“Ameika Ist Wunderbar” as the song goes.
Of course, that’s a satirical stab at Globalisation and so on, but you know what, America is pretty dammed wonderful.
There is far too much that you don’t realise about Europe until you can actually view it from the outside.
The one that has struck me the most is just how uptight we are about things. Especially in Britain, where we are faced with increasingly strict laws every day (for example the SNP’s plans to ban cigarette displays and increase the age at which you can buy alcohol from Off-Licences).
Things here seem to be much more liberal, people can do more. It just feels like people can actually make their own choices and take their own risks rather then have the State intervene.
That’s not to say that State intervention is all bad. I wouldn’t trade the National Health Service (despite it’s many, many flaws) for any amount of private hospitals. I think the current welfare system is deeply flawed in it’s operation, but it’s necessary. Scotland has some of the best schools and Universities in the world which are nearly all state owned in the case of schools or State subsidised in the case of Universities (Scottish Masters Degree = ticket to employment in other countries, and incidentally also usable as the the basis for US Green Card application – I’ve always quite fancied living in San Francisco for few years…).
So, yeah, basically what I’d like is America with European social welfare systems (Obama-Biden ’08 
) or Britain with less of the bureaucracy and worrying (and more of the sun).
Another thing I’ve noticed is the Globalisation. It’s not as bad as you’d think.
I was pretty blown away by the amount of different but similar stores around, but unlike Glasgow there isn’t a Subway, Costa and Starbucks on every street corner (although I don’t doubt there are places like this in other parts of America).
So basically what I’m saying is that I am in a city built on the desire to profit, which worships capital and which can be seen as an example of things that are wrong with Western Society and saying that Glasgow is actually more commercialised in some ways.
That’s not to say I prefer it all. I miss the wee shops, which are always handy. It’s nice having a local green grocer and all that jazz within walking distance.
The Americanisation of Europe does really appear to be a myth. What we’re subject to is just bad business practises due to lack of competition and the desire to create a monopoly with a heft dose of ‘Americans make great TV and movies’ on the side.
Incidentally, I could totally work this paragraph into an idea for a research article at somepoint.
One thing I do prefer about Europe is that it’s not as car heavy and we do have amazing public transport (Well, ok, the continent has amazing public transport – Britain’s public transport is patchy to say the least).
Part of this is the result of the post war rebuilding, which allowed cities to be redesigned with public transport in mind and the strength of various State-Owned transport companies which have helped to create a profitable and efficient continent-wide rail network.
Bus fares are cheap here. First and Stagecoach could learn a thing or two about running clean, efficient public transport from the buses I’ve been on.
The pavements, crossings and so on don’t seem as user friendly as they do at home, which annoys me because I like to walk everywhere. However, as Jeff and Liz pointed out to me, you really do have to be nuts to be walking round in this heat. I would guess that the cooler parts of the country are less car intensive.
But I’ll still be passing my test so I can get a rental car before I come back to Las Vegas.
Anyway, there go. No doubt I will be showered with retorts from my fellow Europeans, but quite honestly coming from the European socialist tradition and being social liberal you end up with an idea of America as some great horrible monster (something which I got over a good few years back along with the Che Guevara t-shirt).
It’s really, really not though. It’s different, it’s flawed (as is Europe) but it’s a dammed nice country and I’ll be coming back.