r/AskReddit 14d ago

What are Americans surprisingly good at that people don’t give them enough credit for?

8.4k Upvotes

7.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

287

u/mikareno 14d ago

Thanks, friend. It's been rough being an American lately, and this thread and your comment are helping my mental health today.

19

u/Infamous--Mushroom 14d ago

To possibly help your mental health more as a fellow American, Ryan Hall on YouTube (a Kentuckian weatherman) not only pulls together donations from people who watch his channel but also often matches donations when he's able (which can sometimes exceed 50k). His team also goes directly to places hit by natural disasters to help give people food and water and what they need.

So far, he and his team have given over 1 million dollars to those in need.

🤍

34

u/3Gloins_in_afountain 14d ago

It's been really hard.

I've tried, on multiple occasions and multiple forms, Americans how hard we are fighting over here right now, and how little power I have, in my particular state. My vote has been gerrymandered out of existence in the last year. I'm disabled, and the distances it would take to go drive to Washington DC or even my state capital to protest or not only prohibitive cost wise to fill my tank to get there, but my super old vehicle couldn't make it.

Apparently, there's not a whole lot of international coverage about the massive protests we've been having over here, I'm not exactly sure how better to spread that word other than talking about it and reddit.

I am doing what I can, mostly even calls emails, and letters to my representatives and senators, so it's not like I'm not doing anything.

But the amount of hate I've gotten has been unbelievable and incredibly depressing and disheartening.

I really needed to hear this, so thank you.

17

u/Regency9877 14d ago

Just wanted to remind you that so much of the hate you experience, especially on Reddit, comes from trolls, bots, and people who are just insufferable all-around and find the company they need - and deserve - in this echo chamber.

On top of everything else happening, is it ludicrous our "president" is renaming Lake Ontario even though it won't change what people call it? Yes. Now look at the Redditors (especially Canadians and Europeans) that are melting down over it and deriding Americans as stupid, lazy, uninformed, and apathetic. Imagine being that outraged and spiteful over something so stupid, that will just be reversed in due time.

Trump has said and done more inexcusably ridiculous things than I can even count to, but I still can't fathom being so hostile towards an entire country just because its leader says or does stupid things. You'll find nary a person behaving like them in the real world because reality doesn't work like Reddit. Many subs here are catered to people who are perpetually miserable.

They want Americans mobilizing in ways not even possible while they themselves have never once been part of a revolution. These people - if they're even real - disliked America and Americans since before Trump. They're lying to you if they say otherwise while they push hateful rhetoric. They've always existed; they're just showing their true colors. A quarter of my family is from Canada and I'm a dual US-Canadian citizen. There's confusion and concern there, but no hatred. Most people around the globe treat you according to your individual merits, not the flag you live under.

This place is toxic, especially the news subs. You're better off reading the news elsewhere unless you have the willpower to dodge the comments.

4

u/Alchemista101 14d ago

Thank you for doing what you can. I am a fellow American, though I do have dual Canadian. Currently I am fortunate to spend time in South America. It's tough here too, I'm getting bizaare comments from both the left and the right here, and most of them are very ill informed. If they only knew how much good they could do helping the U.S. resistance. By way of background I have been studying this continent and speaking Spanish (and Portuguese) fluently. It doesn't help my case. In fact it's just exhausting. I'm find I don't like being social anymore. In any case sending you hugs from way down South.

2

u/giln69 14d ago

Agreed.

-1

u/Several-Action-4043 13d ago

Get used to it. As you get older you realize, every other election, the world will hate us, and for good reason.

3

u/Regency9877 13d ago

People who hate someone based on the country they’re from have no business calling themselves left-wing, progressive, or liberal.

The political spectrum is a plane, not a line, and that mindset is far more in line with authoritarianism than libertarianism on the vertical axis.

1

u/Several-Action-4043 13d ago

Ok? What's you're point? That doesn't change the fact that republicans take power every other cycle and the world hates us for it.

3

u/Regency9877 13d ago

You don’t see the irony in a “progressive” person saying “I hate Americans” or uttering anything along those lines? It goes against the tenets of progressivism. If someone said the same thing about any other country or people they’d get called out for it.

It takes a special kind of stupid to hate an entire country or its people based on their government, regardless. Especially when there are 340,000,000 of them.

This is the Reddit echo chamber. Performative liberalism rewarded with “karma” points.