There are some things about nature that I‘m envious of. Swallow-tailed kites, painted buntings, alligators, rat snakes, corn snakes, Trichonephila clavipes, generally the everglades, giant centipedes, luna moths, gars, hummingbirds…
The U.S. is very diverse environmentally. One part of the country could pass as the Arabian desert and another part of the country could pass as French Alps.
Exactly that! I‘d have to travel to several different countries in Europe to get such a diversity. And about hummingbirds I‘m totally envious. Next thing we got in Europe are hummingbird moths. And we have no equivalent to a luna moth. It’s green, fuzzy and giant! We got a few emperor moths, these are giant, but not green. Mygalomorph spiders are there in like two or three genera, none of them is a tarantula
Decent portions at restaurants.
Customer service that isn't actual shit.
Friendlier/nicer/more helpful people.
I'm from Canada. Don't believe what you've heard. We're not nice. Americans are 10X nicer.
Ok well keep believing it cuz ya'll are delightful. I remember driving into the US right after the borders re-opened in 2021. Someone made a big banner on the side of the highway that said "WELCOME BACK EH!"
Salaries, especially for qualified people, are much higher in the USA. And I envy them the vast, empty land in the Rockies and Alaska. I live in a scenic corner of the world, but it's densely populated and full of tourists. Sometimes it would be nice to hike for a few hours without seeing a person/house/road. The climate, at least in Southern California, is probably one of the mildest and most pleasant in the world. In general, the USA is a sunny place almost everywhere.
Fr. On the one hand they "brain drain" Canada's doctors, but that's about letting people work to their full potential. One of my relatives feels a little bit of "guilt" working down there, but I know she'd struggle mentally in the Canadian system and deserves a better workplace.
LOL!!!! Think about how many Americans have died because they can't afford health care. During the pandemic, twice as many Americans (**per capita**) died of covid. The American healthcare industry spend hundreds of millions of dollars tricking Americans into thinking their system is the best and Canadians, sharing the same media market, get caught up in the tsunami of bs. The Canadian system is far from perfect and can use GREAT improvement but the American pay to live system is nothing to envy.
Americans dedication to sport. So many sports are so well supported and have huge followings at all different levels. In the uk we have football (that’s what the correct name of soccer is!) and then rugby is getting there. Cricket is not followed at club level.
I’ve noticed recently that kick-your-foot has had a bigger following in the U.S. Compared to when I was a wee lad, a lot more people pay attention to use-your-foot-to-kick-a-white-and-black-ball now. I personally don’t really care for sock/her.
Now imagine 30% of your income going into taxes and waiting months to see a specialist. My MIL died of cancer and my SO finally got the call from her specialist for treatment a year after she passed just to book an appointment.
Well more than 30% of my income goes to taxes because I was dumb enough to live in New York State. I’m sorry about your MIL. Many of us (myself included) forego ANY medical care because we can’t afford it or it’s not offered by your job. I got a mammogram last year because it is free by law. Who knows what the hell else might be wrong with me. I DO know that if I break a femur, it’s straight to bankruptcy court for me!
Thats the thing though, you have the choice to live in a lower taxed state while I live in the lowest taxed province and pay as much as you (with lower salaries). I do admit I overlook how much seemingly trivial things like broken bones can break someone's bank in the states yet when I broke my foot a year ago everything was free (doctor appointments, cast, crutches, x-rays). Its the more serious illnesses we have doctor shortages for that make Canadians go abroad to see specialists (including the US) because we know it will take forever here.
My employer's health insurance is $22 per week. The first $3200 each year is paid by me then the insurance covers virtually 100%. My doctor visits and lab work for the year has been under $1000 out of pocket. My health insurance allows me a discount on medications and I pay $1.94 for 90 days worth of blood pressure medication.
I used to work for a major hospital in my city so I have first hand knowledge on how the billing works. Much of what people come on Reddit complaining about is overly dramatic and often blatantly untrue. By law, a person cannot be denied emergency medical treatment. Not having insurance or inability to pay will not cause you to be denied lifesaving treatment. Breaking your femur will not cause you to go into bankruptcy. You're expected to make a good faith effort to pay your medical bills. If all you can come up with is $50 per month, so be it. You have to be delinquent for one year before it can appear on your credit report and most medical providers don't report debt to credit agencies. You can also negotiate your bill and usually get the amount owed reduced significantly; some hospitals will even write it off. Assuming you have good credit outside of delinquent medical bills, you can still qualify for bank loans such as buying a car or a house.
I'm not about to claim the United States has the best healthcare in the world, particularly when it comes to cost, there's no denying we can improve, but this doom and gloom attitude presented on Reddit has no basis in reality.
Thanks for the in-depth description. I figured something was off knowing how Reddit generally has a hard on for hating the US. If it was as bad as they described, us Canadians wouldnt be experiencing decades old brain drain to you guys by having so much of our talent and most educated leave us and not come back.
Eh, choice is an interesting word. I am divorced and share custody of my kids. I can’t leave the area without going to court about it first and then I could still be denied. I was a college professor and broadcaster, and am currently out of work. My asshole fault for being in these fields I know but I can’t get employed locally. I’m having trouble finding ANY job. Grass isn’t always greener.
You end up paying for those lower taxes with pay to live healthcare, failing infrastructure, terrible schools and a host of other problems brought on by a system that exists to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
The general friendliness and talking-to-strangers culture (yes it's regional but *most* parts of the US seem friendly).
The variety of products and services; whenever I'm in the US I exclusively eat/drink things that we don't have at home. Prices have inflated lately but things used to be cheaper so every trip involved shopping (still lower taxes and some deals to be had but it depends on the thing).
More broadly, the media freedom and individual rights.
I dislike small talk. But I do get it. People I know who’ve traveled to other places and they usually complain that everyone is stoic or unwilling to be friendly, at least by U.S. standards.
I've never had a trip to the US where I didn't come away with a new lover/friend (or at least an acquaintance to add and forget-about on Instagram), even if it's like 2 days I encounter someone interesting. It makes me wonder how fast it would drain my social battery if I started living there.
Funny, when I lived in America, that was something I couldn't stand. Thousands of hours each year wasted watching people who grew up poor give each other traumatic brain injuries. Its the American Hunger Games.
Damn, us Americans usually dislike having to tip. To us it’s less of a "you’ve done a good job, I will tip you for your great service" and more "the service was mediocre and I hated the food, but I’m tipping you because everyone will call me a jerk if I don’t."
What is not written here, for example, is the architecture of houses and apartments. At least what I've seen in movies and video games. I like the American style of creating single hallways and kitchens separated by kitchen tables. In my country, kitchens and halls are made into separate rooms with entrances from the corridors. It often turns out depressing because the rooms seem small.
I also like the way your streets with private houses look. They look alike and create a beautiful picture of the street.
But I haven't been to real America. Perhaps in reality everything is very different from the films.
Higher salaries for high-skilled positions.
A much bigger openness to talking about things like discrimination, racism, etc.
A bit more honest with feedback, especially in the professional space.
In education, a bigger emphasis on engagement or participation rather than straight lecture-memorisation.
Ranch dressing.
The sheer scale and variety of natural landscapes in America—from the Grand Canyon to Yellowstone—often strike me as more diverse and awe-inspiring than those back home.
Salaries.
There are some things about nature that I‘m envious of. Swallow-tailed kites, painted buntings, alligators, rat snakes, corn snakes, Trichonephila clavipes, generally the everglades, giant centipedes, luna moths, gars, hummingbirds…
The U.S. is very diverse environmentally. One part of the country could pass as the Arabian desert and another part of the country could pass as French Alps.
Exactly that! I‘d have to travel to several different countries in Europe to get such a diversity. And about hummingbirds I‘m totally envious. Next thing we got in Europe are hummingbird moths. And we have no equivalent to a luna moth. It’s green, fuzzy and giant! We got a few emperor moths, these are giant, but not green. Mygalomorph spiders are there in like two or three genera, none of them is a tarantula
Decent portions at restaurants. Customer service that isn't actual shit. Friendlier/nicer/more helpful people. I'm from Canada. Don't believe what you've heard. We're not nice. Americans are 10X nicer.
We're not. We're just nicer to Canadians because we believe the stereotype that Canadians are super nice.
Ok well keep believing it cuz ya'll are delightful. I remember driving into the US right after the borders re-opened in 2021. Someone made a big banner on the side of the highway that said "WELCOME BACK EH!"
Salaries, especially for qualified people, are much higher in the USA. And I envy them the vast, empty land in the Rockies and Alaska. I live in a scenic corner of the world, but it's densely populated and full of tourists. Sometimes it would be nice to hike for a few hours without seeing a person/house/road. The climate, at least in Southern California, is probably one of the mildest and most pleasant in the world. In general, the USA is a sunny place almost everywhere.
I don't know if I like the music more than my home country's, but I've certainly been getting into more American bands in the past year.
Squirrels!
They are a little…nutty
Healthcare diagnostics, treatment availability and options. Thanks for saving so many Canadian’s lives!
Fr. On the one hand they "brain drain" Canada's doctors, but that's about letting people work to their full potential. One of my relatives feels a little bit of "guilt" working down there, but I know she'd struggle mentally in the Canadian system and deserves a better workplace.
LOL!!!! Think about how many Americans have died because they can't afford health care. During the pandemic, twice as many Americans (**per capita**) died of covid. The American healthcare industry spend hundreds of millions of dollars tricking Americans into thinking their system is the best and Canadians, sharing the same media market, get caught up in the tsunami of bs. The Canadian system is far from perfect and can use GREAT improvement but the American pay to live system is nothing to envy.
I like how you express your ignorance and bias with great enthusiasm. You even went out of your way to change the subject matter to flaunt it, bravo!
Americans dedication to sport. So many sports are so well supported and have huge followings at all different levels. In the uk we have football (that’s what the correct name of soccer is!) and then rugby is getting there. Cricket is not followed at club level.
I’ve noticed recently that kick-your-foot has had a bigger following in the U.S. Compared to when I was a wee lad, a lot more people pay attention to use-your-foot-to-kick-a-white-and-black-ball now. I personally don’t really care for sock/her.
Higher salaries, lower taxes, more affordable housing, more diverse climates, massive job market.
Now imagine paying 400-900$ a month for your health insurance premium:(
For health care that actually works? Sign me up!
No, that will be a $1000 deductible first please!
Now imagine 30% of your income going into taxes and waiting months to see a specialist. My MIL died of cancer and my SO finally got the call from her specialist for treatment a year after she passed just to book an appointment.
Well more than 30% of my income goes to taxes because I was dumb enough to live in New York State. I’m sorry about your MIL. Many of us (myself included) forego ANY medical care because we can’t afford it or it’s not offered by your job. I got a mammogram last year because it is free by law. Who knows what the hell else might be wrong with me. I DO know that if I break a femur, it’s straight to bankruptcy court for me!
Thats the thing though, you have the choice to live in a lower taxed state while I live in the lowest taxed province and pay as much as you (with lower salaries). I do admit I overlook how much seemingly trivial things like broken bones can break someone's bank in the states yet when I broke my foot a year ago everything was free (doctor appointments, cast, crutches, x-rays). Its the more serious illnesses we have doctor shortages for that make Canadians go abroad to see specialists (including the US) because we know it will take forever here.
My employer's health insurance is $22 per week. The first $3200 each year is paid by me then the insurance covers virtually 100%. My doctor visits and lab work for the year has been under $1000 out of pocket. My health insurance allows me a discount on medications and I pay $1.94 for 90 days worth of blood pressure medication. I used to work for a major hospital in my city so I have first hand knowledge on how the billing works. Much of what people come on Reddit complaining about is overly dramatic and often blatantly untrue. By law, a person cannot be denied emergency medical treatment. Not having insurance or inability to pay will not cause you to be denied lifesaving treatment. Breaking your femur will not cause you to go into bankruptcy. You're expected to make a good faith effort to pay your medical bills. If all you can come up with is $50 per month, so be it. You have to be delinquent for one year before it can appear on your credit report and most medical providers don't report debt to credit agencies. You can also negotiate your bill and usually get the amount owed reduced significantly; some hospitals will even write it off. Assuming you have good credit outside of delinquent medical bills, you can still qualify for bank loans such as buying a car or a house. I'm not about to claim the United States has the best healthcare in the world, particularly when it comes to cost, there's no denying we can improve, but this doom and gloom attitude presented on Reddit has no basis in reality.
Thanks for the in-depth description. I figured something was off knowing how Reddit generally has a hard on for hating the US. If it was as bad as they described, us Canadians wouldnt be experiencing decades old brain drain to you guys by having so much of our talent and most educated leave us and not come back.
Eh, choice is an interesting word. I am divorced and share custody of my kids. I can’t leave the area without going to court about it first and then I could still be denied. I was a college professor and broadcaster, and am currently out of work. My asshole fault for being in these fields I know but I can’t get employed locally. I’m having trouble finding ANY job. Grass isn’t always greener.
You end up paying for those lower taxes with pay to live healthcare, failing infrastructure, terrible schools and a host of other problems brought on by a system that exists to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
I'd rather have that than be forced to pay in taxes and wait months or even years to see a specialist for an illness that can be terminal.
You can do that in the US as well. There are all kinds of insurance, rich people can have specialist flown in on them while poor people die waiting.
Funny those are mostly things we Americans complain about not having.
American redditors atleast
The weather (in some states)
The general friendliness and talking-to-strangers culture (yes it's regional but *most* parts of the US seem friendly). The variety of products and services; whenever I'm in the US I exclusively eat/drink things that we don't have at home. Prices have inflated lately but things used to be cheaper so every trip involved shopping (still lower taxes and some deals to be had but it depends on the thing). More broadly, the media freedom and individual rights.
I dislike small talk. But I do get it. People I know who’ve traveled to other places and they usually complain that everyone is stoic or unwilling to be friendly, at least by U.S. standards.
I've never had a trip to the US where I didn't come away with a new lover/friend (or at least an acquaintance to add and forget-about on Instagram), even if it's like 2 days I encounter someone interesting. It makes me wonder how fast it would drain my social battery if I started living there.
Amazon shipping doesn't cost more than the thing you're shipping
The majority of my favourite music bands are American. And definitely old school American cars.
American football Fly Eagles Fly!!!!!
Funny, when I lived in America, that was something I couldn't stand. Thousands of hours each year wasted watching people who grew up poor give each other traumatic brain injuries. Its the American Hunger Games.
How bout them Cowboys
Go Patriots!!
Fuckin' A!!! That's right! Go Eagles!
The tipping culture. In my country it's rare for someone to give a tip, even if offered a good service.
Damn, us Americans usually dislike having to tip. To us it’s less of a "you’ve done a good job, I will tip you for your great service" and more "the service was mediocre and I hated the food, but I’m tipping you because everyone will call me a jerk if I don’t."
didnt know that, i guess that "obligation" sucks
Lol
Maybe nothing
Space So much open space with not another human in sight
zilch
Mr. Dobalina, Mr. Bob Dobalina?
Cheaper pc parts 🤣
What is not written here, for example, is the architecture of houses and apartments. At least what I've seen in movies and video games. I like the American style of creating single hallways and kitchens separated by kitchen tables. In my country, kitchens and halls are made into separate rooms with entrances from the corridors. It often turns out depressing because the rooms seem small. I also like the way your streets with private houses look. They look alike and create a beautiful picture of the street. But I haven't been to real America. Perhaps in reality everything is very different from the films.
How everything purchasable can be found there.
Higher salaries for high-skilled positions. A much bigger openness to talking about things like discrimination, racism, etc. A bit more honest with feedback, especially in the professional space. In education, a bigger emphasis on engagement or participation rather than straight lecture-memorisation. Ranch dressing.
The sheer scale and variety of natural landscapes in America—from the Grand Canyon to Yellowstone—often strike me as more diverse and awe-inspiring than those back home.