London is HORRIBLE

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Statistically, I won’t need a hip replacement. That’s American pastime. You don’t like stairs or walking and there we have it.

Anyway, what are you arguing about?

London is amazing.

Statistically, it’s the stairs and walking (and even more actual athletic endeavors) that leads you to have a hip replacement. And old age. If you live to a certain age and were even just a little bit active you’ll need to get joints replaced to maintain that level of activity.

The UK definitely gets in the way. I’d hate to rely on the NHS for anything other than emergency care.

luckily you dont have to. the wonder of it is that the NHS is there so no one has to die or suffer because they can't afford healthcare, the mark of a civilized society, but you can also have private insurance.

This is a liberal American’s fantasy. The NHS sucks if you’re used to BCBS PPO or equivalent, or Medicare. It’s more along the lines of Medicaid with forced provider participation.

also i lived in london for 30 years so it's not a liberal americans fantasy.

Sounds like you are also unaware of what poor people and even working class people do for health care in the U.S. Many liberals moan and gnash their teeth about poor people dying, but free and subsidized medical care (and insurance premiums) are our largest government expenditures. And when they go into a hospital, they actually get world-class medical care. But you are right, compared to the NHS, the social service and home care add-ons suck. - Someone who does health care finance and policy, and did a research stint with the NHS on preventive care

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:...The mass migration means it's really no longer a British city it was 30 years ago. The demographic changes are staggering...just not British any more.

But the museums are still excellent, if a bit woke these days....

Come on, say what you really mean. You know you want to say it. It's only 14 words.

BREXIT did not help change anything about rapid mass immigration for better or worse?

We know - the British government elite did not support Brexit and have made no attempt to stop mass migration.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I LOVE London. Chic, great shopping, great fun vibe. People are mean as sh*t in a very polite way. It's actually kind of weird. British food is disgusting, but there are so many other options! Love the place. Would move in a minute.

Eat Indian subcontinent food there. That is the only decent and affordable food there.

BTW - England became a developed nation because of how they looted 45 trillion dollars worth of materials from India during their colonial rule.

Without India to loot, they have become a shithole country. A small country of shopkeepers. And the poverty there is another level now. Unwashed brits with yellow teeth, unwashed clothes and dirty fingernails, unable to afford air-conditioning and eating baked beans from a can.

Let me guess, you watched a YouTube video. The 45 trillion figure floating around on social media (what a joke) is based on England displacing the Indian textile industry, because England mechanized and India could no longer compete with handlooms. They did not take 45 trillion dollars worth of goods. Nor is outcompeting a country "stealing" from them.

Are you actually saying that Britain did not steal from India?! Because that is pretty well documented.

Yawn

So you agree, the British Imperialists were bullies.

American imported, kept and fought over the right to retain MILLIONS of slaves.
not just exploited a country from an economic pov (which they ALSO DO)
but kept, as a matter of course, slaves in their domestic country, based on race.
so winning any ethical argument on this basis is unlikely in the next several hundred years. GL tho - nice try.

The British, Dutch, Portuguese had nothing to do with the slave trade though, right?

You seem to think America invented the transatlantic slave trade.

Not to mention that the vast, vast majority of slaves were sold into the Caribbean and South America, where a huge number died due to terrible conditions. According to Henry Louis Gates: "Between 1525 and 1866, in the entire history of the slave trade to the New World, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. 10.7 million survived the dreaded Middle Passage, disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America.

And how many of these 10.7 million Africans were shipped directly to North America? Only about 388,000. That’s right: a tiny percentage."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With regards to many of these issues, the US and Great Britain are equally bad, and possibly evil.

Current thread of racism running through our domestic relationships and politics: Check!

History of profit from oppression and slavery: Check!

World domination leading to a long lasting sense of superiority that is, in fact, based on not much of substance: Yes indeedy.

If you were to compare London's food to the DC food scene, there's also quite a bit of similarity. Both have excellent food on offer. Both have terrible food which is both overpriced and primarily serves tourists. Both have dense city centers and Uber Eats can bring excellent local ethnic food right to your hotel room. Not much difference there either.

We are both cities blessed with extensive, excellent and easy to navigate public transportation systems. Both have their moments of discomfort and flaws.

Both DC and London have world class museums for free: a bonus for both!

This thread seems a bit silly. London is not in fact, horrible. I'm sorry you are having a bad time of it, OP. I hope you can turn it around or at least shorten your stay if possible.

When you think about it long and hard, unfortunately you have to admit the cultural, intellectual and technological output of both the US and the UK is staggering and vastly disproportionate so I'd have to concede any sense of superiority is in fact well-deserved.

For all the nitpicking and flaws, our modern liberalism is very much a consequence of the global anglo influence. You criticize Americans and British for a history of racism, but it's also Americans and the British who were the *first* to say racism is bad (meanwhile racism flourishes without restraint in the non-Western world...).

Thank you, yes....

[Anonymous]

Please. “Enslaved people” is the term

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please. “Enslaved people” is the term

The term for what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Major world cities such as NYC, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Paris, Madrid, etc ALL suck. They appeal to too many hollow soulless jerks who think they just HAVE to live in a famous city or else they will be worthless.

This is not true. Some cities are wonderful. Have been to Paris? Barcelona? Amsterdam? These cities are stunningly beautiful, manage to feel green and natural despite being dense and urban, and offer extraordinary food, art, and architecture it is genuinely hard to find outside of a major city. I would live in any of those cities in a heartbeat even though I also like suburban and rural settings, and love nature, specifically because I find those cities balance nature and city life incredibly well.

I would never live in NYC or London, but when I visit, the museums are so special. I do envy people who can go to the Tate or MoMa on a random afternoon (and the museums in DC are a major thing I love about living here and something I struggle with giving up if we move).

Cities often have a "vibe" that just feels good to me. I can also get a good vibe from small towns or suburbs, but I can get it from cities too. Paris for sure has this, just this good feeling I get when I'm there because I can feel that I love a lot of things that other people who live their love -- fresh vegetables and quality clothing and classic architecture and very beautiful music and art. It feels good to be in a place where people love what you love, where many of them are engaged in making the things you love or sharing them.

The idea that people only live in cities because they have some weird obsession with being a city person or think living in a suburb or small town or even just a smaller city would make them worthless is so weird to me. I think it says more about you than about people who live in cities. And I say that as someone who loooooves suburbs and small towns, and has experienced the desire to move to places like Knoxville or Albuquerque after visiting them, so not exactly hot urban meccas.

Amsterdam is the worst

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please. “Enslaved people” is the term

The term for what?

The point is if you’re going to go off in a rant, you should know the basic terms for what you’re ranting on about.

This is the worst thread in the history of dcum from my pov. I was shocked by the OP and the responses: I hadn’t realized this level of shameless provincialism, small-mindedness and unintelligence was this prevalent in the American traveller. No wonder we are resented and mocked worldwide with you as the ambassadors of our people. Shame on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please. “Enslaved people” is the term

The term for what?

The point is if you’re going to go off in a rant, you should know the basic terms for what you’re ranting on about.

This is the worst thread in the history of dcum from my pov. I was shocked by the OP and the responses: I hadn’t realized this level of shameless provincialism, small-mindedness and unintelligence was this prevalent in the American traveller. No wonder we are resented and mocked worldwide with you as the ambassadors of our people. Shame on you.

I'm sorry. What are you complaining about? That someone is using the word slaves instead of enslaved? What is the difference? No, I don't need a long spiel about dignity or whatever. I know exactly what a slave is.

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier about having lived in both London and DC. You can't really meaningfully compare your experience vacationing in a place with living there. If you haven't had to work in a place, pay taxes there, hire a plumber, or try to find a decent school for your kid, you dont really know it.

Most Americans would be horrified at the condition of rental apartments in the UK (run-down, no clothes dryers, no garbage disposals), much in the same way that Londoners would be horrified to discover the number of important US cities that are wholly inaccessible by public transit.

Most Americans would also be frustrated by the need to be on hold for 40 minutes starting at 8 am to get one of the NHS appointment slots available that day at your local surgery, with its 10000 person patient docket. They would also be shocked to hear the NHS mammogram lady say, "See you in 4 years." On the flip side, Americans would also be pleasantly surprised when their NHS mammogram, scheduled for 10:30, actually takes place at 10:30, something that you could be sure wouldnt happen in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please. “Enslaved people” is the term

The term for what?

The point is if you’re going to go off in a rant, you should know the basic terms for what you’re ranting on about.

This is the worst thread in the history of dcum from my pov. I was shocked by the OP and the responses: I hadn’t realized this level of shameless provincialism, small-mindedness and unintelligence was this prevalent in the American traveller. No wonder we are resented and mocked worldwide with you as the ambassadors of our people. Shame on you.

I'm sorry. What are you complaining about? That someone is using the word slaves instead of enslaved? What is the difference? No, I don't need a long spiel about dignity or whatever. I know exactly what a slave is.

😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted earlier about having lived in both London and DC. You can't really meaningfully compare your experience vacationing in a place with living there. If you haven't had to work in a place, pay taxes there, hire a plumber, or try to find a decent school for your kid, you dont really know it.

Most Americans would be horrified at the condition of rental apartments in the UK (run-down, no clothes dryers, no garbage disposals), much in the same way that Londoners would be horrified to discover the number of important US cities that are wholly inaccessible by public transit.

Most Americans would also be frustrated by the need to be on hold for 40 minutes starting at 8 am to get one of the NHS appointment slots available that day at your local surgery, with its 10000 person patient docket. They would also be shocked to hear the NHS mammogram lady say, "See you in 4 years." On the flip side, Americans would also be pleasantly surprised when their NHS mammogram, scheduled for 10:30, actually takes place at 10:30, something that you could be sure wouldnt happen in the US.

All European cities have small apartments with few amenities - it comes with being old and crowded... why pick on London?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have a complex relationship with London. I lived there in the 1990s and a again for a few years in the early 2000s and loved it. These days it's changed so much, some for the better and others in just different ways. The mass migration means it's really no longer a British city it was 30 years ago. The demographic changes are staggering and I don't think I've see any other place undergo the same scale of population changes. So the neighborhoods I once loved aren't the same any more, they're either colonized by the very rich and boring, like Mayfair and Kensington, or well, just not British any more.

On the other hand, it is safer and cleaner. Massive gentrification has cleaned up large parts of London but it's also meant London is extremely unaffordable.

It's always been very expensive. And it's always been a widely criticized city for lack of charm. But the museums are still excellent, if a bit woke these days. The shopping can be great. Dining out is more expensive than it's worth it but my friends still in London are excellent cooks and have access to excellent ingredients.

I don't have much of a desire to revisit London for longer than a day or two to see old friends before going elsewhere. London is the one place that makes me feel "no country for old men." But I readily recognize that for others it's still a thriving and fascinating city.

in what universe is london 'widely criticized for lack of charm'???
it is one of the most charming big cities there is.
i could understand if you said frankfurt/ dresden/ riyadh/ lagos/ akron/ birmingham/ indianapolis or the entirety of new jersey. but LONDON is widely criticized for lack of charm? plz

It's not the prettiest city. There's no shortage of travel accounts of the lack of charm or poor food or pollution in London going back centuries. Even John Adams complained about the food in London in the 18th century.

oh well if john adams complained about the food in the 18th century then we should certainly assume that nothing has changed 300 years later. that tracks.

Agree, this is hilarious!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted earlier about having lived in both London and DC. You can't really meaningfully compare your experience vacationing in a place with living there. If you haven't had to work in a place, pay taxes there, hire a plumber, or try to find a decent school for your kid, you dont really know it.

Most Americans would be horrified at the condition of rental apartments in the UK (run-down, no clothes dryers, no garbage disposals), much in the same way that Londoners would be horrified to discover the number of important US cities that are wholly inaccessible by public transit.

Most Americans would also be frustrated by the need to be on hold for 40 minutes starting at 8 am to get one of the NHS appointment slots available that day at your local surgery, with its 10000 person patient docket. They would also be shocked to hear the NHS mammogram lady say, "See you in 4 years." On the flip side, Americans would also be pleasantly surprised when their NHS mammogram, scheduled for 10:30, actually takes place at 10:30, something that you could be sure wouldnt happen in the US.

Whatever. Very easily overcome. We bought our own dryer. We rented a place we loved. The Embassy has a lot of private doctors you can see who are word class (literally a cappuccino in a palace plus heads of departments level
care) and cost less than most co-pays.

You can bhhhtch all you want but it’s this attitude that will make you miserable and uninvited everywhere. It’s so so sad. It sounds like you identify as South Asian but you telegraph Karen.

There’s nothing at all horrific about London unless you are a miser

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted earlier about having lived in both London and DC. You can't really meaningfully compare your experience vacationing in a place with living there. If you haven't had to work in a place, pay taxes there, hire a plumber, or try to find a decent school for your kid, you dont really know it.

Most Americans would be horrified at the condition of rental apartments in the UK (run-down, no clothes dryers, no garbage disposals), much in the same way that Londoners would be horrified to discover the number of important US cities that are wholly inaccessible by public transit.

Most Americans would also be frustrated by the need to be on hold for 40 minutes starting at 8 am to get one of the NHS appointment slots available that day at your local surgery, with its 10000 person patient docket. They would also be shocked to hear the NHS mammogram lady say, "See you in 4 years." On the flip side, Americans would also be pleasantly surprised when their NHS mammogram, scheduled for 10:30, actually takes place at 10:30, something that you could be sure wouldnt happen in the US.

Whatever. Very easily overcome. We bought our own dryer. We rented a place we loved. The Embassy has a lot of private doctors you can see who are word class (literally a cappuccino in a palace plus heads of departments level
care) and cost less than most co-pays.

You can bhhhtch all you want but it’s this attitude that will make you miserable and uninvited everywhere. It’s so so sad. It sounds like you identify as South Asian but you telegraph Karen.

There’s nothing at all horrific about London unless you are a miser

I'm not the OP, and I'm a WASP, for what it is worth. I enjoyed my time in London, but it came with tradeoffs. I'm just pointing out that you don't know what those tradeoffs are, if the time you have spent in a place is a week in a Crowne Plaza.

(I could never have afforded private British health care on my British salary, not even with my US insurance.)