81–90 of 129 posts
The seed’s often more fertile in foreign fields,
and a neighbor’s herd always has richer milk.
I think this was where "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" comes from.
My perpetually-single friend is always complaining that there "aren't any good single women" in his area. When he visits other places, he inevitably reports on how much nicer and prettier the women are there.
I wonder if the author would feel different about a place he was visiting if he stayed there for a few years.
There's also the concept that "familiarity breeds contempt" and there seems to be some evidence to support this.
The author is comparing the locals to people in Baja California. Based on the above I'll predict that his locals are urban.
"People who live in small towns and rural areas are happier than everyone else, researchers say". -- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/17/peopl...
> I think a part of it is the individualism we’re raised to embrace. > We don’t care for our children, our elderly, or our communities. It’s all me me me. How do I get mine and fuck the other guy. Capitalism, I'm looking at you.
Right, because socialist and communist states were shining beacons of morality, compassion, and abundance.
I like accelerator pedals on cars, I do, but I also like the brake pedal.
Then why doesn't the author just leave?
I disagree to the maximum extent possible. I have lived in 6 countries. Americans to me are by far most friendly and supportive of new ideas. When you are visiting a place, you see it with rosy eyes. You are not forced to deal with the day to day difficulties of life, the commute, the commitments, the finances, the outrage about politics and so on. So, comparing the harsh reality of 'back home' against an environment…
I always have to laugh at people who form an opinion on other countries based on their "2 week vacation" there.
“ By and large, we’re fat, lazy, poorly educated, and blind to the state of things. It’s embarrassing.” 100% wrong. Didn’t even bother reading after that
Well, the "fat" part is true, the US is #2 in obesity among developed countries. In many education metrics we are average or below average compared to the OECD countries (despite spending more than others) - let's round it out to "average". The others are less measurable.
The US rank 9th in terms of tertiary education in the world, so no, not "average'. And even average wouldn't translate to "uneducated".
I used to travel to the U.S. every year or two for this or that and I always left thinking about just how stressed out I'd be if I had to live there. There's a sense of having to have your "guard up" so much. That someone or something is always out to screw you. That you need gates on your communities. That your kids' school is going to get shot up. That cops might be the enemy. That you'll depend on someone in a mom…
I think that is a cause: if you are gated off in a secure area, you care less about the safety of wider society. You will want to spend less on the police etc.
> That your kids' school is going to get shot up.
its really not that likely. A kid in the US is far more likely to die on the way to school than get shot at school, but the former is a fear people have adjusted to.
The medical insurance tied to your job is weird and scary.