I don't think it's bad. It's too big of a country to generalize on quality of life. Best things in my opinion:
1) Law and order. No bribing judges or getting shaken down by cops. If there's an emergency, the police show up. If a pipe breaks and sewage is seeping into the street, someone will fix it within a day. No non-emergency blackouts. If a company does something negligent that causes you harm, you can sue them. People drive well and orderly compared to most countries where traffic laws are merely suggestions.
2) People are generally friendly. Even if it is superficial, most people know how to be polite and will say hello if you walk by them on the street.
3) Variety of geography and weather. If you hate the cold you can move south. If you hate the humidity of the south, you can move to the southwest.
4) Cheap and convenient consumer goods. When I'm abroad I'm astounded at how much even a pair of Levi jeans go for. God-forbid your camera get stolen and you need to buy a new one, be prepared to pay double to replace whatever model you have. There's a Walmart superstore down the street, I can buy everything from a 70" TV to guns to pet supplies, to medicine under one roof. And pick up a subway sandwich on my way out the door. I'm still not sure what to think about that, but can't beat it for convenience.
5) Less business red tape. Good for the economy.
6) Property prices are pretty reasonable outside of Tier-1 cities. Sure property may be cheaper abroad but only because you are buying in USD. They are not cheap to the locals making $1000 a month.
7) Safety. Americans are more paranoid of crime than they ought to be. Unless you are walking around the projects of Camden or Detroit you have a very low chance of getting murdered by someone randomly. We hear a lot about gun deaths in America, but most of them are not the sensational news stories like random mass massacres. It's usually shit going down in the hood between gangs or drug turf. Easily avoidable. It's also safe from external threat for the most part. No country will be invading us anytime soon.
8) Relatively sane political climate. We have two major parties, one center left and one center right, although to European eyes they are far-right and moderate right. While we complain that there's not much difference between the two, that's a blessing and a curse. In Europe you may have parties that are practically Nazis and one that is Communist and they have to form coalitions to get things done. Yikes. So we may seem stagnant and radical change rarely comes here, but the plus side is that we are politically stable and you don't have to worry about some lunatic with his finger on the red button.
Despite all this, I tend to have the most fun when I'm visiting other countries. Maybe because I'm in "vacation mode" and everything is fresh and interesting. People visiting America for the first time feel the same way when they come here.
My major gripe is the business-first "live to work" culture. I prefer "work to live". And too many people define themselves by their occupation and how much money they make. I went to a mariachi bar with some friends in Mexico City and got in a conversation with a very friendly guy next to our table. He asked what I do and I told him, and I asked what he did and he says that he's a shoe shiner, but he said it with a level of dignity. In America a shoe shiner would be disrespected and nobody would want to admit to being one. But there, maybe there's just a different attitude and people respect all workers regardless of prestige. Our live to work culture is reflected in how little paid vacation time Americans get and the guilt Americans feel about even taking the vacation time they are legally owed by their employer. To say you took a month off work is almost shameful here, like you are lazy or something, and long vacations are for after you retire. I hate that about our culture.
Second major gripe of course is the lack of demure, traditionally feminine women. A hate unrefined, raucous, ball-busting women with hard mannerisms. And we seem to have them aplenty here. A lot of the women are just plain ghetto and revel in being that way. Even people with money often like to feign being ghetto.
1) Law and order. No bribing judges or getting shaken down by cops. If there's an emergency, the police show up. If a pipe breaks and sewage is seeping into the street, someone will fix it within a day. No non-emergency blackouts. If a company does something negligent that causes you harm, you can sue them. People drive well and orderly compared to most countries where traffic laws are merely suggestions.
2) People are generally friendly. Even if it is superficial, most people know how to be polite and will say hello if you walk by them on the street.
3) Variety of geography and weather. If you hate the cold you can move south. If you hate the humidity of the south, you can move to the southwest.
4) Cheap and convenient consumer goods. When I'm abroad I'm astounded at how much even a pair of Levi jeans go for. God-forbid your camera get stolen and you need to buy a new one, be prepared to pay double to replace whatever model you have. There's a Walmart superstore down the street, I can buy everything from a 70" TV to guns to pet supplies, to medicine under one roof. And pick up a subway sandwich on my way out the door. I'm still not sure what to think about that, but can't beat it for convenience.
5) Less business red tape. Good for the economy.
6) Property prices are pretty reasonable outside of Tier-1 cities. Sure property may be cheaper abroad but only because you are buying in USD. They are not cheap to the locals making $1000 a month.
7) Safety. Americans are more paranoid of crime than they ought to be. Unless you are walking around the projects of Camden or Detroit you have a very low chance of getting murdered by someone randomly. We hear a lot about gun deaths in America, but most of them are not the sensational news stories like random mass massacres. It's usually shit going down in the hood between gangs or drug turf. Easily avoidable. It's also safe from external threat for the most part. No country will be invading us anytime soon.
8) Relatively sane political climate. We have two major parties, one center left and one center right, although to European eyes they are far-right and moderate right. While we complain that there's not much difference between the two, that's a blessing and a curse. In Europe you may have parties that are practically Nazis and one that is Communist and they have to form coalitions to get things done. Yikes. So we may seem stagnant and radical change rarely comes here, but the plus side is that we are politically stable and you don't have to worry about some lunatic with his finger on the red button.
Despite all this, I tend to have the most fun when I'm visiting other countries. Maybe because I'm in "vacation mode" and everything is fresh and interesting. People visiting America for the first time feel the same way when they come here.
My major gripe is the business-first "live to work" culture. I prefer "work to live". And too many people define themselves by their occupation and how much money they make. I went to a mariachi bar with some friends in Mexico City and got in a conversation with a very friendly guy next to our table. He asked what I do and I told him, and I asked what he did and he says that he's a shoe shiner, but he said it with a level of dignity. In America a shoe shiner would be disrespected and nobody would want to admit to being one. But there, maybe there's just a different attitude and people respect all workers regardless of prestige. Our live to work culture is reflected in how little paid vacation time Americans get and the guilt Americans feel about even taking the vacation time they are legally owed by their employer. To say you took a month off work is almost shameful here, like you are lazy or something, and long vacations are for after you retire. I hate that about our culture.
Second major gripe of course is the lack of demure, traditionally feminine women. A hate unrefined, raucous, ball-busting women with hard mannerisms. And we seem to have them aplenty here. A lot of the women are just plain ghetto and revel in being that way. Even people with money often like to feign being ghetto.