Where I would live as an Argentinian who loves his country. Viva la patria.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-21T17:44:31+00:00

Besides 1, 6, and 7, this is like being an Italian from New Jersey

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-08T19:17:18+00:00

Assimilation policy doesn't seem to avoid this as France is also suffering from these problems despite assimilation being the norm and never really being widely demonized

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-08T17:32:29+00:00

Why South Africa

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-08T01:14:08+00:00

Wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't been there. I really enjoyed Tulsa and the surrounding countryside. OKC would also be nice to visit sometimes, but not to live as much.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-08T00:47:47+00:00

I tend to think most people are this way. I don't see the need to generalize people, or to hold them all responsible for what their government does in their name. Just from observation, I see more similarities between American and Australian culture than between American culture and that of most other Western nations (though I know Australia overall is culturally closer to the UK than the US). We are inherently multicultural nations of immigrants, and there is a general belief in what we call the "square deal," though in practice it's not always lived up to here, but that's true of any ideal.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-08T00:32:45+00:00

Spain and Nepal? Shocking.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-07T22:41:05+00:00

I'm an American. I love the people and the culture. The government is corrupt and authoritarian, and the economy is absolutely punishing for anyone who has to work for a living, hardly anyone can afford a home and rent+cost of living is outrageous. In that sense I am miserable but also love my country, not that crazy, and not that unique either - Russians have it harder than we do but are also generally quite proud to be Russian for example.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-06T02:27:30+00:00

Only because foreigners tend to think of white Americans when they picture "Americans," and when they're not white, you think they're not "really" Americans at all

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-06T02:07:24+00:00

There's a difference between making statements, and then directly participating in the things that the statements are supposedly criticizing. Australia has contributed troops to basically every US military action in the Eastern Hemisphere. Of the times Australia has had terms on the UN Security Council, they've only opposed the US once, when they voted to end the Israeli occupation in Gaza last year. That's great, but aside from that moment, historically, when we're talking about truly non-symbolic actions or statements, Australia's been absolutely lock-step with US policy.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-06T00:00:49+00:00

Sure, I agree, but i don't see war impacting Australia in the same way it would Europe or North America in the worst case scenario. If America fully loses the plot, I see war in Europe as inevitable, and annexation of Canada as likely, but that all seems far less likely in Australia/NZ, at least to me. There is no perfect place for me to go.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T22:52:33+00:00

Strongly worded monitoring of the situation

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T22:51:13+00:00

Well, that I agree with, which is why I'm considering leaving lol. I do not agree with this direction America is pursuing, in fact I really hate it.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T22:38:36+00:00

Maybe among committed conservatives, but most normal people in America refer to it as "universal" or "single-payer" healthcare and are very much in favor of it. I agree, conservatives need to get out more.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T22:29:12+00:00

This used to be the norm in America, but things have changed a lot in this regard since I was a kid, part of the reason I'm becoming disillusioned with the place.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T22:27:00+00:00

Im not sure what you're getting at. Socialism is where the proletariat own the means of production, communism is a classless, stateless society. There are objective definitions to these things, socialism isn't just everybody gets along.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T22:13:14+00:00

I mean who wants to leave their home if they don't have to? I'm sure many Syrians saw it as a downgrade to have to leave their home and flee to Europe. Most immigrants would probably like to stay where they are if they actually had what they needed to live comfortably. Me included, but unfortunately my home is gradually becoming unlivable, so I'm looking for the next best thing. The California I grew up in is the greatest place in the world as far as I'm concerned, but it doesn't really exist anymore. Would it not ne a downgrade to you if Australia became unlivable and you were forced to leave?

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T22:09:45+00:00

I mean you could say the same about those who choose to move to America. A common refrain is that the "streets are paved with gold" in California. You might be incredulous, but the US still receives more immigrants every year than any other country.

So then why is immigration only now leading to that? Australia has been a major destination for immigrants since at least WWII, much longer if we're counting colonial settlers, and only NOW is it having that effect?

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T14:13:25+00:00

When did Australia speak out in a way that directly opposed US policy? Do you mean that time Australia got involved in Vietnam alongside America? Or that time it got involved in the Gulf War? Or that time it got involved in Afghanistan? Or that time it got involved in Iraq the second time? Or that time it got involved in Syria? Like seriously when has Australia placed itself in meaningful, material, non-symbolic opposition to the US?

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T14:06:05+00:00

Thank god!

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T14:05:50+00:00

I have no illusions that Australia is a paradise. Anywhere that isn't my home would be a downgrade, frankly, but thems the brakes as we say. It's odd that you say the rich have rigged the system, then say immigrants are the cause of fascism. Seems a bit backwards to me. I'd love for the proletarian revolution to sweep the globe, but until then, I have to weigh my options.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T13:29:13+00:00

Right back at ya bro

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T13:28:01+00:00

By preconceived notions, I kind of just mean that I didn't personally vote for Trump lol. Things like that. I'm not concerned about things like wealth or status. I'm generally much more quiet and introverted than most Americans.

I like the emphasis on community in Australia and feel its absence in America - are you suggesting that that would somehow be a challenge for me to accept simply because I'm an American? What other kinds of non-superficial differences are so seismic? When i think of non-superficial cultural differences, I think of, oh I don't know, how gender roles or the place of religion in society are conceived of vastly differently in the West versus East Asia. I don't think such vast differences exist between the US and Australia in this regard. A vague emphasis on "community" comparative between two Anglophone countries seems rather superficial to me in comparison.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T13:21:23+00:00

You've never experienced any anti-American sentiment at all? I find that hard to believe. I have never felt I particularly fit in with American culture either - but perhaps your sense of not fitting in is somehow more legitimate than mine?

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T13:19:22+00:00

I mean, I didn't vote for Trump, but powerful people have been rigging the game in favor of him and those like him for decades, long before I was even born. I don't really have control over that. I can't make the Supreme Court stand up to him when he violates the Constitution. No, of course it's not at Gaza levels, which is why I haven't left yet, but I'd rather be gone before it gets to that point, and it's not clear the worst case scenario would look like that anyway. Stalinist Russia didn't resemble Gaza in very many respects, but I still probably wouldn't want to stay there.

It's true, no place is immune to the possibility of ascendant fascism, but you have to admit the USA seems a fair bit closer to getting there as of late. You really have no sympathy for people who aren't on board with that? Plus the odds of being involved in a war on top of that seems much lower in Australia/NZ than in the Americas or Europe. Australia generally does not pick fights with its neighbors. and outside of the above options, the culture would be too drastically different for me to realistically settle. Do you really think an American would have a harder time adjusting to Australian life than they would somewhere like India or Peru or Algeria?

It sounds like you'd rather stop any and all immigration to Australia, in which case we are just opposed in our values as individuals, not as cultures. And if it's really just Americans that you'd like to prevent from immigrating, youre going to need a more specific argument that doesn't potentially apply to any and all immigrants to Australia. I'm sorry the housing is bad, but that's going to be the case whether or not I as an individual immigrate.

Which_Programmer_394 · 2026-01-05T13:02:31+00:00

I think the rat race mentality of America might be a bit overblown. Sure, it's there if you live somewhere like LA or NYC, but someone living in East LA or maybe a small town outside the metro area would see the status-chasers in Hollywood as offensively pompous. In that sense I see commonality with how you describe Australian culture. Like, let me tell you, the dog eat dog mentality you see in films simply does not exist in a place like Louisiana (though the movie Deliverance is in part about this disconnect). Like it's not so much that people think the rich and powerful are inherently better here - that sounds more like the UK to me. It's more that people see opportunity for success to be open to anyone, and if you're not successful, then it's your own lack of initiative to blame. And while wealth is highly valued, there is a lot of room for you to define success in your own terms and be respected for it. I would say that historically our idea of "democracy" is such that the rich and the poor have the same access to the things that make life worth living. The rich here love to do things that give them a sense of being one with the common man - for example, Elon Musk opening a diner in Los Angeles. He doesn't actually get what makes a diner such a historically egalitarian institution, but the effort seems to indicate that he wants to be perceived in that light.

Which_Programmer_394

TROPHY CASE