Dear Burgers, Yuropoor here...

Dear Burgers, Yuropoor here. I've been to your country two times and while I saw some pretty bad shit I really want to know how bad it became within the recent years, because I keep hearing conflicting stories. I've heard liberals and right-wingers claiming that it's just fine, while I hear some rather bad shit from lefties.

While I was there, I saw gated communities, a lot of homelessness, teenage vagabunds sleeping in people's backyards (!), crime, drug abuse, aloholism, scary types of baptism, etc. (I was in the South). Has this shit increased? Are people able to live off their jobs or do they need two jobs to make ends meet? I really want to know how bad it is because there is so many conflicting information out there.

The reason why there are conflicting reports is that not everyone's circumstances are the same. Homelessness is increasing though. If you read about conservatives or liberals claiming everything's just fine, it means they're trying to peddle a narrative or they're insulated from hardship. I work two jobs and can't find my own place to live on what I make, so I live with my family in Atlanta. I work in food service.

Burger who has lived in Europe a couple of time. I have to say it is objectively better in the Old World. Better public transportation, quality of life, health care etc. is awful in the US. Not to mention crime and race relations are worse plus housing prices are skyrocketing in cities due to gentrification, making everything unaffordable.
It honestly depends on the state, parts of this country is 3rd world tier especially in the South. Most people like to remain ignorant of how bad things have gotten but then again most Americans have a house and a car so they're content with that
Here it's not so much gated communities, just really nice suburbs by golf courses, so it's super expensive and the poor people flock to the inner cities
Homeless people tend to chill by underpasses and highways, I don't know much about teenage runaways but I do know of a few people in highschool who lived with friends due to shit families
Crime has gotten worse and more people use drugs as escapism. I bet illegal drugs will become even more popular
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I mean I know we got our crazy Christians down here but I haven't heard anything about this? Explain in detail.
tl;dr Yes
Most people work long hours and overtime to pay rent here especially if you are in a restaurant industry. Right to work laws prevent people from forming unions so wages here are low

That's fucked. Aren't rents rather cheap in burgerland compared to other western countries due to cheap construction and precarious labor? My American girlfriend used to rent out a house with her brother for 1100$ or something with two stories, two bathrooms, garden, etc.

I've met a fair share of people who were associated with a baptist community in some way. I thought their influence was remarkable, I saw Christian schools where there are two sidewalks (one for boys, one for girls), locally reputable colleges that refuse to show paintings with nipples in art class, stuff like that. I've heard from people my age that a lot of parents are or were self-proclaimed preachers. Someone told me his sister had an exorcism (!) and that they juice instead of communion wine because everybody in the church is a former alcoholic. I mean, say what you want about the Catholic Church, but at least they have regulations when it comes to priesthood and not every nutcase can pick up a mic and preach in the name of the church.

This is what I saw in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Damn nigga, really? Which state? Was she by a city? My current place is $1000/month and it's duplex (half a shotgun house) with 2 beds and 1 bath with a nice backyard. That's a steal here, I heard if you move out of the city you can find a nice place for $1000/month

I only recently started my second job. Before that, I was making barely $500 a month which would have just barely covered rent and nothing else for a decent single room in a leased house. Otherwise, I don't have friends to rent a whole house with ;;;___;;; I'm gonna see how much I'm making after a month working both jobs.

It depends on where you live, but the cheaper the area the lower paying the jobs. Also a lot of the "cheapness" is shallow, for example the state I live in has very "low" cost of living on the surface but when you factor in there is no public transportation so you have to pay for a car and all the shit that comes with it (oil changes, state inspections, gas, break changes, etc.) it ends up being pretty expensive compared to a place with slightly higher rent and public transport. A lot of "cheap" places to rent also don't include things like utilities, internet, and some places even require renter insurance which can be a few hundred a year, AND they require an upfront deposit that costs as much as first months rent, so even getting a place to live that's a no bedroom 400 sq. foot closet can cost over $1000 up front. If you're living pay check to paycheck sometimes that's just not do-able.

In Europe it's the exact opposite. Finding an affordable place in the city is impossible.

It was in a small town about one hour away from Charlotte, a place below average I'd say, but a nice house.

Plus, most apartment complexes have rules saying you have to make a certain amount above rent, like three times as much, which would be reasonable if I could even make that much, plus credit checks, which keep you locked into your station

Nobody said anything was affordable in the city. Nothing is affordable anywhere if you don't have a good job

I think I've never seen a country with worse public transport than the US. I've recently sold my car because I don't need it, I have a train station in front of my door that brings me everywhere in the city within a hour maximum, a grocery store is 4 minutes away by foot. In the US, I remember we had to drive 20 minutes to a grocery store, I thought that was an infrastructual deficit.

I once decided just to talk a stroll arround the area, and I was baffled how there weren't any sidewalks and cars were honking at me. I always think this leads to a very alienated social life, in Europe you can go out, walk a bit, drink a beer in public and then sit in some street cafe. I got the impression Americans meet each other in grocery stores, gyms, etc. I don't wanna praise Europe here, we have our fair share of problems too, but I think the main reason why I could never live in the USA is that I could never just grab a beer at a kiosk two minutes away from me and meet a friend or whatever.

At least in the county I live in, I know homelessness is steadily increasing. I'm in California, which already has expensive housing costs. There are significantly more panhandlers around here than there were just 10 years ago. Drugs are common. Particularly methamphetamine, and about every month another honey oil lab either gets busted or catches fire.

I'd also like to add that around here they love long leases, so an apartment that's $600 a month is only that low if you sign a 12-month lease agreement, if you just want 6 months they'll charge you a couple hundred more a month and with my agreement if I chose to go month-to-month instead of the lease I have now it'd be over $400 extra. This keeps you locked into areas and makes it very hard to move because everything has to be timed just right: a new job lined up where you want to live (because a lot of apartments will not rent out to you if you don't have an active job), submitting you're 30-60 day lease ending notice, being able to pay fees for new place to live, etc. It becomes even harder if you have school or a family that you have to schedule around.

A lot of people (usually Boomers) act as if packing up and moving for greener pastures is so easy and it's just laziness or something, but moving is so fucking expensive for a gamble at a marginally better life.

Baptists and protestants are fucking nuts. They're basically fundies. I remember when I stayed over at a baptist friend's house, his parents were super strict. They told me that Halloween was to worship the devil (wtf? I'm 10 and just want candy) and that alcohol is sinful. These people aren't grounded in reality whatsoever.
If by remarkable you mean upsetting than yes. The Christian right is losing it's grip though, they aren't a prominent as they used to be but everyone has to appeal to the religious nuts at some point if you live in the South.
Some schools are gender segregated but I've never seen the sidewalk thing, sounds weird. Americans are really weird about PDA and sexual images in public. Fucking puritan culture
I'm glad I live in a state with a large Catholic population. All the baptists and protestants live in North Louisiana. Guess our French and Spanish heritage helped in some strange way
No wonder, one of the trashiest states I've ever visited. Georgia is alright near Savannah and Atlanta, idk about elsewhere. North Carolina is pretty comfy from what I've heard

you have to be seriously retarded to post that pic unironically

The only problem I have with america is the people.
I'm not one of those ☭TANKIE☭s who is anti american because of their imperialism (imperialism is not exclusive to them even if they are the major players right now). I'm anti american because americans are fucking rude and filthy people. They are dunning kruger effect: the country. They try to be friendly but they come out as fake and hollow.
Plus young people all dress like fucking manchilds. Large pants and hat? at 25? grow the fuck up. Stupid stupid people.

I don't think I've ever had been to work an entire week without at least one homeless man approaching me for money

*I've ever been

lmao, same here. When we were watching a movie, it was the most awkward moment when booze ads were displayed. They also told me that Halloween is a pagan holiday (well, they aren't wrong).

I was told the dad got PTSD from Vietnam and a bunch of his kids have autism because of Agent Orange. At least that's why they get free college (in Europe, war veterans are treated like shit, but then we have free education). I was prepared before meeting them to a) never talk politics and b) never mention alcohol. I got in an argument with my girlfriend at that time because I insisted I would say that the US lost the Vietnam War if asked about it, apparently this would trigger her dad. I've argued that he should rather be mad at the politicians who sent him there, but whatever.

My job is pool repair, mostly warranty for a large manufacturer. Today I replaced 5 pumps at a house roughly the size of an apartment building that houses a family of four, the head of the house is a skinny fuck who made sure I knew he was packing and ranted like Odin Quincannon while I was trying to work thankfully I'm white or I would have probably been shot or subject to verbal abuse. Meanwhile most I grew up with either struggle to make rent with 2+ per apartment or live with their parents. None are neet, almost all work and go to college part time. I don't know if it was this bad last you were here, but it's shit now. 25 and live in Houston for reference.

I've seen people with caps and singlets in classy restaurants. I was thinking to myself that this wouldn't fly in Europe, or at least the waiter would let you know that you are a savage through his body language.

In Europe customer service is often rude but at least honest. I don't like fake smiles.

I know this is disjointed, but goddamn.

Meh it reminded me of the South so I posted it, sometimes an image doesn't have to mean anything user. Go back to reddit or some ML circlejerk if you're so upset about it.

I'm glad I never dated a super religious chick. I don't know how I would deal with her views and family. Some people have such a blind allegiance to this country to the point where they have logical gaps to explain our governments imperialistic war policy.

I lived in houston for about two years. Truly the most garbage city ive ever been in.
Both the rich and poor alike were shit in that living hell

I want to add that america is boring as fuck.
Seriously. I've been NY, LA, Houston, Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, San francisco, Las Vegas and Seattle. B O R I N G.
It's so bland. So hollow. I thought New York is supposed to be this big fucking place, with crazy people, adventure ecc. Instead is a big ass commercial with no product. New York is the only place where I tried to act like a normal turist in my whole life and there was nothing worth visiting. It's overpriced as fuck too. And dirty, really dirty.
L.A. is probably the worst fucking place I ever been. Fakest place in the world. There are no word to describe how obnoxious and infatile that place is. I've meet some of the stupidest people in the world there.
Houston had a good beef but it was more bland than the others.
Detroit and Baltimore are both terrible.
Chicago was a boring version of already boring new york.
Seattle was full of chinese for some reason.
San franciso and las vegas where tbh the only place where I had some fun and had some sort of unique characteristic to them.
3/10. Waste of space.

This is true. Like it should be everywhere tbh. They are not there to be my slaves.

The only good places in America are small towns or cities with andecent history (for America). Cities are trash.

My favorite place in the USA is a town called Beaufort, in South Carolina

The only place I'm legit interested in visiting is Alaska. I've been there for work mostly, except SF and LV. For what it cost it's not worth the travel even if I have money. I hear a lot of people who want to visit canada but honestly it seems even more bland than the US.
The problem I have is not that they are a decadent, filthy, mess. I love trash places where crazy shit happens. But nothing happens in the US.
I can't stand boredom. Even in las vegas, while is fun for a degenerate like me, it's no where near as fun and thrilling like I expected to. The only fun thing is gambling and some nice poker rooms.

God I hate urbanites

Dude I'm in no way possible a urbanite. I just want shit to be fucked and crazy. No matter where I am.
I'm not one of those metrosexual faggots. Not even cold like the classic urbanite asshole