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As someone who, like you, was born in Europe, I feel like half of those points are open for debate and the other half are nonsensical. Are you saying that the n

by hnarn 7y ago

As someone who, like you, was born in Europe, I feel like half of those points are open for debate and the other half are nonsensical. Are you saying that the nation that is the home of the Flint water crisis and has a weaker Environmental Protection Agency than ever is something you move to in order to get "cleaner air and water"? What do you mean when you say "diversity"? Have you been to the mid west? There are "un-diverse" and "diverse" areas of almost every country. People in the US are "optimistic"? "Friendly" and "humble"? The claim that Americans are "humble" when compared internationally is almost laughable (probably even by most americans), and I doubt that "friendliness" is really something you see drastic differences in around the globe. For the the last one there's no need to ask your gut because there are studies made regarding in what countries people feel the most optimistic about the future. As a matter of fact, most of them have pointed out China as the most optimistic country, which may make sense in a perspective of economical relative growth, but it doesn't on its own make me want to buy an apartment in Shanghai.

avocado4 7y ago
http://maps.who.int/airpollution/ http://maps.who.int/airpollution/
- mcv 7y ago
  It is entirely unclear to me what that map represents. Is air pollution the worst in the Sahara, where practically nobody lives?
- hnarn 7y ago
  In the zoomed out view shown by default the air quality is visualized as almost identical in Europe and the U.S. so I'm not sure what you're trying to say. I'd also encourage you to think about the correlation between air quality and population density -- compare the Scandinavian countries for example with the large swaths of land in the U.S. that have excellent air quality: they likely have one thing in common which is the amount of people that actually live there.
golergka 7y ago
> I doubt that "friendliness" is really something you see drastic differences in around the globe So, you have never been to Eastern Europe or CIS countries.
- hnarn 7y ago
  Does your definition or "friendliness" assume that you speak the local language? Because if the answer is yes, I have no doubt you can find equally friendly (and rude) people in Eastern Europe as you can in Beijing, London, Cairo or New York. You may have a different opinion but I believe that there is a basic level of humanity anywhere in the world, and that this level often has an inverse correlation with material wealth.[1] That being said, if you can't use mutually intelligible words for things, people tend to become a bit reserved. That's something that's true everywhere in the world. If you assume an English speaker traveling around, I would argue it's not a fair comparison to equate the friendliness of a stranger in Russia with the friendliness of a stranger in the United States, for example -- not only because of pure language reasons, but also for simple reasons of historical, educational, and cultural context. Not that finding a rude American is hard, mind you. I'm speaking from experience as an ESL speaker who has been there several times :-) (But, to answer your question, no, I have unfortunately not been to EE/CIS -- but I have been to China, which I think is a strong contender.) [1]: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/save/why-poor-people-tend-to-be-more-generous-than-the-rich/articleshow/65078320.cms https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/save/why-poor-pe...
  - golergka 7y ago
    I was born and live in Eastern Europe. I have also lived in Israel for a few years, and have visited other countries for significant period of time. People here are much less trusting and are much more aggressive to others. It is actually LESS visible if you're a foreigner, because people are also concerned with self-image, and don't really perceive you as a threat or a contender for anything. As an American who doesn't speak Russian, you'll get a much better treatment from stranger on a street than another Russian would. > I believe that there is a basic level of humanity anywhere in the world, and that this level often has an inverse correlation with material wealth. Every possible crime statistics contradicts this. Poor countries in general view violence as something more normalised than advanced ones.

by hnarn 7y ago

avocado4 7y ago

http://maps.who.int/airpollution/ http://maps.who.int/airpollution/

mcv 7y ago
It is entirely unclear to me what that map represents. Is air pollution the worst in the Sahara, where practically nobody lives?
hnarn 7y ago
In the zoomed out view shown by default the air quality is visualized as almost identical in Europe and the U.S. so I'm not sure what you're trying to say. I'd also encourage you to think about the correlation between air quality and population density -- compare the Scandinavian countries for example with the large swaths of land in the U.S. that have excellent air quality: they likely have one thing in common which is the amount of people that actually live there.

golergka 7y ago

> I doubt that "friendliness" is really something you see drastic differences in around the globe So, you have never been to Eastern Europe or CIS countries.

hnarn 7y ago
Does your definition or "friendliness" assume that you speak the local language? Because if the answer is yes, I have no doubt you can find equally friendly (and rude) people in Eastern Europe as you can in Beijing, London, Cairo or New York. You may have a different opinion but I believe that there is a basic level of humanity anywhere in the world, and that this level often has an inverse correlation with material wealth.[1] That being said, if you can't use mutually intelligible words for things, people tend to become a bit reserved. That's something that's true everywhere in the world. If you assume an English speaker traveling around, I would argue it's not a fair comparison to equate the friendliness of a stranger in Russia with the friendliness of a stranger in the United States, for example -- not only because of pure language reasons, but also for simple reasons of historical, educational, and cultural context. Not that finding a rude American is hard, mind you. I'm speaking from experience as an ESL speaker who has been there several times :-) (But, to answer your question, no, I have unfortunately not been to EE/CIS -- but I have been to China, which I think is a strong contender.) [1]: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/save/why-poor-people-tend-to-be-more-generous-than-the-rich/articleshow/65078320.cms https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/save/why-poor-pe...
- golergka 7y ago
  I was born and live in Eastern Europe. I have also lived in Israel for a few years, and have visited other countries for significant period of time. People here are much less trusting and are much more aggressive to others. It is actually LESS visible if you're a foreigner, because people are also concerned with self-image, and don't really perceive you as a threat or a contender for anything. As an American who doesn't speak Russian, you'll get a much better treatment from stranger on a street than another Russian would. > I believe that there is a basic level of humanity anywhere in the world, and that this level often has an inverse correlation with material wealth. Every possible crime statistics contradicts this. Poor countries in general view violence as something more normalised than advanced ones.