"Was staying with the nicest family ever. They worked extremely long hours and lived in the suburbs. I wanted to cook for them as a surprise and set out to the store on foot, with an empty backpack for the groceries. Had to walk along the curb of, and then cross, an 8 lane highway to get to the store. Had to stop a really really old man from bagging the groceries. Then was stopped by police on the way back. They were very friendly, just wanted to know where my car had broken down. Ended up explaining to me that there was basically zero infrastructure for walking out in the burbs. They took me home. On the way, I saw a sign "gas 99 cents a gallon, Bud's Xmas Gift to the Community", blew my dad's mind when I told him later. Got home, thanked the nice officers, made a vegetable casserole. When my wonderful host family came home, they were blown away but also extremely worried. All in all, I would say that no matter how crazy America may be or seem, Americans make up for all of it. They are some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I have ever met."
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".