In this podcast Matt and Jay dare to ask the question so many people are wondering these days: Is America Great? The answer may surprise you.

Intro: America Sucks, amIright?

• Huge immigration problems
• Breakdown of family values
• Mass shootings and increase of crime
• Horrible education compared to the rest of the world
• Healthcare coverage is crap
• Systemic racism
• The patriarchy 
• Cops are brutal, stupid, racist and homicidal
• America is no longer a safe place to live
• We spend almost all our money on military, not on our people
• According to a recent ranking of 35 nations around the world, the US ranked 2nd to LAST out of countries to raise a family in.

Examining Our Expectations

• First off, Americans spend way more time on social media than any other “developed nation.” (Nigeria, Philippines and India all spend more time than we do but there is no comparison in terms of financial equivalency)
• Average American spends 2h15min every day on social media
• Next closest developed nation is UK with 1h48min
• Then Germany 1h29min
• Then Japan 59min
• What happens when you spend more time on social media? You need to improve yourself (get richer, get sexier, get more friends, get more likes, etc).
  • Americans are also the number one consumer of television in the world. We watch more TV than any other country. What does this do to us? Same as social media. 
  • Advertising = Smartest people in the world using every psychological trick in the book to convince you that you’re unhappy and so you’ll buy their product to make you happy.

Losing the Happiness Competition

• As of 2022 America ranks 16th in the world in terms of happiness of our citizens. This is a pretty subjective measurement, true, but generally speaking it says that we aren’t as happy as other countries.
• Does that mean we CAN’T be happy? What are our opportunities for happiness?
• Honestly, our happiness opportunities are UNLIMITED! What CAN’T an American do if they choose to?
  • Want to start a business? That’s great!
  • Want to have a family? Wonderful!
  • Want to start your own religion? Sure, go for it. We respect that.
  • Want to have various forms of sexual activity with one or several partners of the same or differing sexes? Knock yourself out. You do you boo.
  • Want to get together and protest against the government? We accept that and we even have government officers that will help you to do it!
  • Want to spew vile, hate-filled speech at other people? We have forums and places for you to do that!
  • As long as you don’t hurt other people or take away their rights, America is willing to accept pretty much anything you want to say or do.

Okay, Back To Why “America sucks”

• Huge immigration problems
  • But are they really? Yes the US has the #1 immigrant population in the world, but that’s not an accident. We’re the #1 most desirable country to get into! And also, 75% of the immigrants that are here are legal immigrants. 
  • As for illegal immigrants, the real reason they’re here is because we pay them to be here. All those lawn maintenance jobs? Janitorial work? Maids? Kitchen staff? Backbreaking labor picking fruit? Construction work in the sun in the middle of summer?
    • Yup. We don’t want to do those. Too hard. Not enough money.
• Breakdown of “family values”
  • This is so subjective. Almost not worth discussing. But because we need to, let’s dig in quickly
• Mass shootings and increase of crime
  • As we’ve covered in previous podcasts crime has actually DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY since the early 1990s
• Horrible education compared to the rest of the world
  • According the most recent 2021 Best Countries report, the US ranks #1 in world for Best Education System…however…
  • …a 2018 Business Insider shows the U.S. ranked 38th in math scores and 24th in science. 
  • In other words, it’s not our education system. It’s something we’re doing wrong in individual schools. The US has the best schools and the best opportunities but our output isn’t the same.
  • Apples with Apples…the other important factor here is that almost all the big names on the top math and science scores are from small countries.
    • Denmark 5.5million ppl
    • Finland 5.5mil
    • Singapore 5mil
    • Sweden 10mil
    • Israel 9mil
    • Netherlands 17mil
    • Canada 38mil
    • Exceptions
      • Japan 125mil
      • Germany 83mil
• Healthcare coverage is crap
  • Completely inaccurate. We not only have inexpensive coverage for the country, we have free coverage if you can’t afford it
• Systemic Racism
  • The whole WORLD is racist
• The patriarchy
  • That’s a whole issue. But really, US is one of the most progressive countries in the world - and per population size it’s THE most progressive country
• Cops are brutal, stupid, racist and homicidal
  • Nope. Ref podcast “Fuck the police?”
• America is no longer a safe place to live 
  • Yes it is
  • However, we’re now more paranoid.
    • Why are we more paranoid? Good Q

Conclusion

• The biggest problem with America is the whining!
• America is not perfect - no country is - but it is an AMAZING country with more desirable qualities on the whole than any other country in the world!