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How I See the US After Living In Europe for 6 Years
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- Published on Mar 7, 2026
- After living abroad as an American for several years, the way I see the US has quietly changed.
In this video, I talk honestly about how living abroad reshaped my nervous system, my values, and my definition of “normal,” and why I don’t see myself moving back to the US - at least not right now.
This isn’t a political video or a rant about why America is “bad.” It’s a reflection on what changes when you leave the only country you’ve ever known and experience life somewhere else long enough for it to rewire you.
** Links on this channel may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. **
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The ULTIMATE LIST of freedoms in Europe that US citizens DON'T have (What matters to me is that over 90% of the points are LEGAL differences, not personal opinions. Please note: Europe, and not the EU, is a monoblock. Check the local laws.):
- Free choice of education because it costs practically nothing. For example, in Austria, the government pays up to €15,000 per year to poor students. This does not have to be repaid if they succeed in their studies.
- Virtually free healthcare
- Free from debt due to serious illness
- Free from sick days, much better work-life balance, at least 20 vacation days, legally over 30 in some EU countries, REAL freetime from Work
- Free from having to recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily at school
- Buy cosmetic products largely free from animal testing
- Free to drink beer and wine at 16 - in Germany at 14 years of age if parents are present, hard drinks from 18
- Free to drink alcohol in public anywhere, even in cars
- Free from harassment by poorly trained police officers (only 3-6 months), in the EU 2.5-3 years
- Free to sit in a restaurant for several hours
- Free from paying insane tips
- Free from hormonized beef
- free to pay exactly the price that is written on the thing
- Free from being fired without notice every day
- Free from losing health insurance if unemployed
- Free from potentially being shot by any neighbor, driver, etc.
- Free to travel to 27 countries with an ID card but without a passport
- In principle, free access to necessary healthcare services in all other EU-countries with the e-card.
- free to book flights for under 50€
- Free to choose the Means of transportation, some publicly subsidized: train, plane, tram, bus, bike, car, foot
- children are free to go to school or to the park alone
- Free access to all - even private - forests
- Free to roam on 1.7 million km of marked hiking trails
- Free from being killed by poorly trained or too young (16) road users or unroadworthy vehicles
- Free to drink excellently controlled tap water
- Free from a Constitution that allows the president to set tariffs, rename oceans, lie blatantly to the press, enrich himself and his family, etc.
- Free from to be publicly identifiably filmed/streamed
- Free from to be insulted (swear words, middle fingers, lies, etc.) without the perpetrator being punished
- Free from to be beaten by parents, teachers, etc.
- Free women to make their own decisions about their own bodies
- Free from unlimited, secret industry donations to politicians/parties
- Free from drug advertising
- Free from all food additives that have not been proven harmless, EU: 1,328 banned chemicals + 250 regulated chemicals, USA: about 120 chemicals banned
- Free consumers to return online purchases within two weeks for money, extended warranty for replacement, etc.
- Free from enforced homelessness and utter poverty, and a lack of healthcare through social assistance for anyone who cannot support themselves
- Free from severe discrimination caused by children: long maternity leave, monthly allowances Per-child payments, affordable kindergartens, etc.
- Free from a constitution that practically only allows two parties in a diverse society
- Not entirely free from politicians who are millionaires or billionaires
- Free to buy a gun like in the US, but better controlled
- Free to sleep in/having peace from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and all-day on sundays and bank holidays
- Free from huge amounts of garbage due to recycling
- Free from being killed as a pedestrian or cyclist by right-turning vehicles running a red light at a zebra crossing
- Free to speed on two-thirds of all German highways
- Free to have groceries, coffee shops, bakeries, pharmacies, doctors, etc. within walking or cycling distance, and to easily shop every day
- Free to pay with euros in 20 countries
- Free to use our smartphone in the whole EU without paying more than in our homecountry
- Free to choose where to live and work in 31 European countries
- Free from "inches", "Fahrenheit", pounds and 110V
- free boobs on the beach, free of clothes at the sauna
- Free from unlimited consumerism and resource consumption
- free to use a lot of third spaces BY FOOT
- free to eat unsweetened real bread without preservatives
- free to live without a car
- free from potholes that ruin your car
- free to use toilets without slits to be observed
- Cashiers in supermarket are free to sit while working
- free to pay taxes only where you live
- Free from surveillance at work
- Free to unionize, organize, and strike
- Free of HOAs
- to drive freely without advertising spaces on federal roads and highways
Yeah, I agree with almost everything, but allowing people to drink alcohol from the age of 16 for me isn't the best advertisement. 😀
But all in all, Europe is significantly more socially minded. I mean, why should we abandon the sick and the poor? It's only right that we help these people.
Even though right-wing extremist parties have also grown in strength here in recent decades. They used to exploit the internet to their advantage earlier than others and spread fake news with the help of dictatorships such as Russia.
Animal testing has been completely banned in the EU for cosmetics since 2013 (testing and selling), but is permitted in other areas such as medicine or research if it is essential and strictly regulated, with mandatory approval and strict requirements for animal welfare and the qualifications of those carrying out the testing, whereby alternatives are promoted and, for example, the pyrogen test for medicines has just been abolished. In Germany, the Animal Welfare Act regulates the principles that animal testing is only permitted in cases of urgent necessity and after approval, and that the fundamental rights of animals must be protected, but there is no complete ban.
@Lebensmuehle - This list is not intended as advertising.
I originally created it under a video about freedoms ("land of the free") to illustrate typical differences. For example, in the EU, you can freely roam 1.6 million km of hiking trails, most of them on private land. In the US, you can roam freely on 440,000 km of national land, and only about half of the 143,000 km of National Trails are on private land. You can be shot on private land in the US. In Austria, Germany, etc., you can roam freely in the forest. In Norway, Sweden, and Finland, everyone is generally allowed to camp on private land.
- only "9.7% of young people drink alcohol regularly." For example, the number of traffic accidents involving drunk young people is so small that it isn't reported separately. The rule seems to work well...
- We in Austria had the world's first most successful right-wing politician after WW2, Haider. But his party never got more than a third of the vote. He died drunk in a traffic accident. He was the first: rich, lying into a microphone, and anti-foreigner. The rise of the right wing in recent years has much to do with leaky EU borders and the very humane acceptance policy for both genuine and bogus refugees. For example, in Vienna, more than half of all primary school children come from immigrant families. So there are problems with housing, schools, the social welfare system, crime... and the mainstream political parties haven't taken this seriously enough.
@Lebensmuehle I'd rather let a 16 year old German enjoy a glass of beer than a 16 year old US American carry a gun !!!!!!!
@Lebensmuehle Children in other countries mature a bit faster than ones in the US.
Most children learn responsibilities and how to cook for themselves and have a lot more chores earlier in life than a child in the US.
Children in the US are babied until they are far into their 20s in most cases.
Its a whole different lifestyle and mindset.
A country that has a lot of people literally afraid to call an ambulance needs to be rethought
EUROPE IS A CONTINENT!!!
Too expensive
I once heard an American lady say: "If they don't have to pay for an ambulance in Europe and healthcare is free for everyone, than maybe they need to rethink their system. Being healthy should be a privilege, not a human right...."
a country whose medical schools, doctors, nurses and hospitals and healthcare services are superior to your country's, all with the largest medical research budget on Earth
@RobertMJohnson So they say, but at the same time people with diabetes die in that country because they can't afford the insulin. People with heart conditions die because they can't afford a life saving operation. People just die because they have got no access to your "superior" healthcare service with the largest medical research budget on Earth. I'd rather have a lot less pretentious healthcare that is actually there for me when I need it.
My favorite thing about Europe: not being shot in the face for no reason.
They do not shoot people in the face. How grotesque. 🤷
People in the United States rarely get shot "for no reason."
You get shot because you cheated your cocaine dealer or cheated on your wife.
@Matthew_Loutner Yeah, well, this pro capita shit doesn't really help you, if you are the one who gets the bullet. Ask Charlie. Oh, wait, you can't. :D
@Matthew_Loutner
People in the United States get shot at a rate which far exceeds other developed nations.
Your excuse is that it's not for "no reason." Maybe not. Maybe it's for quite specific reasons - which are systemic to the United States.
Europe is amazing and supersafe every country in Europe is safe and higly advanced most people are intelligent too
I find that the people who call this the greatest country in the world haven't been anywhere else.
Not necessarily
No it's part of the culture like the pledge of allegiance at school. It's indoctrination for sure. It's like a sandwich shop calling itself the best sandwich in the word, it makes no sense whatsoever. I think a lot of American don't like their own country deep down and they have reasons for sure.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
There are just brainwashed thats all.
@jeanmas4197 Yeah that should be stopped.....they are simply brainwashing kids from a very young age.
That's why I can't believe how difficult it is for American elites to understand why Greenland doesn't want to be part of the US. It's better to be a moderately wealthy first-world country than the richest third-world country.
Never thought of the Us this way, genuinely well phrased!
I agree, however, Greenland is not being casually and politely asked to join the US; they are being threatened with colonization, international terrorism, and a completely draconian takeover. Think along the scales of the United States' legally entrenched and continued subjugation and exploitation of Black Americans and Native Americans that continues today.
I don't think they don't understand that. They just don't care.
That's why Canada doesn't want to be the '52nd state' either, lol. 😂 There are no advantages whatsoever!
Just so you know, I come from a "third world country" and I have free healthcare, public universities and 30 days vacation. :)
I left the US in 2023.
My husband is Brazilian and suggested we move to Brazil.
I wasn't sure at first but when I went for 2 weeks in July of 2023 to see what it was like, I fell in love with the food, the vibes and the friendliness of the people.
Then I flew back alone while he stayed in Brazil to set up some things for my return.
When I touched down back in the US, even after just spending two weeks some where else...the feeling of sadness and depression hit me so hard. The vibe in the US is horrible for your soul. I couldn't wait to leave again.
I left the end of October 2023 and never looked back.
@tucuxir Thank you! We are down here in Rio Grande do sul. 😊
@TiVi_br87 Nice! I'm from Porto Alegre! I'm glad you are feeling at home in Rio Grande do Sul! Some beautiful places, nice people!
@bzzi Awesome! Yes, the vibe here is something I used to feel in the US, but its long gone now. And I love how community and family values still matter here. I love how green everything is also. Im a big wildlife nerd so seeing monkeys roaming free and a toucan just hanging in a random tree is so amazing. We only saw those things behind glass at the zoo lol.
I'm originally from New Jersey so our wildlife was basically deer, and squirrels.
I have yet to see a capybara but Its a goal lol.
@TiVi_br87Cuidado com as capivaras, elas tem muitos carrapatos e só de andar no mato onde elas ficam você se infesta, são minúsculos as vezes, difíceis de enxergar. Você só descobre que está com carrapatos quando começa a coçar e aparecem marcas vermelhas de mordidas na sua pele.
@BRuas9080 Obrigado pelo aviso, terei que ter cuidado! Eu só quero vê-los à distância. Eles são tão fofos!
European here. I have never lived in the US, but your points definitely have me appreciate these things that we tend to take naturally over here.
Every American who’s not moving back to the USA is an American with common sense.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
True in some ways but it’s hard to those who never become accustomed to another country because they miss aspects of home
@abandonedfragmentofhope5415and what aspects would that be? King size menu’s? A pickup with a V8? It’s not Miller beer, that’s for sure 😂
@Jhoekstra Their loved ones, their memories, the environment, how people act, the places they first fell in love, the friends who’ve made families and you can’t be a part of, loved ones that die because of disease, missing your mother’s funeral, the place you fell in love with your first love, the time they spent with their father learning to ride a bike, the warm feelings of being greeted by those that know and understand you etc
@Jhoekstra What right do you have to judge?! You’re not being told by terminally ill loved ones that it’s better to stay there because it’s not safe while they die and pass away without you being able to say goodbye. You don’t have friends who’ve wrestled with the fertility issues for years and wanted desperately to have a family and they conceive not long before you left! How can you know how awful it feels not to be there to even see them happy to finally have a family. You know people who’ve become homeless and you want to do something but can’t. You don’t know the feeling of guilt as if you left everyone you love behind to suffer in a terrible situation….
Moved to Japan after high school to attend a Japanese university. What was supposed to be 4 years has now turned into 12. Every time I go back to the states, it’s feels increasingly dystopian. Very happy with my nearly free healthcare, safety, community, healthy clean food, and access to incredible public transportation.
Now you can add 'not getting shot by American Gestapo' to the list of benefits.
French gendarmes are no joke, but in the worst case they're having to much fun kicking and beating you to think about spoiling the fun by shooting you.
@Reloaded2111 added to my original list
@bramharms72 UK police officers don't even carry weapons. Only 5,753 police officers in England/Wales are armed, which corresponds to only about 4-5% of all officers.
@petersfluege UK police just shows up, apologizes for inconveniencing you, and then tells you to turn your pockets inside out. They aren't aggressive at all.
@petersfluege Here in the Netherlands every police officer is armed.
Still there's only a few hands full of times each year when pistol shots are fired by police, mostly in the air as a warning, and every one of those times is investigated.
It's training and culture more than anything else.
I don't think French police operates much differently. But it was French military police, the Gendarmerie, I was talking about. The French are a bit more open to deploy those guarding train stations, air ports etc. so it's easier to come across them as a tourist, and those guys don't play around.
coming back from overseas this christmas- I was trying to figure out what it is that I was feeling. you said it: RELAXED
Great video. I left the US permanently 13 years ago after a 4-year trial run, and completely agree with everything you are saying. The quality of life in the US is actually pretty bad for how expensive and stressful it is. Even though people think they are free in the US, that's actually not true at all. I feel much more free outside of the US. I've had two kids that were born abroad, and they have a very good environment to grow up in. I don't feel like I belong in the US anymore, and looking at what's happening to the country from the outside is rather concerning. I don't have any reason to ever move back there.
Quality of life hás always been bad in US including for our ancestors. Nów they're killing citizens in Minnesota.
Whyte supremacy is very expensive
I spend a few months in USA 2001 (Texas/Alabama) and I fell in love... with Europe!
I hear you girl. I have been living in rural Spain since 2016 and yes I renounced my US citizenship and now a Spanish. I live in rural Spain but everyday is so beautiful as I have a wonderful community and healthcare is free I an only 45 minutes from a great hospital that looked very modern. I own small place with a backyard with old olive trees from almost 100 years ago. I bought that fixer bungalow for less than 20K euros but had it done within my budget. You enter a small grocery store and people will greet you. I've brushed up with spanish actually Catalan as I live in the mountains. I work as a clinic nurse here and most of my patients ended up as friends. They will invite me every occasion. My salary is lower than the US but my happiness is supreme. There is community and togetherness and support. I love sharing my dinners with the neighbors especially during summer nights. I can work and live and travel freely within the european union. Though I have fun memories as a kid in the US but Spain is my country now.
Me n'aelgro que et sentis acollida a Catalunya :)
@kerolokerokerolo Gracies i m'encanta viure a catalunya❤
@apolsusa quina il·lusió :D
Bienvenida!!! Me alegra que haya gente buena trabajando en las partes rurales del país
Having been to 89 countries so far, I would argue that all things considered, the Iberian countries are the best places to live.
I vacationed with my wife in Europe the past two years. She had never been to Europe before or outside the US and it was eye opening to her to say the least. The difference is incredible and just being there a short while refreshed her. I work overseas full time, so I encounter folks that left the US all the time. It is a sad reality that the American Dream for a lot of people has transformed into an escape plan.
People will always be welcome here. Trade is not the same as doing business. Customers are not friends. Our trading partners are. Just like we always stay friends with New York and California.
I was a civilian contracter working over-seas also ( but,I was a gun for hire tho-4 deployments to Iraq with infantry units ) for 11 yrs & 8 months ( best job I ever had besides the tours of duty to Iraq ) I came back to the US over two yrs ago to spend QUALITY time with my mother,who is getting up in age.Sure didn't want to come back here tho-LOL. I've been looking into other countries to live in and told my mother she's coming with me too,on my vacation time we're both ( if she wants to come tho ) visit a certain country as a possible place to live in.I have 3 sisters and also invited them to move with us if they so chose.
American dream became an American nightmare.
Sin ánimos de ofender, realmente alguna vez existió el sueño americano? Pregunto porque las historias de ejemplo que he visto, al investigar más, siempre me parecieron maquilladas. Mucho bombo, platillo y humo.
Here in finland its considered rude to call someone after 18:00 on work matters
In Portugal it is actually illegal, unless there is some sort of justification related to high risk to business.
Aquí en Suiza está reglamentado con el Piquett (disposición que paga el empleador) de otra manera no se llama. Aunque sí hay excepciones, generalmente por asuntos realmente importantes.
In Slovenia it is illegal. EU hasn't signed the directive on this but has suggested it in 2021. It is called right to disconnect.
I live in Scandinavia. A few years ago my wife took a job in the local division of a big American company (you'd definitely recognize the name). One week an American executive showed up for meetings and stuff. The legal full-time work week here is 37 hours, and in my wife's office, the work day was 8:00 to 16:00 (4pm), and 8:00 to 15:30 (3:30pm) on Fridays. That is a pretty hard and fast rule. So my wife's department had a meeting with this executive one afternoon. 16:00 comes along and everyone starts to pack up to leave. The executive tried to get everyone to sit back down because he has at least another couple of hours. Everyone in the meeting said "No, it is the end of our day, so we go home now. If you have more to cover, then do it tomorrow", and everyone walked out and went home. It had to be explained to him that there are some pretty strict laws governing work hours, overtime, your right to personal time, and that eight hours a day at work meant ONLY eight hours a day at work.
Cheers from France mate !
Very well explained! I’m from Los Angeles moved to Northern Italy 8 years ago. Not going back! I’m 100% with you 🎉!!!
Ciao, sono contento che ti trovi bene in Italia. Un saluto da Torino 😊
2:37 yeah.. every country has its problems, but 23,000 murders a year in the US versus about 3,900 in the EU, with 100 million more people, makes it very clear why life feels much less stressful in Europe lol
Crazy how nothing gets better if you never try to make anything better.
Or your only solution to anything is punishing people, which rarely makes anything better.
There is no "stress" from homicides in the United States. That is false. Most Americans will never encounter violent crime.
@Matthew_Loutner
The United States has the highest per capita incarceration rate in the world. Mass murders are a daily phenomenon. The rate of home invasion is far higher than any other developed nation, and these tend to be accompanied by violence.
But YOU don't think that people worry about becoming homicide victims. Good to know. Thanks for sharing your opinion.
Stress isn’t just personal experience. Higher violence changes how safe a society feels. This belief in guns for protection fuels more gun violence. Freaking stupid cycle.
@tvstvs-r4o 😂 Facts aren’t punishment. They’re just inconvenient.
Well said. As a European, I can't imagine anyone choosing to live there. Personally, I've no desire even visit the USA. It's become a lawless, rogue nation - and it's not just Trump, it's the social values and environment that created him, which is the real problem.
Yes, plus this sick constitution.
@petersfluegethe founding fathers meant well, but here's the thing im native American and they had no right to claim the country to begin with. It was disrespectful
@brialapoint2608 Yeah, don't gives a shit.
@executioner1017 says the wimpy yanky dork..'executioner'...perfect lol...must have lots of women in your life! :P
True
I left in 2005. Widowed, 2 children, College debt up to my jing-jang and medical bills. I had a a Diploma and was working 3 jobs that nothing to do with my Profession but everything to do with survival. No Healthcare, chances to save and get ahead of my bills. While at my one office job I went online an started a search with my qualifications. I found 15 full time positions in Germany. I applied for 8 and rcieved within hours, some in minutes, a request for an interview. I threw every cent I had into a flight, interviewed 3 days later, and actually could pick and chose. My College German classes at least paid off. I have NEVER looked back. Job Security, Healthcare and work-life Balance is rewarding and satisfying. I have taken fabulous vacations with my boys, no longer have debts to pay, just normal living expenses. Both are studied and have become Professionals without the Stress of debt.
I will never go back.
Freut mich sehr für dich. Willkommen in Deutschland und viel Erfolg auf deinem weiteren Weg. ❤
.. das zu lesen ist sehr schön.. wenn gute Menschen dieses Land zu schätzen wissen.. denn viele Meckerer.. hust..Afdler.. wissen garnicht wie guts ihnen hier geht.. ich wünsche dir noch eine schöne Zukunft 🌞
What is your industry/general profession?
Well you should, because now you could make a difference.
So you are just going to steal all of your student loan money that you borrowed from the bank and used on yourself?
No more "stress." 🤣
Warm greetings from Germany to France. Enjoy your life in Europe, in our beautiful Europe.
I feel that as a Brit who lived and worked in the USA for two years in the 2000s I am well qualified to comment on this.
Every time an American told me that the USA is the most "Free" country on earth I would ask them what freedoms they had that I, as a Brit, did not then I would counter them one after another.
What really stood out was their complete and utter ignorance about life anywhere outside their own country and the absolute BS about that which they had somehow taken in from God knows where. On subject after subject (Healthcare, Free Speech, Firearms Safety and many others) I was able to demonstrate that living in the UK came with MORE freedoms than it does in the USA. And their best reply, by some of them anyway, was that I was lying and that they knew better than me, despite the fact that they had never been here. In fact they had usually never even left the USA to visit Canada or Mexico.
It struck me that Americans are brainwashed from birth into thinking that the USA is the best and most "Free" country in the world. Spoiler Alert: It isn't. Not by a long way.
The ironic reality is that Americans are not free at all. And of course under Trump, democracy, liberty and freedom of speech is rapidly evaporating. America really is not the land of the free at all.
@Hoophey I'm not American, and I think it's weird how they claim America is the last country with freedom of speech.
But when it comes to freedom of speech, they have more freedom than the UK.
You literally get arrested and sometimes prison for expressing you'r opinion online.
England was once a great country, and I loved to travel to England during vacation.
Now it's full of Muslims who can say whatever they want, and even as a Norwegian, I cannot give my opinion on what they say without consequnses.
I'm free to speak my mind online here in Norway, but I will be arrested if I go to England because I said the English government shouldn't tolerate when Muslims chant "death to Britain".
And I got it in writing.
England is lost.
You and many others (including myself) have had similar conversations. We are a deeply ignorant people. I wish I could leave.
I'm hoping to spend a few weeks in the UK this summer. I know a lot of Brits like to trash their own country, but honestly, as a US citizen, I envy your country.
So true… american ignorance exposed!
Going back to the US makes you see how much of a police state it is.
It‘s finally an Ice-state because the police lost power 😢😢
it is capitalism hell.
@AlexCio yep, masked troops without identification cannot be investigated by real police
I'm an American who lives in Tuscany. And I had to go back this past summer for 6 weeks. Holy shit... that sucked and I won't be doing that again any time soon. The car dependency. The tipping. The food that literally made me feel sick basically from day one of getting back. The gigantic everything from cars to stores.
To me, the US feels like a prison. And it's really hard to see what sort of prison you're in until you experience other ways of life.
Netscape navigator
I agree with you Tiana. I moved to Europe from US 5 years ago, and even when I step off the plane to visit in the US, it's a heavy energy there. Not that Europe doesn't have it's flaws, but the quality of life, what it values, makes such a big difference.
Oh wow. I didn't expect to see you here! I used to watch Rocko's Modern Life a lot as a kid. Greetings from Canada.
@yoshi97004 Hi Tiana!
Bienvenue en france. Content que tu apprécies la vie chez nous. ❤
Well said. The amount of stress that disappears after leaving America is impossible to quantify.
The desire to accomplish and be great is what makes America what it is. The American spirit is masculine and striving. As they say, “stress is made for shoulders, not hips”, meaning that it is not by nature that women pursue ambition and success. Masculinity is about accomplishment and struggle and overcoming. That’s why the men who succeed and become great get the most, the best, and the most attractive women, whether you live in France or Brazil or the U.S.
I think many of the comments to this video from the women especially are a misunderstanding of the failings of feminism pushing women to be masculine and pursue ambition and career like a man. As a man I love the stress and challenge of working hard and striving and failing and trying again.
One of the great quotes on this topic, interestingly comes from a lady w/ some balls, but most accurately applies to living a masculine, purposeful life…
“Look at a day where you are supremely satisfied as the end. It is not a day when you lounge around and do nothing; it is a day when you’ve had everything to do and you’ve done it.”
-Margaret Thatcher
@buffalo.blackk thats becouse you dont know any better. americans like russians fight everyone, the rest of the world dosent. wakey wakey..
@buffalo.blackkThat you're anything but a 'working' human /male was proven instantly by who you chose to quote haha -the woman /person whose policies ended up punishing and persecuting the hardest working sections of English society.
Bravo 👏🤣
Also, there's an inherent contradiction in your argument. If the women shouldn't strive to be accomplished and successful in the social sense, and not all men turn out great as per your definition and claim, only a certain percentage succeed the most, so you're expecting the women to become the servants of mediocre men?
😂Contrary to the image you try to present, you're actually a defender and champion of male MEDIOCRITY, not male excellence. Why else would you want all women to leave the labor market for men who are not going to be so excellent themselves?
@CrosscurrentsIndia You’re not very intelligent I see. I did not say anything about Thatcher’s policies or their merits. I specifically referred only to one of her quotes. I also made numerous points in my comment. The fact that your only retort to everything that I wrote is to refer to something that I did not write (straw man fallacy) is supremely telling.
Perhaps you should just admit that everything that I did actually write is correct and unassailable. Cheerio. 😊
I grew up in the US but am now living in Australia. My main source of stress is watching the US disintegrate before my eyes. It's looking more and more like 1930s Germany every day.
Yeah you're not missing anything. And it will probably get much, much worse still.
Same but im in Europe. I hope my family are ok. Im Navajo and those thugs aka ICE would see them as Hispanic. Yet our ancestors have been in America before 1492.😢
@ashalonchiqdidnt ICE beat up some Sioux natives in Minesota yesterday? Your people can catch a break in over 200 years.
Just because your ancestors moved there 1000 years ago, doesn't make it yours, right?
@miafiolekova5817No one is native to USA
I love that you just put the mic on a pencil with an elastic band 😅
Bravo! It's fulfilling to see an epiphany. All my best for your life in France, people like yourself are more than welcome here!
I’m originally from Detroit. I moved to Ireland in 1997. Never looked back. We took our holidays in France this past July. We stayed in Sant Nom le Breteche; lovely, lovely place!
Smart
How different was the USA back in the nineties compared to the present day?
@maxsiem77 slightly different. Same stuff, just not as overt. Living to work instead of working to live.
I can't imagine a bigger chasm than between the usa and ireland....how could you look back, i don't even think thats possible.
@maxsiem77 The biggest difference unfortunately sounds racist but it was moving from good-old happy hip-hop-hooray to dr dre murdering everyone that got in his way lol. Which was fine, i loved gangsta rap..but NEVER did i think it would replace rock, hreggae, soul and basically everything that made america dance in unity. Violence took over the ameircan culture now all their young kids even white are into gangster crap and that is just not healthy compared to 'feel like makin love' or even the very political 'rock the casbah'.
My niece had the impression that the US was a fairy tale. Influenced by Hollywood movies and the bright lights of Fifth Avenue on TV. A few years ago she decided to visit the States for two weeks. She returned after a week and said: America? Never again. She spent more in five minutes at a doctor's appointment in New York than in 38 years here in Europe.
Wait she went to NY for a week and set up a doctoers appointment...got one in less than seven days for a true appointment? That actually is astounding. Has she gone to Paris and just walked in to a doctor and it is free evidently. Who goes visiting a country to set up doctors appointments? Of course as she had her free insurance it must have been expensive.
@ernieellan9770 Maybe she needed to see a doctor for an unexpected reason ? Is it that hard to imagine ?
I’m British-Italian and I’ve lived my entire life between Italy and the UK. I know perfectly well that Europe has many problems, especially the UK and Italy, but I would never move to the USA for any reason on earth. The idea of being abandoned without healthcare if I get sick is terrifying. The idea of being shot by one of the countless lunatics legally carrying assault rifles is fucking insane. The idea of cities rotting under fentanyl and meth, filled with zombie-like homeless people, is disgusting. But what truly horrifies me is the American obsession with life as a competition: a brutal race where only the strongest, richest, and smartest survive, while everyone else is left behind to rot. America is a hard no for me. I don’t care if Americans earn more or if it’s the most powerful country on Earth. I’d rather live humbly in Italy or the UK than exist inside that constant nightmare. 🤦
Put your hands behind your back" (for handcuffs), "Stop," "Don't move," "Against the car" (for searching). 😂
The UK is not member of the EU nowadays and become like America.
The America you described is certainly not the most powerful country in the world. It's more of a nightmare.
@PrunelleTommy-yi9be not really, still extremely far from it. although not part of the EU, its still very much european.
@PrunelleTommy-yi9beThat's absurd.
This was such a well done video. You should be extremely proud of yourself. The layers you dive into in your comparisons was such a reflective, cerebral treat. Thank you!
People have been bashing the EU for years, including Europeans. As someone who's lived in over 7 countries including the US, during my childhood; I can tell you the EU is awesome. Yes we have issues, some major one some less major ones. But my quality of life is the best it has ever had, I feel safe, I make decent money and sure I pay WAY more taxes than in the states, but I also spend way less because I don't have to pay insane health insurance and our food costs are significantly lower! Yes energy costs way more, but that's why we don't live in McMansions, higher energy costs are offset by not living in a massive palace. I needed an ambulance last summer and was already shocked that I got a 10 Euro bill for the ambulance. Now add onto that the 35 days paid vacation, and the fact that in the EU you can't just fire people, we have real job security in almost all industries, and even if I were to loose my job, I would get 70% of my wage for 1 year unemployment money, makes me feel very calm. Again the EU is FAR from perfect, but I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
Exactly, none of my American colleagues are ever considering moving back.
After living all over, came back to Germany to start my family. Brought my wife home with me.
Europe is the best place for me.
Yeah, it's especially awesome how EU is wrecking the Balkan part of Europe (BY SUPPORTING GODDAMN FASCISM) so ex-colonizers can have economic slaves.
And actually one of our current issues is coming right now from the US
Well said. The boring things we have here in Europe stop being boring once you realized they are not default. We have our own way of living and let us cherish and guard it.
Funny how every American after a few years in Europe turns full urbanist:
Third spaces, walkability, car-free living.
You forgot affordable healthy and delicious food ❤
Car-free is only OK when you live in large cities
@El-Poussah why, and what is a large city?
@tompaah7503 i think theyre talking about how more rural areas would still need a car
@El-Poussahnot true, grew up in a village with population under 2k, lived there until i was 19, always used public transport everyday to get to school, doctors, hobbies, friends all the time
I agree with you on everything. I'd like to add a little more. I'm an American who immigrated 10 years ago. I live in a beautiful city in Central Europe. I don't need a car. Public transportation is excellent and at my age it's free. It's a huge stress and financial relief to not own a car. Also, the architecture. My city is centuries old. There's a castle on the hill across the river. I walk to buy groceries and that's my view. History, architecture, beauty everywhere. I have no plans of ever living in the US again. Every American I know who has moved to Europe would never live in the US again.
Brit here, living in France. All my American friends say the same thing.
jerzy7118With the Dollar as weak as it is, that pension has been devalued about 10%. Of course the EU and wider Europe is cheaper to live in than the US. BTW Europe isn't a country, it's many countries
"There's a castle on the hill across the river." - Budapest? Bratislava? Which city is that?
@tucuxirI assume you're American by that response
@kaszaspeter77 My first guess was Prague.
Thank you! Very informative!
Good for you, welcome to Europe.
I moved to France in 2015. I just go back to visit friends and family. No plans on returning to the US!
We europeans should appreciate more what we already have herr 😊❤
France =☪️
@Mia-sp5wh And yet its safer than the US, ironic
@EnilofKadathnot for long
フランスが安全なわけないだろ。旅行に行ったら移民によって占領されてる区は違法なのに銃持ってるし終わってたわ。
I’m Swedish and used to work in IT. I had an American colleague, a woman from Detroit, for many years. Despite having lived in Sweden for many years she never fully adapted to the Swedish way of working. She was always anxious about not being ”productive” enough, extremely afraid of displeasing her boss, and she never paused for a coffee break. She got worked up for the slightest inconvenience, and when she did she spoke in a way that made her sound completely hysterical.
ptsd, maybe mild, but still
Some people are always anxious.
0:35 ok im going to be fr here, and you can be like honest as well, Europe, especially western/central europe and arguably eastern europe, have FAR better living conditions than the US. I live in the Netherlands myself which is far more devoloped city, infastructure, education, healthcare etc wise than the US. While it seems like an opinion it could be considered an factual statement if you rlly dig into it.
I moved away 21yrs ago. I'll never move back. Hell, I won't visit. I have my EU citizenship, so home sweet home. Stay there young lady. You'll be much happier.
I moved away for the first time in the 90s. I was forced to return a few times and each time, I counted the days until I could leave again. As soon as the world opened up after COVID, I was gone. I have been back for family emergencies, but that is all. I won't ever live there again unless I absolutely have no other place to go. I have spent more of my life outside of the US than in the US. It has taken decades, but I am nearly 90% to getting my permanent resident visa. It has been a very hard and expensive journey, but totally worth it.
@cggc9510 to what country in Europe you went and do you recommend it?
There is no such thing as EU citizenship.
@armando-_-1261Belgium. And yes!
@ihlan1 you understood what she/he meant: citizenship of a EU's country
I live in Europe and my stress level has gone down tremendously. I love it here. Not once have i had an issue with law enforcement. I bet if i moved back i would have to provide documentation but yet my people, Navajo tribe, have been living in what is now New Mexico before Columbus got lost, 1492.
It's so absolutely fucked up how you are treated as second class citizens IN YOUR OWN ANCESTRAL LAND. I'm happy you found a better life here in Europe, it's just such a shame you couldn't find it too at home.
They are wicked, you are the owner of the land your ancestors were there before their invasion.
As an American, I hate how we don't have enough discussions about Native American tribes like the Navajos. Especially in the 1800s, we destroyed so many Native cultures & languages under the justification of "manifest destiny", and land acknowledgements aside, we aren't doing as much as we should be to make amends.
The best example I have seen of 'amends' is New Zealand's national anthem, sung in both Maori and English. I wish we could have more acknowledgement of Native tribes here in the US, and to do so in their native languages would really show that we care about their connection to the land. And imagine if, for example, very basic phrases & expressions in the Navajo language were taught in elementary/middle schools across the country to keep them alive amongst more of our population ...
This is so very sad.. They exterminate your people, take over your land and make a mockery off it and now you have to live like an outcast.. Disgusting
@NombreApellido-mz6xn You said it. Cheers mate !
Thank you for taking the time to craft this informative and very well spoken video. -Daniel (Paris)
Yes, I agree, a proud European ♥️🩷
Thanks! Ive been thinking about it pretty hard for a while now. The great points, as well as the comments, really help.
Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of reflection and thought. Very clearly expressed. I wish you a happy and peaceful life.
I left Europe to spend a decade in Asia in 1993, and when I returned I was in for a reverse culture shock that lasted another 5 years. I left alone and returned with a Japanese wife and 2 kids. And I was in for a rough awakening. I viewed anyone from Europe as lazy or "too laid back". And after finally settling-in (mid-2000) realized - it's ALL been me. While I was forced to be an outsider in Asia, and actually I liked that. When I returned somehow I struggled to fit in. strangely I was again an outsider, but didn't like it as much as when I was "playing the foreigner" in Asia. Nobody at home takes you seriously if you suddenly return with a weird accent or have changed your customs. But what it taught me: Being able to view things from an outsiders perspective, e.g. the bird-eye view, ... is a SUPER POWER. Being back in EU for +2decades I realized we have a system worth fighting for.
Also I have no doubt you'll do well!
Thank you for a calm, thoughtful, articulate description of your experiences. Too many react from fear and/or anger and put themselves in unfortunate situations. My wife and I are much older than you but we moved to Europe in 2019 after I was able to start drawing a small teacher's pension.
Recently we visited the US and my wife echoed exactly what you spoke about, i.e., that the constant, nervous alertness to the environment exhausts her. That there were gunshots (on Christmas eve @ 4:30 am) just one street over that prompted a police response did little to assuage that. We're not going back... what would be the point?
Good luck to you
Interesting point of view , very well explained , thank you!
I live in Norway,we pay a lot of taxes...but we get so much in return ! And you are in,even if you've never worked a day in your life.
The Sovereign Wealth Fund really helps - many counties are envious of that!
Welcome to Europe, wish you a great life here!
I wonder how many Americans see a video with a title like this and immediately dismiss it because they don’t want anything to challenge their comfortable belief that the US is simply the best at everything.
Almost everybody above 50, 50% of the people between 40 - 50, and all the others who never found out about the internet or were home-schooled.
I remember Europe when I was stationed on the border of East and West Germany (2/2 cav) in the1980's the US was NATO and our military was the only force stopping the old Soviet Union from turning Europe into a no mans land. And now you ungrateful bastards are about to find out when the shit hits the fan and Russia invades but this time you will be all on your own. Good Luck
You are absolutely right.
@AndrewFreeman-jv5xm Things have moved on a little since then. 1987 was the first time I went to the States working and there was a lot that was impressive about it. Now, it just looks a bit backward, everything is a bit shite in the States. World has moved on.
@AndrewFreeman-jv5xm Why are you accusing Europe of the faults of your own country? If the US has become a shitshow, it is just because of your own choices. By the way, Europe will be much better off when the US troops are kicked out of here. As for Russia, it will probably become part of the EU as well in the next 20 years (after Putin dies or gets removed).
you analized the situation very well.
A fellow ex-pat here also living in Europe. You are 120% right on everything. As a father I've never had to worry about a school shooting. My biggest fear was that my son would come home with a scraped knee from playing ball at school. American society is a sick society and it'll be decades before it finds a way to heal. I'm staying on this side of the Atlantic.
If you’re staying, then you’re an immigrant. :)
You mean immigrant 😊
@Ismanissahaha thought that too
Left US at 38y old nów 65y old retired. The best life altering decision I could have ever made. Never wanted to look back. Yearned to keep looking forward . I related to every ioda of your experience. Bon chance! Madmoiselle👍🏿🙏🏿
Do you mind sharing where in the US you are from and where you moved ?
@condor7810 Rhode Island. Left America for international career in maritime industry. Lived worked Antwerp, Belgium, Dublin, Ireland, Lusanne, Switzerland, Málaga, Spain, Toulouse, France. Retired Portugal
Your points are also the reasons I'm never returning to the USA.
meredithpappa , USA does not miss you.
@pasitoivonen3019 aww! Take heart, don't cry.
@Isiejeme0829 I do not cry. I am used to this life. But for someone else it might be harder.
@pasitoivonen3019How ungracious...
@MaxSchwarz-3k4kEurope =☪️
When I was a teenager my first thought when meeting an american was "that's so cool" and now it's "I'm so sorry"
Well done. Im happy that you had that opportunity to move outside the US and see it from a different perspective.
As a former expat who lived in the Netherlands for almost 15 years, I recommend that as a young adult stay there. If I could redo my decision to return (I made the decision for my youngest son who had a learning disability), I WOULD NOT HAVE RETURNED! I learned what it means to work to live rather than the AmeriKKKan philosophy of live to work. Enjoy your life and cherish being treated like a human. Be blessed 🙏🏾
And your son's learning problem could not be treated in the Netherlands, I don't believe that.
Damn. No more immigrants these days only expats. Go figure.
@henkmertens7120I was thinking the same thing.
In HOLLAND
@henkmertens7120 In the US, it's not a problem, because they don't educate.
My father Emigrated to Sweden in 1972 and never moved back. He moved here for love, but my parents actually lived in USA for a while before they moved to my mother's home country, so, they made that choice very deliberately and after a lot of thought. They chose Sweden for many of the reasons you listed - healthcare, security, work/life balance. But also opportunity. Education here is free, and they wanted their children to have more choices than they would be able to afford for them in USA. My brother and I both took that opportunity and I'm very thankful they gave us that.
The land of the free has fallen behind in so many ways, and the sad thing is, most Americans don't even know that. They don't know that the taxes we pay in European countries actually go to things that benefit us greatly. Not having free healthcare and free education are huge reasons why USA has fallen behind. When good health and education are tied to every person's economic situation you will inevitably get a less healthy and less educated society, and as a result that society falls behind compared to those that do. Sad but true. The even sadder thing is that this is not likely to change. I'm very sorry it's like that. USA is my other home country, and I wish things were different. I wish the Americans had what we have.
The United States is not "behind."
It is ahead.
Your new country is being swept into communism.
@Matthew_LoutnerHow to prove your absolute ignorance, lesson one.
@redadder4325 You know nothing of "absolute ignorance."
Ignorant people such as yourself do not perceive themselves as ignorant. They believe that what they know now is the sum total of all there is. You are blind.
@Matthew_LoutnerNo, I'm Swedish, and know that the word 'communism' has meaning.
@Matthew_LoutnerResearch this yourself. Find out how the Swedish healthcare system works, how it's funded and what a Swedish citizen actually pays for health services. Do the same for medication, and for education. Look up how our maternity leave works, how daycare for children works and what we pay for that. Look up how our vacations work and how many days we get by law. Then compare our system to yours. Think about how all of it affects an average family living in our respective countries, how it affects an young person growing up and their possibilities in life and then how that will affect a society on a grander scale. What country do you think makes the most progress? After that, feel free to come back here and write down what you think. It might surprise you.
Or you know... don't, keep spewing nonsensical arguments without backing them up, and stay ignorant...
You are amazing, so well put!
Bravissima 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😎❤️👍🇪🇺
Saluti from Cologne Germany and Italia 🇮🇹 🇩🇪
Köln, die nördlichste Stadt Italiens! ❤ 🎉
I completely agree with you. The goal for me right now is to work towards buying an apartment in Italy as a vacation home/retirement home. 🙏🏼
We are waiting for you: you can choose among the highest mountains of Europe, fine lakes and country, the clearest seas, modern cities, art cities, a blend of all that. Free health care, low cost of life. A little bit of chaos and burocracy, but good hospitality. Better to ask for an agency, for the documents needed.
I love your style of video essay/ sharing of lived experience! The way you interconnect both is so smooth I coul listen to you talk for hours
What you're saying about how safety affects you at all times while not even aware of it is true both ways. Once, I was at a congress in Dayton, OH. I forgot some important work at the conference building, so I naturally walked back there from my hotel close by. It wasn't even late (10 pm), I could see where I was going and where I came from at all times, and I had walked the same area when I had lunch. However, I noticed that everybody was black, which wasn't the case at lunchtime. Also, small groups started to form around me, staring at me. The weird part is that they seemed afraid of me! Finally a group blocked me, and started asking questions. As soon as I spoke, they realized I was a foreigner, and they started joking, everybody smiled and disbanded. Three tall men in hoodies took the time to walk me to the conference and back to my hotel, reassuring around that I wasn't a threat. They told me I should not walk alone at night as a white guy, since "obviously" it meant that I was looking for trouble, with possibly concealed arms.
Yes, I was clueless, but it had never crossed my mind that there could be danger in a town center, at 10pm. Or that my ignorance of my surroundings could be perceived as a threat!!
🇺🇸 There was no actual danger.
I lived looong in US ,thanks God my Ametican son moved from NYC to pretty VIENNA ..I am soo secure loving in Croatia and travel around Europe !! That is a LIFE!! GOOD ONE!
Dinamooooo
BTW and the food 🥐🥨🥖🥦🥑 is much better 😋
And affordable ❤
It's rather obvious 😂
Are you living in my country? France? 🤣
Das ist ja auch auch wirklich nicht so schwer 😂
Wonderful observation. Not everyone has such thoughts. Thanks to you, I am better.Realized The world around us.
My son works in Texas with a salary unattainable in Europe; his Texan girlfriend, after having come to Spain three times, is helping us to convince my son to return to Europe.We live in a small provincial capital in northwest Spain, and for her, being able to walk anywhere is like being in paradise. At first, she couldn't understand how you could go out to buy bread or fruit and at the same time have a vermouth or a beer on a terrace.
What pay level is "unattainable"?
And what is the work he's doing?
Living is hard when all you knew was slave labour and debt. The "Americans" are broken by their system people.
@HonkMan-j5g American pay generally is higher, but it gets a lot closer once you factor in your what your taxes pay for in other parts of the world, like health care. Type Ashton did a video where she put numbers on everything and compared, if I remember correctly the conclusion was something like 'as long as you are healthy you can make 10-20% more money in the US, but the moment you get older, your health starts failing or you want to create a family Europe is way better'.
Edit: just checked the video title is 'THE BIG DEBATE: American Capitalism vs. German "Socialism" - SALARIES, TAXES, & SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS'
¡Bienvenidos! 🤗
@HonkMan-j5g I'm not sure, but all things considered, it's over €200,000 a year and includes health insurance. However, his girlfriend, who is a teacher and a very sensible person, always says that my son and his European colleagues have the best health insurance in the United States. A business class ticket to Europe and all their worries and payments are over. My son works for a major technology company.
I recently visited Tokyo, Japan. I was surprised at how naturally relaxed and safe I felt walking around the city. Then I flew back to Los Angeles and immediately felt unsafe again.
I long for free third spaces, too. I bring my laptop to the public library and work there sometimes. But it's not the same -- for one, you have to stay silent and can't talk to anyone.
Is there another Tokyo somewhere else?
I totally agree! Been in Europe for 15 years.People in America who have never lived abroad really have zero idea of just how much America is NOT the greatest country.
I love that you compare the US and the Europe and not only France. I’m from Paris and I realized how close I was to Spanish and Germans when I lived in NYC for 4 years.
The american bubble is finally bursting for alot of ppl .. George Carlin : That's why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be alsleep to believe it There is alot of smart americans and they all live in Europe..
or asia
@Blackadder75 true, i should have said " anywhere but America"
And then you wake up…
My sister and her disabled husband have just moved back to Canada this past summer after more than 25 years in the US, I have witnessed her starting to trust people again. The letting the guard down is slow but unmistakable. I hope the relaxation continues as she sees that most people want to see them do well, or at least not want them to do badly. The competitive feeling I get in the US in every interaction is exhausting and I am so pleased to see them here. Stay in France, or come to Canada. Cheers and enjoy all the awesome cheese.
Plus the walking everywhere is good for our health & the environment
Or take a bicycle like we Dutch do , it's a little faster. 😁
@BlessedInBlack I have lived & worked in 4 different countries & loved cycling in Germany. That is a brilliant way to stay in shape. Running errands on my bike was an absolute pleasure
Europeans do not "walk everywhere."
That is false.
The car ownership rate in Europe is around 89%.
@Matthew_Loutner Au contraire it is not false. I have lived & worked in 4 different countries & people in Europe walk a great deal. Unless you have been to Europe or spent time there you would know that. Plus cycling is very popular in Denmark, Germany & Holland. When one has a car that does not mean one uses it to go everywhere all of the time
@susanford2388 It is false.
You are expressing "first person bias."
Your personal experiences are smaller than a microscope compared to the size of Europe. Statistics are required to cover all of Europe. Your personal experiences cannot do that.
Your phrase "walk a great deal" does not quantify anything.
I am not stupid. I am an avid bicyclist. One cannot ride a bicycle in inclement weather. It is SNOWING ❄️ in Germany.
Schön auf den Punkt gebracht. Tolles Video. ❤
I wish I was in the EU. I was in Europe this past summer. I did not want to go back to USA. The USA is way way way too stressful, and the politics have made my brain mush and heart heavy - i hate that I have to live in the USA
come back to europe, if you are not MAGA. 😊
if you want to go for Germany, look for "chancen visa". That way you apply to get your job training/university degree accepted. You need to have an A1 german language course finished. Then you get the Chancenvisa and can look for jobs here directly while being in Germany.
Wish you the best.
You can always emigrate. There is absolutely no shame on that!
There are plenty of countries better than that shithole (think of Canada, Australia, Spain, France, Brazil, etc).
It breaks my heart to read your comment. No American should ever have to feel like that. I know most of you are some of the loveliest people I've ever met. Sending caring hugs from Australia.
if you are not that old, set a date far in the future and make a plan to live in the EU on that date (or any other place in the world you like)
You can do it and it doesn't matter if it will take 10 years
Congratulations young lady on spreading your wings, taking flight to experience other places and opening your eyes and your mind. I hope you enjoy France and Europe for many years if not the rest of your life. Enjoy every minutes……..
Europe isn’t that safe. The other say i saw someone slipping on ice. Another day -content warning- one of my neighbours put the paper trash in the plastic trash bin. And o even have heard that in in Dublin someone drank after the bar was closed by just ordering five beers with the last rounds. It’s basically chaos over here.
😱
😂
A very insightful critique, thank you, Tiana. 👍
Very good podcast. Universal health care isn’t perfect but I think one of the big intangibles it brings, it brings its citizens closer together. Plus the fact no one is kept up at night worrying about whether or not they can afford to go to a doctor 🍁
I say that universal healthcare or anything that makes people less dependent on each other SEPARATES people.
@Matthew_LoutnerWell, that might be because you don't know shite. But it's nice of you to comment so much, helps with the old algorithm.
I completely understand what you mean and I can’t wait to leave either. This country is exhausting and the added complexity of being Black and aware here in the US is immense.
You get it! Do you know yet where you want to go?
@WhereTianaTravels The only thing about leaving the US to escape its domestic polices is that you can possibly become a victim to their foreign policies - if you don’t choose another “1st world” country. I do have a hesitation of this but I’m currently choosing to move to West Africa and bounce around for a few years. Planning to move in Q2 ✨
@moneyonthegoeJust make sure you get residency status or citizenship because the trend in Africa now is to restrict Americans because of the lack of reciprocity by the US (and rightfully so). Hoping this works out for you. Wishing you the best on your journey!
@pumuckl0 Thank you so much 😊 and yes true I think the more residences Black folks get, the more options we have. I look forward to a reunited Africa one day.
You will probably be welcomed in any scandinavian country.
What I’ve learned in three years of living in the U.S.-something many Americans don’t realize in a lifetime:
1. America may be a “great” country, but that doesn’t necessarily benefit the average person.
2. Expensive healthcare isn’t a feature - it’s a flaw.
3. Being rich doesn’t mean someone is smart, good, honest, or pleasant; it just means they know how to make money.
4. American culture isn’t the best in the world. Live in another country for 3-6 months and you’ll see how great life can be elsewhere.
"american culture" what culture?? Never been in the US so I dont know lol feels like they have no culture, no tradition. The NATIVE americans though do have culture and traditions
@ibuuprofeno people here think that star wars, titanic, britney spears, and elvis presley are the pinnacle of culture; that the whole world celebrates Thanksgiving; and that words like “economy” entered every language in the world specifically from american english
@ibuuprofeno Black US citizens have made an *enormous* contribution to the musical culture of the entire planet. Apart from that, and a handful of authors and artists, what the USA calls "culture" is mostly lycra and explosions.
Love your video. I’ve been feeling the same and I thought it was the only one. Many blessings 🙏🏻😘
Hello Tiana ! First visit to your channel (as a Dutchman from The Netherlands) and you give me happy feelings about your experiences living overhere - in Paris - in "the old world" ! (As America considers itselves as "the new world"). The story you are telling is quite similar as all kind of Americans who put their experiences overhere in RUclips about living in The Netherlands. And I must confess these videos make me aware again in what kind of nice world we - the Europeans - live compared to the USA ! Overhere you can realy "live your life" without fear or constant pression ... just take your time and enjoy ! Maybe one day you could visit The Netherlands to try out our way of living ! You are welcome but ... please don't invite the whole USA to move overhere ... We can't handle that !
I think as a Belgian I just like how calm life is.
I work in the harbor 30 hours and 24 minutes a week. Partly remote.
I've never been contacted outside of working hours or anything. That's just not a thing.
I've never been denied a vacation day, of which I have over 6 weeks in my second year there. Not counting the 10 holidays which makes it 8.5 weeks.
7.5
Why 24 minutes specifically?
@TonyRedgrave Full time is 38 hours here. I work 4/5. 38/5*4 = 30.4, so 30 hours and 24 minutes.
@Londronable Ah, I see thanks.
I have lived in areas in Europe where American communities are quite common. Many of them (the overwhelming majority) have no intentions of moving back to the US. Especially if they are teaching retirement age as health care becomes more important. Overall life here in Europe is also less stressful than the US.
I have been in Scandinavia for 15 years now and feel very much the same way. I have no plans to ever move back.
I really liked your last point. In the States, whenever you have to go somewhere, you almost always take your car. So you are isolated in your car, drive to the big mega store in the strip mall or shopping plaza, and then drive your car back home. Here, we often walk to our local grocery store, walk to our local bakery to get fresh bread, walk to the local coffee house, walk to the local pharmacy, etc. We so often run in to neighbors and many of the same people when we are out like this (plus all the walking is a great health benefit too). It creates a very nice sense of community, one that is far stronger than I felt back in the States.
First video I see that is real....my best friend lives in the US...it's been more than 20 years since I went there, being canadian I used to go often...than slowly things have changed and I do not feel safe there, being from south europe and living there until being an adult, than moving to canada I think I do not need stress to go on vacation...she can come here anytime but I would never go back...not while things do not improve....glad you love France.
I moved to the US as a 8 yo, lived there for 25 years, left the US and moved back to Poland, been in Poland 12 years now….best decision I made was leaving the US.
I lived in a shithole city in the US too where gun crime was quite common
3:03 so true 😢 you can meet the very nice girl everything is perfect good vibes but until this question pop up and everything changes and the interaction started to fade
Very thoughtful and well communicated.
Some people say this video is negative. Others say it finally explains exactly what they’ve been feeling. Which one are you?
If you have lived outside US for 27 years, yes it explains exactly what you're staring. Albeit these feeling were immediate after touching down on Europe back in '98
You're completely right. US people live in a fantasy world dictated by oligarchs. Basic human rights such as health and education are left to private sector predators. Freedom to be indebted, freedom to starve, freedom to make uneducated decisions
It's unfortunately right. My heart bleeds for my lovely, decent American friends who are devastated by this state of the US
You are 💯 correct.
Absolutnie nie jest negatywny. Wreszcie dobrze się czujesz, na ciele i na duchu.
Nato,e,cresciuto a Roma la città che nn cambierei mai con nessuna anche se ci sono problemi,io ho la fortuna di vivere con tanti amici vicini dopo il lavoro si va al bar chiacchierata partita a carte ecc.si cammina a piedi per Roma si può andare al mare montagna ecc.il clima è stupendo anche se oggi piove😅la sanità è pubblica gratis,fai bene AA rimanere in Francia ,la vita è una sola goditela nella sua bellezza.ciao👍🇮🇹🖐️
America is a militarized genocidal corporation that brainwashed its slaves, great and small
Thoughtful and well put
The US does have some of the most advanced medical procedures in the world. So do countries like France, Germany, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and many, many more throughout the world. The difference is that, unlike in the US, you are not denied access to cutting edge medical interventions and treatment because you don't have the money. Or, if you do have access, you're not going to bankrupted for being ill.
I saw a very interesting set of interview, talking to people living in Dallas, Texas. The one which stuck out was the woman who equated socialised medicine with low quality treatment. In her mind, unless you were paying thousands of dollars, the treatment would be less effective. Bizarre! The price of everything and the value of nothing.
Personal account from this week in Brazil: someone I know was involved in an extremely serious car accident on the highway, traveling from Bahia to São Paulo, near a city called Serra in the state of Espírito Santo. She was quickly rescued by an ICU ambulance, intubated unconscious at the scene, taken to the hospital emergency department, and received immediate, intensive care: a traumatic brain injury, a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, and widespread multiple bone injuries. She is now recovering in a highly equipped ICU, cared for by extremely dedicated and experienced doctors. The cost of all of this? ZERO!!!
In the US, fear every day. For me, for my family. Obesity and bullying for my kids, fear of any health issue, fear of the police even though I was there legally. Connections hollow. People in the US had connections because of one activity. My Squash partner, my book club partner, my parent's association friend... when one defaults, you have plenty of other hollow connections. Here, we're friends for life and we have few. So glad I decided to get back to Europe.
You watch too much tv… fear everyday… please, it is not that bad
To each his own… I love America for the opportunity it provides… if you plan it right you can live very well here. To me it seems that people move to Europe to just live, not thrive… they want to live in a system that allows them to get by doing the bear minimum… and you definitely cannot do that in the US… people move here with nothing and become millionaires… while they move to Europe to be taken care of. Neither option is bad, just different.
@0404DcT Not that bad? Masked Gestapo snatching people off the streets, shooting or disappearing them and being totally unaccountable. What do you class as bad?
@0404DcT This is interesting, but how often does someone actually become a millionaire? If you take the average, the U.S. definitely looks great. But is it really, if the ten richest people can buy half of the country and hold more than half of the nation’s wealth? Saying “it’s a great country, just look at Musk” misses the point.
What’s good about it if you’re not Musk?
@lumirlichy8406… if you plan well it is not as difficult as it might seem… a great job and a good 401k and sound investments… 8 out every 100 Americans is a millionaire.
saludos desde españa! just discovered your channel, love the way you explain things, so clear and understandable
I just flead to Europe from Minneapolis.