There is one basic point in my essays on the American collapse. Americans - ordinary, average Americans, not Jeff Bezos, for example, teachers, truck drivers, accountants - should live richer, happier, healthier and calmer, and not like they are now. Absolutely in all directions. They should not live in endless anticipation of a possible collapse, which makes them disillusioned with democracy.

However, as soon as I write about this, accusations that I “hate America” (and therefore I just scary man). It's funny because it's completely absurd. No one enjoys knowing that their society is heading towards decline.

My friends, does the assumption that Americans should live better indicate hatred of America? Looks like you're the one who's confused, not me. Don't you think that everything is just the opposite? And that we should all want this? (By the way, this is why I write that America is becoming a backward place - we are increasingly divided into diametrically opposed camps - but I digress.) So, let's start with one of the funniest and most ridiculous myths.

If you criticize America, it means you hate America - and Americans! Is this true? I think that my statements seem paradoxical to many of you. I'm the one who wants better life for Americans, but at the same time I am very critical of America. But is it possible to act differently? You see only one sentence in the entire text - that the American way of thinking is failing. But if we want to make America better, then we must criticize it and study the reasons why it stops developing. In particular, I suggest that one of the reasons for the lag is the various forms of stupidity woven deep into the fabric of everyday American life. And among the nonsense is this myth that if we criticize America, then we must hate Americans, and therefore people who criticize America should not be trusted. This is one of the greatest stupidities, because the absence of criticism makes progress impossible. We continue to believe those people who do not criticize America, and we think that only they are going to make our lives better, but the combination of both cannot be true.

So let me lay out seven more myths that I keep hearing all over the place that just can't be true. If these strange and stupid myths were true, then America would not be the country that it is - both are incompatible.

Americans are the most virtuous people! (Because they give the most to charity, often attend church, etc.) This myth - the strangest of all - speaks of the moral exceptionalism of Americans. But is this true? Wait - didn't America have segregation until 1971? So how can this myth be true? Well, okay, let's ignore this question. In America, philanthropy is indeed at the highest level - but only because charitable expenses are tax deductible, and the super rich use philanthropy as a way to avoid paying taxes. Charity in America is a reflection (and cause) of inequality, not a proof of virtue. How could this happen? The average American lives paycheck to paycheck—and so while he may be able to donate a few dollars to charity, it's not the kind of money that can make a difference in social change.

I want everyone to understand this fundamental difference: when richest people planets use charity as a way to evade taxes - this hardly speaks of the high moral principles of society. This only exacerbates one of the main problems of America - people do not want to support each other through a real social contract and provide public goods through "taxes" - and this necessarily entails social problems. Likewise, being religious is no guarantee that a person will be likable or likable. Think about the Spanish Inquisition. Or about Iran and Saudi Arabia - they are also religious societies. Does this mean that they have become the most humane? Hardly.

So let's rely instead on what we see with our own eyes. If Americans are extraordinarily virtuous people, why do they allow each other to die because insulin is unavailable and turn their own children into school shooters? Why don't they support mothers who dedicate themselves to caring for children, exclude older people from public life, and don't give young people the opportunity to get an education without going into exorbitant debt? I am not saying that Americans cannot in principle be virtuous or that they are especially bad people. What I'm saying is that the idea that Americans are historically unique, that they are the noblest people on the planet, is simply a myth. It is a form of arrogance that blinds us. Giving up the belief that a better life is possible somewhere impoverishes America across the board. Virtue is a thing that leads to social welfare - but at the same time, America lacks public goods, from health care to retirement. So, where do we see nobility, virtue, brotherhood, equality? Do you get my point? “Virtue” and “public good” are not mere abstractions for philosophical speculation; these are acute socio-political realities that are absent in America.

Virtue leads to the public good. Therefore, the public goods deficit suggests that Americans are not particularly virtuous, and we should think about such things as compassion, modesty, kindness, loyalty, manliness, honesty, and so on. It saddens me to say all this, but it seems to me that the reality is that Americans are traumatized, broken, and paralyzed by the unrelenting horror of life in an unjust capitalist state. Americans are constantly and relentlessly exploited by capitalism—and find it difficult to be particularly virtuous when they are under constant stress. Now you have a choice: start "hating" me for talking about this - or think: "Wait, why aren't more people discussing this point?" The fact that someone does not want to understand the above does not make it any less true, and therefore I say this not to offend anyone, but to draw attention to the issue. If you want to improve society, then whenever there is a problem with the public good, you need to pay attention to the deficiency of virtue. This deep and pervasive puzzle of the breakdown of morality, social order and culture requires resolution.

Americans are not self-serving egoists; they succeed thanks to their personal qualities. Really? And what does America “succeed” in? The Germans make better cars, the best media comes from the UK, the best food comes from France, the best designers come from Italy, etc. America doesn't do anything better than anyone else—in fact, it doesn't do anything at all. It is ahead only in terms of the level of material consumption and the amount of capital. It is Europe that invests the most in tomorrow's great scientific research– from clean energy to life extension and quantum physics. In America, only billionaires invest in such research, which is why Americans have Tesla and these weird startups that allow people to buy blood from teenagers, while Europeans have cleaner energy and advanced healthcare. Try to name one area in which Americans are truly leading at the moment, and you will fail. Exactly huge external debt leads the country into isolationism and attempts to glorify its “greatness” by demonizing Mexican children.

In fact, the term "excellence" has a moral connotation - it is about excellence in an area where it is needed by everyone and benefits others. This is what distinguished the ancient Greeks, who coined the term "excellent" in its current Western sense. But it is clear that this kind of virtue no longer exists in America, because life is not getting any better, it is only getting worse. If Americans were "superior" to others, people's lives would be happier. Instead, people are taught to be predators with sharp teeth, such as a hedge fund manager or a private investor, which is lucrative but has no relation to the word "excellence" in its broad, moral sense of classical moral virtue. And this is the merit of capitalism. America, unfortunately, has replaced "superiority" in a broad sense with "superiority" in predatory capitalist competition based on personal rather than public interest. Being the most successful and intelligent predator is not only not superiority, it is its direct opposite.

America is full of people striving to live right!!! May be. But hasn't it always been this way? And yet, time and time again, people have slipped into the opposite direction. What is this connected with? In my last essay, I discussed a street surgery scene that took place a block away from me here in Europe. Someone will say angrily: “In America too there are” Ambulance!’” Of course it is – it exists in Pakistan too. And what? Not a single doctor from this system will perform an operation right on the street. Let me get the point across. There are many Americans who are trying to do the right thing. But on a personal level, when it comes to systemic change, Americans too often stall. And yet, without change on this scale, people will never gain the freedom and opportunity to actually do what they think is right - they are only trying to do it. Consequently, America is stuck in a vicious circle where people try to fix things but are thwarted by social institutions, laws, codes, rules or norms. Until Americans challenge the status quo at this level, little can change. Trying to do something good will not replace the development of social institutions as a whole, when a normal, correct action becomes the norm. What is needed is not romantic individualism, but social transformation.

America is not in decline at all! She is not heading towards death! What associations do you personally have with the word “collapse”? Delight? Admiration? American culture has always been full of predictions of the apocalypse, and this trend only intensified when America first slowed down and then began to roll back in its development. Why? Because thinking about what could be worse brings us relief. It's a nice comparison, but the facts speak for themselves. Life expectancy is falling, the income of the vast majority of Americans is declining, people are unable to save $1,000 for emergencies, mass shootings have become a common part of everyday life, people are forced to refuse health care, and suicide rates are rising. I could go on. If your idea of ​​"collapse" is based on the movie Mad Max, then of course America hasn't collapsed yet... to that extent. But we see a collapse in three key areas that are really important, contrary to everything that science fiction shows us. The collapse of the idea of ​​a wealthy society - most Americans are no longer members of it. The collapse of democracy - it no longer reflects real desires people. And the collapse of society - Americans no longer have that social contract that really united the entire society, because, as we have already said, the concept of “virtue” has ceased to be associated with benefits for society. The collapse in these three fundamentally important areas is as truly destructive as climate change. Of course, you may not agree with me, but reality doesn't care whether you agree with it or not. She laughs at what we “think” and remains as she is.

Americans love freedom! They can't compare to us! "They"? Let me give you an example. In London, people can go to a free clinic or to a private doctor. They can watch a lot of BBC channels - or Fox News and Discovery Channel. Don't you think Londoners are freer than Americans? Even if we go by the American definition of freedom as freedom of choice, in reality the inhabitants of countries with social democracies are much freer, because they can choose between capitalist and socialist institutions, between goods, services, and this is better for all of them - and not because I I think it’s because they live objectively better in almost every respect. Americans don't like freedom - they love capitalism. They think they are equivalents, but they are not. This is why they limit their choices to capitalism again and again. But capitalism never gives you much freedom—that's what America's sad history tells us: it gives you wages, with which you can buy certain things. But prices rise and the quality of things falls every year, so, as a rule, your life becomes more and more difficult. Freedom is a much more complex thing than Americans realize, and until they think about what “freedom” really is, they will remain prisoners of a one-sided view of it.

We should not compare America with any other country! Especially with countries like Scandinavia or France! Shouldn't we? Why not? How else to achieve progress if you do not adopt the experience of others? Americans are told that other countries are “uninational” and therefore America cannot be compared with them, but the reason for their prosperity does not lie in “uninationality.” There are many other mono-ethnic countries that are very disadvantaged, just look at Asia and Africa, so this cannot be considered the reason successful development. This is still the same myth about exclusivity, only in a negative form - “comparison is impossible.” But when it comes to politics and economics, comparison is the best help. Have you ever wondered why you don't (probably) know how the French pension system works? How does the British healthcare system work? How does the Swiss government work? Americans have not yet learned much, and the myth of exceptionalism suggests that there is no need to learn further. But how can we understand what makes countries successful if we don't study it?

Just go away! We don't want to listen to people who criticize America! They will never help us in any way! Listen. I am not writing about the American collapse to convince you of anything. I am a simple observer and I describe what I see. I am absolutely powerless to change anything about America, so there is no need for you to threaten me in any way.

Although, of course, as an observer I am not impartial, this is true. My observations are emotional, I have lived in many poor countries, failed states, social democracies - and I have studied the economics, politics and psychology of other countries, not just America. This is important because when you only study American versions of many things, your views become one-dimensional. Have you ever wondered why American economists never say, “Hey, maybe we should do public health?” It's like a bottleneck, like a small closet. Which you can't really put anything in. You end up believing the age-old myths that American economics is the pinnacle of capitalism and American psychology is basically behaviorism. However, there are many people and opinions outside of America, and they are much broader than that. Many things are possible. Life, ideas, thoughts are not so limited and narrow - “we can only be what we have always been! Capitalism, leadership and patriarchy forever! I'm trying to expand your freedom.

So I think that in some ways you are lucky to have an outside observer like me, even if some of my words are clumsy or stupid. It's not that I'm particularly smart - I'm just a regular guy. There are simply not enough people in America who are willing to look at the world from different perspectives, and not just hold “different beliefs.” In other places, both people and societies can be very different. There are not many people in America who try to look at the world the way I do, because many people have old American myths stuck in front of their eyes. Notes about America were compiled mainly by those people who have ever lived, studied, worked or vacationed in America. I'm not one of them - and so you're right that I look at the world differently than, for example, Tucker Carlson or Jake Tapper. I'm different. But why do you think that all these people really know the world outside of America? Or what do they want to know?

One of the most reliable truths that I have learned from watching some societies succeed and others go downhill is that society, like people, needs critics, not sycophants and flatterers, to stay out of trouble. This was true of the collapsed Soviet Union, Weimar Germany, and fascist Argentina - and it is just as true of America in crisis today. This is fundamentally important, especially when the world around you suddenly begins to collapse - to be able to see how the cracks turn into an abyss, and understand what the reasons for this are. It's complicated. And I don't blame you for the fact that many people are angry with me. It is at that moment when everything suddenly begins to fall apart that we tend to desperately cling to what is left. But still, it’s better for us to be able to detach ourselves from the past so that it doesn’t drag us into the abyss with it.

There are many different myths about US residents that are not true. Let's look at these myths and see that they have little to do with the truth. The life of Americans, if you look at it from the inside, appears in a completely different light. Let's start with such a common opinion as obesity. The inhabitants of the New World are obscenely fat. That's what they tell us knowledgeable people. But were they on the streets of big American cities? In endless crowds of people, it is not at all easy to see a truly fat person.

Maybe they ride in cars or buses, but don’t appear on the sidewalks? As for cars, it’s difficult to check, but on public transport you rarely come across fat people. The same can be said about universities, where there is a massive concentration of young people. The audience there is mostly normal build and is no different from a similar public, say, in Russia or Ukraine.

But in stores you can meet charming fat men and women. They fill carts with various high-calorie foods. All of it is eaten in the evening hours in front of the TV. But this is typical only for those people who do not know what to do in their free time. If a person has some kind of sports or intellectual passions, then he will not waste time on TV, but will do something useful.

Myths about Americans claim that these people do not know such a thing as a queue. It sounds optimistic, but has nothing to do with reality. There are queues everywhere. The USA is no exception. Where there is a massive gathering of people, that’s where they line up one after another. This is remarkable for supermarkets. Several people at the cash register are the norm. Various entertainment attractions are also not without queues. You can languish in them for an hour if there are many people willing. To complete any documents, you need to wait, since there may be 30 people ahead. Well, are you convinced? In this matter, America is no different from other countries.

There is a myth that Americans are very neat people and take great care of themselves. If you look at women, they are relatively careless about their appearance. This may shock Russian representatives of the fairer sex. But here we need to take into account the mentality of the inhabitants of the New World.

There were no revolutions in America terrible wars, general drunkenness. All that took the lives of millions of Russian men. Nowadays in Russia, for every representative of the stronger sex there are 5 completely self-sufficient and spectacular ladies. That is, the competition is tough, and life itself makes women look flashy and attractive. There are plenty of men in the USA, and there is no competition. Therefore, American women, by and large, don’t care what they look like. There will still be suitors: where will they go?

In public places everyone dresses the same. Regardless of the thickness of the wallet, people wear regular jeans, moccasins, shirts and jackets. Only the make of the car indicates wealth. And the most important thing in clothing is comfort. You can see a girl in luxurious evening dress and sneakers. She feels much more comfortable outside in these shoes. There are no complexes in this regard.

American life is remarkable because fat people They are not at all ashamed of their fat folds. Immense bodies, clad in shorts and a short top, are perceived by everyone absolutely calmly. Women rarely smell perfume, and if men use eau de toilette, it is apparently odorless. Nobody takes care of their hairstyles or the condition of their nails. The only thing everyone is concerned about is their teeth. They are always smooth and white. In America, it is customary to smile widely, and a smile should be beautiful.

In countries former USSR There is an opinion that the overwhelming majority of Americans are quite limited people. All their interests come down to money. True, they still love sports, but only on TV. This is fundamentally wrong. Residents of the United States do not accept empty talk about anything. They prefer specifics. At the same time, they are distinguished by curiosity and a thirst for everything new. And Americans think not only about money. They are interested in art, painting, literature. And generally accepted human values ​​in America are rated very highly.

For some reason, everyone is deeply convinced that the inhabitants of the New World are workaholics. They work day and night because they are simply obsessed with banknotes. Alas, this is again another myth about Americans. American citizens work to live. If earnings provide a decent living, then none of them will overwork themselves. He will close the office at 4 pm and go somewhere to rest. He will work hard only if there is not enough money to pay off a bank loan or educate his children. Few people work in America for the sake of work itself.

There is no national cuisine in the country of Theodore Dreiser and Jack London. Never believe it. In the USA, it is common to consume steaks, hamburgers, and pizza, but this is in everyday life. But on holidays, all housewives put in front of them old recipes inherited from their parents and begin to prepare dishes that taste amazing. This, of course, includes turkey, potatoes prepared in a special way, and a wide variety of pumpkin dishes. Everything is prepared with great love, and the products fast food waiting in refrigerators for when the holidays are over.

USA is big and rich country, therefore, the life of Americans arouses a natural interest among people, which gives rise to a bunch of myths. We debunked some of them, which made it possible to form a more objective picture of these people. In some ways they are similar to us, but in others they are different. What they have in common is a love of life and faith in a better future.

The article was written by Dmitry Ponushkov

A regular contributor to the site, the French philosopher Nicolas Bonnal discusses the imperialist ambitions of the United States: where it came from, how it exists and what it can lead to. The United States itself considers itself an elephant, and other countries (even strong ones) are fleas. In contrast, Nicolas Bonnal debunks historical myths about the United States of America.

"The US has reached its limit of strength"

To hell with your parliament and your constitution. America is an elephant. Cyprus is a flea. Greece is a flea.

Lyndon Johnson

Since 1945, America has been in an extremely precarious position. Being an American is almost a crime. Just like being a fascist, chauvinist, communist, fanatic - you can continue it yourself. That's why the great director Fritz Lang compared Truman's society to Hitler's Germany and decided to return to his home country, where he left his cinematic legacy. Those Americans who had the courage always condemned the atrocities of their powerful and cruel country. I am reminded of US Navy General Smedley Butler, who in one of his wonderful (and short) essays compared war to racketeering.

“We shouldn’t forget about the bankers who financed the First World War. If anyone skimmed the cream, it was the bankers. During the war years, at least 21 thousand US citizens became millionaires and billionaires.”

Butler explains why America got involved in this war. Here is what he writes about the meeting between the military and bankers:

“There is no need to cooperate anymore. Now we, the Allies, owe you, the bankers and industrialists, five or six billion dollars. If we lose, we will not be able to pay you these debts. But Germany will not either.”

American bankers wanted their money back. And the newly created Federal Reserve ballooned the national debt from $1 billion in 1898 to $25 billion by 1920. And today the national debt is already 16 trillion dollars! The gods were merciful to democracy, but not to the debt system. Germany was defeated, destroyed, crushed, but recovered faster than anyone could have imagined, becoming Hitler's springboard. And he, in turn, started a new profitable war. The same American bankers helped the Bolsheviks by financing them. Poor humanity...

And here we are in 2014. More than a century has passed. Every day the French, British, Italians, Americans are brainwashed: Putin is the new Hitler, and Russia is a hungry bear devouring Europe, behind which stands an army of invisible Cossacks. Cheap propaganda always works. Here's what Butler says about this:

"Young recruits are carefully processed. They are remade from head to toe. They begin to regard murder as something ordinary. They stand shoulder to shoulder - an army of new people who have been subjected to strong psychological indoctrination. We trained them not to think about how they will kill others or die themselves. We only gave them a couple of years.”

I looked quite bold, but unfinished documentary Oliver Stone about the history of America that is not usually made public. Stone insists that American imperialism was created literally out of nothing, and that the stupidest war against Spain was initiated by newspapers and their false reports of insulting the Spanish flag. Stone also states that America overthrew at least ten regimes, and after World War II intended to enter into a Cold War with Russia, which, in fact, continues to this day. To strike terror into Stalin, Truman bombed an already destroyed Japan. Military-industrial complex showed himself worthy.

Let me remind you that Nagasaki was the only Japanese city where there was a cathedral. Let me remind you that according to the Treaty of Peace and Friendly Relations signed in Tripoli in 1979, it was noted that the United States was not founded as a Christian nation.

Article XI: Whereas the Government of the United States of America is in no way founded on the Christian religion...

We are already aware, thank you.

However, Stone forgot that in 1939 Churchill and his American colleagues gave Stalin the right to shoot captured Polish officers in Khatyn and seize the Baltic republics. Our highly moral democratic allies wanted only them to oppose Germany! And America simply manipulated Poland. The Wehrmacht army captured it in just two weeks. By the way, Poland still wants to take revenge on Russia.

The most vile American president - not counting Nobel laureate Obama - Texan Lyndon Johnson. In his brilliant documentary, Stone shows us the brilliant oratory Johnson. He revealed this gem during a meeting with the Greek ambassador:

"To hell with your parliament and your constitution. America is an elephant. Cyprus is a flea. Greece is a flea. If two fleas bite an elephant every now and then, he will simply kill them. We pay good money to the Greeks, Mr. Ambassador. If your prime minister - the minister will want to tell me about democracy, parliament and the constitution, your democracy, parliament and constitution will not last long."

Obama is choosing exactly the same rhetoric today: America is an elephant, Russia is a flea (and this is Russia, a powerful force!); America is the elephant, Brazil (recently insulted by an absent-minded Israeli president) is the flea. America is God, the rest of the world is a garbage dump. Europe, however, agrees with this point of view.

Another interesting documentary ten years ago showed the face of America that it is trying in every possible way to hide. This is a series of interviews with good old McNamara (note: Robert McNamara - US Secretary of Defense in 1963-1968)- a man who bombed Vietnam for five years (that's three million "forgotten" deaths), and also developed a great population plan with Johnson and accelerated the decline of industry.

31/03/2011

I’ve been reading some of the thoughts of our people about the nature of Americans and decided to write some educational program on the most frequently discussed issues. Of course, this is not the case everywhere, and in general your impression of Americans largely depends on how often you communicate with them. If you live in America and communicate exclusively with Russians, then your opinion about them will remain “Russian in nature.” People will look alien and incomprehensible, and their actions will be absurd. Yes, and remember that “little America” may be very different from New York, but there is much more of it in the country.

1 . Americans are a nationality. When they talk about Americans, for some reason they imagine that they are such a homogeneous white mass with the same qualities and culture, in which blacks are interspersed here and there. No, everyone imagines that being an American means being a citizen of the country, but few people think that due to the huge flow of immigrants, America is extremely multinational. These are not only Italians and Irish, these are Indians, Arabs, Chinese, Filipinos. And of course “Latinos”. They are the majority in some states. Each nation has its own culture, customs and rules, as well as the level of emotionality and characteristics of social interaction. From this diversity it is quite difficult to draw any conclusion about how Americans react to this or that event. Do they show their feelings or hide them, do they always smile or cry. There are things that the average person is not supposed to do.

But this does not mean that people do not have the opportunity to express themselves in their national environment, according to their national temperament. So don't think of Americans as a homogeneous community hemmed in by rules.

2. Americans are all fat and eat hamburgers and all other junk food while sitting in front of the TV. Their obesity rates are really high. Diabetes mellitus the second type in some states is up to 9% of the population. But here the question is rather not about hamburgers and lifestyle, but about genetics. We have different genetics with them. Here, for example, there are a lot of diseases that were described to us at the institute as casuistry. At the same time, we also have something that they don’t have. Naturally, there are those who are exclusively hamburgers and TV, but there are not as many of them as it seems from Russia. In general, Americans lead healthier and more active lifestyles than Russians. Here, in principle, the reasons are not only that they are so thoughtful and correct compared to us. Sports here are more accessible and varied. And in our outback, of course, you can engage in sports solely on your own enthusiasm, but this can be fraught with health risks. Those with hamburgers and TV are called “potatoes” and are generally disapproved of. As for the TV itself, some people don’t have it for ideological reasons. Because you can watch films at the box office or buy them, but on TV there is only advertising and you can’t watch anything (on some channels this is indeed the case).

5. Americans do everything just for money. Not at all. Volunteering is very common and is encouraged in society if you spend your free time helping those in need for free. Often neighbors or acquaintances sit with children for nothing or help fix something in the house or car out of pure friendship. There are, of course, those who make money from this. However, it is customary for a person to declare his intentions regarding the financial side from the very beginning. Such a thing that first “how can I take money from you, you’re like family to me”, and then from friends “this bitch didn’t give me a penny” is rare. Moreover, it is common that if someone knows about the poor financial situation of the family, invite children to all sorts of lunches and dinners, take them along on entertainment, offer their help if, for example, those in need do not have a car.

6. America is a country without culture. I won’t write much about this, I’ll just say that in Russia they know very little about US culture and even less want to know. It's just nice to think we're better. Upon arrival, I was generally amazed by the presence large quantity very good films that we in Russia have never heard of.

7. Americans stupidly agree with the president in any decision. Here, of course, if a president is elected, it means the people trust him. But that doesn't mean everyone is delighted with this choice. For example, Obama disappointed many; more was expected from him, and first of all for the country. Not happy with US involvement in Libyan problems. Some people sympathize with the rebels, some believe that if there are problems in their country, there is no point in throwing money away, some say that although in general there was no need to get involved, this is a matter of US prestige on the world political stage. Well, someone agrees. It’s just that it’s not very common to discuss politics with the first person you meet. Moreover, unlike us, they prefer a more peaceful solution to the issue of the superiority of one party or another. Talk about “shooting and outweighing” the opposing party is very unwelcome.

8. Political correctness. For us, this is synonymous with softness. You have to hit the truth right in the eyes so that sparks will fly. I met a man with Asian features and told him straight to the point that he was narrow-eyed. This is our way. But it must be said that, hand on heart, no one expects a real rebuff from the “narrow-eyed” one. And when some national minorities begin to behave unpredictably, it simply disarms us. Here everything is clearly aimed at ensuring that national conflicts do not arise. People understand perfectly well that just one careless word can spark unrest. But it will be very, very difficult to extinguish them later. Moreover, everyone has the same rights before the court. Not to say, of course, that this is “honestly” everywhere. There are places where if you are the wrong color, then on average you have a better chance of going to jail for nothing. There are judges who are biased based on nationality (of course, not explicitly, but by indirect signs). There are places where national conflicts are smoldering, caused by the careless actions of security forces. But in general, the national issue... is a matter that is better to be “prevented” in every possible way, rather than “treated”

9. Americans constantly snitch on each other. Firstly, what is considered snitching? Secondly, the reporting of certain facts depends greatly on the situation. On average, it is quite normal in society to report “to the right place” if the law is broken. Here they don’t consider it shameful to go to the police or testify in court. There are, of course, nuances:

Although children are taught civic responsibility, in a children's environment a child who is always complaining and informing adults is not honored. They don't like snitches. Much depends on the environment where the child grows up. In areas with youth gangs, children tend to remain silent rather than report violations of the law to the authorities.

In different corporations and firms, the issue of snitching is posed differently. In some, the owners rely on the snitching of workers. The more and better you knock, the faster your career goes. But by society, such an environment is considered unhealthy, since you get excessive stress at work. Moreover, there are “family-type” companies where an employee who has stumbled will always be offered support and help and allowed to improve, without official sanctions.

Whether friends snitch on each other depends on the quality of the friends. It should be taken into account that the punishment for concealing a crime here is quite significant, up to and including imprisonment. So, covering for a friend and not informing on him is quite a brave fact. How much risk can you realistically take for a friend? Some take risks and even go to prison for their friends. By the way, for House fans. It just shows the attitude of Cuddy and Wilson to the issue of “snitching on a friend and not getting into trouble.”

Where you live also plays a role. You will be surprised, but it is a good area or a respectable town that can play a cruel joke on people. Sometimes they can snitch because of nonsense (since in our town this cannot be left unpunished), and sometimes they can hide a serious crime (so as not to spoil the reputation of the city). And this is also often played out in American films. Either about a stranger who went to prison because he was dressed incorrectly, or about some corpse behind a barn, which the whole city knows about, but remains steadfastly silent. The locations of youth gangs are usually not conducive to informing, because it can be fraught.

Neighbors generally try to resolve differences through peaceful negotiations. If negotiations reach a dead end, they resort to the help of the authorities.

Depends on the individual. There are natural-born informers. For example, yesterday my husband’s eldest daughter called and said that they have new neighbors who have already exhausted everyone with complaints to all authorities. Since there is essentially nothing to complain about, the complaints are basically: “the neighbor had a tape recorder on his porch and was playing a Bach recording, but I can’t stand Bach, so I suffered mentally” or “at 9.15 the neighbor comes out to his kitchen in his shorts and pours coffee. This can be seen from our attic window when hung at a 45 degree angle to the northwest. The sight of my neighbor in his underwear offends me.” How are they treated? Usually both the authorities and the residents are treated as unpleasant assholes. The reaction is different, depending on how sick these people are.

10. Americans endlessly sue each other, win and make decent money from it. Despite the fact that quite often there are reports in the press that some John Smith won several million from the corporation, this is far from the rule. You can even be completely right in some matter, but lose in court. Depends on the lawyer. There are many lawyers, there is a lot of competition, but this does not mean that they all work better because of this. Sometimes a lawyer may simply sit out time in court, formally interjecting "yes, your honor" with "no, your honor." So finding the right lawyer is an urgent problem here. At the same time, companies and organizations that citizens sue usually have very strong lawyers who can tear up a rag in court. And in order for you to make an unpleasant impression on the jury or judge, they can shake out all the dirty linen from your past without any remorse. It happens that there is actually something to sue for (often claims against insurance companies), but they are not sued.

On the other hand, the population is really very provoked into legal proceedings. In Florida, on almost every kilometer there is a banner with the face of a kind and honest man who offers you an inexpensive opportunity to hire him to solve some problem. More often these are accidents, industrial accidents and side effects of drugs (especially regarding the birth of sick children while taking the drug). Those. situations where the defendant cannot escape. Not all lawyers take on dubious cases. For example, several people told me about the difficulties of hiring a lawyer when dividing responsibility for children between parents. The matter is slippery and does not promise victory. All kinds of harassment at work and sexual cases depend on the skill of the lawyer. A skilled specialist can turn any bullshit into a chilling story. But even if there are real problems, you can mediocrely blow it and end up up to your ears in the mud .

For once I had the time and desire to write something. And I decided to describe my life in the USA. About that godfather lives well in America.

Let me briefly describe the situation. Initially, I planned to go there for six months as a vacation to the warm Alabama climes closer to the friendly waters of the Gulf of Mexico. For a long time, my family members asked me to relax by the sea. So much for rest. But it so happened that while I was traveling, there was a crisis in Russia, my employer in Russia did not have the money to pay me a salary, so I was stuck in the USA. And the family returned home safely as originally planned.

Now on topic.

To move to the USA, I needed to raise/borrow about $10 thousand. This included tickets for four (half the total amount), buying a car for $2,000 (a sprightly old 1997 Ford Taurus Wagon), paying deposits and payments for the first month (apartment, electricity, water), and minimal furnishings. I went there for the second time, which saved me a lot of money and effort. Six months in advance, I wrote an application for an apartment in a good area, i.e. with a decent school (if you want your children not to be bullied, but to be helped to adapt, then this is important), even before departure I found a car on craigslist and literally 2 days after arrival I was already settled.

In terms of finances, it works out like this. The average household salary in the United States is about $50,000 per year, or about $4,000 per month. This is very close to my salary. From this salary you need to deduct taxes and health insurance ($300 for a family + $60 dental extension), as well as small payments such as parking fees near the university 25 per month and something else. In general, I received 2700 in my hands. From here I had to pay 750 for an apartment, 80 for electricity, 50 for water, about 500 for food, 100 for phones, about 300 for gasoline, 100 for car insurance. Everything is minimal and no frills. Unplanned expenses also regularly arose in the region of 200-300 dollars per month. For example, fixing a car, getting the kids ready for school, going somewhere. I saved as much as I could on lunch - I took sandwiches from home. But if you dine in the canteen, that’s another $150 a month. In general, there was about 500-600 dollars left in the established months. But before all this settled down, we had to pay urgent debts for 3 months for $1000. Just imagine that we simply saved on everything, including food, electricity, water, etc.

But here's the point. The whole country lives on such salaries. Why? It's simple. Kindergarten here it costs about $600 per month for one child. If you have two children, then your wife no longer has to go to work, because it’s difficult for her to earn more than $1,500 a month net. Some waitresses earn about $800. Therefore, a large part of the United States stays at home with children until all children are at least 5 years old. Further, the problem is not solved, but only simplified a little. School ends at 14:45. If the child is not picked up by his parents at this time, he is automatically enrolled in after-school care costing $6 per day. This is a solution for many, but for some it is not. And now an army of housewives sits on their husbands’ necks, which results in their own special problems. But that’s not about that now.

It's even more fun. Health insurance does not cover all expenses, but only 80%. Those. came to the doctor, the doctor just look at you and pay 40 dollars. And if something serious happened and you ended up in hospital... People pay for it for many years later. The most interesting thing is that hospitals deliberately inflate prices for insurance companies. If you pay without insurance, it turns out to be much cheaper (than with insurance). Here you live, pay for everything, you have 600 dollars a month left, 300 of them you pay for a car loan, and then bam, something happens with the child. And you are completely in the red for months.

More interesting feature The USA is a paid education. Moreover, it is quite expensive. For example, the University of Alabama wants $3,500 per semester. BUT! This is one of the lowest ranked universities and its prices are low. The second BUT is that this price is only for local Alabamians. Everyone else pays $12,000 per semester. And so your children go to school... The vast majority go into debt. I can’t imagine how they get out of them (you saw the layout above). Others earn money on the side, but you'll likely have to pay at least part of it. Live happily and do not deny yourself anything. If you don't die of hunger.

In general, the result is that there is no fairy-tale life in the USA. The vast majority live very poorly. Yes, they have cars, but you should see what kind of dinosaurs sometimes end up on their roads. It’s simply impossible to live without a car in this country. Public transport exists only in large cities like New York, Atlanta, etc. And in most of the USA there is no public transport never happened since birth. And to get to work, sometimes you have to travel many miles by car.

Separately, I want to say about the shops. Everything I could compare turned out to be more expensive in the USA. The cheapest store is Wallmart. So, in it, for example, apples cost 4 dollars for 3 pounds PLUS TAX. People often forget about the tax because it is not indicated on the price tag. Those. in rubles it’s about 100 rubles per kg. In Monetka, I bought it at almost the same time for 40 rubles.

I am sure that many will immediately begin to rightly point out: in the USA you can get a salary of 70 thousand dollars a year or more. Yes, but there is often a pitfall: these salaries are offered in very expensive cities. A friend of mine works in Los Alamos. They just gave him 70. But there you can rent a closet for $2,000. In the end, the same applies to him.

No, if you are lucky enough to receive a salary of 150 or 250 thousand dollars a year, then you will be a wealthy person and the cards are in your hands. But not everyone can count on that kind of money. Once again: the average income of US households is 50 thousand dollars per year.

Often young people describe in all colors how fabulous life is in the USA. Yes, for one person, 2700 net per month is very good. Apparently this is why the white population of the country is dying out.

UPDATE: This is my situation living as a family of four, half of whom are children. Other people may have different situations. Someone may find a better paying job. Someone can live without a family.

By the way, let’s imagine the situation without a family. Health insurance from 360 drops to about $60 per month. Gasoline costs less than $100 a month for one person. If you have children, you must have an apartment with two bedrooms, to which a living room and a dining room are automatically added, not counting the kitchen, built-in wardrobes, toilets, etc. For one, a studio apartment is enough, which will cost $200 less, twice as much. 3 utility costs will decrease. The phone becomes cheaper, food costs are reduced by 2 times or more. In total, on my salary, a single person can leave about 1000-1500 dollars a month in savings. This is already very good and you can look wealthy.

Another situation is when both spouses are highly qualified and highly paid specialists. Even taking into account childbirth and kindergarten fees of $1,200 a month for two children, they will have a significant increase in their budget.
There is no need to talk about situations with high salaries - the situation is obvious.

But in my post I’m just conveying the idea that my situation is more typical for the United States, because the average household income roughly corresponds to my case.

After all, in addition to the Russians, who received a great Soviet education for free, there are millions of Native Americans living here, for whom access to education is simply denied for financial reasons. Both they and their children will always vegetate with salaries of 800-2000 dollars a month. And besides them there is simply a colossal army of illegal migrants who will never receive more than $800 a month.