T#21
YOU CAN CHEW GUM, TAKE SELFIES AND OTHER "FREEDOMS" ENJOYED IN THE US YOU CAN'T IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Reading my local paper, there's an anon opinion column. Every week, there are comments of"the US is doomed" etc
Instead, we have many cool freedoms here
👇🇺🇸
#FourthofJuly
2/
ENTERTAINMENT is made for Americans ---> The show "Friends" is still the 3rd most popular show in India and Pakistan despite going off air in 2004.
The show has been translated into over a dozen languages and still syndicated globally. How many Italian shows do you watch?
3/
ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE - As expensive as it is, we have an urgent care down the street.
In Africa, less than 50% of the population has access to any medical care.
One doctor dying means 10,000 more people lose medical help.
4/
WE OWN OUR OWN STRONG CURRENCY - USD is still the most sought after coin in the world
Other countries like Iran rely on the Rial. 1 US Dollar = 42,105 Rial
75% of Iran employees earn less than 55.9M Rials = $1,327/month. That buys them nothing outside of Iran.
5/
FREEDOM OF SPEECH - Want to crap on the US Prez on Twitter, go crazy.
Do that in China (if you can even get online)...nope
During 2008 Olympics, Chinese could apply for a permit to protest on gov't issues. Most permits "lost". Many people were arrested for just applying
6/
CHEAP CLOTHES - Go to Walmart and buy a pair of jeans for $10.
Go to Norway, you’ll pay about $102.
France? $93.
Australia? $75.
7/
SHOP TIL' YOU DROP EVERYDAY - Want to go to a mall on Sunday in Atlanta? Great! Holiday? Covered :).
Most countries in Europe -Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany and others are closed Sunday, holidays.
When the World Cup is going on in Brazil - expect 1-2 mo. shutdowns
8/
ENGLISH IS EVERYWHERE - Go into any rural or urban town in America, you can speak English
Folks who live in Luxembourg never know what language they may run into at the shop --- Could be French, German or Luxembourgish
The country has a population around 627k. America 375M
9/
GROCERY SHOP 1/week - In the US, we're weirdos as we stockpile groceries from Costco in our freezer for 2 months.
In China, many Moms wake up at the crack of dawn EVERYDAY to hustle to the market and get fresh food.
So fresh, they might kill the chicken in front of you.
10/
DRIVE-THRU - Most fast food have drive-thru. Coffee you get on the go. I have Subway drive-thru near me
Go to Brazil, no drive-thru. Unless they have a random McDonalds, but that’s a hard find comparatively. Brazil has about 800 McDonalds, America over 13,000.
11/
FREEDOM TO VOTE (OR NOT VOTE) - While some countries don’t even hold elections ( In Eritrea, near the horn of Africa, a national election hasn’t happened in 30 years)
Some countries punish you for NOT voting. In Bolivia, you could have your salary frozen if you don't vote
12/
ACCESS TO INTERNET & all information at your fingertips - North Korea citizens have close to zero access to the Internet
In Saudi Arabia, over 400,000 sites are blocked including those which don’t gel with the Islamic faith
Meanwhile, I pulled up all these facts in seconds
13/
ACCESS TO EDUCATION - we have schools that are free to attend from Kindergarten to 12th grade. (even some college).
Meanwhile, 10% of kids in Somalia will go to school. 70M get none.
14/
ABILITY TO TRAVEL - Mostly due to our strong dollar, it's possible to travel anywhere in the world even if you make an avg American salary.
Others with weaker currencies like Venezuelans could barely afford to go anywhere much less the US.
15/
INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY - Sounds logical. Well, it's stated that in Japan, you're treated like a criminal until proven innocent. They boast a 99.3% conviction rate, so good luck.
16/
CHEWING GUM - You can buy gum anywhere in the US and chew like a cow
In Singapore? You need a doctor's prescription to chew gum else it's illegal.
17/
POST THOSE HOT SELFIES - Unless you're naked, you can post to social media any selfie you want.
In Thailand, you show too much cleavage (women), you could face up to 5 years in prison.
18/
TIL DEATH I CAN LEAVE WHEN I WANT - Tired of your boo? Quickie divorce is okay.
In the Philippines, due to their wide religious beliefs, it is illegal to divorce.
*check notes on husband/wife disappearance stats*
19/
NAME YOUR BABY "Æ A-12" AND IT'S OK - Want to name your kid "cow dung", go for it.
In Sweden, you have to submit your baby's name to the government for approval. (They don't allow Elvis, Superman, IKEA and others)
20/
STARTING A BUSINESS - Want to start a business tomorrow in the US? Do it. And you'll be rewarded with tax breaks and SBA loans
In Italy? Expect to face century-old red tape, lack of funding, startup culture, it's hard to hire and fire, plus lack of good employees there.
21/
LIVE IN SAFETY - Despite what you see on the news, we live in a safe country. Yes, not ranked great, but you can normally go down the street & be okay.
Meanwhile, many Latin American countries, including Mexico can be dangerous in many places
22
I lived in Ireland for a year, and I can say being in America is just different (in a great way). More opportunities, more to do, eat, easier to advance, etc.
I believe if more people traveled the world, they'd appreciate America more
23/
If you enjoyed this Fourth of July special thread, retweet and follow.
If any of my facts are incorrect, definitely leave a comment so I can learn more.
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.