If you don’t know less than 50% of Americans have a passport. The ones who don’t, I really see the limitation in their thinking. They never saw that most of the world is in fact freer than them, has a better system in place for their people, and doesn’t have some of the major problems that America has. I’m currently in a country where over 90% of items are made in that country. America (made in China) can’t comprehend this efficiency. P.S. I’m American
The thing that gets me though is how dangerous many Americans say other parts of the world is without having ever been there lol. I travel and I’ll tell you America is the MOST dangerous country outside of warzones. Yes even more dangerous that Arab countries for women. Lol I know that propaganda is in a lot of Americans minds.
OK so who’s actually been outside the country and can talk geopolitics and actually know from experience what they are talking about?
American here, currently sitting in the AFT cafeteria of a Norwegian cruise ship just off the coast of France. Saved for years to go on this once in a lifetime cruise.
I grew up on the edge of poor. Had basics and never went hungry, but our summer vacations were camping because it was cheap. Never went to Disneyland until I was in the Army and could afford it myself.
While I agree that going abroad is definitely eye opening, even traveling to other states increases your open-mindedness. I joined the Army and was stationed in Alabama, Georgia, Alaska and Washington. Going back home and reuniting with friends who never left the state or even left the general area was kind of shocking. Never being exposed to an even slightly different environment really showed in their attitude.
While I was in the Army, I was sent to Missouri and a couple of other states I can’t remember right now for a month or so for training or field problems, and short trips show how even though I was still in the same country, there were definitely societal, geographical and political differences in each place.
Expanding that to traveling other countries was also eye opening. The Army sent me to Thailand for a month. My current job sent me to Australia and S. Korea and a couple of other states for 2-3 weeks at a time. I liked hitting the tourist spots, but I really enjoyed just watching people wherever I am. Once you see that (for the most part) people are people, you start to get that just because someone’s idea is different than yours, doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it’s just different.
I don’t have much to say about geopolitics off the top of my head, but I used to scoff at pedestrian-friendly designs and subscribe to the idea that car ownership is freedom and roads are for cars only. Living in Germany for a few months and enjoying public transit made me perish those old thoughts.
Among developed nations, the US should not get any awards for safety, but I would argue that there’s certainly worse out there without venturing into warzones.
Who is going to pay for such a luxury? Im not even sure if i would go if given money. Id probably just pay for a better car.
What’s the point in going somewhere else? Its just desperate working class people scrounging what they can to pay for living expenses in a different location.
Traveling is depressing as fuck.
No. I grew up poor. I was a poor young adult. Now I’m okay, but now I’m concerned with possibly ending up poor again. It’s like a stone around my neck.
Got a passport though. I’d love to be able to just move to another country (I swear I will learn whatever language I gotta, do my best to integrate, and not be too “outspoken American” if that is heavily frowned upon).
I believe you can do it.
American centrism aah post
Could you share the link to your post that doesn’t focus on the USA?
I’ve only travelled outside of America.
Had some ideas about visiting the US for Gencon, but 2025 doesn’t seem like a good year for that.
Yes, quite a lot. I’ve never actually been to America though.
Sooooo funny haaaaaa
Something I really envy is the EU controls on food. Much of what passes for food here in the US is heavily processed, GMO, misleadingly labeled, etc.
it’s just the corporate way… lie, cheat, steal and murder.
Very true. Americans eat food not even fit for low beast. They think nutella is healthy and French fries are good because “Potato is vegie”. I’ve literally heard people say this in person. I had to leave them to eat slop on their own
Yup. American living in Germany for 2.5 years now, been traveling all over EU and UK…the world is a huge place and there’s a LOT of people. Most of them never think about the states and will never have any reason to. Germany may not be my favorite place, especially since i really struggle with the language so i know i dont fully understand a lot of things here. But the EU in general has a lot of things going way better.
With that said…everywhere always has its own issues as well. The grass isn’t always completely greener, if you will.
I’m not a huge traveler, but I’ve been to the UK and parts of Europe. The Czech Republic was my favorite place, of the places I’ve been. Ironically never been to Canada, despite having some extended family there. I would love to go, and I love being in foreign places, but I hate getting there. Travel is awful, especially now.
I’ve lived in both urban and rural areas, and the fear is constant everywhere among people who have never traveled. Urban people are afraid that everyone in the country is a Deliverance KKK member, and rural people think the cities are a gang-infested war zone. What’s wild is that, unlike visiting other countries, they could just hop in the car and visit the city or countryside for a weekend. They are consuming lazy media tropes and taking them as fact.
Traveling, even just regional travel, would benefit a lot of people in the USA. We have way more in common with each other than with the oligarchs.
Urban people are afraid that everyone in the country is a Deliverance KKK member
Idk, some parts of the US are genuinely dangerous if you aren’t the right kind of person. When I drive across the US I stop to piss and get gas/food and that’s about it. Being stared down by the locals or refused service is a thing that happens, or worse if you don’t take the hint. I’m black and gay and yeah there’s just places that are off limits.
Not my job to sit down and have a dialogue with them or change minds and open hearts, I GTFO before I become a missing person.
Cyclist gets detained in Russia, basketball player detained in russia, tourist gets put into coma before dying for stealing North Korean poster, hikers detained in Iran. There are a lot of people with passports and these glowing ideas that were all the same, and going to places will broker friendships and change things. These may be enlightened ideals, but very, very stupid actions. Going to Mexico is fine but you better fucking be smart about it. Go with a large group and stay where you’re supposed to, you should be fine. My company had at least 2 security guards for anyone taking business trips to Mexico because they’ve had to pay ransoms in the past.
To act like going to dangerous places is enlightening is a very stupid take. Look at how many journalists died in Gaza, and those are a supposedly protected group who generally know what they’re doing. Extreme tourism is absolutely stupid in my opinion. I traveled enough while in the army and don’t currently have a passport, nor am I interested in getting one. If I ever leave this country again, it will be permanent.
Look at you obsessed with Russian, Iran, North Korea I’m surprised you didn’t name China. You would have made American propagandist proud. Gaza is the result of the Devil nation of Israel but you know that.
No one told you to go to dangerous countries lol, damn the American mindset is a cancer on the earth.
I think you read my response through a filter. China has tons of Americans there doing just fine. Just don’t go public with any dissent and you’re fine. That’s not the case with the other places I mentioned.
Your initial post acted like there’s nowhere on earth that is just straight up dangerous for westerners and that’s purely fantasy. Yeah there are places Americans consider more dangerous than they are, I’ll give you that very minor point. However, there’s also a real legitimate reason that Americans pretend to be Canadian when traveling. And there’s a legitimate reason that places are hostile to Americans, but not Canadians. You’re just being ignorant with altruistic values, but it’s ignorance all the same.
Edit: or at least, that’s how I’m taking your ignorance, with a whole bunch of benefit of doubt.
I have many times, and I agree that travel is a good thing. But don’t be so quick to scoff at Americans who don’t travel overseas. Traveling is expensive. The flight alone from my house to Frankfurt or Tokyo (for example) is at least $1,500 per person, and a day of travel each way. That’s out of reach for a lot of people. Hell, it’s out of reach for me now that I have a family to bring with me. The most basic, banal holiday overseas would easily exceed $10,000. Nevermind the luxury of being able to spend enough time there to understand local takes on geopolitics.
If you don’t know less than 50% of Americans have a passport.
169,915,821 passport holders out of 342,034,432 Americans is 49.5% and that’s from this year(2025) as over June. So I don’t care what bad math that news site was doing.
THIS year it’s just getting to cross over the 50% mark. But the fact that you came here to tell me that dumb shi instead of answering the question let’s me know what type you are
The US is huge and there is a lot to see. I know working class people who only travel as far as they can drive in a day trip. As far as America being “the MOST dangerous country outside of warzones” while it is popular to badmouth where you live (familiarity breeds contempt) I’ve never felt my life is in danger anywhere in the US. On the other hand I don’t go into areas likely to be crime ridden and these exist in other countries too.
Yes, lots of Americans don’t go beyond the Carribean and don’t have passports simply because they can spend a lifetime traveling around North America. They in turn have lots of stereotypes of all the places they’ve never been. People think the French are all horribly hostile snobs, I found them friendly, Turkey was like Midnight Express, ummm, no, and China is a police state with agents following your every step, nope. I was more worried about wandering off and getting lost than anything else in China.
most of the world is in fact freer than them, has a better system in place for their people, and doesn’t have some of the major problems that America has
Very debatable. Every country has its own issues and restrictions. Turkey is an autocracy for instance. Vietnam is a single party state with major corruption problems, etc. Switzerland is safe but very expensive. You seem to have a narrow view of the world.
Lived in Japan for 6 years (2 as military 4 as a civilian), best place I’ve ever been and my number one regret in life is not doing whatever it would have taken to stay.
Also traveled to France, Italy, and Germany at different times in my life and I was pretty impressed by those places as well.
