A post from Vago Damitio came across my Google+ stream yesterday. He's been living in Morocco and has recently return to the States. He had this to say:
Well, I see that the healthcare sucks, that public transportation outside of major metropolitan areas sucks, and that as a result Americans are forced to buy expensive cars and subsidize the auto and health insurance industries as well as the oil industry through being wage slaves to support their auto, transportation, health, and insurance costs – that the need to work all the time makes people eat less healthy foods thus increasing health issues, and that in general when I take a walk, the only people I encounter walking are either homeless, mentally ill, or on drugs. I've only been back ten days and already someone I know from high school was shot, my mother had to sit 13 hours in agonizing pain in the emergency room, and I've had to shell out about 1/3 of my savings to get a shitty car, make it pass inspection, and insure it…Wow. God bless America….
I've had similar moments when I've gone back to Chicago, or gone down to Washington State for the day. One thing I've noticed is that I have to say "Washington State" or "the outlets." If you just say "Washington," Canadians think you mean Washington, DC.
Conversations around health care are always an educational experience. The US health care system makes no sense to Canadians. I'd argue it simply makes no sense as "health care" because it is actually health insurance. As Vago points out, we're beholden to insurance companies at various points in order to do simple tasks, like get to work. There are numerous articles on long commutes, city ratings based on longest commute, it seems as if we've become deaf to what that actually means. Or more like it's been factored into having a job in the States. Long commutes are the norm, not the exception.
Violence is engrained in our heritage. News reports have dulled our awareness to that, but if you step back and compare our national anthem to that of Canada's, it's striking. Given the founding of our country, too, America was born out of violence. Makes me think of a line from Dexter: born in blood.
There are a number of things in the States that we tend to take for granted, too. Choice, for one. While our health care system leaves much to be desired, we do have a choice. We have a choice on which doctors we see, where we go for treatment and what kind or how much health insurance to get. Health insurance is mandatory in Canada, and in order to get something like an MRI or stress test done, you have to get a requisition and then wait, sometimes months, before you have the test done.
You can purchase items, like a big bottle of Gatorade, for a dollar. I have yet to find something in Vancouver that costs a dollar. Even on sale, it's still more than a dollar. And the choices aren't nearly as abundant as they are in the States. The one exception is toothpaste.
So while there is much to dislike about America after living abroad, there are some things to appreciate as well. Sometimes that presents a conflict, though. I haven't come to that bridge yet.