Microblog Memes

I once took an American friend out for a night in Manchester. His first night in the UK.

That dispelled a lot of the narrative of the quaintness of Europe.

There's this thing that Americans have. An old world ideal. Where they picture is all having two hour lunches and generally chilling about the place. It isn't real, just another dream sold to you by capitalism.

Sure, we do some things differently over here, public transport and the ability to walk places being two that I'm particularly fond of, but let's not rose tinted this.

The rise of fascism, or at least nationalism, is coupled with some awful working practices, mainly imported... And some of the levels of outright poverty, both urban and rural more than challenge that in the states.

This is just another reflection of the grass being greener.

You think Europeans are friendly? In my experience people are just people. The folk I've met in North America have been lovely, by and large and we have much, much more in common than this fairy tale suggests. But it swings both ways and we also have plenty of arseholes across Europe that would as soon as shank you as they would invite you for a chat and not ask you what you did.

This guy is a weird spiritual business guru. This post isn't an observation on modern American life, it's one of his many posts that try to sell you on his business where he claims that he can teach you how to monetize your passions and not have to actually work

There are places in America that are like this, you have to be able to afford it though.

American here - we're conditioned from birth to think not working as hard as possible to make money for somebody else is lazy.

I had a friend who was studying Buddhism and moved to south-west Asia for a time. He described this phenomena as "it's hard to dry off if you don't get out of the pool."

I see all the reels of Europeans coming to the US for the World Cup and they’re shocked how nice we are, how good the food is, etc etc. I have to remind myself that they’re visiting and that yes, we are nice on average and we don’t all live like an episode of The Wire, they don’t have to experience our job culture, health care, car requirement, extreme weather, and batshit insane and corrupt political system. Yes this is a great place to visit, but your life here is very much dictated by the hand you were dealt at birth.

Apparently I live in the wrong Southern Europe

I dont think i'd survive the American hustle life, where everything is a potential sale and money is all your ever taught to create.

i am one generation too late to get dual citizenship in finland via bloodline, and i will never get over that. i hate it here

... and my entire American life has been an oscillation between being indescribably furious, knowing that 'it doesnt have to be this way' and then laughing uproariously at people being surprised by the astoundingly predictable outcome of literally every one burning out and crashing out.

This never could work, the way we do things... its inhuman, and insane.

It is no measure of sanity to be well adjusted to deeply disturbed society.

We're just now finally experiencing the part where gravity resumes affecting Wile E Coyote.

... but we have a very long way to still fall.

Americans live to work. Other societies work to live.

Just got back from southern France. Yeah this lifestyle here is bullshit.

Can… can I move to southern Europe?

It's really just laughing at us at this point.

There is very little chance of most of us escaping to Europe. Every program that I've looked at for moving over there has been entirely closed within a day or two due to the amount of applications being sent in.

The comments in here are largely centered around "How can I get out?" Or alternately "Getting out is not possible."

I came across this post last year, and it gave me the kick in the pants to get out myself.

https://crazypeople.online/post/6720157

Been out of the states since January. I started in Portugal and I can confirm how relaxed it is there. I'm in Morocco now and have met the most kind and welcoming people I've ever known. Very relaxed here as well. I don't currently have plans to return.

It may or may not be possible for you depending on your specific situation. If you are in the "How can I get out?" camp, I'd encourage you to think seriously about making it happen. Look at how you could radically change things. Sell everything, quit your job, and crash at a family member's house. The barriers are likely lower than you imagine, and the upsides are dramatic.

If people would stop voting for conservatives we could all have better lives.

Americans, 20+ years ago I joined the Peace Corps. Extended, spent 3 years in a wild, amazing place in West Africa. Met my spouse, loved the experience. Strongly recommend. Over the last 20+ years, been out of the States for 10+. It's a springboard.

Right now, recruitment is down. A lot. The bar is citizenship, be 20-something (technically 18, but you need some something experience and not really fresh from high school), and don't have a totally jacked up body. You won't be doing shit for sleepy T, like how I didn't do shit for W.

You want Southern Europe? SE Europe is awesome. Albania, Kosovo, MKD, all options. Also Moldova, if you like wine. So are Armenia and Georgia, which are also amazing.

The option is there and real. Free to apply.

Capitalism exhausts the earth and its people. I don´t think southern Europe is excluded.