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If I can change "fed up with" to "very pessimistic about," and "successful" = "content and at peace," then I would include myself.
In the 80's the Republican agenda for redistributing America's wealth upwards, its determined erosion of oversight of the banks and investment business, and its cultivation of divisiveness and hate-mongering as acceptable political tools to polarize and manipulate the public dealt a body blow to the republic. Since the Reagan presidency we have been living in a new country: U.S.A II. And as in Hollywood, the sequel is only loosely moored to its predecessor. And the Democratic party had lost its center by the late 60's, early 70's, and has since lurched and wobbled like a poorly contructed top, so that it has been unable to provide a credible political counterweight.
By the 90's I was even more strongly disaffected from the national political scene – as well as the unrelenting shrillness and whingeing that seemed to have become the endless loop theme music of American society in USA II.
At the very end of the decade my feelings turned to unabashed pessimism with the emergence of George W. Bush as a major Republican figure, my belief was that he would be his party's candidate for U.S. president and would, I thought, win handily.
I emigrated in January of 2000.
Mr. Bush did not "win handily", of course, but he did become president via the Electoral College. Thus, finally bringing the ultra-conservatives and Christian Rightists who had become acceptable political allies under the Reagan administration into a positions of power in the national government. Rove, Cheney & Co. anyone?
Since then the chickens of Reaganomics have come home to roost in USA II's economic meltdown, and it has been downhill from there. Shortly thereafter, of course, though Sarah Palin may have been unable to utter two comprehensible sentences in a row she became a VP candidate. But no matter, you could watch a more insightful video of her on YouTube in which she stands in the center of three wacko preachers as they wave their hands over her in an invocation to protect her from "witchcraft." And this creature would be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office! And subsequently the Meltdown, the "Tea Party" crowd, and now another Far Rightist mental midget considered as a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination, and a Rightist GOP confident enough to nakedly oppose tax increases for the wealthy while eagerly demanding massive budget cuts that would heavily impact all but the wealthy.
It is the scenario I imagined, and it will get worse. So, to the extent that pessimismistic foreboding about the direction and stability of the U.S. motivated me, I have to say that those feelings have become cast in concrete by events.
On the other hand, as Tiger Beer has already pointed out, if anyone is "fed up" and just jumps to any ol' where, they may encounter a worse environment for them than the one they left. In my opinion, doing homework about your possible destintion is a must.
But being "successful" in such a move has another equally important component, I feel.
Based on my experience, you must be able to do some really heavy-duty homework about yourself. I think you have to know now, before departing that is, what do you already have in life that satisfies you, and that you feel is essential to your happiness. And if these things or qualities cannot reasonable be found in your destination, you will probably never be really content unless you are fortunate enough to experience a metanoeia as a result of their absence...and I would not count on that.
How much do you need the familiarity of your American environment to feel like you are you? That, I think is very tough to be honest about for lots of folks. And it is important, because you will lose that familiarity completely, and then who are you? I guess I may be talking about what's called "culture shock." Imagine as hard as you can, not having any Americans around and virtually nothing American in the social environment. Nothing. When all the stuff one is "fed up with," or "pessimistic about" has been removed, what's left? Can you start at zero without having major depression or living in constant anger?
If you can't imagine "home" as beginning with you - the human being, and not a place - I think anyone who leaves the U.S. will be dead meat emotionally.
An alternative is to move to a nearby country, and live in an American enclave. Judging from the Brits I see here who do that, they have not really left their own country at all...only their bodies moved, and they are still obsessing about what they hate at "home," and have often only added their gripes about things here to their ol' kit bag. Are the Americans living in expat enclaves in Mexico any different, I wonder.
A very insightful and accurate post. I thank you for it. I feel the exact same way regarding post 1980 USA. I have often wondered if I could adjust to a completely new environment and culture. I do feel myself sliding in the direction of giving it a try.
United States 311,833,000
Mexico 738,100
Canada 688,000
Philippines 250,000
United Kingdom 224,000
Liberia 160,000
France 100,000
Israel 100,000
Germany 99,600
Hong Kong 60,000
Australia 56,276
Japan 52,684
Brazil 40,640
Saudi Arabia 40,000
Costa Rica 40,000
Norway 33,509
Lebanon 25,000
New Zealand 17,751
Very suprised to see Liberia, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica & Norway (that high) on the list.
I expected more Americans in China, India, Thailand & Italy. Maybe also in South Korea, Spain & Argentina.
What's the wikipedia url for those? No luck finding it. Thanks.
Finding a job seems like an impossible task. Are there jobs more suited to relocating to other countries?
Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have a list of occupations in demand. Quite a wide variety (blue collar to scientists). I imagine the UK isn't looking. Their economy is only slightly better (in terms of finding work) than the US right now. Europe seems quite closed. You really need to have some awesome skill and grasp of their local language. Many get in through marriage, but may still find difficulty finding work. English teaching in Europe is tough and mainly for traveler types from the UK. University won't guarantee employment either, though I guess your odds are better for pulling that off in the first 3 I listed.
i have tried leaving the US full time, but the only decent paying work i have found in asia is illegal boiler room style stuff which i dont want to do again. i would leave forever if i could cuz i hate living in the US (hate everything about the country except the money). will have to wait until i can make a lot of money in other places.
there are 5.08 million Americans living overseas. The highest would be in the: Western Hemisphere: 2,222,000. The next would be Europe: 1,219,000, followed by East Asia and the Pacific: 755,000, then middle east: 677,000
all this is non military personal.
source:
5.08 million Americans (excluding military) live in 160-plus countries. (http://aaro.org/about-aaro/66m-americans-abroad - broken link)
Just out of curiosity, what do some of you guys who left the US do for work? I wouldn't mind living abroad for a few years/indefinitely after finishing up my degree. I know teaching English is one way but I don't know if you can make enough money doing that to really support yourself.
I'm considering a move to Scandinavia. According to this article, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark rank as four of the happiest countries in the world. The author states that all of these countries have generous welfare benefits and lots of redistribution of wealth. Their governments take care of their citizens, who all have abundant civil liberties. There are few restrictions on the flow of capital or of labor, encouraging business success and enabling citizens to become more prosperous.
The US rocks....although Aussie and New Zealand may be better options now.
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