Yea, exactly.
Charlottesville
- Thread starter Neutral
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
But there are plenty of reasons to not visit the US and my list wasn't comprehensive but hardly off the mark - many articles cover most of the points I've listed. It doesn't mean every locale in the US is this way but gestapo border security applies irrespective of where you land in the US from abroad - you have an unusual country listed in your passport as a past visit and be prepared to be heavily scrutinized if not even mocked over it. I had someone astonishingly ask me why I would holiday in Turkey the last time I was in Miami.
As for hand guns, just because you don't see it doesn't mean they aren't packing - I was at a meeting in Atlanta with many other physicians and an Italian colleague of mine was astonished to learn that at our table was a female physician talking about how she takes her gun even to the grocery store. He ran out after I had left because he thought she was joking and I not only told him she wasn't but there's no way to know for certain that she wasn't carrying one in her purse at the table we were at. The look on his face, I won't forget it - he had no words
I think being in a parking lot on the 405 or 10 freeway in LA is a pretty good reason not to go to LA eventhough there are many things I like about the city. Even in SF my kids hated the site of our car everytime we had to pile in to go somewhere as they knew a minimum 40 min drive was imminent.
As I have said, there are many great things in the US - many great people and places to visit but there are plenty of reasons not to visit as well
The past 10 years have experienced rural to urban and international migration at its highest ever in human history.
Empire and poor education means the distribution of land per person is dramatically unequal in many parts of the world which makes basic living or fulfilment of potential impossible for so many. Given that we live within a predominately capitalist world, which is underpinned by human economic advancement, its obvious people will gravitate to where better opportunities are.
Decisions like Trump or Brexit are last ditch attempts to halt that progression but history will show them to have failed. White supremacists or Far Right campaigners in Europe can huff and puff as much as they like: despite man made borders, the 21st century will see a much more equitable distribution of land per person across the planet.
Last edited:
Everything you're talking about is entirely anecdotal and daft reasons to tell someone not to visit a country. "I had a hard time a customs once, therefore every journey through customs is like the Gestapo". Come on.
You also initially complained about open carry laws and then shifted to concealed carry which is a completely different issue. It's hard to be intimidated by something you can't see, and I would imagine the vast majority of Americans will go their lives without seeing someone brandish a firearm in the street.
If traffic justifies not visiting somewhere I assume you avoid London too? Actually the traffic in London will mean people shouldn't visit anywhere in the UK by your logic.
You could say this about just about every country.
I didn't shift it, I merely pointed out that because you don't see it doesn't mean they aren't carrying - open or otherwise. It's a reality that the gun laws allow majority of Americans to be carrying weapons
Beauty of visiting London is that there is something you find very little of in the US - public transportation like the tube, even if it is insanely crowded. You won't find that in LA. Go to Barcelona, go to Paris, Amsterdam, Geneva, Berlin etc. - public transportation.
I was born & raised in the US, I have seen plenty of firearms in my life regardless of where I have lived from attempted carjackings or lunatics on a basketball court resorting to threatening to shoot someone as they went to their car to retrieve it. Yes, these are my anecdotal experiences but hardly a rarity and often on lists of why not to visit the US.
The list of reasons not to visit the US, however, would be longer and unique to the US. Try adapting what I listed to a European country and see how many would fit that criteria - zero.
So angry, racist shouty guy feels hard done-by over photo of him being angry, racist and shouty goes viral. As some wag on Twitter said, sucks being judged on your appearance, doesn't it?
The rhetoric you hear from people like him about preserving their culture from the invader cracks me up. Does anyone know how people like this deal with the cognitive dissonance about the fact that their culture wouldn't even exist in America had it not been for the systemic eradication of the native American culture they displaced?
The rhetoric you hear from people like him about preserving their culture from the invader cracks me up. Does anyone know how people like this deal with the cognitive dissonance about the fact that their culture wouldn't even exist in America had it not been for the systemic eradication of the native American culture they displaced?
I can see there is no point continuing this discussion.
The MAGA cartoonist reacts
Just like the Gestapo.
There are worse stories from the CBP, and they are often in cahoots with the racist militia patrolling the border, but they're not the fecking Gestapo.
Ironically, people that call for 'saving the Western civilization' are themselves complete negation of everything that is genuinely good in it. Just like the loudest 'Christians' today are exactly anti-Christian.
I think it's fair to say that US officials (customs officers, police-men, whatever) are considerably more likely to be dick-heads than their equivalents in most other countries. That's been my experience anyway.
I've had plenty of interactions with various different law enforcement officials and never had anything but polite and courteous exchanges.
But then I am a white Englishman.
Maybe I'm biased...not maybe, I am definitely biased.
But, there is no homogeneous American experience - not in travel, food, culture, people, terrain, weather, architecture or infrastructure. You go to Texas you see an America that is quite different to NY, and then visit a place like Montana and you see quite another.
Then again, you say you were born and raised in the US - so, you know all this.
And the tube, really? We've got the DC Metro locally...it's not God's gift to mankind, but it gets the job done
I've experienced immigration in more countries and airports than I care to remember and was not looking forward to the TSA when I had a couple of recent trips to the US after a 20 year gap based on what I'd heard. I have to say they were absolutely fine, slightly aloof and officious as you would expect but in no way as overbearing, intrusive or aggressive as the media had led me to believe.
The UK has probably the worst immigration officials anywhere just by their shear lack of urgency and humourless jobsworth nature that sees you queue for hours at Heathrow or Gatwick whilst they drag out and harass anyone with the slightest trace of melatonin. Australia comes a close second with India not far behind based on the sheer scale of their organised chaos. China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Emirates, Saudi, Oman, Bahrain and countless others all come in way above the US in terms of places where an outbreak of airport tourettes is likely to see you with a rubber glove up your arse.
Last edited:
It's a lot of people's experiences and definitely not limited to the middle eastern variety - once at JFK I actually was escorted to some back room area due to having a Baku visit stamped on my passport and it was the saddest place you might imagine. Filled with people & families of color, all with the look of having really been mentally beaten. I was in & out fairly quickly but I was shocked at what I saw, very depressing.
I met some absolute shitehawks during my time in the US (mainly as a student working there over summers)
But then I was a drunk Irishman.
I'm Asian and brown and I've lived in the US for over 12 years. Mostly blue states, but my experience has been 99% positive. US is a great country and you have to see some of the parts to really believe it. Fall Colors in New Hampshire, Utah and Arizona National parks, Urban Manhattan, Pacific Drive etc etc.
Difference there.
Agreed 100%.
I've said it before on here but the US really is almost like 50 different countries on some ways. Well maybe not 50, with some states being similar, but there's definitely a great internal variety.
I assume from resorting to such pedantry that you've nothing to say about the rest of the point.
It's a daft stance to be quite frank.
Unfortunately, I've had a fair few of those experience, and as I say I've been across a lot of the States. Also a lot of amazing experiences. Those negatives would absolutely not stop me going again, because I've had a great time there. Right now, I feel like contributing to declining tourist numbers and declining money into the coffers from that activity, and that's specifically directed at this administration.
Last edited:
HAAA! Proper order. Suck it up, Nazi.
I don't live in either country. I've shown my lack of support for Brexit by leaving the UK. Anything else?
Not really a fan of individuals "identifying" alt-right marchers. Some innocent bloke was identified as a marcher and had to spend the night outside his home.
Like that anecdote about a paediatrician having his house burnt down. Mob justice is often imprecise.
It's still a nonsense idea to say that visiting the US while Trump is POTUS is an endorsement of his administration.
Yeah, I'm disturbed at the amount of people online who think that this is cool.
We'll have to agree to disagree. I consider it hitting him where he keeps bragging, the economy. And if he comes here, I'll protest against him.
That bit I can get on board with.
That may make you feel good about sticking it to Trump but all things said it has little to no impact on economics as people will always visit the US irrespective of politics.
Ok, it'll just make me feel good then. By the way, were you one of the people who gave out to Bernie voters who didn't vote in the election?
Anyone not visiting US because of Trump is just loco. There are so many amazing cities/parks that'll blow your mind. You can immerse yourself in the National Parks and your worries will be blown away by the sheer natural beauty.
i dont leave my house because of trump
You could say that about any country in the world, almost all countries in the world have natural beauty that has to be set to be believed regardless of their political leadership and leanings.
Ofc. Unless there are security concerns, I find linking travel to politics a bit weird.
But, there is definitely an increased risk of hassle at the border and rising tensions in the country. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other countries with plenty to see and do and none of the drawbacks of trumps America. Personally I am glad I no longer travel regularly work wise, because I really don;t want to visit the US at this moment in time.
TSA are a concern simply because its just a load of hassle, but personally, my tipping point was saturday when the armed militia rolled up. I have always made a point of avoiding places where armed militia roam the streets, Rwanda at one point (I was due to go see the Gorillas), US right now. You perhaps don;t appreciate just what that looks to someone outside of the US and its gun culture. For me it made Charlottesville look like somalia.