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If you ask Americans who mostly "travel" on travel sites and google maps, and never left their backyard or country - and if they even travelled beyond that then just to make the "once in a lifetime trip" organized and guided by agents that please American taste - their votes and views would be much different than those who are seasoned travellers that actually went to other countries, explored and spent some time there (beyond tourist traps and Americanized things made just for tourists).
I think most people who are motivated enough to come to the world forums and actually post here have done a fair amount of international travel and maybe even lived in a foreign country for a considerable amount of time.
Still, everybody is going to have a particular “lens” through which they see the world. You can’t change that.
I think most people who are motivated enough to come to the world forums and actually post here have done a fair amount of international travel and maybe even lived in a foreign country for a considerable amount of time.
Still, everybody is going to have a particular “lens” through which they see the world. You can’t change that.
Right, which is why trying to look for stats whether composite or specific ones that seem relevant to how developed or first world the USA is seems like a good route. No one index, even a composite one, is going to be perfect and people will obviously find something that's contentious, so I think taking a broad overview and essentially an even larger composite makes sense. From that, it seem highly dubious to put the US at the bottom of the scale or at the very top.
I'm totally fine with the US not topping the list as I. too think it shouldn't.
On the other hand however I saw some countries like Spain, Italy, Australia, France, Germany, UK or Cyprus mentioned being in the realms of 7-9.5.
If that is the case, the US should also be in that realm really. At minimum 7, or some of the other countries would ne to be reconsidered.
Right, which is why trying to look for stats whether composite or specific ones that seem relevant to how developed or first world the USA is seems like a good route. No one index, even a composite one, is going to be perfect and people will obviously find something that's contentious, so I think taking a broad overview and essentially an even larger composite makes sense. From that, it seem highly dubious to put the US at the bottom of the scale or at the very top.
If we are to go by the poll result, I’d say there is a healthy range in how the level of development of the United States is perceived.
The harder part is reaching a consensus about which countries are actually more developed than the United States. But that is asking a different question.
I'm totally fine with the US not topping the list as I. too think it shouldn't.
On the other hand however I saw some countries like Spain, Italy, Australia, France, Germany, UK or Cyprus mentioned being in the realms of 7-9.5.
If that is the case, the US should also be in that realm really. At minimum 7, or some of the other countries would ne to be reconsidered.
But it obviously is all pretty subjective.
I agree. In France and the UK they are not only having solidarity protests, but also fighting against the injustices happening in their own countries. If those nations can score such high marks then so should the US. My argument in favour of knocking down points, if one decides to go down that route, is based on more objective metrics such as healthcare, infrastructure, maternity leave...
Japan is the greatest country in the world, and is surprisingly not as expensive as people make it out to be. The rent/mortgage is cheap if you don't mind living in a small space. You won't find anything in NYC for that price, or barely even in Atlanta in the worst neighborhoods. Tranportation costs is what will get you, but then again you don't need a car in Tokyo so that helps as well.
I would LOVE to try living in Japan. If an opportunity to move abroad presented itself, I'd go in a heartbeat.
I gave the US a 7. I really doubt most of the Americans voting 9-10 have travelled to other countries. The experience is different for each person, but if you are black, Muslim, an immigrant, or have an accent, your experience won't be as great. A lot of countries may not be as prosperous or big but I'm thinking more of QOL. The US still lags behind in many areas (universal health care, poverty, homelessness, social issues) that prevent it from being a 10. No country is perfect but it doesn't seem like the US wants to try and improve on these areas and is content in thinking we are the best.
Infrastructure-wise, the US is up there. Most people can drink tap water, have electricity, wifi, etc. Airports and highways are abundant...still have a ways to go with public rail and public transportation within cities.
I think many people, especially on the left, romanticize other countries and paint America negatively because they don't know how good we have it here. They seldom go travel around the world, especially to developing countries. They're ignorant of how dark and convoluted things can be even in our southern neighbors, the amount of human trafficking that goes through Central America.
It is correct that America has higher crime rates than other developed countries, but that is because we have a very diverse population, ethnically and socioeconomically. Homogeneity tends to breed safety.
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