Reply to Dinner party in Europe: Americans look older, more tired, are more unhealthy

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I really idealized Europe, then I lived in Italy for a year. I still think that some fundamental things are better than here - gun violence being the absolute number one factor that would make me prefer to be there. It was so amazing to send my kids to school, or let them walk around the city, and know that there was basically no chance of them being shot randomly.

Probably the second most amazing thing was all the walking we did in our daily lives, because we lived near an urban center. We ate lots of great food all the time and didn't gain weight, just because we didn't have a car and we walked to do every errand. And as soon as we got back here we (well, ok, I) gained about 5lbs, either from the food or the different exercise.

But, we were there as relatively privileged Americans, and I could see that for people who actually spend their lives there, there are huge trade-offs. Italy's economy is pretty stagnant (and some of these issues are true in many countries in Europe). There are very few opportunities for young people (like under 40), even with a good education. Related to that I think, people aren't having children. They have a huge older population that needs care and is going to need more - where will it come from? They have an increasing number of immigrants doing service jobs (if they are lucky), but they are totally marginalized and treated with racism and derision - much more than here, I think. It's very, very difficult for them to become citizens, so that marginalization often continues into the next generation.

Then there's the culture. Of course it's beyond beautiful. At the same time, I found it to be rather oppressive. Italians have so many opinions about the right way to do things (eat, dress, behave). Of course, they eat, dress, and behave beautifully - but I missed the more impulsive or spontaneous culture of the US. I also really missed the incredible diversity we have here. I missed seeing people of all colors and backgrounds doing all kinds of different things. Not romanticizing and of course there are terrible issues here related to racism, but you just sense that there is greater mobility and opportunity here - for everybody. (Obviously, there is also so much less of a social safety net here, so it's a big trade-off.)

And (to be frank, and I'm not proud of this) I missed our big old washing machines and dryers, our wide straight even roads, and more generally the wide open spaces we have here.

But still, the gun problem here might be enough to send us back to Europe at some point. [/quote]

I lived in Italy as a native for 20 years and another 25 here. This is very accurate in my view.[/quote]

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