Is America all that?
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Is Europe actually a better place to live than America? Yes, for most Americans it sure is. I often see people comparing Europe to America when they talk about America’s drawbacks. Gun violence, social welfare, political division, and progressive policies are all topics that are brought up when people say “America could be better, just look at how France or Germany or Denmark deals with these issues.” The people complaining are usually white liberal women, and the people who often threaten to move to Europe if there is another school shooting are usually upper-middle-class white people.
Being an upper-middle-class Black man, I didn’t know if I agreed with these individuals. On one hand, I thought, maybe it would be better to have universal healthcare and not worry about being shot if I walked into the wrong mid-western Republican rural town. On another, I kept thinking that I, as a Black American, would have a different experience than white Americans if I moved to a country like Germany. After doing some research, I realized I was right to have my reservations.
America has a lot of issues Europeans don’t have to deal with, but that doesn’t mean that Europe is a better place to live for every American. Europe has a lot of issues that Americans don’t know about because they are either ignored by the European media, irrelevant to the international community, or both. One of those issues is racism. How come Americans barely hear about hate crimes, assaults, or other incidents rooted in discrimination in Europe? Is it because Europe is less racist than America? No, it’s mostly because Europe has a different attitude towards racism than America and certain authoritarian countries. If America views racism as a loud, brash enemy that hurls insults and calls attention to itself, Europe views racism as a quiet virus with occasional symptoms but nothing to fuss over, mention, or even acknowledge. Europeans don’t pay attention to racism nearly as much as Americans do. Maybe racist happenings aren’t as extreme as unarmed Black men being shot in their vehicles but they definitely do happen in Europe. You don’t hear about it because nobody cares.
I once saw a tweet that said racism in Europe is just called culture. I laughed because of how not only funny but true the statement was based on all the articles and first-hand accounts I’d read about Black people dealing with anti-Black racism in Europe. When even small instances of discrimination occur, like someone using a slur or stereotyping a minority group, no one bats an eye. When a hate crime is committed or something equally as serious, you can expect little more than an online statement by the institution or authority under which the offense occurred.
Whenever I think about racism in Europe, I always picture the classic American white person's face when they are confronted by a Black American.
That face describes what Europe thinks about racism. No protests or national debates and controversies, just 😐.
Would it be better to live in a country where less extreme acts of discrimination occur, but those acts nor the underlying cause of them are ever discussed? Probably not. This is why I say that Europe is only a better place to live for some Americans. Suppose you are working class, white-passing but can’t be mistaken as German (they’re still butthurt). In that case, you will probably live a better life in the Netherlands than you would in America because of better nutrition, work-life balance, access to welfare, and other reasons. If you are white-passing and want to move from Los Angeles to Paris, you may or may not have an easy time making friends depending on how fast people figure out you’re American. They don’t like Americans, in fact, they are not terribly fond of anyone who isn’t French.
Look at this article by The Washington Post, displaying an infographic on how racially tolerant people are around the world.
Notice anything? America is bluer than almost all of Europe. Who would have thought with all the unarmed shootings, assaults, and other hate crimes we see in American media?
Now I am not saying that social attitudes towards others are the only factor in deciding where it’d be best to live. But it certainly is the one Americans mention the most when they mouth off online about ditching America. Things like policy towards education, women’s rights, healthcare, employment benefits, unemployment benefits, public amenities, and more are definitely important, but I truly do believe that when you add all these things together into a giant formula to calculate which country is the best to live in for all people, America is always the answer. Like I said, maybe Spain is better for some and Belgium for others. Hell, maybe non-European countries like Brazil and Taiwan would work out for you if you looked and acted a certain way — and were rich. But the country that works out for everyone, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, income, or anything else, is America.
I know what you’re saying. “But what about Canada, isn’t it like America but no guns and healthcare?!” Pipe down. I know it sounds appealing but they have their own racist issues regarding the Native American School genocides and white supremacists. And don’t forget the cold.
America is where it’s at for anyone of any identity, and that’s precisely why we have so much controversy, debate, and violence even though we are a developed country. So much data points to the theory that the more racial, ethnic, and religious diversity a country has, the more disagreement and conflict it will endure. Differences breed tension. This is why countries like Sweden and Denmark seem so quiet and problem-free, everyone who lives there is the same. They all look and act like these people.
I don’t even know if Danish people yodel, but I don’t care because that’s irrelevant. What matters is that if you do not think you could blend in with the people above you will not have as pleasant an experience as others in these countries. And if you’re a Black or Brown person and you experience racism or discrimination in a Scandinavian country, you can bet nobody around you would care or even acknowledge it.
Stop hating on America. It’s not the greatest for some but it’s definitely the best for all. For a long time, I didn’t even know if I liked America. There seemed to be a lot of good but also a lot of bad things about it, and being Black made it pretty easy to see the bad. What I realized is that it doesn’t matter how much I like America because I know I wouldn’t like any other country more. Especially now, considering I’ve grown up within and completely assimilated into American culture. Make do with what you have, and accept that in a country full of so many different types of people, people will find so many different ways to antagonize and hate each other.
I sound like I’m in love with America right now but seriously I’m not. This country sucks sometimes. But as much as I’ll criticize America as a country I won’t accept it being compared to others, even any in Europe. To any Europeans out there reading this who like to make fun of Americans for thinking America is the center of the world. Guess what, it is. Don’t kid yourself, whatever country you are from is irrelevant. The only country even close to competing with the American sphere of influence is China and we all know what’s going on over there. Keep using American apps, watching American films, eating American food, and wearing American brands that you paid for with American dollars. It helps our economy. 🖕
