I want to immigrate to another country
Did I promise that I would move to Colorado when I was done at Slippery Rock? like actually, verbally promise? I hope I didn't...because I'm starting to reconsider (as much as I adore the climate and amenities of Denver).
I'm 25, and the further I get on in years, the more I'm finding myself wanting to have a kid. The more I find myself wanting a kid, the more I think about how I want to raise that kid. And you know what? I don't think I want to raise my kid(s) in the US, but in another culture altogether, because I'm getting fed up with the one that I'm in right now. Sure, the constitution guarantees me certain freedoms...but sometimes it just doesn't feel that way.
Things that really irk me about this country/culture:
--lack of secularism, despite "separation of church and state"
--immense pressure against not being Christian/other religions are often looked down upon, despite "freedom of religion"
--..what other ways can I list my disgust with the religious fanatics that seem to heavily saturate this culture?
--an overall, anti-intellectual attitude pervades the culture (Family Guy is about the most popular comedy right now...need I say more?)
--ridiculous health care system (unaffordable/hard to obtain)
--lagging education system (people are actually fighting to have creationism taught in schools alongside--if not INSTEAD OF--evolution), and high college costs
--everything in your life absolutely depends on your credit score - even your job
--puritanical foundations (views that the human body is "dirty", and other topics)
--one of the least safe countries in the [developed] world, despite being the richest and most "free"
--war/tendency for our government to "bully" other countries/nosiness
--ridiculous national debt, which we'll be paying on for generations to come, which means fuck-all high taxes
--American [mainstream] rap culture needs to die already (this could be put under anti-intellectualism)
--total ignorance/lack of interest in the rest of the world (people seem to think that the United States IS the world...this could also go under anti-intellectualism)
--isolated from most other countries (makes for more expensive travel, and further fuels people's ignorance of the world)
--in speaking out, people are often shunned (sometimes violently so) for having different views, despite "freedom of speech" and "freedom of the press"
--the drug war, and other ludicrous enforcement of personal morality (not that I want to be a druggie, but is it really worth jailing someone for not hurting anyone but themselves?)
--lack of a "traditional" culture - one of the problems with being a multicultural nation...lack of cultural identity (case in point: my Japanese friend was showing me traditional Japanese dance, and then proceeded to ask me what traditional American dance was, to which I replied, "um...we don't have one")
My ideal culture/country:
--one that closely matches my spiritual views, or is at least very secular
--true freedoms
--pleasant weather (not humid, not too hot, not too cold - snow can be nice in the right conditions)
--government-supported health care
--government-supported education (think college), and better education in general
--nudity is considered natural, not "dirty", or strictly sex-oriented, and other less puritanical views
--relaxed views on topics such as abortion and drugs
--people are cultured
--people are actually smart and use their brains
--music (and pop culture) that I enjoy (or at least find tolerable) is mainstream/popular
--travel not much of a problem
--traditional culture a plus
--affordable cost of living would be nice
--advanced technology would also be nice
--and finally...shaving would be optional :)
Countries/places of interest to me at the moment (in no particular order):
I'm 25, and the further I get on in years, the more I'm finding myself wanting to have a kid. The more I find myself wanting a kid, the more I think about how I want to raise that kid. And you know what? I don't think I want to raise my kid(s) in the US, but in another culture altogether, because I'm getting fed up with the one that I'm in right now. Sure, the constitution guarantees me certain freedoms...but sometimes it just doesn't feel that way.
Things that really irk me about this country/culture:
--lack of secularism, despite "separation of church and state"
--immense pressure against not being Christian/other religions are often looked down upon, despite "freedom of religion"
--..what other ways can I list my disgust with the religious fanatics that seem to heavily saturate this culture?
--an overall, anti-intellectual attitude pervades the culture (Family Guy is about the most popular comedy right now...need I say more?)
--ridiculous health care system (unaffordable/hard to obtain)
--lagging education system (people are actually fighting to have creationism taught in schools alongside--if not INSTEAD OF--evolution), and high college costs
--everything in your life absolutely depends on your credit score - even your job
--puritanical foundations (views that the human body is "dirty", and other topics)
--one of the least safe countries in the [developed] world, despite being the richest and most "free"
--war/tendency for our government to "bully" other countries/nosiness
--ridiculous national debt, which we'll be paying on for generations to come, which means fuck-all high taxes
--American [mainstream] rap culture needs to die already (this could be put under anti-intellectualism)
--total ignorance/lack of interest in the rest of the world (people seem to think that the United States IS the world...this could also go under anti-intellectualism)
--isolated from most other countries (makes for more expensive travel, and further fuels people's ignorance of the world)
--in speaking out, people are often shunned (sometimes violently so) for having different views, despite "freedom of speech" and "freedom of the press"
--the drug war, and other ludicrous enforcement of personal morality (not that I want to be a druggie, but is it really worth jailing someone for not hurting anyone but themselves?)
--lack of a "traditional" culture - one of the problems with being a multicultural nation...lack of cultural identity (case in point: my Japanese friend was showing me traditional Japanese dance, and then proceeded to ask me what traditional American dance was, to which I replied, "um...we don't have one")
My ideal culture/country:
--one that closely matches my spiritual views, or is at least very secular
--true freedoms
--pleasant weather (not humid, not too hot, not too cold - snow can be nice in the right conditions)
--government-supported health care
--government-supported education (think college), and better education in general
--nudity is considered natural, not "dirty", or strictly sex-oriented, and other less puritanical views
--relaxed views on topics such as abortion and drugs
--people are cultured
--people are actually smart and use their brains
--music (and pop culture) that I enjoy (or at least find tolerable) is mainstream/popular
--travel not much of a problem
--traditional culture a plus
--affordable cost of living would be nice
--advanced technology would also be nice
--and finally...shaving would be optional :)
Countries/places of interest to me at the moment (in no particular order):
Colorado (if I don't move to another country)
weather
amenities of denver
laid-back, positive people
(btw: US is only voted #13 best place to live by UN)
Iceland
vikings
pagan in essence
absence of puritan values
hot springs
geothermal energy = cheap utilities
aurora borealis
[drawback: weather/climate]
good governmental programs
home of Bjork <3
voted #3 best place to live by UN (before bankruptcy, but I won't hold that against them)
Some other scandinavian country; Norway
viking past
religion of lower importance in Norway
good governmental programs in Norway
Norway voted #1 place to live by UN
Sweden voted #7 place to live by UN
[drawback: too cold?]
Scandinavian countries more secular in general
Germany (or some other European country)
relatively fair weather
low taxes
ancestry
numerous countries in driving distance
Netherlands voted #6 by UN
Netherlands is quite secular
Amsterdam :D lolz
Australia (maybe New Zealand?)
weather [drawback: humidity]
more secular atmosphere
friendly, attractive people
voted #2 by UN
E. Asia
Christianity practically nonexistant; Buddhism is lovely
different/reduced sense of puritanism
The most nonreligious/secular region in the world (seriously, even the Middle East has more atheists than the US o,o)
attractive people
awesome pop culture
awesome food
hot springs
future superpower
Japan voted #10 by UN
[drawback: Japan's schools are very strict and highly fraught with bullying]
UK
pretty people
cosmopolitan
good music
more laid back about religion than US (atheism on the rise)
[drawback: less freedoms]