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Why do people want to immigrate to the U.S.?

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BTDT
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14 Feb 2020, 2:32 pm

XFilesGeek wrote:
But I've talked to people in the Netherlands and Europe, and most of them wouldn't touch the U.S. with a ten foot pole. Our screwed-up healthcare is enough to put many people off.


Exactly!



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14 Feb 2020, 3:40 pm

IsabellaLinton wrote:
Canada isn't Little America.

You're right, it's bigger :wink:



Magna
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14 Feb 2020, 3:43 pm

Thank you for the replies so far. A common answer seems to be along the lines of: People from third world countries living in horrible and near deadly conditions want to move to the U.S. but for the most part that's about it?



kraftiekortie
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14 Feb 2020, 3:48 pm

We, in NYC, have to get our vehicles inspected once a year. And they're very strict about it.



kraftiekortie
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14 Feb 2020, 3:49 pm

Canada is somewhat bigger in land area and water area----but its population is about 1/10th the US population.

I should say that I've been to Canada a few times----and have found the people respectful and practical. Canada is a fine country, and it's run efficiently.

I've been in both the cities and in rural areas.



Karamazov
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14 Feb 2020, 3:58 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
We, in NYC, have to get our vehicles inspected once a year. And they're very strict about it.


Same here in the UK: it’s called an MOT: has to be done by a qualified mechanic every twelve months, it’s illegal to drive on the road without it, I believe it’s also impossible to get insurance without it. It’s also illegal to drive an uninsured vehicle.

And it appears plenty of folks want to move here and make new lives for themselves too.



kraftiekortie
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14 Feb 2020, 4:10 pm

You can, technically, drive a vehicle whose inspection sticker has expired----but you get a ticket every time you're caught without an updated inspection sticker. This can happen multiple times. You can get 10 tickets in 10 days, conceivably.



kraftiekortie
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14 Feb 2020, 4:11 pm

As for insurance, driving without insurance is an arrest-able offense. So is driving with a suspended license.



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14 Feb 2020, 4:12 pm

Magna wrote:
Thank you for the replies so far. A common answer seems to be along the lines of: People from third world countries living in horrible and near deadly conditions want to move to the U.S. but for the most part that's about it?

If you have a job offer, then places in California and New York are incredible places to live. Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Georgia, D.C., Boston - all world-class cities even if they don't have the same status and reputation as NYC, LA, and San Fran.

Your universities are the best in the world. That attracts a lot of students and academics.

Your creative industries are the best in the world. If you want to work in television, radio/podcasting, film, theatre, or music, then America is the place to be.

Your media is the best in the world. If you want to work in the news, particularly for print or online, then America is the place to be. You also have the most TV News jobs although perhaps not with quite the same prestige as the BBC.

Your financial sector is one of the best in the world. I don't think this alone is likely to attract many Europeans or East Asians as they have their own financial sectors, but still, it presents great opportunities to live in New York.

Your medical care might be inaccessible but your doctors get paid a huge amount of money.

Your government is huge, both federally and locally. There are lots of opportunities to work for the government, lobby the government, or provide service to the government or on behalf of the government.

You have huge amounts of wilderness. This is enjoyable in itself but also provides opportunities in ecology and conservation.

You have large advanced manufacturing sectors which attract engineers and scientists. You invest large amounts of money in R&D.

Again, there are lots of ways America could be better, no doubt. But don't you forget that there are also a lot of ways in which your country is great.



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14 Feb 2020, 6:15 pm

A good job in the USA typically comes with private insurance to cover healthcare. It is a significant benefit for working where I do.



enz
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14 Feb 2020, 7:00 pm

I'd rather be middle or lower class in New Zealand. Your not going to live on the street and surgery that needs to be done immediately is free. Also from talking to Americans it's alot easier to get a job herr



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14 Feb 2020, 7:12 pm

IsabellaLinton wrote:
kraftiekortie wrote:
People from Canada who live near the American border invariably buy their gas, and many other items, from the US side.

Canadians tend to have a very ambivalent view of the United States. They are presented to us, in a way, through the song "American Woman," by the Guess Who.



American Woman is about the Statue of Liberty. It's an anti-Vietnam war song.

American Woman - Wikipedia
Quote:
The song's lyrics have been the matter of debate, often interpreted as an attack on U.S. politics (especially the draft). Cummings, who composed the lyrics, said in 2013 that they had nothing to do with politics. "What was on my mind was that girls in the States seemed to get older quicker than our girls and that made them, well, dangerous. When I said 'American woman, stay away from me,' I really meant 'Canadian woman, I prefer you.' It was all a happy accident."

Jim Kale, the group's bassist, explained his take on the lyrics:

The popular misconception was that it was a chauvinistic tune, which was anything but the case. The fact was, we came from a very strait-laced, conservative, laid-back country, and all of a sudden, there we were in Chicago, Detroit, New York – all these horrendously large places with their big city problems. After that one particularly grinding tour, it was just a real treat to go home and see the girls we had grown up with. Also, the war was going on, and that was terribly unpopular. We didn't have a draft system in Canada, and we were grateful for that. A lot of people called it anti-American, but it wasn't really. We weren't anti-anything. John Lennon once said that the meanings of all songs come after they are recorded. Someone else has to interpret them.

Bachman expressed the view in 2014 that it was "an anti-war protest song", explaining that when they came up with it on stage, the band and the audience had a problem with the Vietnam War. Said Bachman: "We had been touring the States. This was the late '60s, one time at the US/Canada border in North Dakota they tried to draft us and send us to Vietnam. We were back in Canada, playing in the safety of Canada where the dance is full of draft dodgers who've all left the States".

The Guess Who were invited to play at the White House on July 17, 1970, shortly after the song's release. Because of its perceived anti-American lyrics, Pat Nixon, the wife of President Richard Nixon, asked that they not play "American Woman".

The song hit number 1 in America with relatively little complaint. Today it would probably not be played on the radio but word would spread on social media causing a massive uproar. The right would hate it for being Anti American with all sorts of anti-Canadian things said in return and Trump would play all sorts of games on the border with Canada saying "they send us their hippies, their musicians", The SJW's would demand the misogynist "hate speech" be no platformed and nobody would get the sarcasm.

If you have not heard the album version you have not heard the song.

Yeah I know, Ok boomer :D


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15 Feb 2020, 3:06 am

As an insider, it's hard to picture what the 'American dream' looks like to an outsider.

It's just the daily grind, but maybe you actually get somewhere, I guess? As opposed to spinning your wheels?

There's still violence, injustice, poverty, inequality, oppression but you do have the hope of fighting back. That's appealing.


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15 Feb 2020, 4:18 am

The_Walrus wrote:
Magna wrote:
Thank you for the replies so far. A common answer seems to be along the lines of: People from third world countries living in horrible and near deadly conditions want to move to the U.S. but for the most part that's about it?

If you have a job offer, then places in California and New York are incredible places to live. Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Georgia, D.C., Boston - all world-class cities even if they don't have the same status and reputation as NYC, LA, and San Fran.

Your universities are the best in the world. That attracts a lot of students and academics.

Your creative industries are the best in the world. If you want to work in television, radio/podcasting, film, theatre, or music, then America is the place to be.

Your media is the best in the world. If you want to work in the news, particularly for print or online, then America is the place to be. You also have the most TV News jobs although perhaps not with quite the same prestige as the BBC.

Your financial sector is one of the best in the world. I don't think this alone is likely to attract many Europeans or East Asians as they have their own financial sectors, but still, it presents great opportunities to live in New York.

Your medical care might be inaccessible but your doctors get paid a huge amount of money.

Your government is huge, both federally and locally. There are lots of opportunities to work for the government, lobby the government, or provide service to the government or on behalf of the government.

You have huge amounts of wilderness. This is enjoyable in itself but also provides opportunities in ecology and conservation.

You have large advanced manufacturing sectors which attract engineers and scientists. You invest large amounts of money in R&D.

Again, there are lots of ways America could be better, no doubt. But don't you forget that there are also a lot of ways in which your country is great.

Wow.

Also, in the US, likely, in most cities, you're near every sort of food type restaurant.

Greek, Russian, Mongolian, Indian, Italian, Polish, Mexican, Ethiopian <----All near me

One any night, what food does you stomach desire? Likely, someone is providing it.


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15 Feb 2020, 4:56 am

Something Brits love about the US is how friendly and open people are.

You know that stiff upper lip stereotype we have over here, it's partly true. It's really difficult to make friends in the UK. You have to become accepted very slowly and eventually people will open up to you. Most of my good friends aren't British, but people who have emigrated here.

I have a really outgoing, lovely friend who is British, but has always felt like the oddball for being so upbeat. She went over to stay with friends in America and loved it. She could be herself and wasn't judged. She loved how open everyone was.



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15 Feb 2020, 5:20 am

Magna wrote:
Thank you for the replies so far. A common answer seems to be along the lines of: People from third world countries living in horrible and near deadly conditions want to move to the U.S. but for the most part that's about it?


What you're saying is ass-backward.

The reasons you give for NOT moving to the US are trivial when viewed from the pov of most of the planet. A little "racism"? Like there isn't ethnic and tribal hatred everywhere?. The reasons TO move are HUGE (ie to escape starvation, and to escape things like ethnic cleansing etc) in most of the world.

But yes - there are parts of the world that have a comparable standard of living to the US (Canada, Northwest Europe, NZ, Australia). Those small parts of the world are the exception and not the rule. And in those areas the US may well be even less popular a place to move to then a few years ago.