What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
#346
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,847
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Road design.
On my journey to and from work I navigate:
The Highways Agency would never allow any of it!
On my journey to and from work I navigate:
- On the highway - a two lane slip road that becomes a single lane slip road at the same time it merges into the right hand lane, on a bend, with no warning or signs. Suddenly five lanes of traffic becomes three at 60 mph.
- A toll plaza with a 6 lane highway out, cash toll booths on the right and a two lane exit a third of a mile down the road on the left. All the out of state drivers needing the exit frantically charging across four lanes of local traffic who have been motoring through the EZPass lanes at full speed.
- A three lane stretch of highway, where the overhead signage shows which lane you need to be in for which route with downward arrows indicating your lane. But there are five arrows pointing down and three lanes. No help whatsoever.
- A set of traffic lights for a two lane stretch of road, one lane filters right, one lane straight ahead. However, but three sets of traffic lights hanging overhead. Not clear which lane is on red or green (and I have sailed through a red completely oblivously, luckily nothing coming the other way)
- Joining a four lane highway on the left, ie into the fast lane.
The Highways Agency would never allow any of it!
Road design, traffic rules and the teaching/training of these and generally how to drive when you are not the only road user - all of these in my limited experience of the US totally suck. Clearly freedom of speech also covers totally incompetent dick wads who spent $200K on a crappy education doing what the hell they like with minor things such as the road traffic network and its use...
#348
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 6
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
The way people drive. To be fair though America is a huge country and things may be different in other parts of it, but here in the NYC NJ metro area the driving is disgraceful.
After that would come:
The unhelpfulness and impoliteness of most government/council departments/services I've encountered.
The food (especially the yoghurts).
Medical insurance.
Freezing cold winters.
On the other hand I don't miss:
Gloomy wet weather.
British yobs and yob culture.
After that would come:
The unhelpfulness and impoliteness of most government/council departments/services I've encountered.
The food (especially the yoghurts).
Medical insurance.
Freezing cold winters.
On the other hand I don't miss:
Gloomy wet weather.
British yobs and yob culture.
#350
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
I have lived here for 14 years now. I generally like it but I've heard people complain about many different issues. Here are some of the things that irk me:
- dealing with health insurance and health coverage issues
- totally broken immigration system (too many illegal immigrants, too much family class immigration, not enough skilled worker immigration, etc.)
- a relative lack of culture (too many homogeneous cities and suburbs)
- the political system (total gridlock where nothing gets done; especially with a 2 party system)
- the absence of a social safety net (lose your job and you're likely weeks from living on the street)
- "at will" employment
- poor public transportation
- pedestrian unfriendly
- relatively high crime and murder rates (guns, gangs, etc)
- urban blight and poverty on a scale rarely seen in other developed countries
- dealing with health insurance and health coverage issues
- totally broken immigration system (too many illegal immigrants, too much family class immigration, not enough skilled worker immigration, etc.)
- a relative lack of culture (too many homogeneous cities and suburbs)
- the political system (total gridlock where nothing gets done; especially with a 2 party system)
- the absence of a social safety net (lose your job and you're likely weeks from living on the street)
- "at will" employment
- poor public transportation
- pedestrian unfriendly
- relatively high crime and murder rates (guns, gangs, etc)
- urban blight and poverty on a scale rarely seen in other developed countries
2) The bare bones minimum of overseas news coverage.
3) Mosquito's.
4) Nasty winters in the northeast.
Things I like.
1) Cheap gasoline (4 bux a gallon is still cheap)
2) Larger homes
That's it.
#351
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Joined: Jan 2011
Location: West Sussex - did 3 years in the US...
Posts: 577
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Well, I'm going to pre-face this with "in San Jose" because, as I am quickly learning, this is NOT one country, but a very loose federation of about 200. If there wasn't a national flag and an anthem, there would be no "US and A."
So, things I hate about San Jose:
1) In the showers in the gym, the fact that some people seem to take 15-20 minutes and do a total immersion wash.
2) In those self-same showers, the hawking noises are just unbelievable. Either there is some cultural thing going on, there is an epidemic of TB, or they've had the air-conditioning on max-Legionnaires setting again. The only other places I've heard such revolting noises have been Singapore where the government has been trying to outlaw all hawking and spitting (they are very subtle in Singapore - they beat people) and China which is just a plain nasty place (where they shoot people).
3) The driving. We are now referring to it as Wacky Races.
4) The way that people sneer at the "Latinos" - they are the hardest working and round here most normal of the lot. Talk about a down-trodden under class.....
So, things I hate about San Jose:
1) In the showers in the gym, the fact that some people seem to take 15-20 minutes and do a total immersion wash.
2) In those self-same showers, the hawking noises are just unbelievable. Either there is some cultural thing going on, there is an epidemic of TB, or they've had the air-conditioning on max-Legionnaires setting again. The only other places I've heard such revolting noises have been Singapore where the government has been trying to outlaw all hawking and spitting (they are very subtle in Singapore - they beat people) and China which is just a plain nasty place (where they shoot people).
3) The driving. We are now referring to it as Wacky Races.
4) The way that people sneer at the "Latinos" - they are the hardest working and round here most normal of the lot. Talk about a down-trodden under class.....
#352
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Well, I'm going to pre-face this with "in San Jose" because, as I am quickly learning, this is NOT one country, but a very loose federation of about 200. If there wasn't a national flag and an anthem, there would be no "US and A."
So, things I hate about San Jose:
1) In the showers in the gym, the fact that some people seem to take 15-20 minutes and do a total immersion wash.
2) In those self-same showers, the hawking noises are just unbelievable. Either there is some cultural thing going on, there is an epidemic of TB, or they've had the air-conditioning on max-Legionnaires setting again. The only other places I've heard such revolting noises have been Singapore where the government has been trying to outlaw all hawking and spitting (they are very subtle in Singapore - they beat people) and China which is just a plain nasty place (where they shoot people).
3) The driving. We are now referring to it as Wacky Races.
4) The way that people sneer at the "Latinos" - they are the hardest working and round here most normal of the lot. Talk about a down-trodden under class.....
So, things I hate about San Jose:
1) In the showers in the gym, the fact that some people seem to take 15-20 minutes and do a total immersion wash.
2) In those self-same showers, the hawking noises are just unbelievable. Either there is some cultural thing going on, there is an epidemic of TB, or they've had the air-conditioning on max-Legionnaires setting again. The only other places I've heard such revolting noises have been Singapore where the government has been trying to outlaw all hawking and spitting (they are very subtle in Singapore - they beat people) and China which is just a plain nasty place (where they shoot people).
3) The driving. We are now referring to it as Wacky Races.
4) The way that people sneer at the "Latinos" - they are the hardest working and round here most normal of the lot. Talk about a down-trodden under class.....
4) Same here except they are just 'Mexicans'. If they all left one day, the scenes of Americans wandering around helplessly unable to perform any menial tasks would be priceless.
#353
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Joined: Jan 2011
Location: West Sussex - did 3 years in the US...
Posts: 577
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
My husband was making me laugh saying there are some people who have an extremely long wash and hawk in the sinks at work - I think it is a cultural thing.
Gross.
{I was going to mention the guy that festoons the gents sit-down bog cube (my Essex is starting to come out here, isn't it ?) with paper. He covers the floor, the seat, hangs paper over the hinges so people can't see in, over the gap where the door shuts onto the jamb. Not just a little, TONS of the bloody stuff thereby denying most of his co-workers the delights that are single-ply for the rest of the day.
Invariably, he either leaves it in place, which means that Maria our wonderful cleaning lady that is in work before me every morning and still there when I leave (lazy Latinos) has to deal with it, or tries to flush it away, which, given that the plumbing is CRAP (oh - sorry 'bout that one) blocks the bog solid.
But I won't mention it...}
#355
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
But ... how ...
My mind is full of f**k
{I was going to mention the guy that festoons the gents sit-down bog cube (my Essex is starting to come out here, isn't it ?) with paper. He covers the floor, the seat, hangs paper over the hinges so people can't see in, over the gap where the door shuts onto the jamb. Not just a little, TONS of the bloody stuff thereby denying most of his co-workers the delights that are single-ply for the rest of the day.
Invariably, he either leaves it in place, which means that Maria our wonderful cleaning lady that is in work before me every morning and still there when I leave (lazy Latinos) has to deal with it, or tries to flush it away, which, given that the plumbing is CRAP (oh - sorry 'bout that one) blocks the bog solid.
But I won't mention it...}
Invariably, he either leaves it in place, which means that Maria our wonderful cleaning lady that is in work before me every morning and still there when I leave (lazy Latinos) has to deal with it, or tries to flush it away, which, given that the plumbing is CRAP (oh - sorry 'bout that one) blocks the bog solid.
But I won't mention it...}
#356
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
The absence of a decent amount of holiday time and the pay that would enable one to actually take a decent holiday.
#357
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: West Sussex - did 3 years in the US...
Posts: 577
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Yeah.
There is an obvious joke in there somewhere involving measurements, but I'm not going there. And I wish he wouldn't.
#358
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
There was one guy at work the other day that was cleaning OUT his nose. In totality. He had managed, and this is actually quite a trick, to thread some kind of cotton through the hole between his nasal cavities and was essentially "flossing his conk."
Gross.
{I was going to mention the guy that festoons the gents sit-down bog cube (my Essex is starting to come out here, isn't it ?) with paper. He covers the floor, the seat, hangs paper over the hinges so people can't see in, over the gap where the door shuts onto the jamb. Not just a little, TONS of the bloody stuff thereby denying most of his co-workers the delights that are single-ply for the rest of the day.
Invariably, he either leaves it in place, which means that Maria our wonderful cleaning lady that is in work before me every morning and still there when I leave (lazy Latinos) has to deal with it, or tries to flush it away, which, given that the plumbing is CRAP (oh - sorry 'bout that one) blocks the bog solid.
But I won't mention it...}
Gross.
{I was going to mention the guy that festoons the gents sit-down bog cube (my Essex is starting to come out here, isn't it ?) with paper. He covers the floor, the seat, hangs paper over the hinges so people can't see in, over the gap where the door shuts onto the jamb. Not just a little, TONS of the bloody stuff thereby denying most of his co-workers the delights that are single-ply for the rest of the day.
Invariably, he either leaves it in place, which means that Maria our wonderful cleaning lady that is in work before me every morning and still there when I leave (lazy Latinos) has to deal with it, or tries to flush it away, which, given that the plumbing is CRAP (oh - sorry 'bout that one) blocks the bog solid.
But I won't mention it...}
#359
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 4,130
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
2) My husband was making me laugh saying there are some people who have an extremely long wash and hawk in the sinks at work - I think it is a cultural thing.
4) Same here except they are just 'Mexicans'. If they all left one day, the scenes of Americans wandering around helplessly unable to perform any menial tasks would be priceless.
4) Same here except they are just 'Mexicans'. If they all left one day, the scenes of Americans wandering around helplessly unable to perform any menial tasks would be priceless.
#360
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Same my way, but chances are they're actually Brazilians with a smattering of Colombians and Ecuadorians.