Exactly, I'm one of the low-middle class($25,000-$45,000/year) citizens, and yet I don't even get qualifications for health care, I've been on no insurance since july of 2006. My parent's total income each year is less than the minimum requisites for these things.Yet the lady next door, who has a crack addiction , gets it? I don't even get college scholarships, the rich kids sure as hell do, evidence in case one of my best friends from middle school who's parents are rich as hell, gets a scholarship paid in full for by the state of Florida. My parents pull disability which has helped me get through this year, leaving me lucky enough to be able to afford things I've waited on like a laptop and a cell phone of my own, paid for in full with cash by myself.
Now I have to struggle and find a job which I have been doing for about the last three years, all applications been denied. I wasn't good enough for fucking Target, Wal-Mart or Goodwill.
Point is: America is shit, unless you have money,a drug problem, and a few connections to get a decent job.

Honestly, I can relate to you. My husband is a teacher in middle school, and he doesn't even make enough wages to cover insurance for the family. He has insurance, my kids have medicaid, which is goverment..but I have nothing. I have diabetes and high blood pressure, but no insurance of any kind. The government seems to think I am not sick enough for their services.
It's sad to think that my husband does something like teach and we can't even afford a trip to McDonald's, once in a blue moon, for coffee.
I babysit, but that doesn't make enough but for groceries and gas. So, yeah, I relate to you LadyKayra!

I work at Wal-Mart at 7.20 an hour. I have a 3 month old son and a wife. And we are living just fine. I work my butt off, we save money 'til we're blue in the face, and now we've got a nice bank account and live a nice life. We don't have fancy things or go watch movies every other night or anything, but we're not complaining.

and I make enough at Wal-Mart to pay for insurance for my wife and my son. How does he not make enough?

Where do you even live?

I have a decent house with fairly cheap rent, and only have the necessities *with the exception of internet, which is a pseudo necessity for my boyfriend's classes* and there is NO way we could ever save anything

I make less than $14, 000 a year. I don't get any of those either, but you don't hear me complaining. I want to work for what I have. That's why America is seen as wimps. We don't work for what we want. We want the government to give it to us.

I agree to a point. Hit up New York or LA, California... very materialistic. I'm not big on material possessions. I have what I need, I buy what my family needs, I donate to the homeless when I can. =)

But what country isn't good if you're rich? xD

Firstly, I've been to the US a few times (New York City, San Francisco, LA... New Hampshire :P), and there's a lot of things I like about it. Like the fact that in summer you get better weather than us (although it was a little too hot and humid in LA for my liking), or the fact clothes are cheaper there, and desserts and ice cream are way better than we get here. :) And clam chowder is pretty delicious. And you make much better TV (I hardly watch any British shows at all!). And for the most part the Americans I've met have been lovely people (except those working in the HI I stayed in in NY. They were just rude! In fact, a lot of people were rude in New York). I also have a few really great American friends here on Bloop.

However, I have also met many many Americans who fulfill several stereotypes (and are probably the reason why such stereotypes exist), such as the following:

- the 'America is better than anywhere else, so why on earth would I want to ever leave this country and travel?' attitude
- a general ignorance of the world outside of America
- an inability to understand why any other country would do anything different to how America does it, or to why they would talk differently (lets not forget that the English language did not originate in America!)
- an inability to get the British sense of humour
- a tendency to be easily sent into mass panic at the government's demand (I happend to be flying out of LAX on 11th September 2004, three years after 9/11 and the airport was covered in signs saying that they were on 'high terrorist alert'! It was insane!)

Of course I'm not saying every American is like that, I'm not even saying most are like that. But I do think there's a sufficient number like that to maintain the stereotype, and I do think those attitudes are far more prevalent amongst Americans that say Brits or Australians.

And I like visiting the states, and there's more parts of it I'd still like to see, but no, I wouldn't want to live there. Above are some of the reasons, but there's others too, such as I don't believe in paying for health care. In the UK we have a national health service and honestly, some of the stories I've read on Bloop about peoples experiences with health care (particularly birth stories) in the US really shock me. I'd never choose to deliver a baby in the US over the UK. I also think gun laws should be stricter, and I'd prefer to live in a country where I'm less likely to get shot. And I think it's ridiculous that in the US you can own a gun at 18 but you can't drink alcohol until you're 21. In the UK alcohol can be drank legally from the age of 18, which I think is much more appropriate.

So yeah, I generally like America, and Americans, for that matter, but I wouldn't want to live there.

lol - I am almost the opp - I watch more of our BBCA channels we get here then I do of our own networks

What British shows do you get? You get Dr Who don't you? (I actually do watch that) But what others?

Of course Dr Who (although there have not been any new ones on for about a year now :( )
Torchwood
primeval
we still have the last season of Hotel Babylon to re-run through (thank god! I assume they have canned that show?)
I cannot live without topgear!
Dragons den
HEX is in re-runs again
Robin Hood I think is coming back for another season
Monty Python's flying circus
Ghram Norton show (the weekend nights I am up to catch it. it comes on at an ungodly 2am)
wire in the blood
I've caught a few episodes of mistresses but I am not overly fond of it.
Trying to decide if I like Ashes to Ashes or not still

OMG I loved Hex. Absolutely loved it. The main guy is so sexy as well.

And Top Gear is TV heaven. I love them all, but especially Clarkson.

Oh I watch Primeval, but they just killed off my favourite character (I won't say, as you probably haven't seen it) and I've lost interest lately.

Jeremy Clarkson is an idiot. Other than that Top Gear was mildly entertaining when my ex-boyfriend used to make me watch it.

Graham Norton is great but his old channel 4 show years ago was better.

But yup, you definitely watch more British TV than I do (for me Dr Who, Primeval, Britain's Got Talent and X Factor are pretty much it! I'd much rather watch American shows! Even if it is very un-patriotic of me!)

talking about stephen? I thought she somehow brings him back in the 2nd season? It shows him in the promo's for the 2nd season.

We're onto season 3. And yes, Stephen is in season 2 (but not season 3). But the person I'm talking about is someone else, who was killed off at the start of season 3 (I'll tell you if you want, but I don't want to spoil it for you).

*pouts* well they wont kill off the main charector, so I suppose its connor?

How do you know they won't kill of the main character?

Do you want me to just tell you? And then we can stop filling up valuable forum space with chat about a TV show most Americans will never have heard of. ;D

(Clue: Remember I'm Scottish, and I said it was my favourite character. Gosh, that might be a little obvious. Well it's your own fault for pushing!)

I should say this is the second character they've killed off as well. They killed another one off at the end of season 2.

I DO LOVE GRAHAM NORTON, YO - ALTHOUGH HE WAS DEFINITELY FUNNIER BACK IN THE DAY WHEN HE WAS MORE RISQUE AND LESS MAINSTREAM! ;D GOSH, YO - HE USED TO TOTALLY CRACK ME UP! GOSH, IF I WAS NOT AN ASEXUAL, AND IF I WAS A MAN, I WOULD TOTALLY MARRY HIM! ;D

I actually think you're right about most of the stereotypes. I am not American, but I've been living in the U.S. for 9 years and I'm still amazed of some people's ignorance towards other cultures/languages, especially considering that America is a melting pot of nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. New York City is amazing, and unlike any city in the world. The best thing is that it is in America but it's not America. I love it!

"And I think it's ridiculous that in the US you can own a gun at 18 but you can't drink alcohol until you're 21. In the UK alcohol can be drank legally from the age of 18, which I think is much more appropriate."

THANK YOU!

Thank you for agreeing. :)

It's one of the most ridiculous things I can think of for the US. At 18 years old you can legally get married, have a child, fight in a war, smoke a cigarette/chew tobacco, buy a home, have a full time job, have a 401K, and yet..... you CAN'T drink. Where is the logic?!

I agree! haha!

I'll respond in much the same way as I did to someone else's.

If I thought somewhere else was better, why would I keep living here? Of course I think America is the best. I also happen to be a patriot.

I am not ignorant. I just don't like the rest of the world. You want us to solve all your problems. And when we do help someone, all anybody does is rag on us. It's lose-lose for us, and I'm sick of it. So step off.

We were taught and raised in the way we do things. We were told how others do them, but we were taught our way. It's the same reason I don't fault some old people for being privately prejudice.