American Suburbs are UGLY and We Should Be Ashamed

[@docvideo93]

This is the most depressing game of Geoguessr ever.....

[@lourencovieira5424]

I got 1 right, damn they all looked identical

[@BooBooBlueBerry]

@@lourencovieira5424 I got 4 right, but I was using terrain, weather, and plant species to help me

[@finlanderxx]

@@BooBooBlueBerry Same

[@lourencovieira5424]

@@BooBooBlueBerry I was really confused though because the Montana one had a flat background with no mountains and I thought that that state was really mountainous.

[@BooBooBlueBerry]

@@lourencovieira5424 Mountainous in the west I think, but the east has some very flat land

[@oskar6607]

I moved from Sweden and lived in the US (suburbia) ages 10-15. While I liked the US - my friends, school and society - the inability to get around and visit friends on my own was increasingly irritating. Always dependent on having parents drive me. Moving back to Sweden meant FREEDOM. Even though we lived in suburban Stockholm I was able to bike everywhere to visit friends, stay out late (without my parents being afraid), bike to school and take the subway into downtown Stockholm.

[@mcjaguilar8667]

That sounds like heaven to many Americans.

[@neutrino78x]

that's not the whole USA, just small towns and suburbs. If you live in a major city like Los Angeles or New York you can get around just fine without a car.

[@facetiouslyinsolent8313]

Funny, as an American born and raised I always biked everywhere until I could drive. I had friends that lived 15 miles away, I used my bike. I wanted to stay out late, I asked my parents and they trusted me. No subways where I grew up and it was perfectly safe and I never missed seeing friends or playing sports. I've never known anything but freedom, but I guess that's just me.

[@ayugoslav5554]

Now try the same in suburban Malmo 😊

[@neutrino78x]

@@facetiouslyinsolent8313 that's why people move to the suburbs to raise kids. :) And of course their kids go back to the big city to earn a living, and then move back to the suburbs to raise THEIR kids. :)

[@andrewfusco7824]

Every country has suburbs. The difference is how they are built. I just got back from a trip to France. There were suburban areas lined with McDs, gas stations, garden warehouses, and mini golf parks. The difference lies in the experience. The roads are half as wide. Numerous textures and colors are used on the street and sidewalk. Traffic signals are firmly attached to poles, not swinging wildly in the wind. Roundabouts are numerous. There is an egalitarian spirit that does not prioritize cars over pedestrians. More people walk. Bus stops are prevalent. Overall, it's a more desirable environment.

[@Trazynn]

The problem is that the US has a strict zoning law that leaves little flexibility in what can be developed. To contrast, Dutch 'suburbs' are still highly compact, often high-end housing (called 'Vinex' if you want to google examples of it), often several homes within a single building.

[@lours6993]

Yes, but most people in France do not have to resort to these 'light industrial / commercial' zones as their town or suburb has grown organically out of a centuries' old village and has a village centre with shops and services. Most inhabitants of mid-sized towns and cities in France have the choice of both, with public transport coverage. I live in central Paris: my public transport is walking, my baker, grocer, bistro, pharmacy, theatre, cafes and metro to the office are all with a 200 metre radius.

[@flaviobidoli6676]

Hi. What do you mean by traffic lights are "not swinging widly in the wind"? Thanks

[@andrewfusco7824]

@@flaviobidoli6676 in many US states (my state of New York included), traffic signals are hung by span wire. The end result looks haphazard.

[@flaviobidoli6676]

@@andrewfusco7824 Alright. Thanks a lot for the clarification. I'm from Europe and have never seen traffic light like that. Cheers :)

[@JeddieT]

_”Where is this? The answer is… everywhere.”_ So unbelievably true.

[@suzannederringer1607]

It's actually NOWHERE. NOWHERE USA.

[@LiberatedMind1]

@@suzannederringer1607 👏

[@silkscreenart5515]

There are actually four real cities in the US. New York, Boston, Philidelphia and Chicago. Everything else is a cultural waste land.

[@samanthaanne246]

AS a former OTR truck driver, I can vouch for this video because I have driven it. It is the exact same shit everywhere. I admit you can't take a Class A truck anywhere you want, but I got a really good glimpse from my drivers seat of how "Copy/paste" Every neighborhood is no matter what State you are in. Some of the Country is beautiful; like heading west on I 40 in New Mexico as the sun is rising and you can see the painted desert in the low day break sun. However, when you get to a town, it's back to "rinse and repeat" on the same shopping centers with the same eateries and the same "anchor stores". I have seen MILES of the exact same style of homes in PHX, Los Angles, Chicago, Dallas/Ft.Worth, Houston, Atlanta.... Each city had it's own flavor of how the houses looked, but each of those cities had rubberstamp style for MILES. When I first started, driving I was so excited seeing all the different places, but after about a year, I realized that no matter if I went to somewhere I hadn't been, it turned out to be the same thing as I'd already seen. I literally told people when they asked me if I saw anything exciting, my reply was : "nyaa, it's all the same". George Carlin even had a bit in his show, about how the USA is just one big shopping mall, and he's totally correct. "Only a bunch of arrogant assholes would take a beautiful Country and turn it into a coast to coast strip mall" ( paraphrased). Everyone in the audience laughed, because the truth is , it's a joke, and everyone knows it.

[@mikearchibald744]

I live in New Brusnwick Canada, and while the suburbs are much like everywhere and now Canadian cities TRY to look as american as possible and yet wonder why more american tourists don't come here to see the exact same thing they can see at home, but one thing I've always loved is that when you travel around this province, NO two houses ever look quite the same. I remember saying that to somebody and they thought I was being sarcastic. Meanwhile, peopel freak about the 'control' of a government that makes every city look identical and controls how you get to work, where you get to work, how long you work for, what you see and hear all day, and yet THAT isn't considered 'control'.

[@youtuberzero2583]

It's the corporate monoculture. I'm sorry but it's garbage. It's against the human spirit. There's a lot of depressing things in America that few will actually admit or talk about.

[@seventh-hydra]

I'm really curious how the I-40 is through New Mexico, because every time I take the 10 through AZ and NM I legitimately want to end my life. It's just mile after mile of flat, boring ass sand, with nothing to look at. It's like Tattooine, or Sand-Kansas.

[@kwasiahenkora6583]

America is one big “coast to coast strip mall” Man, I think George Carlin said it best. Well one way we can begin to make America beautiful again is by OBLITERATING R1 zoning. It has classist and racist origins, and is the main reason why about 90% of the U.S. looks so ugly.

[@Cammi-Cat-XIII]

I was just about to comment on how this video reminds me of when I was an OTR trucker

[@Muninnnr]

As a European, one of the parts that surprised me the most was what you said at 1:30 about how the only restaurants are part of massive franchises. Where I'm from, pretty much all restaurants are small privately owned businesses and they're spread out throughout the city which makes them easily accessible by walking. You're never more than 50 meters from a restaurant and there are so many options available if you want to try something new. Even in small cities you can find plenty of small, locally owned restaurants. Sure, you're likely to also be within walking distance to a Subway or a McDonalds, but you only pick those if there are no other options available to you. I suppose this is a consequence of America's zoning laws; when you only have a limited central place for restaurants, the only ones who are able to get a spot are the large players who can muscle out everyone else.

[@jenniferrogers2492]

This isn’t true-we have other restaurants besides the corporate fast-food places.

[@AldermanFredCDavis]

I live in a very overpopulated state (relative to its size), and I often marvel at how mediocre SO MUCH of the food/restaurants are here.........corporate chains (which are the overwhelming majority) and mom & pop/independents. Whenever I ask aquaintances or co-workers to recommend a place that they consider "amazing".........or even "above average", overwhelmingly, I either get nothing or a place that is highly disappointing.

[@sleepyburr]

The only ones that are within a reasonable distance to most people, at any rate, and probably the most affordable. There are indeed many privately owned restaurants, but they often tend to be clustered in or near city centers, making them a pain to get to, and/or are more expensive. It can be very regional, though: if you know where to look, you can still find some non-chain restaurants hidden out in the small towns. It may take a bit more effort to find them than the nearest McDonald's, but anyone would be sorely mistaken to not seek them out while travelling. I think it's selling America short to act as though the whole country looks like this, and anyone who says so probably hasn't traveled very much. On the other hand, I do agree that waaaay too much of it *does* look like this and you shouldn't *have* to play I-Spy for the good places or rely on the luck of happening to live near them. It does remind me of George Carlin's bit about how huge swathes of this country have basically been turned into one long strip mall, in a sense.

[@kaxerrr]

@@AldermanFredCDavis well im in cali so the food here is good lmao

[@kaxerrr]

@@AldermanFredCDavis probably what you're talking about though so maybe you just don't know any good spots or how to find them

[@soloataraxia]

The time I went to the US, felt like I was on never-ending loop because everything looked the same!! Same typography, architecture, colors. Something that surprised me and cause me to feel like trapped was that the fast food restaurants and walmart /target/ ross etc, they "repeated" themselves like every 100 m. It was insane.

[@mayastic9570]

Yea my US roadtrip was intesting in a similar way. We don't eat fast food. Finding anything edible was a challenge. Best fish I ever had was this small ran down dinery outside off Chattanooga -Tennessee. I don't think that lady had ever met a non-racist white person before, they where very nice and surprised that we would eat there, I hope they are doing well.

[@soloataraxia]

@@mayastic9570 true, finding food that doesn't affect you it's difficult

[@RockyRacoon5]

I went to Florida and that's exactly what I saw lol.

[@salmansengul]

How can you eat something that is not full of fat? Also where can you go for a walk? Where are the sidewalks?

[@scruffyRe]

@@RockyRacoon5 Lmao

[@baklava6138]

When we emigrated to the states back in 1998, I remember my parents driving to the store and sayin”where are the people”? And that stuck with me and I constantly remember the surprise they had. Coming from Europe it was a shock to rely on cars for everything and I always said how bad the lifestyle here is glad more people are realizing it.

[@chadhansen5057]

Why I want to go to Europe so bad

[@TravelinRosy2025]

Agree

[@TravelinRosy2025]

​@@chadhansen5057me2

[@as-guardianangel9360]

Europe is amazing, the US is shameful for such a big and updated place

[@tungstenanderson5991]

@@as-guardianangel9360 lmao. I see what you did there.

[@Roguesta54]

My daughter was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. When she was nine, we decided to move to the US. On the first day, she looked out my brother's front door, and puzzled, asked, "Where are the people?" We lasted only a year and a half in America. We now live in Istanbul, Turkey.

[@ultrasfener8283]

That's wonderful. Do you like Istanbul? I'm a half Greek Turkish man from Istanbul and have been living in Belgium for 4 months. I feel like I've missed my hometown ahhaha.

[@Roguesta54]

@@ultrasfener8283 I've lived in several places around the world. Istanbul is one of my favorites.

[@jamesmarsh9888]

I’ve travelled to Istanbul many times for business and, trust me, it is NOT utopia. You’re constantly being watched by the police, military, etc. it was the first time I e er experienced having my taxi searched (including the undercarriage) by security at my hotel. No thanks, I’ll gladly stay right here in the USA.

[@crand20033]

The people are all stuck in their houses or cars. I have so much fun meeting people when I visit other countries.

[@Anonymouse166]

@@jamesmarsh9888 I was greeted by two FBI agents by airplane door once I landed in Salt Lake City coming from Paris. After two hours of interrogation come to find out it was about a Facebook post I made. Actually it was a trending post I reposted. You might think you’re not being watched but there are eyes everywhere out there if you step out of the norm.

[@GreatQoutes-123]

If you like the suburbs than that’s ok. I have no problem with people who like the suburbs and like living in them. My problem is that these baby boomers made it illegal to not live in a suburb. It’s called *single family zoning* and if you don’t have a car, well it’s game over. Now housing is unaffordable and everything is car dependent. The problem is that most of the country makes it illegal to build affordable non-detached homes thus making the whole country one massive copy and pasted suburb.

[@Onwrikbaar]

To a European it is pretty ironic how the 'land of the free' effectively locks the vast majority of its citizens into a single mode of transport that damages both people and environment, and that turns a potentially beautiful country into sprawling parking lots, bankrupting cities in the process. Single family zoning definitely has to be stamped out, for many reasons including its racist origins and effects.

[@luc8254]

Yes! More people should be taking about those stupid laws.. it's not that americans don't want or are incapable of building a better suburb structure, it's literally those stupid laws that make it impossible!!

[@sunshinelolipops1]

Get a job, maybe

[@LP-kw3kj]

yeah just join the American hivemind and assimilate! great solution!

[@paulmusyk4lyfe51]

White people 😅

[@alejandrocurado5134]

I lived in university areas when I lived in USA and had international roommates. We were an exception and walked everywhere and enjoyed life. But thinking that I would have had to end up living in a soulless suburb, I would get depressed. That's why I left and live happily in Spain

[@hermenegildoc3933]

En España tenemos la España vaciqda

[@gillesguillaumin6603]

Spain is a paradise.

[@tigrehermano]

the hispanic/latinamerican way of life it's far superior and many gringos are admitting it. look up for "Ajijic Mexico", a town that's already claimed by US citizens. xD same with Pesquería, Nuevo León but it's full of South Koreans, now we call it Pescorea.

[@alejandrocurado5134]

@Elesandra Ele you've never gone beyond your state border lol

[@Wash914]

Man, you hitted on the point.

[@rdlewis3616]

Thirty years ago I read a book, “The Geography of Nowhere” which changed my life. It got me thinking about what those in charge did to the U.S. in the 20th century. It is a crime, and now we are living with traffic noise, pollution, overwhelming architecture that is not welcoming to people, and the ugliness of the landscapes shown here.

[@scott4981]

philis colins a ga mason just another day in paradice

[@scott4981]

along every city you'll mason temple sign thier gross slave khaballa heave

[@kenw.4539]

I've been watching this and similar videos and I've been contemplating talking to lawyers about a possible class action lawsuit for mental illness and related issues against the car companies and the oil companies along the lines of the class action lawsuits against Big Tobacco and Big Pharma. Even if a judge dismissed the lawsuit, it would be good publicity. The car/oil companies not only tore up public transit like buying buses and trams and then mothballing them but they also bought up corrupt politicians and city planners to do euclidean zoning and tear up our walkable suburbs so we would be forced to buy cars while they laughed all the way to the bank with billions of dollars of profit and with hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars diverted to support and maintain a car-centric infrastructure. Imagine the kind of public transportation and high speed rail lines we could have built if our tax dollars weren't wasted to support the car at the orders of the car/oil industries.

[@luislugo1289]

As a mexican, when i travelled to the USA I felt the same awkward feeling about their streets. In México it's easy to travel across a city without having a car, because we have many options of public transport.

[@almaconnor9171]

Wonder why Mexicans and others are so desperate to get here. Maybe stay home? Don’t like it, don’t come?

[@angryandy2000]

This is the whole purpose of people like you bashing these American suburbs is you don't want people driving and you don't like the automobile I don't want your stinky virus spreading public transportation lifestyle and keep it in Mexico

[@Sogeking995]

Mexico is a very large country, the vast majority of it does not consist of urban cores with public transport. The same is true for the US. the difference is that massive amounts of people live spread out in the expanses between cities in the US.

[@northstarstatepolitics1652]

Big Cities in America usually have better infrastructure than suburbs and rural areas.

[@me-hc4bv]

Northern Mexican cities are becoming more like American cities in this video.

[@WyvrnOnYT]

This country has some of the most beautiful places on earth, but also some of the most boring and ugly places on earth. As someone who travels around the country a lot I have to say I'm tired of the US looking like this, it's depressing.

[@MACROPARTICLE]

Well it is a big country after all, much like the people who live there, no offense. 😆

[@WyvrnOnYT]

@@MACROPARTICLE I agree, obesity is one of our biggest problems

[@GabrielleTollerson]

thank the corporate overlords

[@GabrielleTollerson]

@@MACROPARTICLE none taken! You're not wrong..Because Whenever I go anywhere,I see more large people and it's sad.. I feel like most of this is caused by our governments and the stuff they put in food now

[@exploitativity]

Ironically, while car dependence produces miserable suburbia like these, it also increases access to national parks and large areas of nature, which is one of the country's best traits.

[@jackal2568]

Sometimes I feel like there is no hope for America, but I am just glad that more and more people are becoming aware of the issue.

[@red.4712]

how does this mean there is "no hope" lol. you may not like the structure but "no hope" is a strong way to put this.

[@corbynite]

Got it better than most in this world at least

[@nar2cc]

@@red.4712in Europe, we try to forget America exists. It's such a headache to think about.

[@DingleDobber]

@@nar2cc I live in America and well, our public infrastructure, from housing to transportation is asinine. We built ourselves around vehicles, plus we glorify cars like no tomorrow. I prefer to bike and walk as much as I can (biking is a bit of an issue as I now live 10 miles out of town itself if I need groceries or to go to work) but even when I lived in a suburb, people would judge me for biking as if I didn't have a vehicle. Mind you I lived a mile, (1.5-7 KMs) from a grocery store and twice that from work. It was about a ten minute bike ride and that was going at a leisurely pace. But it was like a game of cat and mouse, cars everywhere, whatever sidewalks we do have aren't enough for a bike and a person to fit on. Plus the 'bike lane' is just an extra lane for idiotic drivers. Don't get me started on our healthcare or basic education systems

[@jah-jahmarley513]

@@nar2cc good for you, many people in the Americas immigrate to the United States for Hope and last opportunity. I understand if you don’t like America but just remember it’s there anti-nuclear defense systems that is defending your country in Europe (if you’re a NATO ally) it seems the European people are good at taking advantage of the United States and their wealth. Europeans are arrogant without realizing it. I guess it’s your culture 🤷🏾

[@ariannatrapani5824]

Someone commented that Italy has a lot more problems than the US. We have a lot of problems, but very different from the equally huge US problems. I consider my self very lucky to live in Rome, otherwise my life in the last 15 years would have been a hell, or would have been simply finished. First I had to take care of my mother who has Alzheimer and going out walking, speaking and seeing people helped her to have a decent life until the end. The same year she died, I discovered I had a cancer and for these last 5 years I cared for myself mostly alone ( but I have great friends that help me!). I was forced to quit my job and I can't drive anymore but live in the middle of the city so I have my doctor, several pharmacies, 2 supermarkets and plenty of shops, all at a walking distance (even when I feel really unwell). I can go the hospital where I have my therapy with a metro line or by a 10 minutes taxi drive. I can see people and ear voices through my window, and there's an elementary school on one side of my apartments building and I can see children playing outside during break time. I would have been not only desperately lonely but already dead in a US suburb. So thanks for the "thoughts and prayers" but I take Italians problems over US ones every day.

[@ead630]

What are the problems people say Italy has? I've never heard of this

[@stuffums]

Italy is dying out due to very low birth rate and emigration, lots of villages have almost no youth@@ead630

[@watermelon520b]

@@ead630 their government is absolutely terrible (one of the worst in western europe) - fighting on live tv, cussing each other out in parliament, literally zero class and no sense. the mafia pretty much runs the country on the low and people go missing every year, without fail, for trying to fight back against them. and whenever family members do find their loved ones, there is very little to no justice because the mafia has either paid off all the officials OR people are understandably too scared to say anything. there are NO opportunities for anyone under 30 unless you're a nepo baby, so there's a serious brain drain issue going on in the country as anyone with a degree takes off for the uk, canada, australia, and if they can afford it, the states, to find work. the average wage is painfully, criminally low for a supposedly "developed country", so most people cannot afford even the basics and it's only been getting worse with inflation and the fallout from the ukraine war since no one cares about the poor. italy also has one of if not *the* highest poverty rates in western europe, most of them being elderly and students, and again it's only been getting worse as the years go by because again, no one cares about the poor. there is no real social safety net as the government is constantly in debt or defaulting on loans, so many people are stuck with skimpy pensions (like 300-500 euros a month, barely enough to pay rent). rome has turned into a festering trash can cause the mayor would rather do pap walks and buy designer clothes than spend money to clean things up. and every couple of years, the underground nazi/fascist element crawls out from the depths and tries to kick out anyone who isn't italian from the country (you can watch videos of them demonstrating in the middle of the night in rome and smaller cities across the country). i could go on, but italy has a ton of problems. people are delulu and just hate on americans out of envy. we have options - THEY DON'T!

[@Scarshadow666]

@@ead630 Agreed! I'm curious to know more about some of the issues Italy has (the most I can think of is the mafia still existing - albeit not to the same level of power and influence that they used to have, but I'm personally not certain - and that the cost of living is extra expensive in some parts of Italy). He's right that US's problems with infrastructure and car-dependency definitely suck though.

[@johnsilver1800]

Problems of Italy, Spain are migrants and wages. The USA has those two problems, plus 100 more.

[@hanialturk5981]

I remember landing for the first time in America at 17 years old in 1990 all excited wanting to see the high rise buildings that we keep seeing on TV. my uncle picked me up and drove me to the town he lives in, I was literally shocked, I kept asking myself, this can’t be America, this can’t be the same places I watched on TV growing up, where is everybody, this can’t be the city I am gonna live in for the rest of my life..my village back home is more lively than this American suburb. Finally, after I visited downtown and saw the high rise building, I got even more depressed and more disappointed.

[@AndrewManook]

Watch some 'Walk East' videos, you'll see some real cities there, the ones you are looking for.

[@danielpadilla7601]

@@AndrewManook Thanks for recommending the channel, I really love virtual tour videos. ❤👍

[@dhl567]

I literally thought I typed this whole paragraph lol. EVERY SINGLE WORD of yours is true to my situation when I first landed at age 17...except that I came in late 2000s. My uncle lived in the outskirt of a major dense city. I thought it was a small town at that time, but now I realize this area is probably more dense than 95% of the U.S.

[@hanialturk5981]

@@dhl567 wow. Similar story. I hope you got used to living in the U.S. I love America, however i have decided to move to another country.

[@dhl567]

@@hanialturk5981 Well... Yes I have got used to living here. It's been nearly 15 years after all. It was very difficult at first and I wanted to go back to my home country, but all my family is in the U.S., what could I do? It took me more than 10 years to stop hating my life here. But of course, I know not everyone has the same experience. It's great to know that you love America. What makes you want to move to another country?

[@johnwright9372]

I visited my daughter in CA one time and stayed in a Marriott 2 miles away. I walked to her place by fairly circuitous routes and navigating under freeways. On arrival I was asked why I took a taxi instead of calling them. They were all astonished that I WALKED.

[@lezzliea]

They were astonished because, you SURVIVED!

[@Metalton95]

Back in 2014, my family and I were on a US roadtrip. While in Colorado, my family decided they wanted to go 100 miles north to some special shopping place. I decided to stay at the hotel, didn't wanna shop my money away. When I had to get lunch, I had to walk on barren land and cross 3 roads to get to the nearest gas station for some easy, simple food - took 20 minutes in a relatively medium sized city... I suddenly realized why Americans always drove anywhere. Greetings from Denmark! I love my bike and our biking lanes, lol.

[@TheoriginalBMT]

@Rockemsockem unethical?

[@TheoriginalBMT]

@Rockemsockem ohhhh Yeah. It sucks. I thought you meant that it's unethical for people to do that. Not that it's unethical that they didn't make proper pedestrian walkways.

[@gothica3605]

The thing I hate about cars is that people act like they’re in a hurry to go somewhere, when they’re just going to go home and plop on the sofa to watch tv. I live in a small town and, despite that, I’m the only one that walks. It’s nearly impossible to walk across the damn street because, traffic goes a whole mile. Nobody in their cars will let you walk across so, you just end up standing there on the corner even after two cycles of the stop lights changing.

[@Siana-2103]

Lmao fr. Some guy was speeding and cut me off just to go to McDonald's. I was just like 😐

[@Senator_Senart]

@@Siana-2103 yes. I've been trucking for 2 decades and I've noticed people driving into and out of McDonalds (Mcdonald customers) act like they have the right of way.... Doesn't matter what McDonalds, I call it the Mc right of way.

[@johnsamu]

@@Siana-2103 Must have been a very special McDonald's. Maybe they had edible fries from real potatoes and Burgers with real tasty meat? 😉😁

[@felixthecat2786]

Yeah. They're all in a hurry to go nowhere and do nothing. It's just the adrenaline rush that driving creates. When you put up pedestrian walk signals and crosswalks, it really does force people to slow down. Even better would be to ban right on red, u turns, and add rotaries.

[@jomaka]

The public went along with arrangement because they have never been to Europe. This arrangement treats the human being as consumer first...resident and citizen last.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? AIA Money USD SGD

[@deegee-zi5xm]

Yeah.

[@douga.3666]

I moved from Europe to America when I was quite young, and ever since I lived there I had this bad feeling about the way streets and roads were laid out like it made you feel like an NPC. This city design literally kills hundreds of millions of Americans mentally and no one even talks about it.

[@jmtrad1906]

No one talks about it because this is all they know.

[@douga.3666]

@@jmtrad1906 yea it’s so sad that they live in their cars for their whole lives. No wonder 40% of Americans are overweight or obese, they never fucking walk because they have no choice! They are not gonna walk or bike 2 hours to everyplace they have to on a road that isn’t meant for them

[@williammorse8330]

@@nigelmarshallkenyonabbott8684 you are missing the commenter's point - read the reply again - he does not mention urban areas, you do

[@gamewizardks]

It 'killed you mentally' because you were a fish out of water, most likely. It doesn't 'kill hundreds of Americans mentally', though. Source? Yeah... I'm right... Hyperbole.

[@wockyslush666]

Where are you getting that statistic lmao

[@kali_yuga4140]

I moved from Germany to the US many years ago and when I got here, I slowly over time started to realize that something was somehow off in America. I could never exactly pinpoint exactly what it was. When I went back to Germany for about a year I felt I could go places without a car but still could not exactly pinpoint on why that was actually. Everything seemed bigger in the US but that's about all I knew. So I just thought it had to be that way. Because of size differences, or culture or distances. I never understood that it's actually the way things are built here and that it is possible to change. One day when I stayed at a hotel, I tried walking somewhere because it was late and there was still a lot of traffic on the road at night and I just didn't feel comfortable driving for some reason that evening and I had never been there before. I looked on google maps and wanted to walk to the store because google told me it wasn't that far and it would only take me like 10-15 minutes to get there on foot. So I started walking because I needed a few things. I went down the road in the direction google told me on the sidewalk just to end up underneath a bridge with no street lights and the sidewalk just ending. With the store being somewhere on the other side. So I stood there and could not walk to the store because it was just to dangerous. It was dark, there was traffic and no sidewalks. And I was supposed to walk through there somewhere according to google. I had to turn around walk all the way back sit in my car and actually drive there so I could get my stuff. I was totally baffled by that experience and that's where I really noticed something is really wrong in this country when I couldn't even safely walk to the store that wasn't even that far away and I had to give up and turn around & drive. That really made me sad because I just wanted to walk that evening and I just couldn't get where I wanted to go. Very frustrating experience that I will never forget.

[@yesman8708]

Nice name

[@kelf114]

That's the thing that gets everyone who comes here - no one is ready for just how big America is. How much space there is. You probably would have been fine if you'd kept walking. But it's why we're a vehiclular culture. A ten minute walk for you is a twenty minute drive for us. It probably does feel disconcerting when you're used to everything being right around you. When my German pen pal visited us, he wanted to walk from our place into town. He was really surprised just how far it was.

[@burleybater]

A car in a situation like this is kind of like a thing rebirthed from. A protective, coddling, cooing lovely bit of safe surround. We sit in it much like a baby does in a car seat, not quite so strapped in. The landscape requires this resource, to easily and gently remove the terror of navigation through just such inhumane nightmares as described. We spend decades of our lives in pure denial of the contrast between automotive and pedestrian reality. Our daily walks often happen while traversing that part of a parking lot between our car door and the entrance to (pick your poison). "Window shopping" is now as rare as a bunch of kids affording bleacher seats at a major league baseball stadium, all on their own.

[@StrangeRealityVlog]

Where do you live in USA?

[@bucherregaldomi9084]

Man, your story is cool, but why that username? Is that a dog whistle?

[@Zodamay]

For personal reasons I cannot drive cars, it has never really been a problem in Mexico, except when I have to visit the United States, being there I am infinitely grateful for the few times I can safely walk on a sidewalk, this should NOT be normal in a developed country.

[@gunterification]

That's your problem not mine.

[@vemundkremund3221]

@@gunterification don't you think we should design inclusive places to live?

[@neckenwiler]

I wish I lived in a country where people didn’t make it a point of pride to be hostile to people with different needs from them

[@vemundkremund3221]

@@neckenwiler the whole "anti-car"-movement or whatever you wanna call it doesn't want to outright ban cars. but it wants us to recognise that it's inefficient and wasteful if millions of people have no choice but to commute in a car, mostly with just one person onboard. we don't want to restrict people with a car hobby. we don't want to restrict freight, disabled, or craftsmen from using cars. all we want is choice. for most people, driving is just a chore that is part of everyday life. and if our society is designed around cars, then people have no choice but to drive, clogging up highways and making life miserable for themselves and for the people that actually have to drive. the Netherlands has been awarded the best country to drive in multiple times. why? because all the people that choose to bike and use public transport free up space on the roads for people that have to drive.

[@gunterification]

@@vemundkremund3221 There are still lots of cars and traffic jams in the netherlands. You think it's all sunshine and rainbows over there and everyone is biking. That may be true in the cities but not everywhere else. It's also the most expensive place to get gas in europe around 12-13 dollars a gallon. I live 10min from the dutch border and go there quite often. And yes the anti car crowd wants to completely ban all cars by making them unaffordable so only the rich people can use them. The plebs can take the bus.

[@htraygo]

This is going to be the video I show people when they don’t understand what I mean when I say that living in America is depressing by itself.

[@DADA-ey2ir]

I can relate to this topic so much. I came to America 12 years ago as an international student from China. I first went to high school in a little town called Plattsburgh in New York State that looks just like every photo in this video lol. I was a little surprised of how there was so little to do. Later I had visited a few different states across the country and realized that is just what real average American life is. I grew up in a relatively small town in China as well. We don’t have much but people live a lively life.

[@n0rwa117]

Must of visited some shifty places trust I have only seen those types of places three or four times I lived in America for 8 years before mov8 g to Canada its worse here then when I lived in the suburbs of Boston

[@n0rwa117]

Shitty*

[@DADA-ey2ir]

@Nope Franks I think you meant border not “boarder”. I thought you’re supposed to be the more American one.😂😂 To kindly answer your questions. I graduated from Auburn University with an architecture degree and currently operating my own architecture design office on the east coast. So yea, I went to a “real college”and I’m still here. And no one can change that. As far as do I benefit US more than a kitchen staff? I’ll let you decide. Glad you asked.😂 But let me tell you this, every one contributes to this country the way they can. I’m sure that you and I don’t contribute to this country the way Elon Musk does, right? Does that make you a less of a person than he is? Probably not, and I don’t like to judge people that way. I was gonna educate you on why you’re wrong and how fucked up for you to say stuff like that, but honestly you don’t strike me as someone who will come to senses,😂 so I’m not even gonna waste my time on that. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I still hope you’ll find your peace with this world, and focus on improving yourself rather than worrying and hating on immigrants, or the term that you used, “border hoppers”? You will be much more happier if you just do that. Now let’s go champ.😂

[@akallstar5]

I’ll be blunt, upstate New York is one of the most depressing regions in the country. I’m sorry you went to shit parts of the country lol, but I assure you life here for the average person is a hell of a lot better than China.

[@ramencurry6672]

You’re right about the sameness. I’ve traveled all over America and a lot of it pretty much looks the same.

[@Orthodoge]

After staying in Italy for a month I came back depressed at the state of America

[@nataliekhanyola5669]

I don't blame you.

[@PhoenixAura81]

I'm planning on studying abroad in Rome, and I'm thinking I might have the same reaction.

[@rexx9496]

I was in Europe all of last summer. I was deeply depressed as well when I returned. I'm 46 and retirement is still a few decades off but I decided when I retire it'll probably be in Southern Europe somewhere.

[@rexx9496]

@CEO Of Loneliness Inc. Not all American tourists are rich. I stayed in some of these small apartments. It did not bother me. Keep in mind that along with these bigger houses in America is having to drive everywhere to do anything. You need to pick up some milk? Then you have to drive 15 minutes to the grocery store. Want to go to a bar? Drive 30 minutes into town. Unless you live in NYC, this is how most of the US is.

[@rexx9496]

@CEO Of Loneliness Inc. California is one of the most expensive states in US. I'm from there, and I had to leave because I could no longer afford to live there. Nobody goes to California to retire unless they are rich. If you're from Switzerland then that explains why everything is expensive. But most of Europe is not as expensive as Switzerland. I visited Switzerland last summer. Very beautiful country, but oh my god the costs of everything. No, I wouldn't retire there. But maybe Portugal. Also, if a European is are coming to the US to retire, keep in mind you be paying an insane amount for healthcare insurance at that age. You won't be entitled to our medicare system since you aren't a citizen and did not live here long to be eligible. For a retirement age person you may be paying $2000 a month for private insurance plan. And that's just insurance, not even co-pays and deductibles. You friend must have a lot of money.

[@nson__]

The more I learn about the US, the less desire I have to visit it.. let alone, I won't live there ever. As a kid I was fascinated about the US, and I actually dreamed about to live there one day. Not anymore.

[@DouradaBambina]

I understand you. I’m here and moving away gradually, can’t stand its people.

[@yuehan6711]

I live here, this country is either a scam or some kind of depraved performance art.

[@jammydoughnuts]

I get what you mean. As a child, I remember seeing quirky documentaries about the US and how everything was "bigger and better" in America. I thought it was the coolest place on earth. However, the more I learned about the US as I got older, the less interest I had. I've been to NYC before and it was okay, but there's nothing special about the city that I want to experience again. Time Square was just a crazy busy area with millions of advertisements and the subways and streets were absolute filth. Other locations in America don't interest me much either. It all seems so boring outside of a few odd places of interest.

[@adhirajsingh8920]

I think its a good country It's just that its citizens are always moaning and crying about everything in the whole wide nation.

[@prairieweasel]

America isn't beautiful, vast areas of it are incredibly ugly.

[@lukaswithakay]

Aaaaand depressingly, you get the same old crazy lunatics in the comments saying “If you don’t like it, leave” I don’t understand this mentality. Can anybody with that argument explain to me why you like living in a place where it’s dangerous for children to play outside?

[@muhammad-bin-american]

The other day I decided to walk around a neighborhood I was visiting just for exercise and someone called police for "suspicious activity". Or the fact that HOA's complain that kids run a lot in the area and that too many bikes are outside. I'm sorry but America is one giant prison and I have been saying this since the first day I stepped foot in DC. I saw so many parked cars but no people and I kept asking my brother where are all the people?

[@99cooking.]

I've noticed this every time I come back from my trips to central america. The moment I land in the US and go thru customs I can already feel the strict police state. I was born here but never fully experienced it until I came back from abroad

[@kalebjimenez3852]

The same happened to me, I use to walk along a road next to a nice neighborhood until I was stop by the police on the ‘suspicion’ of me being an armed individual reported by neighbors

[@neutrino78x]

you don't need a car in DC it's dense

[@paulpavlinskyi4793]

@@99cooking. I grew up in Europe and lived there up to 23, at 24 I relocated to the US and I can tell that the US feels more relaxed and overall less judgmental. At least from my experience.

[@julieana4695]

@@paulpavlinskyi4793 I'll give you the non-judgemental part, as I think Europeans and Americans are both judgemental and set in their ways so it depends on what they are judgemental on. But relaxed? The US? I'm curious what you understand by relaxed because I've never seen a society so stressed, so afraid of anything and everything, so lacking in basic social support and community spirit, so individualistic and corporatist as the US.

[@nout1972]

As a kid I used to idealize American suburbia. Having grown up with 80's American movies I liked the aesthetics, warmth, protectiveness and coziness of those houses. Surrounded by lots of trees and green. Even in the Freddy Krueger universe there always was something comforting, I could go there, be happy and easily take a villain with knives for fingers in my nightmares for granted. But it was always from the narrow, seclusive perspective of a child or a teenager, you never got to see those depressing highways and intersections just outside the living area in the suburbs those parents had to travel for work. I think I would be completely miserable living in the suburbs in the US.

[@Nick-dy4gk]

Yea but the city is far worse. Maybe more to do if u like being around people but if u like a more laid back life style or not being on guard 24/7 then the suburbs are way better

[@safe-keeper1042]

Even the suburbs themselves can be miserable. You often don't have anything but endless rows of houses within walking or even biking distance, and so you depend on your parents to drive you whenever you have to do *anything*. It takes away so much of children's and teens' independence and growth.

[@ignaciodominguez3214]

I can very much relate with you. Those suburbs are very charming but the modern suburbs are hideous. Very flimsy and plain. barely any trees.

[@JediMasterMusk]

I'm often told to "go outside", or do something besides reading books or playing games. But there's nothing motivating me to do that. I know there's nothing out there to see, besides cookie cutter suburbs, highways and boring supermarkets. Everything is consumerist by design. I know I'm not a lazy person, growing up as a teenager I went through rigorous training as an athlete so I know hard work. When I go out I get a sense of voidness that immediately reminds me why I prefer to stay home. Since I moved to America my life got static and boring. I can't judge the entire nation but my city is the worst place I've ever lived.

[@alliedog6678]

@@JediMasterMuskI love sitting on my back porch, but there’s a 50 mph not 200 feet from me. The car noise is awful.

[@Jabberstax]

As an American living in a suburb of London, I will admit it's nice to be able to pop down to the local store at the end of my street for a pint of milk. There's are 3 parks within a 10 min walk from my front door including a nature reserve. The schools and doctors are within walking distance and I'm close to the underground network which gets me into central London withing 30 mins. I wish suburbs in America were like this.

[@1314-q9f]

I live in a small big city in Michigan, and it’s such a refreshing change from the suburbs I used to live in. I’ve lived here for almost four years and don’t ever plan on going back. The ability to walk/bike/take public transportation anywhere I need to go, parks every few blocks, and lack of chain restaurants is such an improvement.

[@plumeria66]

You are lucky. Don’t leave ever.

[@zuzanazuscinova5209]

They are. But in the US they are called inner cities.

[@dtown313]

Same here in South Korea. Where I live now, there are 5 convenience stores within a couple a minute walking distance, a large mart, smaller markets, restaurants, bars, etc and I can get to them all on foot! It's great! The one negative is not bike lanes but that's slowly starting to gain traction among people's wants here. I never want to live in an American suburb ever again.

[@joshitheyoshi2533]

New York (the equivalent of London) IS like that. The outer boroughs are the suburbs.

[@findingtruth7323]

I'm a European, and some of the pictures you showed remind of that empty, soulless feeling of an early AI generator dreamed picture. It's so depressing it looks unreal.

[@Movingforward2000]

The US is no future country that`s sure.

[@theintrovertedaspie9095]

Btw how do you feel about ai?

[@archimetropolis]

@theintrovertedaspie9095 depends, ai is an incredibly broad subject.

[@rickyc4905]

As an Asian guy it is kinda scary walking down the sidewalk in the US sometimes. Most of the time you are they only person walking in a mile radius and I lost count how many times people would honk, and yell racial profanities at me for no reason. It’s nuts.

[@SpriteIsSpicyWater]

what state are you in?

[@rickyc4905]

@@SpriteIsSpicyWater Kansas. Not the most progressive state in the US lol.

[@gytan2221]

@@rickyc4905 no wonder lol… there’s a lot of bigots there, you should move to the west coast.

[@Bkis334]

The stats and truth show you’re likely to be killed by a black person as a Asian

[@jrt2792]

Ohioan here, That part of the country isn't very diverse so I can't really say that I'm surprised by that. East Coast is more open-minded.

[@Fatima-hl2qg]

I was in Gambia in Africa this summer and we were staying in a suburb neighborhood. It’s nothing like my childhood suburb in America. People actually go outside and there are like corner stores and a small market right outside the gates which are very walkable. Even tho most people can afford a car, they all still walk and talk with their neighbors casually. I wish this is how America is, it’s literally so depressing coming back home.

[@美美-g1i]

deobi

[@coffeecigarettes9422]

I remember being an European tourist in Miami Beach about 30 years ago. When we were arriving at the hotel at the fancy Collins Avenue during the evening I just wanted to have a walk to get some fresh air, some first impressions of the famous neighborhood and a package of cigarettes. After a couple of minutes I realized that I was the only pedestrian even there was a sidewalk (at least at most parts of the street) but else cars only. The only humans I met after about 30 minutes were some black folks who were sitting on the ground and who were questioned by fully armed and white cops. After that I had enough and took a taxi which got me a lift for 5 bucks back to my hotel. The very friendly cab driver wasn't annoyed at all that I needed a ride for just a fews miles. He also got me some cigarettes because I had not find any store or kiosk during my walk. So at the end it was a very disturbing first impression of Florida and we found out that we had to use the car for really everything we wanted to do. At a motel down in Florida we had to drive to a restaurant which we could see from our entrance door. The reason why we didn't walk was an Interstate between the motel and the restaurant plus a huge parking area and there was no possibility to make the way by foot safely. One year later we had a nice appartment in a suburb of St. Petersburg but without breakfast. However there was a nice bakery pretty near by - but no sidewalk at all which made me using my car every morning for a ride less than 3 minutes. I felt very ashamed about it but there was no other safe way to get some fresh food. I could tell lots of more stories like this during my time in the US but finally I just want to remark that I usually love driving a car and I do it a lot. However everybody knows meanwhile how bad this is for the environment especially when you do just short distances. It costs fresh air and lots of space. So I am glad that my place of living (a village near by a big city) looks different and I can use my bicycle (which I also love to ride) or my own feet to make it safely to a shop or my kids to school. And believe it or not: very often we cycle or walk just for pleasure :-)

[@makesnodifference]

Collins Ave, I wonder if you were in Surfside, famous for it's condo collapses

[@coffeecigarettes9422]

@@makesnodifference No, in Miami Beach we stayed at a hotel, more precisely at Eden Rock. It was pretty nice but long time ago. However due to Google Maps it still exists.

[@VestedUTuber]

Having visited Miami Beach myself recently, I think either you were on the outskirts or the town was completely overhauled, because area I visited was completely different. Pedestrian-only areas, relatively high density development and incredible walkability, without sacrificing outside access (which is something a tourism city without a direct connection to a long-distance transit hub needs to be able to maintain). Side note, don't go to Miami if you want to drink, unless you like sake. Because sake is the only thing they don't upcharge over 100% for.

[@shaunigothictv1003]

@@coffeecigarettes9422 Agreed. Thanks for being honest.

[@cliffordrosen852]

Born, raised, and still live in NYC. Yes, it's pretty expensive here but I count my lucky stars I live here every day. I couldn't imagine growing up or living in these depressing suburban hellholes.

[@royerthedestroyer7]

Same here

[@CarraThomas]

But do ever think if a big natural disaster or something like martial law occurred don't you think it would be easier to round up more ppl in the cities?

[@tommartel7386]

Yeah I'm sure it's fun to live in a city that's over run by criminals that you can't defend yourself because if you try to defend yourself you got a guy like Alan Bragg that'll lock you up but let criminals loose

[@moneyhoon5044]

I am American but have lived abroad for over 15 years (Europe & East Asia), and every time I go back to the states I always experience reverse culture shock. It always stuns me having to spend so much time simply traveling from one place to another in a car to do the most basic things in life, and no one ever seems to notice how odd the built environment is, how "normal" it is to have a world built exclusively for the automobile, not the person. A Danish couple once told me, "Yeah, we went to visit our son who was an exchange student in Arkansas for a year, and we really wanted to visit the town he lived in, but no matter where we drove we never got to any place. We didn't understand it."

[@poetcomic1]

"An ugly city is an ugldy idea about man."

[@ph-vf5hx]

As somebody who's never been to America, the cities remind me of dreams where I'm in the these large subliminal places whihh infrastructure and carpark and commercial buildings that are dotted among a vast, open, but otherwise dead and empty landscape.

[@Sniperboy5551]

Do you know why? Because America is much larger than most countries. It’s a simple reason, yet everyone wants to act like the suburbs are a problem. As someone who lives in the suburbs, I can assure you that we’re perfectly content with them.

[@avinashreji60]

@@Sniperboy5551Denial, Size of a country has nothing to do with it. Quit drinking kool-aid

[@scottd7222]

​@Sniperboy5551 thank you 😂 forget the damn overcrowded bs

[@mylesnmore]

I've lived outside of America since 2004, my friends and family don't understand me. They ask me when I'm going to move back. "To what?" I say "the suburbs full of isolated housing, I have to drive everywhere and eat fatty carbs 24/7 ? No thank you. There is a different kind of "difficult" living overseas, but adventure always awaits.

[@aljond941]

Where are you living now?

[@Sogeking995]

Are you from a place where suburbs don't have grocery stores that sell fresh produce? You know you don't have to eat McDonalds just because it's there, right? The us has the highest variety and availability of fresh food in the world, suburbs included.

[@nonic4vic600]

@@Sogeking995 you still need a car to go to those grocery stores

[@Sogeking995]

@@nonic4vic600 And when I lived in Germany I needed to ride a bus or a train to get to the grocery store which also costs money, and the store had less variety and was open less days and for less hours and I could only carry a small amount of items, so I had to go basically every day. There are always compromises everywhere. Nowhere is a perfect fairytale land that does everything objectively better than somewhere else. And when you actually live somewhere else, the excitement and shine of things being different wears off eventually and you can see the convenience or lack thereof for what it really is.

[@GabrielleTollerson]

isolated housing and houses that look like neighborhoods were all copy and pasted

[@bulbasaur5203]

This was so hilariously depressing. It’s true we as Americans need to redefine how we live, we are unknowingly killing ourselves.

[@sweetcheeks5775]

Well that’s dramatic

[@UShypocrisyBSmanagement]

@@sweetcheeks5775 I’ve traveled the world and people very fat and stupid compared to the places I’ve visited. Also the U.S. lifespan is shortening yearly.

[@melissabrock4114]

You should look up "hilarious"

[@akallstar5]

Grass is always greener. Pretentious people from the EU have convinced you that the US is always in some kind of state of crises, even getting down to extraordinarily niche differences like this to find ways in which they’re superior to cope with the fact that the US basically saved the continent and rebuilt it after WW2, and have been running things since then. They have more cities, it’s more densely populated. We do too. You can choose to live there or not. Simple.

[@jonathanryan2915]

Move to the country. Rural living makes you feel more alive

[@ryguystudios64]

As a fat 17 year old, this is so true. Btw I’m not super fat but I am unhealthy. I live in a small town in Northern California but I do not live in the town but I live on the outside. I live in the forest and mountains and is not surrounded by houses. I’m pretty lucky I guess. But my town takes 10 minutes to go there and those pictures you showed looks the exact same as my town. We have 5 or 6 fast food restaurants everywhere spread out across in my town. It’s so tempting to just buy some food even though it’s not that good. The food is alright. I’m planning on loosing weight and I’m pretty good already at resisting fast food. I’ve been going on like walks every other day out in nature with my dog and it’s peaceful. Also I do live in a peaceful area. I’m glad I don’t live in the suburbs. My dad did when he was a kid and hated it. When we drive past suburbs he complains that the houses are too close and how it’s horrible to live there. Also I do not have a license or drivers permit and I’m working on that right now.

[@nappa3550]

Fast food is literally the only jobs in my area that are hiring, and retail. The city I live near and work in is extremely impoverished, and literally everywhere looks like the thumbnail in the video

[@MaxVliet]

Something tells me that the city planners responsible for these stroads are among the 40% who never travelled outside the US...

[@Spido68_the_spectator]

If not corrupted by car companies

[@sandal_thong8631]

Just saw an hour-long movie _Taken for a Ride_ saying Congress voted time and again against letting states use their gas tax money on public transport. Roads or nothing.

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

@@Spido68_the_spectator Americans just want more space and less tiny apartments

[@Spido68_the_spectator]

@@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7 Nah. Just made up and wrong, and bs from car and oil companies that stigmatised ghettos. Americans are being forced to live in expensive real estate that can't afford itself. There are no living options whatsoever. Many people will be perfectly happy in a well - situated, well - equiped appartment. No to mention they can have various sizes - but that's illegal in car dependant US and Canada. As shown by the pandemic, amercians want more various housing options that can fit their taste, mood, familly and wallet. Remove those bs zoning laws and build all kinds of middle housing, and see people floding into them, as current pre - 1950 suburbs are unfordable due to enourmous demand. 4 - 6 floor buildings, with different sizes, shapes, colors will make thing feel much better, with appartments ranging from 30 to 150 m^2, you get everybody covered. Also, the fun of balconnies.

[@northbreeze0111]

And every time another lane is the perfect solution...

[@marlonhengtgen3004]

I've been complaining about this problem for years, and I feel like I'm crazy because I never hear anybody else talk about it, until now.

[@rexx9496]

Same here. I love reading comments on videos like this because I feel like I'm not alone.

[@pauIlo]

@@rexx9496 We're not, buddy.

[@RoseCalyx]

​@@rexx9496 exactly 😭

[@anthonyzapata2299]

lmaoo this was me when i moved to north tampa from NJ. no one knew how trapped they were. drove me crazy. had to move back

[@tvfan14]

I have also been complaining about this for years. This is the first time I have heard of others talking the sameway.

[@michaelwoehl8822]

This is an understatement, we used to have an untouched beautiful country, what we have now is an unrestricted nightmare.

[@John_DaMan]

As an asian american who immigrated to New York City when i was young and have been living here for 30yrs+, i always thought America was just NYC. MY parents were poor and never had a car, so i always used the subway and just went everywhere within the city confines.Then it wasn't until i got a car ride out to NEw jersey that i was in shock. Everything was so boring, plain, spaced apart and soulless. But i had no idea what most of america was like that. Then my lil brother who got a job in Jersey began travelling for work and he told me that most of America was the same and boring. I myself never had the privelege of traveling outside of New York City until my late 20s. So it wasn't until recently when i got older and started traveling to other states and cities like Dallas, hoston, upstate new york, carolina, atlanta, that i realized that most of America was just a completely boring and soul sucking suburban experience. it's just terrible. I love living here in Queens, NYC, but rent is very expensive. However, living in a cheaper place like Dallas, i'm not sure if i could survive that kind of lifelessness. I think i might just save money and move back to my Country of Vietnam and live there when i am older, if i am forced to live in surburb due to lower cost, i'd rather live in Vietnam than Dallas

[@Me-eb3wv]

Sounds like a good plan I’d retire in another country too. USA is only a place you move to study and work. If you saved any money at all and you’re at your retiring age it’s best to move to another country where the standard of living is not only cheaper but better aswell.

[@StochasticUniverse]

Speaking as somebody who has only lived in the suburbs my entire life, I wonder what you imagine to be so "soulful" about NYC that the suburbs don't have. Are you just judging the appearance of the place, when viewed from an urban bias? Do you have a pathological hatred of trees? I'm genuinely curious, lol. I've never lived in NYC, only been to visit a couple of times in the life, but I think we all have a stereotypical image of it that I suspect, like most stereotypes, is heavily informed by a kernel of truth: nobody talks to each other, if you're walking in the street, it's not like you're going to strike up a random conversation with a stranger, like, ever. In this way, I suppose NYC is analogous to a man adrift on the ocean: surrounded by water, but none of it is drinkable, none of it is available to actually meet your human needs and nourish you. Cities have always struck me as being that way. You're surrounded by people, but you don't make human connections with any of them, essentially ever. Suburbs seem better for that, to me. Random people will smile and say hello as you go past them. Sometimes you wind up actually talking to them and sharing an unexpected dose of humanity. Does this happen in NYC? I...can't imagine that it does, at least not on any kind of regular basis. I dunno, man. It feels incredibly strange to me for a New Yorker to call any other place "soulless". I always thought New York was one of the most soulless places on Earth. But, as with most things, I suspect it depends on what your definition of "soul" is.

[@archangel4747]

@@StochasticUniverse Never in my 18 years of living in a suburb have I had the "random people smiling and saying hello", if they were to, they'd be doing so out of awkwardness. Living in a suburb was always and still is, so lonely. Your argument sounds a bit biased, as logically being by more people would increase your chances of interaction. If I ever had an instance where I talked to someone in my suburb, 9 times out of 10, it was done so from my car.

[@viviennekomatsu]

⁠@@StochasticUniverse Bru I’ve lived in suburbs all my life shits so fucking ass no neighbors ever go outside or talk to each other most people don’t talk to each other boring environment,, I went to NYC for like a month wit friends who lived there and had the best time of my life I met tons more people walking around and out and about going to places than I’ve ever met at my suburban shithole, NYC has more to do than any majority of places in the US

[@hunterericson6782]

Yes buddy that is why the second I accidentally landed in nyc as a travelling cell tower worker, I never turned back to these places. They are THE WORST !!!

[@andylaur2888]

My girlfriend and I have been traveling the US in our van, and have come to call these suburban areas as 'everytown USA'..... The depressing copy/pasted towns are so apparent when you are driving through them, but I wonder if people think their town is 'special'. Its really cool to see someone talking about this. It needs to change.

[@penulisbaru360]

Actually there have been changes in the last 10 years. New areas have been built in "town center" style where residential and businesses are in the same area, with a public square in the middle, usually with fountains and podiums for local shows. But instead of a church as a focal point like in Europe, we have a library or art center. A lot of big indoor malls have also been demolished and rebuilt as such.

[@penulisbaru360]

This is the suburb where I live. It used to be a soul crushing "everytown USA". Not anymore and more suburbans are building the same town center kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWe0qZ-HdqmBY6M

[@lemsip207]

It can be like that in the UK as well with the same styles of architecture all over the country depending on when they were built but at least the city centres look different except those bombed out in the Second World War such as Coventry and Plymouth.

[@mxbx307]

There's a reason why Springfield is so generic and they never state its exact location - it's supposed to be Anytown USA and living up to a stereotype. And in my opinion and experience, it definitely does.

[@mxbx307]

@@lemsip207 The UK is getting like that with these "garden cities" and newbuild estates where you can't manage without a car, yet there's nowhere to park the damn car in the first place and the access roads are so narrow that you can barely cycle on them. "Affordable" homes, yours for £500k despite being barely habitable due to snagging flaws.

[@dontgetlost4078]

A good chunk of it is the stupid zoning and parking minimum that makes it deceptively expensive for its worth for most but the biggest corporate trashes out there. These places are built knowing that people won't look, and "looking" is one of the key factors that bring people into a shop in the first place, people who are willing to try. Stroads like these don,t allow that, they are so poorly designed and look so depressing that you want to get away as soon as possible, and get frustrated when they can't because the red light lasts a little too long for their liking. So only the most established of corps can ever find any minimum of success in these places, and even then they have to treat workers like peasants to ensure that. The zoning needs to be changed, so that there's a better mix, which will lead to the better shopping areas around the world.

[@altriish6683]

Also, live where you work/work where you live. I can't believe people that live tens of miles from work, unless their work is super lucrative, in which case you still shouldn't live like that, but not because of money.

[@abinlukasabraham]

its crazy how much parking there is here. its all wasted land

[@dutchman7623]

"... which will lead to the better shopping areas around the world." This is the USA and maybe Canada. The rest of the world is smarter, in both meanings.

[@MaxVliet]

There are 8 times as many car parking spaces than there are cars in America, and there is a metric crapton of cars...

[@abinlukasabraham]

@@MaxVliet crazy.. Especially in cities

[@cmudd9788]

This video makes me glad that I grew up and live in rural America. We have a variety of mom and pop businesses, a locally owned grocery store, lots of local farms so our food doesn’t come from halfway across the country. We even have a local restaurant that serves straight from farm to table meals. The best cultures are found in the smallest towns in America.

[@crand20033]

I eat mostly at Whole Foods Market hot bar. They get their food from local farms. I don't eat fast food.

[@professional.commentator]

Ironically I had a similar experience growing up in the city. 😅

[@pregnanttomato9576]

@@professional.commentatorI was just gonna say. This is actually a similarity between cities and rural America. I grew up in Flint, MI with many family owned businesses. Restaurants, barber shops, corner stores, a little bit of everything.

[@craigwillms61]

yippee for you

[@pregnanttomato9576]

@@craigwillms61 thanks! :)

[@paracausalotter2689]

On top of all this, for people who don't have a car, walking places always makes people look at you suspiciously. I've had the cops called on ne simply for walking or riding my bike through an area. There are people *in cars* who see you as a pedestrian and automatically think "they're up to no good". They scout for you, mostly intent on ruining lives. I was riding my bike through a neighborhood to meet up with some friends, on the way I was stopped and arrested because some dude in a black escalade felt threatened by me. They gave the excuse that I was loitering or prowling, slammed my head into the top of the cop car, and booked me for a night. The case was thrown out but it was traumatic. I'll see these systems fall if it's the last thing I do. Down with this dystopic hellscape.

[@thatsmyeviltwin8704]

woah what the fuck?? for riding a bike you got ARRESTED?? thats... what? I'm from the Australian suburbs, and while i dont really ride my bike anywhere i can easily walk to meet up with friends at a park or a local grocery shop and catch the bus into town, or maybe a train to get to the city or a further shopping centre... thats so horrible that you guys cant even do that. i would die if my parents had to drive me everywhere bc they just wouldnt, and i would have zero social life do you have buses or trains at least? or trams? i have a bus stop literally down the street from me, which i can take to the train station and go anywhere i want

[@paracausalotter2689]

@@thatsmyeviltwin8704 we've got bus stops for the most part, they just don't take the routes I need. Trains are rare, but they exist in some places. It's hard to fathom but sometimes situations just escalate too quickly.

[@jennifertomaiolo]

Yes, I've had the cops called on me for just walking around too. I was in the town where I grew up visiting family, but I live in NYC now and hate to drive. Just walking in the suburbs is cause for the freaking cops to be called.

[@felixthecat2786]

What a horrible experience, I'm so sorry. This sounds sadly accurate though. Everyone is paranoid because they don't interact with people in anyway. They sit in their houses all day long. They sit in their cars all day long. They go into these giant big box stores and don't speak to anyone. So everyone is "up to no good." People are absolutely losing their minds in suburbia. It's what isolation does to people. I also think it's responsible for the "loneliness epidemic." People are just so lonely in these places. They know that something is missing, but can't quite put their finger on it. There's zero sense of community. What's sad is that we're raising our children in these places and telling them that it's good for them. It would be one thing to say "hey we're too broke to afford a condo in the city." At least kids would know that you're not intentionally punishing them by forcing them into an asphalt wasteland. We have the audacity to tell children that this is better, healthier, and (in fact) the American Dream! How sad is it that people call this the "American Dream." Who thinks this is ideal? This lifestyle is a horrifying nightmare hellscape.

[@YaBoiHakim]

Great video. The worst part of American suburbanism is when it's exported as a model to third-world countries.

[@rnt__]

As a chilean I can confirm this. Our nation is much more than that but suburbs keep emerging and killing our culture .

[@theallseeingeye9388]

Malaysia. It began under Mahathir and it doesnt look like its going to stop even when the Klang Valley is now one concrete block spanning three states with a Federal Territory in between and another just out of reach of the endlesly sprawling out one new suburb after another. This is despite water shortages that became a 4 year ones cycle following the El Nino phenomena is now a yearly event. Not only that, we saw unprecedented flooding with the worst hit area in the Klang Valley that was built on land designated for water retention during heavy downpour. The land was redesignated 30 years or so with a healthy amount of cash changing hands as usual.

[@JairoSouzajcdecade]

Sadly, Brazil also got caught by this nightmare in many states.

[@joseportales713]

@@rnt__ de que parte de chile eres. Coincido contigo, pero se viene hablando hace décadas ya el tema. El problema es que esta manera de hacer ciudad y lugares está institucionalizado a lo largo de muchas empresas y servicios gubernamentales. Pararlo no creo que sea una opción, pero empezar por identificar a los grandes actores es un buen comienzo. Saludos desde Santiago

[@diplodocus3]

Faxxxxx

[@desireandfire]

I love a man who also despises American city planning and the fast food industry 😩🤞

[@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7]

Canada is just the same 😢

[@JayaMadhavadas]

He Nailed it.....Americans become a TRASH CAN.OF- FAST FOOD PLACES,, Designed for Consumerism with----,No Class at ALL.

[@tunde_b5662]

@@abimaellopezmaylord27lopez7 : You Right !!

[@arabcadabra8863]

What planning?

[@TimoteoDeBaum]

@A Shot of Hennessy right half the influencers who make videos on capitalism and American culture participate in i even if they disagree with it. Really hard to opt out unless you’re rich lol

[@021mr5]

As someone who grew up in a city of 5 to 10million (depending on the time of day) people, I would love to live in your suburbs where I could actually feel some privacy. Don't take your suburbs for granted, support small businesses instead of corporations.

[@_dirkidirk_]

You can have suburbs with this amount of privacy,in terms of your own backyard and access to a car, even while the city is comfortable for walkers, bikers and transit takers. So I will actually take these suburbs for granted (and support small businesses).

[@SpenserB.]

Small businesses don't survive in the suburbs. they take up residence in the bombed out carcass of a multi million dollar businesses that has gone belly up or that just abandoned that location for greener pastures. the small business only lasts for a year or so at most before it dies due to lack of cash needed to sustain remaining in the location.

[@felixthecat2786]

There's no privacy. Privacy is an illusion. Your neighbors are ALWAYS watching you and observing what you're doing. How you maintain your lawn, what your kids are doing in their own backyard. Someone called the police on a woman because her children were playing in the back yard while she watched from the kitchen window. Can you even imagine that?? Also, the HOA owns your ass. There's no way to decline this either. You're just forcibly "grandfathered in." If the HOA doesn't like what you're doing to your property, they can literally kick you out of your own neighborhood. Finally, unless you pay cash for your house you don't technically own it. The bank does. Even if you did pay cash you can still lose your house if you can't afford the property taxes.

[@felixthecat2786]

Also small businesses are becoming rare in these places. The big box chain stores and restaurants own every single space in these strip malls. They will buy properties in those malls with the intent and purpose of keeping other businesses out of the plaza. They're actually destroying small businesses because small business owners can't keep up with fast food costs.

[@Shibby27ify]

I've had multiple nightmares about suburbs following me, being endlessly built. Not a monster or something, but suburbs!

[@june_v_bloom597]

hearing "If you got that, good job. You're probably just lucky." is one of the most soul-crushing congratulatory messages ive ever heard .

[@roberthindle5146]

I think a large part of the ugliness in North American suburbs is the unsightly grid of high voltage knitting strung up above the sidewalks and roads. In most of Europe, electricity and phone cables are routed in underground conduits inside urban areas. The only time you see cables is where trams run.

[@AM-lz2jr]

Nah.

[@lateolukeor5641]

the poles ruin the natural landscape

[@vali20vali20vali20]

Europe is WAY bigger than the few over rated cherry picked places in Western Europe. Most of the continent looks like a war zone, things are depressing for real, with the constant lack of infrastructure and undeveloped places, and yeah, high voltage cables are there as well just fine; where I work, they're right at the back yard. Furthermore, it takes half an hour for a few of kms because, as opposed to the previous point in common, here we do not have a fraction of the infrastructure America has. So yeah, Western Europe =/= Europe.

[@vali20vali20vali20]

@axoqwerty Yeah, but that’s the thing, that ‘Europe’ is basically a fake Europe considering how much more ‘Europe’ there is outside of that. I value freedom more than an apparent sense of modernity. Modern means giving up your best industries to China in the name of questionable political goals?

[@vali20vali20vali20]

@axoqwerty Western Europe is not representative for Europe as a whole or as an idea. It’s not a “half”. There’s the UK, the Russia Federation, ex-Soviet states, ex-Soviet satellites, former unaligned countries, Greece, Turkey, the Baltic countries etc. Western Europe is just a group out of all those, not representative for how actual life is throughout the majority of the continent.

[@Arejen03]

im from Germany Dusseldorf, and when i was 13 i visited my unckle in Oregon Portland suburbs. Most depressing areas i ever saw

[@lebensgesetze]

This is a very important issue that I believe our generation will be tasked with addressing. So much of what went into the creation of these areas stems on our addiction to consuming and materialism, as well as our laziness.

[@Redmanfms]

There is a much bigger issue that lead to the creation of suburbs. One that people like you are too cowardly to address

[@Diana1000Smiles]

Oops, you forgot Climate Change. Humans will be obsolete by 2100.

[@mikeyorkav4039]

No, the trust fund brats of the capitalist class will continue this hellscape through force... We have to kill them

[@katharineellis3809]

An insidious conspiracy everywhere

[@nodarikirtadze8220]

Every human in the world is materialistic lazy and consummerist. That's not an American issue

[@averagejoe8358]

I feel like other countries are becoming this too. In the UK town I live in, the town center is dominated by massive brands and corporations. Tescos, Primark, even massive American brands like Mcdonalds and Burger King. Despite us wanting more to do, they've literally just built a new Popeyes restaurant not even 20 yards away from Mcdonalds. And this is saying something, because McDonald's and Burger King are right next to each other. Want a bus? A ticket to go ONE WAY costs as much as £6 alone. Want fuel to drive your car? Hand over a tenner. Want stable roads to drive on? Tough luck, we're gonna close this road and work on it for three weeks, only for it to have more potholes and be more shitty than it was before, and then work on the road adjacent to that so the process starts all over again. There used to be culture, but the council tore this culture down in order to build more houses. The only reason my town exists is for its residents to give their money. All you can do is shop. We are degenerating into pathetic corpulence and laziness. Britain is becoming Americanised.

[@purest_evil]

Trust me, its been happening longer than you noticed now; In more ways than just American fat food

[@danielkoher1944]

Trust me I would much rather change my citizenship for yours.

[@davidc9135]

Yeah but these businesses wouldn't exist without clientele. So of course they exist because people use them. We're just the fringe minority who aren't down with it

[@flashbeaster]

north ?

[@coolioso808]

You are absolutely right, it is scary how this is happening all over the world, even in Europe, where many cities have traditionally been built up as walkable. But the corporate capitalist drive to monopolize the world is relentless. The beast of a anti-economical system needs to be slayed. Fight back, and demand better. We are in this together.

[@Eitner100]

I have been in the USA three times and visited six states. I really wonder how US citizens look at their own country. I saw poverty in Alabama, homeless families in Florida, entire empty neighbourhoods in Louisiana, beggars by the hundreds in Mississippi. In general the highways were okay, but that was it, just okay and this is the richest country in the world? Really?

[@salmansengul]

It's still the richest country in the world. The distribution is the problem.

[@julianc691]

@@salmansengul USA is a third world country. Wake up !

[@le_meme_man8983]

It isn't even the richest in the world. GDP is the worth of goods produced in a country/province/state in a specific period of time. By GDP Per Capita (which is the actual metric of richness) places the US at 11th (including Monaco and Liechtenstein)

[@jazyje74]

The really rich few people skew the income average. They are the real owners.

[@chrisimus1625]

Three of the four states you mentioned are in the top five poorest states in the whole country. Surely you were not hoping to find centers of mass wealth and luxury in the deep south. Were you??

[@MM-vs2et]

And this issue was highlighted IN THE 60s! Wayback when the idea of a suburban was still pretty good, because there's lots of space to fill in, and it's an effective(at the time) use of residential space, planners were already warning local governments of how unsustainable this is. The urban sprawl on paper sounds like it will free up it's citizens, out of the tight and constricting spaces of urban housing, but in reality, the suburbs end up isolating the people living in it.

[@JoyKazuhira]

They never updated US' quality of life. If you visit asian countries, its clearly a huge difference. You can visit your friends through walking, walk together to buy street foods and go back to your friends house, streets are lively.

[@Jareers-ef8hp]

No wonder why right wing people glorify the 50s, this ugliness simply didn't exist back then, everything was local and within walking distance, and everyone knew everyone else, it was safe and clean and happy for the most part. I strongly advise people read Sir Roger Scruton's book on why Beauty matters, very eye opening book.

[@lemsip207]

There is ugliness all over Europe as well as much of it was bombed (other than Spain and Switzerland) in the two world wars so had to be rebuilt in parts but at least it's more compact and mixed use.

[@ROForeverMan]

@@lemsip207 Only Germany was heavily bombed.

[@lemsip207]

@@ROForeverMan Germany was more heavily bombed than the UK but people who had lived in the UK during the Second World War could tell you of stories about how heavily bombed the UK was. Plymouth, Leicester, Coventry, London, Cardiff, Liverpool and so on. The list goes on.

[@KyrieFortune]

And then when people suggest to make things pretty again like they used to, it's commie commuters taking away cara and getting their pawns in other people's back yard.

[@ROForeverMan]

@@lemsip207 UK is now uglli because it is demolishing on purpose beautiful buildings to replace them with uglli glass ones. Just have a look on street view and see how they demolish buildings all across the country as we speak, especially in London.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

If we think copy and pasting the same housing developments or the same chains along highways over and over again is revolutionary, that's when it is clear that American suburbia and American society in general is a hot mess. And I say this as someone who lives on Long Island, where the whole idea of Levittown originates. I used to live in Jersey City, and I kinda wish I was still there because of how convenient it was. McDonald's, local pizzerias, the pharmacy, and the supermarket were only a few minutes by foot. And the city is well connected by NJ Transit buses, PATH, Latino-owned shuttles, and light rail. Majority of Jersey City uses transit instead of car and it doesn't take long to see why. Before then I lived in the Sleepy Hollow area. While yes it's a suburb, the difference between it and the ones in this vid is it's just as convenient as Jersey City, with the shops and restaurants very much walkable as well as a Metro North station for service either in the direction of Croton Harmon or Poughkeepsie and Grand Central Terminal. Not to mention the Hudson Line is one of the most beautiful lines anywhere (especially during Fall) with views of the Palisades But luckily for me at my current location, the highway with all the shops and restaurants has sidewalks (and even a bus route from end to end) so while it's obviously not much, it's at least something when compared to most highways....which is still sad

[@EpicCorn0]

Finally getting some Avery the Cuban-American lore after seeing 20 billion of your comments

[@neutrino78x]

New York is one of the densest cities in the world. I'm sure it's similar. Maybe not Long Island specifically but you can get to a denser area easily using the subway.

[@neutrino78x]

"Before then I lived in the Sleepy Hollow area." That's a real place? lmao I never realized that. As in the Headless Horseman? Have you seen him? lol

[@pixytori28]

Seeing you here about zoning development just feels so odd after being used to viewing your comments from mostly cartoon/media content reviews or updates. Glad to see you again though.

[@brokenrecord3095]

yeah, not all NJ is so great. I went to visit my mom in Princeton because she was in the hospital. Got to NYC Penn by Amtrak, NJ Transit to Princeton, so far so good. She only lives about 2 miles from the hospital, so no problem! I'll just stroll on down! Except it's impossible. The hospital is on the other side of US 1. There nowhere - NOwhere! - where you can cross the road safely as a pedestrian within miles of the hospital.

[@MinimalWave1982]

i moved from Germany to New Zealand, and i am shocked how american it is here. The Suburbs seem like the same as in in U.S withouth a car youre screwed basically the whole city is designed for cars, there are no pedesterans on the sidewalks. The food is terrible and everywhere these big fast food chains.

[@simonbaxter8001]

I've visited the USA many time, worked there for a while and the most noticeable thing is that you could be anywhere in the US. Most places just lack character and charm. The only place you get character is if you're in an area that has different scenery, i.e. Desert, Mountains, Forrest, etc or different climate, i.e. Sun, Snow, etc. The parts humans have created are just bland, un-inspiring and lack warmth and sole. It's also annoying that you can't walk from a hotel to restaurant in most places without being stopped by the Police for jaywalking or being told by passing motorists that "you can't walk there"! Very sad, but very true.

[@nok4799]

Only good thing about usa is it's forests and national parks tbh.

[@WHYOSHO]

Nok … There’s a lot of culture and charm in the US. It’s crazy cause we lack “character and charm.” Yet most of the globe does not move without our creativity & uniqueness.

[@Steve-318]

There are still old parts of towns that have that early 20th century or latter 19th century charm, barely hanging in there because all the big box store are on the outskirts.

[@webmasale]

@@WHYOSHO That's a typical American thing to say. Get out of your bubble.

[@MichelleHell]

@@WHYOSHO You mean billion dollar industries have the funds to push their products all over the globe to poorer nations? Who would of thought. America is still bland in day to day life and u know it.

[@VividAbominations]

I traveled to Thailand for a month back in 2019, and it was like opening a locked part of my brain. All it takes is one day in city like Bangkok or Chiang Mai to realize "third world" countries are far superior in quality of life. Some of the shirts I bought in my first week said 2XL on them, and that's what my chubby American ass wears here. A 2XL shirt over there is a XL here. There are no fat locals, yet they love their food over there, and especially fried foods and deserts. When I came home those same shirts were baggy on me, because I walked over 100 miles in a month, and the temperatures were around 90 and above the entire trip. I also ate food mostly from local markets and street vendors. If you are eating fish, chicken, pork, or beef, it was never frozen, and no preservatives were added. It was living literally the day before and just kept cool on ice. The traffic is insane, and there are no sidewalks wider than 2 foot wide in most of the cities, but walking is the best form of transportation there. I'm trying to retire before I'm too old to enjoy life. The easiest way, is to leave this overpriced country and move somewhere like Thailand, Malaysia, Panama, Vietnam, or Costa Rica. I already know I'd shed all excess weight quickly, and add years to my life.

[@fukcensorship5762]

Great story! I experienced similar 'unlocked' brain in Thailand

[@DolleHengst]

Can totally relate after having visited Vietnam and Laos. The way we live in the so called Modern World is a dead end street. In my country, the Netherlands, even in the 50's, most people didn't own a car. They either walked or rode a bicycle to work, together with colleagues. Now, people drive over 30 minutes to get to work, and in the West, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, traffic jams are a given. Every single day, even the weekends. Back then, people didn't own much, had to work really hard, but their lives seemed more meaningful somehow. Spare time was quality time by default. As for continents, Asians and Africans live happier lives i think, and they know how to live in harmony with nature. I wish we could de-industrialize to a large extent. Like go back to the 18th or 19th century. But it's just a dream. Most kids would rather die then abandon their smartphone. And Western countries would never give up their superior position in military tech. Besides, back then there were 1 billion people. You could grow crops naturally, using manure, not fertilizer and genetically modified plants, and hunting was done to actually provide food, not games. Even going back to the 1990's, the last great decade of our times imho, seems so far fetched nowadays.

[@tonyperez3920]

They eat nothing but fish and crap, ofcourse they are going to be skinny.

[@tranducanh-ok]

Damn that's true reality

[@seventh-hydra]

Not only is Thailand an amazing country to live in, but Bangkok ironically makes any US city look like a third world country. The skyscrapers, the malls, the BTS and MRT, night markets, and all the awesome things you see on the street. It feels futuristic in comparison to a place like New York or Los Angeles. And also has insane amounts of character, with the amount of interesting little places lining the streets.

[@zkfnd859]

I went insane in just a few weeks, when I visited my brother to help take care of newly born child. The pinnacle of development, the cream dream, yet it felt post-apocalyptic...

[@MrMM1007]

You sound very fragile. If a suburban experience causes you go to insane you need to be a stronger person.

[@lavapix]

#8 was easy just by the road construction. Left all of this behind in 1985. Growing up in the early years of a new suburb we still had fields and forested areas to play in but by the time I was a late teen they were all paved over.

[@sniper0073088]

Sad

[@clay7182]

This is basically the outlook of a depressed person/ingrate. You could be grateful for the vast array of food choices but instead complain about cracked sidewalks leading up to them. You could be grateful that you have pharmacies and grocery stores at your fingertips but instead complain about the traffic you need to get through to get there. So you want a more "vibrant" way of living? there are plenty of vibrant cities across the U.S. You did not look. How spoiled can you get to complain about such petty things when in reality you are not sniffing jet fuel out of a plastic bottle in Africa collecting scrap metal for a meal. This kid is delusional.

[@Thierce]

Same thing happened to me. Moved to a suburban area in 2006. There was a Forest you could walk through for twenty minutes without reaching the end, and in another direction a path through a swampish wood that came alit with frog song in the spring, and if you were to continue in that direction, you'd reach the fields. Five years later there remained maybe 2 or 3 acres of that forest, and the swamps and fields were bulldozed for new developments. Suburbs only get worse the longer they're allowed to exist.

[@rogerwilco2]

I have seen the USA change over the past 20-25 years, where large chains have become even more dominant. Fewer and fewer owner operated stores, mom-n-pop stores, and more large national chains and stores where those serving you are clearly part-time low wage employees.

[@laurie7689]

Just wait until ALL shopping is done on-line. You've seen nothing yet.

[@Mattb81]

In my many trips to the USA (about 35 states), one of the things that always surprised me was how Americans seem to flock to chain stores/restaurants/coffee shops etc.. Even in expensive areas. I usually found that a meal at the average diner was better that the chains and price was comparable too.

[@laurie7689]

@@Mattb81 Except at the small local shops, you don't get as many choices and the prices are usually higher. Also, at food places, you know already what you like to eat at the chain places because they are the same no matter where you go and the quality is about the same, too. Whereas, if you try a local restaurant, you don't know if they are going to offer you and your family something on the menu for each person to eat and you don't know the quality. It is not unusual here in the USA, for a parent to order from a couple of different restaurants to satisfy each of their different family members so that there won't be any complaints. For instance, my kid and me have a preference for Italian-American food, but my husband has a preference for Tex-Mex food. So, if we're on vacation, we may order food from two different chains to take back to our hotel room for dinner. Everybody gets to be happy then. When we try someplace new out, there is always somebody who comes away unsatisfied. As a result though, we don't eat out at restaurants very much, but take our food to go back home. About the only food that we all agree on is: Steak or Chinese-American food. We're all picky about our hamburgers, too. When places have diverse people, they offer diverse choices. People develop preferences. I'm the only member of my family that will eat sushi and sashimi. My husband is the only member of our family who will eat sauerkraut and several other German foods.

[@llbean6931]

@@laurie7689 We’re not far from that. Lots of stores are closing due to smash and grabs and regular shoplifting. ( Shootings aren’t helping the fast food restaurants, that’s for sure.)

[@thefuturegamer9451]

I think Japan did this so much better, for example if you look at how Tokyo is laid out most people have everything they would need within a 10-20 minute walk from where they live, weather it’s healthcare, food, shopping, entertainment, and education. They also have access to a public transport system that is very reliable and is most commonly used to get to work or meet up with friends that don’t live in your area

[@jonh1995]

What can we do to fix this?

[@RoniiNN]

Different zoning laws allowing more density and mixed zoning. Focusing on more efficient modes of transportation like bikes, walking and trains…

[@exchangAscribe]

you cant cite tokyo as reference for comparison to normal american towns, tokyo is the biggest or most populous city in japan, so itd only be comparable to like new york really or la maybe. youd have to cite the rest of japan, and the vast majority of what their towns and cities are like. though when you do that, japan is way better still.

[@felixthecat2786]

I wish I lived in Japan. I don't think Japanese people realize how good they have it.

[@brucedauphin2952]

Some years ago I went walking across the big Mississippi River bridge in New Orleans. Got stopped by suspicious police and had to explain I was a tourist visiting from another country. I continued walking around downtown New Orleans. It was in the middle of the city, so no suburban sprawl, but I would say that another aspect of walking along streets in the US is that you just feel kind of afraid. It's always in the back or front of your mind that you might be in danger--you might get robbed, some scary person might come up to you asking for "change", you might get chased by a stray dog... I don't have that sense of fear in other places I've lived or travelled to--Japan, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Dubai, Oman, etc. When I'm in a suburban, residential setting in the US another fear I have if walking down the street is "what if I get mistakenly seen as a trespasser and get shot by I gun owner looking to protect their home?" I don't think it's paranoia. I think there is just a real sense of danger in America.

[@fiddleriddlediddlediddle]

Imagine how us Americans feel. Part of me thinks it's designed that way on purpose.

[@facetiouslyinsolent8313]

You may not think it's paranoia and you would be wrong. If for one second you believe you are safe in any of the places you listed something is broken in you. My sincere recommendation is to listen to that fear and stay away. Thank you

[@Manu10900]

@@facetiouslyinsolent8313 I think you are broken by default if you think you should live to feel in danger.

[@buttorr]

how could you be scared in a sprawling city i dont get it

[@ckl8a]

there's a difference between walking down the street and breaking into someone's house. I'm concerned that you actually believe someone would mistake you for a burglar if you're just out for a walk

[@noonstars]

I left years ago. What most Americans would consider "poor" and "underdeveloped" has way more culture, environmental variance and higher quality of life than anything the suburbs could offer. I haven't been in a car in months. Everyone here can walk easily. There are countless parks, cafes, bakeries, restaurants, little mom and pop stores...there are so many mobile and active elderly here. In the richer European countries? You wouldn't believe what architecture could be like. Never living in the US again unless I have a plot of land to be completely offgrid. Greed, laziness, complacency... the American dream still fits because most would rather sleep through their existence.

[@codysparks1454]

Your a smart man. I hope to leave the US for good in the next couple of years too, and move to Europe.

[@moebarragan1681]

Now imagine having a criminal record and never being able to leave your country even if you wanted to travel. That’s the USA for you 🇺🇸

[@andrewmartin9995]

I’ve been to 45 countries with an American passport and have never been asked about criminal records with the exception of Canada, which tends to reciprocate some of our practices. In fact, the border experience overseas is painless. If you’re a tourist, they only ask about the length of your stay. In Poland and Sweden, they swiped my passport and passed me on without ever asking me a single question. It’s coming back home where I’m interrogated like I’m a widely known convicted felon.

[@restlessactivity8696]

Hahaha this gave me anxiety even though i don't have any criminal record

[@moebarragan1681]

@@restlessactivity8696 well if you are in america 🇺🇸 then be on your best behavior. Canada for example doesn’t let anyone in if you have a drinking and driving conviction.

[@Trahzy]

Depends on what's on your record specifically, but yeah basically.

[@moebarragan1681]

@@Trahzy sex offense sadly. Not a felony though.

[@dydx_]

I always wanted to move to the US, until I visited the place. Besides the fact you can't walk anywhere, the way people infantilize their children is just literal insanity (yes, in the literal sense). Here in Japan, kids usually walk around the city alone even at eve. Same scenario at my birthplace in Germany, yet in the US some parents think a 15 year old is too stupid to be left alone. It's really weird and (Well.. insane). I'm feel sad for all of you having to endure this, especially for those who believe that those conditions are suppose to be normal and those who lived long enough in them they can't understand the consequences of such conditions. Hope the US gets to fix this, though who knows how many generations it might take.

[@sporkles7427]

To be fair, in most areas of the United States, it can be dangerous to allow children to walk around without an adult. I know Japan and Germany are known for low crime and safety, I hope America can reach that someday

[@sanderdeboer6034]

Having visited many states in the USA I can say this disappointed me most about the USA. I have even had a wedding in Grand Rapids at such a STROAD. I did like NYC, Washington and Boston. And some small old towns that still had their old intercity. These environments make me feel like coming from a richer place even though our per capita income is about 10.000 dollars less than in the USA.

[@adrianc6534]

you are richer where it matters. i live in dallas, TX. it is the most miserable, ugly, worthless city i have ever had the displeasure of living in.

[@fdjw88]

personal income varies by a lot in the USA depending on which states you live in. For example, the average individual income in Mississippi is only around 26,000 per year, but in California is around 33,000. in the US some states are much poorer than the rest, for example, West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana are constantly ranked as the poorest states in the US.

[@sanderdeboer6034]

@@fdjw88 Yes, that makes sense.

[@SennaHawx]

@@fdjw88 Plus cost of living is also a big factor. I make less than most working Americans, but I get so much more out of it

[@chalk9630]

All these stroad channels never mention a ton of them used to be the interstate system. I'm sure you also noticed it took you 11 hours just to travel that top corner from Michigan to NY. For comparison, it takes about 8 hours to drive the UK. Not trying to be defensive but these complainer channels don't really go into the depths of it.

[@immermitderruhe]

Hello! As a European I must say that the US and Canada do have beautiful cities like New York, Boston or San Francisco with places that look similar to 8:12 and in Europe there are also places that we cant be proud of like Milton-Keynes in the UK or most of the Ruhr area in Germany which is full of awful looking cities. But you could definitely tell if a picture was taken in a suburb in England or Germany or Italy. When it comes to commercial areas outside of downtown it gets more difficult since a giant supermarket complex with Ikea, a hardware store or something else next to it looks basically the same in every european country. But at least you dont need a car to get there since we have bike and ped lanes everywhere and bus routes. I have relatives in the US who live in Saint Charles, MO in a typical suburb and when we drove from the Interstate to their home it felt like we were driving through a giant neverending maze. I was like 13 years old back then and I felt like being on another planet. Also the frontage roads of the highways.. Its ridiculous...as if the world has an unlimited storage of concrete and tarmac and we dont know what else we should do with it.

[@ephedrales]

OK, now after reading you comment I'm wondering where do asphalt come from, and when do we run out of it ?

[@immermitderruhe]

@@ephedrales Asphalt concrete is made of some refined crude oil products which is then mixed with mineral aggregate (sand, gravel, crushed stones...). So it all comes down to oil. Its unlikely that we run out of oil but that doesn't mean that we should waste it for building unnecessary roads.

[@ephedrales]

@@immermitderruhe Thank you for your answer, does that mean that the cost of maintenance and the layout of new road has increased with the spike of gaz price ? I ask because gaz is not exactly crude oil, so is there a shortage of asphalt ?

[@immermitderruhe]

@@ephedrales I dont know. Gas and oil are so important that basically everything gets more expensive in consequence of the price increase of either gas or oil.

[@ekszentrik]

Don't give the impression Europe is "almost as bad" via pointing out it has its shit areas like Milton-Keynes (which as designed around the car) as well. The severity is so not comparable you inadvertently sound like you're making a point you aren't trying to. Ruhr area only looks like "nothing special", but it does not look actively ugly and it still is an urbanist's (well, I don't think you need to be an "urbanist", but I use the term for distinction's sake) dream.

[@Banedragon]

Strong towns calls this a stroad, and they infest Canada too

[@miles5600]

at least canada is moving away from such cruel environments and starting to adopteuropean styles.

[@r.pres.4121]

It is mostly Ontario that has these hideous unsustainable American influences.

[@mard9802]

I was just having a conversation about this with a friend yesterday. We were walking around a lively neighbourhood in town, the restaurants/ patios were full and it was totally lively. And we are SO grateful that we don't live in car strapped suburbia. You're right, it's UGLY, void of life, joy or anything interesting.

[@scruf153]

people go nuts living in the burbs

[@nitramluap]

We have this garbage in Australia too... and we're still building it because people are being sold 'the Australian Dream'. We need to focus on better, more connected communities with excellent public services, parks, mixed commercial (small) and residential, etc. Sadly, it's the people who can *least* afford it that are attracted to it and construction industry loves it.

[@dutchman7623]

Just stag those one level business until you have four floors of it, create parking under it. That compacts the city and makes it walkable. But in the US they are smeared out like a little tea spoon of jam over a big cake.

[@non1263]

Any country or organization that tries to sell a “dream” is delusional or malicious. At least in the West you’re legally allowed to feign doubt in it unlike places like China.

[@elmohead]

Sydney suburbs at least have pedestrian sidewalks.

[@DellDreamer]

It’s only this kind in the outer western suburbs. Tree lined inner suburbs or the eastern suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne are nice!

[@ausaskar]

Australians don't want to live like ants in apartments being forced to share even the most basic utilities with strangers, we like our quiet streets, sheds, back patios, washing lines, etc. If you want to live like a worker ant good on you, they're building heaps of apartments in the CBD just for you.

[@kf160k160]

I once visited Texas. Everything is so vast and far. Wanted to buy things, drive here, wanted ice cream, drive there.

[@rafaelbenford8846]

Ooh I love ice cream in Texas

[@susanfarley1332]

You all figuring this out just now? I went to several different countries and they looked so well cared for compared to places in the US. It's like the people in other countries really care about their countries.

[@mmmhmmm8236]

Do you expect people to have time and money to go to different countries from time to time?

[@susanfarley1332]

@@mmmhmmm8236 can you please indicate where in my comment I told people they have to visit other countries? I have gone over my comment and I don't see anything that says people should go to other countries. Why are you making up things that have nothing to do with what I said? Just because I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Europe with a school group is no reason for you to lie and say I was telling people to travel to other countries.

[@FordHoard]

@@susanfarley1332 He said it sounds like you expect that other people are as privileged as you are to travel. I've never even flown on a plane.

[@glennabate1708]

We made a country dependent on cars. Then cars went up so high there becoming unaffordable for people.

[@sporkles7427]

Not to mention insurance and taxes on top of the cars

[@archimetropolis]

And yet most people defend them because they are apparently "freedom" Jeezum crowsnest the only reason you say that is because you can't get anywhere without one in the us now

[@sophdog1678]

I watch a few US dash cam videos, and apart from the bleakness of these areas, the thing that strikes me is the terrible condition of the roads in the USA. Faded lane markings/crosswalks etc, bitumen drizzle-repaired instead of re-profiling and re-laying. What is the deal with all this crumbling infrastructure in the USA?

[@misterflibble9799]

Watch Not Just Bikes' videos on the subject. Basically, the huge wide roads and enormous parking lots mean that all the revenue (and therefore tax) generating businesses are spaced so far apart that they don't generate enough tax to pay for the infrastructure that supports them. Couple this with many Americans' obsession with "low tax, minimal government" and you get infrastructure that no-one is willing to pay to maintain.

[@UserName-ts3sp]

who needs walking when we build 6-8 lanes of traffic and massive parking lots

[@nigelmarshallkenyonabbott8684]

Roads cost money......lots. Taxpayers don't want to pay more. Who wins?

[@Rick-vm8bl]

@@nigelmarshallkenyonabbott8684 Goodyear most likely!

[@chrisper94]

Sophdog, it's due to Republican conservatism. A cancer in the American narrative.

[@YarmanZJ]

I’m from cuba, So honestly I’m thankful with whatever I have in America

[@gigachadsdad3169]

I’am 14 years old and have been lucky enough to live in four different countries been to over 20 in all sides of the world and America is by far the most depressing and split country on the list.

[@narcissist3668]

Go to El Salvador or Ethiopia and see how much more depressed you’ll get, lol.

[@phase_1471]

@@narcissist3668 name checks out 😅

[@davideduardo5908]

As a mexican who has never visited the us before, i´ve only seen this kind of places in Us pictures and probably similar (but not quitr the same) on small towns in the north of México like ciudad cuathemoc chihuhua, cananea sonora, Nuevo casas grandes and nuevo laredo Tamaulipas. Always felt so curious about how the life could be in this kind of suburbs, i did not had idea that it was depressing overwhelming to live in suburbs like this, besides most of the cities that i´ve lived on here in Mx have at least 2 or 3 pedestrian promenades like the ones you described and a way different distribution with comercial areas and middle range residences all mixed up.

[@jonh1995]

Newer communities are actually starting to address this, like in Arizona they just built Westermark. Hopefully that becomes the new mold.

[@TomasGraf-rr6co]

I would take Guanajuato or Querétaro... or Puebla... or Taxco over any of this depressing American dystopian suburbia.

[@TomasGraf-rr6co]

I would take Guanajuato or Querétaro... or Puebla... or Taxco over any of this depressing American dystopian suburbia.

[@TomasGraf-rr6co]

I would take Guanajuato or Querétaro... or Puebla... or Taxco over any of this depressing American dystopian suburbia.

[@TomasGraf-rr6co]

I would take Guanajuato or Querétaro... or Puebla... or Taxco over any of this depressing American dystopian suburbia.

[@TheLemon420]

I’m gonna buy a bunch of land in Montana and build a town based off of permaculture techniques and more of a European style of town where everything is closer together and more accessible

[@joefer5360]

That's the spirit. Be the new generation of land developers that make the neighborhoods you want to see. Don't sell your land rights to a big corporation. I'd like to see more bazaars and promenades that have a littering of kiosks, storefronts, and lack of roads for cars. Cars are okay, but for the love of God, please stop making extremes of either or.

[@gregory-of-tours]

If you don't mind the cold and Canada, there's a large swatch of agricultural land in North-Eastern Ontario called the "clay belt" that's largely undeveloped because until recently governments discouraged development. 100 acres for around $40K last time I checked. (And no colder than Montana.)

[@joefer5360]

@john walker It goes hand in hand. Individual will leads to prodding of regulators who create dumb euclidean zones in vast swatches without considering each neighborhood will have a different set of market needs - down to a plot by plot basis. In a row of single family homes in suburbia, you will never see multi family/multi-purpose two story home/businesses dotted in between them. It's boring because of this. Walking down your suburban row of homes never reveals a local gem. It's because of this. Allow cottage based food eatery's and you'll see less driving to the main center for fast food for example. You have to let the humans who live in an area figure out the needs of their community and then individual entrepreneurs can begin creating within suburbia to make each plain Jane canvas that is suburbia, into unique assortment of canvases that are American culture.

[@minah6535]

@@gregory-of-tours Where no food can grow, that's where houses should be built.

[@waverunner7063]

Montana is expensive now.

[@fannyandersson3330]

I feel so sad for people living in this kind of surroundings. Feel lucky to live in Europe.

[@brandonm1708]

You are. I’ve been told many times that I’m “lucky” for growing up in “the richest country in the world” (The US), but after seeing how much nicer many places in Europe would be to live, I’m starting to doubt that I’m particularly lucky (of course I’m still glad I don’t live in a 3rd world country or dictatorship, but yeah)

[@idonotliveinparaguay.2361]

@@brandonm1708 parts of the us are underdeveloped.

[@qjtvaddict]

USA is a light version of Southeast Asia traffic and underdeveloped

[@schoolofgrowthhacking]

I'm American but living in Asia the last ten years, I love it!

[@non1263]

It’s almost as if different aspects of different countries appeal to certain people and it’s largely subjective which country is “the best” to live in. Though, generally speaking, some countries and cultures are objectively better. Or objectively enough that most people would be dumbfounded if they find someone who prefers the worst of the bunch.

[@nordicvolkan]

I m glad you & others are making these videos to educate & wake the public up on bad infrastructures plaguing this country.

[@Diana1000Smiles]

The majority of Americans are currently pharmaceutically dependent.

[@DaveSimkus]

Too bad nothing will be done about it. It will probably take a hundred years to see any change with our beurocracy.

[@chrisbailey7384]

@@Diana1000Smiles They make a pill for every damn illness these days. It's all about the fucking money.

[@gurulaghima4272]

@@DaveSimkus Facts and that's the sad part unfortunately.

[@sonnyroy497]

I've lived in America all my life and I can honestly say " it's depressing." This country is designed not for human togetherness but for CARS. And it was done intentionally. The cities, the shops and the roads, streets or stroads whatever you call them are designed to make you have to drive EVERYWHERE. It's made us disconnected and that's not healthy. It's not healthy for us physically and certainly not emotionally. I watched a documentary years ago about New York City and a man named Robert Moses. It was very interesting (and depressing), this man Moses was a city planner/ designer and wanted to design cities and roads so that people would be constantly driving here and there. His 'vision' of how America should be was not good, causing people to become disconnected from each other. We have hearts and minds that need to connect to other hearts and minds.

[@omarcos3228]

I m from Europe but lived in many many places. Western Europe, some Eastern Europe, USA and Latin America. Lived in Texas (DFW) 4 about 9 years. I had a GREAT time. Lot of barbequing, friends, lakes, motoboting, bar jumping. I also had some great experience in Albuquerque NM. Is it me or is Texas different from the rest of states or it is just about being positive. I really enjoyed different places. Texas is one I enjoyed the most.

[@mitchelldiaz1991]

I lived in Florida for a few years coming from Spain and i absolutly loved the great job oportunities you can have even with no degrees. I loved how the labor and economic system works that seems there is no end. I learnd a sentence there that said “sky is the limit” and that is the US, but after 5 years i just could resist any year more living there because of the american way of life that is simply not for me and end it moving back to Spain after making some good money savings. Sorry for my English 🥴.

[@MrMensa141]

You write better English than we can write or speak Spanish 😇

[@hikari69]

Wdym sorry about my English are you tripping?

[@mitchelldiaz1991]

@@hikari69 My grammar? 🤣🤣

[@TheAbandonedAccount7]

I think theres a lot of people who dont know what theyre doing here in the US. not so much that its "not for you" you just didnt know how to live it properly. Glad you left though. The less immigrants here taking up space, the better haha

[@user-ki4xw2rb8q]

​@@mitchelldiaz1991 Te puedo preguntar de que trabajabas y cuanto ganabas en america?

[@s_v6294]

dude, thanks! I ABSOLUTELY HATE the suburban. I recently moved from Europe to Silicon Valley and I'm just going crazy, it's terrible. sometimes I just want to cry. it's so depressing

[@samu-chan]

Lol

[@Cardiojunkie1]

Get a hobby

[@ianinkster2261]

I found that also - apart from downtown SF the whole place is like being in a car park.

[@TheAbandonedAccount7]

move to a real suburb then. Get out of california. This is some SG,SP if I ever heard of it

[@ZentaBon]

I'm planning on moving to Europe. I can't stand the state of things. My city and state are making changes, and if that keeps up I may not necessarily leave but the state of my whole country makes me want to. I like the idea of not getting bankrupted by healthcare...being able to afford a higher education. Those things make me believe in a future.

[@HR-wd6cw]

5:42 One tip that a lot of people don't bother with is just turn right, go to the next light and turn around. It may take an extra minute, but in reality it's a lot safer. I've seen people get T-boned trying to make turns like that and I've reached the point that I'd rather just take an extra minute or two and just turn around if I have to. A lot faster than having to file a police report and/or make an insurance claim because you got hit.

[@thiccum2668]

Thank you. You’re so right. I really appreciate you spreading word about this problem.

[@iknowdeweybrudda6564]

I don’t know what ugly suburb you live In honestly there’s the ugly lower income ones then the nice higher income dense ones full of office space

[@Stuke51]

Grew up in a suburb that was in its infancy stages. That same suburb has exploded in population, and is plagued by these hideous stroads with nothing but big box stores and massive corporations. These exemplify how badly consumerism is intertwined in the American way of life. We often grieve and wonder why small and local businesses struggle to make ends meet, close up shop and succumb to these mega corps, but we don’t acknowledge the way the avg cities’ design absolutely sets them up for failure. All these roads look exactly the same in every part of the US, to the point where it’s pretty much expected to find a McDonald’s. Leaves little room for anything original, making people hesitant when it comes to trying something different.

[@sonnyroy497]

I watched a documentary years ago about New York City and a man named Robert Moses.

[@neutrino78x]

"We often grieve and wonder why small and local businesses struggle to make ends meet, close up shop and succumb to these mega corps, but we don’t acknowledge the way the avg cities’ design absolutely sets them up for failure. " Average suburb, maybe. I dunno. We have lots of small businesses in my suburb. But again, the suburb spreads out because that's how the suburb wants it. I am quite familiar with the process because my father has been on the Planning Commission of my suburb for decades. Trust me it is like that because that's how they want it. Not because they don't know how to make it dense. They very much do and they are making a conscious choice not to make it dense. If they wanted dense, they would live in the adjacent major city. "All these roads look exactly the same in every part of the US, to the point where it’s pretty much expected to find a McDonald’s" Uh, 80% of Americans live in an urban area according to the 2020 US Census. San Francisco is definitely not the same as New York although both are very dense and very walkable.

[@markcuban9936]

@@neutrino78x Urban sprawl is the bane of our existences. It’s a big part of why housing is so unaffordable today.

[@neutrino78x]

@@markcuban9936 "Urban sprawl is the bane of our existences." Mark cuban lol. I doubt he comments on KZbin videos. But no, I don't think so necessarily. As long as you have a green way to get from area to area, and electric cars are one way, electric public transit is another, you want both. "It’s a big part of why housing is so unaffordable today." Housing is always going to be unaffordable in desirable areas man. Either move to a cheaper area or get a better job is what I would tell you.

[@markcuban9936]

@@neutrino78x You don’t think I’m Mark Cuban? How did you figure it out?

[@ThermoMan]

The point about mediocrity and laziness is so well made. Your script is very poetic.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Yet everything is dictated by government code written up by traffic engineers first, then highway engineers, environmental engineers, structural engineers, life safety engineers, and last and least landscape architects.

[@jorgevictorcordovaandrade8093]

This has opened my eyes a little more, because this is what the Americans do when they come to my country as a tourist, they tell me wonders about how beautiful it is and I said to myself "what are these people talking about? there are people living in houses cardboard and there is a dog poo next to where they are" this is the reason.

[@DannyMeasho999]

what country

[@Mr.J_2003]

@@DannyMeasho999i have the same question

[@vincea1830]

I really hate how the only thing that changes as you drive across the US is the scenery. Our whole country looks the same. Every house. Every neighborhood. Every shopping mall. Every high school. Every hotel. Every restaurant. Every city. That last one rings true because every single city is anti-public transport. Anti-pedestrian and feels lifeless besides maybe one or two streets that have a lively bunch of shops/restaurants.

[@LucianaCristinadeOliveira]

I'm Brazilian and while I was living in south Carolina I found so different these comercial blocks. Having to drive to get to anywhere is not nice. Another thing that bothered me was hitting to the gym. I used to take tae kwon do classes in a place in the Middle of nowhere...People would get there right on time and leave right after classes. I thought it was awful since I was taking classes to make friends, but it's hard to do it so when the environment doesn't really help you to walk around and chill with locals. In Brazil, we would just arrive earlier to talk and laugh and then maybe go somewhere...walking, of course.

[@mikearchibald744]

Its not discussed but its long been suspected that thats exaxctly the point. People are VERY easy to control when they are isolated. Anything PUBLIC is asking for trouble. In america, as they say, you can't force people what to do (well, you can) so its important that you control how they THINK. Combine that with a media that is designed to isolate the society and you have, well, america. Deeply divided, deeply dysfunctional, and deeply run by a very few very wealthy conglomerates. But thats WHY govenrments around the world see the value in that, especially with social media if you can keep people in imaginary online communities, you keep them away from actual politics.

[@samspade8830]

No, ma'am. If you want to go to a bar after, you have to drive. Unless that Taekwondo class was in the city. The suburbs are not meant for walking. It's meant for peace and quiet.

[@mikearchibald744]

@@samspade8830 Actually, cities are pretty quiet when properly designed.

[@samspade8830]

@@mikearchibald744 That makes no sense. Cities are loud because of denser population of people. So whether on foot, car, bus, train...more concentration of more people equals more noise. I've witnessed this in London, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, as well as American cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans, and New York City. The only European city I recall being kind of quiet was Brussels. But then again, I was only there for a weekend.

[@juanmontoya6622]

@Mike Archibald - Like the massive favelas, eh?😂🤣

[@hisdness1]

I remember my dad moved into one of these suburbs in 2004. I was living in Poland and I came to the US for vacation. Living in the suburb was a big nightmare since everything was far away and there was no social interaction at all. I didn't have a car and I couldn't go anywhere. Even though we finally had a house, it was depressing. There's a big stroad in Salem, NH as well, barely any sidewalk.

[@michaelweston409]

Poland's great to live in. So beautiful

[@mayastic9570]

@@michaelweston409 Poland is shit, the govenment is shit, and the people chase you out. I've been there, got a ton off weird looks, and all the poles, russians and ukrainians I've worked with that have lived in Poland are happy they got out. The country might be beautifull, but that's not gonna save it.

[@t-bone9239]

@@michaelweston409 there is a reason why so many Polish workers go abroad….

[@IbizaPalms]

I lived in Salem,NH and it was awful

[@mxbx307]

@@t-bone9239 Before Brexit there were something like 800k Poles in the UK, highest Polish population in Europe outside of Poland itself. There was a Polish filing clerk working at my dad's former employer (he's retired now). She had a Masters degree yet was earning more in the UK doing filing than she would have earned in Poland actually using her qualifications to the full.

[@wp4872]

Born and raised in suburbia here. Back during the summer of 2013, I went on a vacation to Jakarta were my older relatives lived. Was a young kid back then, didn’t think much of it. But looking back, I realized how much lively and fun the particular part I was in. There were small connecting roads where very few cars and motorcycles entered but a lot of kids walked on, even without the supervision of adults. Little small shops every where, beautiful colored lights and torches, vendors selling amazing toys, intricate clothing, and delicious food. Kids played around with each other, kites and small windmills in kids hands, even the adults were having a blast just conversating and interacting with one another. Mind you this was a part of town that was underdeveloped with hardly little to no finance yet it was just a joyful experience to walk through. Little trash was left, wasn’t particularly overcrowded despite being in a denser poorer area of the city. There wasn’t much good infrastructure, just kept dirt roads and bamboo huts. Still didn’t mean you couldn’t have a good time. Just lots new people to meet and so many more things to explore. Would love to pay another visit one day.