Do we have a health care system that is held together by anything other than a lick, a prayer, and the sacrifices of some seriously overworked nurses and other medical professionals? No.
Do we have common sense, reality-based laws that aren't archaic and rooted in norms from a society that doesn't exist anymore and truthfully may never really have existed? Also no.
Do we have anything resembling a functional or even up-to-date infrastructure system? Three for three, still no.
Do we have the ability to have cannabis and 5 boxes of cereal delivered to my house at 2:47 AM on a Tuesday? This is 'Murika - f*ck yeah we do! (in a lot of places - restrictions apply.)
Reddit user Leon2778 asked:
"Americans of Reddit, what's a good thing about living in America?"
People around the world still hold onto ideas about what America really is. Let's hear it from the Americans themselves, shall we?
Spoiler Alert: there are cats in America and the streets are not, in fact, lined with cheese. Feivel and his whole singing family lied to us all.
Natural Diversity
Grizzly Adams 70S GIFGiphy"I like the diversity of the landscape & natural world."
"I’ve been to mountains & deserts & mountains in deserts."
"Been to the ocean with a sandy beach, to lakes with sandy beaches, to lakes with rocky beaches."
"Been to the woods & to forests."
"I’ve seen so many different native plants, all kinds of animals, & bugs. It’s pretty damn cool."
- ghosts-go-boo
"Some people say Americas greatest idea was national parks."
"Yah it’s highly commercialized, but it has preserved some awesome nature and in the US we have some of the most amazing and diverse national parks."
"We have forests with trees so big you can drive through, crazy arched rock structures you can drive through, hundred foot tall sand dunes, beautiful Jurassic park style steep mountains, arctic wonderlands, giant canyons, and so many more amazing forests mountains waterfalls deserts and so much more."
- Pristine-Ad-469
"National and state parks."
"National parks are beloved destinations for both citizens and visitors from around the world, even more people visit the state parks."
"With sweeping vistas, stunning forests and incredible wildlife, amazing hiking and camping adventure, parks are one of the brightest jewels of America."
- SuvenPan
"I’m Mexican and I live in the USA. There are plenty of national parks in Mexico too, but they all get filled with houses."
"There’s no real authority stopping anyone from building their house on a national park unless it’s one that brings in the dough, like the monarch butterfly sanctuary. The US does a great job of protecting its landscape."
- youburyitidigitup
As An Outsider
"Not American but I’ve lived in the US for 15 years. As an outsider:"
"Closets. I love all the built-in closets. I was never a wardrobe fan."
"Separate laundry areas."
"That most housing is detached. On the one hand it does mean a huge reliance on cars. On the other hand I never ever hear my neighbors."
"Accessibility of toilets is a heck of a lot better than any other country I have visited. During the day I can usually rely on finding a Target or Starbucks or something. Even if I have to buy something to use it they’re easier to find than in Europe."
"The casual way everyone dresses. My fashion-conscious friend is appalled but especially as a parent I appreciate that I can dash out in my pjs if I really, really need to."
"Convenience. Every time I visit my family now I forget that not all shops are open until 9/10 pm."
"I also live in Washington state currently and have developed a deep love for all the coffee stands around here."
- anyaplaysfates
Access
Style Swag GIF by Pose FXGiphy"Wheelchair accessibility."
"As someone who uses a wheelchair for all ambulation, I can say the US has a leg up on that compared to the other countries that I have been to."
- hisamsmith
"I've had multiple European friends visit me here in the US and each one, at some point in the trip, commented that one of the big differences they noticed from their home countries was that the ADA was shockingly effective compared to its equivalents elsewhere."
"Almost every public building had ramps, elevators, etc. as needed."
"Obviously it's not like other countries all dislike people with disabilities--just the fact that we did it on such a large scale seems representative of the same kind of inclusiveness that people are also talking about in the comments about American citizenship."
- darkshiines
Turning Right
"With a few exceptions, we can treat red lights as a stop sign if we are turning right."
- SmartAlec105
"As Jeremy Clarkson said 'It's America's only contribution to the western world.' "
- N8_Smith
"I can always spot the tourists when they're just sitting waiting at a red to make a right turn."
- [reddit]
"Not gonna lie, visiting Florida made me hate that rule because I always felt like I'm about to be run over any minute by someone without any patience in a pick up truck bigger than the local Starbucks."
- Night_the_Noivern
"First time I visited Europe and rented a car, I was turning right on red every time."
"No harm caused as far as I could tell. I legitimately didn't know you couldn't do that."
- IAMAdot2
Just Wear Whatever
"I can wear what I want."
"Sure I have strict parents at the age of about to be 21. But coming from the middle east, most people in America don't realize the blessing we have here to be able to wear shorts or jeans or tank tops."
- DarkenedProdigy
"True, I guess Americans just have to deal with the societal taboos of doing so in the Bible Belt and not any violent consequences. Purity culture still exists here but it is less extreme for the most part."
- carissadraws
"I feel this. I love wearing shorts and cropped/tanktops, especially on a hot summer day, to walk around like nobody's business."
"If I do it in my conservative country, shame and all types of degradations will be blessed upon me and my mom will cry while pulling out all sorts of dramatic scenes."
- [reddit]
Opportunity
"I was very young when my parents and I immigrated here, and I have far more opportunities here than I would in India. So I’m very thankful for that."
- sunsetskye_
"I was almost born in Mexico. Since then I’ve visited often and appreciate what I have in the states."
"In Mexico if you aren’t wealthy it’s gonna be an impossible task to become a professional. People in the states take for granted what they have."
- Occhrome
"Completely agree!"
"My parents moved to Canada from Serbia for better opportunities. When I was 14 we moved from Canada to the US."
"I’ll never forget visiting my family back in Serbia and noticing how well educated everyone is, but then they end up having to work retail or manual labor jobs because there just aren’t opportunities there like there are here."
"I think it’s a bit better now that we have remote jobs as a possibility but it’s not like in the US where any ordinary bloke can own a company with a bit of ambition and some paperwork."
"Truly amazing!"
- wrong_world_666
Talk That Talk
buzzfeed video news GIF by NowThis Giphy"I can talk sh*t about the president and not get arrested and disappeared. So that's pretty nice."
- Its_All_True
"Talking sh*t about the president is pretty much a national pastime, even when you generally agree with them."
- Sad-Frosting-8793
"Criticizing our 'leaders' for their bull is essential to the American experience."
"We have a large amount of Somali migrants in my area, they would come in to buy weed and always enjoyed our raucous talks about how our public servants abuse their power on the backs of the common person."
"Turns out hating ridiculous power structures is something everyone who smokes weed in any place hates with a passion."
"Seeing Somali couples go on libertarian rants with you makes you shed a tear of American ideals like no other experience. Open them borders and let some f*cking freedom ring yoz."
- jpz1194
Too Nice?
"The people here are actually very nice. There are a few turds that make us look bad, but most people are friendly and helpful."
- Actuaryba
"Was going to say the same. There are some jerks, but most people here are really sociable. At the very least, not rude."
"Knew a friend (here for school) from Finland. Had to keep telling him not to be suspicious when somebody holds the door open for you, or strikes up a conversation in line at the grocery store, or whatever."
"He said he was having culture shock because people were being 'too friendly' and he thought they might have some ulterior motive for it. He got over it."
- atx00
"Friend of mine is from Germany and said he had a similar experience when he went on a business trip here once. Now, though, he loves such trips because he really likes the culture here."
- Drakmanka
We're Open
"Everything is open, all the time."
"I realized how nice this is when I lived in Europe and stuff is closed on Sunday and at 5-6pm every day."
- mam630
"Funny, I moved to the US and the one thing I really miss from back home is that Sundays have a special Sunday feeling."
"Not sure how to describe it. Everyone is off, everything is closed. It's like, you have no option but to relax, it's out of your control, it's imposed rest."
"In the US, the closest feeling to that is snow days."
- deepuw
"Vegas local here. Wanna have a burger and a beer at 3am on a Tuesday? Done."
- EnricoPalazz0
"That's what I was going to answer with. If I want to go buy a big screen tv and a large milkshake at 3 a.m., I can."
- Trentorio
So much space
step brothers bedroom GIFGiphy"Honestly, if I had to pick the #1 thing I'd say the open space."
" The USA has so much open space that we've carved off enormous parts of the continent to permanently be just open space. The US National Park system is the crown gem of the nation."
-McFeely_Smackup
"US needs to preserve even more spaces like this"
-ZhouCang
"I'm not from the US, but from an outsider's perspective I'd have to agree with this. Your national parks are absolutely outstanding and I cannot wait to visit them."
-ExoticOracle
"Capital W Wilderness areas are the crown gem of the nation. The wilderness act is the single coolest piece of legislation ever written. And I mean that in a littoral sense. The writing is so distinct and poetic."
-orowitzzzz
Free pet pets
"You can go to humane society and pet cats for free!!"
-Cats_are_happiness_2
"Which is a GODSEND for people with allergies. I don't want a cat, I want to interact with a cat juuust until I explode."
-AbeliaGG
"My local shelter encourages people to come down to pet and play with the animals! One of my coworkers goes down for an hour a few days per week to love on the kitties, because she can't have one. They adore her for it."
-EducationalAd232
"I volunteer at a NJ rescue affiliated with PetSmart charities. I feed and play with the cats once a week and then enjoy seeing them go home on Adoption Day. I have 2 cats of my own, so I’m not tempted to bring one home with me."
-Excellent_Ambition43
Accessible tech
"How inexpensive tech is"
-Arndt3002
"And how available it is. I have coworkers from other parts of the world who stock up like crazy when they're in the US."
-magster823
"Looking at American online stores as a European makes my mouth water seeing the price of things over there."
-Jackfille1
Free-Soda-om
Fast Food Drinks GIF by jjjjjohnGiphy"Free refills."
-Proper-Emu1558
"And free bathrooms! It seems so awful to me that in some places abroad you have to pay to use a public toilet or risk soiling yourself if you can’t cough up the cash."
-TeHNyboR
"They can take my 88oz of carbonated water and syrup from my cold dead hands."
-QuinceDaPence
"Nevermind that. It’s the free ice water that just appears at your table at every restaurant."
-toastemino
"I had a friend visit from Europe and they would absolutely not believe me when I said they could go up and refill their soda cup. Absolutely thought I was condoning theft and they insisted they could pay for another cup"
-Zeddrocks
Go to the store whenever
"Our grocery stores stay open really late. On the east coast, it's until 11 or 12 at night. On the west, it's 24 hours in some places. This is, in all seriousness, the thing I love most about my country."
"A close second place is our gorgeous national parks. But I don't go to a national park every week. I go to a grocery store."
-ThatDismalGiraffe
"I don't even have to go to the grocery store if I don't want to, I can just get everything delivered in a few hours!!!"
-Spooky_Tree
"I’m in the south and we had several 24hr grocery stores it was really convenient but because of Covid they close at 11pm, hoping it changes. Love the national parks as well."
-MiaLba
What to eat?
homer simpson mess GIFGiphy"I'm not American, but when I was there it was undoubtedly the food. At no given point was I more than a ten minute walk from good food. Contrary to what Reddit would have you believe, it's not all fast food either(though Whataburger is insanely good)."
"There's a lot of good little places to eat and you're never far from one."
-ravingdante
"And if you live in a decent sized city and/or metropolitan area, you can choose from among at least a dozen different countries' cuisines"
"Sure it might be Americanized to some extent, but that kind of variety is always appreciated"
-striped_frog
"and even in Nowheresville, Midwest, you still have like 5 different nearby options for international food, often owned and made by people of that nationality."
-wanttotalktopeople
Get with the program
"AC during the summer"
-I2eN0
"Yeah the fact that other countries who totally have the infrastructure to have AC just... Don't. Blows my mind."
-finallymakingareddit
"Omg yes 😭 I was in Japan for the 2018 heat wave and the lack of AC was HORRIBLE. It was well above 100°F with insane humidity and even at night, it was still uncomfortably hot."
"I'm from northeast Ohio and was so not used to that heat let alone that heat without AC in many of the buildings. I have no idea how people there cope with that."
-fillmorecounty
"Yeah I visited family in Spain a couple summers ago and let’s just say I’ll never make the mistake of visiting in the summer again. It was an insufferable heat that was impossible to get away from. My friend and I, who I traveled with, ended up not even really seeing much because the heat took away our desire to leave the house."
"That being said, I spend a summer abroad in England and that at least wasn’t too bad except for a couple days of heat wave where I didn’t leave my room and just had fans on me."
-I2eN0
"Ice in drinks. We really value ice."
-CaptainoftheStella
"I was so surprised about the lack of ice in drinks in Europe."
-nvdagirl
"England is a barbaric place without ice. I asked a server for a side of ice and he came back with a cube."
-MorallyCorruptBae
"When in Europe I ask for a FULL glass of ice and then also my beverage. Because if you ask for extra you get 2 cubes."
-lyzipoo
"10000%. It is such a nice luxury that cold drinks are by far the norm."
-ruffsnap
"This. You don’t realize how much you need it until you go abroad and it’s f**king summer and they hand you a lukewarm bottle of water for like four euros"
-yramaro
Alright fam, what American freedoms are you in the mood to celebrate?
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Small acts of kindness that only a few know about can change the world.
You never know.
One smile can change one person's day.
And that person could carry it on.
So doing it ourselves may be the only answer.Redditor sashayingthru wanted to discuss the ways we know the world is still good, so they asked:
"What small act of kindness were you once shown that you will never forget?"
As someone who has waited on many tables, just tip properly.
You'll go to Heaven.
Strangers
Robin Williams Dancing GIF by 20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentGiphy"I once walked to a store to buy bags for my vacuum cleaner and I forgot to take my wallet. The shop owner gave me the bags, shook my hand, and told me to bring him to money tomorrow. He put his trust in a total stranger to do the right thing and I did."
Independent-Bike8810
In the Rain
"A man in a full business suit with a briefcase handed me an umbrella in a torrential rain storm and wouldn't take no for an answer. I still had to walk through Times Square to get to the train and I'm sure he got soaked going wherever he was going. A couple of weeks later, I gave the umbrella to a lost girl in my neighborhood when it started to rain and she didn't have one. Felt like the universe wanted it to happen."
"I'll never forget that man though."
im_not_bovvered
Leggo my Lego
"When I was maybe 4 or 5 years old, I made friends with another kid in an airport, and he was playing with a couple glued glued-together Lego cars. Me and that kid played for like an hour with those things and when it was time to go our separate ways and board the plane, the kid insisted I keep one of the cars, and while I insisted he should keep them, he said it was proof that we were friends, and to this day roughly 20 years later, I still have that car packed up with my childhood mementos box."
"That friend of mine was a good kid. Hope he’s doin' well."
givebooks
Don't Cry Tammy
"My husband and I were sitting on our porch holding hands and crying, just feeling overwhelmed because we were waiting to find out whether or not my tumor was cancerous. Our neighbor saw it when he was coming home. About half an hour later he came over with some freshly baked cookies. He didn't even say anything, just smiled, handed them to us, and then went back home."
"Just thinking about that moment has me crying again. From his kindness, not the fear. Tammy the Ti**y Tumor turned out benign!"
Reflection_Secure
Coasting...
Fail Will Ferrell GIF by Paramount PicturesGiphy"I literally coasted into a gas station out of gas on my motorcycle, then realized I didn't have my wallet. Some lady saw me patting all my pockets and I was upset and offered to fill up my tank. I only let her put $5 in, which on a bike is a lot. But it meant so much to me."
Twours1944
Give people gas as often as possible..
Pay it forward.
Generosity
happy silent film GIF by Charlie ChaplinGiphy"My realtor took less commission so that I could get my dream home. It was a rare find in a great neighborhood."
SheLight2
Egged Away
"Years ago my car got egged real badly overnight while parked on the driveway of our duplex. We had to go somewhere the next morning so took the wife’s car. Came back hours later and my car was shining like new on the driveway. The neighbor whose name I didn’t even know at that point had washed it for me while we were away."
Ceristimo
Are those still a thing?
"I was in maybe 4th grade and my parents just had my younger sister, so newborn focused. I went to my school lunch, opened my paper bag (are those still a thing?), and unwrapped the foil holding my sandwich. There was nothing inside. It was actually just 2 slices of dry white slice bread and I was sad."
"Literally, my table mates all chipped in various components and made me the most amazing ham and cheese sandwich I’ve ever had. I’ve been chasing that dragon of ham sandwich since but I’m sure it was the response and not the ingredients that I loved."
I_Am_The_Grapevine
Thanks guys...
"19 years old, first apartment, first winter, first winter utility bill. I smiled and told my coworker I'd just pay it, skip lunch, and eat cheap Mac and cheese for dinner. It'll be ok. All that month co-workers accidentally got extra chips from the vending machine. A wife packed an extra sandwich. A box of my favorite crackers would be on my desk when I came in. It was still hard but I didn't starve. Thanks, you guys."
alady12
Just Tears
Big Brother Omg GIF by Global TVGiphy"I was on the subway, sitting there crying because I had just ended a relationship. I wasn't making any noise, just tears, but the guy sitting next to me gave me some tissues. I'll never forget that."
screamingcupcakes
Some of the best people ride the subway.
Everyone has tissues.
