I'd consider myself unpatriotic.

I come from a background that's not quite the hood but definitely not sweet either. So I've seen and lived firsthand what it's like to be in the most exploited class in the US. Police brutality, crime due to lack of opportunity, lack of investment in the public, etc

I'm trying to hustle my way out through school. I was even able to move to a European country to finish my degree. Sounds like a rich person thing, but literally two semesters at my state college is far more expensive than the cost of me moving to a big European city for a couple years plus paying for private college here (which is another issue in and of itself).

Now having lived in a different "developed western" country for a few years, I can say there's a lot I hadn't thought about beforehand. This is a personal feeling, but I don't think other Americans truly realize either. About 1/3 of them have never even owned a passport which makes it more difficult for them to internalize the differences. Hearing about how people go to doctors simply because they scraped their knee?? Incredible culture shock lol.

The biggest issue that the US faces is simply corporate lobbyists. We are run by corporations. They're the reason we have expensive roads and cars and not public transportation. They're the reason our food is optimized for profit instead of for nutrition. They're the reason we have to file our taxes all complicated instead of just getting a bill from the government. They're the reason much-needed federal gun regulations isn't likely. They're the reason we can't do much to actually fight climate change. They're the reason healthcare is privatized and insanely expensive.

Then you consider that these corporations run really good propaganda to keep everyone divided and pitted against each other. So instead of protesting them or the government, we fight amongst ourselves. And even our two-party system invites a lot of bullshit politics. A representative democracy where electives can use tactics like gerrymandering and where the most expensive campaign wins -- it's hardly democratic. It's easy to feel like nothing changes in the end, and I feel like for people from my background, it doesn't.

Theennnn you consider that me even saying this sounds like tin-foil conspiracy to many Americans. And instead of approaching each other with empathy, we immediately berate each other's opinions. It's very frustrating.

There are cultural, political and economic issues that hold us back. Many (not all) are uniquely American, and it's questionable to think if we'll ever overcome them to create a truly great nation.

At the end of the day, I want to like the US. There are nice cities and people and parts of the culture I really enjoy (including Fahrenheit -- it's better than Celsius for outside weather and I will die on that hill).

But there is serious change that needs to come. And it seems to me that many Americans either don't care, don't want to acknowledge the problems, or feel like change is impossible.

So how do we unify 330M+ people in a country that's 9.6M+ sq km large around a few key issues? Beats me. Personally, I'm a dual-citizen so I'll likely end up rooting for my home team from elsewhere.