If you don’t know less than 50% of Americans have a passport. The ones who don’t, I really see the limitation in their thinking. They never saw that most of the world is in fact freer than them, has a better system in place for their people, and doesn’t have some of the major problems that America has. I’m currently in a country where over 90% of items are made in that country. America (made in China) can’t comprehend this efficiency. P.S. I’m American

The thing that gets me though is how dangerous many Americans say other parts of the world is without having ever been there lol. I travel and I’ll tell you America is the MOST dangerous country outside of warzones. Yes even more dangerous that Arab countries for women. Lol I know that propaganda is in a lot of Americans minds.

OK so who’s actually been outside the country and can talk geopolitics and actually know from experience what they are talking about?

  • monovergent@lemmy.ml
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    8 hours ago

    I don’t have much to say about geopolitics off the top of my head, but I used to scoff at pedestrian-friendly designs and subscribe to the idea that car ownership is freedom and roads are for cars only. Living in Germany for a few months and enjoying public transit made me perish those old thoughts.

    Among developed nations, the US should not get any awards for safety, but I would argue that there’s certainly worse out there without venturing into warzones.

  • BarrelsBallot@lemmygrad.ml
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    12 hours ago

    Yes, funny that you mentioned the American perception of danger.

    Any time I mention visiting a country outside of western europe / the caribbean tourist hell- I literally get told I’m going to be chopped up or murdered.

    I think any american willing to travel outside of the aforementioned places is someone with a mind already changed. For me it only confirmed what I already knew about the rest of the world.

    And some of your replies are very correct, and a surface level conversation with most american hogs will prove it: the majority have not traveled abroad and many aren’t even well versed in the states / workings of their own country.

  • UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml
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    7 hours ago

    Who is going to pay for such a luxury? Im not even sure if i would go if given money. Id probably just pay for a better car.

    What’s the point in going somewhere else? Its just desperate working class people scrounging what they can to pay for living expenses in a different location.

    Traveling is depressing as fuck.

  • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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    15 hours ago

    Not American, so main question doesn’t apply. Have been to a couple other countries, have family in a lot more.

    I’m currently in a country where over 90% of items are made in that country.

    China? It’s got to be China, everywhere else has to import something other than raw resources. Hmm, maybe Cuba’s another candidate, I guess.

    I travel and I’ll tell you America is the MOST dangerous country outside of warzones

    That’s just straight up not true. The US is worst in class for the first world, but even parts of Mexico have a pretty high rate of violence.

  • Bldck@beehaw.org
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    15 hours ago

    37 countries 42 states Bachelors degree in international relations and international political economy

    Every place is normal. People live there. Every place has dangers 🤷🏻‍♀️

  • MoonMelon@lemmy.ml
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    16 hours ago

    I’m not a huge traveler, but I’ve been to the UK and parts of Europe. The Czech Republic was my favorite place, of the places I’ve been. Ironically never been to Canada, despite having some extended family there. I would love to go, and I love being in foreign places, but I hate getting there. Travel is awful, especially now.

    I’ve lived in both urban and rural areas, and the fear is constant everywhere among people who have never traveled. Urban people are afraid that everyone in the country is a Deliverance KKK member, and rural people think the cities are a gang-infested war zone. What’s wild is that, unlike visiting other countries, they could just hop in the car and visit the city or countryside for a weekend. They are consuming lazy media tropes and taking them as fact.

    Traveling, even just regional travel, would benefit a lot of people in the USA. We have way more in common with each other than with the oligarchs.

    • TheDeed [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      15 hours ago

      Urban people are afraid that everyone in the country is a Deliverance KKK member

      Idk, some parts of the US are genuinely dangerous if you aren’t the right kind of person. When I drive across the US I stop to piss and get gas/food and that’s about it. Being stared down by the locals or refused service is a thing that happens, or worse if you don’t take the hint. I’m black and gay and yeah there’s just places that are off limits.

      Not my job to sit down and have a dialogue with them or change minds and open hearts, I GTFO before I become a missing person.

  • Carl [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    16 hours ago

    Lived in Japan for 6 years (2 as military 4 as a civilian), best place I’ve ever been and my number one regret in life is not doing whatever it would have taken to stay.

    Also traveled to France, Italy, and Germany at different times in my life and I was pretty impressed by those places as well.

    • Lunatique Princess@lemmy.mlOP
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      13 hours ago

      169,915,821 passport holders out of 342,034,432 Americans is 49.5% and that’s from this year(2025) as over June. So I don’t care what bad math that news site was doing.

      THIS year it’s just getting to cross over the 50% mark. But the fact that you came here to tell me that dumb shi instead of answering the question let’s me know what type you are

  • SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.ml
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    9 hours ago

    The US is huge and there is a lot to see. I know working class people who only travel as far as they can drive in a day trip. As far as America being “the MOST dangerous country outside of warzones” while it is popular to badmouth where you live (familiarity breeds contempt) I’ve never felt my life is in danger anywhere in the US. On the other hand I don’t go into areas likely to be crime ridden and these exist in other countries too.

    Yes, lots of Americans don’t go beyond the Carribean and don’t have passports simply because they can spend a lifetime traveling around North America. They in turn have lots of stereotypes of all the places they’ve never been. People think the French are all horribly hostile snobs, I found them friendly, Turkey was like Midnight Express, ummm, no, and China is a police state with agents following your every step, nope. I was more worried about wandering off and getting lost than anything else in China.

    most of the world is in fact freer than them, has a better system in place for their people, and doesn’t have some of the major problems that America has

    Very debatable. Every country has its own issues and restrictions. Turkey is an autocracy for instance. Vietnam is a single party state with major corruption problems, etc. Switzerland is safe but very expensive. You seem to have a narrow view of the world.

  • vermaterc@lemmy.ml
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    18 hours ago

    Even if you go to Europe (where I live), you will still listen to American music, read news about America everywhere, eat American crap food, use American Internet services, watch American TV shows. It is not easy to leave America :D

    • Lunatique Princess@lemmy.mlOP
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      17 hours ago

      Well Europe is basically America 2.0 now they use to be their own thing now they are just NATO and slow burning

  • etchinghillside@reddthat.com
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    17 hours ago

    Yup. But I’ll admit - I was briefly considering a trip to Medellin Columbia but the level 3 travel advisory and Venezuela shit had me change my plans to Peru instead.