why I feel more free in Britain than in America // American in the UK

[@Korea4Me]

If a country keeps telling its people that it is the greatest country in the world then it probably isn't.

[@occamraiser]

China is very fond of reminding its population about how great they are too. The parallels are frequent and stark.

[@WalterHildahl]

In America, that's what the people said !!

[@Rattletrap-xs8il]

written by someone who's country isn't

[@Paul-hl8yg]

America is living on debt!

[@threesixnine369six]

It's much more nuanced than that. The US is pretty much the greatest country among countries, in terms of economic, military and cultural power, but it's just not the greatest country for its citizens, and maybe sometimes that American might and American exceptionalism is being used as a substitute or cover for all the shortcomings, but not all Americans are buying it, of course. It's a spectrum. Some know about or have experienced places like Norway or the Netherlands, and they know America doesn't offer the greatest quality of life, and then you have the easily impressed that will fall for any tiktok video showing a crumbling road in the US and then some shiny skyscrapers in China and that's them convinced that America is doomed.

[@axeman3d]

Had my first experience of US style healthcare on holiday. Cost my travel insurance $60,000 for 2 days in hospital to remove my infected gall bladder. Literally every 2nd visit in the cubicle was from the clerk wanting my credit card. Blood test - $2500, ultrasound - $5500, surgery - $52,000. I was sweating it until they finally said they'd accept my insurance and the insurance company accepted liability. I would literally have died if a clerk decided they didn't like my insurance company. If they try to destroy or sell the NHS I will go after them with a pitchfork and torch.

[@andyleighton6969]

"Our NHS" Peace Be Upon It isn't the only option. America is a dystopia, but properly regulated, comprehensive insurance based, systems work, with better outcomes, across Europe.

[@peterharridge8565]

Well having been in 2 Hospitals in Texas and for tests where it costs on multiple occasions. Certainly I was asked multiple times 'how would I pay'. But I am sure my travel insurance wasn't certain. Or checked. I said you can ring having found out the provider from my hotel who checked my room for my paperwork but apparently Hospital wouldn't ring UK. Oh well. One reason is that I have a pre existing condition and didn't declare such. So I was sweating on that. But of course didn't tell Hospital. But my accident wasn't due to a pre existing. But was never asked for a credit card but mine was absolutely an emergency. Nurses said God was on my side which I doubt as an atheist. But $60,000, hmm. That's cheap, mine was over £180K not counting Dr's fee, Paramedics fee, X-ray etc. And some of these were to do with my heart condition which wasn't covered. But spent all told nearly a week in Hospital with a Kyphoplasty X 3. It's true some of this could have been met by the Driver's insurance (but limit of $50,000) if my insurance no good. But I know my insurance were trying to pay less than this and ombudsman here said to me 'we don't allow polices by this insurer now'. Indicating not the first time they didn't pay/delayed paying. Oh well at least I didn't pay.

[@custa73burner]

The tories already undermined and privatised huge sections of the nhs, Next time they will dismantle it altogether.

[@Stand663]

I sympathise with you. Gall bladder infections are extremely painful. I had an emergency operation on the NHS myself.

[@Sally4th_]

@@peterharridge8565 care to share the name of that insurer? I'll be travelling soon and it'd be good to know who to avoid.

[@1aatlas]

"its called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it" - George Carlin

[@sleezy-vl2hu]

try criticizing immigrants in the UK and tell me how free you are LOL

[@danjames4086]

​Can you give me a specific example of when you, or anyone else you know, has been unable to criticise immigrants? Not 'I read it on Facebook'...that doesn't count. Saying 'I don't like migrants' or 'I think migrants cause xyz problems' is fine. On the other hand, smashing up a mosque, calling someone a racist slur or verbally assaulting someone are not 'criticism'.

[@richardhall206]

@@sleezy-vl2hu You are 100% free to criticise immigrants or anyone else in the UK. You may not lawfully incite hatred, however, as has been the case in every country in Europe for many decades.

[@DEEJAYWAL]

Al Murray has famously said exactly the same thing. "We don't have a British dream BECAUSE WE'RE AWAKE". Would have been great to see the two of them doing a double act. "See? The evil colonial oppressor we overthrew gets it better than we do!"

[@David-gr8rh]

Ha love it

[@bentmelholtandersen7057]

I'm Danish, and I dont believe, that Americans are more free than other People - I believe, Americans just are left to struggle alone.

[@CommonSenserules1981]

Very true

[@glennrobinson2014]

In your country higher education is free, in fact, students are actually paid a stipend to go to university.

[@marklawes1859]

Free to struggle on your own is a kind of free.

[@Blindbrick2]

"Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose" (Kris Kristofferson)

[@t4bs594]

I would never consider living in or visiting the USA again, but I would love to live in Denmark again.

[@SpecialBrewCan]

In the UK one of the freedoms we don't have is the right to bear arms, and in all my 66 years I've never met a single person who actually wants that particular freedom, especially when we've seen the effects of that 'freedom' in America.

[@graveperil2169]

we have the freedom to have tools including firearms we dont have the freedom to have weapons

[@simongiles9749]

I know people the own guns for co.petition shooting, for vermin control, and simply as collectors items. So you can own them, it's just regulated. Expect the occasional visit from the police to check that you're keeping them locked up according to the terms of your licence.

[@solentbum]

If you want to be part of a 'well ordered Militia' you can simply join the Army in the UK!

[@nevillemason6791]

I know someone who's a long time member of a gun club (target shooting at up to 600 yards). He's now 76 and most members are above retirement age. He says there's no interest from the younger generation to go shooting (and conform to all the very strict gun ownership regulations).

[@neilbarnett3046]

I gather that you can own pretty well any gun if you really want to, but not an "assault rifle". We still manage to compete in the shooting events at the Winter Olympics. Wanting to do target shooting is considered normal enough, but you have to jump through a load of hoops to own a gun. Also worth remembering that Americans have shot and killed more Americans since 1968 (1.5 million) than in ALL their wars including the Civil war (1.2 million), that's WW1, WW2, Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan...

[@johnthorp3649]

I remember seeing a clip of Miriam Margolyes in America. She went to some function, and the lad greeting her was saying, "We're the best." She was going, "Based on what? Compared to who? How do you know that you're the best?" These people who blindly boast about the US being the best, the most free, etc remind me of a little kid who thinks their Dad is invincible. Usually, people grow out of that by the time they become adults.

[@danjames4086]

I'm a big fan of hers...I need to find this clip!

[@Veran1337]

I have often felt that American culture as a whole is quite immature. It seems to value things which the UK long ago realised are just not worth the cost. They want freedom to own guns to protect themselves from a corrupt government…but their government is blatantly corrupt and their firearms are going to do nothing to stop the government if they decided to fight them. But their firearms do allow kids, maniacs, criminals, to kill innocent people on a daily basis. So is it really worth it?

[@MrDshack]

It’s a non-negotiable for me. I would never live in a country where my kids had to walk through metal detectors and practice drills for some maniac with an assault rifle coming into their school.

[@trueaussie9230]

No need to worry. The teachers will be armed and there'll be 'security' with military style weapons constantly 'patrolling the perimeter'. They need to create employment somehow. It's one huge open-air free-range 'security compound'. The product of rampant paranoia. What a life. SMH

[@TomHuston43]

@@trueaussie9230 😱😱😱

[@ewanconnor1403]

I don’t want my kids being stabbed because they cross the wrong road in London

[@richarddenman1413]

​@@ewanconnor1403compared to which city or country? Looking at published crime data knife crime is worse per capita in the USA than in the UK .

[@Kim-427]

@@richarddenman1413 Lol,I can’t remember the last time I heard someone was stabbed in America.

[@martinstent5339]

In the USA they have separation of church and state, but no separation of religion and politics. In the UK, it’s exactly the other way around.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

The common joke goes, to become the Archbishop of Canterbury, the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, and the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, one must first and formally be an avowed atheist..........

[@user-mq6dy2ee5f]

haha, to us church and state are the same as religion and politics, they are VERY interconnected here and it's the main reason why our citizens and residents can be SO divisive. It's also why it takes us FOREVER to get anything done!

[@bonetiredtoo]

@@gumpyoldbugger6944 As was said in the classic Yes Prime Minister: James Hacker : Humphrey, what's a Modernist in the Church of England? Sir Humphrey Appleby : Ah, well, the word "Modernist" is code for non-believer. James Hacker : You mean an atheist? Sir Humphrey Appleby : No, Prime Minister. An atheist clergyman couldn't continue to draw his stipend. So, when they stop believing in God, they call themselves "Modernists". James Hacker : How could the Church of England suggest an atheist as Bishop of Bury St Edmunds? Sir Humphrey Appleby : Well, very easily. The Church of England is primarily a social organization, not a religious one. James Hacker : Is it? Sir Humphrey Appleby : Oh yes. It's part of the rich social fabric of this country. So bishops need to be the sorts of chaps who speak properly and know which knife and fork to use. The sort of people one can look up to. Sir Humphrey Appleby : The Queen is inseparable from the Church of England. Jim Hacker : And what about God? Sir Humphrey Appleby : I think he is what is called an optional extra.

[@suzettewilliams1758]

​@user-mq6dy2ee5f Religion in the USA is so hypocritical. I dont understand how a man that's been married 3 times, cheated on all his wives the last with a pxrn star. Plus he heads a party that only cares about unborn fetus, but once the baby is born they vote against health care or food.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

@@bonetiredtoo Sir Humphrey rules.....in oh so many many ways.....

[@markp6313]

In the UK we view sick people as patients where as in the USA they're viewed as customers.

[@wessexdruid7598]

They're viewed as an opportunity. You don't make money from healthy people...

[@clubkinetic1]

In Da Uk. 10 year waiting list, for a hip-replacement. Muh NHS. Looks at the French system with envy

[@jmcc2275]

For now.

[@garyfreeman896]

The difference is businesses that serve customers have to reach an industry standard or go under. In the UK you get what your given with no or little options to swap doctors/hospitals/operation dates. Both have massive pros and cons. Neither is perfect.

[@RichWoods23]

@@garyfreeman896 "In the UK you get what your given" Yes. It's called the standard of care and it's set by NICE to ensure a medically justified minimum across the UK rather than a commercially justified minimum that varies from business to business. If you want the luxury of picking dates and doctors for non-elective operations, you do have the option of purchasing health insurance from a private provider -- but don't say that you should then be able to reclaim a portion of your taxes, because when the private providers don't have the scope or consider you non-viable they will happily refer complex cases back to the NHS.

[@mattkingaby]

As an English person it seems that American is the land of the successful, not the land of the Free. If things don't go your way no matter how hard you work, you are buggered.

[@jwadaow]

Massive capital flight taking place from the UK currently as well as buying US Dollars for their security against an expected crisis.

[@tedthesailor172]

And how does that differ from the UK...? Or are all our homeless illusory...?

[@stevev2492]

Land for the successful. Where the rich pay the amount of tax they want to pay.

[@Darrenski]

Well, getting buggered is basically the story of P Diddy, daddy, puff, or whatever his name is this week, and R Kelly (no not my cousin Kelly but that one hit wonder guy who thinks he can fly, and ran a crazed sex cult). I think even the successful ppl there are buggered as well. In fact it may even be mandatory.

[@Darrenski]

Investing in the most fraudulent privately owned fiat currency in the world is not where the smart money gets invested. Anyone planning for that scenario would be investing in precious metals, being how paper money is just a substitute for this. ​@@jwadaow

[@andyanderson3628]

Book banning and censorship is not a hallmark of freedom.

[@jamesofallthings3684]

Sending people to jail for tweets is though right?

[@PortilloMoment]

@@jamesofallthings3684 Depends on what is said. You should know the law and I'm sure you do. People acting like a spoiled toddler because they couldn't do or say what they wanted really need to do some reading - if they can.

[@rightlyso8507]

@@PortilloMoment in wartime Germany 'the law' made it illegal to harbor downed Allied fliers or Jews. Many Germans broke that law.

[@andrewgreen5892]

​@@lordkhaelesdrakos5153 So you basically want to be free to spread hateful disinformation which can get people hurt and you're annoyed there are sometimes consequences for that

[@catmeow11111]

@@lordkhaelesdrakos5153 Freedom from being abused is. And big talk from someone who lives in the country with the largest incarceration rate per capita.

[@gomezgomezian3236]

I think the reason that Americans tend to say "Freedom!" every second word, is because so many of them subconsciously question whether or not they actually have anything of the sort.

[@CuriousEnthusiast956]

Maybe not nearly as much as they should, but certain states of America are the only parts of the Western world that still resemble even the SLIGHTEST bit of freedom. The UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand are just glorified commie wastelands that also need a whole lot of healing.

[@aldozilli1293]

No it's because they're told they live in the land of freedom from birth and many are there due to some sort of historic persecution in their own countries so tend to believe they must be the only ones who have proper freedom.

[@Cheepchipsable]

Always found it weird all they can think about when talking about "freedom" is owning a gun.

[@CuriousEnthusiast956]

@@aldozilli1293 People who believe that their own country is better than all others is NOT just a American thing.

[@neilbarnett3046]

@@aldozilli1293 Funny, because there is less criticism of alternative religions in Europe and the UK. We certainly don't have a President waving a Bible at us on TV, to make a profit for himself. Nor millionaire "preachers" giving us the "prosperity gospel". No Fox, either.

[@donaldb1]

On the NHS, yes, it's not free, as people constantly want to remind us. But, how much you pay for it in taxes does not depend on how sick you are, whether you have had an accident, or on anything else that you can't control and isn't your fault. It doesn't impose an extra financial burden on people who are already suffering from poor health. Because health care is not a service that you can choose to buy or not, as you wish; rather it is a necessity for a civilised existence, and so should be paid for fairly by us all.

[@GiftedGaz78]

I know it doesn’t cost me hundreds per month in taxes, like the lady said she would pay in the states

[@Valeman7689]

I am now retired and I wouldn't have got here without the NHS. Whilst a teenager I spent a year in hospital/convalescant home following a car accident. I have had further operations throughout my life because of the accident. Besides the normael illnesses I also had open heart surgery for a bypass in my late 50s. Would I still be here if I was living in America? I couldn't depend on parents as they died when I was young. Most Americans are unaware of how they compare to the rest of the OECD. Simple things like holiday pay. UK: 4 weeks + Bank Holidays. Maternity leave, Paternity leave. Sick Pay. America, I prefer my freedom. The freedom to live without the fear of getting ill or the fear of police.Freedom to knock my neighbours door or in fact anyones door without getting shot. Americans have to pay for the ambulance!!

[@Dreador.]

Technically your both kinda wrong - In US the idea is you take out personal health insurance here we pay national insurance both a form of insurance on is more personal one is state - anyone earning over £42,570 is paying hundreds per month aka £200+

[@Steve-ln3kl]

@@GiftedGaz78 Yeah, last time I looked it was around £100 for national insurance, which is for NHS, unemployment & a bit of state pension, so a bargain

[@donaldb1]

@@Dreador. No, that's not right. It's called "national Insurance", but it really isn't insurance. It's not based on risk, only on your income. It's not affected by "pre-existing conditions", and health care doesn't stop if you're between jobs and so not paying NI. And anyway it doesn't specifically pay for the NHS, it's just goes into the general tax take, so it's not really comparable with the health insurance Americans have to take out. And if you're earinging over £42k, then you're getting more than the average worker, and so can afford to pay a bit extra.

[@clivemortimore8203]

My friend is married to a lady who like yourself is dual nationality American and British. For a few years they lived and worked in the States, they had a holiday where they came back to the UK. I met up with them and she told me that she was looking forward to coming back to the UK because , there were no guns, a better education system (she is a teacher), a better health system and she repeated no guns. Last year my friend and his family visited her father in America, the kids are also dual citizens so they and their mum went through a different channel when they arrived in the States. My friend caused some confusion with the immigration people as he had an out of date green card and a current visa and they told him they could send him home as he wasn't supposed to have two legal means of entry to the US. To which he replied, "That sounds good, but are you brave enough to tell my wife?"

[@dewarfinch1]

Unfortunately, the American education system believes the bible literally instead of common sense. Some people actually believe that the Earth is only 6000 years old !

[@FlbcImp]

Living in the U.K. I object to not being able to be bankrupted because of medical problems,not being exploited in the workplace,poisoned by food corporations adding chemicals and artificial additives,freedoms enjoyed by all Americans

[@phil1press]

Food comes before health care. If your economy reach the point where you are starving, what's the point in free healthcare? You watch too much BBC (government news). That's where you get a lot of misinformation about the US.

[@nobbynoris]

You should have voted Tory then. That lot were trying to americanise the UK as much as possible, including, eventually, privatised healthcare.

[@laneyslaney]

I have lived in other countries and worked in the USA. People complain about living in the UK but I just prefer living here. There is a lot going for Blighty. 🇬🇧

[@Kim-427]

I wish people would stop criticizing us for preferring to live in America. You see and hear bad things that happen here. And it’s assumed that it’s bad all over America and it’s not. We don’t see or hear about what goes on in the UK. I’m just over all of the criticizing. I have a great life in America and I’m tired of hearing how bad it is from people who really don’t know.

[@mandolinic]

You could live in Paradise, and there's still be some people complaining! That's life.

[@Kim-427]

@@mandolinic It just seems like an obsession complaining about America. It’s ridiculous! These people need to get a life.

[@JAmediaUK]

@@Kim-427 I am British and have worked in the USA (and other countries). It is a no contest. The US has more in common with 3rd world countries than 1st world developed nations. The US has a lot less freedoms than many parts of the world.

[@101steel4]

​@@Kim-427The crime figures speak for themselves.

[@simonmeadows7961]

The UK tends to share a more European view (though not wholly) that one person's freedom stops if it impinges upon another person's freedom. e.g. I may be free to smoke if I want to, but not if that stops another person nearby from having clean air. But I get the impression that parts of the US population see freedom simplistically as "[I can do what I want]" which is more in tune with individualism and which cares less about community and society. i.e. the differing approaches are consequences of where the emphasis lies between "Me" and "Us".

[@cq8822]

The US is a huge country, so I’m positive there are people who believe that. I’m also positive there are people who believe that another countries cause those people are called rude. In America we have laws so you cannot smoke where people gather.

[@arnodobler1096]

In the USA you're not even allowed to drink a beer openly in public, for example in a park. And you have to wait until 21. Geeting from Germany

[@dewarfinch1]

There is a shameful fact that the British government intends to ban smoking outside. - That is outrageous!

[@jons9721]

More accurately there is no such thing as absolute freedoms and anything you do will infringe on others (including breathing - spreading diseases etc). So accepting that we have to work out as as society what sort of freedoms we want without treating the concept as a religion

[@SRJ-b4s]

That's not the "UK view" it's an American prohibition style import thanks to our politically correct traitors copying Bloombergs New York ban.

[@HonestWatchReviewsHWR]

As someone who lives in the UK, I was recently on holiday, when I ended up breaking my foot on the second to last day. I got it checked out over there (Crete) and got an X-ray and also ended up needing crutches (which I kept for my flight back). This was at a private practice, as it was the nearest one to me, and I didn't want to mess about going to a hospital that was further away and waiting around. It still only ended up costing me £150 ($195). But I'm currently in the process of claiming that back through my travel insurance. Once I returned home to the UK, I rang my work and told them the situation. They asked me if I wanted to claim my last 2 days of the holiday back and use sick days instead... Which I did. So, here in the UK we can 'self certify' sickness for the first 7 days. After that, we need to get a 'sick note' from the doctor to give to work explaining how long you will be off for and the reason. As I had already been to a doctor in Crete, I was able to do all of this online and send them the information from the practice in Crete. Then they have issued me with a 'sick note' that I can give to my employer and I will receive sick pay for the period that I am off. I was all very simple, apart from the insurance bit, which I am still in the process of sorting out. But even if I end up having to pay that, it's still only £150 in total, and I'm getting sick pay from work, whilst I recover. I don't even want to think about how much more expensive and stress this would have been if I was in US.

[@boswellwhanau]

Pretty good example of WHY travel insurance is so important. Why should American tax payers cover the cost of your healthcare? Same here for people coming to the UK, they are going to have to pay for using the NHS, and quite right they should. Why should visitors get free health care when it takes those of us who live here an eternity to see their doctor when unwell?

[@balthazarbeutelwolf9097]

I would add one freedom I enjoy in the UK, and that is walkability. It is not just public transport. I go shopping/to my doctor/to a restaurant/to a train station/etc on foot. In the US, getting by - even locally - without a car is not on.

[@SomeYouTubeGuy]

Just yesterday I watched a video from the US where the police stopped 2 men and asked them what they were doing "Going for a walk Sir" they said. The police said they were looking suspicious. With that mentality from the Police I'm not surprised more people don't walk.

[@EvanJoanette]

I was recently in Canada. Same. I had to drive to the equivalent of a corner store. Zoning in the UK is more flexible and yes, you can literally public transit or walk anywhere....literally... There are pedestrian walkways over motorways in the UK.

[@ceejay0137]

Another part of that is the 'right to roam' in the UK. There are public footpaths and bridleways covering the country where anyone is allowed to walk or ride freely, even when the land is privately owned.

[@itskdog]

​@@EvanJoanette Lots of towns near me have built shopping centres (malls, to US peeps) as open-to-the-air, with shops, cafés/restaurants, a cinema (theater), etc. on the ground floor (usually with one supermarket) and then build accommodation above as either a hotel or, more commonly, a block of flats. Means there's more reliable income for the developer (especially as less brands are investing in physical locations and focusing on online shopping, meaning more units are often sitting empty in the first few months/years, yet housing is in constant demand) and reduces travel times for residents to the town, and there are often already good public transport links to the town, so no need to change the transport routes, either.

[@Grim_Beard]

@@ceejay0137 Currently, only Scotland has a true 'right to roam'. The rest of the UK has yet to catch up.

[@GiantHaystack]

One thing that rarely gets mentioned for those in the states who get their medical insurance from their employer is that it likely contributes to unhappy relationships. Stick with me here. Imagine a husband or wife who are desperately unhappy and maybe unsafe in their relationship but are unable to leave based on the other partner being in employment that provides the family with health care.

[@Kanbei11]

@@GiantHaystack also the relationship between employer and employee when the employee really wants to leave but can't afford it. Then you've got pre-existing medical conditions (aka a medical history elsewhere) which are arbitrarily not covered because it means insurance needs to pay out. Your boss should never be able to hold your health over your head like a sword of Damocles

[@garryferrington811]

Yes, that's the idea. You have to cling to your job desperately, no matter what...or else.

[@ChubbBates-mh5xp]

99.9% of English people have never seen a firearm in their lives.I’d never seen one until I visited my American family from England when I was a teenager.

[@michaelmcintyre5719]

I first saw weapons of any kind in the 60s, when my best mate showed me his dad’s war trophy samurai sword and Japanese carbine with bayonet from WW2! Quite a shock!! Says something, I’d suggest, about how we as Australians (and Kiwis, Canadians and Brits I think as well) have been fierce when required to defend our country and its people, yet not much attracted to self destructive weapons otherwise. That, I think, is the very fundamental difference between many Americans and most of the rest of the Anglosphere: we generally trust the State sufficiently to protect our rights and (the actual) rule of law, and we generally take individual responsibility for making sure our communities and society are generally safe and secure, whether it’s in a war, a bushfire or a flood.

[@LGlifeisgood]

You must live in a nice area of the uk , and that 99.9% is not true

[@alanwhiplington5504]

@@LGlifeisgood I disagree. I'm a cockney from Hackney - famously one of the worst parts of London. No gun crime - no guns.

[@NorburyNewlywed]

You do see firearms on police in airports sometimes.

[@LGlifeisgood]

@@alanwhiplington5504 I’m from Newcastle and I’d seen multiple before I had left school,

[@andywilliams7323]

To be brutally honest. Americans simply don't have the rights, freedoms and securities that citizens in practically every other first-world country have. Compared to other first-world countries, Americans have massively less employee rights, securities and freedoms. Massively less healthcare access, rights, securities and freedoms. Massively less social rights, securities and freedoms. Massively less free time for and access to fun activities, and their fun activities are more heavily structured and regulated. Massively, more government, committee, and law enforcement oversight, regulation and interference in their daily lives. When I look at America. I don't see "The Land of The Free", I see "The Land of The Exploited and Nanny State Oppressed".

[@JDawgstwothousand]

I couldn’t disagree with you more - although it’s difficult to read your word salad post as it contains no real substance or merit.

[@robertmurray8763]

I've travelled there and it's not free! It's a Fascist State under the Republican Party, and I'm a right-wing voter

[@SomeYouTubeGuy]

They are constantly told they have freedom. It's called programming or brainwashing.

[@Stand663]

You should’ve stayed in the British Commonwealth. All British territories and Jurisdictions are self governing anyway.

[@bonvoyage5377]

@@JDawgstwothousand I understood it perfectly, ...........a fairly accurate description I think, not a word salad at all, plenty of substance, and your use of the word "merit" is irrelevant. The statement requires no merit. It reflects kalyn's video quite well, so, by your standards, the video has no substance either, are you an American perhaps?

[@johnavery3941]

I remember working for an American Bank based in Britain and I still had 10 days holiday left to take (out 0f 33 not including weekends) with 1 month left to go until the start of the new fiscal year and I had not noticed and they just booked me two weeks off and said "your on holiday", so I already had had 23 days off that year and they told me, "see you in 2 weeks", funny thing is I went to California and when I told people there I was forced to take my holidays they could not believe it.

[@AlexHR5459]

I work with a few Americans in the UK and this being their first year here they don't know what to do with all the leave they have. I get the feeling we won't be seeing them in the office come the end of the year for that same reason!

[@nicksavill6617]

I've heard that in banks, it's often a requirement of the job that you *must* take a 2 week holiday every year. It is long enough to help them find out if there is any fraud going on.

[@johnavery3941]

Nick, that is spot on I worked for Chase, UBS, Barclays and it is part of your contract that you must take 2 weeks off, you can meet with your friends from work during that time but you are told not to talk about work. It never bothered me but you are correct Compliance MAY be looking for fraud.

[@barneylaurance1865]

@@johnavery3941 And even if compliance aren't actively looking for fraud while you're off, you might be found out if you were running some sort of fraud that required active manipulation every week or so.

[@JDawgstwothousand]

It’s a 2 week requirement for finance. It’s not unique to the US, it’s the UK too.

[@EbenBransome]

"Jaywalking" was invented by car companies and insurance companies in the US to avoid paying out when motorists hit pedestrians.

[@keithelliott3771]

I guess that's called maximizing one's profit, the be all and end all of so many companies. As me old man would've said Jesus Wept, why? 😁

[@dunebasher1971]

No, it wasn't. The term originated back when when the majority of vehicular traffic was horse-drawn.

[@jons9721]

@@dunebasher1971 Just first use of the term was early 20th century at the beginning of the car age (1905). It only really became a common term a few years later 1910-20 due to lobbying of the car industry, so just profit driven is correct

[@babjikarri4432]

New York has just abolished Jaywalking laws.

[@danhodson7187]

As a parent the differences between the UK and USA become even more of an important consideration. From the start the cost of giving birth in the UK is £0 at the point of service. This could be bundled in the aforementioned cost of using the NHS in the video, but when compared to some of the figures I've heard from the USA of $10,000 - $30,000 with additional charges for even holding the baby after the birth is absolutely astounding. Then there's the allowances for maternity and paternity leaves from work and the associated pay. My partner was off work for 6 months on full pay after giving birth to our daughter and a further 6 months on half pay. Can you imagine that in the USA where the mother returns to work near enough the day after? Then of course there's the subject of safety in schools. I would never EVER send my daughter to a school in the USA. When I send my daughter to school in the UK I know she's coming home safe. There are no metal detectors or armed security guards or bulletproof back packs or active shooter drills. She goes in, enjoys her day and walks herself home at the end of the day. That's freedom.

[@PeterPete]

you don't get freedom of mind in the UK 👍

[@grahamdhv3812]

You get freedom of expression in the UK, but in the US, I've heard that you can be as rascist as you like without penalty. I know where I'd rather be. ​@PeterPete

[@VanceBoot]

@@PeterPete what do you mean?

[@PeterPete]

@grahamdhv3812 do you want to repeat that again because I cannot understand it at all!!

[@PeterPete]

@VanceBoot you not know what freedom of mind is?? Wow! You got a lot to learn in life, eh?

[@scottoreilly4785]

As the Americans like to tell themselves that UK healthcare is socialised medicine. It makes the Americans feel better when they spend hundreds or thousands on what we get for free.

[@David-mr8wi]

We pay for the nhs.

[@RTomassi]

Free of affordable health care

[@alexbruce9499]

It is socialised, but the UK and most of the world don't regard socialist concepts as inherently being the devil's handiwork.

[@jamesmaybrick2001]

@@David-mr8wi The taxpayers do, and its a bargain. The problem right now is that we are suffering from over 10 years of the scumbag tories trying to run the NHS to asset strip it and sell it off.

[@scottoreilly4785]

@@David-mr8wi ok, just for you. Free at the point of use. Is that ok for you.

[@cinnamonraw9911]

I knew the comments on this video would be very entertaining to read, I was not disappointed.

[@alexcampos4370]

In the UK we have the freedom to roam. We don’t have to carry ID with us at all times, it’s not a police state. Neither I nor my children are forced to recite the pledge of allegiance. In the UK I have the freedom to not worry about getting shot or my children getting shot. I have the freedom to take all the time I need to get better if I become ill without losing my job. All these freedoms either don’t exist in the US or are decidedly inferior.

[@rightlyso8507]

What if you simply post, or repost, some hurty words online? Over 2000 people arrested last month and shoved into prison, sentenced to almost two years time away. No, there is no such, what you call, "freedom" like that here in the US.

[@jeromemckenna7102]

You don't have to carry an ID with you in the US, unless you are driving. Most of the rest you write is true.

[@ArthurTanner-d7s]

@@rightlyso8507 So in the UK people the government afford protection from hurty words but in the US they have no protection from being shot.

[@paulm2467]

It isn't 'hurty words' they were encouraging people to riot, attack people and damage property, that is and should be illegal. ​@@rightlyso8507

[@IanDavies-gy4mg]

​@@rightlyso8507 They weren't just arrested for 'hurty words'. Most of those people were sentenced for actual riot and one woman was charged because she reposted a lie about a migrant being responsible for a death (sound familiar?) and then encouraging attacks on migrants hostels. No migrants had anything to do with it but their lives were put in danger.

[@FalcomScott312]

I love living here in the UK and that will never change!

[@scottirvine121]

Me too but you'd be silly to think it doesn't have its downsides like most countries in the world

[@FalcomScott312]

@scottirvine121 I know already, but it's a beautiful country in the world 🌎

[@stephenbassett4317]

We're British living in the West country. Our friends were on holiday in Chicago visiting our friends sister who had married an American. While driving through the city they were stopped by a police officer who was extremely aggressive to the point of producing his gun, pointing it at our friend and telling her to "shut the #### up, bitch" when she spoke to him. They were terrified and have said they will never go back.

[@JackDorsey-t8q]

I am English and went to Chattanooga, TN. I found everyone to be friendly and helpful. Next time visit the south

[@michaelme1548]

I’ve never been to Chicago but have lived in the US my whole life. I’ve never had anyone recount an experience like that to me. It seems extremely unusual.

[@mericet39]

Was it a real police officer? Or are your friends black? (I only ask because US police are often racist)

[@craigknox1131]

@@mericet39 I'm white (though I was quite tanned) and had police in Miami point guns at me and my wife for no reason and yell at us.

[@Valeman7689]

Thats normal for America. There are thousands of videos showing bad police practice. Only the Brazil police kills more of its citizens than America.

[@trevorlsheppard7906]

As always thoughtful and informative,glad you've found somewhere you feel safe , contented and settled, ❤❤.

[@davidmartin-pe2ie]

My sister broke her leg in Halifax. Three days in hospital, operation with metal plate and pins, ambulance all the way home to Blackpool. All free.

[@JDawgstwothousand]

Paid for by your taxes. Cheaper - sure, I’ll give you that, but it’s not free.

[@bruceyboy7349]

​@@JDawgstwothousandEveryone knows what David meant, except for you. Let me help you. I didn't break my leg etc. His sister did. We both paid the same amount of money. Clear enough?

[@JDawgstwothousand]

@@bruceyboy7349you’ve not misread my post… you didn’t read it at all. What a dope.

[@AlBarzUK]

@@JDawgstwothousand free at the point of need. The thing about freedom is that it costs us all. Freedom from what? Freedom to do what? What are you free to do if the freedom is curtailed by overwhelming fear of other people’s freedom?

[@bruceyboy7349]

@@JDawgstwothousand I can only comment on what you wrote, and what you wrote was stupid. That's on you, not me.

[@wessexdruid7598]

The video I watched before this told the story of a grandma in Shawnee OK, walking down the street with her small grandson and his dog, in a quiet residential area. She was arrested for walking on the road (no sidewalk) but charged with obstruction - not of the road, but for failing to provide ID (i.e. breaching the US constitution). Her phone she was using to film was confiscated and she was threatened with violence when she requested a supervisor, and then spent two days in jail. She is now looking at large legal bills to defend herself in court and both she and her grandson are now terrified to leave the house - and of retribution, for fighting the charge. That doesn't sound like freedom, to me - or even a civilised country. _Edited to add missing end bracket._

[@lawrencelewis2592]

What race was the grandma? Probably not white.

[@maryseflore7028]

​@@lawrencelewis2592 Indeed. She was indigenous. Also, one of the reasons the officer stopped her was because she was not walking on the sidewalk. That officer was on a power trip. Common occurence in the US.

[@lawrencelewis2592]

@@maryseflore7028 So true- It happens here in Canada but not nearly as often but then, an indigenous person would probably not agree. In the States it seems like the police are out of control. Even smaller towns now have military surplus armoured cars and such. Scary is what it is.

[@percyprune7548]

Any nation that demands I.D. on the spot has major failings. One of the reasons I oppose I.D. cards here, from Blair's original suggestion to the more recent repeats of it. I am a citizen, not the property of the state.

[@michellemaine2719]

I also feel more free when around police in the UK. In the US, it felt like living in a police state, with armed cops on-guard everywhere. Traffic stops were terrifying. Police here are trained to treat people like people, not like automatic criminals.

[@CW-iv3ls]

Depends. Corruption runs deep in our police, they might not be armed but do not care about your rights

[@Phiyedough]

In USA the coastguard is part of the military, in UK it is part of the emergency services.

[@mrharry448]

@@michellemaine2719 For perspective. The average number of incidents at which UK armed police discharge their weapons each year, not individually but in TOTAL for the whole country is 2. TWO. In a country of 70 million people

[@_starfiend]

That's part of how the police are constituted in each country. In the UK the police, technically, are here to "Maintain the peace", in the US they are "Law Enforcement.". It's not quite that simple in reality, but that is the basic core of how each police force/service is constituted.

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

​@@CW-iv3ls depends on the police, everywhere there are good and bad cops.

[@scottburnett6658]

So, an interesting point here is how our two systems define ‘freedom’ In the US many freedoms are defined as ‘I am free to….’ For example, free to speak, free to own a gun In the UK (and Europe) freedoms are defined as ‘I am free from…’ (free from hunger, ill health, poverty) It’s also a part of how the legal systems behave. The US Constitution essentially sets out a list of things a citizen is free to do. In the UK you are presumed to be free to do something unless the law says no.

[@Its__Good]

This is true. Though - it's also questionable just how many 'i'm free to do . . ' freedoms the US has compared to the UK. I mean, there are things that are mentioned like drinking, gambling, walking across the road etc. But I also hear stories of really strict local laws and mandatory residence association rules that limit things like what you can do with your own garden. Don't get me wrong, we have some of that nonsense as well, but it sounds worse in the US.

[@joshme3659]

Americans arent free to make cheese from unpasteurised milk, a nation of npc’s

[@scottburnett6658]

I agree, I think the UK system of ‘assume you’re free unless it states you can’t do something’ is my preference. I’m British myself, and work in the NHS so I absolutely value the way we do things. Not knocking our US friends, but I prefer the way it works on this side of the pond. I also like that our ‘constitution’ such as it is, is more malleable. Our laws can be more easily adapted to the changing times.

[@wfe1947]

Difficult to understand how a country's laws are affected by a set of rules formulated by a group of people directly descended from disgruntled English men.

[@scottburnett6658]

Apologies; constitutional norms?

[@Derwent03]

Fascinating video. So glad you are happy in Britain. Ive always felt Americans are not free because they are slaves to guns but that is my personal take on freedom.

[@mrharry448]

There was some widely viewed news footage from NY about 15yrs ago of a 90yr old Japanese tourist being beaten to the ground with nightsticks and then cuffed because he was 'crossing in the wrong place'. I cannot imagine how oppressive it would feel to not have the freedom to 'just cross a road'.

[@Kanbei11]

Especially if they don't speak the language

[@tergre54]

Crossing in the wrong place doesn't sound like Japanese behaviour. Perhaps s/he made a mistake but the Japanese (along maybe with Singaporeans) are the most conscientious road crossers on the planet.

[@mrharry448]

@@tergre54 Ah. Probably my mistake I found a story and think it was that of a Chinese immigrant in 2014, (which seems too recent). The story did go around the world and underline the perception of brutal and arbitrary policing in the US.

[@SomeYouTubeGuy]

I've noticed it a lot when looking at how the USA reacts to things. The guy in your example crossed the road in the wrong spot and that's against the law. Okay cool. All you have to do is explain to the guy, maybe issue a fine then carry on with your day. Not beat the crap out of him. It's almost like overreacting is their only way of handling anything.

[@mrharry448]

@@SomeKZbinGuy The greatest police scandal of the last 50 years in the UK which has cost hundreds of millions of pounds in legal investigation and institutional reset was 'The Stephen Lawrence Murder'. Can Americans get their heads around the idea that the biggest (and biggest racist) police scandal in living memory was not to do with anyone being killed or beaten by the police but by the death of a teenager at the hands of teenagers not being investigated thoroughly enough.

[@BenjWarrant]

It's a contradiction, isn't it? We have a state religion and yet political and public life almost never worries about it too much; in America there's a constitutional separation of church and state and yet Christians are rabid throughout the country about getting their way and getting everybody else to comply with that as well.

[@mrharry448]

I think I saw that only 1.4% of UK children are now being brought up as CofE, the state religion. Sometime in the next decade all the privileges given to it will quietly be removed and we will become a proper secular society.

[@PolarBear4]

I've always found that slightly amusing. Like you said, the country with an official religion seems to care less about religion that one which officially has none and religion separate. "In God we trust" is even on their money! Voting for things like women's reproductive rights seems to frequently feature politicians saying about how God would want whatever too.

[@JAW-i5z]

Not that contradictory if you think America was founded by Puritans, expelled from Britain... for being zealots.

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

I felt like much of the rural, non-major city US is just hopelessly puritanical and backwards. Everyone seems to be up to the neck involved in their local church, if something bad happens the first thing you're told is "say your prayers", even Dave Ramsey's financial 'advice' is sometimes "talk to your pastor" and "I hope you have a good church to go to". You can just use churches as a smokescreen to be an utter scumbag and it's somehow accepted. The amount of abusers, grapeists, criminals, control freaks etc. who are pastors at their local church and everyone thinks they're wonderful people. Churches are also tax exempt in the US.

[@jackdubz4247]

@@JAW-i5z They weren't expelled, they left because they saw other people around them, fellow Europeans, as being less devoted to their God than they were. It's the original Brexit. Rage-quitting reality and putting dogma before sanity.

[@annaburch3200]

USA resident. I hate that it's such a controversial topic, but . . . When I was a kid, I never feared shootings as even a possibility. It's been within the past 30 years that I've had to become hardened to all of that in order to function in normal day-to-day life. But even then, there was a shooting in our local mall, just an hour after we had left the exact location it happened. I haven't been able to return to the mall without severe PTSD. Looking around, and making sure my family is safe at school, in a theater, a festival, shopping, etc. It's not ok. THAT is one freedom I miss from my childhood.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Another well considered video, thank you. I've lived in both countries whilst my children were school age. My kids were far, far more restricted when we lived in VA. They couldn't travel to/from school alone (no transport as it wasn't a local school). Their choice of subject was far more limited. There were more cliques and bullying. They had to think about what to wear "to fit in". Costs of extras (sports, trips, clubs) were much higher, and meals were poorer. Finally, when they reached 16, if they didn't have a car they felt pressured. My younger ones, who schooled in UK, were less stressed by these issues, though the academic demands were higher here.

[@evelynwilson1566]

Yes. We do have bullying but not the ' jocks, brains, princesses and criminals' of The Breakfast Club. Unless things have really changed since I was in school. It's s funny that Americans claim to be class free but seems to go out of their way to create hierarchies in schools.

[@livvymunro1929]

Americans would probably argue that the right to wear what they want to school is another "freedom". But the benefit of school uniforms is that it makes everyone equal. Nobody has to worry about not wearing the "right" label or latest trend. Of course British schools have their problems, but stressing over what to wear in class isn't one of them.

[@Lily-Bravo]

@@livvymunro1929 Gosh yes. I had a school uniform at school and had no idea what sort of homes my fellow pupils lived in. It was only when we had a snowstorm which stopped other pupils getting home and a couple commented on our house that I realised. They kept their uniforms smarter than mine, I wore the same tunic for five years and it went from being too big to being a St Trinians type mini skirt by this stage!!

[@PedroConejo1939]

This goes for most of Europe, but children here are not required to worship a flag or recite a daily incantation to the state. Nor are we used to seeing military personnel in uniform pretty well everywhere. The reaction to this latter often being some sort of expected fawning to those same personnel and the force they represent lest one be considered anti-(choose your nation). As someone who grew up in the Vietnam era, this is a freedom I appreciate in the UK.

[@Kyrelel]

If you walk up to a UK soldier and say "I thank you for your service" they'll probably just tell you to f**k off

[@Rachel_M_]

Not sure about the rest of Europe but the UK army have strict guidelines about wearing uniforms in public. For more info read ARMY GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INSTRUCTIONSVOLUME 2 CHAPTER 59 DRESS AND PERSONAL APPEARANCE But long story short, although wearing uniform is encouraged in public the regulations and standards of dress make it more hassle than it's worth. Essentially they have to dress like they are on inspection

[@geoffpriestley7310]

We don't have an armed police officer assigned to a school

[@Rachel_M_]

@@geoffpriestley7310 we don't have a school survival rate either

[@geoffpriestley7310]

@@Rachel_M_ I have 3 grandsons in the army and never seen any of them in uniform except photos one got in to trouble for tuning up at base in a tee-shirt and jeans . He should have been in a suit and tie I'm not sure why . The only time he wears uniform is on duty in the local town

[@suchanhachan]

I think a major difference is that most people in the UK (and many other countries) would probably have the attitude of, "I'm free to believe what I want to believe, and you are also free to believe what you want to believe." But in America far too many people have the attitude of, "I'm free to believe what I want to believe, and you are also free to believe what I believe."...

[@rhiwright]

if people keep repeating that they are free, and authority figures keep reminding them they are free, they absolutely aren't free.

[@ceejay0137]

To quote Tywin Lannister: "A man who must say 'I am the King' is no king."

[@mandolinic]

Reminds of corrupt dictatorships that have the word "Democratic" in their country's name: The democratic republic of (insert name here).

[@MartinParnham]

I don’t make a habit of quoting Margaret Thatcher but she once said “being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” Same applies with freedom in this case.

[@terryr9052]

@@rhiwright if you can't even defend yourself and family with something mild like pepper spray, you are definitely not free.

[@realhorrorshow8547]

No, indeed, but they work on the same principle as co-ops, credit unions, or building societies. Everyone pays in, and those who need to take out. The healthy population out-numbers the sick. If you subordinate the welfare of your population to the profits of insurance companies and healthcare corporations, then people die because it's not profitable to let them live. Every nation in the developed world except the US understands this.

[@lizbignell2820]

I am glad you feel settled here.

[@tomatwalden]

I’ve never understood the American fixation with ‘freedom’. Let’s be clear, most of the planet is free. The UK is free, Canada, Australia, etc etc. All are free. Do Americans think they have a monopoly on freedom !?! In fact the US isn’t even the most free according to most research. I think it’s something like no. 40 in the world or something like that. So yes the US is free. So are most countries, we just don’t sing and dance about it!

[@floydlooney6837]

When people are arrested for tweets or prayers, you aren't free

[@anonymes2884]

@@floydlooney6837 Whereas being arrested for crossing the road IS freedom ? (cue a paragraph defending jaywalking laws...)

[@t4bs594]

Americans are lied to about being freer, exceptional, great etc. Why the need to lie to your population, who are actually none of those things?

[@hugheskevi]

I found the USA very restrictive because there was only one way to do things in so many places. Take National Parks - most of them you will need a car to visit. You will often have to arrive early to get a parking space. Then you will will consume the National Park in the way you are expected to in many places - perhaps take the organised bus, walk along one of the few super-popular trails, and leave by a set time. Don't expect any 'Please' or 'Thank You' on the long list of rules you are told to abide by at the entrance. There is a much greater police presence everywhere, even on beaches, than you get in most countries. The amount of activities is very limited due to the cost of liability - whereas in the UK you could turn up at almost any running club and take part in a session or two before joining, in the USA you probably need to complete waiver forms in advance. Things like horse riding, caving, etc, will all be prohibitively costly due to the litigation culture, healthcare costs, and consequential insurance costs. It was so nice to cross the Mexican border and be back in the normal world where you just go and do things like zip wires, sandboarding, etc. So yes, you are free in the USA, but free within some quite specific societal constraints that largely go unnoticed. Even their immigration system is the hardest to use (try exiting overland south and not returning with an ESTA!) and only allows 3 months that includes neighbouring countries despite the USA being huge - but you are not expected to travel for long periods, so again, freedom within constraints (ie 3 months, or a very expensive visa process).

[@James-w1t]

But really "Girl Gone Sycophantic" seems to have no idea of some of the freedoms we DO have. For instance every Aug 6, even though it's nowhere near the traditional holiday season, some of us gather together and face toward the East or the West, doesn't matter really (some face toward the UK) and to the tune of "O Tannenbaum" we sing, "oh ATOM BOMB, oh ATOM BOMB, should have dropped the second one on........a different target.". Now, that may not sound kind or pretty, but it exemplifies why it might be unwise to spend it all on the NHS and other "entitlements" and not enough on your Trident Submarines. And, if there is in fact a second coming of Donald Trump ....... well, who can really say?!?! Don't forget that famous saying from the 1970's, "just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean that they are not really out to get you!". Cheers!

[@dal3767]

Wow! I never knew Starmer was an atheist and Sunak was a Hindu! As you say, we Brits really don't care whether someones is religions or has no religion is in politics. It's how it should be. Thank you for another great upload🙂

[@peterharridge8565]

And by the way Badenoch is an atheist too. That's news as originally from somewhere where it is not tolerated. Sunak , I was told by someone he's a Muslim (this guy was a racist no doubts), I said don't be daft. He's a Hindu, likely he doesn't like Muslims. But didn't cut any ice with that fella. He still didn't like him.

[@FranzBieberkopf]

We've now had three atheist PMs (Attlee, Callaghan now Starmer). Atheism is the kiss of death for any American political career

[@Kanbei11]

@@FranzBieberkopf it really does feel like the establishment clause was written in invisible ink sometimes when looking at the US

[@nick_Hfc]

Atheist but married to a Jewish woman!

[@mrharry448]

@@nick_Hfc Ethnically or religiously Jewish? Jewish is an ethnicity and most Jews I know are atheist

[@Fiddling_while_Rome_burns]

The main health insurance freedom I find is the ability to quit your job and not lose your healthcare. Which means Europeans can quit their jobs and spend many months travelling the world several times in their lives. Society then benefits from having large numbers of cosmopolitan and cultured people. So many of the US's problems could be solved if they experienced more of the world first hand instead of through xenophobic media.

[@dealbreakerc]

IT's even more than that. Europeans (or anywhere with socialized healthcare) benefits from one fewer barrier to small business starting up. Not having to worry about the health insurance tied to an employer makes it that much easier to take the risk of starting a business. Now the UK could do better and take a page from (I think) Denmark's (or at least one of the other Nordic/Scandinavian social democracies) book and have a system where you can take something like 6-12 months leave from your job in order to try and get a business up and running and still be able to go back if that business doesn't launch successfully.

[@andyleighton6969]

In terms of being cosmopolitan. My daughter is doing a long weekend in Milan next weekend, Friday to Monday, two days holiday. In Europe that's nothing, in America that's 20% of the average ten day leave allowance. That's before you factor in flying across the Atlantic, and quite possibly flying across large parts of America first. There's a reason so few Americans bother with a passport.

[@jonathanj8303]

​@@dealbreakerc I can see the attraction, but forcing the employer to hold open any remotely specialist job is a big ask - of you're the sales rep or lab tech or trainer or, or, or, replacing you might not have viable short term options - someone needs training, particular qualification, or will come on board expecting security and career progression, not to get dumped when you decide the grass is greener on the original side of the fence. Not to mention the complications if the once-and-future employee starts their defunct business in a related/competing field to that of their employer.

[@scottfw7169]

Well, remember, those xenophobic US media people are sourced from the general population, which might show something about our general population ... and the media also need to get enough views from the US general population in order to attract enough advertisers so the advertising fees can cover the media's bills ... so, you sell the US population whatever media they seem to want to consume.

[@scottfw7169]

@@dealbreakerc Truth. I have both known as friends, and worked for, owners of small businesses and health insurance was/is a great concern to them.

[@jnielson1121]

It's so strange hearing Americans online talk about other countries being "jealous" of their freedom. I keep wondering who they're talking about?! North Korea maybe?? There's loads of things I love about America but from this side of the pond the American "dream" seems more like a nightmare :(

[@Kim-427]

I think we think that way because we can’t understand why there is such an occupation of talking about Americans and America. I swear for the most part we in America do not attack you guys the way you attack us. Look at this comment section. It’s so much vitriol from you English. So,We can’t think of any other reason why you would be so occupied with talking about us and our country.

[@jnielson1121]

@@Kim-427 oh my sweet Summer child. Have a look at your history and your media. Americans still thing Communism exists and is a realistic threat. You carry guns as domestic appliances like we're still in the middle ages. You have no national curriculum and legions of people who refused vaccines and thing the Earth is flat. The "freedom" thing is part historical hangover and part engineered paranoia- because how else do the rich get the poor to vote against their self-interest.

[@BarnabyRudge-sx3pb]

​@@Kim-427 This is the comment section under a video comparing freedoms in the US and UK so maybe that's why contributors are talking about America? Just a thought! I'd also suggest if Americans were less inclined to boast about American being "the greatest country in the world" and "the land of the free" you might get rather fewer comments pointing out that it isn't.

[@Kim-427]

@@BarnabyRudge-sx3pb They’re doing more than talking. Lol They’re spewing nastiness. But,For some people America is that to them. Calling them stupid and siting statistics isn’t going to change their minds. I’m black and I’m well aware how America is but I have a great life here just as many that I know. You don’t have to like or love us. But,The name calling and the cursing isn’t necessary. And it goes further than that. You don’t have to accept someone point of view that is wrong. That’s like me telling you about your country as if I have lived there and you don’t know anything about your own country.

[@BarnabyRudge-sx3pb]

@@Kim-427 There is no name calling or cursing here, you just made that up! If the comments offend you then don't read them, it's that simple!

[@mrharry448]

US per capita (each citizen) spending on healthcare. 13,000 dollars a year UK per capita (each citizen) spending on healthcare. 4,000 dollars a year. Each US citizen pays three times as much for healthcare for measurably the same or worse outcomes. (US worst in G7) It's almost as if 70% of that money is being creamed off somewhere. 🤔

[@homolgus1]

Also we in the UK live 2.5years longer than people in the US WHO figures

[@andylane247]

⅓ goes on administration...

[@elultimo102]

Compare the pay of doctors in the US vs. UK. Cancer is a $900 Billion / year industry in the US. I wonder how the treatment actual costs per patient would compare for similar treatment. (Any cure or vax for cancer will come from a country with government medical, there being no incentive in the US).

[@andylane247]

@@elultimo102 Same with antibiotics.

[@kirsteneasdale5707]

In Scotland we have free prescriptions. We also have freedom to roam on or off of a right of way (on foot or bicycle) and we can wild camp (please note that wild camping is in a tent not in a motor home or other vehicle). In Scotland there are no University tuition fees for a first degree.

[@MontytheHorse]

There are tuition fees. It’s just like the NHS, they’re free at point of use. The Scottish Government pays them.

[@izzieb]

In fact, every part of the United Kingdom except for England has free prescriptions.

[@michaeldowson6988]

89% of Canada is public Crown Land, you can wander on as you please.

[@halfbakedproductions7887]

@@izzieb And something like 90% of prescriptions in England are actually free. For anyone else there are prepayment certificates and you can get all you can eat prescriptions for about £100 a year. But anyone decrepit enough to benefit from free prescriptions gets them for free anyway. I grew up in Scotland and much of the 'benefits' of living there are overstated propaganda. You only hear one side of it, there are major pitfalls and 'cons' with those schemes which you are expected to just ignore. For example, university funded places have remained at the same cash value since 2011 and not kept up with inflation, and the NHS have also recently gone to town on what can be prescribed by doctors because the free prescriptions were creating waste and costing too much. And private prescriptions in Scotland aren't free, just NHS ones. "Right to Roam" also has so many strings attached that it looks like a circus tent. It's not a free ticket to go anywhere you want and do what you want.

[@rusticpartyeditz]

It is worth reading up on the effect of the Scottish Government's tuition fees policy. Lower fees per student for Universities. Also, many students are shut out of Scottish Universities due to funding caps on numbers and not being allowed to pay for a place at a university in Scotland. Anyone reasonably well off in Scotland cannot access high demand university courses and has to look to England or elsewhere.

[@walterjoshuapannbacker1571]

I lived in both the US and the UK as a teenager and young adult and always felt a lot more free in the UK than in the US in almost every aspect of life - school, university, work, personal life, spare time activities. I find the US to be very conformist and at the same time very uninformed, making it extremely difficult for individualistic and learned people.

[@dWFnZWVr]

I live in Cornwall and while public transport will take much longer due to the road network being less developed than other counties-as the Duchy is protected-you can still get a day of bus travel for £7, which covers all of Cornwall. Certain routes are quicker too, such as St. Austell to Newquay. Transport between the major towns and only city (Truro) are more frequent also.

[@slytheringingerwitch]

I live in Newquay, so I agree with this. Currently single journeys are £2 each and Truro can take an hour, depending on which bus.

[@cebusapella9125]

I too live in Cornwall and think the public transport is good, especially in the summer. Trains within Cornwall are cheap too with a railcard. Gave up my car a few years ago and I feel liberated!

[@slytheringingerwitch]

@@cebusapella9125 Totally. Some buses might not as regular in the winter but mostly its good.

[@PaulYoung99s]

Came across this by chance and was very pleasantly surprised. It made me think about the positives of living in the UK for a change 🙂

[@lorrainelove4686]

I agree, I've just come across it, and it's made me re-evaluate living in this country (I'm English). On top of everything she's saying, they might end up with Trump as President again!

[@misterbonzoid5623]

The NHS is not free. We pay for it through taxation. The word 'Socialist' is demonised, but the NHS is a perfect example of Socialism in practice, and it is much loved and respected even by Tories.

[@CarlieMaria28]

UK and irish citizens still have freedom of movement in each other's countries post Brexit, in fact common travel area predates the eu! 🇬🇧🇮🇪

[@ajs41]

It's not very fair though that Irish citizens can vote and stand in British elections but not vice versa.

[@markbrown4127]

@@tiggerwood8899 they didnt fight in ww2 they were neutral

[@tiggerwood8899]

@@markbrown4127 True. but thousands of Irish men joined the British army and fought with us, and many Irish men still do join the British services,

[@grahvis]

@@markbrown4127 . Many thousands of Irish citizens fought with the Allies during WW2.

[@davidz2690]

@@grahvis irrelevant lol, Ireland was neutral which essentially means they were pro-Nazi, just like the US was.

[@ajs41]

A lot of people (including me until a few years ago) don't know that in the UK you can drink beer/wine/cider at the age of 16 if you're having a meal in a restaurant with someone who's 18 or older. Doesn't apply to spirits. Also the drinking age doesn't apply to private residences, where the only restriction is that you can't give alcohol to children under 5.

[@DougBrown-h1n]

And unlike the USA we can have a few beers or share a bottle of wine with friends OUTSIDE! - in the park, the beach, or wherever.

[@MartinParnham]

@@DougBrown-h1n Isn’t drinking in a park illegal? I don’t know. I’m fairly confident that you’re not supposed to have a can while walking down the road; that’s illegal.

[@petergardner5002]

​@@MartinParnham depends on local bylaws

[@garolstipock]

Back in the early/mid 80's, me and my friends would have a brew with out chip lunch walking on the street/sat on a bench outdoors, etc, at school in our school uniform all the time.. We were 12-14 years old at the time. It was just not a big deal to make any deal about... Miss those more 'ignorant' times.. I'm sure things are stricter now tho.

[@ib9rt]

@@MartinParnham For the most part, drinking in a park is not illegal. You can take a picnic hamper to Hyde Park, and sit on the grass drinking wine, beer or champagne with your picnic. Nobody will bother you. The general rule in the UK is you can drink on the street or anywhere in public, unless a local authority has specifically removed that privilege for public order reasons. So of course you can (in the main) have a can while walking down the street. Have you seen the number of pubs in London where people spill out into the street with their drinks because the inside is too crowded?

[@joopmonderman2218]

My compliment, you are the first American who does not the word ‘like’ or ‘kinda like’ once or twice in every sentence, in a long time!

[@hiramabiff2017]

I grew up in one of the most notoriously poverty stricken parts of East London and after working in Canada and N/America I have been in awe at the space they have and the large homes they take for granted and not overly impressed on how much I paid in taxes. The medical affordability is always a hot topic over there and people go to some extreme lengths to ensure they can afford to be ill. All I understand is this, from the beauty of Vancouver Island to the paradise of Koh Samui , every bone in my body cannot wait to come back to our Island.

[@jaidee9570]

Interesting, I have lived in Chiang Mai for over 6 years now and I will never return to the UK even for a visit, I'd certainly never want to live there again. It took moving out of the UK to understand what Aussie's mean when they call us POMEs.

[@Lily-Bravo]

@@jaidee9570 My Aussie friends come over to stay every other year. They have a full calendar of things they want to do that they cannot do in Oz. I also returned after living out there for four years. There were lots of things I loved, some of the things I did not like have been improved now, but I have not regretted my return once. My children could move there, they are Aussies by descent, and have been several times, but do not want to live there. By the way the Aussie bonus of Long Service Leave is something that would really make Americans drool.

[@garyiow8482]

Welcome to the free and civilised world. You'll like it here.

[@nickaston2468]

I live in the US. I became a US citizen so that I could vote because I pay taxes in the US. I wish I hadn't become a citizen now. I'm not freer. In fact, there are more burdens put on a US citizen than just having permanent residence. 1. Jury duty is expected as a citizen. I have been called 3 times. It's time consuming and extremely disruptive and it's difficult to get out of it once you've been called. I run a business and it means time away from my business. 2. I had to close my UK bank account as US citizens are not allowed to have a foreign account. 3. If I decided to live in another country, I would still have to file a US income declaration for taxes annually even I lived in another country. 3. 'Land of the free' is a myth. Health care is extremely expensive and health insurance is expensive. 4. ID is asked for when purchasing alcohol and non-alcoholic beers and wines, even in a grocery store! (I look way older than 21!) Seriously, it's ridiculous. 5. Women are dictated to when it comes to making decisions about their bodies, such as abortion. Those are just a few examples I can think of, but there are many more restrictions to living in the US. The UK and the EU are less restrictive than the US.

[@karlbassett8485]

Americans are allowed to have bank accounts in other countries, but they have to declare them to the IRS and that bank, knowing they are American, also has to report it to the IRS. Applies to bank accounts, investing accounts, stock accounts etc. Because of this, and the huge penalties if they fail to do so, many foreign banks refused to open bank accounts for US citizens. I as a Brit opened a stock account to hold some US stock I bought and the online application asked me three times "Are you SURE you're not American?"

[@DesertRoamerUK]

I assume you're old enough to avoid registering for the draft? Now they want to automatically register all 18 year old boys for the freedom to die for corporate America's interests.

[@chrisholland7367]

Strange, you still have to pay taxes even if you're in a foreign country. The whole crux of the American Revolutionary War" No tax without representation."

[@EvanJoanette]

Waiting to see if HOAs are mentioned? I'll paint my fence whatever colour I want.

[@nevillemason6791]

Not to mention hanging your washing outside to dry or parking in the wrong place!

[@pattheplanter]

What is this "lawn" you speak of? Do my wildflowers offend you?

[@jdudb]

Some HOAs even want to control what tools you have in your garage because they don't want anyone working on their car on the drive. Disagree and lose your home.

[@ianelliott229]

I have lived in the US a couple of times and have considered retiring there - one of my sons now lives there and is a US citizen. Indeed, he is a nurse in the healthcare system (paid 3 times what he would be here). There are many things I love about the States - but many things I certainly don’t - the preponderance of guns being one. I think the main reason I haven’t gone back is the sense of society - or lack of it. Here, most people consider their neighbours as fellow members of a community; in the US many unconsciously see them as potential enemies. That makes for a less comfortable life. I’ve spent most of life essentially self employed and that is certainly easier here. Employers in the US have the upper hand in the relationship for a number of reasons including health insurance; again that is less comfortable.

[@CharlieMcowan]

I'm afraid the US will never have an atheist President until one can end a solemn speech without needing to add, God Bless America!

[@yaimavol]

Our natural born rights are granted to us at birth by our Creator. It's in the Declaration. If you don't believe in a creator, you have no natural born rights. You have the rights an atheist poltician decides you have.

[@CharlieMcowan]

@ "it's in the Declaration". That said it all. You think the US is the only real country on the planet. And sadly, your ignorant of the origins of your own country. Your Founding Fathers were mostly Deists- they didn't believe in your "god", just a prime mover. Don't worry...

[@SkullMonkeyUK]

Great video, personally as a British citizen the US healthcare system would scare the cr*p out of me for obvious reasons $$$

[@scottfw7169]

That's okay, nothing to be embarrassed about, US citizens are scared too. I've always and only been a US citizen, and becoming disabled and unemployable here creates a huge problem, a problem which I am now living. Yes, there is the Federal medical insurance Medicare; and, the State/Federal partnership Medicaid which you may or may not be eligible for and may or may not have revoked according to your state government's political mood of the moment. There is good reason that sometimes people have been calling them 'Mediwedontcare' and 'Medicaintnoaid'. 🚑 Just for fun, in a twisted fun sort of way, pull up your favorite search engine and search for, refuse ambulance because of cost, united states.

[@BrianC1664]

The only plus-side to the US system that I can see is from a brutal, survival-of-the-fittest mindset, at a genetics level it's like adding a little chlorine to the gene pool. I wonder if there are any good studies on the prevalence of expensive to treat diseases/mutations between American style healthcare and socialized healthcare systems. It may be that the US system prices people out of treatment, or it may be that the socialized systems will not pay for them, I'm genuinely curious.

[@AngryPacifist-kd6md]

I didn’t realise how unique our public footpaths are. Your previous video reminded me of this. I do like many parts of USA, but only to visit. As a dad, I couldn’t live there and drop my kids off at school without continual worry about school shootings.

[@Poliss95]

@AngryPacifist-kd6md We're in danger of losing thousands of miles of public footpaths because local councils don't have the people or the money to get them registered. The deadline for registration is 2031.

[@valeriekampmeier8424]

Maternity/paternity leave also vastly more generous in the UK, My sister-in-law in the States had to go back to work six weeks after giving birth and felt pretty traumatised having to be separated from her newborn. Meanwhile, my next-door neighbour in the UK had a year's leave.

[@kevins2961]

America is the land of the free, Americans tell each other that all the time, and believe it.

[@michaeldowson6988]

The American Dream - but you have to be asleep to believe it.

[@ceejay0137]

Many of them brag about their freedoms to people they meet when they travel abroad. I've had Americans tell me (a Brit) that I don't have the same freedoms they do. It always makes me chuckle.

[@bruceyboy7349]

​@@ceejay0137I guess they don't actually know what it's like in other countries

[@garolstipock]

America is the place of the three-dozen or so countries I've visited that feels the most oppressive. There are layers of laws, ordinances, watchful patrolling 'looking for a reason' eyes that I have experienced anywhere... Live in the wrong area and you will feel it pressing on you.

[@charlesrussell8137]

When Francis Scott Key wrote those words about "the land of the free" he was a slave owner. I guess it depends on your definition of freedom, some were more free than others.

[@grahamparsons4635]

Another brilliant video Katlyn. So happy you feel safer living here. Yes we have our issues like any other country but compared to America it seems minimal. Welcome to the land of the free 😂😂❤

[@kernow9324]

What always strikes me when I'm in the US is just how many people fly the Stars and Stripes outside their home. In the UK you rarely see the Union Jack flying outside anyone's home. I think most people would think you're a bit odd, possibly racist.

[@chrysalis4126]

They are taught to worship the flag every day from being tiny when they first start school so it's not that surprising that they continue to do so.

[@maryseflore7028]

The Confederate flag is a sure sign of racism, but not the Stars and Stripes. That being said, the US flag obsession is rather unhealthy, tbh.

[@martinputt6421]

@@maryseflore7028 Especially the whole idea of pledging allegiance. As a Brit I have never understood the idea of pledging allegiance to a flag.

[@percyprune7548]

We 'know' we are British and do not feel the need to prove it to others. Is flying a flag for your benefit or merely to conform to other people's pressure?

[@Jill-mh2wn]

In another video about differences ,one was that in the USA you must have identity (Driver`s licence)on you at all times . In the UK if needed you have a limited time to produce this at a Police Station . Citizens in the UK are FREE to go about their lives without State interference of identity

[@richieixtar5849]

As a brit who has lived in America as well as here not only did I find that very interesting, I also agreed wholeheartedly with your sentiments.

[@llamagirl2679]

Same here!

[@ianhutchinson1783]

And here! On the subject of leave I was told, "if we can do without you for two weeks, we can do without you".

[@tdurb0]

Hello! I found your channel via umpteen people ‘reacting’ to your videos. Your content is excellent 👏🏻👏🏻

[@andywilliams7323]

Regards drinking. It's not just that the purchase drinking age is lower at 18. It's also that the UK has far fewer restrictions on when and where drinking can done. In the UK, with a few exceptions, we can drink anywhere, at any time of day, in public, even with children present. In the park, at the beach, etc. Children in the UK are also allowed to enjoy drinking under responsible adult supervision from as young as 5. Children are allowed to enter liquor stores and bars and can freely purchase soft drinks from the liquor store or bar. We make no attempt to hide liquor from children like they do in America.

[@paul9864]

Given the levels of gun ownership in America I think lowering the drinking age to 18 could be disastrous.

[@dubiumguy]

The US in many jurisdictions have open container laws that will get you lifted for even having an open alcohol bottle or can. In the UK we can drink alcohol openly, but you're not allowed to be drunk and disorderly in public. So you can be intoxicated but will typically not be lifted by the police unless you're acting in an unreasonable manner.

[@nilremuk]

I've got some great photos somewhere of myself and my sister having some drinks from the remnants at a party my parents held, I vaguely remember being given one by an uncle who was having a chuckle at my face when I tried it (I was about 6, and I suspect it was one of my parent's halloween parties).

[@jamesroyce1845]

And one glaring anomaly is that young men and women can join the military, be sent into a war zone and litereally die for their country (or another) at the age of 18, 19, 20 but need to be 21 to have a beer - what's that all about?

[@catherinemori4496]

The UK has a massive binge-drinking culture among its youth and has a problem with street drinking. Allowing children to drink alcohol from the age of 5? I doubt that. Alcohol is a serious drug! Except for Québec (18), Canadians can legally drink at 19. But we can’t drink wherever we like. After all, like tobacco, alcohol is inherently dangerous and a controlled substance. Drinking responsibly is the usual mantra here.

[@harrybarrow6222]

We CAN have guns in the UK. Farmers often have shotguns for pest control. Individuals can have pistols or rifles for sports shooting. You have to pass background checks, of course, and get a firearms licence. BUT most people not only do not have guns, they don’t WANT guns. So, we do not need guns to protect ourselves from people that have guns. 😄

[@smorrow]

Your last point is more from being a low-crime country than from something the law does. Government is always willing to take credit for a good thing that was already there to begin with. Especially since people just believe it, no questions asked. Sweden has essentially the same gun laws as us and is the armed-crime capital of Europe.

[@alexwitney5947]

Very interesting to hear your perspective. I really enjoy your videos. Thank you for doing them.

[@nicksavill6617]

What I like in the UK is that security guards and others in authority such as the police don't usually shout at you. It seems in the US they love barking orders at you, very loudly and very aggressively. If anything makes me feel more free here in the UK, it's that.

[@DesertRoamerUK]

The other day I joked with a UK cop as we were stood peeing at the urinals. I asked him if he had removed his utility belt to avoid rusty handcuffs. I wouldn't dream of chatting or joking with a US cop for fear of being face-planted on a public restroom floor. In the US I got an aggressive warning for jaywalking as a tourist aged 15. More recently a sheriff pointed a gun at me as a passenger in a traffic stop while shouting at us to keep our hands visible. And his adrenalin was making him shake!

[@andyleighton6969]

Basically America views it's population not so much as citizens as production units.

[@wessexdruid7598]

America is not organised, nor run, for the benefit of the population - but for big businesses. The population is poorly educated, because that keeps them a compliant, undemanding workforce and market.

[@neilog747]

I would say England is the same tbh, although we have slightly better employment, working safety and holiday rights thanks to the historically strong influence of British trades unions and the EU.

[@martinquartermaine3982]

Thank you for your videos. Regarding freedom my take is less about specific differences, more about the nature of what is called freedom. In the USA, where the individual is paramount, it is the freedom TO do and say what one feels like. Granted they have also take the consequences of this freedom, like aggressive push back or lawsuits etc. In the UK and most of Europe there is the freedom FROM abuse, guns, corporate greed, poverty, abuse of basic rights. There are laws which protect individuals from the abuse, which would be the typical expression of freedom in the USA. When I am in the USA, I feel insecure from the consequences of these so called Freedoms there. I am terrified while out and about of getting ill, confronting policemen, the free access to guns. I am not free from fear in the USA, yet in the UK, fear isn't even an issue most of the time.

[@johnlbirch]

The difference in "freedom" between the USA and UK (and most of the rest of the western world) seems to come down to a freedom for the individual in the former, and freedom for society as a whole in the latter. Sort of "freedom for" on the one hand, and "freedom from" on the other. So it seems that in the USA individuals are free to do stuff even if that impinges negatively on others, which tends to mean that the more powerful you are the more free you are. In the UK (and everywhere else) it is the freedom of the lower levels of society that tend to be protected. So in the USA the freedom of the motorist trumps the freedom of the pedestrian (hence jaywalking), whereas in the UK it is the pedestrian that has priority (generally speaking); or in the UK rights of way exist for all regardless of how a landowners may feel about it; or in the USA freedom of speech is absolute regardless of what effect that speech may have, whereas in most of the rest of the world the damage that might cause is taken into account. The result of all this is a dialogue of the deaf - the USA vs the rest of the world - because what we mean by "freedom" is different.

[@richt71]

Hi Kalyn Another interesting video. Thank you. I remember getting into trouble when I was last in the US. Came out of my hotel in Miami and ran across an empty road only to be called over by a cop parked in his car opposite. He advised me that I shouldn't have just crossed the road where I did and used the crossing further up. I did know about jay walking rules but it completely skipped my mind coming out of the hotel early in the morning. Fortunately no ticket just a ticking off. Religion never comes into my thinking when voting for a politician. Most are equally useless regardless of what faith they believe in or not!

[@grahvis]

Any politician wearing their religion on their sleeve in the UK would be regarded with suspicion.

[@David_Baxendale]

I've lived in the Uk and germany and travelled around the US several time (ok, it's not the same as living there but for that I have american friends). The three countries have so many things in common yet are so totally different. Just looking at health insurance, in the US you get private insurance, in the UK it's paid along with your tax (NI) and in germany you have to take health insurance but it is regulated by the government - germany sitting in the middle. Transport, UK and germany are way ahead of the US but germany also has a very strong car culture (have you lived if you haven't been driving at 160mph down the autobahn...). You will always find people (mostly online) that will say "my country is more free" but generally that just shows a lack of knowledge on how other countries are. I loved living in the UK, I loved living in germany and I have always loved travelling in the US. As for travelling, you are standing with a map; UK - if someone walks past they will ask if you need help, Germany - they will help if you ask, the US - they will travel 60 yards on their segways because they saw you standing next to your car looking at a map (true story.. Seriously, we thought they were far enough away that we could just check, but no 😁).

[@markphillips2544]

Aussie/Pom here, we too have universal health care. It sounds like in the US people wait until symptoms are serious before seeking any healthcare, seems preventative healthcare isn't a thing in the US, which can both lower costs and improve outcomes.

[@lottie2525]

Preventative healthcare is a point that always seems to get missed when talking about the US healthcare system. Avoiding going to the doctor because of the costs is bonkers and potentially results in symptoms getting more serious or even fatal.

[@jackspringheel9963]

Good point. There's a charity in the US (Remote Area Medical) that gets various medical people together to do pop-up clinics, and it seems that most of their work is for people who need follow-up treatments; they get immediately life-saving treatment for free, but then can't afford the additional treatment to bring them back to full/near-full health.

[@robinholland1136]

An excellent point, regarding preventative health. I'm 73 and have just had a reminder that I am eligible for a health 'MOT'. I had my flu and covid vaccinations on Saturday. I have received tests for colon cancer through the post and various letters regarding diet and other health matters. I've been lucky (so far!) and haven't had any major problems and have only used the NHS two or three times in my lifetime. That might well change in the next couple of decades, so I'm happy the NHS is there. As I tell my grandchildren, I'm planning on making the century 😁

[@hegedusuk]

I live here in the uk. When I went to America on holiday with my wife a couple of years ago, she got a bad case of pneumonia. She’s American so understands the system well. She ended up in hospital for two days. The only thing the hospital staff asked me was “what’s your travel insurance policy number”. They knew we lived in the uk because I told them. I asked if they wanted to know the name of the insurance company- they said no. We got no bills, no invoices, nothing. I informed the insurance company of course. About six months later the insurance company phoned and said they hadn’t heard from the hospital and can we give them the details so they can find out how much the claim is. Not a peep. It’s been two years now. Very odd. It was a small rural hospital. Maybe the just couldn’t be bothered!

[@kimspicer9038]

SO interesting! Here are a couple of thoughts. I LOVE Switzerland and was engaged to a Swiss chap years ago (we are still friends). Back in the early 1990s Rolf and I were walking around Bern on a hot summer day. The public transport in Switzerland is incredible and few people drive/have cars, so there were few parked cars and the suburb looked - deserted. We wanted to cross the road so Rolf, being a good Swiss citizen, went to the traffic lights (!) to push the button, while I just started to walk over the road. We were both shocked at what each other was doing! Apparently you can be fined in Switzerland for jay-walking too. The second thing is about religion and politics. It seems to me that US politicians target groups of 'Christians' in order to boost their voters, so they'll talk about praying or reading their Bibles. My dear (very aged mother) thinks that US politicians are really, truly 'Christians' when they say this. She doesn't understand that it's a political move. So ... while in the UK we don't have politicians who pretend to be something they're not in terms of religion, it seems that in the US it's a requirement that politicians use 'Christian' terminology in order to prove themselves ... authentic????

[@mandolinic]

Not to mention that as a US citizen, you can be taxed by the US government for any income you've earned in the UK - even if you've paid UK income tax on it. Several years ago, KZbinr Evan Edinger posted about running into this problem. I believe he had to give up his US citizenship, as did former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

[@lottie2525]

I couldn't believe this when I first found out about it and asked an American colleague at my work who confirmed this was the case. Even children of those who have moved to another country who have never set foot in the US will get chased for taxes. So stupid. Seems you're never free of the US, the "land of the free."

[@peterharridge8565]

No Evan hasn't done this. I assume he doesn't pay anything but needs to fill in US tax form, something he is not impressed about. Boris had to pay CGT on a London home he sold. In UK no CGT on your residential home which this was. So got the bill from US and promptly scrapped his US Citizenship. For me its the reason we had a non dom situation in UK, no one ever is going to pay double taxes. Now it is scrapped partly or wholly soon that's likely the reason rich people leaving. But perhaps there is an agreement not to tax double for UK residents. But CGT there is definitely CGT for Americans on UK residential homes. So if you are not going back to US, definitely end your US citizenship.

[@michellemaine2719]

Your first $126,500 earned in a foreign country is not double taxed, ie. you only pay UK taxes living here. You still have to file US taxes, which incurs a cost. It does disincentivize people from earning over that figure (although I am personally not in any danger of that anytime soon). Investing outside of the US is nearly impossible for a US citizen living elsewhere. Foreign banks want nothing to do with us, and the tax burden on gains is prohibitive. I don't think Evan renounced yet, but maybe he'll consider it in the future. Even that is expensive and involves jumping through a bunch of hoops. This topic always infuriates me (much like Evan).

[@peterharridge8565]

@@michellemaine2719 Thanks for this info. I have been asked several times by Santander 'if I am a US citizen'. Not sure why, but I am not. My brother is, maybe it's that.

[@mandolinic]

@@michellemaine2719 Thanks for that clarification. Is that $126000 (£96000) per annum? If so, I don't suppose many of us will get close.

[@keithdurran858]

There is no "Drinking Age" in the UK, there is buying alcohol age and consuming on premises age, but you can sit in your garden at 15 and legally drink. In the USA it's illegal to drink, under the age of 21.

[@_starfiend]

Technically there is. 5! At home you can drink at any age from 5 onwards, with the permission of your parents. The law also allows pubs and restaurants to serve 16yo alcohol with a meal as long as the parents are paying. The pub/restaurant doesn't have to allow it, but the law lets them if they want to.

[@keithdurran858]

​@@_starfiendnot technically correct, to be legally pedantic, it is illegal to "give" anyone under 5 alcohol. But the consumption by the 5 year old isn't in itself a crime, to be technical.

[@_starfiend]

@@keithdurran858 Is that not sort of what I am saying? "You cannot give an under five" = "you can drink at any age from 5" ???

[@ditch3827]

@@keithdurran858 Which law is that? Alcoholic Gripe Water was given to babies with colic up until 1992.

[@keithdurran858]

@@_starfiend it might be what you are saying, but that's not the point in my original comment, there is no "illegal age" in the UK for one to consume alcohol, but in the USA a person under 21 is actually committing an offence to drink alcohol, they can be arrested and charged.

[@bbubbinklm4320]

I’m currently in the US on holiday for the first time. I’ve discovered that most people can’t control their own heating system. The heating gets turned on automatically by the people that own the building and you have to pay the bill even if u didn’t want the heating on. And then when it’s cold you can’t decide whether you want the heating on!! Madness (this is for apartments of course - I visited Boston and NYC , and Toronto was also the same)

[@kate4781]

I don't know if it is most people, but it definitely happens, and it may be more prevalent in some places than others. I do want to point out that a lot of the places that get what I think the UK would think of as very cold have rules that heat must be on in an apartment/flat because, if you don't, your frozen pipes will cause a lot of damage not just to your own home but to everyone else's as well. My experience with this was in Chicago where 1/2 of my flats/apartments had heat controlled by the building owner and the other one had a contractual obligation to have the my home at least a certain temperature in winter.

[@adrianmcgrath1984]

I was married to a Canadian elementary school teacher in Canada, we had a friend who was an elementary school teacher in Montana. Visiting each others schools there was a stark contrast in the playgrounds and gyms of the schools. The American schools had basically removed any equipment that could possibly allow a child to incur an injury. Schools- and other institutions, businesses, home owners etc. in the states have to be so cautious about leaving themselves open to liability. With health care provided, Canadians do not live under the same fear of litigation, In fact in Canada a standard question auto insurance brokers must ask if you want to pay for extra liability coverage. The standard rate is one million dollars. They will ask if you want to make it two million, and if you ask why you would do that, they tell you it’s in case you have an accident with an American.

[@IanHarrison-t6g]

What you have not mentioned is the Pensioners' Bus Pass. Any person over 68 can apply for a Bus Pass, which means after 09:30 you have free buss travel.

[@alanmon2690]

Free for the next few days?

[@Kyrelel]

Ah yes, the Twirlies

[@peterharridge8565]

Where? UK? it is 66 currently. Not 68. But yes great point.

[@grahamdhv3812]

​@alanmon2690 taking in too much of right wing media is.

[@alexbruce9499]

I mean, it's pretty understandable that she might not be aware of that.

[@stephendance7648]

Thanks, that was really interesting and wonderfully explained!

[@EvilNiallo]

Great video. In my job in Scotland I get 36 days holiday, plus 12 days minimum paid special leave (bereavement, hospital appointments etc), 6 month sick pay. On a side note, I was off work for 16 months getting cancer treatment (free) and my work paid me in FULL for the entire time and carried over all my missed annual leave to the following year. All our education, Uni or college is also free.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

It's called investing in the future of both the nation and its people. Something Canada does to a limited extent, but not near enough, though we do do better then our southern cousins.

[@JohnPretty1]

Yeah, we in England are paying for it.

[@EvilNiallo]

@@JohnPretty1 I feel you guys deserve similar in regards to education. Also, a lot of the USA vs UK videos seem very specific to southern England at times with things.

[@johnmellor932]

My friend from California discribed it like this, you get sick, you get medical help, then end up in debt for life. Then you get sick again, you're so terrified of the mounting medical bills you don't seek help, then you die.

[@franciscook5819]

Congratulations on another thoughtful video. Keep up the good work. P.S. I've tried explaining to (some) Americans that, absent the profit motive, and all the extra accountants, clerks, lawyers etc which that entails, with the great bargaining power it has etc etc the NHS offers a higher ranked health system than the USA at between one half and one third of the cost of the US system (per capita). It appears that too many Americans have an McCarthy like disease "Red Scare" where they feel the whole world will collapse if the state runs healthcare (for everyone, more effectively, cheaper, better, allowing private care if that is what you want and can afford). I genuinely don't understand. Why pay twice what you could? Why let Big Pharma rip you off with huge bills for medications etc etc?

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

In The Nhs, I got six weeks holiday plus bank holidays. The minimum time off is four weeks, originally mandated by our being in Europe.

[@RichardFraser-y9t]

This is timely, I had a suspected stroke on Sunday evening ( it wasn't ) and I spent 18 hours in hospital having a whole bunch of tests, the cost? Nothing.

[@mannym7849]

❤ you Kalyn, so proud of you! Glad to hear how free you feel living in the UK 🇬🇧 compared to the USA 🇺🇸. 🇬🇧🇺🇸

[@Fiddling_while_Rome_burns]

Drinking age is not 18 in the UK. It is 5 years old on non licenced premises and a graduated 16, 17 and 18 on licenced premises.

[@_starfiend]

Where does the 16/17 come from? I know the law allows pubs and restaurants to serve a 16yo with alcohol with a meal, as long as an adult is pres3ent and paying, but I'm not sure where the 17 you mentioned comes from.

[@Fiddling_while_Rome_burns]

@_starfiend I might be wrong as I posted from memory, but I thought there was a difference in quuantity between the amount a 16 and 17 year old can be served.

[@_starfiend]

@@Fiddling_while_Rome_burns You may be right on that one, but I've not heard that.

[@BadBoyV1]

@@_starfiend Younger than that in pubs that sell food

[@_starfiend]

@@BadBoyV1 I believe it used to be 14, but it is now 16. Google alcohol-young-people-law

[@jamesroyce1845]

As a 67-year-old Brit, I have to think hard about whether the streets are safe after dark. They used to be and while it seems safe enough where I live on the Kent coast, I would not feel safe going to London, or many areas of south London. I was born in Greenwich, and lived in and around south London for most of my life and it's changed. I would not feel safe and would be wary of so many places that I once enjoyed very much. Obviously, this doesn't compare with gun culture but like all these things, it's not the responsible gun owners that are the problem. England is far less safe than it used to be and the closer you get to central London, the worse it becomes.

[@jaidee9570]

Do you think the same isn't also true in the US? If you're comparing 20, 30, 40 years ago with today, today will always feel worse, it's irrelevant where you live. I can't recall the exact statistic but I think the police in the US kill as many innocent civilians in one month as are killed by the UK police in 20 years. So yes maybe the UK isn't as safe as it was, but calling the police in the UK is still considered a good idea, in the US it might well be more detrimental to your health than simply getting robbed.

[@Debbie76]

I actually visited London last week for 2 days. I'm a 48yr old woman and I was travelling alone. I stayed in Stratford as it was near the o2 on the Jubilee line and can say I felt totally safe wondering around, even going back to my hotel late at night. The only thing I worried about was getting lost as I'm useless at finding my way around ...

[@mrharry448]

@@jamesroyce1845 58 year old Londoner. Didn't drive for decades so have spent most of my life walking around Catford, Lewisham and Deptford at all times of the night. Never once felt unsafe except when the pubs chuck out I suppose

[@pamtaylor989]

Not been to London for a while, but walked it and many other locations all my life. I do feel less safe now, but not because the locations are more dangerous. It 's because you are older and more aware of the dangers and your own frailty. Believe me, wandering around, e.g. Whitechapel in the 1880's was terrifying, but those who had to, did.

[@guguncube2308]

I'm 60 and walk late st night in London I even get my night bus to sm8thfuekds meat market at 3am and have never felt unsafe

[@kimmcbirnie5747]

I do think a lot of Brits should watch this as I think in general we tend to take our health services for granted.

[@paulc6497]

I lived and worked in NYC for 5 years, and thankfully my company had an incredible healthcare plan. Yes, seeing a GP equivalent cost me a $10 copay, and the one time I had to go to an ER was a $50 (which I had to pay *IN ADVANCE*) copay, but other than those I didn't really have a deductible. Things seem to have gotten much worse.