"Went to L.A. a week last year for work.Things like portion sizes, the average weight of people, quality of food and commercials etc. are just what I thought they would be. But the surprises for me:
1. I do know the modeled Los Santos in GTA from L.A. but I didn't realise how well they did it. People talk and behave basically the same way. The sound, the light, the landscape, the frickin RADIO! I thought a big part of it was just exaggeration. Nope! This was actually kind of fun, driving around looking at things going "oh wow this is where that thing happened in the game". Awesome!
2. There are a lot of homeless people and you can tell a lot of them are sick and/or have psychological problems. This sure doesn't remove any of my prejudice about american healthcare and social security...
3. The extreme differences between neighbourhoods that are right next to each other. Sure, I understand why one street might have houses that look nice and are well taken care of and another not so much. But why is there a difference in how well paved the road is? Why is the "poor" street in such decay with lots of potholes and the "rich" street so clean and free from pot holes? Aren't things like fixing the roads the responsibility of the city? Mind boggling that they care more about rich neighbourhoods and the poor ones. If they did that so blatantly back here there'd be some things and a big fan involved.
Generally the social class differences are of a magnitude I've never seen before. Honestly I thought the things I heard before where somewhat exaggerated. I was wrong. And it is right in front of you basically all of the time! Really really sad to see."
It's arse in every English speaking country .... except the USA.
Cheers to all you visiting foreign servicemen - but keep in mind that the free beer you might get now was not always how you would be greeted here. Things have changed for the better.
Yes your points are true, but hippies spitting on soldiers and current soldier-hero worship is shorthand for larger societal points that are equally as valid. Post-Vietnam, soldiers were devalued, dismissed, and denigrated in myriad ways in the U.S. for decades, and soldiers now are treated as symbols of the devotion and love of country that a non-serving public only wishes they could embody. The generalized respect currently shown to soldiers and first responders is, I think, a sign that the public knows deep down how much those people are actually worth when they are really needed. Finally, some respect.
Revisionist thinking is fun, isn't it, little Antifa drone?
Prove it.
Indeed. I saw plenty of "street people" begging in Amsterdam and Prague (I made a fool of myself trying to help a desperate old woman in Prague by waving down a policeman to get her help - turned out that was her job). Not the socialist utopia I thought it was. Apparently there are just as many desperate, under-served people on the streets of European cities as there are in the U.S.
In Europe, the fake beggars are Gypsies. We have them in the US too, but they have more.
"The sheer size of the place is amazing. Each state is its own little country. I lived there for 7 years and visited some different places, and each time I crossed a state line it was like crossing a border in Europe — everything was different again."
Yep. But consider that some states are larger than some European countries.
Also, regarding the sugar content of food mentioned in many posts... Yeah, way too much sugar for this American in a lot of food products.
Almost as dumb as your comment
I live in Missouri, it's very much a real thing here. Odd how the overly christian areas have such blatant adds for something they consider a "sin".
It's arse in every English speaking country .... except the USA.
Cheers to all you visiting foreign servicemen - but keep in mind that the free beer you might get now was not always how you would be greeted here. Things have changed for the better.
Yes your points are true, but hippies spitting on soldiers and current soldier-hero worship is shorthand for larger societal points that are equally as valid. Post-Vietnam, soldiers were devalued, dismissed, and denigrated in myriad ways in the U.S. for decades, and soldiers now are treated as symbols of the devotion and love of country that a non-serving public only wishes they could embody. The generalized respect currently shown to soldiers and first responders is, I think, a sign that the public knows deep down how much those people are actually worth when they are really needed. Finally, some respect.
Revisionist thinking is fun, isn't it, little Antifa drone?
Prove it.
Indeed. I saw plenty of "street people" begging in Amsterdam and Prague (I made a fool of myself trying to help a desperate old woman in Prague by waving down a policeman to get her help - turned out that was her job). Not the socialist utopia I thought it was. Apparently there are just as many desperate, under-served people on the streets of European cities as there are in the U.S.
In Europe, the fake beggars are Gypsies. We have them in the US too, but they have more.
"The sheer size of the place is amazing. Each state is its own little country. I lived there for 7 years and visited some different places, and each time I crossed a state line it was like crossing a border in Europe — everything was different again."
Yep. But consider that some states are larger than some European countries.
Also, regarding the sugar content of food mentioned in many posts... Yeah, way too much sugar for this American in a lot of food products.
Almost as dumb as your comment
I live in Missouri, it's very much a real thing here. Odd how the overly christian areas have such blatant adds for something they consider a "sin".