Elektrine lite

← Feed

@cwicseolfor@zeroes.ca

2026-01-18 14:38 UTC

@theblackpage@mstdn.social @em_swsurrey@mastodonapp.uk I really wonder about this nowadays - they don’t know the statistics, usually, but impressions of what’s better? Certainly it was true of many boomers to think America was the best nation etc. - raised when the US had late joined the Second World War and prospered while Europe was still recovering - and anyone who falls for the Republican Party, but from the millennials who came of age in the recession and afterwards, I think the sentiment tends to be that the US is exceptional(…ly terrible.) But there’s also a sentiment, at least where I grew up, that relocation to anywhere in Europe is a pipe dream, only possible for the unattainably wealthy (possibly because there’s a projection of the terribly punishing US immigration system, and not a little also because what IS shown to US folks about immigration in Europe is the welcome given to capsizing refugee boats, which is both truly ugly and also selectively depicted.) But I do think there’s a preponderance of at least young people (and many older ones) that if they were given free choice they’d rather have been in Europe, by which what’s really being said is European governance and values. Even considering the circumstances of having been born here and needing to leave families, etc., it was shown a significant number would leave the US permanently if they could (though doing so does nothing to stop the problem, which is also hellbent on exporting itself, it would be much better for everyone to fix things here.)

Replies (1)

  • @theblackpage@mstdn.social 2026-01-18 19:00

    @cwicseolfor@zeroes.ca @em_swsurrey@mastodonapp.uk Most US citizens don't have a passport nor seem very interested in life outside the US. MAGA could not have swayed them into electing Trump if they had been better informed. Convincing people that they are 'special' and deserve more than others is part of the mechanism that enables autocrats. There are many Americans living in Europe and it's a lot easier for them than it is for EU citizens to obtain a green card in the US. But yes, fix the US and save the world!

    Open ##2418223