USA is Our Hope No More

The United States is a big country(not in population but in geographical/political area). It's made up in regions that have very different laws and demographics. One state can be very liberal and open minded and another one can be extremely conservative. I think that many people think of the country as one unified system where everyone gets along. That couldn't be further from the truth.

There are always troublesome things going on in the USA *somewhere*. The federal laws unify things a bit, but as an outsider you might get a better idea of the country focusing on individual states.

 

As a Canadian I would say that the Northern USA and West Coast are typically okay. But I would agree that the USA on a whole isn't very far along in adopting rights compared to Western Europe, Canada and a few other "developed" countries.

However the fact that majority of the world hasn't moved anywhere the US is actually doing decently.

But yes I agree that it's rather annoying that Americans sometimes shout out how free and Amazing they are when in reality they are no better usual then any other nation in the developed world.

But that's American culture once you understand they'll do that they're okay .

---------- Post added 11th Jun 2015 at 06:59 AM ----------

I should point out that the whole we're not the best thing can be applied to a lot of other countries. Canada certainly isn't the best at everything either.

 

Well, your problem is that it varies not only from state-to-state but from city-to-city and then from neighborhood-to-neighborhood. To really know how to find the great bastions of progress in this country, you really have to start by studying city data. Nowadays, it's "politically correct" to say "economic segregation" or "socio-economic segregation." Black people are the majority of the poor ones, and most of us know this.

America's Most Economically Segregated Cities - CityLab

I'm sure you could also find stats on most integrated police forces. Basically, going to the US and expecting to find freedom, equality and tolerance is like going to some random place in Europe and expecting the same. There are places in Europe that are as racist as Hell and dangerously homophobic, including parts of Russia that are in Europe. Some parts of otherwise good countries in Europe are kind of bad. Same deal as in the US: you have to do specific research.

The thing is, there are places in the US where people's attitudes are worse than where you're coming from, so if you're flying blind, you could find yourself out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Mapping The Most Hate-Filled Places In America | Co.Exist | ideas + impact

Some places, damn, they're TERRIBLE! They're cauldrons of iniquity and dens of racism, violence and homophobia that you wouldn't believe. It's very easy to make a start on finding nice, liberal, tolerant places without even getting out of your seat. Just do a little research. We have places here where people try to cuddle you virtually as you get off the plane, dude. I'm not exaggerating. We do have some massively liberal bastions, here.

It looks like we're having setbacks here, but the truth is that we are going through a period of changing perceptions, and there is a lot of backlash and conflict. This is normal in a society. People fear change, and you always see a buzz of increasing violence and racism during such a time. That's why we have had a sharp increase in racism during a time that we have a black president. The people who are afraid of this change in the accepted power-structure just went into full revolt, and it's going to take them a while to calm down and take off their Tea Party hats. Just give them time.

 

The US is the US. It has good and bad. It is very diverse. Southern California and Alabama are worlds apart. I think people have rather rose tinted views of the US, maybe based on American TV and movies, which are produced by LA liberals, not wacko religious right types. I lived in the US for 2 years, enjoyed some of it, hated other bits of it. Europe is my home, and where I feel at home.

The Land of the Free can be remarkably intolerant and unfree. One thing I found odd was the approach to alcohol. In Pennsylvania, where I lived, the sale of wine and spirits is a state monopoly. So much for unfettered capitalism!

 

I'm not sure Europe is much better in regards to racism. They just happen to have less diversity and so there's less race problems. My Chinese-Canadian friend who went to the Netherlands to study says the people at overtly racist there -- he always jokes that it's basically casual conversation and people hardly realize they're being racist because it's so natural... However, I think much of there racism there is toward middle eastern people. I am not sure about black people. He makes it sound like they are very friendly towards him and he's Chinese so...

Also, the reason everything seems so bad is because the news has decided to report on it constantly. If anything, that's a positive thing because it is calling attention to a bad thing in the hopes of bringing about positive change. I really would love to see some solid statistics indicating that the police have become more brutal and racist than they were in the past, because I highly doubt that's the case.

And I personally see nothing backwards with Jenner in the media. The fact that it is making the news and much of it is in a positive light seems to be more progressive than backwards to me. Gay marriage is also spreading and is allowed in a majority of states and we will soon see how the Supreme Court rules on it.

American never was nor is a happy place where everyone gets along all the time and everyone is "free" to do what they want without getting judged. It has the same pitfalls as any group of people. And as people have mentioned, it's huge and has many contrasting viewpoints depending where you are. I don't really see the point of this thread; if you think America is going backwards then more to Western Europe, that's fine.

 

[YOUTUBE]u1dzYMruNGQ[/YOUTUBE]

George Carlin said it best.

As for LGBT acceptance, I think a lesbian couple from Alabama said it best earlier this spring.

"Just because a judge ruled that (gay marriage) is legal here doesn't make all the old prejudices go away. There will be couples who get married on Saturday and be fired on Monday."

 

Okay, I am still trying to find the graph that I am thinking of. It showed how, right around the time that they ended Apartheid in South Africa was really the worst for violence in general. It was horrible. There were people attacking each other almost like they were at war or something. It was being circulated at around the time of the death of Nelson Mendela, which people who had various views putting their own interpretations on it.

The thing is, when you see real social change, you see a backlash. Right before LGBT equality became inevitable to the point of being hum-drum, when there was the MOST excitement over it just a few years ago, there was a terrible rash of highly publicized homophobic violence.

I'm sure there have been a few sociological papers written on the topic. I think I remember reading some views by a theorist a while back.

But really, never listen to anyone who tells you that one particular country is the hope of the world. It's BS. The hope of the world is your own wits, first and foremost. That's why I gave you a few resources to help you research this. You have to stay alert to changing climates. You have to make a point, your whole life, of taking a day out of every month to sit down and do some serious study on things that you know are important to you and get yourself current. You're not going to always have youthful mobility and reflexes, but you CAN develop good habits, resources and friends to be called on. One of those habits needs to be to keep a watch on the attitudes of the society around you, and those resources include ones like what I showed you, which give you really quick information with a relatively small amount of effort if you know how to use them.

But the more you gain those kinds of resources, the more likely it is that you will, someday, find a place much closer and more accessible to you where there is a lot more tolerance than you would have thought. You could find some miniature civil rights love-fest right there in the Philippines. Having resources to study these things increases your odds of being able to find a habitable place to live without having to turn your life on its head. I really encourage you, rather than trying to cut and run, trying to find a place where you are that you can get into the thick of change.

 

Come to the Britain instead. It's all fine over here. No crazy police officers or homophobes.

 

Tbh, I think you're a little bit misunderstood about the U.S. The United States isn't becoming more unfriendly towards African-Americans. The reason why you're knowing about this more often is because there is more publicity about it.

One of the good things about living in the U.S is that we as citizens could demand change from our government. Increasing numbers of policemen and policewomen are now required to wear body cameras to monitor their behavior because we asked for it.

Also, you're generalizing "Americans" a bit too much. Most of the youth in my neighborhood and state, as far as I know, applaud Caitlyn's decision to transition. The negative reactions you may have read are from very old-fashioned people, people who may have not seen much in life, or conservative people. Each state is different.

You should know that the locations where the demand for electrical engineers are high are in very open-minded and liberal areas. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, are extremely open-minded. Any bit of racism, homophobia, and sexism is frowned upon.

I honestly don't recommend moving to Europe (no offense to EC Europeans!). While the United States looks like they're hostile towards African-Americans, Europe seems to be getting more hostile towards Middle-Easterners. Many of the West European countries are banning Muslims from wearing certain clothes and electing political parties notable for Islamophobia.

Since Europe doesn't have many people from East Asia and Latin America, they're far more likely to say ignorant things without even knowing it. I have some relatives who reside in France, and they can say some of the most ignorant things about Vietnamese people without even realizing how stupid they sound. Also, many European countries are trying to limit immigration because there are too many *insert ethnic group* in *insert European country* France and Netherlands have been in that process.

I do recommend Toronto, Canada. The culture is somewhat similar to the U.S and they don't seem to have as many problems with race issues compared to the U.S. Also, they need a ton of electrical engineers. Plus, the Filipino community is large as well. I even watch a Filipino youtuber who even moved to Toronto's filipino community.

But still, please give the United States a chance. We're in the process of changing how our police handles themselves. If you're that concerned about homophobia and transphobia, it's no worry because places where that behavior is more prevalent are in more conservative states and those states don't really have a demand for electrical engineers.

 

I'm happy that I wasn't born there - too many gun-touting, Bible-thumping maniacs for my liking - and that's just the elected representatives. There are countless other aspects of American living that I don't find appealing - such as the obsession with driving, sprawling suburbia, over-the-top patriotism, racial segregation, strip malls - but the gun-touting, Bible-thumping maniacs are the single worst aspect.

I could probably live in New York, Boston or San Francisco - but nearly everywhere else makes me want to cry.

 

Actually, I believe near the ending of the month(June 29th is it?)

that the supreme court in the US is going to make a ruling deciding about same-sex marriages. From what I've seen, it is becoming more likely that same-sex will be favored, and will become legal nation-wide.

So LGBT is actually getting more security and power as a group over here.

Another thing; when it comes to race, the media is giving a lot more attention to specific issues revolving this topic. I don't really like to involve myself in debating these issues; but just because there are more voices come out to speak doesn't mean there's more unfriendliness against specific backgrounds.

 

Yeah, well... we're fatter than you!

 

We're catching up though. :eusa_danc

 

As someone has stated already, in Europe there is still anti LGBT and racism, it all depends not only on country, or even city, but in which social circle or neighbourhood you end up.
Before considering moving to Europe, keep in mind that the richest countries in Europe (thinking on Germany) are facing a massive issue with inmigration. It's not like 10 years ago : The 'crisis' forced italians, greeks and spaniards to migrate, and after the uk became crowded, guess which destination came next. I'm not trying to discourage you, but this ain't the promised land either in terms of space.

I only lived in the us for over a year. Politics are up to discussion, but the folks I found there were not your average stereotye of an american.

At the end it's up to you, but as I have stated even americans are moving to Europe, so I would think twice before risking to lose my money and my time.

 

Honestly if you think that the US isn't a fit for you choose NZ, Canada, Britain, France, Netherlands, Sweden etc...

The US isn't your only option. The Filipino population here in my city is quite large here in Canada for example.

 

Many parts of the United States are very nice and accepting. Unfortunately, there will be some racist/homophobic people you come across. The police here are pretty messed up, and racial bias is a problem. I never really thought of the US as the most "open-minded". There's definitely other countries, like the UK and Canada, that are better. However, it probably isn't as bad as the media is making it out to be. I always hear people condemning police brutality and homophobia/transphobia.

States like Massachusetts and California are wayyyy better than states like Alabama and Mississippi.