So it's been over two weeks since I've been in the US, the longest stretch ever for me (and much more to come). I'm currently in the Florida Keys and later going back to Miami and then flying to the west coast.
Perhaps I should leave this for a separate thread in the future once my trip here concludes but just wanted to share this now...
I still think that it's very cool to be in the US. So many things about this country are unique, many in a very annoying way though (lol). I appreciate being here and it's a super cool experience. Most of our interactions are very positive and most people are very friendly and welcoming (but there are some exceptions when people are some of the rudest I've ever met in the world).
But after leaving the bubble of fancy, status and wellness oriented Miami I'm now seeing more of the "real" United States, even though I acknowledge that the Florida Keys are still a bubble (although a different one).
This obviously applies only to what I've seen so far in Florida - it could and probably is different elsewhere in the US.
Still, I wanted to share a few observations:
1. I haven't been to a country that's more obese and sicker than the United States
Perhaps
the only exception is the Cook Islands but that is a tiny island dependent on food imports and with a very distinct culture that unfortunately promotes binging and obesity.
It's still such a crazy thing to witness here in the US. The supposedly wealthiest and most prosperous country in the world isn't rich in what matters the most: health.
Upon leaving Miami, I now see the "real" United States. In Key West, almost everyone was not only fat but also (sorry for putting it bluntly) ugly. It's just so clear that people don't take care of themselves at all. Most look like fat, ugly, unkempt slobs (again, sorry for putting it so bluntly but it's so visible here).
The US is also the only country in the world that I've been to that's so accommodating to people with disabilities. Of course that's a great thing but here we're not talking about people who have disabilities through no fault of their own. It feels more like enabling the people who don't take care of their health to not even care about it because they can ride their scooter wherever they want anyway.
Then there are the stores advertising 3XL clothes, horrible food I've already mentioned before, online stores that show clothes on offensively obese women (I refuse to call them models) so that a normal weight person like my girlfriend can't even judge how it would look on her, etc.
It's truly mind-blowing how this country is so powerful yet so completely powerless when it comes to health. I've been to some much less developed countries where people don't have much money or access to high-tech medicine yet they were, on average, way, way healthier - no morbidly obese people, few obese people, and also very few ugly people who don't take care of themselves.
2. Freedom? Not feeling it
The United States is called the land of the free but honestly, I've felt way more freedom in countries nobody wouldn't even think about. In Greece for example, I can pretty much do whatever I want (as long as it's legal). Nobody is going to bother me, give me a ticket, show me a list of rules, etc. I feel free to just live my life, without worrying I'm breaking some kind of rules. Even in countries with very different cultures to mine (such as Albania or Malaysia) I still felt way more welcome and free.
But here, there are SO MANY rules everywhere, so many threats, so many regulations. Wherever we go, there's always some sign threatening you.
TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED.
NO SHOES, NO SHIRTS, NO SERVICE (this annoys me to no end as as person who walks barefoot everywhere and hasn't had any problems in several dozen countries - I'm bothering people walking barefoot but not a guy in yellowed, smelly flip-flops and old greasy socks or a woman with her fat saggy tits almost out)
NO LOITERING.
ZERO TOLERANCE AREA.
ALL VEHICLES WILL BE TOWED.
FINES DOUBLED WHEN WORKERS PRESENT.
PARK CLOSES AT SUNSET.
And so on and so on. We were in a fancy Airbnb condo in Brickell in Miami and the rules were so ridiculous I have never seen such a long list of instructions, all followed by an amount of a fee we would have to pay if we violate them, including the wrong way to throw away trash, open the blinds, etc.
All these rules make me feel that it's either a super law-abiding and rule-based society (not really, this ain't no Singapore) or that it's a complete mess and people need all these signs to behave well.
The thing is, in most places I've been to, there are very few, if any, such signs. You don't need to close a local park after sunset because there's no need to - nobody is going to vandalize it. You don't need to threaten people with double fines or towing their vehicles. And you don't need to dictate how people should dress because there's actual freedom of expression (that doesn't seem to exist here to the same extent).
People often say that Europe is overregulated but I don't really see that in my everyday life. If anything, it's way more laissez-faire, particularly when you go to the Balkans or otherwise get away from Western Europe.
3. Wealthy but still poor
It's impressive how much wealth you can see here. Multi-million dollar houses (which aren't really that nice to me as they're all on super tiny lots), expensive cars, fancy shopping malls, services catering to the richest of the richest. It's definitely motivating and does make you feel the power of the local economy.
But then in the exact same neighborhood but on the other side of the street you have homeless sleeping on the sidewalk or at a bus stop. Or you drive through some neighborhood and go from the Walking Dead scenes (dozens of homeless, drugged up zombies) to a modern artsy neighborhood in 2 minutes. Or you go to a gas station and need to be careful because there's some sketchy homeless dude approaching other customers.
I guess you get used to it but I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy my wealth while being exposed to all this. I vastly prefer being in a more equal country where almost everyone enjoys at least a basic level of prosperity and there are few, if any, homeless.
It sucks everywhere to be poor but it seems to be much worse here because you have to pay for almost everything. You can't even go to the beach and park for free or enter a state park for free. It's all paid, and the prices are ridiculously high.
And it's not like you pay and then have super incredible infrastructure with sparkling clean bathrooms, drinking water fountains, etc. Sometimes you do of course, but sometimes it's just a fee for entering the park but not getting anything in return.
And we've been to countless countries where even the most popular national parks were available for free and so were the parking lots, bathrooms, drinking water, etc. Yes, you probably pay for them in taxes but taxes in the US are super high but you still aren't getting this public infrastructure for free, unlike in for example Australia or New Zealand or almost all of Europe.
I have many more things to share but these are the ones currently the most on my mind.
