What Do U.S. Elections Look Like Abroad? | NYT Opinion

[@wichersham]

I'm not American and agree with non-Americans here. US election feels like a bad reality show on acid.

[@zizi6538]

This is so true

[@svansy]

acid spiked with chlorine.

[@tmwasp]

It’s actually not that bad but it’s a real inconvenience to vote

[@bernardethg]

True

[@lolawants2008]

Try living here mate! LOL. To the person that said it’s not that bad, it’s because they are clearly not a voting block being suppressed

[@theonlymexicanman4422]

Estonia, a country that’s not even 30 years into a Democracy and has a better handling of a democracy than the Us

[@Mike_Hogsheart]

eh, to be fair it's kind of easier if you start off late, because you can look at all the mistakes other countries have made in their systems and adjust accordingly. Much harder to change an existing system than it is to make one from scratch.

[@morowsixsixsix]

Nothing speaks of America's facism more than free speech and gun rights that are ingrained in constitution regardless of the running president

[@matthewherbert5335]

I mean Estonia does have a smaller population than San Antonio. Not giving excuses, just pointing out a fact. Not to mention that this relatively small country had a 63.7% voter turnout percentage in the 2019 Estonian Parliamentary elections.

[@passionofthecrust9173]

@@morowsixsixsix A constitution's just a piece of paper, and it means absolutely *nothing* if the institutions designed to protect it are being interfered with and weakened.

[@rakeantl6730]

@@Mike_Hogsheart and they would most likely see american democracy as bad example

[@niamhha9014]

I’m not American, so I’ll tell you. It looks like a badly casted reality TV show.

[@Raq457]

45 in power that’s what it really is.

[@bitterbaldguy]

I am an American, so I'll tell you. It is a badly cast reality TV show.

[@yagalterry]

I can vouch for that - an Aussie 😂

[@shakenamariewilliams4229]

Exactly what I've been saying!

[@michaelmecham3477]

As an american, It pretty much is.

[@jop7955]

How have the Americans the audacity to "bring democracy" to other countries when they don't have one themselves?

[@BTS-sg6we]

@Alle Warten Auf Das Licht lol

[@brdrnda3805]

@Alle Warten Auf Das Licht They don't bring democracy. That might happen by accident. They only follow their own interests and are easily willing to remove democracy and bring a dictator to power (like Pinochet or Mobutu)

[@sohamacharya171]

Yes, democracy.

[@RitchieCollins]

Excellent comment.

[@zoolkhan]

@@brdrnda3805 or the ayatollah and revolutionary guard in IRAN

[@tokyotoastie]

Everyone else: Seriously discussing the reality of voting in the U.S Aussies: yea m8 there's this thing called the democracy sausage

[@youreworthyourweightinavoc7189]

Yeah that was embarrassing, from another Aussie. How off-topic.

[@BOBI2111]

Sounds great, I'm wondering why we dont have that in Germany.

[@ShadowninJar]

Voting is mandatory in Australia, the whole country gets a day off, and they give them a sausage. It's a thing. It's awesome.

[@BOBI2111]

@@ShadowninJar Wait what? The sausage is free?

[@youreworthyourweightinavoc7189]

@@ShadowninJar Aussie's don't get a day off, elections are held on Saturdays and not that many people routinely work Saturdays. Also, I've never (thank god) been given a democracy sausage. Best thing about the Australian electoral system is preferential voting within the two party preferred system.

[@anamrahman1664]

Watching from Iraq. The American people need some help to remove an authoritarian leader and stabilise the region

[@CheshTheTheorist]

Yes, we do, actually! Take all the oil you want!

[@DavontheViper]

Bonus points for installing a new authoritarian, but one we like 👌🏻

[@jacobmuraco4276]

Uh no, we don't. Trump wasn't exactly an ace, but there was no reasonable chance that he was going to hold onto power.

[@Maverick21491]

LOL

[@Verschal]

oh

[@echothemyth3160]

“It’s like they don’t want Americans to vote...” Exactly. Hahaha, HAHAHAHA - Please help us.

[@uwehansen2915]

Yes thy are not have the monny and for that they are not Real ....

[@Andres64B]

EXACTLY. Trump and his supporters have openly said that mail-in voting would be the end of the Republican party. They know that people don't like them and they are trying to make it difficult to vote.

[@bayza7955]

And with the low minimum wage, I'll never be able to leave the country 😌

[@sophieledden1961]

*cries in Georgia*

[@zengardengnome]

Indigenous ppl also had some democracies before europe colonized turtle island. We copied their list of ethics and then committed acts of genocide against them, the effects of which we perpetuate to this day.

[@ratofvengence]

The US is missing some basics; -Voting on weekends so workers can afford to attend -Transparency on political donations -Someone worth voting for

[@nikedoesthings]

you mean a multi-party system instead of just one or the other. XD

[@ratofvengence]

@@nikedoesthings That wouldn't hurt at all, in the current system you really only have two choices unless enough people vote 3rd party to throw a scare into the big two.

[@snazzypazzy]

In the Netherlands voting is on a tueseday too. It's not a religious day for any of the major faiths. And the polling place are open from 7 (I think?) to 21.00 and are everywhere. People have mandatory breaks in their workday, so you could go during work even. I've voted in the hospital when I was working there. I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes, or walk more then 5 minutes to get to my voting place. And that was true for my parents place in a small town as it is where I live now in one of the poorer and more diverse parts of my city.

[@juliancain3872]

@@ratofvengence This two party thing was a big mistake.

[@ianhomerpura8937]

Or make Election Day a special nonworking holiday.

[@psychedesireeeencastillo9405]

America is like that loud student in class who never practices what he preaches. Basically, loud, all fancy facade but no substance

[@insertclevernamehere2506]

Maybe that's the ultimate reason they voted Trump in, in the first place. I hadn't thought of it before but he is the perfect reflection of that image.

[@ztriderztrider8651]

Lol man seeing comments like this really shows how little the world wants/needs us around!

[@Saturnlovesringsasmr]

@@insertclevernamehere2506 we didnt like trump

[@JonInCanada1]

@@ztriderztrider8651 It's not that we don't want you around, it's just that your house is in such disarray and, sorry to say, you're a rather loud bunch when traveling. Clean house and tone down the USA, USA chants while in other countries and you'll be welcomed with open arms.

[@jdpalm1981]

America is like that loud group of 50 students in class who have differing things that they preach.

[@thabanentshangase]

I'm a South African living in the township. It took me around 5-10 minutes to vote in our last elections. I repeat, in a township. In a third-world country!

[@Caio-sw7hh]

YEAH im brazilian, and i voted right after noon(the biggest line is usually at that time) and it took me 20 minutes to WALK to my voting college and vote, and the results are out 4/5h after the elction ended

[@mariamatedei]

The US is a third world country at this point

[@TorbenRingsJensen]

I live in Denmark and it takes me less than a minute to vote. Going to parliamentary elections in my country is considered a bit like a holiday, a celebration of democracy.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

I'm not sure I would rank South Africa as a third world country. But then I have not been sure for two decades whether I should rank the U.S. as a first world country. ;)

[@thabanentshangase]

@@Quotenwagnerianer South Africa, for all intents and purposes, should be a first world country. It has the potential to be one, more so than any other African country. Unfortunately, we are run by idiots that have us stuck in the middle-income trap. The US has regressed so much that I'd argue that they deserve third-world status just to shake them out of their doldrums and put the massive 21 trillion dollars of their economy to actual use outside of the military (600 billion on killing equipment is too much - nearly double South Africa's economy).

[@Khazuki_]

this Indian lady is getting it all right. "It's like you want to stop people from voting." Yes. That is exactly what they want to do.

[@aadhibala1792]

Amen

[@jacobvideos4164]

Yes I want to stop people like illegal immigrants to stop voting because it’s legally not allowed

[@maxonite]

@@jacobvideos4164 America is stopping it’s own population from voting. Well, mostly minorities of course

[@jacobh674]

@@maxonite some people just shouldn’t be able to vote. There are people on both sides of politics who have no business controlling our government. If you think all people’s opinions have equal validity, you must not think too highly of yourself

[@garyconyers-davies5781]

@@jacobh674 who, exactly do you think should not be allowed to vote? Why?

[@luisa9999]

"The US is the worlds oldest democracy" The electoral college means that not all votes hold the same value which means that one of the criteria for democracy is not even met but go off i guess

[@dianeshelton9592]

Not oldest, Iceland, Isle of Man, etc etc

[@dianeshelton9592]

@e93 there are at least 600,000 reasons why at this point of time the US is appalling.

[@hijisfriend9030]

2nd biggest, 1st India, 3rd Indonesia.

[@samarc4467]

No its fair, California has 55 votes cause it has the largest population, followed by Texas38 , NY 29, FL 29 etc etc. California is blue so democrats don't want its number to be reduced but other than that, its a good reflection of how the country feels.

[@dianeshelton9592]

@@samarc4467 nom sense, Hilary had 3 million more votes the the Orange turnip. In no way in any properly functioning democracy would he have won. Absolutely not a reflection of how the country felt. 3 million people’s votes were effectively ignored, not a democracy, a federal republic and the laughing stock of real democracies.

[@loisavci3382]

They didn't even get to the weirdness of the Electoral College system.

[@Katerine459]

Or First Past the Post voting. (Though, I wouldn't know, but maybe other countries still have that as well. I know Australia uses RCV (think they call it IRV), but I don't know about the others.)

[@MrMezmerized]

I think the idea of the electoral college isn't really weird, certainly not in a historical context. The problem is the uneven distribution. For me "winner takes all" in all but a few states is stranger.

[@novacentorium4943]

First past the post is used in a majority of the countries but still I agree STV away to go

[@DittyDafku]

No one understands the Electoral College. Like 95% of people don’t really get it. Especially historically. The electoral college makes sense to me when i see how America was built, As a democratic republic.

[@lzh4950]

Singapore's legislative election has some similarity to the Electoral College System, with ~80 of our Parliament's 93 seats amalgamated together into GRCs (Group Representative Constituencies) of 4-6 seats each that're collectively contested. The purpose is ostensibly to preserve minority race representation in Parliament (with 1 or 2 seats per constituency reserved for Malays or Indians). The political party whose contesting group of candidates of each constituency who wins the most votes wins all of that constituency's seats, irregardless of how big the winning margin is. So that's probably how the People Action Party managed to win 83/93 seats with 61% of the popular vote. Former manpower minister Josephine Teo might also have been able to 'save' herself, after her ministry (which overseas migrant workers' safety, documentation & lodging) was criticised following the large spread of CoViD-19 in the countries' migrant workers' dormitories, by moving herself out of the single-seat Marymount constituency into the 4-seat Jalan Besar constituency to contest in the election that was to be held a few months afterwards (July 2020), since in the latter she's grouped with 3 other candidates, 2 of whom are/were experienced ministers (Denise Phua & Indranee Rajah) that could help shore up support

[@ruiclaudino4084]

In Portugal voting is always on sunday, you get automaticaly registered once you turn 18, and everyone can vote, even inprisoned people

[@jennyh4025]

Same in Germany, you may loose your right to get voted, but you can’t loose your right to vote for someone else (unless your mental health is too bad).

[@Asa...S]

Same in Sweden.

[@MouflonTheAchiever]

Same in Poland

[@sandraalbuquerque1486]

👍👍❤

[@aishaswallen6139]

Portugal 🇵🇹 🥰

[@abbybrown5973]

It just shows how laughable we are. And how racist our country. I'm ashamed to be an American if this is what we stand for.

[@vikram0markiv]

Yeah, y'all should check www.adfontesmedia.com/ once in a while

[@abrahamlincoln5185]

Its the politicians and special interests not the country

[@vikram0markiv]

@@abrahamlincoln5185 I understand, but they're elected representatives after all

[@blupyxi5669]

My god. Shut-up, move and take your cat-of-nine-tails with you!

[@insertclevernamehere2506]

It's why the rest of the world laughs at US statements of righteousness, I afraid.

[@RioMuc]

Why should someone, who's already a citizen of a country, be forced to register in order to vote? This country is sick!

[@restlessly12]

Right? In my country the closest I come to voter registration is to check if my address was updated in the voter records when I move. Just to check which constituency I’m voting in.

[@RioMuc]

@@restlessly12 Here in Germany we have to register our address and change it every time we move. When we do it, the vote region is updated automatically.

[@n0visual541]

In The Netherlands you do not even have to report your new address to the voting system; this is all done automatically as soon as you are registered as a citizen of a new municipality.

[@jb888888888]

Generally speaking, in the US citizens are very much against having the "gummint" all up in our "bidness." US citizens are terrified of the government becoming a police state, which includes being forced to register (for voting and for lots of other things). See also en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_papers,_please

[@RioMuc]

@@jb888888888 thank you for the link. For us Europeans it is completely incomprehensible why Americans are always so hysterical about such a topic and are so obsessed with Nazis, as if they had lived for years under an oppressive regime. We here in Germany, where privacy has an enormously high value in our lives and has therefore led to Google Street View being almost non-existent in the country, have no problem at all with the fact that we should carry our I.D. with us and must show it to authorities when asked to do so. And our I.D. includes also our home address which, as I wrote before, has to be officially registered every time we move to a new one. I know the politicians in my country are not holy angels (although the Chancellor's name "Angela" is 😉), but I still trust the administration and mostly the police, because all my life I had no reason no to do so.

[@mikenapier3598]

The myth of american democracy......lol. the whole world is watching.

[@speedrat6508]

It’s a democratic republic

[@suryanshshrivastava4681]

My ancestors would not believe me when I tell them a German girl was judging American voting systems

[@Joel-hl6fh]

@@speedrat6508 Indeed, the United States does not maintain a monarchical form of government; having chosen, instead, a representative federal government composed of the Executive, the Legislative and Judicial branches, each with their own institutional prerogatives, organized along independent and co-ordinate institutional structures. That's all that phrase means: We don't have cabinet government under a monarchical head of state. Stop confusing governance structure with regime type; they're not the same thing. You can be an absolute monarchy or a constitutional monarchy. One is not democratic; neither is republican You can be a dictatorship or a representative republic. One is not democratic; both are republican.

[@BrokenHurt5]

Bruh dose no one know that san marino is the oldest democracy

[@sipelgapesa11]

@@BrokenHurt5 The oldest republic, not the oldest democracy. There is a difference, though the definition of a republic implies that democracy was practiced to an extent.

[@sinestau]

I‘m so sorry for you American people. Gosh, what a mess this system Is!

[@Jasminekansola]

Its not that mad the only problem we have is that our president is rubbish

[@dominoot2652]

Please send help

[@dominoot2652]

@USA 2 MEXICO i guess it worked this time! Can definitely be improved though...

[@dominoot2652]

@USA 2 MEXICO it _worked_ but it didn't represent the people, and it can use some simple changes to make it work better so we have more consistent elections. We need change so that we can have who the people elect be president.

[@sharongillesp]

Yep! The rest of the world is like a USB and USA is like a floppy disk.

[@jayzinnnn]

you guys seriously need to reform this system, wtf

[@rubaiyan9034]

Oh, we know.

[@MeltTheUniverse]

Trust me, we know.

[@lucas4587]

LMFAOO

[@lagoom1411]

The system favors the republicans to help them win so its hard to reform when half the country likes it

[@gretawaller8385]

@lagoom it does now but that’s not always how it’s been. Democrats have gerrymandered in other elections too. Why is it not outlawed by now?!

[@Magikalic]

I live in inner-city London. Last election I put the kettle on, walked out of my house to the local school where the polling station was, voted, came back home, poured myself out a cup of tea.

[@maxence2594]

this is the most british way to vote

[@arandominternetuser5203]

Wait wait. It took him the amount of time it takes for me to fly from London to New York? Love the personality from this woman.

[@lucas4587]

LMFAOO

[@rahulshivaram1510]

Here in the UK, walked to my polling station from my house, voted, came back - total journey time: 12 mins

[@amnril]

Same, 7pm walked in, one other person voting, tick in box, done. Took two minutes. The USA is just so dramatic with everything, it’s a joke.

[@romainviry3185]

@@amnril same in France, the school is right next ot my door. 33 to 5 people always in line, takes 10 min and you can get home and have a sausage or beer or whatever

[@darkwoodmovies]

It really depends on where you are in America. It took me 5 minutes to vote in California. It took about 30 minutes in Texas. In some places, depending on the majority race of your neighborhood, it can take about a whole day.

[@bushranger51]

Here in Australia, my local polling place is the Local High School, it's about 1km away from my house, I always walk there and it takes me about 10 minutes to walk it (I use a walking stick) depending on the time of the day, (it's always a Saturday BTW), I'm usually done in under an hour, Last election I went in later and there was like 3 people in line waiting to vote, took me all of 2 minutes inside the booth, and I was home in 3/4 of an hour, (I took some time to socialize with some people and alas there was no sausage sizzle so I dipped out there) but 3/4 of an hour and I was done. Hate to think how that would pan out in the US.

[@fresetu]

It took perhaps 20 minutes from the time I left my place until the time I got back. Time spent at the polling station: at most 5 minutes (as there were 2 other people waiting in line). The rest of the time was spent walking.

[@joecronin6694]

"The United States is the world's oldest democracy." Ancient Greece: *"Am I a joke to you?"*

[@henk-3098]

Ancient Greece didn't exist, only city states like Athens and Sparta.

[@joecronin6694]

@@henk-3098 I know, but I thought that would be easier to understand.

[@toreon1978]

@@henk-3098 so you really want to ignore a) the Hellenic league and b) the spirit of what he said: Athens as State was democratic long long long before the US were conceived.

[@anonymouse7773]

I was thinking the same thing, I thought the ideas of democracy and a republic came from Greece and Rome, they even taught us that in US school, that's why the monuments in Washington DC have a Roman/Greek aesthetic

[@UGNAvalon]

I’m guessing they mean “oldest continuous democracy”. If Ancient Greece maintained their democratic process unobstructed for thousands of years, then they’d win that argument no-question.

[@kolerick]

"USA is the oldest democracy in the world" Switzerland: "hello there..."

[@CallistaZM]

@@Balletified Greece has not been a continuous democracy. It was an empire several times in between.

[@sammaeldeath]

Aaaand last but not least : San Marino. Even a bit earlier than Iceland.

[@lynnhamps7052]

By my research they are 7th... :)

[@MariaChrysafidi]

@@CallistaZM it is still THE oldest, also the US is not a democracy, it is a plutocracy. Saying you are something and pretending it, doesn't mean you are, in my humble opinion, that is.

[@CallistaZM]

@@MariaChrysafidi I'm not saying I agree with any particular opinions, only stating what I'm sure the NYT was trying to say.

[@ayanverma5746]

India might be far better democracy than US where 900+ million were eligible and 600+ millions showed up on polling day in last election

[@passionofthecrust9173]

@Deepraj Chavan 3% better in a poorer country with a far larger population and astronomically more challenging logistics.

[@kumbaya69421]

@Deepraj Chavan bruh, we have a month of elections😊

[@kumbaya69421]

@Deepraj Chavan oh my bad.

[@rajadhirajmaharaj]

With dumb ridiculous jokers as MLAs and MPs, mera bharat mahan.. typical upper caste blabber.. it's alright, 'cause I'm okay.. dalits are dying in sewer, but I'm okay..

[@Brimbram2399]

@@rajadhirajmaharaj Not to mention the rising Right wing authoritarianism under the BJP rule.

[@jeringatai3156]

The man crying because he gets to vote is kinda heartbreaking. So happy for you man. Glad you got to take your kids with you and show then how important it is to vote.

[@r4inb0w5m4k3m3cry]

I''m happy for him by proxy. I'll never get to vote with my grandmother or mother now, because our healthcare is broken, too, but I'm happy for him.

[@younazilberberg1650]

I'm in high school in Europe, and everyone has been frantically checking the election results between classes every day. Damnit America.

[@fritzfiedler1807]

I hope you're not still checking.

[@younazilberberg1650]

@@fritzfiedler1807 nah, it's Biden and we've moved on lmao. Just waiting to see if Donald Trump doesn't go full authoritarian and refuse to let go😂

[@fritzfiedler1807]

@@younazilberberg1650 I hope it"s Biden by vote and not court. If this mess goes to the Supreme court, hen you can go to watching again.

[@ransomg9479]

Really? Omg I’m so interested in what the rest of the world has thought of this 2020 Presidential election here in the US. What was it like watching the debates and talking to your friends in between classes at school? Were they wanting Biden or Trump mainly? Was it the topic of everything people talked about, including the teachers? If you could please elaborate just a bit on what the environment was like that’d be great.

[@mango1926]

@@ransomg9479 Ehh, so I guess I am late and I can't speak for the other Person, but I can tell you how it was here in Germany :) The News were full of the election in the US and like OP said, even in schools it was very discussed. In every break we would check how the counting in the states had advanced and we would speculate what would happen next. Here in Germany most people favoured Biden, so were very concerned when we read in the news in one break how he wanted to stop the votes and go to court. While it was certainly not as intense as it was in the US, we were still heavily invested in this election :D I hope you can forgive probable grammer mistakes haha

[@AndersGetherSoerensen]

64% !!! In Denmark, we talk about whether we have a democratic problem when the voting percentage falls below 80. Which it almost never does.

[@eva-xs3iu]

i'm from switzerland. the ballot is sent to my house, i fill it in, glue the opening together, toss it into the nearest mailbox, done. we do this 4 to 5 times a year on about 3 to 5 policy matters each as well. so to me it's simply unbelievable to hear how complicated this system is wtf

[@possumGFX]

I have such an admiration for the swiss voting system.

[@DozyBinsh]

I live in the US and this is also how I vote. We have over 50 different election systems because each state sets their own rules. This video works by mixing and matching the worst examples from each state's system, pretending they all apply to the entire nation, and then soliciting reactions from people who couldn't know better. Some states definitely need to get their acts together, but the video itself is pretty dishonest.

[@btudrus]

@@DozyBinsh Already the fact that there are differences between states in how you vote is scandalous.

[@DozyBinsh]

@@btudrus I think that uniformity would be a virtue, but not at any cost. Realistically, the early United States functioned more like the modern European Union than the more centralized nation we know today. Do you suggest that EU member states forfeit the right to run their own elections? Catching vapors at the mere thought of such a horrifying scandal? I can't conceive of any nation freely joining a union that would mandate ceding electoral control. The US would simply never have formed.

[@wolfetone2012]

@@DozyBinsh comparing *early* US to the EU is quite fair. However the EU changes to meet the new demands of its member states and the cooperation between them. The US once decided the system is perfect and has refused to change since. Sure the independence of the states has been gutted, even shifting defence matters to the union. But to suggest doing the same for voting is considered blasphemous by those in power

[@lacountess]

Man in America: “7 hours 45 minutes and 13 seconds.” Me here is Canada (walks past a community centre):“Oh, they allow early voting? I have 5 minutes before I get my coffee.”

[@tinchote]

Canada, too. Last election I voted at work, there was a polling station in the corridor downstairs. I was just walking by, so it took me about a minute.

[@NicholasAlm]

It's not always that great, last federal election it took about an hour to get through my community line, however 8 hours is complete bs

[@Miliko207]

The last election for me in Germany was for me only some minutes. Unfortunately it took longer cause my parents met friends so they talked and talked...

[@harrycooper5231]

@@NicholasAlm You should complain. I've voted close to one hundred times in Vancouver, and the longest it's ever taken is ten minutes.

[@394pjo]

Watching from the UK it looks like you guys are naked and starving and still think you live in paradise.

[@MrLawalker]

LOL

[@ananthanca3222]

Hmmm......North Korea vibes

[@Jasminekansola]

Xd

[@Jakal_Latte]

Thats the life we dug are selfs into mate :

[@ztriderztrider8651]

Lol man seeing comments like this really shows how little the world wants/needs us around!

[@khorkienjoo5292]

Me, a non-American: Wow. Just, wow. The US should be ashamed.

[@Jah_LEASE_yah]

The US is it’s people. And no we’re not ashamed. We are strong in the face of constant opposition from our government. It’s the government that should be ashamed. But the country is not its government....

[@59375]

@@Jah_LEASE_yah Your politicians come from amongst you, they are not bred in a factory separately. You should ask yourselves, why is there no change when you actually vote for people to represent you and your policies?

[@Jah_LEASE_yah]

@@59375 God no. Our politicians do not come from amoung us. They come from the wealthy elite. Most American politicians are white males who come from very wealthy families and some even political families like the Bushes, Kennedy’s and Clinton’s. They are elites who come into power for the purpose of keeping institutional power amoung white wealthy men and perpetuating the subjugation of all the rest of us. What is in Congress is not representative of what the country is. The country is filled with diversity. Women men, black white, Latin, Asian, rich, poor, and lgbtq+. So many different demographics are not properly represented in congress. Thankfully things are changing. Since Trump more people that are actually representative of real Americans were elected to office then ever before creating the most diverse congress in history but it is still overwhelmingly white wealthy and male. We still got a long way to go before the promise of a a government for and by the people is actually realized. But like I said the government is not the country. The country is the people and the American people are truly amazing.

[@gerginborisov]

@@Jah_LEASE_yah, but you vote them in! They ARE from amongst your nation, they are Americans themselves… Your electoral system is dangerously severed from the freedom to express your political opinion. You don’t vote for your Presidents and your Legislature can pick and choose how it will be elected. And to top it off, you don’t even have a political spectrum within your entire political infrastructure. Politicians everywhere can be and most often are corrupt and disinterested in the actual needs of the people, but in many countries (America excluded) at least they are voted in via a system most can agree is fair. And yours (which you as a society obviously tolerate) is absolute trash.

[@Jah_LEASE_yah]

@@gerginborisov we vote them in but as the video clearly expressed, the American voting system is set up to suppress voters of color, and give certain candidate unfair advantages. I don’t disagree that the voting system and the government is broken. My point was that Americans should not be ashamed of their country because the country’s identity is not in the government. Our identity is in our citizens. Yes the members of Congress are citizens as well, but they are mostly made up of a very specific demographic that is totally detached from that lives and needs of all of the rest of America. They are not a representation of what we all are. And they are the ones that need to be ashamed of themselves. Not us.

[@Pedanta]

"The United States is the world's oldest democracy" Nothing like a quick quip of American exceptionalism to get the affection of foreigners

[@jc.1191]

Is it the oldest surviving democracy?

[@mollym4006]

IMO it’s iceland and definitely not USA But this extract from an article might be interesting to you? Russell Campbell, Dunedin, New Zealand Lots of them can. And do. Greece has a pretty good claim having invented the concept in the first place. However, long spells as an Ottoman colony or under military junta might put it out of the running if you're looking for longest continuously democratic country. Britain has a decent claim but it depends what you mean by democracy. As Rowan Atkinson put it in Blackadder: "take Manchester for instance. Population: 60,000. Electoral roll: 3". America frequently claims to be but this is because they define democracy so narrowly and in their own image such that on their criteria they're the worlds only democracy and on any other criteria they still aren't and never have been. Seth, Edinburgh, Scotland Perhaps Iceland can - their parliament, the Althing, is the oldest one still in use. It was formed in 930 by Vikings. www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-80426,00.html

[@prkp7248]

@@jc.1191 San Marino is oldest democracy and oldest republic (still existing).

[@Competitive_Antagonist]

Ancient Greece: Are we a joke to you?!

[@prkp7248]

@@Competitive_Antagonist ancient greek polis were mostly oligarchy or monarchy.

[@davidcunningham9282]

It makes me laugh every time I hear the words democracy and freedom used in the same sentence as America

[@jacobmuraco4276]

Ok I'll step up to bat. What is so undemocratic and oppressing about America?

[@davidcunningham9282]

@@jacobmuraco4276 it's a police state with a completely corrupt political system and a list of human rights violations as long as my arm. as a nation the u.s is certainly not alone in this regard but the constant waffle about freedom and democracy and the greatest nation on earth is frankly galling and preposterous

[@jacobmuraco4276]

​@@davidcunningham9282 We are in no way a police state, while there is corruption to say that it is complete is a gross exaggeration, and past human right violations aren't necessarily indicative of the current status of our democracy. I also really don't understand the complaint of "waffle of freedom and democracy", would you rather we praise oppression and dictatorships? and I'd challenge you to find a nation better then the US. We are by no means perfect, but don't take that as meaning this nation is a bad one.

[@elwinwinter]

@@jacobmuraco4276 Voter suppression, gerrymandering, 2 party system, electoral college, just to name a few. 'Better' is rather subjective of course but if you value things like education, healthcare, happiness, democracy, functioning infrastructure and people not shooting each other, basically every single first world country will do but for the best probably Scandinavian countries.

[@jacobmuraco4276]

@@elwinwinter We don't have a two party system, voter suppression is more of an overblown issue (as I type this), Gerrymandering and the EC are stupid, but they aren't necessarily undemocratic. And saying "find me a better country" was probably a little short sighted of me, but that doesn't at all mean the US is a bad place. There's a reason so many people want to immigrate here.

[@flowersandlemons]

This is insane... I'm not even sure I would call this a democracy.

[@starguy8809]

It's like an oligarchy

[@supe4701]

@@jillzy1182 you really need to learn how to shorten stuff if you want to keep people’s attention

[@kentmorton2872]

Flowersandlemons It's not It's an oligarchy! A small group of the super rich. About 1% of the population run America and have the overwhelming majority of the money. The politicians are just a show to make Americans think they have a democracy. To prove that it's always been this way is the fact that America had slavery. How can you speak of freedom, rights, justice while being a slave holding country?

[@rextheelder7998]

@@kentmorton2872 Britain, France, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, And much of Latin America also had slavery I don’t want to hear it.

[@kentmorton2872]

@@rextheelder7998 your not to bright are you? Did any of the country's that you mentioned claim to be a democracy while still having slavery? Those country's were monarchies. Brazil was a colony of a monarchy.

[@rickrolld1367]

When America has an election: Americans: I hope my party gets BIG WIN! Everyone else: Look, they're about to do something stupid.

[@debbiemarquis3231]

America has the biggest entertainment industry in the world..😎

[@kennyflaten6495]

it IS the biggest entertainment industry

[@troddenleper8915]

Yup! Politics is a thriller, Society is a tragedy, Economics is horror. True dat!

[@FranFerioli]

In size maybe, but they are copying our old shows. Greetings from Italy.

[@JLDREAMS]

@@troddenleper8915 I can't believe how well it all fits.

[@jeringatai3156]

What you expect when they elected a d list reality tv celebrity as President. They got what they voted for

[@robertjosephkleist2004]

2:36 "Nobody hears the word Purge and thinks of anything positive."

[@panchopuskas1]

......never been constipated?

[@robertjosephkleist2004]

@@panchopuskas1 toucheé! 😁

[@abett6111]

@@panchopuskas1 very good, that got a lol.

[@jockspringer9457]

@@panchopuskas1 Even if constipated purge still doesn't sound positive!, just an unfortunate necessity! :D

[@zihanzheng7569]

Im from Germany, and it took me about 5 minutes to vote. As the woman from Germany said: You are registered automatically if you're eligible to vote. You then get a reminder sent to ur house a few weeks prior to the election. This letter also contains the Mail-In Ballot. If you wanna vote In-Person, you just go to the polling place that is written on your notification. The line wasn't that long, because almost every public place (mostly schools) are used at a polling place on election day (Sunday).

[@linadecrava895]

It's almost the same here at Indonesia. Except the election day is usually at Wednesday but it become a National holiday.

[@noahremnek3615]

Same here in the US it took me 10 minutes I did a mail in ballot. Don’t believe NYT.

[@tingtong7425]

It's a great system you have in Germany.

[@Dafty2k]

@@noahremnek3615 yeah but you firstly need to be able to vote by mail which is very difficult in some states

[@gerardflynn3899]

Same here in Ireland 🇮🇪🇪🇺

[@dr.michaelgran5711]

"The oldest democracy" - that's really funny.

[@Lovethemusic385]

It strikes me as funny too. Could that mean the oldest continuously running modern style one?

[@CallistaZM]

They meant the oldest democracy founded as a democracy and still running continuously under that same system. Ancient Greece, where democracy was invented, is not at all the same as modern Greece, it has changed many times.

[@user-is9qe9pe6d]

@@CallistaZM iceland? Going strong since 930

[@b.ballooon9225]

Yah those are not true democracies. Medieval and Ancient City-States, Confederations, and Tribal Alliances did have some voting, but none of the complexities that Modern Democracy has. By all definitions, Modern Democracy was Invented by the US by using Enlightenment Ideals from UK/France. The enlightenment does have roots in the renaissance and therefore, by extension, the Greco-Roman world, but it's indirect. To say Greeks or Swiss or Iceland have the claim to creating democracy is a common myth, and one built with the intention to discredit the Founding Father's next-level innovativeness.

[@herisuryadi6885]

i feel like someone is repeating message/response

[@Simon-hb9rf]

"the World's oldest democracy" i think someone needs a history lesson

[@johnkeefer8760]

I think they mean the oldest, continuously running, democracy

[@kaubate9436]

@@johnkeefer8760 The republic of San Marino was founded in 1200. 1503-1600 an absolute monarch ruled, but on the 8th of October 1600 a new constitution was made. So the democracy in San Marino is 176 years older than the USA.

[@johnkeefer8760]

@@kaubate9436 true. They also would need to add “major” to their list of clauses. It certainly was not a precise statement to begin with

[@goofygoof2446]

i think they were to mean world oldest constitution

[@andmos1001]

@@kaubate9436 very odd that some monarchy”s are one of the best forms of defending democracy at this point. Especially in UK, Sweden and Denmark.

[@rouelandrewpulma9799]

I'm from a third world country and even I think that 7 hours to vote is unacceptable.

[@noahremnek3615]

It didn’t take me 7 hours to vote I just do a mail in ballot that takes 10 minutes.

[@andreiiota6920]

Bro wtf, you have to register in advance and queue up for hours just to vote... ON A TUESDAY!?

[@ginandromeda1618]

I live in a latinoamerican country where you have to register to vote as well. I'm curious, how is automatic registration done? Once you turn 18 you're eligible to vote?

[@andreiiota6920]

​@@ginandromeda1618 I don't know about other countries, but yes where I live you're basically eligible to vote for anything as soon as you turn 18. Voting is basically done per neighborhood in local schools, or other state owned buildings that can host it, during the weekend , though I think it's generally on Sundays only. They have lists of the people eligible to vote in that neighborhood and extra lists for those who originate from other places but chose to vote there. They scan your ID, assign you someone to assist you, you sign some papers, they give you the voting ballot, you vote, then you get your ID back with a little sticker on the back of it showing you voted. It takes 2-5 minutes and you don't need any prep work. You go in, vote, go out.

[@littlemittromney]

not everywhere, I live in washington state where we have same day registration and have had all mail in elections for state local and federal since 2008. voting here is extraordinarily easier than in Georgia, Florida, or texas especially compared to polling centers in minority communities.

[@edudinizm]

@@ginandromeda1618 in Brazil you can register to vote from 16 yo and by 18 to 70 yo if you don’t vote you have to justify or pay a fine. The registration is done to link you to the nearest electronic ballot box to your home and avoid queues.

[@wordswarsandsymphonies]

yup. which makes it incredibly hard for students (young people) and poor people that have to work to make time to go vote. another form of voting suppression. At least now there's pushes to officially make Election Day a national holiday

[@gingerbread2005]

"Fight to vote and then change the system by voting" - sadly america is a 2 party system where neither of which are really campaigning for any sort of overhaul to the election process. Sure, I'm from the UK, we have a two party system, but at least most of us can all easily vote

[@sumosophy6823]

“ Athens is often regarded as the birthplace of democracy and remains an important reference-point for democracy. “ - Wikipedia Americans : 👁👄👁

[@Hafferlaf87]

@bongo155 Why?

[@Hafferlaf87]

@bongo155 And?

[@talete7712]

@Is me ? San Marino, a country in Europe, has been a Republic since the XIII century

[@stephanweinberger]

Americans: Athens/TX, Athens/AL or Athens/TN?

[@ulfjohnsen6203]

@Is me ? in what way is the US a running democracy?

[@lv834]

Watching from abroad, I am torn between laughing hysterically or crying. This is not a democracy if you are gerrymandering, don't have automatic voters' registration, proportional representation, easy access, make voting day a holiday, purge votes and practice felony disenfranchisement.

[@jacobmuraco4276]

Yes it does. Because none of these problems define us as a different system of government.

[@jacobmuraco4276]

@Souven Tudu more pointing out facts.

[@roymaddocks3184]

such a great commrnt

[@TheFlygon13]

The USA is not the world's oldest democracy. San Marino is.

[@yellowplate4539]

Athens and Rome are older.

[@romank90]

@@yellowplate4539 Was my first thought as well, but maybe it refers to "continuous"? Greeks had some centuries interruption?

[@TheFlygon13]

@@yellowplate4539 I'm pretty sure they mean oldest continuously running democracy. Not even Americans could overlook Athens and Rome

[@yellowplate4539]

@@TheFlygon13 probably. No one cares that our ancestors contributed to our ancient democracies like Athens and Rome

[@jamesbuchan416]

I’m not sure what the oldest continuous democracy is as the meaning is very vague (universal suffrage or not)but I can think of many older examples than 1776 USA.

[@S0me0ne353]

"the us is the oldest democracy" laughs in the midieval european republics.

[@thatrandomguyontheinternet2477]

San Marino and Switzerland are just chilling

[@PirrePirre]

In Sweden everyone can vote, you only need a id( like 95% of the pop has some typ of id here). We count ALL votes even if it takes weeks. We have high turnout of like 87%. I have 3-4 poling places like 2-5min from my home and never had to wait in a line to vote, you can also vote by mail. US election sounds more and more like elections in Russia or Belarus..

[@thrivinganarchy5267]

Lmao no.

[@mandarin1254]

lol in Russia the electoral procedure is even less complicated. At least we don't have to register for voting, we just bring passport and vote. The cheating in Russia is simply not letting in the opposition candidates.

[@grmpEqweer]

@@Turtle42082 What state are you voting in? I have to show a state photo ID in Texas to vote. They scan the ID. IIRC there's around 20 million people in Texas that must have a state photo ID to vote.

[@heathertaylor-willockx3632]

@@Turtle42082 I have to disagree. The video seemed very accurate to me. I live in Michigan and have to show ID every time. They also verify my signature and if it doesn't match perfectly they can throw out my vote later. Right now I live in a middle class white neighborhood, so it usually only takes me about an hour to vote. But for awhile I lived in Pontiac, a predominantly black, poor area. The lines were hours long, and they would close the poles before people could vote, even though they had been there for hours. I had to work hard to get my nephew and son registered, although its easier now. And I know that it is very true that many states bar people from voting if they have a felony conviction, no matter what it is for. Gerrymandering is also very real. The video didn't even mention that not all votes carry equal weight. And I think that fact alone is particularly significant.

[@mariaclaudiaquintanaestrad7053]

In peru, the count of votes takes at least 2-3 days. Cause you have wait to get the votes from the outside and from the little town in the center of the country, which many times are far away from big cities

[@FabulousKilljoy917]

I literally screamed “other countries don’t have gerrymandering?!” And said I’m moving 😭😭😭

[@wallacewallaby5782]

Of course they don't, nor would any 1st world country anywhere allow such an obvious cheating tool to exist. You might as well make a rule banning anyone over 30 from voting if they're liberal, since it makes as much sense and is equally corrupt.

[@lizvlx]

Yeah, rest of world uses regular county/district borders.

[@jonmel]

The uk parliament can change the borders for each seat but it tends to happen with the census changes

[@0000-z4z]

Many countries don't have electoral districts at all or they are unimportant. Most of Europe uses proportional representation.

[@lizvlx]

@@jonmel i dont think the uk is considered the rest of the world when it comes to issues with the usa.

[@Figue-]

0:21 as a matter of fact, Iceland has been an uninterrupted democracy since the 9th century :)

[@bunzeebear2973]

Viking days? Yeah that may be true but it is ONLY the men that vote. Eric the Red gets the boot. But Greece is the first democracy. In the BCE era. Google it. Men still had the say, but it started there. Then Sparta (all 300 of them). The Roman Empire followed and I believe they also had a quasi democracy....the senators vote really cut deep -to choose their leader. "or not"

[@AidestheKiwi]

@@bunzeebear2973 if your going to use universal suffrage as the defining factor then New Zealand would be first, women had the vote here in 1893.

[@jillmortlock8439]

@@bunzeebear2973 and women didn't get to vote in America until 1920 and people of colour couldn't vote for decades after that. It's not a democracy if it's only for a select few. Which is what American Republicans want.

[@LdyVder]

@@jillmortlock8439 That's the kicker, stop with the party(both have changed over the decades and flip ideology in the last 1960s) and look at the ideology and it has alway been conservatives in the US that have always wanted it to be a white male only country. Anyone else weren't to be citizens. 13th Amendment changed that. If the conservatives of the 1770s had their way, we would have never broken off from the Crown. Native tribes couldn't vote in all 50 states until the 1960s.

[@stackhat8624]

but hasn't been a sovereign nation that whole time. Actually, only since 1944

[@alucard303]

"It's like you want to stop people from voting" - Well yes, that has been the republican concept for decades

[@noeliajaime7656]

In Argentina,once you voted once,you ate registered to vote always...The U.S is the first Democratic country I've ever seen that's make it harder to vote instead of easier. So much needs to change there.

[@helenwood8482]

In the UK, you are registered to vote at 18.

[@happyfunjenn]

I live in the US and I love sharing these global perspective pieces about us. Perspective is EVERYTHING and we have WAY too many people living in a bubble out here. Thank you NYT

[@yesyourang2224]

I was brought to tears at the end. Their system needs an overhaul.

[@lucas4587]

LMFAOO

[@cottontheeastercottontailr265]

l o l

[@celticlass8573]

Adding this to all the other things that people outside of the U.S. think is nuts (like their healthcare, insane drug costs, corporate lobbyists...), and one really wonders where "freedom" and "greatest country in the world" that you hear from Americans all the time, actually comes from.

[@soccersinger101]

Me: thinking that we have a decent and easy system Everyone in this video: "it took me about 2 minutes to go vote.", "what is voter registration?", "what the heck is wrong with yalls system?" Yall telling me there is a easier way?

[@DavontheViper]

Mate your whole system sucks on every corner. Hard pill to swallow cause that’s not what is taught in US-schools.

[@soccersinger101]

@@DavontheViper exactly!! And even when we vote the electoral college is actually what decides it. God we need changes

[@soccersinger101]

@@Balletified 👏 THANK 👏 YOU 👏. This! This entire statement is just so great 💯. I have been considering actually moving to Canada because of how awful our systems are and all the idiots who refuse to strive for literally anything better. People literally argued against a $15.00 minimum wage because of some bs they all made up in their heads "I don't want someone flipping burgers to make the same as me", or "prices for everyday things will go up if we get paid more" both arguments are so stupid I just want to cry. That raise in wage would have benefited my job that pays $11.50 and I wouldn't have to put in so much OT just to make sure we have money to pay our bills and have extra money and I could finally have money to put aside for college. We have idiots in higher positions of power who refuse to do anything that could benefit people and even more idiots that think they are doing a good job because they say they are. I want changes because I have family and loved ones here and I want America to actually be better. I'm so unsure if those changes can be made though and I don't want to raise a family in a country that just has it set up to where they will more than likely fail.

[@soccersinger101]

@@Balletified that's also a reason I don't wanna leave. I wanna help change the country but I also want to bring a family into this world eventually and I'm unsure I'd want them here. That's my dilemma right now. I'm hoping this upcoming election for senate will help making changes. I also want to get rid of this stupid electoral college system and the other system that allows these senators to keep blocking progress, even if there are more votes for change.

[@florianbirnbaum6584]

Here in Spain, you receive a letter to check if your personal data are right. If they are (most times are), you wait for the voting day, you go to a public school, show your identity card, they check if you're in the list and then you vote. Maximum 5 minutes. Never heard of nothing similar to gerrymandering here. You are being deceived :/

[@moviesstuff25]

'Oldest democracy' the megalomania of the U.S is unbelievable.

[@jc.1191]

Is it the oldest surviving democracy?

[@Onnarashi]

@@jc.1191 San Marino.

[@Pomoscorzo]

The way I understand it, the US mentality is highly competitive. Everybody is supposed to "make it", whatever that means for them. It's about winning. Not about fairness or justice or equality or putting the right person in the right place. A person is in a certain place because he "made it". Not because he's best qualified for it.

[@KyleRuggles]

The US is like Trump, it's all about dominance. Gotta ask why the US along with Russia and China doesn't recognize the ICC?

[@carlobasilone3133]

Thats why they don't allow a tie game in sports. They even invented cooking shows that are competitions so you have a winner and a loser.

[@sanzharnaizabekov8166]

And that is why they’re more than 7 billion gap in total nominal gdp between Europe and USA. One country makes electric cars and sends tech to Mars while other accepts refugees for welfare

[@mpantony9684]

Montreal Canada here. Paused the BigBang Theory series rerun I was watching. Walked 3 min down the street to a church recreation building. Walked in. Made an X on a paper. Returned Home. Total 9 minutes. Continued watching my show.

[@thefateshavewarned]

"The United States is the world's oldest democracy." I think that San Marino would like to have a word with you.

[@SwissTanuki]

They send me everything by mail and I just fill it out and send it back. Don't even have to worry about a post stamp since it's prepaid. Also we vote 4 times a year about absolutely everything. Greetings from Switzerland

[@EpicnessYeet]

NYT: america is the worlds oldest democracy ancient greece: *hold my zeus*

[@starguy8809]

Zeus will zap me so you take him.

[@jacobmuraco4276]

Ancient Greece was not a nation, and also no longer exists.

[@celestisastarte7863]

@@jacobmuraco4276 The first part is still true however, the US is not the oldest democracy in the world.

[@MayureshKadu]

Great format. It's not about showing them down. It's about showing them there's better ways to do this.

[@XxDarkManaxX]

As a German I'm honestly asking myself: Why is it, that many people think of sausages, when they hear "Germany", but we don't have "Democracy Sausage"? Elections are this year. Until then the "Democracy Currywurst" should be a thing xD

[@kratzikatz1]

I would prefer a döner!😉😊

[@bearo8]

In the village I grew up in the Freiwillige Feuerwehr sells Bratwurst every election. And there's also cake :D Now I live in a city and vote in the school and get nothing :(

[@cakeisyummy5755]

Gernan?

[@spazco8669]

In Australia if you want to get anything done you have to put on a bbq and give out sausages, from elections to just mates helping you move a fridge. The sausage is key.

[@Daughterofminerva]

What a shame we don't have"Democratic pizza" here in Italy 😆😆. But we sing "Bella Ciao" everytime we organize a manifestation. Since we believe it is a song sung by the partisans (nobody is 100% sure about it, but this is the general belief) when they fought against the nazists, it means "fighting for freedom" for us.

[@Telamond]

I'd be so ashamed if I lived in the US. And you call this a democracy??

[@thomasmaxwell954]

@@Honestcritic79 Yes unfortunately

[@Joel-hl6fh]

@@Honestcritic79 Yes, you do not keep a monarchical form of government. Got it.

[@rebeccajones9757]

I live in the US and yes, we are ashamed.

[@forestmanzpedia]

@@Honestcritic79 You should move out, too and give the lands to the Native Americans back, if you can't realize your hypocrisy.

[@kiss-shotacerola-orionhear220]

@@Honestcritic79 republic is a form of transfer of power, democracy, if we translate it, is a peoples power where the majority determine lifestile of the whole nation. So such things as democratic republic can exist, it actually exist in many european countries, but not in America, here the minority can dictate the lifestile of majority. So,yeah, America is difenetely not a democratic republic, iwd call it quasi-democratic republic, u pretent to be real but u are not. Interesting phenomenon of americans that u literally think that republic and democracy are antagonizing each other, when they can actually fit each other. Its blowing my mind.

[@Remcore020]

Murica.... The richest third world country in the world

[@jwb2734]

European thinking no universal healthcare = 3rd worlf

[@kyo250996]

@@jwb2734 if you think american lacks only a decent health care system, clearly you have never been to europe.

[@kay6096]

or 3rd world country in denial.

[@thrivinganarchy5267]

lmao moron.

[@Remcore020]

@@jwb2734 though your Healthcare system (or lack there of) is part of my reasoning, it is definitely not the only factor. Just to name a few... The infrastructure is in a constant state of disrepair, your public sector is so corrupt it would envy the folks from Zimbabwe, your public transport is practically non existant. Your protection of the weaker sections of society is a joke. Your law enforcement is absurdly racist and very dependent on race and class. Your education system is broken beyond repair. You house the most people in the world in your prison system. I could still go on but I think you catch my drift... But you just stick your head in the sand and keep telling yourself : America is the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

[@stannetaprospere4301]

I took the the morning off to vote my boss was like cool, we will rotate the shift so everybody get a little time off to go vote. It took us about 5 minutes each, travel included. I live in Canada 🍁

[@saahiliyer11]

At this point, America’s just a walking dumpsterfire whose most impressive quality is how we haven’t collapsed yet.

[@lucas4587]

LMFAOO

[@ninanano]

you've already collapsed

[@CatatonicImperfect]

It's a Michael Bayesk train crash of a country. Fun to watch. Just glad I'm not in it.

[@Sewblon]

idk. It consistently ranks as one of the most charitable countries in the world, and one of the most educated countries in the world, going by the percentage of the population with college degrees. That is impressive.

[@dib3385]

@@Sewblon I do wonder about the level of their degrees, because very few " average citizens" that i have seen/listened to during the whole of the last 4 years seem to have very low educational levels, despite having high school diplomas and college degrees. Their college degree feels more like a UK A level

[@davidknight5348]

World's oldest democracy. That's quite a claim.

[@aidanclarke6106]

So old it's nearly dead

[@yuppieNL]

@@aidanclarke6106 its not even true so

[@joshuaalfaro4781]

@@yuppieNL *Longest Uninterrupted Democracy

[@yuppieNL]

@@joshuaalfaro4781 true if san marino didnt exist

[@sheldon-cooper]

@@yuppieNL bless that tiny little mountain state

[@smallstudiodesign]

Now you know it’s not voter apathy, for low voter turnout. It’s voter impossibility.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

In Canada, employers are required to give their employees a certain amount of time off work on election day so they can vote.

[@Jah_LEASE_yah]

When I voted for Obama’s re-election, I was in line four hours, and when I voted for Hilary Clinton, (2016) I was in line two hours. 🤷🏽‍♀️ 2020 was the first time I didn’t have to wait. And it was only because there was no voter machines. Everything was by paper ballot.

[@gerrysyoutubekanal5671]

But you voted👍👍👍 go on and fight for your rights even if it's unbelievable hard in your country. We see you America ❤️much love from Berlin

[@mikecollier7732]

They still have hope in American resilience in the face of this. For all our problems, I hope they are right.

[@lucas4587]

LOL

[@user-wz9wp1bw9t]

I'm too tired for resilience now. 70 ish million Americans want to be led by a person who enacts policies which diminish and/or remove fundamental human rights. This is no longer political. This is about being human.

[@adrielsebastian5216]

"The US is the oldest democracy in the world." Greece: _am I a joke to you?_

[@lucas4587]

LMFAOO

[@hurricanemeridian8712]

I think basic history is too hard for some people xD

[@gstarr3355]

bruh, its oldest continuous democracy

[@SocialistFinn1]

@@gstarr3355 then they said it wrong and that's probably still wrong

[@knnthfrmn]

@@gstarr3355 San Marino, founded in 301ad...

[@ricardoavocado66]

0:25 “The United States is the world’s oldest democracy” Laughs in Ancient Greek

[@b.ballooon9225]

Yah those are not true democracies. Medieval and Ancient City-States, Confederations, and Tribal Alliances did have some voting, but none of the complexities that Modern Democracy has. By all definitions, Modern Democracy was Invented by the US by using Enlightenment Ideals from UK/France. The enlightenment does have roots in the renaissance and therefore, by extension, the Greco-Roman world, but it's indirect. To say Greeks or Swiss or Iceland have the claim to creating democracy is a common myth, and one built with the intention to discredit the Founding Father's next-level innovativeness.

[@giorgosx5838]

@@b.ballooon9225 You are saying it wasn't a true democracy yet you are judging that based on today's standards in which case you would be right. However it was the original democracy where all free men had the right to vote. By their standards what we have isn't a true democracy. Anyhow even on that you are wrong as it was San Marino that had the first continuous modern democracy and all people could vote unlike the US where black people only got that right with the 15th amendment I believe.

[@b.ballooon9225]

@@giorgosx5838 You're right, I am judging it based on today's standards. Intentionally though. I'm not saying I'm not impressed by what these groups achieved for their time, I am very impressed and love Greco-Roman culture. But I'm sick of the myth that American Democracy owes most of it's hard work and innovation to Greece or San Marino or Iceland. I don't see much of a difference between this Original Democracy and Tribalist Proto-Voting systems. The Vikings had something call the Althing, I don't see why what San Marino had or the Greek City States had was much more impressive. And once again, all 3 of these things are impressive, but they aren't so impressive that I'd call them an revolution of society, Jeffersonian and Parliamentarian are. Millions died for the rights of these systems over a thousand years. From Manga Carta to the English Civil War to the Revolutionary war to the Napoleonic Wars, I'm sorry but I refuse to put Original Old Style Simplistic Democracies in the same boat. The original democracies more just gravitated gradually towards that life, they didn't have massive civil wars/revolutions to create a specifically planned system. It was created out of necessity, I'm sure many practiced early democratic ideas because it led to more unity within the tribe. These forms of democracy were very easy to create due to human nature preferring them in small populations. Much easier to have a democratic system with a few men making decisions, but that idea was impossible in civs that had high populations. Which is why the Founders had to think WAYYY outside the box to create Modern Jeffersonian Democracy. Now if you were to claim Modern Democracy would not exist without Original, you are correct. Indirectly, things like the Althing, San Marino, and Greek City States were all great inspiration for Renaissance/Enlightenment ideas. But the details, the hard part, that was mostly done by Americans, French, and British. Yah I'm sure San Marino had plenty of different ethnicities to be racist towards (not). On top of all that, I'm sure like all others during the time, they participated in some slavery, meaning not totally democratic.

[@giorgosx5838]

@@b.ballooon9225 Don't get me wrong, I didn't say you are hating on cultures or something, nor am I downplaying the role of the US in today's society. There have been many things invented by the US that improved our life. I would say it's impressive because it was a political regime way ahead of its time. (Funny how in sparta women actually had the same power as men unlike in the Athenian democracy though lol). Democracy wasn't created out of necessity and civil wars were way too common in ancient Greece considering that city states may have been seperate but in the end all together made it what we call ancient Greece. No but there were other countries too that had democracy and didn't have only one ethnic group in their lands. San Marino I believe did have some slavery at some point too yeah. This entire chain of comments was based on the original talking about the worlds first democracy. I didn't mean to downplah the achievents of the US

[@b.ballooon9225]

@@giorgosx5838 Yah np, I just hear the whole "US isn't the first democracy" thing a lot. Like technically it isn't the first, but it is the first democracy in the way we see democracy today, in a society with millions of people. That's why I would honestly prefer if historians/anthropologists just came out and defined certain political situations better. They should call what the Vikings, San Marino, and City States had Proto-Democracy. Just like Proto-Civilizations exist, no reason Proto-Democracy can't be what we use to define those civs. Otherwise we risk teaching people that there is no difference between modern democracy and old small-scale democracy.

[@greatleapforwards]

2020 Irish elections...I walked from from my front door to the local parish. Voted. And was back home.... All in ten minutes. All done on good ol pen and paper

[@michaelmclachlan1650]

Australian - 30 minutes for a nice walk, queueing, vote and return. Also on paper but I didn't get a sausage last time :-(

[@jillmortlock8439]

Pretty much the same in NZ.

[@clarebailey5584]

Same in the UK. Just walked straight in, got my ballot paper and was out again in 2 minutes! Took me longer to walk to the polling station than to vote!

[@Lillith.]

I walked 8 minutes to my polling station. Waited in line behind 3 people and thought to myself: "I chose a horrible time to vote, way to busy." Waited 5 minutes. Handed the two cards (my municipality had a referendum on the same day) I got send in the mail and my ID to the person at the counter. Got my ballots. Chose my representative from a wallpaper of choices and yes/no in the referendum. Put those papers in a sealed container and left the building. Walked 8 minutes back home. Voting in the Netherlands in 2021.

[@kratzikatz1]

Same in germany. And the results at 7pmthe same day!

[@dlxinfinite7098]

"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion." ---Frank Zappa

[@y1521t21b5]

5:16, 5:49 It's heartwarming to see these human reactions to the tragedy of disenfranchisement in the different forms in which it manifests. Kudos to _Stacey Abrams_ and others like her who are essentially effecting reenfranchisement on a large scale.

[@jnewcomb]

Hey! We get a free sticker with our mail-in ballots! **secretly envies the democracy sausage**

[@Hagg-o-tron]

The oldest democracy in the world? Mate, America wouldn't even make it into the top fifty!

[@wicked_deftlady]

Fact.

[@nkg___5172]

4:58 “It’s like you want to stop people from voting” yup she’s exactly right

[@maelos61]

'The United States is the world's oldest democracy.' ... Since when? Depending on your definition of democracies there were democracies before the Americas were discovered. The USA is such a 'new' country that it's laughable to even say that.

[@olympia5758]

The oldest functioning government with democracy* so it's not wrong. All previous democracies no longer exist.

[@maelos61]

@@olympia5758 Ah, yes... 'functioning'...

[@SOMEONE-cd9wf]

@@olympia5758 Not really. If you consider 6% of people being able to vote a democracy the I don't think you understand democracy.

[@olympia5758]

@@SOMEONE-cd9wf The US is a democracy but not in a literal sense, it is a constitutional republic. Also, the Greeks didn't make a clear definition of what counts as democracy and what isn't, so you don't get to say what is a democracy and what isn't.

[@matthijslenaerts9423]

@@SOMEONE-cd9wf When the US was founded, black people were 3/5th of a person and women couldn't vote. Clearly, the percentage of voter participation is not the measure of democracy. You'd need an education to understand that though.

[@mikehzz9848]

In Australia, voting is compulsory and on a Saturday. You can hand the ballot in with nothing on it but you have to turn up and cross your name off or you get fined. The sausages aren't free, they're done by charities or community groups to fund raise. The US system sounds like a nightmare but if you're born into it and brainwashed about how fantastic you are then it won't change. Having said that, I've never met an American that I didn't like, but I haven't met any American politicians yet.

[@angurialois]

Actually voting is one of the things South Africa gets right. Even in townships. Talk about what you know next time.

[@Shazzie_Rose]

THANK-YOU!!!!

[@Shazzie_Rose]

We just need to be allowed to vote on who we want in parliament and the ministers.

[@saurabhbhagat4528]

America should be labelled as a developing country, the "developed country" label should be removed

[@ernisupriani9270]

It can't because is not developing anymore they are stagnan in economy in prosperity even will fail

[@rextheelder7998]

Says the dude with the south Asian name who’s likely never been to America and has no idea what makes the US far superior to his homeland

[@saurabhbhagat4528]

@@rextheelder7998 At least we have free public healthcare (aka universal healthcare) for each and every citizen 🤣

[@deebee9151]

@@rextheelder7998 Stop sounding like a typical brainwashed American and actually have a look at the world around you and you might learn something.

[@avalonsignoraalmas6150]

That isn’t really how it works. A country’s level is determined by a series of stats that convert to a number 1-3. When averaging those numbers, the result is where you rank. The U.S. ranks in category 1, so they are an MDC and a first world country.

[@roberttatar1793]

America, democracy? C’mon, man! This is bull...! I nearly cried, man, no words! Sad.

[@jelletherandomhuman2864]

"the United states is the worlds oldest democraty" some 16e century dutch boi: ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT

[@jljovano]

Oldest democracy ? Far from it.

[@semelipetala6378]

This is the stupidest thing I've read in days..

[@loveparkes]

then live somewhere else

[@semelipetala6378]

@@loveparkes already doing that

[@lucas4587]

LMFAOO

[@VictorECaplon]

Oldest continuous. I can understand the confusion.

[@annettepayne822]

The Aussie guy in this is named Dan Illic he’s a legend. He’s a comedian here and my older brother was in high school with him. Oakhill College. Yay Dan!

[@annettepayne822]

@White hammer lol the tav ! Local xoxox

[@albinjohnsson2511]

I'm so happy I wasn't born in the US.

[@susanabrown1736]

Nothing wrong born in the US. Is a nice country.

[@serbu4169]

Nope, it ain’t

[@serbu4169]

It isn’t

[@jamesl9371]

Yeah I agree

[@Fun-rf9vs]

@@serbu4169 You Canadians never learn

[@spillme7279]

We get a day off when it's election day, Nation wide, then you'll get this ink sign on your pinky that proved that you're already voted. And on that day, a lot of business are giving discount to everybody who has already voted. And that's from a developing country

[@spillme7279]

And yeah, it took me about 5 minutes if I was going in the morning, or 10-15 if it was at noon

[@tianamatson]

This makes my heart hurt. It feels so heavy to live here and know that it's better other places, seeing what it could be like, fighting for what it should be like, and still feel powerless because your family and neighbors and president have drunk the KoolAid. The US is not a first world country and hasn't been for a very long time.

[@rextheelder7998]

By definition the US will always be a first world country.

[@avalonsignoraalmas6150]

That isn’t really how it works. A country’s level is determined by a series of stats that convert to a number 1-3. When averaging those numbers, the result is where you rank. The U.S. ranks in category 1, so they are an MDC and a first world country.

[@wicked_deftlady]

Well said. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@Mary-Ann_B_Mabaet]

Agreed. "Following the modern definition of the “first world,” countries that are part of the designation are primarily characterized by political stability, economic stability, a high standard of living, and a capitalist economy." Ehhhh. Nope. Political Stability is a joke. But if that means we aren't currently having Civil Wars a lot then that's the fine line. Economic Stability? For who? The rich 1% that run America? I mean Minimum Wage designed to secure a Minimum Standard of Living can't even secure adequate housing, shelter, medical assistance etc in certain areas, especially the metropolitan ones. The System SAYS it's a Capitalist Economy but we know it's actually overrun by rich Oligarchs. It is Merchantile Imperialism. "Common metrics used to identify such countries include: 1. Human Development Index (HDI): (1) the long and healthy life dimension, (2) the education dimension, and (3) the standard of living dimension. 2. Per Capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Per capita GDP illustrates the average economic output per person and is calculated by dividing a country’s gross domestic product by its population 3. Literacy Rate (%): Literacy rate refers to the percentage of individuals aged 15 and above that are proficient at reading and writing. 4. Life Expectancy (Years): Life expectancy is the average age that an individual is expected to live to from birth." 1) (A) We may live longer than the Ancients but we live it with aches and pains. It definitely isn't healthy. Other 1st World Nations have better Healthcare Systems and don't have Eye Gouging Prices and can manage to keep their people healthy. We generally may even avoid going to see a doctor due to costs. (B) Some colleges are treated like a joke and some teachers don't even bother teaching unless you show some natural talent, i.e. not earned skill. (C) The Standard of Living hasn't even been Transparent as to what entirely that includes. Modern Living in USA requires Internet to pay heed to E-mails / Attachments as well as Phones for Communications. Not to Mention Vehicles for Transit. They never post a calculation Per District on what these Standards are. 2) I think this model may be flawed as the "economic output per person" may not include those that reap the benefits of said persons, such as the companies [and employers] that may employ them. Are they considered in this statistic as outputting zero? 3) Age 15 was 10th Year High School for me. Last I recall, Americans are expected to Read and Write minimally at a 6th Grade Level. I doubt this claim. 4) For a 1st World Country which forces it's citizens to pay more than double for Medical Expenses, we have less of a Life Expectancy when compared to other 1st World Countries. We pay more and are given less for an increase to Executives at 500% plus bonus. We are #46 in this list: www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/ More general info on First World Countries: corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/economics/first-world/ "The term second world has also been used to cover countries that are more stable and more developed than offensive term "third-world" countries but less-stable and less-developed than first world countries. ... Criteria, such as unemployment rates, rates of infant mortality and life expectancy, standards of living, and distribution of income can be used to determine a country's status." www.investopedia.com/terms/s/second-world.asp We currently have an Unemployment rate of 3.6% in 2023. However, certain places would make you think that that is way higher than the number suggests, that someone isn't calculating correcting, and/or that someone is purposefully messing with the numbers. Infantile Rates and Mortality of Maternal Births are higher in America versus a 1st World Country. [www.statista.com/statistics/1240400/maternal-mortality-rates-worldwide-by-country/] And about income: "MIT Economist Peter Temin argues that the United States has even regressed to a developing nation status. Temin believes that close to 80% of the entire U.S. population is part of a low-wage sector, laden with debts and facing fewer possibilities for growth." We are DEFINITELY defined as a 2nd World Nation.

[@grice478]

How does it take over 7 hours! I can't even imagine how ridiculous that queue must have been. I've literally never queued to vote before. I just don't understand how it gets anywhere near that long

[@LdyVder]

Because the machines in the polling place broke down. Or they don't have enough places to vote, many cities/states lowered the number of polling places in some areas to make the wait longer to discourage people from waiting in line to vote. Our elections are on a Tuesday, usually the polls are open from 7am to 7pm in most places. Which is in the middle of the work day. If you are someone who works 10-12 hour shifts, you better do early voting if that hasn't been cut back. Some states are literally making it harder to vote and illegal to give someone food or water who is standing in one of those seven hour long lines. State I live in, Florida, just signed that type of law a few weeks ago.

[@peterfireflylund]

@@LdyVder no, they made it illegal to hand out water for political organizations.

[@ewanmaxwell3267]

It’s so sad to see how these people live. There should be an internal charity so we can get them the aide and democracy they so desperately need

[@TSWARD-xb9rk]

YA’LL are so GREAT!!! Thank you all for the encouragement. It has been a NIGHTMARE.

[@xxkklphdxxyt]

The US: "we're the worlds oldest democracy!" The British House of Commons: "am I a joke to you?"

[@Cybernaut551]

Good one! Jajajajajajajajajaj!

[@manthanpatel6295]

Lol your country run by monarch... your is not actually have democracy...

[@kharadron3561]

I'm British, your elections terrify me!

[@Annie-ZA]

And what about 2K soldiers shipped into LIVERPOOL UK to test EVERY ... YES!!! EVERYYYYYY man, woman and child??? Doesn't THAT scare you my dear? 😱🤦‍♀️😥

[@bl00dhoney]

@@Annie-ZA I don't know what this means. But the city of Liverpool can take 2k soldiers easy and with their curlers and slippers still on.

[@hpsauce1078]

Tbh our electoral system isn't bad but it needs a lot of reform too

[@Annie-ZA]

@@2241RS NO THANKS! I avoid testing. Just out of sheer curiosity, knowing what I know about the unreliability of such a ridiculous test, and longggg after all the hype surrounding this virus which was NEVER a pandemic for Heaven's sake, I'll probably take one just for the fun of it and a good laugh! 😁🤣🤣

[@charleswatson1093]

@@Annie-ZA Why should it scare me?

[@jannepeltonen2036]

We have voting coffee and cinnamon roll here in Finland. :)

[@connybenattaia445]

In Denmark there is a thing called "valgflæsk" (election-pork). It is fried pork belly with potatoes and milksauce with parsly.

[@forestmanzpedia]

Depending where you are in Germany, you get a piece of a cake, cookies, sweets or buns in Germany.

[@asterism343]

Now that's how it should be! So many more people would vote if you could get free food out of it!

[@emmaabdulla2f360]

This is why I want to go to Finland 😂

[@DavidTheDraconic]

Note: The US is NOT the worlds oldest democracy. Thats Switzerland, actually (the swiss are democratic since the 15/16th century.)