The USA is 249 years old. The countdown to US 250 is underway. The land of the free and home of the brave is growing older. Many citizens of the USA are divided on the direction the country has taken over the last few decades. There are a number of citizens who are dissatisfied with the country as a whole. A country is made up of its citizens. The citizens make the country. If you take a look at the citizens of the USA a question arises. Where would the average US citizen go if they left the USA?
Many people would answer the previous question by saying someplace in South America. Some people would say Europe or the Far East. A few may even claim to intend to head to Africa. All of those destinations are wonderful places and have unique features. Yet, where in the world could the average US citizen truly feel comfortable and “let their hair down?” What country would be able to accommodate the average US citizen’s normal behavior or needs? England? Australia? More importantly, would these countries want an influx of, let’s say, 25- million US citizens?
What country could fill the diet of mindless entertainment that the USA provides? Do you think England would welcome back the people they once emptied prisons to get rid of? Do you think a cool 25-million US citizens would be welcomed to merry old England? Now, they do have sports in England – cricket, soccer and rugby are a few. These may not sate the US need for excitement. Soccer is great but the average US citizen wants more action. Cricket may assuage the baseball fan’s palate for about a day. The confusion from having two men bat at once would end the average US citizen’s interest. The US baseball fan wants home runs and an occasional tirade from the team manager. Cricket may offer these, but the average US baseball fan would have lost interest by the time these events took place.
I can imagine a number of planes loaded with US citizens headed to South America. The male US citizens are thinking of all the enticing and exotic women. The females are wondering about the sexy males in South America. First issue is the language barrier. Many of these countries speak Spanish or Portuguese. The Spanish taught in many US school districts is not the same as the Spanish used in these countries. Let’s say a US citizen relocated to Columbia. Columbia is a great place. The average US citizen has no problem showcasing their financial status via material items. This is not a wise thing to do in certain areas of Columbia. The casual way US citizens can walk around in designer shoes and have high end purses on their arms in the USA is a no-no in Columbia. I can hear people saying this is the same in some areas of the US. True. But, remember in the US you know the language and are familiar with the signs that radiate from people and areas.
Where would you go, US citizen to feel and enjoy the everyday pleasure of the USA? Where can you go and purchase 100 inch TVs and enjoy hundreds of channels with ease? Where would you go and not be looked at as a fool with money? What nation has a free babysitting area, the school system, where your children can act up with impunity? What nation is willing to allow you to be foolish because it is your right as a citizen? The answer, nowhere.
It is okay to complain and gripe US citizens. But, never think that there is a place anywhere close to the USA where you can be yourself. Many of you are good people by US standards. These same good people would be considered uncouth savages by another country’s standards. US citizen kick back. Cut on the TV and fire up the grill. Settle in US citizen because there is no other place for you to go.
Frank James IV © 2025
beingfrankwithfrank@gmail.com
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or HT Group, LLC, its staff or management. “Being Frank” is a bi-weekly column exclusive to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper.
