7 Myths About America 

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Honestly, before the first trip to the United States, America seemed to me to some extent a half-real country. That is, naturally, I knew that somewhere in the western hemisphere, on the other end of the planet, there is a state recognized as a superpower and exerting influence on the whole world. But the United States itself, for me, was only associated with images from Hollywood films, technological giants Google, Apple and Facebook, as well as hackneyed cliches. I had little idea how life works here.

There have always been many myths around the USA in general. The States are too far away - you can’t come here, like in Europe, for a few days to wander the streets and look at the local residents. At the same time, you need to understand that New York and, for example, the outback of Utah or Texas are two completely different Americas. Over the 2 years of living in California, I formed my own idea of ​​the country. And based on it, I want to tell you what is true in the common myths about America and what is not.

Myth 1. America is a country of victorious capitalism

Yes and no. Undoubtedly, in the USA private property rules, competition is developed, all conditions for business development have been created, market movement determines supply and demand. But at the same time, in recent years, the ideas of socialism have become more and more popular. The unprecedented success of open socialist Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primaries is proof of this.

In the States there are already many social programs. If you earn a little, you will be provided with health insurance, free grocery cards, rent out housing at a significantly reduced cost, give baby food for free, give a grant for education, etc.

For many decades, refugees coming to the United States (including representatives of Jewish immigration, who were the only ones released by the USSR) could count on social assistance. People who arrived in old age, without having worked even a day in the States, could receive a pension here.

In addition, today's strongholds of capitalism are such leading IT giants as Google facebook and many other companies, large and small, organize their work according to the principle All Inclusive — full ration for workers included. Almost like a Turkish hotel: you come at lunch, choose what you like from a variety of dishes, eat - and then continue to make a breakthrough in information technology. I was especially touched by the free candy store in Facebook: you can choose any cake or ice cream to your taste and they will simply give it to you, you should not pay for anything. Well, straight communism in its purest form!

Myth 2. In America, a lot of fat

Again, yes and no. According to statistics, every third A resident of the United States suffers from obesity. However, in some states there are more obese people, in others there are fewer. Western states have fewer obese people, while eastern states have more.

In more than 2 years of living in California, I’ve seen really fat people here a couple of times. However, there are a lot of overweight people. This is due to a sedentary lifestyle (everyone mostly travels by car), huge portions in restaurants where Americans like to eat, and the prevalence of fast food products. However, many still monitor their health, work out in gyms and eat right.

Myth 3. Low level of education

Who has not heard the catchphrase of the humorist Zadornov about the Americans: “Well, they are stupid!”? It is now understood that the anti-American propaganda in it was much more than humor.

In fact, America has the largest number of Nobel laureates in the world - more than 350. For comparison, the USSR/Russia has less than 30.

American universities are consistently in the tops of the best universities in the world. Thousands of advanced companies were founded in the USA and modern technologies were created. At the same time every tenth american can't read The paradox is that even if you have no education, but you have golden hands and you are ready to work physically (on the farm, in car repair shops, truckers, etc.), you will always earn yourself a comfortable life in America.

Myth 4. Bad Food

But this is completely untrue. Not all food is tasty - yes. Well, it's like that everywhere. In American McDonald's, for example, the food is terrible, but no one really eats there. But here there is an unimaginable variety of other, healthier and tastier fast foods: Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian, vegetarian, focused on healthy eating - in general, any kind. And what kind of steaks are there! Real jam. Also in the States I found bread that was tastier than I have ever eaten. Fresh fruits and vegetables - all year round. It is clear that in winter it is difficult to find a tomato or cucumber that smells as if it had just been picked from the garden. But there are a lot of organic products here, and when you buy them, you will at least be sure that you are not cramming the entire periodic table into yourself.

And yes, you can find any kind of food in America. Lard, cottage cheese, buckwheat, kefir, liver, tongues and even sweets Roshen — everything can be bought without problems in Russian stores, which are often called “European” here.

Myth 5. Unbiased media

Opinion journalism is very common in the United States, and the media often openly supports this or that political platform. For example, in the last presidential election edition The New York Times officially declared its support for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Including CNNI know that the channel is loyal enough to the Democratic agenda and critical of Republicans and President Donald Trump. Opening the site of the liberal The Huffington Post, I understand that people here openly love Barack and Michelle Obama and, accordingly, Hillary Clinton, and they fiercely hate Trump. Accordingly, the selection of news and the angle of its presentation will be determined by precisely this political position of the editorial office.

On a conservative channel Fox Newson the contrary, you can't wait for a good word for the Democrats, but the work of the Republicans and President Donald Trump is covered in a rather positive way here. At the same time, of course, there are no stories with “crucified boys” here, but the basic media predisposition to certain ideological, axiological and political guidelines is felt.

Myth 6. America is all skyscrapers

In fact, this is not true. In most big cities, skyscrapers are concentrated only in the center. In residential areas, suburbs and towns you will see mainly the so-called “one-story America” - private houses with their own plot. Americans have some kind of irresistible desire in their blood to live in their own home. Many people don’t even want to live in townhouses - 2-3-story houses that have 1 or 2 common walls with their neighbors.

Myth 7. On dates everyone pays for himself

Everything here is very individual. Generally speaking, a man still pays for a woman on a date. However, there may be nuances. If a woman insists that she wants to pay for herself, that’s also absolutely normal. The main thing is that you both are satisfied with any of these options.

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