Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevdawgg
United States or United Kingdom in:
1. Frendliness
2. Safety
3. Cultural contribution
4. Politics
5. Economy
6. Women
7. Environment
8. Scenery
9. Weather
10. Location
11. Sports
12. Cuisine
13. Transportation
14. Infrastructure
15. Healthcare
16. Education
17. Affordability
18. Pop culture
19. History
20. Architecture
21. Colleges/Universities
*Please explain your answer. You don't have to write a term paper about it but explain with answers that makes sense. No nonsense, please.*
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Well, I'm American but I lived in the UK (London and Edinburgh) for a few years (up until May 2011), so here's some of my take on things:
1) Friendliness: There are friendly and unfriendly people in both countries. I think that Americans are more friendly on the surface and more willing to be your friend initially. They're definitely more open, warm, and talkative than the Brits I would say. The Brits, on the other hand, are generally more reserved and quiet people, but still a very nice bunch overall. Once you break past their initial shell and become real friends with them, they're some of the nicest and most loyal people around. I really have no problems with the Brits overall and some of my closest friends are British.
2) Safety: Good and bad areas in both countries (as everywhere in the world). However, although I believe the crime rate is higher overall in the US, I think you're probably more likely to be the victim of crime in the UK. Although, like I mentioned, there are good and bad areas in both countries, I think in the US it is more concentrated overall so that the vast majority of Americans don't really experience any type of crime in their everyday lives. In the UK, I think one experiences more petty crime in their everyday lives (petty theft, chavs, issues arising from drunkards, etc.) For a more specific example, I've heard of people being robbed at knifepoint in Knightsbridge, something that is basically completely unheard of in a comparably affluent area such as Beverly Hills. Overall though, for the normal person, you'll, more than likely, be fine in your everyday life in both countries.
3) Cultural Contribution: This is tough. Both countries have amazing cultures, but they're very different from each other. I don't think that one is better than the other necessarily, they're just different. I enjoy both cultures very much.
4) Politics: Both countries' politics aren't particularly pleasant, I'd say. Nor are neither of them really in a good place at the moment. But, I think that American politics definitely tend to be more vicious, on average, than their British counterparts. Just take a look at the Politics Forum here on C-D. I mean, c'mon, the current Presidential race makes previous elections for Prime Minister look like Pee-Wee's Playhouse lol. Also, I think the UK is more "liberal" overall than the USA (I think many parts of the US are just as, if not more liberal, than the UK, but there are also parts which are much more conservative, imo).
5) Economy: Neither one is doing fabulously right now, but I'll go with the US. The UK is still in recession (economy has shrunk for the past 3 quarters I believe). I mean, at least the US is growing (albeit at a less than desirable pace). Both have too much debt though. In the US you almost always make more money too and everything costs less. Americans tend to have more purchasing power and have a higher GDP per capita (PPP) and a higher average disposable income and average wage as well.
6) Women: Far too subjective. Good and bad women in both countries. However, I think one has more choice and variety of women in the US (larger, much more diverse population), so I'll give it to the US.
7) Environment: I really don't know too much about this to make an informed opinion, but from the limited knowledge that I do have, my first instinct would be to give the nod to the UK.
8) Scenery: US, hands down. Don't get me wrong, the UK has some seriously stunning scenery, but it just can't compete with the vast and differing amounts of scenery that one can find in the US. The US is just bigger and has more scenery in more climates than the UK, easily. The US national parks are just amazing too.
9) Weather: US, hands down. I just think the overall weather in UK is absolutely abysmal tbh (especially since I'm from SoCal). The UK is just crap weather year-round and I find all the rain, overcast, gray, minimum sunlight in winter,etc, etc. to be too depressing for my liking. Plus, the US has basically every type of climate on earth so you can pick basically whatever climate you want to live in. If you want a UK-esque climate, you can also get it in the US.
10) Location: UK. It's just closer to the rest of the world. I mean, Europe (and the UK) is basically right in the center of the world, geographically speaking. You can access and travel to other countries much easier.
11) Sports: Tie. I really depends on one's preferences. Neither are bad, just different.
12) Cuisine: I think the US wins here. It just has much more variety and choice (both in terms of the ethnic sense, but all in terms of number of stores, restaurants, etc. available). Now, I think London is definitely on par with any major US city in terms of its cuisine, but the rest of the UK is not yet on the same level as the rest of the US is, in my opinion. There's been major improvement in British cuisine in the past few decades, that's for sure, but I think it still needs to do some catching up (at least, outside of London). I think that the UK has some very good fresh produce though, and its cheaper than what you might pay for the equivalent at say Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.
13) Transportation: Depends, but I'll say the UK. The US is basically a car-dependent society in most of the country. Also, British public transit tends to be much better (although not as good as on continental Europe or in Asia).
14) Infrastructure: Depends (Tie). Both have good and bad bits all over their respective countries. I think the US infrastructure (in terms of roads, bridges,etc.) though, tends to get MUCH more usage than their British counterparts just due to population size and the fact that the US is largely car-dependent. But, let's face it, neither one are Japan or Germany in this department.
15) Healthcare: You could write a novel on this. If you have no insurance in the US, then obviously the UK by a mile. I think if you do have insurance in the US though, then that can change your experience and opinion quite dramatically. I fully support a universal health care system in the US and really don't have too many gripes with the NHS from my own, personal experiences. At least it's always there. And let's face facts, the US healthcare system is desperately broken and needs repair. I think a single payer system would do us wonders. There are obviously downsides to both systems, but, like I said, at least the NHS is always there and the British people absolutely love it and are proud of it (rightfully so).
16) Education: Tie. Again, it really depends. Both have some amazing and some not so amazing schools. Their universities are also the best in the world, bar none. So good on both of them for that.
17) Affordability: The US hands down. Nearly everything in the US is cheaper, everything. This is especially true of housing. In general, you'll pay 2-3x more for housing (unless you're in like NYC or Cali) in the UK that is much smaller, more crammed, older, and generally lower quality, in my opinion at least. Plus, the houses are generally right on top of each other or, in a lot of the cases, completely attached to another house. You won't get nearly as much land with your property either. But, to be fair, it's not really their fault as they don't have nearly as much space as we do. Also, I prefer houses with the proper central heating (not a radiator in a room) and AC (not that you'd use it much anyways), and don't get me started on the sinks and the crazy 2 taps for separate hot and cold water lol. Older houses generally also come with a lot more "baggage" than one might think of initially. I just greatly prefer the bigger, newer houses, but that's just me. Also, in terms of the majority of shopping items, clothing, eating out, bills (utilities), cars, etc. etc. things are more expensive in the UK. Everyday life is just generally more expensive in the UK than the US. However, that's not to say that there aren't things in the UK that are cheaper than they are in the US, there are, but generally the US is far cheaper. Plus, like I mentioned in a previous point, people generally make more money in the US on top of things being cheaper, so that really helps out a lot. You just generally have more purchasing power in the US in my opinion.
18) Pop culture: Probably the two biggest contributors to pop culture in the world, but I'll give it to the US because they just have more acts overall. Everything ranging from film to TV shows, to music, to trends, celebrities in general just seems to be majorly exported and wildly successful throughout the world. Brits (as well as the rest of the world) consume tons of American films, TV shows, music, etc. Much more than vice versa I'd say.
19) History: The UK. Both have lots of history, but the UK is just older and seems to be oozing with history everywhere you go. Not to say the US doesn't have any, but I say the UK overall.
20) Architecture: Tie. Depends on what you want. UK is older and US is more modern. Both have amazing architecture though with some of the most visual stunning cities, buildings, etc. on the planet. Both countries have accomplished major architectural feats. So I guess it just depends.
21) Colleges/ Universities: The two countries with the best universities, by a landslide. People flock form all over the world to attend uni in both of these countries. The US has more top ranked unis overall though.
EDIT: One thing that really bothered me about the UK though was the HUGE and ever-present drunken culture. I mean there are definitely problems in the US too, but the UK is on a whole other level. It's just really bad. Some nights it can seem like the whole country is just a nation of drunkards.
I like both countries, but overall I'm much happier and greatly prefer to live in the US. It just offers me a much better lifestyle than I ever could have in the UK. But, since, it's also my home, I suppose I'm biased as well, so........
*Also, very nice job with the opening ceremonies Brits! I thought it was a fantastic show and I thoroughly enjoyed it!*
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