Americans Living Abroad: First Time You Realized America Really Messed You Up - American Reacts

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[@TukikoTroy]

No. These stories are not 'insane' this is normality for most of the world. It is America that is insane.

[@kathysmith6413]

you got it in one. the absolute miserly greed demonstrated by most of the US capitalist system is enough to make person wish that Marx was still alive and working as his theory should have been used

[@zitronentee]

USA is a developed country acting as if it's still a developing country.

[@nathanford1201]

100%

[@fxlei1856]

@obimk1 Gay Marriage in 2001 feels like your country was a pioneer to me, but otherwise it's what I'd expect of most developed countries.

[@fxlei1856]

@obimk1 That is the case where I live as well. What I meant was that I took these things for granted nowadays. I was rather shocked that there was a developped country where such Gofundmes were needed. Where I live, the price of health insurance is dependent on income and can even be free under certain circumstances. I find the US american idea of freedom quite twisted anyway. I think my freedom ends where yours begins and I think anyone should have the freedom to live without fearing for one's wellbeing.

[@Mayfrancisxavier]

The stories aren't insane - the US is!!

[@elouise5593]

No. You are.

[@taviseagles4228]

The stories are cap 😂😭, all women love to act for clout.

[@allanwhittle4603]

The US is a rip off, people over there have no idea they are being ripped off.

[@teodordobrev9344]

@@taviseagles4228 I'm from a 'developing' 'second world' country. We have 22-30 days of paid vacation, almost unlimited sick leave for when we are actually sick. Most of the medical procedures are free and come with insurance, costing about $100/year, ambulances are obviously free, schools are mostly safe, 54 weeks for maternity or paternity leave (with 90% of regular salary). And a higly developed and safe public transport system.

[@BTL6666]

Exactly 100%!!!...Americans are way more abnormal than the rest of the world!...and they still think they are the cradle of democracy and try teaching the rest of the world!!

[@luciludka]

About the guy with a beer can... As a Polish person, I want to add that drinking alcohol in public places is illegal here. He was acting shifty because he was scared of getting a fine. He was probably wondering why that girl was eying him constantly because the locals would be more likely to just ignore him

[@cpaul9269]

hahahhahh - now it all makes more sense....

[@nanawakagimi1208]

znaczy, znając życie inni pasażerowie mieli to w dupie, a co dopiero motorniczy xD nie wiem, ja rzadko jadąc tramwajem czy autobusem widzę sytuację, że kierowca wyprasza ludzi z alko z pojazdu

[@mezmerizer9422]

a kurwaaaaaaa luckily, we can drink in public here in Serbia but not get shitfaced, that'll just get you in a cell to sober up for the night.

[@Nick_80599]

In the UK it is legal to drink alcohol on National rail because they sell alcohol on board intercity rail services from trollies and the buffet however on London's transport and in streets it is illegal and you see lots of people drinking out of bags it looks so obvious and funny

[@Maax1200]

He thought she was acting scetchy.

[@alessandromauri5407]

For the girl at 11:01, i live in italy, and we had a walk in Austria on holiday: we traspassed a farmer's house to get through the walking path and the farmer saw us. In short, we ended up eating strudel and drinking beer with him, while he was explaining wich part are the best to visit in that wood and how to get there

[@Danielaco23]

Omg that's amazing, here in Spain you'd probably get asked what you're up to, and if you're lost, seeing as fields often have paths to navigate through them

[@shiva_689]

What's also cool is that in Austria along with most Scandinavian countries you can camp anywhere you like in nature. I did that with a friend once and it turns out it was part of a private complex of gardens. In the morning some elderly Austrian guy came to us and asked us what we're up to and how long we're planning on staying. We told him we're packing up and he said: It's all good, he's just the manager of that place and people had asked him about it so he wanted to see what's going on. He was super friendly, I'm sure we could've stayed there longer if we had wanted to. I think there's a limit to how long you can stay somewhere if it's on someone's property but you have at least a couple of days. Obviously you can't just camp in someone's garden but if it's open to the public and or part of a forest or nature then you can just put up your tent. That's quite the contrast to the US

[@chaitea4724]

Wow omg

[@michelleikoma2953]

Yeah, no shotgun

[@kunalg54]

In India when we are travelling with family. Instead of finding a restaurant or a Motel. We would camp at a tree nearby a farmers field and eat our food… sometime we buy some veggies, or they just simply give us free… for staying at night knock on anyone’s door and women and children stay in and men stay out in open and sleep under open sky……

[@callmeeash2927]

No matter how much I take the mick out of Americans I actually feel for you guys. It’s the fact that they really out here gaslighting you in to thinking it the ‘land of the free’ when in reality it is the land of trauma.

[@Real_MisterSir]

Land of the free, as long as you pay upfront for your freedom privilege handed over graciously by the totally not corrupt government and 1 percenters. But in the end, it's only the avg joes and jesses who can make meaningful change. They just need to realize that change can and should be made, no matter what the USA! USA! USA! -crowd is gaslighting them to believe.

[@trl2828]

Land of Truma? Hardly. It is the land of the free. I am free to become anything I want, do anything I want and become as successful as I want. Everything is up to what I want in the USA. How is that Truma? Do people not die in your country? Must be nice.

[@callmeeash2927]

@@trl2828 Free but for a price. Sad reality. Do people not die simply for sitting in a classroom?

[@trl2828]

@@callmeeash2927 Very Rarely and it has more due to how society has changed in the US, not because of guns. Guns have been here the whole time. Guns created the USA. That is why guns are apart of the USA, nothing anyone can do about that. Without Guns, the US does not exists. We used to bring guns to school for shooting club. Funny how that was never reported on.

[@JB-mh5xy]

Yeah, a lot of people that weren't born here don't understand how actually fucked up it is. You all just see the hollywood stars and celebrities and think we all just live like that, and we absolutely don't. It's pretty much the Hunger Games here. You either step on or get stepped on. I'm glad when I see non-US people extend some empathy our way because all the shit you all see is fake. It's all propaganda that the rich use to show you all how "perfect" our country is. Our country is only "perfect" if you luck out by being born into money or getting really lucky and making a big bank yourself. The rest of us are fucked. Thanks for your empathy.

[@jacobdavis1768]

Been living in Warsaw for about 10 years now. In my 1st job interview (about 2 weeks after coming just to visit and immediately deciding to stay), the company explained the job duties and then asked "so how much do you expect in salary per month?. I had always heard that taxes were super high in Europe so I did the backwards math and told them. thinking I was stating "gross" amount. They hemmed and hawed for a couple days, then finally offered me the position. 1st paycheck was the exact dollar amount I asked for. I immediately think, "oh, they don't take any taxes so I'll have to figure them out later". Nope, you negotiate Net Pay and get paid your net. Company is responsible for calculating your gross and removing the taxes. All you have to do, is at the end of the year, log into a website, verify that the the info is correct, click 1 button and you're good to go. No "filing taxes" as we Americans think of it. I've never heard anyone in Europe complain about taxes. Not 1 single freaking time. And of course, 26 paid vacation days, 11 paid national holidays, if you're sick, you don't have to go to work, no need for a car, if you do have a car insurance is next to nothing, free education, free healthcare, awesome parks everywhere, next to 0 violent crime, clean streets, food is super cheap yet high quality. People are outdoorsy and have tons of hobbies. Really just 10x the quality of life over here compared to the US.

[@axoram]

Welcome to old Europe friend..

[@daedalron]

Also, about the myth of "heavy taxes" in Europe... I'm from France. If the lady in the video is right when she says on average, americans pay 456$ per month on healthcare, then taxes in Europe is lower than that. I'm quite a bit over the average salary, but I only pay 250-300€ a month on taxes, including for healthcare insurance (where I pay a bit to get even better coverage than the basic coverage we get with our taxes).

[@joealyjim3029]

This is why when Americans say they live in the best country on earth, we all laugh at them

[@ericbailey6779]

You laugh at us because we are paying for your lifestyle and you think that you've done something to deserve it, like any other entitled child that has never has to pay his/her own way.

[@xiii0722]

Yep. Pretty much, and it is obviously also because they don't know about how (good) things in other countries are... while claiming that.

[@Rai2M]

Russians say the same thing, imagine that. Lots of them do think everyone is jealous about being a russian citizen.

[@evandrofteixeira]

Not if you live in Brazil.

[@worcestershireweedingson5562]

@@xiii0722 as an american who's lived overseas most of his life, I prefer america

[@alicerobb5924]

This would be why the rest of the world thinks Americans have an unjust sense of superiority.

[@Sabundy]

Exactly. 100%. That is exactly what pisses off the rest of the world about Americans. That unjust sense of superiority.

[@AO-po8kc]

Bingo

[@Real_MisterSir]

I think the second reason is that all these countries don't act like they're flawless or the best or that they shouldn't keep improving even if they're already doing great. It's called being realistic. The US stereotype ofc is "US number 1, best in the world, can't improve perfection", but at the same time we still see US citizens argue internally all the time, especially when it comes to political matter - meaning there clearly is plenty of room for improvement. If only the self realization hit as hard when it came to external debates, and not just internal ones.

[@trl2828]

It is not unjust. Compare the amount of people trying to enter the USA vs any other nation. Why is that? Could it because the US is superior? Are we a perfect country? Hell No and anyone that claims other wise is stupid. The fact is the United States of America is the best country that man has created so far, anyone can come from any place, class and become wealthy beyond their dreams in the USA. It happens everyday. Now of course it will not happen for everyone or most people but the fact that it can happen makes it the best country so far. Still not convinced. Which country has the worlds most self made millionaires? Billionaires? Again is the USA perfect? Nope, are we better in all area's nope but we are superior in a lot of areas and if you allow yourself to look at things objectivity you will realize most of these other countries have the ability to have these social nets because they rely on the USA to protect them with its Military, so they are free to spend less on Military and more on Social safe nets. That is just a fact that you can either accept or you cannot. The US is one of the youngest countries compared to most and yet it has surpassed all those other countries in economics, technology, and world influence. We are the worlds only Superpower, that cost money and Military. Take that away, and watch those social safe nets disappear as those countries have to ramp up their Military spend to defend their country. P.S. The International World markets rely on the USA, the USA does not rely on it. Hence why the world trades in US dollars.

[@ericbailey6779]

If America doesn't pay for your national defense, subsidizing your government handouts, then you can talk. Otherwise, I don't want to hear any EU aholes talking about "an unjust sense of superiority."

[@virginiaviola5097]

I lived in the US for one year in 1980/81 on a student exchange and did Senior Year at High School. I actually cried with relief when the red tiled roofs of Sydney came into view as we arrived back. I can tell you guys that you really don’t know what it truly means to be free. Once home, that was it, never leaving Australia again. The US messed me up so much that any future plans I might have had to travel anywhere else in the world ended the moment Sydney came into view. Geographically speaking, the US is breathtakingly beautiful.. and there were places that I never got to visit that I would have liked to go back to see, even now, and I had a wonderful host family there too.. but, actual life in America is so confined, and wrapped in fear..that’s not freedom.

[@Nike_from_Italy]

It's so sad you had a stressful and scary experince in the US😢. I think i'll never visit it, i'm a little concerned too

[@Sinic818]

Sounds like a you problem and not a US problem.

[@diarmuidkuhle8181]

Really, any European country is super safe and so are heaps of other places, for instance Singapore. Don't let one bad experience put you off the joys of travelling.

[@seanbain-j5r]

typical US response ... denial deluded and dumb@@Sinic818

[@MsBAustralia]

Yep…I’m an Aussie too and lived in NYC for 4 years from 2015…it’s a cool place and lots of nice people there…so much going on but the quality of life, unless you are incredibly wealthy, is shit. Employment conditions are awful… most people there are lucky to get 2 weeks paid annual leave or paid sick leave, and salaries are shit, no maternity leave and public health care is non existent… people still pay with check there ffs…so archaic. America is absolutely not the land of opportunity or the free…not by a long shot, not to mention the country is run by one of the most corrupt governments in the world. It’s no wonder Putin and Xi JiPing scoff…the hypocrisy is real.

[@OhNoNotFrank]

I was in South Africa on vacation when this guy came over with a knife he had for sale. I smiled and said "no thanks bud, but I'm a tourist so I won't be able to bring it on the plane", and kept on walking. My South African fiancè told me later that my Norwegian naivety had just thwarted a perfectly good robbery attempt.

[@connoroneill9406]

😂😂

[@xeno9671]

thats is very cute and very scary

[@karlirl8331]

Noted: when approached by a robber, politely decline.

[@OhNoNotFrank]

@@karlirl8331 Not my recommendation, but hey, give it a go!

[@nouraouni2819]

Why is this so funny😂 As a Norwegian I approve lol

[@Sorarse]

It's seeing stories like these that make most of us who do not live in America extremely thankful that we don't.

[@trl2828]

Comments like this make most us living in America extremely thankful you don't live here either.

[@Sorarse]

@@trl2828 Strange, because your comment is a mere echo of my own, which would indicate I'd fit right in.

[@JB-mh5xy]

@@Sorarse He doesn't speak for most of us. Actually, statistically speaking 70% of us want broad changes in our economy and social dynamics. Don't listen to the elon fanboys like this douche. Most of us aren't like him.

[@Sorarse]

@@JB-mh5xy Thank you JB. I do realise that, but had to comment on the irony of his response.

[@ericbailey6779]

Because America probably pays for everything you have to the detriment of its own citizens.

[@KatorNia]

3:18 _"Education here is actually _*_freeEEee,_*_ what an amazing concept!"_ 😂

[@LMB222]

Of course there are people who abuse it, but there aren't that many - on the other hand, there **are** people who get two MSc - I know some.

[@jackx4311]

Flipping this the other way around; an English friend and her husband were on holiday in the US, driving along a pretty quiet country road, and saw a car stopped. Elderly couple were trying to change a flat tyre, so my friend stopped and got out of the car, walked across to offer to help. Before they could even say "Can we help you?", the elderly American woman pulled a gun, pointed it straight at them, and said "You aren't going to rob us!" Friend and her husband backed off, and she said "We stopped to *HELP* you!" American woman said "Oh, you're *English* - I didn't realise! It's very kind of you to help us." My friend's husband then said "I don't help people who threaten to shoot my wife - fix it yourself!" And they got back in their car and drove off . . .

[@notassexyasitseems3050]

Ah, getting shot by a grandma cus I'm trying to help her across the street. That's how I wanna go!

[@osvaldomedina173]

that is some scary stuff

[@marioprovi6048]

3 What's wrong with a couple that can defend themselves with a gun?

[@osvaldomedina173]

@@marioprovi6048 defend from what? from someone that would offer help? The problem is thinking that everyone is after you... point a weapon on everybody seems a recipe for disaster.

[@marioprovi6048]

@@osvaldomedina173 An elderly couple on a deserted road and you don't think it's normal for these people to be careful?

[@Zeitgeist6]

As a Dutchy I've always wondered why Americans I've known over the years were so afraid to go to other countries on vacation. They often told me how they imagined other countries being unsafe. Even Western European countries. That always baffled me. Now I won't pretend there's nothing dangerous here, but compared to the US....

[@Fuk_Zat_Tek]

Because they think it's third world out there ...They think poverty is everywhere around them once they pass through their homeland border

[@wout123100]

well if you go to a beach you might see a topless woman, yes that is very dangerous hahah joking

[@TruPunx89]

G E K O L O N I S E E R D

[@Objectified]

Sure they do. Americans are told other countries are utopian

[@PhamNicolas99]

@@Objectified *dystopian

[@MaN2Mega]

People forget, while taxes are higher here, we pay nothing for the things that are the most expensive in the US that only the rich can afford there, healthcare, higher education, childcare etc.

[@radielkill]

the sad part is that you guys already spend the same amount per person in some of this services, like healthcare and don't get the same coverage.

[@jamescuttler8047]

The US actually has higher taxes than most of the western world

[@MrSqurk]

When I lived in America they I got asked how much I owed in student debt and I genuinely didn’t understand what they were talking about.

[@ireneusz-u9i]

As for Poland. imagine a 3-day music event for some 500-700 thousand people. People of all ages. Entire families. Free entrance . People from all over Europe and the world. Police ? The police stand outside the event area and there is practically nothing to do. There has only been one dead man in the event's 15 years. He died of a heart attack. Welcome to the Polland Rock Festival.

[@gandalf_thegrey]

Love to Poland

[@sopcannon]

mean while in Woodstock.....

[@cpaul9269]

Hey man - we had that here in the states, too. The Grateful Dead shows. Giant sports stadiums -100-150k seats, and another couple hundred thousand in the parking lots partying. the local police used to just form a perimeter around the venue,. they didn't come in , and we weren't allowed out until each night's show was over, or the sun came up the next day. People of all ages and backgrounds. I NEVER saw even a fight, much less any kind of weapon or aggressive behavior. After hanging out a couple days following my first show, I couldn't wait for the next one, as they were the only times and places anything like that really ever happened otherwise. But it did there and then, so at least we got to experience it. You are right though - not at all the norm.

[@vikingraider1961]

Socialised healthcare is difficult to implement, it's true - of the 33 developed nations of the world, only 32 of them have managed to successfully implement it...

[@kaleidoscopingme]

Actually pretty much every country has but the usa. And all the usa is developed in is consumerism. They are having less rights then most thirld world countries. Yeah Everything else is just sad and I realy feel for the Americans that can't get away and don't even try to fight for their own rights cause too many have been sufficiently mind controlled. For example last time my country pledged aligance to a flag and made their children do it too in school..let's just say it wasn't pretty....and I realy wonder why the usa is doing what they rescued us from back in the days.... also if you pay only officially a low% in taxes but it buys you nothing and you pay on top of that in hidden costs more than most American can even afford. How much do you realy pay Taxes. And what is a insurance that let's you still get bankrupt because of how much they do not actually pay for.

[@Fuk_Zat_Tek]

Yes , but you probably don't realize in western europe it cost 400 € a month / worker + you need another 50 to 100 € insurance to be fully insured

[@paulm2467]

@@Fuk_Zat_Tekgarbage, I earn six figures in the UK and my NI payments are around 400 pcm, that covers NHS, State Pensions, Unemployment benefit, statutory sickness benefits and maternity allowances, the only charges on top are a few pounds for a prescription (which you don’t pay if you’re claiming the above benefits. I pay around 35% of my total salary in tax and NI, it’s a bargain. Americans pay about 18% of their salaries just for very poor, very expensive healthcare insurance.

[@Fuk_Zat_Tek]

@@paulm2467 Yes UK has a good system, i should have gone there to work ...nowadays i don't need it anymore ;) ( financial freedom ) I'm french and those 400 € are ONLY to pay health care ... problem is we pay for all those people who don't want to work Overall, if you make the maths , in France we have something like 50 % taxes ' officially ' , but if you add VAT, Oil Taxes ... etc ... you end up to something like 60 to 65 % taxes ... when your boss spend 5000 € to make you work for him you end up with somthing like 1800 € purchasing power ... this is the median paycheck and you're not going far with this amount. We're " fighting " with Danmark every year to know which country is the wost tax hell on earth ... at those levels it's close from a communist economy. Copy/pasta of another comment i made below : i'm french and everyone is saying " healthcare is free in here " ... yes , if you're fucking poor they won't let you die, you can go to an hospital and they'll take care of you because we respect human rights ( after all, we've invented / wrote it ;) ) ...But the average worker is finally paying for this poor guy , this is how socialism works, at the end of the day workers are paying for lazy people, i can easily understand how americans are suprised to see health is " free " , and even more surpirsed to read comments like mine " this is unfair for the hard worker " Personnally , i fell like the real " solution " should be a mix of liberal ( US ) and European ( socialist / communist ) system, cause , yes , let's say it again , we should not let people die cause they don't have money , and we also should not put them in a huge debt to pay for surgery ...but i also think society should not pay everything and we should keep a piece of self-resposibility. imagine paying for smokers or drunkards cancer ?? do they deserve this much help ? hundreds of thousands $ / € to try to save them from their own addictions ? Finally , this subject is more philosophical than it seems at first sight.

[@debbie541]

ALL BUT 43 countries in the world offer free or different variations of universal healthcare to at least 90% of their citizens. OMG even china and russia have a form of national health care .

[@veritaspk]

Public services in Europe are not free... they are just designed to provide services, not to generate profits for corporations. That's why they are much cheaper.

[@Wildkakahuette]

and everyone pay for everyone in taxes so it help too

[@TheGiantKillers]

This is very true. Healthcare in Europe isn't really free. You pay for it in higher taxes and in the UK, while the ambulance might not ask for your credit card, you might have to wait a couple of hours on it actually turning up and then sit in it for another twelve hours waiting to be admitted for treatment [this is not an exaggeration, it happens routinely in the UK healthcare system, which is in crisis]. However, when it comes to employment, the USA is like serfdom by comparison to the benefits European workers take for granted, and don't get me started on how fundamentally wrong any society is if having to teach school children how to avoid getting shot!

[@theboomzer0098]

@@TheGiantKillersI‘m from germany and don‘t know about the UK but here I never waited more than maybe 30 min. for the ambulance to arrive. It also depends on your condition but waiting hours for them to show up just sounds like a straight lie. The US does a lot of good things. Saddly not the most important stuff

[@TheGiantKillers]

@@theboomzer0098 Naturally there's no way I can convince you I'm telling the truth when I advise that you can wait up to two hours for an ambulance and then, on arrival in hospital, wait hours in the ambulance before being admitted. All I can advise you to do if you disbelieve this to be true of the United Kingdom is go to a search engine and type in 'UK ambulance waiting times' You'll find reports from the BBC and NHS confirming what I've said to be true.

[@lissylissylissy]

From the opposite side, in 2017 I was a British student doing a term abroad in NYC. to get my visa, I needed health insurance that fit certain (very complicated) criteria. The American college I was going to study at had a standard package that they recommended, which was over £3k. I was DISTRAUGHT, as I had saved up like crazy, and my parents had helped all they could. There was no way I could afford that. I found a British travel insurance that could cover me for the whole year, with lower co-pays and the option to fly me home in an emergency (or fly my body home, if things went really wrong.) the coverage was SO much better, and for a whole year of coverage it cost about £130ish. American insurers should be fucking jailed.

[@shisu6870]

I mean, the insurers are basically operating in a place where a minor can buy guns so that might explain the higher fees.

[@paulmcgrath6118]

That’s disgraceful

[@nagyzoli]

@@shisu6870 Here where I live, in Romania the law actually mandates that you as a company are forced to take the business risk. You are not allowed, as in USA, to shift that risk on the shoulder of the buyer. So in case of insurance I am sure some very smart guys computed that.. we have an average of X users, Y $ / case. We have Z income. We will charge Z/X + margin > Y price per customer, to ensure we have a profit even if the customer is high risk. This kind of computation is illegal here, you are allowed to charge Z/X even if you got to cover 1000 high profile/expensive cases. Meaning that "Safety profit margin" is limited, controlled etc.

[@chaitea4724]

You’re right it’s such a scam

[@kaleidoscopingme]

Yeah they should be.

[@noelamini7350]

Life in America sounds like the hunger games

[@claytonjacobs4098]

No. Hunger Games actually has a plot. America is just random chaos.

[@wout123100]

@@claytonjacobs4098 oh my good one.

[@gugunkosi9481]

JUMANJI!!!

[@FlowerPower1000]

I never understood why America is supposed to be the “promised land”. Nor why US students, I met while studying in the UK, had a kick ass attitude about it. 🙄

[@acommentator4452]

what does that mean, what is that attitude. ?

[@chriskwakernaat2328]

wait , you find it weird that zig zagging ISN't taught there?.. The rest of the world disagrees with you.. After watching these , do you now understand why we belly laugh when someone says "America, land of the free"?

[@LorriWyndham]

The only place I have heard zig zagging discussed here in the US was after an episode of Game of Thrones.

[@Slimeranchchampion]

@@LorriWyndham zig zagging was a huge topic when I was growing up

[@Sabundy]

Don't forget that they also have the highest percentage of their population in prison of any country. So yes....."land of the free" 🤣🤣🤣

[@mr.daisock1728]

Sorry Chris , you get it wrong . In America you are so free you can do some Zig zagging . The rest of the World is to safe to do it.

[@Real_MisterSir]

@@Sabundy You're free, until you run out of money to pay for your freedom privileges. Then you very quickly realize just how much freedom really exists. If freedom of choice comes at a pricetag, it isn't a freedom at all.

[@jfrancobelge]

A few years go my wife and I had a drink outside, at the terrace of a bar in Brussels. A couple of American tourists were also having a drink at a nearby table. There were road works nearby. At one point we heard a loud noise, and the reaction of the American couple was amazing; they just jumped from their chairs out of fear, I think they were ready to dive under the table. The noise came from a jackhammer at the works site. This couple of tourists confusively explained they thought it was someone shooting at us, which just did not come to our local minds.

[@MrDylpickle27]

That’s pretty sad and I often wonder that’s why I am scared to go outside 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@DanBeech-ht7sw]

"Someone is shooting at us!" "Just how many mortal enemies do you have?"

[@noelamini7350]

That one with the guy teaching in Thailand got me. "They don't shoot their children." Thats hilariously sad and messed up

[@xiii0722]

Same... Says it all

[@katiewierenga1948]

Actually we had a horrific school shooting this year, police officer (so access to a gun). It was incredibly shocking for a part of the world where that doesn’t happen.

[@sopcannon]

saying that the school i work at in the UK you need passes to access, just to enter.

[@Arltratlo]

its the same way in most countries on this planet, only in the USA its a hobby!

[@grahamyates2490]

Pepper spray is illegal here in Australia too - mainly because it doesn't work so well on the snakes and crocodiles. You could always zig-zag though.

[@jerbil9353]

same for the UK. I carry a knife, which is only legal because it's under 3 inches in length, and is folding blade with no locking mechanism.

[@wendykelly8551]

@@jerbil9353 you do, ...oh

[@Alex-nt3tg]

"You could always zig-zag though" got me! Omg! 😂😂😂😂

[@scratchy996]

Does zig-zagging help, when a gang of kangaroo riding drop-bears use their blowguns to shoot poisonous spiders at you ?

[@grahamyates2490]

@@scratchy996 good pick mate. It wouldn't usually help, you'd have to rely on the drop bears being pissed (drunk). Which in all honesty is pretty much most of the time.

[@MarthaAnthony]

I've seen Americans drop to the floor because they heard firecrackers. We had many American exchange students at Uni. Most just chilled and fitted in. But some brought over horrible, toxic politics and one girl I remember, stormed out of the common room in a huff because Australian news hadn't centred America. It had reported on Australia and all of the world. She was so perplexed and angry. This was someone I realised had been here to beneficently bestow her Americanness on us. If we were very good, and very lucky, we could make friends with an American. I think she felt like part of the world's royal family due to her nationality. Of course, she got homesick because she couldn't see the good in anywhere else. I'm glad so few exchange students had this mentality.

[@Reefsider-fq4sk]

Sorry for dated reply. Aussie here, daughter went to a uni with exchange students. She said with every new American student group there would be at least one or two who argued history, eg WW2, and shriek that America saved everyone, was land of the free and every country should be grateful to them. Some left for weeks, some did some actual study and returned with tail between their legs. Sad really. It's like many believe their action movies are real.

[@MarthaAnthony]

@@Reefsider-fq4sk Yep, we had a guy leave a lecture because the lecturer said America rose to dominance, especially in industry, in the 50s, as Europe was in tatters and Australia etc poor after the war. He really believed it was because of American exceptionalism and greatness floating to the top.

[@thebiggestnerdynerd6250]

I can understand why these videos might be shocking to Americans but the matter of fact is, that's normality. Being able to live in safety, not working you ass off just to barely survive and getting an education, that's normality. That's what should be normal in all countries, even the US

[@paul1979uk2000]

It should be shocking to them because the system keeps telling them that the US is the best but the stats say otherwise. Still, at least many eyes are opening up on this, especially among the young in the US but I feel they've got a long way to go just to catch up to what Europeans take for granted and even then, the political and rich elites in the US will fight tooth and nail to not change these things because it's very profitable for a few rich elites and corporations, basically, it's not going to change unless enough of the people rise up and force change and that I think is decades away if at all.

[@lizzymueller3604]

Ah, unfortunately it's not normal for a big part of humanity but at least it's pretty normal for people in western countries. And it's sad, that americans don't get changed.

[@Real_MisterSir]

@@lizzymueller3604 I think we can say "normal for 1st world countries", and US branding itself heavily on being a 1st world country it does hold true. Basic safety of health, security, and education are a common factor in 1st world countries, and really should be in the US as well.

[@trl2828]

Umm, You can live safely, survive just fine, and get an education in the USA without a problem. Millions have done it. The problem is people think they are entitled to everything instead of understanding everything is earned. Anyone can be successful in the USA with hard work, dedication, and effort. Again, millions do it all the time. I am 40 years old, never married, own a home, and a car, work 40 hours a week, have 3 weeks off each year plus 5 sick days, and am on target to retire at 60, and enjoy my life. All with zero college degrees. I am successful and living the American dream. So what are you talking about?

[@neilmoulden5323]

@@trl2828 I've had caner, a stroke and heart attack. Can't work anymore. How would i fair in the US? Used to work 6 days a week.

[@JonsTunes]

I don't understand why the USA can't accept social health care. In the US you pay taxes for roads, police...etc In the UK/Europe we pay taxes of which a small percentage of your income goes to health care. The more you earn the more you pay. If you're not earning or are on a low income you pay less...simple. The end result is a nonprofit system available to EVERYONE and a system whose main priority is CARE NOT PROFIT. The system by design ensures you are treated as well possible so you use its resources as little as possible.

[@susanford2388]

Fact. President Eisenhower in the 50's wanted a National health service for all returning soldiers from WW2 & Korea. His advisors said NO as there was segregation in hospitals. So segregation is the reason for a lack of NHS. So Eisenhower spent the country's money on the race to space & nuclear weapons rather than people on the ground. Alas health care is all about profit in the US.

[@rizeagle33]

It's because they have gutted our education system and so people have been brainwashed that anything that isn't unfettered capitalism is evil. As an American who desperately wants to live anywhere else I'm stuck in a country that treats its people like garbage. The only thing in America that matters is how much money do you have. If you have a lot of money you will be fine if you don't you are fucked plain and simple.

[@Ateezwooyoung]

Yeah they also tell you what you can do and what not. Remember the baby who died, where the parents wanted to bring it to the US, even Trump got involved, but the UK let it die. Also if the American health care is so bad and the Canadian so good, why do thousands of Canadians cross the borders and get American healthcare?

[@JonsTunes]

@@Ateezwooyoung I would say you're the laughing stock of the world but it's no laughing matter! Admit it. Your health system is not only shameful but it's downright disgusting. The lack of empathy towards others is horrible, the impact it has on all but the rich drives your morality to an all time low.

[@ladythalia227]

Like Trump cares about the life of foreign children. The wife of a diplomat (no diplomatic status of her own) got drunk in the UK, decided to go for a drive and ran over and killed a 16 year old. She fled back to the US and is still living life at large. She killed a child!

[@Bynggo]

As an Australian, we have a similar hospital system as the UK. Unfortunately, my son was in the US and he became ill and was taken to hospital. An afternoon in emergency with care cost him $6,000 Australian dollars, because his travel cover wasn’t accepted and by the time they threw on interest and follow up fees the bill grew and grew. Shocking. Just shocking. No more trips to the land of the free thanks very much.

[@timothyclark803]

And, now you know why many of us complain about medical debt. Cold war era anti communism has kept America from ever even considering universal healthcare or education a good thing.

[@xtxt9135]

Ouch!

[@stanspb763]

What was done for $6000? just calling an ambulance is $5000 and any services would be thousands more. Considering the most dangerous place to be for contacting infections that are immune to common antibiotics, just being in a US hospital is life threatening.

[@Bynggo]

@@stanspb763 😳 and yet your government send trillions to a rich additional state in the Middle East. Also buzillions are spent on weapons of war and you haven’t successfully come out of any encounter in over 75 years. I don’t think all that money is helping the US. Maybe, think less guns and think more about education and health services. Sorry, I just don’t get it.

[@Bynggo]

@@stanspb763 ..and other thing. If you are in Australia and need an ambulance, they are free if you are a local and free if you are a visitor with travel insurance.

[@wanzmarcz219]

Mannnn America say they're land of the free but it's actually mind conditioning that only USA is the greatest country and it's so sad to a point where you grow up feeling entitled compared to other countries. 😂

[@helenchelmicka]

Def! All the flags and esp pledge of allegiance I find really creepy

[@juliemcgugan1244]

I grew up in Singapore. I would regularly see little old Grandmas, with a toddler grandchild in hand, walking to the local 7-11 after midnight, in their pjs. You really don't need to worry about crime in Singapore. I heard of two or three child abductions and murders during my childhood. You know what happened to the people who did it? They hanged them...within the year. They were arrested within weeks. Never felt unsafe during my childhood there. I miss it.

[@denisedevoto5703]

My daughter lives in Japan, and she keeps saying how safe she feels there.

[@Fuk_Zat_Tek]

@@denisedevoto5703 Japan is probably one of the ( if not THE ) safest country on earth ... and globally Asia is safer than Europe, Africa , South America and off course US

[@acommentator4452]

do they still use the birch as a punishment for criminals ?

[@IRACEMABABU]

French speaking here.When i was a young student (20-21) our campus received foreign students from different countries including some american ones. We made them know a beautiful forrest near our city (Nancy) and decided to spend 2 or 3 days there, camping, walking, playing music etc like young people do. Big fun. Except for one of the american boys who asked the first evening where were our guns and what caliber....When we explained him that in France nobody has a gun because it's totally unnecessary, he didn't believe us. He didn't slept that night and leaved us early in the morning. Still feeling sad for him 50 years later.

[@cheryla7480]

Believe it…..it’s true, I’m your northern neighbour. We have universal health care in Canada as well. I had three children in hospital…..no cost. My husband and I have had various surgeries over the years ( he needed a triple bypass )……no cost.. Our schools are open….no metal detectors, no security guards, no locks on doors, no bulletproof backpacks, no “ shooter drills “. There is a real world outside of the US! It’s freer and more normal!

[@ericbailey6779]

Now tell us how to you would afford that healthcare without the US Military spending 800 billion to keep Russia from coming over the top of the world on your sorry eh's

[@Moon_Cricket_Stinks]

Yea no, your Trudeau regime is fucked. I saw how your govt treated the Freedom Truckers who, unlike govt and majority of the population, actually contribute to keep Canada functioning. I also like how C16 can imprison people who choose to use pronouns addressing people. But hey N Koreans think their leader is greatest in the world too so...

[@tommerker8063]

@@ericbailey6779 ahh yes. because american military intervention and other aggressive political intervention in sovereign nations is only in the best interest of everyone. you are just as bad as russia only that you have the audacity to portray yourself as the hero.

[@unbearabull]

@@ericbailey6779 What? Is someone upset? You're like an abuse victim who doesn't want to get the person who abuses you in trouble. Unbelievable. How have they programmed you to be like that?! Damn. Brain washed. Most same people wouldn't argue with the original comment, yet here you are. Also, Russia can't even compete with a Ukraine being supplied by NATO. How would it manage to get past an equipped UK, Canada, France, Germany etc? Again, a stupid comment.

[@ericbailey6779]

@@unbearabull See, Abull, here is the thing. I don't want my country to spend another dime on any other country but us. Is that a bad thing? Are you from one of those welfare nations with your hand out demanding money? I hate that my country votes for leaders that cater to bottom feeders and neglect their own citizens. And don't get me started on NATO. NATO is a black hole that does nothing but suck American money. Almost no other member has ever paid there NATO dues. That isn't NATO money, that's American money going straight down the gullet of a greedy, corrupt, Ukraine government, that claims it's the good guy, while burning churches and arresting journalists the same as Putin does. The countries you mentioned (except for maybe the UK) have done nothing to contribute their agreed amount to NATO. They sit back and let the US pay everything. You are damn right my country is being abused. By every crooked politician and technocrat warmonger on the planet at the moment. And you swim in your pool of smug accomplishment like you deserve to be defended without actually realizing that without the US you would already be speaking Russian or Chinese.

[@Life_as_an_ant]

I was born in Egypt where racism is literally unheard of. My first boyfriend was American. We dated for a few months before he asked "Will your father bless our marriage if I propose?" I was confused by the question because my family were Liberal. I asked him why he said that. He said "Because I'm black". I was stunned being "black" was an issue in any way. In Egypt you don't "think" of yourself based on your skin colour. You're just human. To Egyptians that's as insane as saying "I think as a man with freckles, society is XYZ". I said "You're not a black man to me. You're a man". I thought it was a positive thing to say... that humans are humans regardless of their skin tone. But he thought it was an insult because "I stripped him of his IDENTITY". The relationship was over but it made me feel the entire race thing in USA (and Europe) was making humans worse than animals.

[@Rai2M]

Modern young americans get really crazy about their "identities". Indoctrination starts early...

[@wout123100]

well egypt has other problems, like as a muslim you cannot marry a christian , i been there onc eon vacation and i didn feel very safe, whereas everywhere in europe i feel safe.

[@Nome_utente_generico]

Hi, maybe because you have basically just one race . Egypt it's a ethnic nation so there is a non issue

[@eszterkovacs908]

Not all of europe just western

[@Sascha1887]

In Europe???

[@Feyenoord-el8ip]

I live and work in the Netherlands. This year I have 27 paid vacation days and I have been sick for 6 weeks in total and I also get paid for those. I get paid for two hours to visit a doctor or dentist and four hours for hospital visits.

[@emmabruh]

Honestly it’s just the US that does strange things, it’s the way the system was build and people were brought up. The rest of the world definitely looks at the US knowing their strange

[@tina17mb]

I was in San Fransisco years ago and heard a loud bang and suddenly everyone ran in all directions into side streets except us Brits who just stood there and realised then how everyone had thought it was gunfire whereas I'd assumed it was a car backfiring and when I looked down the street I could see a van that had indeed backfired with some smoke from it's exhaust. Glad it wasn't actual gunfire looking back!

[@knampf9779]

Greetings from Germany. Glad there's the development in the US to take a closer look at other countries and how much wealthier they are in a lot of things. :)

[@nancyheilman876]

We lived in Japan for five years. One time my husband accidentally left his wallet on top of a gas pump. The next day he realized it was gone and started retracing his steps. He went back to the gas station and another customer had brought it inside and they were keeping it for him. They apologized because they hadn't called him - - our Japanese phone number wasn't written anywhere in the wallet. Another time I lost my PASMO card. It's for trains and transit; you load it at machines and then swipe when you get off and on. I usually put $100 equivalent on it at a time because I used the trains a lot. My lost PASMO showed up in the mail. Someone found it and turned it in - they swiped the card and got my name and address. There was about $3 left on the card.

[@MeriaDuck]

Had a similar experience here in NL. Someone found my card-wallet on the ground at the gas-station. He had called the bank, they adviced to pay me a cent with his phone number in the description. He did, I called, I drove over to him and was ever grateful to get all my cards back (which includes drivers license, credit card, bank cards and more).

[@Deltoren1]

I had the same happen in america. most places in america the same would happen

[@arcturus4762]

This happens almost anywhere people are educated. Wouldn't happen in my home country though.

[@TonyVallad]

French here, and yeah... I can confirm you're getting royally screwed in the US. Which is why I always recommend to americans that have never travelled outside of the US to travel to other developped countries. It's really eye openning ;) And if enough of you guys realize how fucked up your system is, there's a chance you can do something about it. And if you don't have enough money to go as far as Europe, Canada is a good option. Their system is in between the Europen and US system. ;) I find it crazy that most of you know so little about your own neighboring country !

[@TonyVallad]

By the way, if you read comments from Europeans and other developped countries and think "it seems too good to be true" or "what's the catch", well... it really IS that good, and no... no catch... truely amazing compared to the US.

[@prachi6802]

But to be honest its not only the system, its the people too.. in these developed countries population is prety low and people respect the rules and dont take advantage of the benefits that are given. The medical cost in the US is horrendous. Even in my developing country we have better prices than the US

[@jerrimenard3092]

My mom's people are from Canada, so I have been a number of times. I hope things will improve here in the USA, but I am not holding my breath. That may require a hospital visit if I pass out and I am already way to poor.

[@sopcannon]

Even South Africa has better healthcare than the US.

[@nicoledb341]

As a dutch person i would much rather visit Canada than the US.

[@riccardocoletta2398]

Minute 2:30 - I live in Italy. I've never seen a gun in my life. I've never eared a gun shot in my life. Sometimes on the news we see that some bad guy had a shot fight against police, it happens, but it's a bad new, it's not "normal"... it's one thing we talk about for weeks

[@Stiffdistantandweird]

It’s great seeing these reactions. US citizens need to wake up to what is happening there.

[@ericbailey6779]

They need to see what their military tax dollars are going to subsidize and realize that the rest of the world needs to learn how to stand up on its own without US protection.

[@kiroshki]

Same for Europe. We need to wake up cos we spending all our money for social stuff having NO army. When (yea not if but when) the new world war begins we are fcuked. The USA right now can do what Germany tried in WWII but the USA could actually pull it off. The USA is prepared to fight the whole world on its own when the EU can't stand up vs Russia which is really weak right now.

[@Stiffdistantandweird]

@@ericbailey6779 the US doesn’t protect other countries out of nobility. They protect their own interests. Thing is, why do all countries have to spend more of killing devices of war when problems can be solved via many other avenues?

[@ericbailey6779]

@@Stiffdistantandweird I'm well aware that US politicians are doing what they do out of greed and desire for power. I pray for the day that we elect a government the takes care of its own people and leaves the rest of the greedy welfare world stand up or rot. I'm sick of listening to weak-kneed, entitled, charity cases brag about how much better they are than the US. And, if you don't want to spend your money on weapons of war then you should be free to see what happens. Just stop crying to the US to do anything about it.

[@Stiffdistantandweird]

@@ericbailey6779 ha! You really think the rest of the world looks for charity from a broken State like the US? The richest country in the world cannot even look after its own citizens. Your country is failing and we all find it sad AF.

[@colliness]

I was in Singapore recently and became extremely ill. The only thing I had to pay for was the two antibiotics. THATS IT!!! No visiting fees, no long wait time(literally 15 min I was at the clinic). I actually cried when I walked out of the clinic because I know what I will experience in the US healthcare system.

[@wizardsuth]

I expect the cost of the antibiotics was regulated, as it is in most nations with universal health care. In the U. S. Big Pharma has taken to charging exorbitant prices for essential drugs such as insulin and epinephrine because health care is seen as a business and not a right.

[@andrew097]

I currently don't have health insurance, a few years ago I fell off a bike and broke my arm. Ironically a childhood friend living in Texas broke her finger at about the same time. I went to the A&E she went to her health care centre. 65 Euros later and three months of care my arm is fixed physiotherapy and all. Three months later a 8K my friend in Texas is still struggling a little. In a post script I'm a Irish citizen and 3 years after my arm break I'm cycling a long distance event in Paris to Brest . 350 kilometers in I have a big off and break my finger and need several stitches in my face. I'm brought to hospital, x rayed, operated on my finger and 3 pins. MRI scan for my head and they take my EU id. Released after two days care. Final cost 68 Euros. Yes we pay taxes but the health systems are diffrent. I'll go home and probably access my health care the same way to have the pins removed. Its a society having a social floor.

[@kiedragerl8119]

I've lived in 5 different countries. But living in South Korea was amazing. Doctor's visits + 2 weeks of meds for a serious infection was $12 and they apologized for the cost. No keys...all the doors are biometric or code based at your home (this doesn't include old buildings in smaller cities), subway blockers are advertisements for local food to order. Order it with the QR code and by the time you are home your food is outside. All deliveries are in returnable metal containers. They come pick up the containers for FREE (delivery is also usually free). Bell buttons on tables for food/beer/soju. You push it and it displays your table number + request and they either come to you or just bring you what you wanted but leave you alone most of the time to talk and enjoy the food. No tipping. Phone is used to buzz in for subways, purchases at alot of stores, convenience stores, bars, malls, buses, etc (years before anything like this was available in America). All the food is smaller portions and made with better ingredients. Healthier too. Public transportation is amazing (not as good as Japan but still great). Like....I mean...so many things.

[@haineko1989]

The social security for the elderly, caregivers, and the like is really lacking though. And mental health care. Overall one of the countries I would really consider while being a single career lady.

[@Rai2M]

South Korea is a modern cyberpunk country. Harsh and cruel. North Korea is even worse, tho

[@oneshot4826]

The one common thread that comes through from all those people is the comparison with the country they're in and the US. If I was an american I would be shocked and appalled at the diabolical cost of healthcare, the explosion of homelessness, the outrageous employment conditions you have and the ease at which you can obtain a deadly weapon.

[@ORDEROFTHEKNIGHTSTEMPLAR13]

You know if you've just given birth and you want to hold your baby for the first time the hospital will charge you $30-50 DOLLARS..To hold your own flesh and blood and it's called skin on skin contact and if that doesn't say how fcuked up AMERICA is well I don't know what will..SMH

[@mho...]

the biggest thing the us-americans dont understand, is how backwater their country really is! here in europe, health & safety are basically a human right! and whatever is going on "the state" will make sure you are healthy & well to be a productive member of society! ... keeping the workforce working is waaay more important then milking the citizens for staying healthy! i never payed a cent for education or healthcare atall! and its great! and i cant understand how the "land of the free" only works for the rich -.- just sad!

[@paulmcgrath6118]

I grew up in Ireland and thought Ireland was really backwards and “uncool” and that the US was amazing but it’s completely different than what I thought . Most people in the US are so sheltered and many of them have this mad idea that they are the only country in the world with freedom. They can’t even cross the street unless they use pedestrian crossings , they get no time off work, they can’t even buy a beer til they are 21 and even then you still need ID every where you go . The poverty in the US is horrific and the violence is extreme. Cops all carry guns and are very passive aggressive and intimidating. It’s considered unusual to go for a few drinks on your lunch break or early in the day but they all seem to be on medication. They even have television advertisements promoting medications !!!! If a child is hyper or bold they put the child on drugs to calm them down. They also get offended so easy , not all of them; but if you make fun of them some of them to take it really really personally which makes it hard to make friends

[@cafesociety8525]

I went to Vermont as a kid with my family. My brother and I were arguing in the back of the car while my parents grabbed something from a convenience store and a cop opened the door and grabbed me out shouting and hauling me around by my clothes. I was 12 my brother was 10 my parents were horrified! Civilised places don't operate like that.

[@Ubique2927]

The thing with "FREE" healthcare is that you pay at least 10% more tax than in the US. In the UK NI contributions are 12% before tax.

[@wizardsuth]

In Canada the total per captia cost for health care is half that of the U. S. Universal health care is far cheaper than the American system, largely because it cuts out the middleman, i.e. health insurance companies whose role is to skim off profits by denying coverage.

[@mitsukiification]

When she said the insurance cost $100 I instantly thought that's so cheap. That's a good monthly cost. Then I realized it was for the entire year. Omg 😭 America really has messed us up.

[@sexysadie2901]

​@boya7262No, it wasn't only a medical insurance, it was for EVERYTHING.

[@MeriaDuck]

Maybe NL is an outlier, here it is at least $150 a month for basic health insurance coverage. Maybe we look to much at US for inspiration on how to .. up.

[@ORDEROFTHEKNIGHTSTEMPLAR13]

I pay £25 - $32 DOLLARS for my insurance a month that's Me,Wifey and 2 Children and if I die they will pay out £350,000 POUND STERLING - $500,000 THOUSAND DOLLAR'S to my Wife

[@inyu00]

@boya7262 it's not free it comes from taxes. free mean no expense your still paying for it. same applies to education. at the end of the day doctors and teachers need to be payed

[@wizardsuth]

@@inyu00 True, but it's far cheaper because everyone contributes. Canadians on average pay half as much for health care as Americans.

[@aeschynanthus_sp]

I was on holiday in Madeira (a part of Portugal) in 2018 and broke my wrist while biking. I was taken to hospital there, had surgery and stayed a week. I did not pay anything because I had the European health care card and also travel insurance (*that* came from my yearly worker's union payment, so I didn't pay anything extra for the travel insurance). When returning to Finland, I had another surgery, which was done without nightstay. I paid only the day fee for surgery, which somewhat more than 100 euros. Not free but nowhere near American levels.

[@KennaDeMerkedo]

Out of curiosity- how much is deducted out of your salary every month?

[@Aiveq]

@@KennaDeMerkedo havent been to a hospital for about 14y, losing 20% of paycheck every month. it honestly irks me when tourist come and be "omg its so cheap" no, i paid for it... most of us paid for it, you just cashed in

[@KennaDeMerkedo]

@@Aiveq same here

[@petrsebik]

@@KennaDeMerkedo not sure how about Finland but for example here in Czechia the health insurance is 13,5% of your salary.

[@robinsebelova7103]

@@petrsebik Yes, but that is divided on 4,5% payed by you and 9% payed by your employer.

[@mizer0]

About that "free healthcare", it is not free (obviously). Each employee pays a certain percentage of the salary and the employer pays the same amount (varies in different countries). For example, if you live in Germany, there is 7,3% health insurance cost (+7,3% pays employer). Therefore, if you have monthly salary about 3k, insurance cost you about 220€ per month. Poorer countries (like mine) is much cheaper - we even have cap on insurance cost set to 120€ per month. Employees pays only 1,4% of their salary (and that is why our healthcare system is probably one of the worst in EU)

[@edpotter1170]

When I was in college I was hanging out with an American exchange student. In a cafe, there was a group celebrating their friend's birthday so they brought balloons. When they popped one, my American friend flinched so bad he almost flipped the table (literally he spilled some of our food) while the sleepy me at the time just turned my head lazily to see the source of that bang sound. I turned back at him and said "that was a little much" referring to his reaction, while starting to clean up the mess on our table. He said he thought that was a gun. I didn't know the gun law in America at the time so I told him he watched too many movies. After that he told me about the US gun law and for like 10 minutes i really thought he was joking after being embarrassed, until he told me to google it myself 🙂

[@R0gueM]

Then that dude was never around guns. He feared them because he was taught to fear them. There’s an incredible difference between a firearm going off, and a balloon popping. I’m sorry, but his response was just ridiculous.

[@Rai2M]

@@R0gueM Nope it wasn't. It's an instinctive reaction on ANY loud and completely unexpected sound. I would fall down on the floor back in the days. Because any sound like that could be the last thing you hear.

[@b_period9949]

I'm always blown away how these things surprise you guys. I live in Belgium. I've been in hospital last year for 6 WEEKS. And all I had to pay was 90 euro afterwards. All the rest was covered by social security, about 26.000 euro. The 90 euros was covered by my additional insurance in the end too. So completely free of charge. 6 weeks hospital, inclusive thorough treatments.

[@bog4543]

i hope you’re doing better

[@autumnsylver]

Holy shit. Imagine teaching 5 year olds to run in a zigzag if someone is pointing a gun at them, and thinking that's normal. 🤯

[@sugoruyo]

Wait till you find out: in the UK, only about 6k out of 150k police officers carry guns and they are generally part of specialty units that respond to situations where a gun might be needed.

[@ericbailey6779]

Which are the police that arrest fathers that try to save their daughters from grooming gangs? Of how about the ones that monitor social media to make sure that you don't insult someone from the wrong group? Are those the same armed police that took 15 minutes to show up as Lee Rigby was being skinned and gutted in the streets, that have now forgotten about him?

[@philipnesbitt3334]

Everything here, as others have said, is just usual life in Europe and the rest of the western world, it is what real freedom is. Virtually no fear. Yes we have our deprived neighbourhoods but if you avoid those there are almost no problems. Even when I've been to them I've just felt a little uneasy, nothing else. I live in the UK.

[@heavystarch100]

I had a heart stint in my city of St.Louis, I was discharged 4 days after surgery! The hospital Barnes, forgot about me! I was l left at the front entrance, as I was about to catch a bus home my neighbor called me to see how I was! She came and picked me up! I'm a veteran and this is the shit I fought for!!😢

[@emmavink]

My guy... I'm South African. We have one of one of the worst crime rates in the world. We don't have school shootings. Literally. Once in a blue moon there is some violence related to gang activity in some places. We've never had someone randomly pick up a weapon and indiscriminately murder children or students. We have all basic healthcare covered by the government. And in our cities, that healthcare tends to be good. You could literally have cancer and be treated for free. We have decent maternity leave. We have abortion rights enshrined into our consistution. It is done safely and for free. For any aged person who needs one and no parental consent is required. No waiting period and no doctor permission needed under 12 weeks. Basic birth control and basic contraception: free.

[@Londronable]

Here in Belgium I basically grew up with the idea that if you're not at fault you should get help somehow and not be punished. Having a job there's basically no way I'm not getting paid all 40 hours/week somehow. I have done the preparation for employee payment before where you just fill in what the employees worked and send it to an extern firm we used to calculate the payments. "worked for 8 hours" Monday to Friday is the standard of course. But there are a ton of others that you can put there that will mean you still get paid. Sick for 5 months? I expect to get paid. It's not my fault I'm sick. Too hot/cold/wet to work? Not my fault, I expect to get paid. Not enough work at the company?(think construction) Not my problem. I expect to get paid. Had a father die and took mourn leave. Had a kid and is on maternity leave. Took some PTO etc. etc. So basically both income and expenses are less variable here. I can easily plan out my big expenses in life years ahead because I know how much I can save every year and there's very little that will make wobble by even 1k.

[@theotheo6587]

I want to visit but how much dialysis cost????

[@withoutwords8136]

@@theotheo6587 free, if it's a public clinic

[@JacobBax]

@@withoutwords8136 I don't know if that is true for a foreigner.

[@TT-ei5tq]

I definitely wouldn’t want to start a business in Belgium…. (Now multiply that by thousands, which means thousands less potential good jobs, less tax revenue for the government, less public services…)

[@Londronable]

@@TT-ei5tq Based on personal wealth we're like 4th on the planet and have some of the most wealth equality in the world. Whatever we're doing, the results kind of speak for themselves for the most part. Not only that, we're basically the only country where the wealth disparity didn't grow over recent years. I'm somebody with several properties worth so talking couple millions in the bank. Taxes are high and I could complain about that but honestly I feel there's basically 2 types of people here. Either you get more out of your taxes than you pay for them. Meaning you don't make that much and the high taxes benefit you. Kindly stfu. Or you pay more into taxes than you get out of it in which case you're making plenty already. I'm firmly in this camp. I do agree that Belgium could be a bit more business friendly. That one we're rather awful at. Can't disagree with that without looking like an idiot.

[@schlagerclub]

Honestly, I've seen many of these Tiktoks already and it still makes me sad to see that US-Americans do not have these free benefits like free health care, free studying, no need to be afraid of shootings and similar violence. There should be no need like the 2nd amendment allowing you to carry weapons. The 2nd amendment is from the year 1791 where it made sense. I'm wondering if the US is still in the need for that. Having a free health care and a kind of social safety system for everybody and a clear rule that guns and other weapons are just not allowed, brings so much for a society. I just don't get it why people think they're limited if they don't have these benefits. They can still live the "American Dream" - just healthier, more safety and over all more wealthy - even the poor.

[@smygulf]

Available healthcare & not getting shot... 2 very key ingredients for a longer life 👍

[@KimbaLoveAdams]

My childhood here in America was so different than today's youth. No one had to teach me to run in zig zags because of someone pointing a gun at me because no one pointed guns at me and I didn't have to worry about that ever happening to me as a child. I cry for today's generation. I'm very fortunate.

[@alistairmunro]

This is all true. I'm 49 years old, and I have never heard a gunshot in any UK town or City. I don't think I even saw a real gun until I was a teenager and saw Spanish Airport Police. In the UK, you have to pay a token fee for medicines, but it is a flat fee so that no pharmaceutical company can rip you off. So even if you get prescribed a heart pill that costs £1000 per month, you only have to pay the standard £8 fee, and the NHS pays the rest. And if you get a really serious illness like Cancer or DIabetes where you have to keep taking drugs to stay alive, then you don't even have to pay the token fee. And once you hit retirement age (65) you don't have to pay the token free.

[@Hustwick]

America, the land of the free ... Refills. 😂🤣

[@Sabundy]

Land of the free.......free to get shot.

[@suzC7]

When I was on vacation in Europe (I am from the U.S.) I twisted my knee badly. Since it was evening when I got checked in to my hotel in Munich, the hotel called and had a doctor come see me at the hotel and he gave me a shot to help with the pain and a wrap for my knee. It was free.

[@ambeer6]

I live at a farm in the Netherlands and there's a common hiking route as well as a cycling route that goes right through our property. We once spotted a cyclist with a flat tire. We invited him to our bbq and had some of our homemade apple pie with apples from our land and basically just kept hanging out with him until his girlfriend was able to pick him up. (he insisted on fixing the tire himself when he got back home, otherwise we would've probably helped him with that too lol)

[@Caeluum]

We have many flaws and problems here in France, but Healthcare, minimum wage and threat of a gun in any situation isn't one of them. :)

[@Éga_Fr]

"Many" not that much to be honest lol

[@StareyeODL]

Sick leave: My wife was very stressed at work because of, lets just say situations. So she went to the doctor and got a sick note for 21 days to relax. Paid sick leave. Greetings from germany. Btw.: Nice first impression, saw you for the first time :)

[@cpaul9269]

Man, watching you react to the healthcare stuff, clearly hearing it for the first time, is so gratifying - it means that it is actually THAT important and shocking that we can't make it happen - now you can see how little we actually value life compared to everyone else.

[@mervinmannas7671]

Your face when she said $100 per year for insurance was classic. Here in the UK car insurance can be expensive but depends on a lot of circumstances But generally can be anywhere from £300-1500 per year. My house an contents policey is about £40 per month and i pay an additional health care policey which is about £30 per month. I also have a an endowment /life policy at £50 per month.

[@rizeagle33]

So in the US you will pay 400 to 600 per month for health and another 100 to 200 for car, and another 100 to 200 for home , so anywhere from 600 to 1500 a month for insurance and we basically get nothing for it because like with Healthcare even if you pay a ton for insurance you still have to pay a ton out of pocket so people avoid using the insurance that they pay outrageous prices for every month. America is fucked.

[@chriskwakernaat2328]

@@rizeagle33 their healthcare bill goes down a lot if they pay in cash or put it through the insurance they have.. a visit with insurance could be 10k , but if you pay cash (like you have no insureance) it'll cost 900..the system fucks itself..

[@gandalf_thegrey]

Im in Germany and i just changed my insurance house and contents policy and liability insurance and pay about a tenner a month? If I'm not at fault nor if it was cause by my gross negligence but an "honest mistake" (I'm sure it has an official name but you get the jist) I'm not paying a dime for anything I break. People make mistakes and that's why we have insurance 💀 I'm not broke and the other dude gets his value back (emotional damage not included).

[@MrDylpickle27]

I used to pay 300 PER MONTH car insurance lmao, can’t even afford health insurance

[@santaclaus0815]

“Give the laborer the right to work while he is healthy, secure him care when he is sick, secure him care when he is old.” ―Otto von Bismarck, 1884

[@pastyman001]

An American once asked a member of an Atlantic Canadian band on tour "if they had cars in Halifax" ( Nova Scotia - They have 5 lane highways each way. ). He replied most people have a horse but the best is to get yourself a bear. You keep it in the back yard and hitch it up to a wagon. "Oh yes". said the American. The Nova Scotians & Newfoundlanders laughed Later ( Band: Rawlins Cross )

[@ammygamer]

Even here in Brazil we have very good public healthcare, to the surprise of a lot of people who think we live with monkeys (an actual question I've been asked). My mother received free all-inclusive cancer treatment at a public hospital for 5 years. She had a room of her own, great meals, was provided lots of recreation options and assisted by incredibly helpful and warm staff I'll be forever indebted to. Our public healthcare is available even for tourists, no registration required. If you are sick, just get in a cab or call an ambulance and go to the hospital. The only difference is that in public service the queue takes a little longer because population, unless it's an emergency, but the doctors are the very same also working in our private hospitals. As for myself, almost every single consult and/or exam I've ever had with a pediatrician (as a kid), ophthalmologist, cardiologist, gynecologist, nutritionist and dentist has been made through the public healthcare system here. In the very few times I've been to a private one the only noticeable differences I noticed were: 1. the reception and other rooms in general were fancier, but both private and public were just as clean 2. I didn't have to wait. And that was basically it. The difference in quality, imo, didn't justify the added price tag, and since I'm already paying for my healthcare with my taxes I do make good use of it. PS: Oh yeah. By law we have 30 paid vacation days off a year, not including holidays (You can choose seven paid national holidays and five religious or municipal holidays, and yes, those can include days important to your own religion even if it's not marked in our calendar. Just notify your employee.). There are a few other extra paid off days (or group of days) for certain things, such as mourning, marriage, and maternity/paternity leave. If an employee needs to be away for more than 15 days due to an illness or surgery, his/her salary from the 16th day, shall be paid by the public INSS (Social Security). Plus, there's a practice that I'm not sure if it is common elsewhere?: For each 12 months of a calendar year that the employee works for a company, they are eligible to receive an additional one-month salary, usually paid one half in November and December of each year. We call that the "13th month salary".

[@casbee9610]

Are there even (wild) monkeys in South America? All I think of are in Africa or Asia.

[@ammygamer]

@@casbee9610 There are. Many of them, in fact. There are 131 identified monkey species in Brazil. 83 of them being endemic to the country. For comparative purposes, there are 216 species of primates living in the African continent, 164 of these being classified as monkeys. So yes, there are many of them here, even when compared to a much wider territory. The golden lion tamarin, the saguis and the spider monkeys are the most immediately recognized species amongst Brazilians (the golden lion tamarin is even depicted in our paper currency, amongst others of our protected species), and they do make appearances close to the cities from time to time, but it's very, very rare. I've never seen a wild one myself, only in zoos.

[@casbee9610]

@@ammygamer thanks for educating me. I knew of them but I kinda thought they were classified as something else. I usually think of snakes, birds and leopards when I think of wild animals in South America. Now I know more. Thanks.

[@anacarolinasouza3804]

yeah and we got some people here complaining about SUS! unbelievable(I'm not saying sus is perfect, we all know that but still!)

[@Reginajestem]

I was born and raised in Poland and I moved to the U.S. 5 years ago. When I talk to my family in Poland they complain that they have to wait A MONTH to see a health care specialist (for free!) - I tell them I have to PAY $$ for health insurance every paycheck AND then still pay for the visit or procedure! Then they ask why can't I just go to the 'public' doctor instead of 'private' one?? They just can't comprehend that there's no "public" free healthcare... Also, first time a fireman came to our office and gave us tips on how to behave when there's a shooting (run-hide-fight) I seriously thought he's joking, but my colleagues were dead serious 0_o Well, I'm in wild, wild west now I thought...

[@Jirka-j2g]

For any americans that might say something sour about waiting a month - if you really need help, you can go to the emergency service or whatever it’s called. Some countries have it for free, most of them make you pay 5 to 20 eur

[@MariachiMak]

@@Jirka-j2g It's totally free and depending on day/time you wait between few quarters to whole day..like big soccer event happend, caused drunk clashes of happy vs upset and they need to stich whole corridor..or you go in the morning and meet full buses of old people on pension. Generally you have two places, one is called SOR (hospital emergency ward - direct translation) which provides assistance to patients in the event of a health emergency - in short you fucked up but not badly enough to call amulance, crawling your ass up there by yourself. The second place is called emergency room (also direct translation which sounds weird), you go there when you fucked up badly enough to feel immidate threat for health/life or doctor thinks that you need diagnostic and treatment activities performed right now or else you won't last long enough to the end of that line.

[@annab405]

Polish people have health care taken out of their paychecks, it’s called ZUS. It’s pretty much the same all over Europe it’s just called something else.

[@TonySpinach]

Can some american actually confirm it costs thousands for an ambulance in the states? That's wild, it costed me $110 Canadian ($82 merican) for an ambulance when I almost drowned class 5 rapids and whirlpools in 4 degree temps (39 feirenheit :p) from a jet-ski accident. Three cop cars, an ambulance and two firetrucks.

[@WendyDarling1974]

A few years ago, I tripped on the sidewalk and got a big gash of my head. Somebody called the ambulance to take me to the hospital less than a mile away. As I was in the ambulance, they asked for my credit card. couple weeks later I got a bill for like $5000, actually I think it was more. I called my insurance company and they were able to straighten it out for me and that instance, but yeahhhh I could’ve walked or taken an Uber. I was annoyed with the person who called the ambulance.

[@acommentator4452]

@@WendyDarling1974 what if a person cannot pay, has no money, and someone else unknown called the ambulance. what happens then ?

[@andreaskoch4675]

as german i really enjoy such videos. it shows me that it can be so much worse everywhere else :-D

[@oszustoslaw]

When you realize that american dream is just a dream :D

[@jerrimenard3092]

You know what George Carlin said about that? " They call it the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it".

[@BrightSeaStar]

Ah, yes !

[@wout123100]

@@jerrimenard3092 and that was in the 90ties or so?

[@johnrhodez6829]

But in the UK we don't need to dream, because We Are Awake!

[@DristeraCrossing0]

Oh, this is the first time I actually understand the thing with sick leave. Yeah, in Sweden or Finland we are home when we are sick and we get paid. No matter how many times or days.

[@katiewierenga1948]

Having lives in Thailand for 12 years I agree with all of this. Nobody in the rest of the world is jealous of the USA. But the Thai school shooting one was sad because we actually had a horrific and shocking school shooting this year.

[@frankenstein6677]

I'm Brazilian, and the concept of an ambulance personally costing you money is honestly baffling to me. It costs a lot in taxes, sure, but it having a fee is just insane. We pay for private ensurance when we can, since it guarantees better healthcare, but $200 a month is considered expensive even in that case.

[@anacarolinasouza3804]

right?! and we got some idiots badmouthing SUS here!(I'm not saying SUS is perfect but you got what I mean)

[@666LonesomeSailor]

When Trup once talked about "shithole countrys" I first thought he is talking about the US of A. And I am sure he did! Love from above the big pond from Germany to our suffering murican brothers and sisters. I feel bad for you and hope you´ll build and have a better future in "the land of the free and the brave and the blablabla"! Hope Europa won´t develope into the United States of Europa!

[@debbielough7754]

This is normal. Healthcare - a few years ago, my mother in law had a stroke. Emergency ambulance, emergency care, weeks of time in hospital in a specialist unit, non-emergency ambulance transfer to a second specialist unit, weeks more in hospital, home care when she left hospital. The bill? £0. And guns - I'm one of the few people in the UK to be present at a mass shooting in the UK (few because we've had about five or six, ever). It still never enters my head that a balloon popping could be a shot. (And contrary to common belief, guns are not illegal here, just heavily licensed.)

[@ObserverAmanda]

"It still never enters my head that a balloon popping could be shot." You are one of the few people I have seen that mention this. I live in a small US southern town. My home is in the city limits, but where my back yards ends is the start of miles and miles of wooded properties outside the city limits that some people hunt on so I can hear gun shots in distance sometimes. One late afternoon in the middle of June, I went shopping at pet store in the next county over. I literally had just walked out the door when I hear three "bangs" in a quick succession. (I bet some Americans have probably guessed what I heard.) My first instinct was to duck and start heading behind one the huge concrete pillars near the entrance. After about 15-20 seconds, I realized that they were just some fireworks going off. Many places allow sales of fireworks in mid to late June for the US Independence Day (July 4th) and people often shoot them off in the weeks leading to it.

[@TheReddeadmovie]

hope your mother is doing well and that bill in the us would be YES😂

[@crittah74]

When I was 17 I wrecked my truck in rural America. I was uninsured and the bill was nearly $20K. $3000 is a low estimate for an ambulance ride in America if you don't have insurance. I used to work for a collection agency and ambulance bills can run $10,000 or more in many cases.

[@amyw6808]

If you were involved in an accident and your car was uninsured here in UK , you would be prosecuted.

[@kellycowley3535]

@@amyw6808 I think what he meant by 'uninsured' was that he didn't have health insurance and so the bill for the ambulance ride (because even a ride in an ambulance cost money over there) was nearly $20k.

[@ObserverAmanda]

@@amyw6808 Okay? What does that have to do with medical bills or cost of an ambulance ride the OP is talking about? They simply mentioned that the wreck is how they sustained their injuries that caused the need for the ambulance ride and hospital visit. If you wreck your own vehicle, your car insurance is not going to pay for your medical bills. Also, some type of car insurance is legally required in every state in the US.

[@amaroaverna923]

@@ObserverAmanda Is not entirely true, car insurance here in Italy (I think also in Europe), also covers personal injury.

[@totallybored5526]

If you get sick don’t phone an ambulance book a flight, it’s cheaper and you’ll get seen to quicker. I’m kinda joking but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s basically true

[@tanasha67]

Danish girl here - I had a teacher once who had lived in the US, and she did the "this is how much you have to pay for childbirth on average" and the "you can't leave your baby outside your window to sleep, you'll get arrested" - the whole class was shocked, and basically the whole lesson we talked about the insanity of having to pay for anything at the hospital, and not being able to leave the hospital with your newborn without an alarm going off... We were all like wtf? Never going to move to the US, NEVER!

[@Real_MisterSir]

The moment when you realize all those "tax payments" outside of the US actually end up making everything else soooo much cheaper because it becomes government mandated, rather than falling victim to pure capital greed (education cost, big pharma, insurance sharks, etc etc). And it's equally available to everyone, not just the wealthy minority. As someone who loves the US for a lot of things, I am thankful that my family and myself didn't have to worry about random financial ruin - happy that my dad could be flown with ambulance plane from Turkey to Denmark and undergo medical procedures all free of charge, happy that I (my family) don't have to finance my education just so I can get a job to pay off that debt, happy that I can comfortably visit the doctor as a preventative means, rather than a very costly post-illness reaction. Happy that job security and insurance security doesn't tie me down in a bad workplace simply out of fear of losing my entire life if I dare quit from an unhealthy environment. Happy that my fellow countrymen/women don't have to deal with wealth inequality treatment when it comes to what schools they can apply to, and whether or not they can be financed to study actively instead of having to seek out parttime jobs just to afford a basic living. The US is amazing for people who already have opportunities laid open for them, people who managed to overcome the odds. But in reality, many people don't overcome the odds unless a baseline level of aid is offered when needed.

[@ericbailey6779]

The moment when you realize that American tax dollars subsidize everything you take for granted by paying for virtually all of NATO and thus your own countries national defense. Americans are literally suffering for your luxury, and you act like a pretentious entitled twit about it.

[@ukbikespinas6911]

People loyal to the US we’re great propaganda are either dumb or just blind to the poverty around them. Plus, it’s only good to them until they have a debilitating condition before retirement age and when the savings are still unspent. I’ve seen people there who were rich and boom when the breadwinner dies, they’re rock bottom poor and the mum goes bat shit crazy and the kids can’t finish college. The dead dad who says yeah America is great, too dead to see his family and realise yeah it’s great if you’re healthy and earning.

[@ericbailey6779]

@@ukbikespinas6911 Two responses to a post you didn't even read. smh.

[@homobohemicus]

Granted I lived in a small apartment in Prague (apx 48m2) but the annual insurance for any damages caused by me or to me, theft, break-ins + insurance for any damages I may cause outside (e.g. scratching a car or whatever... break a shop window front...) = 30 USD per year and I a covered for around 75,000 USD + actual worth of any items I added to a list (antiques, jewlery etc.) And when it comes to ambulances in Europe, I never heard anyone discussing prices.. You call and ambulance, you get an ambulance... Its Free..

[@MrBrassporkchop]

We literally have more people on socialized healthcare than any European country. Nearly 40% of Americans are enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid or receive VA benefits. That's only those enrolled. Don't be surprised if that number is much higher if everyone that qualified also enrolled. The bottom 50% is pretty much covered. Much of the top 50% is covered as nearly every decent paying job comes with health insurance as part of their package. Actually after Obama I've seen some low wage jobs now offer decent health insurance. The group you hear most about typically isn't the poor but the middle class family that got scammed by their health insurance that gives them the run around. Or they weren't offered or select the right coverage. Honestly that is a problem but the problem is far more specific, easier and more realistic to address than to just give it to everyone for free. But yeah 40% of us already have socialized healthcare. Our biggest issue is how convoluted and confusing it can be. If it were less confusing more would be enrolled in medicaid/medicare and nobody would ever choose the rippoff healthcare option they give at work since they usually let you pick between 2 or 3 options. . For our low pay and no time off. Sorry to say this but that's our own fault. Not the governments. It's a cultural thing that really screws us over. Historically it's been considered very rude to talk about or even ask how much you get paid. And like with tipping it's become the cultural norm to just not talk about it. It's so deeply rooted that companies feel safe telling employees that they can't talk about how much they get paid. The issue isn't min wage not being high enough it's the middle wage earners whos wages stagnated for decades. The jump from min wage to not min wage is suppose to be far more substantial than it is right now. It accounts for the majority of tax payers and spenders. If this group was paid more they'd spend more at min wage places and raising minimum wage wouldn't be like having teeth pulled. And it's this group not talking about how much you make hurts the most. This however has been changing thanks to the internet. The same is with time off. 55% of Americans have reported not using all their allotted time off from the previous year. Now you can't be complaining about not having time off when you don't use the time off you get. And many that do take time off usually spend some of that time still working by taking calls and emails when they're on vacation. Many of us feel guilty for taking time off. I was one of these. I worked at a job that gave plenty of time off that rolled over some of your unused days. Got a new manager that freaked out because I had over a month saved up. Believe it or not it's an aspect of our culture that has its roots in the protestant religion that values work for the sake of work. Even if you're not religious it's so deeply rooted in our culture that it's going to have its hooks in you. I'm pretty sure employers would be happy to give more time off. Why? While it's not free to them it's cheaper than paying more or paying for more perks. And if the company is built and everyone is trained to account for it then it's not going to cost them very much. Oh and guns. Not going to get into that can of worms but just going to point out that if you're serious about getting rid of guns then you need to stop focusing on guns like the AR15 and instead try to ban handguns. In 2019 handguns accounted for 6,368 homicides while rifles accounted for 364. This is all rifles not only ones people want to ban. Hunting rifles account for a chunk of that 364. Yeah it sounds crazy but it's right on the Fbi statistics page. With a population of 330 million that's close to 1 in a million meet their end by a rifle. The odds of getting struck by lightning is 1 in 15,300. You have higher odds of getting cancer. The same year 600 people were punched and kicked to death. Everyone says flying is the safest way to travel. Your odds of dying in a plane crash are 1 in about 10000. So ARs are statistically one of the safest guns you can be around.

[@MrDylpickle27]

Agreed with most of what you said but Gen z definitely doesn’t buy into the not taking our PTO days culture BS… Gen X, Boomers and older millennials definitely do. I’ve also noticed Gen Z talks about how much they make wayyyy more. My friends and I are very open about it

[@ajvanmarle]

100 dollars per year insurance sounds low, but it works out pretty well. The reality is that most people live a decade or more without ever claiming anything from insurance. It's a self-reinforcing process. The safer, and more up-to-date the infrastructure of the country, the fewer problems, so the less cost for the insurance companies.

[@robertdempsey3417]

To the first girl: The reason healthcare is so accessible in Europe is because they use their taxes for social services more than for defence, due to The US being their muscle. And, who funds The US' defence? The American taxpayer. So, don't worry - you paid for that visit in the long run...

[@ricchansan]

European here: I was sick "only" 11 days last year which was apparently below average (which was like 19 days) for our company. Me & all the other coworkers who had below average sick days got a handwritten thank you note from the boss and a little gift basket he bought & assembled with his daughters. We're a 400 people company.

[@ricchansan]

@TheOdsd1977 Last year i had 0 sick days but officially the company is in dire straights financially speaking (which is at odds with the 9,7% revenue increase reported in last years financial report & the huge win and uptick going on the stockmarket got them) but pop off. Didn't even get a congratulations e-mail. But then employee concerns and employment quality consistently went down the toilet since the company entered the stock market late 2022, as usual.

[@neilmoulden5323]

My American friend finally had to admit I'd be dead if i lived in America. I've had Cancer, a stroke and a heart attack. On 12 different tablets a day plus 2 insulin injections. I also can't drive or work any more. All free in the UK.

[@ericbailey6779]

Because the US pays for most of your national defense so you can have luxuries like free healthcare.

[@pik33100]

Drinking alcohol in public places in Poland is illegal so he has to keep the beer hidden :)

[@Alex-nt3tg]

It is? 😮 Omg, i didn't know that as a german, interesting!

[@powerupminion]

I live in denmark. I just wanted to comment on this: Healhcare - Self explanitory, I do believe. I'll leave it at that. 6:53 - Now you know why we don't care what Americans think of us. This is just a single instance of many, of how we just live a way nicer life no matter what Americans believe. 11:01 - This is one of a few reasons why the US of A will never see me, even as a tourist. Too many loons with too many completly off the rails laws. On top of that, I'm guilty to ANY accusation of a crime, even if I didn't do it unless I prove myself innocent. Absolutly NOPE, beyond red flag; black flag!!

[@shirohime559]

University. In France for most public universities, it's between 170 to 240€ a year, depending if you are doing a bachelor or a master. For private and a lot of engineering schools most of them are about 1000 a year but it can go up to 9000€,but that's only for a few. And the state helps a lot with renting too.

[@scavengingcrow3498]

Reasons why I’m leaving the US when I turn 18😌

[@charki40]

Good for you. I wish you well on your journey. Visit Australia some time. Greetings from Down Under Mate : )

[@trl2828]

Good Luck. There is a reason more people try to enter the US each year than any other nation on this planet but it's not for everyone.

[@trl2828]

@@VildgamirTheDemonSlayer Facts. Sorry they upset you.

[@corvuscorone7735]

@@trl2828 Only if you take absolute numbers (not in relation to inhabitants your country has), if you put the numbers in relation, so ratio of inhabitants:people trying to get in the USA is further down the list. Having said that, unless you are a Native American complaining about immigration is rather bigoted. Fun fact: Maybe if Mexico is the only alternative I would prefer trying to get into the USA. However, people in Europe generally laugh in your face if you suggest the US as an alternative. Why would I want to go somewhere where I have 10 days of paid holiday leave, a crazy low amount of days where I am "allowed" to be sick, can be sacked from one day to the next, get bankrupt if I get shot and need surgery and where the probability of getting shot is actually something to worry about!

[@trl2828]

@@corvuscorone7735 None of what you claim is reality for most people but think whatever you want. I get 3 weeks of paid vacation and 5 sick days. that is a month of paid time off. Earn a skill and be a value to your company and you will not have to worry about getting sacked. Is our Medical care pricey? Sure but my mother has had cancer for 16 years, nobody is broke in our family and we are low middle class. I never worry about getting shot here in the US and live close to Detroit. In Reality, everything you listed are things that rarely rarely happen.

[@d.marbus1493]

That's why we pay more taxes. Schools, medical care, social security, support with rent payments, public transport and more

[@AndieO]

Hope you do The other part. Like the other Canadians here, taxes can be a bit much, but the gun thing is the real big thing. It's only been in my lifetime that cops have started carrying guns. Growing up, there was no worry about getting shot unless you were a moose in season.

[@AhsokaTanoTheWhite]

How is running in Zig Zag ever going to help? A bullet will hit you regardless unless you are faster than a speeding bullet somehow.

[@2908Jarek]

but the shooter has a harder time aiming and hitting

[@gillsejusbates6938]

@@2908Jarek yeah lmao its not rocket science, but most people outside america dont know that aiming is not as easy as it looks (im dutch with shooting experience)

[@Templarofsteel88]

@@2908Jarek no, they simply need to aim straight and wait for your dumbass to line up.

[@R0gueM]

@@gillsejusbates6938 This is what happens when people without knowledge of a topic, create rules and regulations for that topic. The zig-zagging sounds good on paper, but it’s just a bad idea and doesn’t work. It was just politicians doing something to look like they were active.