least have medical insurance, many Americans were very much opposed to that. Why? Why would it be so bad to pay a little money to make sure people don't die because they get the medical treatment they need? Is the "mine, mine, mine" attitude really so powerfull that you'd rather see other people die than chip in??

Mind you, I'm not talking about specific Americans, only about American society. I loved my stays in the US, but I would never want to live there.