In a Lifeboat Watching The Titanic Sink

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Abstract

mind being rather successful at it i.e. a best-selling author: A two thumbs up from my American friends with offers to beta read my manuscripts. Honestly, I have given up telling anyone anything of consequence over here. They’re all way too much of a drag.</li><li>The weather is always nice in Southern California. That’s where I grew up.</li></ul><h1 id="5628">The Bad Things</h1><ul><li>More guns than population: I knew this. I know this. But it is still shocking — every time I hear it (which I did in the news just now because of another shooting) I mean seriously WTF.</li><li>Rabid Racism: This isn’t unique to the US, unfortunately. There are racists everywhere. But the rabid racists don’t broadcast their dangerous idealism on a 24-hour un-news channel. Fox News anyone?</li><li>Horrible Inequality: The gap between rich and poor is nowhere greater than in the United States. Since 1978, CEO pay has risen 1,322%. A typical worker’s pay since then: 18%. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/08/10/1978-ceo-pay-has-risen-1322-typical-worker-pay-just-18">Source</a></li><li>Not dealing with history: Slavery has not been properly dealt with. It was an injustice beyond comprehension. Dealing with slavery in an open, honest way, with an open, honest national conversation, is crucial. Reparations are crucial. Incorporation into history books: crucial. Otherwise, these injustices are never-ending. A bandaid here and there with the odd conviction of a white cop is not going to fix the underlying problem. Black people are still suffering now more than 150 years after the abolition. Being a black person in the United States is not fun. Understatement, I realize this. The regular shootings of innocent black people? I have no words. I really don’t. It goes on and on and on. When is it going to stop?</li><li>A bloated, convoluted health care system nobody understands. I certainly don’t. An attempt to explain the system to friends over here? Yeah, no, I can’t.</li><li>Making Stupid People Famous (and powerful) One word: Trump. The wreckage he and his henchmen have wrought? In some ways, irreparable.</li><li>The idolization of the Stupid: the celebrity worship is just sick. Not sick good, but sick bad.</li><li>Rotten Public Education: hence, the above.</li><li>Way too many religious fanatics: stupid people are so gullible. Again, rotten education makes you gull

Options

ible. Who the hell gives money to televangelists who buy private jets with the donations. Doesn’t that make the followers just a teensy itsy bit suspicious?</li><li>No urban public transport system with the exception of NYC and Chicago, I believe. There were extensive plans for the Los Angeles area in the 1920s and 1930s. The automotive industry didn’t want it to happen so it didn’t.</li><li>Crumbling Infrastructure (we’ll see what the trillion $ Biden legislation, from August 2021, does, but it’s going to take a while)</li><li>Late on the Climate Crisis Wagen: The real puppet masters in the US are the corporations. For some strange reason, these old industries still hold so much clout (fossil fuel, automotive)</li><li>Huge Carbon Footprint: <b>Big is better</b> has been the modus operandi in the United States since its inception. Nobody ever had to scrimp and save on anything. Everything was available in excess and everybody is still living that way.</li><li>No taxes for the rich (this is obviously good news if you’re rich). I’m not. Tax the rich! I mean, seriously. When an assistant pays more taxes than a CEO, you know something isn’t right.</li><li>Way too much of everything: Europeans loved America because everything was/still is big and cheap and big and bargain-y and big and boisterous and big and beautifully excessive. Well, not that big of a draw anymore. It took Europeans a while to catch up after WWII — culturally, economically, self-esteem-wise, image-wise. But they have. Looking toward the US for everything cool is no more. Trump kinda put the nail in that coffin. But it was gradually happening already. But it’s done now. Europeans have a sense of self-worth and awareness. The United States is not a reliable partner on any level anymore. Except for the next Apple product. And the next new show on Netflix. But hey, even Netflix has a global approach, mining shows from all countries. And that’s pretty awesome.</li></ul><h1 id="f702">Last but not least…</h1><p id="09e8">Thank you for reading!</p><p id="89e7">And if you’re not a member yet, you can <a href="https://veronikakaufmann.medium.com/membership">subscribe here </a>and I get a referral fee. Which is a yay.</p><p id="f9bf">You can also get <a href="https://veronikakaufmann.medium.com/subscribe">email alerts</a> when I publish a new story. C’mon. You know you want to.</p></article></body>

or up shitt$ creek without a paddle*

There are good things. There are bad things. A comparison. The USA. View from abroad, from Vienna, from an ex-pat. That’d be me. Obviously, these are from my point of view.

*Thank you Terry L. Cooper for a better subtitle than mine originally was.

Now, I don’t know if one can save this Titanic. Or if a paddle can be found. Sometimes, it seems impossible. All great empires fell. Of course, the United States will continue existing in some shape or form. But I do believe it’s undergoing a great tectonic shift right now.

The Positive Things

Neverending Optimism: I find people incredibly optimistic in face of great hardships and I’m always friendlier when I’m visiting family and friends in the States. It’s been a few years now since I was in the States. Trump and COVID-19 in between. I do wonder how much my perception will change when I next visit.

Open for anything: You tell somebody, anybody your plans, ideas, dreams, they’ll always embrace it with a positive remark and general enthusiasm. Do that over here — in Austria — always met with a negative remark like ‘why would you want to do that?’ Case-in-point: When I told some Austrian friends that I’m going to university to get my degree, it was met with a confused look. Then “why didn’t you go when you were younger?” I answer accordingly (busy doing other things). Then: “Why are you doing this now?” Me: Because it’s fun and awesome to learn new things. Them: “But why would you want to do this now?” Yeah, no, they just don’t get it. The conversation ends with a grunt. My fellow students are all awesome and accepting of the oldish cat lady. And I tell this to any one of my US friends: Good for you! Or that I write novels, and wouldn’t mind being rather successful at it i.e. a best-selling author: A two thumbs up from my American friends with offers to beta read my manuscripts. Honestly, I have given up telling anyone anything of consequence over here. They’re all way too much of a drag.

The weather is always nice in Southern California. That’s where I grew up.

The Bad Things

More guns than population: I knew this. I know this. But it is still shocking — every time I hear it (which I did in the news just now because of another shooting) I mean seriously WTF.

Rabid Racism: This isn’t unique to the US, unfortunately. There are racists everywhere. But the rabid racists don’t broadcast their dangerous idealism on a 24-hour un-news channel. Fox News anyone?

Horrible Inequality: The gap between rich and poor is nowhere greater than in the United States. Since 1978, CEO pay has risen 1,322%. A typical worker’s pay since then: 18%. Source

Not dealing with history: Slavery has not been properly dealt with. It was an injustice beyond comprehension. Dealing with slavery in an open, honest way, with an open, honest national conversation, is crucial. Reparations are crucial. Incorporation into history books: crucial. Otherwise, these injustices are never-ending. A bandaid here and there with the odd conviction of a white cop is not going to fix the underlying problem. Black people are still suffering now more than 150 years after the abolition. Being a black person in the United States is not fun. Understatement, I realize this. The regular shootings of innocent black people? I have no words. I really don’t. It goes on and on and on. When is it going to stop?

A bloated, convoluted health care system nobody understands. I certainly don’t. An attempt to explain the system to friends over here? Yeah, no, I can’t.

Making Stupid People Famous (and powerful) One word: Trump. The wreckage he and his henchmen have wrought? In some ways, irreparable.

The idolization of the Stupid: the celebrity worship is just sick. Not sick good, but sick bad.

Rotten Public Education: hence, the above.

Way too many religious fanatics: stupid people are so gullible. Again, rotten education makes you gullible. Who the hell gives money to televangelists who buy private jets with the donations. Doesn’t that make the followers just a teensy itsy bit suspicious?

No urban public transport system with the exception of NYC and Chicago, I believe. There were extensive plans for the Los Angeles area in the 1920s and 1930s. The automotive industry didn’t want it to happen so it didn’t.

Crumbling Infrastructure (we’ll see what the trillion $ Biden legislation, from August 2021, does, but it’s going to take a while)

Late on the Climate Crisis Wagen: The real puppet masters in the US are the corporations. For some strange reason, these old industries still hold so much clout (fossil fuel, automotive)

Huge Carbon Footprint: Big is better has been the modus operandi in the United States since its inception. Nobody ever had to scrimp and save on anything. Everything was available in excess and everybody is still living that way.

No taxes for the rich (this is obviously good news if you’re rich). I’m not. Tax the rich! I mean, seriously. When an assistant pays more taxes than a CEO, you know something isn’t right.

Way too much of everything: Europeans loved America because everything was/still is big and cheap and big and bargain-y and big and boisterous and big and beautifully excessive. Well, not that big of a draw anymore. It took Europeans a while to catch up after WWII — culturally, economically, self-esteem-wise, image-wise. But they have. Looking toward the US for everything cool is no more. Trump kinda put the nail in that coffin. But it was gradually happening already. But it’s done now. Europeans have a sense of self-worth and awareness. The United States is not a reliable partner on any level anymore. Except for the next Apple product. And the next new show on Netflix. But hey, even Netflix has a global approach, mining shows from all countries. And that’s pretty awesome.