Re:Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America
by crazygringo on Saturday July 13, 2013 @02:42PM
(#6038301)
As someone who lived outside the US for about 10 years as an adult, in several countries, this pretty much rings true.
It's not that all 10 items are only true for the US and not true for any other countries -- there are certainly other status-obsessed countries, other unhealthy countries, etc. -- but I think the most important take-away from the article is that America is not nearly as special as Americans assume it is.
I remember being shocked as I discovered that on my own, long ago. America may have the biggest military or invent a lot of things, but it's still just another country. But because we're so big and so insular, it's hard for most Americans to realize.
(However, I still like the US an awful lot too -- living in NYC now is great because there's such a mix of people from everywhere.)
It's not that all 10 items are only true for the US and not true for any other countries -- there are certainly other status-obsessed countries, other unhealthy countries, etc. -- but I think the most important take-away from the article is that America is not nearly as special as Americans assume it is.
I remember being shocked as I discovered that on my own, long ago. America may have the biggest military or invent a lot of things, but it's still just another country. But because we're so big and so insular, it's hard for most Americans to realize.
(However, I still like the US an awful lot too -- living in NYC now is great because there's such a mix of people from everywhere.)