No

by Christopher Barratt

Created on: December 29, 2009   Last Updated: December 30, 2009

I find it absolutely absurd that some folk heartily believe the good ole’ U.S. of A. is the best place on the planet to live. These are the views of people who have obviously never really ventured far from their native shores and experienced everything the rest of the world has to offer besides movies star bus tours, two gallon coffee cups and ridiculously over sized people. As in the fact that the majority of Americans will not visit a country or holiday destination where English isn’t a predominant language. I am sorry but although I have visited the U.S. on occasion, apart from there being more ways to occupy yourself per square mile, I cannot see any reason for wanting to actually root up and stay there for a longer period of time than is taken up by the standard holiday.

Please do not get me wrong, I am not saying America is the worst country to live in, far from it. For example I wouldn’t choose to live in a country like Burma if I were offered lodgings in San Francisco. However, and there is no nice way to put this, it is the sheer arrogance of the American people as a whole by proclaiming with monotonous regularity that they are the ultimate power in the universe. This is what puts most people off, and also results in americans as a whole, regardless of colour, ethnic background or religious creed becoming universally hated as a people. It's OK blowing your own trumpet now and again, or when your country does something totally great but for heaven's sake, you do not have to sound the cavalry charge all day long.

America is an amazing place, there is no doubt, but come on people, get over yourselves please. There does happen to be more countries around the world that can offer a hell of a better package than what you would receive in America. This ‘land of opportunity’ line that is rolled out all the time is now wearing a little thin too. From when the country was first settled to thirty or forty years ago maybe, but not now. The trouble with America is that the general populous do not really know the rest of the world exists and apart from the landmass which they occupy, all who dwell outside of this sacred isle are evil and a communist. Jeez folks, what century are you living in? Communism as a world force is dead and buried and has been for years, and is only kept alive by some little ferrel despot nations and american people who keep talking about it. It is still here in a slightly diluted form, which we call socialism, but it isn’t a threat any more, you can come from within your back yard bunkers now.

I would love to say America is the best place to live as I actually like the place, I love the entertainment value, the ethos and the general aspirations of it all with there being many temptations to make the jump, however I can’t. Some may say it has the best scenery, well so does New Zealand or Austria, some would say they have the most breathtaking landscapes, these folks need to go to the scottish highlands and be proved totally wrong, some would say it has the best weather, well so does Australia or the south of France, some would say they have the best food, these people are obviously burger addicts who have never tasted an authentic Chinese meal on the streets of Hong Kong. Some would say they have the best nightclubs, bars and nightlife; well these people have never spent two weeks on a Mediterranean holiday island or experienced New Years Eve in a local English pub. Some would say they have the best cars; these people are obviously insane and need to be locked away for their own safety. Some would say they have devised the best inventions, these people obviously do not know that every invention that was ever any good was either invented in Great Britain or Italy and they have stolen it. Then we hear much shouting about how the America conquered space, until you let them in on the fact that all of the American space technology was of German origin and they were actually second into space. Some would say they have the best fighting force in the world, well as everybody knows and with the agreement of many defeated countries around the world, if numbers and equipment were equal, the British fighting forces would simply wipe the floor with America in every theatre of war, then go and kick Russia's butt too. The little mentioned fact that the only war America has ever won without the assistance of others has been the war it fought against itself, this is always swept under the rug. A Brit even wrote the star spangled banner, why?

Americans now live their lives totally risk free and under threat of lawsuit. Living in a cocooned world of lawyers and multi million dollar payouts for such major offences as some dilatory secretary falling off an office chair. Or car companies applying warning stickers near to car exhaust systems warning that they may get hot, to prevent the average motorist from suing them if they get singed. This type of stupid and idiotic health and safety and politically correct mentality which America can actually say in all confidence, they did invent, is infecting other countries which again, makes people with an ounce of common sense, dislike America. The list goes on and on. America is a melting pot where all of the world’s best and worst elements have been merged in one place. This I am afraid does not make for the best place to live, it makes it an extremely interesting and diverse place for sure but to live? No.

We who do not live there do actually realise that America isn’t what we see in the movies. We know you can’t jump a car 300 feet without it smashing into the ground like a dart, we know that every high school isn't what we see in movies such as High School Musical, where all are rosy cheeked and perfect where continuously bursting into song is the norm and we also know the land where children are seen at play in the leafy streets of suburbia on beautiful sunlit evenings is something that is not as common as is portrayed. We know that you need to be a little more successful than the average car worker to obtain such a residence and this fools the average immigrant into believing such an existence is attainable. The realism they will end up in a slum on the wrong side of the tracks in a rough city are truths that are conveniently left out of the immigration brochures for those who can actually read them, I know because I have researched when contemplating emigration. This is where the one truly good thing about America, that is Hollywood, its media and its entertainment infrastructure, helps to complete the American image.

If this seems like an America bashing article then I humbly apologise, I truly like America and totally respect its major achievements; however it needs to pull its neck in a tad if it is to start attracting more useful immigrants other than people who are uneducated or undesirable. If you happen to have been born in America then you are lucky, you do not know any different, I for one would love to leave this once great nation of Great Britain, however I would fly right over the U.S.A.

This now pitiful place we call Britain was once the greatest empire on the planet and now we are seen as America’s lap dog, how can the mother country of a place like America become its lap dog? That is another reason I would not choose to live in America. It is OK having the biggest and best of this and that and having a choice of three hundred and eleventy twelve types of ice-cream, but if you have the biggest murder rate in the civilised world then its kind of defeating the object. America needs to concentrate on what is truly bad about the country and put it right, and not on what is good about it, we all know what is good about it; we are reminded all the time.

Far more importantly the general populous, the important people, not the publicity grabbing politicians need to admit that they are not perfect, they are not the greatest power anymore, they are not the worlds police force, they need to stop treading on anyone who happens to not agree with the American way, or dream for that matter. Also more American nationals need to explore the world beyond the eastern seaboard and stop crying about the fact that they have bigger skyscrapers in the Middle East these days. There are far better places to live in the world, far better, but this is down to individual tastes and aspirations and this is the root of the debate. There cannot be one single country in the world that can offer the truly idyllic existence; one person’s rubbish is another person’s gold as they say.

As we sit here debating many would disagree with everything I have mentioned above and be on the first plane to DC in the morning to salute the Whitehouse and I totally respect different views, but the majority of people would agree and that is where America is falling down flat. For with all it’s boasting, twenty four hour everything, Disneyland and the ability to get up close and personal with King Kong, out of the vast minority of useful people it attracts it has to deal with a swathe of totally useless items that cant even speak the lingo. That is what ruins it. This is why countries like Australia receive the cream of immigrants. A typical interview at an Australian immigration control center would go something like this, Question Number 1. “Do you speak English?” If the answer is No, Nay, Niet or anything that isn’t yes then the Immigration officer simply replies, “Goodbye, have a nice journey home”. It’s as simple as that.

We’ve all heard the saying that he who shouts loudest usually has nothing in his trousers, well that could have been invented for America. When America has the rich and long historical heritage it needs to be counted as a truly great country without using the heritage of other countries as a cover for its lack of one, then it will have something even better to be proud of while not flushing its heritage down the toilet like what has happened here in Britain. Then maybe one day they will truly become the great place that most in America believe it to be. America can do absolutely great and monumental things; we all know this to be true, so stop letting yourself down with the constant bragging and chest puffing, then maybe you can be counted ‘with’ the best countries in the world to live because contrary to the great Highlander film line, “There cannot be only one”.

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