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Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

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Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#201

Post by boc »

boffinAudio wrote: post #114
teakettle42 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vienna is one of the nicest and wealthiest cities in Europe. LA is a car-centric sprawling cesspool. Even for the US, it’s uniquely terrible. If you’d moved to some of the less desirable locations in Europe, you’d probably find them to be a shithole, too. Your lack of perspective (“how much of a shithole the USA really is”) is something I’d only expect from someone half your age on their first backpacking tour of Eur…

The Ruhrgebiet is a shithole. But then again, so is Florida. As is North Dakota and most of Utah. Arizona is pretty nice, but I probably think that only because of my Australian skin. The USA is a huge shithole, and if you don't understand why anyone would think that, I have a bridge to sell you .. under which live 12 families, kids and all, who couldn't pay their medical bills after Mom/Grandpa died of cancer. It is…

In your first post you wrote: "I've gained Immense amounts of respect for humanity" yet you turn around and write this.

You were a tourist here. You lived in Los Angeles. Yet you somehow feel emboldened to call a nation of 330M+ people "A huge shithole"? And you haven't met any nationalistic Serbians? Sorry if I don't take you seriously.

Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#202

Post by oaiey »

rootusrootus wrote: post #170
wheels wrote: post #72

I moved to Europe from the Midwest near the beginning of my career (20 years ago). It's very difficult to compare things like housing, social life and salary without knowing where you're coming from and where you're considering going. Countries in Europe have GDPs per capita ranging from under $5,000/year to over $100,000/year. Really one of the few things you can say context-free is: you'll have more vacation in vir…

> Really one of the few things you can say context-free is: you'll have more vacation in virtually any European country. In tech, at least, this probably is no longer true. In my experience most of the bigger companies have been moving to unlimited vacation. I'm pretty sure that someone in upper management did the math and concluded that employees granted unlimited vacation actually end up taking fewer days than if t…

I think the key is: paid vacation days.

Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#203

Post by pc86 »

MagnumOpus wrote: post #193
pc86 wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure if this is intentional but in all your comments you just come across as a hateful, angry person.

Not to me. He answers the questions honestly, bluntly and without the condescending sandwich feedback technique that many here employ.

No post body was provided.

Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#204

Post by syki »

MathCodeLove wrote: post #181
boffinAudio wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Ruhrgebiet is a shithole. But then again, so is Florida. As is North Dakota and most of Utah. Arizona is pretty nice, but I probably think that only because of my Australian skin. The USA is a huge shithole, and if you don't understand why anyone would think that, I have a bridge to sell you .. under which live 12 families, kids and all, who couldn't pay their medical bills after Mom/Grandpa died of cancer. It is…

I think getting upset comes from the fact that in addition to some very valid criticism, there is a tremendous amount of invalid criticism thrown towards the US. If Germany or Austria or the Netherlands were constantly being insulted on the world-stage then they would likely grow sensitive to criticism as well, even when it is occasionally valid. Another reason could be the mindless, abject hatred you seem to have of…

We recently had a President talk about “shit hole” countries. Roughly one half of the U.S. cheered or at a minimum were passive about such a comment. I use the term “shit hole” country to refer to the U.S. partially as a joke to see Trump supporters get huffy when saying this.

For a nation to be as wealthy as we are and to be in the state we are in I think it’s fair to say the U.S. is a shit hole country. Our patriotism and propaganda blind us to this fact.

Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#205

Post by brianwawok »

sbarre wrote: post #120
teakettle42 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vienna is one of the nicest and wealthiest cities in Europe. LA is a car-centric sprawling cesspool. Even for the US, it’s uniquely terrible. If you’d moved to some of the less desirable locations in Europe, you’d probably find them to be a shithole, too. Your lack of perspective (“how much of a shithole the USA really is”) is something I’d only expect from someone half your age on their first backpacking tour of Eur…

Geez someone hit a nerve, eh? I'm a Canadian and I've travelled most of Europe, and most of the US (among other parts of the world). The simple fact that the US doesn't have universal healthcare, and refuses to do anything real about it, or other endemic self-inflicted issues like gun violence - problems the rest of the modern world solved long ago! - kinda puts you at the bottom of the list of modern/developed count…

> The simple fact that the US doesn't have universal healthcare, and refuses to do anything real about it,

What is funny, is how many Canadians come to the US for faster or better treatment. No more 3 month wait list to get a basic procedure. It's almost like there are pros and cons to every system, eh?

Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#206

Post by MathCodeLove »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #195
busterarm wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in Canada with an ex-girlfriend for two years and her whole family would pay out of pocket for dental care in the US because the alternative was waiting months (or in the worst case, 2 years) for an appointment. Even for things that should be a dental emergency.

I call BS. Dental care is completely private in Canada and appointments are easy to find if you're willing to pay.

If you're paying either way might as well take a trip to the US where the skilled medical professionals inevitably migrate.

Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#207

Post by loudthing »

boffinAudio wrote: post #4

I've done it, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. WHERE: I'm Australian, moved to LA when I was 18 and lived there for 15 years. Then, I moved from Los Angeles to Germany (Duesseldorf), and then to Vienna, Austria. WHAT SACRIFICE: No more In 'n Out Burger, no more decent Mexican/TexMex food, no more LA food trucks. These are literally the only things I miss about the USA. Literally every other aspect of…

"and I get to see the USA from outside the decadent, rose-colored bubble from which it is usually experienced."

This. As someone who moved to the USA ten years ago, you do not understand "the bubble" Americans live in until you see it from inside and out. People here live on a stage with absolutely no idea that a global audience is watching them. People also can think and say things in absolute confidence which are considered ludicrous by 99% of the rest of the world.

I for a long time could not wrap my head around why so many people actively reject the idea of free health care, but it made me realize how little I appreciated when I had it.

... and it's scary how things just seem to be getting worse here with no real hope for improvement without massive reform. Reform that can only happen if something catastrophically bad happens in the near future.

edit: and I don't mean this in a critical way, I mean it objectively as possible.

Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#208

Post by rozenmd »

BrandoElFollito wrote: post #115

How come nobody mentions France in the comments? :) I am French but have been working 12 years for a very large US company , spent a lot of time in the US, go friends there - an witnessed/helped several Americans moving to France. Salary and healthcare were already covered. The fact that over a 3 days drive across Europe you visit 4 or 5 countries with vastly different cultures is a big plus. And by vastly I mean rea…

I moved from Australia to France back in September 2021. Bureaucracy is a sport here, but not much more than back home.

Would recommend/10, AMA.

Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#209

Post by boffinAudio »

TameAntelope wrote: post #182
boffinAudio wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Ruhrgebiet is a shithole. But then again, so is Florida. As is North Dakota and most of Utah. Arizona is pretty nice, but I probably think that only because of my Australian skin. The USA is a huge shithole, and if you don't understand why anyone would think that, I have a bridge to sell you .. under which live 12 families, kids and all, who couldn't pay their medical bills after Mom/Grandpa died of cancer. It is…

I've lived in the US my whole life, I've been to LA once for a wedding, and I really don't see a single similarity between what's going on in LA and what's going on where I live (Northwest Arkansas). My air is clean, my commutes are traffic free, the people here generally suck, and I have access to world class... everything, if I want it (well, maybe not transportation, but my car is nice, German even!, and I can get…

Oh, there are definitely beautiful places in America - just as there are beautiful places in Australia.

But the nationalist culture, the pride and arrogance, the ignorance of the cost to the rest of the world of American moral authority - this is prevalent no matter where you go in the USA.

And then, there's the social fabric. Go outside and find your nearest bum, living on the street. Get to know them and how they go there. That is a very American circumstance.

Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

#210

Post by teakettle42 »

wbsss4412 wrote: post #141
teakettle42 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vienna is one of the nicest and wealthiest cities in Europe. LA is a car-centric sprawling cesspool. Even for the US, it’s uniquely terrible. If you’d moved to some of the less desirable locations in Europe, you’d probably find them to be a shithole, too. Your lack of perspective (“how much of a shithole the USA really is”) is something I’d only expect from someone half your age on their first backpacking tour of Eur…

> LA is a car-centric sprawling cesspool. Even for the US, it’s uniquely terrible. LA isn’t even the worst in that regard (I’d take LA over DFW) I don’t know where you are from, but LA is actually representative of large swaths of the US, and highlights some of the best things about America (namely multiculturalism and diversity)

> I don’t know where you are from, but LA is actually representative of large swaths of the US

I actually grew up in LA, and now live in the foothills outside of Boulder on a large forest property — which is nothing like LA or Vienna.

I haven’t run into many areas of the US reminiscent of LA, and the US is enormous. It can’t be painted with a single (and such a reductive) brush.

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