8 STRANGE Things I Noticed About AMERICA After Living Abroad

[@davidfmelbourne3473]

As an Australian that lived in America for quite a few years, a big thing I noticed is that Australia is a country, while the United States is 50 small countries, all fighting with each other.

[@inodesnet]

Australia and the US are both federations with self governing states (where as the UK is an autocracy). However I feel there states get far too much power in the US than Australia. Covid has shown that the states run the show in Australia, but at least they're also following a very similar handbook (which involves ensuring that medical advice leads and the government stands behind and supports the latest advice rather than contrasting and denigrating it).

[@48tilt]

The state with the most guns will win. 10 times the gun death rate as Australia. Then we might need some guns the way China is behaving

[@inodesnet]

​@@48tilt not sure any other country (particularly the advanced ones) understands this "winning" thing. China's politics aren't understandable, but two things are - firstly, Chinese are maturing but despite not being a first world country, there is a higher percentage of Chinese above the poverty line than in the US. Secondly in terms of homicides, China statistically is in line with first world countries where the US statistically is perfectly in line with countries who are at war or have major crime issues. It's a long time since 1791. The 2nd amendment should reflect the advanced country the US is, and not continue to pull it back to when a militia was actually required. Having grown up on the roughest streets of Sydney, the one thing I never had to worry about was gun crime mainly because there was absolutely no need in the cities to have a gun. But I feel that having the right to bear arms (there was no modern Police force in 1791) means that one has to have one to protect from the others who have one. I think guns should not be for the purposes of protecting against other humans (unless you live in a war torn area). But they great for keeping rural properties in check.

[@gracedagostino5231]

@@inodesnet So true that our states have to much power. But back in 1776 the states created the Federal Government, not the other way around. So the states kept all this power for themselves. They wanted a weak federal Government. Even guns are handled differently in each state. My home state of California is much more difficult to buy a handgun then lets say Texas, where everyone has a gun!

[@gracedagostino5231]

@@inodesnet Having the second amendment is only part of it. Australia is largely an urban country, with a tiny rural population. American is at its heart a rural country, with a very big rural population. Americans in general hate cities. Pro gun Donald Trump lost every single big city (New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Miami, LA, Philly, etc) in 2016, and still won the election. Imagine the Prime Ministers party losing just Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, they would lose for sure.

[@shaemckenna568]

I love that you mentioned how much of an eye opener travelling was at the beginning of your video. I feel as though Americans are very much living in their little bubble and forget that there is a whole world around them, and so it made me very happy you say that you now have a different perspective

[@exc3ss]

THIS

[@gracedagostino5231]

That is true, most Americans only know, and care about the US. Most Americans do not even have passports, unless they are driving into Canada or Mexico. Years ago you did not even need a passport to do that.

[@CorB-qh4co]

This is so true

[@bloggaloggs]

@@gracedagostino5231 George W. Bush did not obtain a passport until the age of 54 when he became president.

[@gracedagostino5231]

@@bloggaloggs Exactly! Most Americans are really quite ignorant about other countries. I guarantee you, if you asked on the street randomly in LA, what is the capital of Canada (Ottawa), or Australia (Canberra) not one single person would know. You try that in Australia, you would not get to100 people, before some said Washington! But I still love LA, because everything I need in life is right here!

[@jimgraham6722]

As an Australian with relatives in the US who I visit periodically, I am glad you enjoyed your visit. Australia is not without problems and many Australians take their good fortune for granted but I would never live anywhere else.

[@rhodes1948]

Glad to see you home safely ,I’m happy you enjoyed Australia as much as it seems ...welcome back anytime ..

[@TristanKuhn]

Thank you. I'm sure I'll be back sometime

[@StrawberrySodaSodaSoda]

I agree come back anytime , but glad you're home safe too / or having fun travelling 😍❤️

[@lawlerscorner4420]

@@TristanKuhn You better watch out for Mr Butterfield lmao

[@monkeydui7241]

I really wish people here in the U.S. wouldn’t let politics run their life

[@triarb5790]

We are generally an apathetic nation. Its too hot. Who could be bothered? 🤪😎

[@danafoley9207]

It kinda does run our life....

[@smtv6295]

The USA is awesome, because it shows the world, that there never ever can be a reason for any centralized government, in the most ridiculous way. God bless Aamerica!

[@richard6440]

@@smtv6295 sorry , i dont understand , are you being serious, or sarcastic ?

[@glenysbatley195]

Oh, dear young man. Thank you from a very old Australian. We think Americans are insular, so it is very nice that you are seeing yourself as others see you. Mind you we mostly like our American brothers/sisters anyway. Welcome back anytime.

[@greenhouse3505]

I noticed 2 of your main points when I went to the states for a 2 week holiday about a decade ago. Firstly, the sales tax kept throwing me off. Eg, Leaving LA at the airport, I decided to grab a coffee to get rid of the loose change in my pocket. Next thing I knew, I was fishing around for extra nickles and pennies because I totally forgot about the tax. Secondly. The term "other side of the tracks" is an actual LITERAL thing. I just thought it was a benign phrase in the movies. Until I actually drove across the tracks. One side, houses are painted, lawns mowed, modern cars in the driveway. Then 50yds away. Lawns needed cutting, houses with flaking paint & old cars out the front sitting on blocks. I never knew it was more than just a saying before that. Anyhoo... good to see ya posting again mate. Stay safe ;)

[@TristanKuhn]

Thanks man! Hope you're doing well! Interesting how quickly you noticed the "other side of the tracks" thing

[@kaimay8657]

Zoning laws are the cause of this and unfortunately the reason for those laws is racism.

[@rainbows_trees_clouds_dais1766]

I experienced the same in San Fransisco! Just doing my usual wandering/exploring/getting lost... in a Gorgeous little area with lovely bookshops and cafes and little boutiques, then I walked two street parallel... looked like a completely different planet/really terrible and quite scary vibe. I was in total shock, and very swiftly got out of there (without drawing too much attention to myself). I’ve NEVER experienced that in Australia or anywhere else in the world in my life. Literally, two streets parallel!!

[@flowerpower8722]

If there was that much water in our toilets you'd assume it was blocked.

[@bloggaloggs]

The other bad thing about all that water in US toilets is that your hand skirts dangerously close to ahem YOU know, when the time to comes to wipe yourself. Ditto your man bits if you have them. I always tried to wipe in a semi-squatting position, but gee whiz that is difficult and the question needs to be asked: WHY??

[@deed468]

Believe me, women don't like making a loud noise either. Furthermore, a high water level is more likely to splash back at us.

[@LaraCroft]

true lol

[@brettarcher8270]

I was always told as a child growing up in Australia the greatest country in the world....Never talk politics or religion to others,its personal, and its rude to ask someone.

[@williamsimpson9176]

I noticed the amount of waste when I visited the USA especially in food portions, we usually shared the food between me and my partner so it wouldn’t go to waste

[@TristanKuhn]

Yes, some places give enough to feed a family. And I looked it up (there's a couple different ranking mechanisms) but the US is around 3rd for most waste generated per capita

[@gracedagostino5231]

American take the food home with them in a doggy bag.

[@deed468]

I put on weight in just one week, the first time I visited the States, because of massive portion sizes. Second time around, I accepted I'd have to leave half on my plate.

[@lawlerscorner4420]

@@gracedagostino5231 Against the health laws here doggy bags when out decades ago

[@smedleyfarnsworth263]

We just used to have starters, they were ample.

[@partypiano0729]

Australia is hard done by water, so people designed toilet flushes to be more water conservative, it went from something ridicules like 27 glasses to 8 glasses per flush. With no hint of sarcasm, it is a proud engineering feat.

[@ananamu2248]

Re party piano ...I saw where there is a way to produce water from the air ...make it yourself ....I became worried about water assets being sold in Oz and how farmers found it too expensive to grow crops ...but I was relieved by this ...its empowering to know ...it can even irrigate land

[@ShellL]

I’m Australian & my daughter & I have visited the US twice & we felt there was barely a Middle Class. Seems to be Really RICH 45%, Middle Class 15%, Poor-Poverty Class 40%. I agree about the paper plates too. Our household purchased its first set of throw-away plates, cups & cutlery in 30 years due only to Covid. I am 70 & in my, my children’s & my grandchildren’s upbringing we learn that MONEY, RACE & RELIGION are not subjects to discuss either in public or with strangers. The ONLY time this rule should be broken is if someone is being attacked in regard to any of these matters. Has only happened to me twice in 70 years though we have “The Karen’s” now. God help us all. You must admit you have inexpensive & great food. Most people are very friendly. Most Americans DO NOT get the Australian sense of humour., that one got me in trouble a few times because I do have a big mouth. Oh dear no America for us this year.

[@gracedagostino5231]

Really RICH 40% (much richer than most Aussies) Middle Class 35% (what would be considered middle class in Australia) 25% Poor-Poverty Class (lower standard of living than most Aussies) It is interesting that far more rich Aussies live in the US, than rich Americans live in Australia.

[@gracedagostino5231]

The GDP of Metro Los Angeles (my home town) is $1.5 Trillion, with 18 million people. The GDP of the entire country of Australia is $1.4 Trillion with 25 million people. As you can see there is a lot of money here. The problem which you alluded to, is the US is a more unequal society than Canada or Australia, which is true! I visit Vancouver and Toronto a lot, and what you notice is, our rich areas are far more beautiful than theirs, but our poor areas are way worse than their so called bad poor areas. We are sort of like a wealthy Brazil!

[@inodesnet]

@@gracedagostino5231 it's very easy for us to work in the US as well because Australia is the only country to be granted its own unique working visa (E3). So in tech (I work for a large Australia tech firm based in Silicon Valley), it takes no effort to hire an Aussie, but a pain in the *** to hire a Canadian.

[@gracedagostino5231]

@@inodesnet I bet you the Americans that work for your firm in Silicon Valley are provided great health care by the company. You will never hear them complain about their health care. Polls show about 70% of Americans are satisfied with their health care, so when they hear government provided health care, or Medicare for all, they feel that it will take away from their health care, to help the other 30%. That is why we will never have National Health Care administered by the government.

[@inodesnet]

@@gracedagostino5231 our company, like many is made up of people we have sourced from not only across the US, but from around the world. There are complaints, but mainly from the foreigners who can see the system is flawed (despite the healthcare being provided) and the Americans who have lived in cities we have offices in, like Sydney. It's a case of mindblown when an American spends several years somewhere else then goes back home. But the opinion I valued the most was from an American radiologist who set up an American company with a remote office in Sydney and Zurich for the purposes of analysing X-rays for hundreds of hospitals throughout the US. He would entice American radiologists remotely allowing them to work in normal business hours, allowing them to provide assistance to hospitals outside hours. Having spent several years in Sydney, his point was that the main difference is that a free system encourages early intervention of major diseases. Australians will typically be seen to earlier when things like cancer can be addressed at a stage in which treatment would lead to better outcomes. This he believed was one contributing factor to much longer lives. And we must remember - both the US and Australian healthcare systems are supported by the government. The main difference being that the Australian system is streamlined and has much higher efficiencies and economies of scale. The US on the other hand, is the opposite - which means the US government has to sink considerably more money into it (the US government spends more than 2 times per person than Australia).

[@trishmortimer5976]

I find it strange regarding both politics and religion in the US dominate friendship. I could not tell you what religion or political persuasion 95% of the people I know are. Stay safe over there. I am from Sydney

[@TristanKuhn]

Enjoy covid free Sydney! Missing Sydney and a covid free environment rn

[@matthewbrown6163]

Spot On Trish - Sydney Lad here as well. Yes the USA is an eye opener to a Newbie.

[@krollpeter]

... and even if I know, it does not really matter.

[@triarb5790]

I agree. I have a general idea of friends etc ideas, through discussion, but not the detail. I have never once ever mentioned to anyone who I vote for. Married 33 years, never discussed it with my partner, nor he me. 🙈🙉🙊 love from Melbourne

[@jinjarogers1711]

@@gracedagostino5231 Aussies don't tend to stand much on ceremony and much is understated.... including greetings (unless the lads are pretty drunk... then it gets loud )😉. The hearty, loud and sometimes OTT warm welcome from americans seems very friendly compared to Aussies who will often simply nod, smile, maybe shake your hand and say G'day.. In australia that's more genuine than the fan fare type greetings in the states.

[@Liesl_Frank]

I must admit, I was shocked by the toilet design in the U.S. I kept on thinking I was going to get my hand wet when I wiped

[@TristanKuhn]

Hahaha 🤣🤣

[@Mav_F]

What about splashing? lmao

[@sueneilson896]

To say nothing about the massive waste of water with each flush.

[@petermcgill1315]

@@sueneilson896 the former President would disagree with you...

[@bloggaloggs]

Your hand skirts dangerously close to * ahem * YOU know, when the time to comes to wipe yourself. Ditto your man bits if you have them. I always tried to wipe in a semi-squatting position, but gee whiz that is difficult and the question needs to be asked: WHY??

[@waynefairweather5200]

Hey Tristan - love how your presentation is evolving with hard facts put in to justify your comments. People can’t argue if facts - look forward to the next one. Stay safe and love life 👍😃

[@TristanKuhn]

I appreciate that! I'll do my best to continue adding facts

[@waynefairweather5200]

@@TristanKuhn On the peeing thing - which I didn’t realize was a thing but - got me thinking about waste - water waste. Just because the US has a lot of water that shouldn’t mean you should waste it by over filling the bowl. You have 320 million people so that’s a lot of water every day. Can’t see why they don’t introduce the dual flush toilet, reduce water in bowl with efficient design and would save millions of gallons of water, reduce water bills and solve your peeing issue. Seriously 👍

[@OberonOZ]

Good to see you home safely and that you enjoyed your time in Australia :) Hope you get to come back and come to Perth someday! All the best Tristan! :)

[@Nebs1]

The sales tax not included in the price is stupid. When I was in the US I would see something I like for $20 I walk up with my fresh 20 and they hit me with the whole 21.36 shit. Listening to Americans who try hard to defend this practise is amazing. They try too hard to justify something that makes their life harder

[@jgodbee3090]

100% I think i heard somewhere that Aus used to be like that a number of years ago but then they changed the consumer laws such that the sticker price had to represent the actual cost to purchase an item. It has never made any sense in my mind for a shop to have a price sticker up which did not actually tell me how much the thing actually was.

[@Nebs1]

@@jgodbee3090 I'm not sure. Since I've been old enough to notice it was included. The best thing I heard an American say was that tax shouldn't be labeled since the tax rate is different in every state. Like what situation would you pick up a product in one state and walk to another state to buy it.

[@petermcgill1315]

It explains why I always come home with $10 worth of coins... good for ball markers on the golf, though.

[@bloggaloggs]

Like user-pays healthcare!!

[@petermcgill1315]

@Rita Review I think they like to know exactly how much the government is screwing them over. If it’s hidden, they don’t really know. “Oh, I paid 1.23 in tax!? Bastards!”

[@williamgunter6802]

We don't have sales tax in Oregon so it feels strange when I encounter it on other states. And we do have too much income inequality in this country.

[@TristanKuhn]

YES! Oregon is one of like 2 states to do that. What also drives me crazy is that the % of sales tax varies state to state. Some might be 2% and others 11%.

[@DosAussieThai]

@@TristanKuhn It doesn't matter that tax rates are different from state to state or even county to county. The shops are not moving around. They are stationary. Whatever the tax rate is for their location can be added to the price tag.

[@triarb5790]

So sales tax is not Federal in the US, it's a State thing? Curious. Goods and Services Tax, known as GST in Australia is a Federal Tax controlled by the Australian Tax Office ( and held at 10% for the past 21 years). As it is included in the price of goods, as a consumer you don't notice it.

[@petermcgill1315]

I heard you now can pump your own gas! That was something to get used to driving around your beautiful state. “Sir, please put the hose down and return to your vehicle...”

[@DosAussieThai]

@@petermcgill1315 I few years ago I went back to Thailand and sat in the passenger seat of my sister's car. We went into a gas station and the fuel cap was on the passenger side. Once parked I automatically opened the door and my sister asked, "where are you going?" I responded, "fill up the tank, of course." She laughed and said, "we don't do that ourselves here. They do it for us!" Having been living in Australia for a long time, it has become an automatic thing to go out and fill it up myself.

[@timor64]

Great video tristan. I'm so glad travel has opened your mind up. A complemenatary video on things you love and really missed might be nice too. Be sure to come back to Australia when the borders re-open. Someone perceptive like you is so nice to have around.

[@Billyboy70]

So missed all this from you an hope to see more. Your a great presenter that shows that each country is so different than the States. This is what makes traveling that more exciting.

[@TristanKuhn]

Thank you!

[@ianmontgomery7534]

I would love to see your reaction if you went to China for a while. It totally spun me out ten years ago when I lived there. It was much more procressive than I imagined it to be.

[@sweetypie9711]

Lookin good Tristan 💖 Happy to see you're home safe n sound take care x

[@TristanKuhn]

Thank you. Enjoying my time back here but getting antsy to leave again

[@vickispong1371]

Lol, Tristan your welcome back anytime mate. Glad you're safe and healthy. My daughter lives in the US, she definetly appreciates Australia when she visits. Traveling to other countries, opens your eyes as it has done for you. More aware. Keep traveling. ☺

[@footy2rock]

Yeah about that pissing comparison lol,I live in Melbourne Australia in a block of flats,theres a guy that lives downstairs from me and i can actually hear him having a piss.He pees straight in to the water part,like Hello i can hear that buddy.Just pee into the white part of the toilet then i cant hear and pardon the pun but it pisses me off lol

[@TristanKuhn]

Quality pun

[@ianmontgomery7534]

maybe it is at night and likes to make sure it is going where he wants it to go.

[@michaelmurray3800]

I'd be more concerned about taking a dump in a full bowl rather than hanging a piss.

[@marcbackas8568]

Hey Tristan, great video, I totally relate to the difficulty of the stealth pee here! I liked the wikipedia chart of the wealth inequality, weird seeing the richest nation in the world flanked by third world countries.

[@TristanKuhn]

MARC!!! Love ya man! Miss you

[@marcbackas8568]

@@TristanKuhn Miss you too Tristan!!

[@lamborghiniaventador8670]

It’s because there are a lot of rich people in the US. The poor in the US have the same wealth as poor Australians.

[@christinesavage4837]

@@lamborghiniaventador8670 Actually no. Australia has the highestminimum wage in the world adjusted for living costs and we have public health available to all. Statistically, the % living below poverty line in Australia is significantly lower than US so our poor are not as numerous or as poor as in the US.

[@lamborghiniaventador8670]

@@christinesavage4837 nope not true, and what does minimum wage have to do with this. 98% of Americans don’t earn minimum wage. Americans earn more money than aussies hence we have the highest disposable income and healthcare comes with work in the US. Also our poverty rate is 10.8 yours is 13.6. Australia also has more homeless per capita, you can search this up. The rich in America had a 25% wealth increase, in Aus it was a 52% increase so the wealth gap is growing in aus.

[@neilroberts2251]

Nice Video mate!

[@TristanKuhn]

Thanks!

[@neilsmithcreditmanager]

Thanks for sharing. When you get home after travelling the new perspective you gain on the place you live are priceless. Some really interesting observations about the US and Australia. One point around retail; that concentration of big corporate retail is happening in Australia too unfortunately, we are just 5-10 years behind in Australia. Keep up the great content!

[@gracedagostino5231]

In America, Amazon is killing all the retail stores. People are used to just sitting at home to order, than have it delivered to their front door.

[@ssaannddrro]

I noticed the massive income inequality when I was in the States.

[@deed468]

I remember being shocked at seeing people living in cardboard boxes on the side of the road in downtown LA.

[@tressteleg1]

It’s great that you had such a good time here, and hopefully you will get back one-day and improve the beauty of the place 🤗

[@FairnessFobe]

Good for you for noticing that & for being brave enough to go public with those observations.

[@catherinewest4140]

I agree Back home 🇺🇸 you can see the income gaps so much more than here in Australia ..so glad you made it safely home ! Stay warm! It’s hot in Sydney 🇦🇺🌏🦘

[@TristanKuhn]

I'll do my best. Missing Australia's weather rn

[@catherinewest4140]

@@TristanKuhn yes it’s super cold back home in Chicago! Stay warm And safe and maybe one day you’ll be back in Oz 😇🙏🏻💯🇦🇺🌏🦘

[@odennaoui96]

Awww you should have stayed in Australia! Could’ve visited my home town Ballarat!

[@TristanKuhn]

I'll be back

[@davespanksalot8413]

Good to see a thoughtful and observant lad on the yootoobs!

[@Leatherkid01]

Hey Tristan, love your vids ...and the earring 😏... u didnt mention OZ universal health care 🤣. Why didnt you stay in OZ ? Keep it up, Hi from 🇨🇦 btw 😉

[@T0yRac3r]

really good reflections Tristan!! How about #9 the size of the vehicles!

[@TristanKuhn]

That's true but I will say Australia has a lot of big cars in Queensland. Especially around Cairns and up north in general. And in the outback

[@davidberriman5903]

Hi Tristan very glad you are home safe. I am also pleased that you seem fairly pleased by what you saw in Australia. I could not imagine living anywhere else. I have contemplated overseas travel on a number of occasions during my lifetime but for various reasons I haven't gone down that path. Before the GST was introduced we had a number of different sales tax rates and it was hard to work out what sales tax rate applied to what items. Our ticketed price always included sales tax unless you were buying from a wholesaler in which case it was added to the end of the transaction. Keep well and keep producing your vlogs. Thank you from Newcastle, Australia.

[@simon180]

Australia loves you, Tristan!

[@paulwilliams7099]

Move back here, you know you want too!

[@colkuskey8657]

Hey Tristan, Really enjoyed your videos while you where here in Australia. I wouldn’t be surprised to see you back here someday. I don’t think you realize how much free advertising you gave us. Wish you luck mate.🤙

[@TristanKuhn]

I wouldn't be surprised either

[@pmacgowan]

Travel broadens the mind ... opens your eyes up to a different way of doing things

[@ew4951]

Love you Tristian and love that you've grown as a person after visiting us here in Aus! We don't know each other but I feel like I miss you after you left Aus!!! Hope you're enjoying being home again though! Come back soon mate!

[@TristanKuhn]

You're the best! Hope to get back soon

[@chucky110]

We used to have those small gumball machines but a lot of places got rid of them

[@waynewilson2357]

Good show mate cheers.

[@TristanKuhn]

Thank you

[@inodesnet]

Welcome back Tristan. I've done many trips between our two great countries over the years. The tax at checkout and subsequent coins is an annoyance. But the wealth discrepancy breaks my heart. This is particularly noticeable in California where tech jobs rules the roost and has pushed real estate and cost of living outside the ability for middle class to pay. Unfortunately the US is the only country in the first world which does not index minimum wage. The last real federal reindex was in 1971. That's 50 years! This impacts the lower socio economic groups the most, and it shows statistically. There are two things you can look at to gauge the state of US financial livelihood - wealth and income. We know already that income discrepancy is high (the lack of indexing compounds the problem). But wealth can show long term how people live. Do they have enough money for an emergency? Do they have to rely on credit over savings? The Swiss bank, Credit Suisse has been looking at these figures for years. To be honest, they only really care about the top micro percentages; and for this, the US provides more customers to them than any other nation. However in order for them to have intelligence on the UHNWI (ultra high net worth individuals) they need to have intelligence on the whole population. And here is the clincher. The measure mean (average) and median wealth as yardsticks. Mean representing all wealth divided by total and median being the absolute middle. If mean is high, that shows the total pool of wealth is high. But if the median is low, then it shows that all the wealth is stacked towards the wealthy. A good figure is high for both. In 2019 (pre-covid) US mean was 3rd and Australia 4th. Both are very wealthy countries. But it's median that exposes the truth. In median, Australia jumps to 2nd behind Switzerland (Australia used to be 1st). But the US drops to 22nd lower than countries like Malta. Worse still, the proportion of wealth is out of whack. In the US over 27% are consider low wealthy < USD $10k to their name (basically below poverty line). This is a higher percentage than China, which is not yet 1st world. In Australia however, roughly the same percentage of people are low socio economic as over $1 million - being 7% (which is considered very high still in Australia). But better stil 59% of Australians are considered to be of high wealth (this is the reason that mean is high, but median is still high) - and these figures are in USD, which says even more given the weakness of the AUD.

[@resourcedragon]

Excellent comment and very readable.

[@ananamu2248]

Awesome informative rave ..easy to understand thanks

[@inodesnet]

​@@ananamu2248 Thanks. Didn't know that I wrote so much..... in between the US, Australia (and Japan to boot) quite a lot due to work, family and friends. They're all great countries, with great people and a hell of a lot of contrasts that really make every trip feel like a trip (no one wants to travel just to see a replica of their own home). Bottom line though is that I hate seeing those doing it hard on the streets when really two of the three countries have very similar solutions for these problems that are adopted throughout the first world. The US though just needs to do more for the little guy rather than always standing up for the big guy.

[@ananamu2248]

@@inodesnet I like what you say ...do more for the little guy ,not the big guy ...I suppose they can get approval from the big guy ie substitute daddy .I can see ways to make things work but " progress is difficult with ignorance at your feet " tell me your solutions ?

[@inodesnet]

​@@ananamu2248 every solution is a matter of compromise and there is no panacea. But it depends on which compromise a country wishes to take. The US politics is so far right that it would take a lot of effort to pull it back to even compare to any of the other advanced economies (Australia's conservative party is called Liberal - that in itself should explain the difference). When it comes to the socio-economic status, it's certainly a domain of the conservative to leave everything as the status quo. But the solutions Australia uses are reasonable. Aim to support those that cannot support themselves. This includes the mentally ill, the disabled, the genuine cases of unemployment and that includes subsidies housing (that someone can be proud of, not run down), income support (but not by way of a method that can identify the individual - e.g. unemployment cash cards or food stamps denigrate and discourage). Give those who are down and out, an avenue to move forwards (study support, free or heavily subsided education). Support needs to be proactive and not make the receiver embarrassed to receive. When someone is supported, they need to feel proud of their steps forward and results can give hope. I feel in parts of California particularly, the poverty cycle is just too hard to get out of. I've been through this and know the awesome bits of my journey that purely come down to a supportive government, when the family didn't have enough to support itself.

[@ananamu2248]

Good thoughts and presentation ...hope you wake more people up

[@rhondamiller421]

The thing I noticed the most is the cleanliness. Australian cities and highways are so much more cleaner. It’s the thing that bugged me the mot in the States I kept thinking why don’t they hire more people to keep the place clean or maybe it’s just that people don’t care and throw their rubbish out the window of their cars or onto the streets. Greyhound bus stations, especially the toilets; gross 🤮

[@gracedagostino5231]

You must be talking about America big cities like LA or NYC, which both have 20 million people in the metro area.There are many small (by our standard) American cites that are quite clean. Aus only has 5 big cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide. Where America has a hundred cities. Some entire states are also quite clean.

[@gracedagostino5231]

Most Australian tourist that rent cars in the US love driving around our country. They say it is easier to drive in the US than Australia. Also they can speed, and probably not get a ticket.

[@jinjarogers1711]

Fun fact. Our Aussie toilets have less water per flush because we are a very dry continent. We also use dual flush toilets (options of full flush or half flush) Most of our outback (much of the arid inland area "out back" of the dividing mountains) can only sustain very tiny populations due to lack of water. In comparison, the US is inhabitable by large populations almost everywhere inland.

[@gracedagostino5231]

So true, because the US has many large fresh water lakes and rivers just about everywhere, so there is lots of water. I live in Los Angeles where it did not rain for 9 straight months until last week. Even in LA we have lots of water, with many people having beautiful green grass lawns. We get our water from all the snow in the nearby mountains, and of course the lakes. I personally like a toilet bowl full of water, because I think it helps keep the toilet clean of urine and poop stains. Every time we flush, the bowl fills right up to the top.

[@brutus1119]

Happy Australia Day from the Gold Coast 😊🥩🍻 Congratulations on your 10k subs too. Come back soon 🥰

[@chrisk5651]

Good to see another video from you!

[@benjigray8690]

I've watched nearly all of your vids. overall they are mostly upbeat, like you seem to put a positive spin on things , whilst being honest about your opinions. I hope untolds of Aussies and folks from the U.S. learn something from them. Good on ya Mate.

[@JohnLee-pt5jz]

Good to hear from you dude! Your lucky you're not in Australia at the moment parts of the East coast are in a middle of a heat wave, Iam sweltering as I write this LoL! It's going to end Wednesday and the rain is coming back again LoL!

[@waynewilson2357]

Probably the cyclone up north making it hot for you

[@TristanKuhn]

Sounds rough but I would take extreme in a covid free state over a covid infested one rn haha. Missing Australia a bit haha

[@janetsutherland7649]

What a lovely young man. I hope you can come back once the COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out and we get back to normal.

[@TheAverageGuy12]

Your education is complete😊 You sound like me when I returned from living in the states.

[@jonothanmcleod-crouch3138]

Australia used to have alot of gumball and toy machines, but in the last decade they seem to have been phased out

[@kristyl933]

Mostly in our supermarkets though, not in the front of restaurants as mentioned in the video?

[@dumdumbrown4225]

…paints a good picture of good ol’Oz 🇦🇺

[@jonnythunder92]

The mention of the amount of water in the dunnies.....straight up correct...why are the dunnies so full of water in the USA.? 🤷‍♂️

[@gracedagostino5231]

The water in the toilet, helps to keep it clean. Every time you flush, you will get a new bowl full of fresh water, which cuts down on the poop, and urine stains.

[@susanab7]

The paper and plastic plates, cups etc really annoys me! I can't understand why you don't use proper plates it's so weird. I've asked Americans and they're like, but it takes SO long to wash them up. Like, really?! How many dishes are you using every day?? 🤦

[@aab222]

You missed the massive gaps on the side of the doors in public toilets. You could drive a truck through those in the US. What is that about? Costco in Australia his strips down the sides of the doors so people can't see in, probably to fit in with every other retailer. In the US everyone can see your business and nobody seem to think there's anything wrong with it!

[@jemxs]

I thought I was the only guy to pee in stealth mode!! Hate when someone pees loudly, so obnoxious!

[@bloggaloggs]

The bloke above me does that. I've thought of sending him an anonymous note except he'd know it was me.

[@deed468]

Women do it all the time, though it's harder for us to aim. 😁

[@jemxs]

Hahahaha yep apartment living has it's drawbacks! And yes must be harder for women. What's worse is being next to a splasher at the urinal😂

[@ronaldmunro3111]

Like I said on tiktok you are a good ambassador for Australia. Like someone else said in here, we Aussies will welcome you back anytime.

[@libbypeace68]

Love watching your videos. I do hope you get to travel to Australia again!

[@FionaEm]

Hey Tristan Glad you're keeping safe and well in COVID-ridden America. You've made some very mature observations in this video ... and we Aussies always like to come out looking better than America when ppl compare the two countries, lol!

[@TristanKuhn]

haha of course yall do. You get us in a lot of categories as well

[@tamrymer4153]

We have those toy machines here in Australia too

[@resourcedragon]

But usually in a shopping mall, near the automatic rocking horse, or perhaps near the doorway of older supermarkets. I don't think I've ever seen them in an establishment I would call a restaurant. (I'm a snob & do not consider fast food outlets to be restaurants.)

[@glenngardner950]

Nice one mate :)

[@Ken.Howard]

Good to hear from you again bud, come back soon. Also and our toilet never ever get blocked hey.... lol

[@knowone353]

America is the greatest country in the world.....until you leave it. Glad to see that your still thinking of us. Stay safe mate.

[@gracedagostino5231]

America is great for some people, but not for all. Lets be honest a lot of rich, or well off Aussies live in the US. It is much better to be lower income, poor, or homeless in Australia than the US.

[@anthonypirera7598]

Yes I understand what you're saying I was in The States in February and March last year and saw the same things. I remember being at Disneyland and turning around to see that all the people were big it kinda hit me that way oh yeah I'm from Melbourne Australia and I'll be back to The States once we get back to normal again

[@PauloSilva-ne6qq]

Spot on! That is what we notice visiting US from Australia or from Europe.

[@c8Lorraine1]

I’m on an Australian pension for the aged and living in 4 bedroom house (rental) eating well and excellent healthcare

[@peterwilson69]

Liked and subscribed!

[@TristanKuhn]

Thank you! Happy to have you!

[@shmick6079]

Yeah I noticed all of those things as an Australian in America a few years ago.

[@resourcedragon]

And the wealth and income inequality are just getting worse.

[@robsengahay5614]

Big thing you forgot to mention here is tipping. Tipping is rare in Australia but it is mandatory in America. This is because people are paid a living wage in Australia and everyone knows this. It is hard when in America knowing the tipping rules.

[@maxfan1591]

Regarding the politics - at the last election I went to vote, and our local voting place was the local primary school. The school had hired a mobile barista as a simple fundraiser, along with a sausage sizzle (hey Americans, get your democracy sausages!). On the way in to vote, members of the various political parties were lined up to hand me how-to-vote pamphlets. By the time I'd finished and got outside, I saw one of the pamphlet people bringing a tray of coffees from the mobile barista back to the other pamphlet people. Never mind your politics, everyone needs a coffee!

[@shaundgb7367]

Motels do not have tea in rooms. Just coffee, weird.

[@bloggaloggs]

They also have no fridges - weirder.

[@ozbrizzie8869]

Stay safe Tristan. I don’t think you will be able to return to Australia for a number of years Tristan as we have no COVID transmissions out of quarantine now and the government wants to keep it that way. Good luck with your life

[@TristanKuhn]

Hopefully sooner than a couple years. Hope this vaccine gets out and distributed in the next year

[@leewilliams5341]

Spot on assessment of America.

[@supergran62]

Yes Yes Yes all of this. Glad to see you are doing well mate.

[@TristanKuhn]

Thank you. Hope you're doing well as well

[@squirralien1863]

Some differences may relate to population, in the U.S. you have cities with the population of Australia or close to it for some, it may not be the reason for things directly but could also be an influence in many things.

[@theadventuresofzoomandbettie]

We noticed being Australians visiting the USA that meals are HUUUUGE. Like, I wasted half of every meal we ate out because I just couldn't fit it in. We thought it would be cheaper, but it was the same $$ just bigger portions than we could possibly eat anyway. Also, how do you live without chicken salt?? How do we have a better KFC than the country it came from? I feel like the USA had about half the menu we have at our KFC.

[@nonglansantos1455]

Having lived in the States before and tried other countries, I agree 100%.

[@mechpatt]

very astute observations, glad you liked Oz!

[@glennthorn367]

you could check out life expectancy of countries you have visited

[@CK8smallville]

No 7 was unexpected and funny!!

[@victorperlain]

So funny! And yes, a half of us guys hate making so much noise in the bathroom if we don't want to be "The Flinstones" making a statement - take a hint fellas! 😅

[@amandajohnson5221]

Miss your videos Tristan. Funny as a county whose Government is pretty non committal on climate change we do like recycling and tackling waste. Keep safe now you are back home 👍

[@carlerle787]

Hope that you are enjoying being back in the USA - be happy!

[@GavinSouthern]

Was waiting for the 1&2 cent pieces. Friendly feedback - what's with the 70's earring??? It costs the government more money to make these coins than their actual worth!!!

[@TJdirect]

I noticed that too my sister used to wear one back in the 70s

[@TristanKuhn]

Haha wasn't alive back then but guess they're coming back in style

[@sunflower-bh4df]

Now you're like us,you have our insight 😂

[@matthewbrown6163]

I study with a USA university as the host of my Ph.D. I received a call from the Dean - "Happy Australia, Day. Gonna toss another shrimp on the barbie & drink a Fosters Lager, mate ?" he asked me. I said we call them Prawns & not Shrimp........... & nobody drinks Fosters ................ once or twice LOL I guess it's like living in a plastic bubble in reality :(

[@mattreynolds7729]

It's not just stealth peeing with the toilets. Pooping so close to the water and getting splash back is disconcerting too. When ever I'm overseas and they use toilets that are 3/4 full of water, my bowel skills increase to make sure I poop as slow as possible.

[@TristanKuhn]

Hahaha, I've definitely been splashed before

[@teejayhaych149]

I must admit i dont understand the passion surrounding politics/politicians in america. Most aussies cant stand them and wouldnt give them the time of day lol. Oh well each to their own 😊

[@MB-gy1xx]

As Australians we hold all politicians in contempt. They are trusted as much as used car salesmen. I cannot understand the worship of these people they are meant to work for the people not be idolised by them Americans look upon them as something special when they need to be realistic they are public servants elected to do a job not make themselves rich!

[@teejayhaych149]

@Harry Betteridge lol yes i remember that. It was hilarious😂

[@tasha389]

Australia has mandatory voting, so the politicians don't have to worry about "getting out the vote". Everyone is going to vote, so they just have to focus on policies that will get them elected. It means that we can have much less heated discussions because the debate is "the oppositions financial plan sucks" not "if you vote for that guy, out country is doomed, they want to murder babies/kill your grandma etc." The rhetoric is just waaay turned down because they don't have to scare people to the polls

[@JW-uy2on]

That’s because your politicians aren’t constantly trying to take away your human and civil rights.

[@law2bob]

1: Australia is awesome. 2: what’s with the earring?

[@petersiekmann5175]

Part of the problem in the states is the naive belief in personal responsibility and suspicion of what is called "socialism". Both the minimum wage and the basic wage are pathetic in the US - it's no wonder workers have to rely on 'tips'. The US overall is a very rich country but selfishly prefers to reward the rich rather than share wealth.

[@williamm8240]

I agree with everything you said. The worst is the recycling. We recycle 5% of all our garbage that is so unacceptable. We should do better. Also we pay way to much taxes. If you think about it when the retail stories get their products they pay taxes on that and then we pay taxes on products that we buy( is that a double tax or a double whamee?)

[@dylanshadowstar9779]

Glad you pointed out the politics. As a non American, the way people treat political parties like a religion is quite disturbing. Politics is supposed to be ever changing but it seems many Americans are disturbing loyal to a party and treat it like their identity.

[@DavesIneosGrenadier]

While ever you have a culture of very low base wage and a tipping culture you will have income inequality. Maybe if US politicians and senior employees got a lower wage and relied on tips to top it up it may well change their attitude. We also have a much better welfare system in Australia. Religion plays a very small part in anyone's life here and we are now down to around 8% of the population that regularly attend church or religious services.

[@milvertonmom50]

One thing I noticed about Americans that is super weird is that you call "University" -College. VERY different schooling in most the world. You can stop that anytime now please. University is NOT College.

[@dogphlap6749]

Not only are US citizens super passionate about politics but the percentage that actually vote is surprisingly low (to be fair voting is compulsory in Federal elections in Australia so very nearly 100%, if you don't turn up to get your name ticked off the roll you risk getting fined).

[@gracedagostino5231]

Right, because a lot of people could care less about politics. I think the US politics get so much media attention world wide, and they show all these political nuts on TV, that people think we care more than we do. Most people couldn't even name their 2 Senators (each state gets 2), but everyone knows that Tom Brady just won another Super Bowl!

[@nomojo1110]

Dude, you make cool, informative, fun & enjoyable videos, so I'm going to tell you now. In 10 years, you're going to regret the earing ;) Cheers mate!

[@TristanKuhn]

Thank you. And we will see in 10 years haha. Right now, I find it fun

[@tylersmalebox]

Good to see your face again !!!!

[@TristanKuhn]

Thank you. Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted

[@tylersmalebox]

@@TristanKuhn no sorries required ... your'e a busy guy!! wish you well!!

[@andrewbristoe1833]

Most I agree I think but australia compared to europe usa and especially uk that has supermarket brands like days of the week we have a huge dual o poly coles and woolies with Aldi coming up a bit yes even in the 80s couldent get over the amount of no go areas and pan handlers in usa from the airport tenderloin area San Fran was a shock

[@TristanKuhn]

Yes, Woolies and Coles dominate Australia's grocery market (guess Aldi and IGA get in there a bit). We don't have a grocery store that dominates the US like. Most regions have about 5+ grocery stores. In Texas HEB is the big one but also Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Randal's

[@48tilt]

Tristan . Great point. Middle class much bigger in Australia. Not being critical