Most of the inhabitants are in some kind of illusory world, regarding how people live in the United States.
In fact, the level of poverty in America has reached unprecedented heights. The middle class is slowly dying. Unemployment is at a fairly high level. Most Americans live in very poor conditions. Does this mean that the US economy is going through the hardest times? Let's try to answer this question, relying solely on the facts.
US residents may claim that they live better than other countries and that they have an economic paradise. However, the fact that the number of American poor is growing every day makes us “take off the rose-colored glasses”, and it is really very difficult to understand that life in America is really very difficult.
Russians think that living in America is simply wonderful. Many dream about it since childhood, imagining a carefree life with a cool car and a beautiful three-story house. It seems that moving there is the height of dreams. And some even succeed. But is everything so wonderful, and what are the features of life in America that are better to know and for which it is better to prepare, especially morally.
Katya left for the USA 5 years ago. She recently returned to her homeland, and decided to talk about the peculiarities of life in a distant country of America.
The girl was also one of those who had life in America as the ultimate dream. But not every Russian cope with such a life. Katya couldn't do it either. She nevertheless returned to her native Moscow, and no longer wants to leave it.
1. With feet on the bed.
It was a big shock for Katya. It would seem that there is nothing wrong with the fact that Americans walk around the house in shoes, and can even easily retire to bed like that. But Russians get really pissed off when it happens in front of their eyes every day.
No, they are not bugs. 4 times a day they wash all the roads, while about 4 times a week they do this with special cleaning products. And they hardly ever walk. Everyone travels by car or, in extreme cases, by taxi.
But still the Russians don't like it. Katya said that for her it was, as it were, not respect. Throw your feet on the table, or climb into the bed in shoes. In Russia, as everyone knows, there is even such an expression - "Put a pig at the table, she and her feet on the table." By the way, because of this, you have to constantly change the floors of the house ...
2. Freedom…
In America and in Russia, these are different concepts. The point here is not even in the state, but in society. Therefore, according to Katya, you need to immediately prepare for what you will see. For example, there everyone reacts normally to the fact that two guys will stand in line and kiss. Let it even be a children's toy store. No one has the right to say anything until no one personally does anything to you. Therefore, be prepared if you have children that they will look at it everywhere and all the time. People can be dressed in anything, and this should not bother anyone either.
3. People without housing.
There are a lot of them. Yes, all Russians know that there are a lot of them in America, but no one can even imagine on what scale it is. These people live quietly on the central streets of the city. According to the authorities, this is due to the fact that housing in America is very expensive. Even removing it is very expensive. Not every salary is enough even for a room that has not been killed. In addition, America has stopped funding some hospitals, including psychiatric ones. People ended up on the streets and from there ... If they do not have a relative who is able to pay for their stay there.
4. Nutrition.
Almost all Americans eat their fatty cuisine. These are french fries, hamburgers, steaks, etc. And if you bring something from home for dinner, and even something useful, they will look at you strangely. Basically, everyone has a quick bite to eat in cafes that are located near offices.
5. Work.
It is especially difficult for those who have not lived in America. They are accustomed to give almost all the time to work. Moreover, the fact that you stayed until the night does not bother anyone. Nobody will pay you for this. And if you don't, you'll just be kicked out. Any employer has the right to do so. Virtually no one is involved employment contracts. This gives the employee the opportunity to leave the position at any time, but also the employer to dismiss the worker simply because he so wanted to. That is why all Americans are terrible workaholics. They have no other choice. Agree, we are not used to this. We know that we are protected by the law, and that we will not just stay on the street. And there - easily, moreover, without anything. Americans buy everything on credit. Therefore, dismissal means a lot for them - without work, without housing, without a car and everything else, moreover, immediately, within a month.
So, everywhere is good, where we are not ... Not everyone can stand it. Not to mention insanely expensive medicine and stuff.
America is always on the mind. She beckons and evokes conflicting feelings, she is discussed and condemned, and of course, she is admired! Tourists usually return home from America quite impressed by the sociability and friendliness of Americans. Of course, you can meet exceptions: an ill-mannered taxi driver, a rude waiter, although this most likely will not change the overall impression. But you can really get to know the American way of life only after living in America for a while.
For those who have not yet been to the “states”, it will most likely be interesting to briefly get acquainted with what the life of Americans is like, what is its image and style. So the introduction begins...
In fact, the main American national traits are friendliness towards strangers and ease of communication. These people are accustomed to be polite with guests, and when answering the standard question: “Do you like it here?” Asked somewhere in Europe, they will adhere to the rule: “If you can’t say something good, it’s better not to answer at all” . And therefore, the standards of honesty that other nations profess, the Americans interpret in their own way, considering such "honesty" as a sign of rudeness.
As a rule, in America, people move freely both geographically and socially. They easily make acquaintances and make new friends. True, most American houses are still separated from each other by a fence. And even such invisible barriers as lawns are adequately perceived and respected: one can have friendly relations with a neighbor in a dwelling, and at the same time not show interest in his affairs. And although this dividing line is very thin, it still exists as a border.
Americans believe that religious, political, and income-related topics should not be discussed in casual conversation, and people who insist on mentioning their status in a conversation or those who put on airs are usually considered insincere. They are often the object of ridicule.
In general, Americans love practical jokes, puns and jokes, however, their specifics are not always clear to foreigners. You have to live in America for two years to learn to perceive their humor, which they call "tomfoolery" - this part of the everyday communication of most residents of the "states", which is often the background of ordinary conversation. However, jokes, witticisms and mutual banter are not used just as entertainment. Their goal is often more serious - the expression of their own opinion. In view of this, many American citizens believe that any person can be recognized by the perception of a joke addressed to him. They appreciate the ability to joke in such a way as to get out of a sensitive situation or prevent an argument.
The life of most ordinary Americans is concentrated, as a rule, around their home. Necessary homework is always found, and most do it with their own hands. And if the owners do not have enough time to clean up the yard or rooms, then the lawn in front of the house must be in perfect condition, otherwise - a fine!
They do not go to the store every day and stock up on groceries, usually for a week. Cash is almost never paid, because they prefer cards (most often credit). Once a week at without fail the whole family gets together for dinner to discuss and find out what is happening. It is customary to arrange parties on the lawn for the neighbors.
In many families, parents, as a rule, always demand all possible help around the house from children. Americans instruct their children to vacuum rugs and furniture, wash floors and windows, mow the lawn, clear snow, and look after pets. But in some families, adults also do this work. Children are often rewarded for such services with little pocket money.
Teenagers usually work part-time at the supermarket or washing cars, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, or babysitting. Parents welcome this not at all because they cannot provide their children with everything they need. It's just that such an experience is useful, because children leave home immediately after leaving school, having already been accustomed to physical labor, which often becomes the beginning of progress towards gaining the necessary position in society.
The morning in an American family begins, perhaps, as in other countries: working parents go to work, and children go to school. Most of the adults leave in cars, while the children are picked up by school buses. By the way, at the age of 16, many children get a license and have their own cars, despite the fact that insurance for minors and novice drivers (with the exception of excellent students) is many times more expensive than for adults. 
Schools are divided by age: Primary School, middle and senior, each in a separate building. For kids, classes begin at 8:30, and for high school students at 7 in the morning (at about 6:30 in the morning they are picked up from the stop by a yellow school bus). The cost of schooling depends on the area in which you live (the better the area, the higher the status educational institution). Tuition is paid once a year, it is included in general tax, and then the state itself distributes the money for its intended purpose.
Many Americans work no more than eight hours a day and usually take two days off each week. In addition, some employers offer work with various modes, part-time work or remote work at home, using the phone and the Internet. Online in the States is considered the norm in everything - they pay bills online, make purchases.
Almost every American, in addition to work or study and household chores, attends courses, goes to a bridge, bowling or golf club. Many are members of various public organizations and societies, while showing great activity in the cause of charity. Parishioners of one church often organize charity events: dinners where everyone treats others to some dish they brought with them, selling pastries or cakes, and even washing cars.
Life is also “boiling” for children: playing a musical instrument, riding and ballroom dancing lessons, skating, swimming, tennis and golf - everything that parents consider useful. One child goes to a club for a party or meeting, another goes to the library, and a third goes to the movies. Neighbors constantly come in, the phone rings without ceasing, notes hang on the refrigerator, reminding family members (everyone without exception!) Of what needs to be done, and so on for days on end.
There is a lot of work, and people don’t have time to just lie on the couch. On your feet all week, and only on weekends you can get out to the park, have a barbecue, invite friends to a party. There are few holidays and vacations in the USA, and they are shorter than, for example, in Russia. The middle class rests once a year, especially if there are children. Family vacations are expensive, most vacations are spent in California or Florida. Wealthy people prefer to relax in Hawaii, the Bahamas and Alaska. All Americans, regardless of income, love discounts and usually do not buy anything without discounts (fortunately, they are almost always available).
Life tends to force "American residents" to do well in exams for admission to prestigious universities in order to get a high-paying profession, be able to "grow" professionally and intellectually, lose weight, improve health and learn to relax. In America, you can’t get a job through blasphemy and you won’t pass an exam for beautiful eyes. Only hard work and ability can guarantee a consistently high standard of living.
Any services, be it medicine, education or calling a plumber to your home, are expensive, and you can’t live on a salary of 3 thousand dollars. The average American needs to earn $7,000 to $10,000 a month to afford to keep a house, travel, educate their children, get services, pay taxes, and go to shops and restaurants. A trip to the doctor (visit only) costs from 40 to 60 dollars for insurance, if there is neither insurance nor money, then it is easier to immediately prepare for a “meeting with Elvis”.
Americans believe that everyday life should be untiring, and everything that industry produces should serve a person and make his life as comfortable as possible. Everything from mail order to banking service right in the client's car, from computer services to the supply of materials for clothing and ready-made confectionery or culinary dishes to take away, is done in this country for the people! Why carry cash in your purse when you have a plastic card?
In clothes, Americans also prefer comfort, and only at work or a party they follow the dress code. They don’t iron clothes, they don’t dry them like we do on a string, they have machines: one washes, the other dries. Office clothes are usually sent to the cleaners ($2.50 per shirt), from where they are returned in a ready-to-wear condition. No American will lie under the hood of a car - he will invite a specialist, and nine out of ten will buy coffee in a cafe in the morning or drink it on the go on the way to work, although almost every home has a fine coffee machine.
Every American smiles, especially at work. Being sullen at work is not acceptable. After all, the boss must show his subordinates, and his subordinates - to buyers or customers, that “everything is OK with me!”. The American businessman is not pedantic or petty, but at the same time he understands that there are no trifles in the organization of any business. Therefore, he carefully prepares for the upcoming negotiations, taking into account absolutely all the elements that can in any way affect the success of the case. Citizens of the United States also value punctuality and save time - they use laptop diaries and live according to a schedule, arriving exactly on time for an appointment.
Smoking in public places is prohibited, and Americans drink alcohol in the form of cocktails, where there is more ice than liquid. Most of the population suffers from obesity - cheap fast foods are plentiful and difficult to refuse.
To combat overweight, which is turning into a national problem, sports are promoted - even the president participates in races and various sports events.
There are many lonely old people in the country, and you will often meet an elderly person taking a walk with a dog than with grandchildren, since children and parents in the United States exist far and apart from each other. Americans are very independent, because the main idea of the American way of life is that everyone is the creator of his own destiny.
Americans are sociable, but visiting their home is not at all easy. It is more likely to receive an invitation from them to a restaurant than to your own home. To spend a lunch break with a person during the working day means to maintain a business relationship with him. But to invite a married couple to your house in the evening is already a personal relationship. In general, they rarely eat and cook at home, preferring to go to restaurants, by the way, almost all restaurants are adapted so that even small children can sit here.
Since American citizens are great patriots of their homeland, they do not approve of any criticism that foreigners express about anything related to their country, for example, about an article published in a newspaper or magazine. They may not approve of the policy pursued by their president at all, but they will not allow any criticism of foreigners in his direction.
This people sincerely believes that their American way of life is the highest achievement of mankind, and the United States of America itself is the most important country in the world. And they sincerely respect all existing American laws and their authority.
So your acquaintance with how Americans live in their United States has come true.
America is a huge country with a high economic level and comfortable living conditions. Everything seems so attractive that many migrants dream of staying in the US. But how do ordinary people actually live abroad? It is generally accepted that in America they earn a lot, and life is simple and pleasant. In order to figure out whether everything is so rosy, it is worth considering different aspects of life in the United States.
How people live in America ordinary people? Basically, they are united by national traits - ease of communication, openness and friendliness. Americans are very polite, and in order not to offend another person, they can simply remain silent. Residents of America are free in their movements around the country, they easily get to know each other and make friends. Although there are certain invisible boundaries. Houses are separated by small fences, and friendship does not imply interference in the affairs of a neighbor.
The conversation cannot discuss political, religious or financial matters. Mentioning social status is considered indecent. Americans are very fond of humor and practical jokes, but they are quite specific and not always clear to foreigners. With the help of jokes, US residents smooth out conflict situations. They often use humor to express their own opinions.
Is life difficult for people in the US? The history of all families is approximately the same. American life revolves around own house. The lawn in front of him is brought into perfect condition, even if there is not enough time for household chores. Americans do not make daily shopping trips, but stock up on food at once for a long time.
Paying predominantly credit cards and rarely in cash. Once a week, the whole family always gathers for dinner together, discussing the news. Parties are held on the lawns to socialize with the neighbors. Children are obliged to help their parents with the housework - to clean the snow, mow the lawn, vacuum, etc.
For this, their parents pay them small fees. American teenagers often earn extra money at car washes, supermarkets, etc. Such an experience is considered mandatory, since grown children immediately leave their father's house after school and they need the skills of physical labor and earning money for a living.
How do people live in America? The day starts like in other countries. In the morning, parents leave for work (mainly in private cars), and children go to school on special buses. Housewives are engaged in housekeeping. Many teenagers drive their own cars, even though their insurance is much more expensive for adults.
Almost all Americans attend different clubs, golf, bridge and other entertainment. Some people in the United States are members of public organizations and are involved in charity work. Church members organize lunches. Dishes for them are prepared at home and then put on the table. Children are engaged in different circles: ballroom dancing, tennis, etc.
Americans love to talk on the phone. Almost all families have notes posted on refrigerators reminding who in the family is and what needs to be done. Americans are distinguished by their smiling, cherish personal and other people's time. They prepare carefully for important negotiations, they value punctuality very much. Almost all US residents follow a strict schedule, many use diaries.
How do ordinary Americans live in America? Their lifestyle is quite dynamic. All week they are constantly in motion - work, business. Only weekends are left for rest. These days, Americans go out with their families to the parks, for walks or to meet friends. Vacations and holidays in America are much less than in Russia.
The average US citizen takes only one vacation a year. During the holidays, they prefer family trips to other states, to the countryside, to the mountains, etc. Wealthy Americans mostly vacation in Hawaii or the Bahamas. Residents of the United States are very fond of discounted goods; purchases are rarely made without them.
All services, including medicine, are quite expensive, so a salary of several thousand dollars is considered low. You can only live on this money with great difficulty. To support a house, a family, pay taxes, for education, etc., an American needs to receive at least 20 thousand dollars a month. Smoking in public places in America is prohibited.
Alcoholic drinks are consumed in small quantities and mainly in the form of cocktails. Because of the addiction to fast food, most Americans are prone to obesity. Sports are promoted to lose extra pounds. There are many lonely elderly people in the USA. They are rarely visited by children and grandchildren. Residents of the United States invite only relatives or close friends to their own home, they prefer to meet with everyone else on neutral territory.
The American way of life obliges to have your own housing. But since it is not possible to save up for it, most often houses are purchased on credit or taken on a mortgage. The most popular are small one-storey cottages from 150 to 250 square meters. Such a house costs an average of $150,000.
The cost of housing may be higher, it depends on its area, location of the quarter and building material. In modern American homes, a spacious living room, children's and dining rooms are required. Americans buy houses on credit (usually at 10 percent per annum) for 30 years. The period, terms and amount of payments depend on the level of salary, advance payment and the cost of the cottage.
How do ordinary American hard workers live? They have an eight-hour working day and two days off weekly. Employers offer different schedules. Americans can choose to work part-time, work from home, etc. For a stable and high level life in America is a must have higher education. In the United States, you can’t get a job “by pull”. The standard of living depends on the annual income of the whole family. Salary depends on education and profession. Highest Paid Professionals:
Their income can be from 15 to 20 thousand dollars a month. Teachers, junior medical personnel, employees of state structures have less wages. In America - hourly pay. The minimum wage is approximately $7.5 an hour.
The level of income largely depends on the state. In them, the same position can be paid differently. The highest income of Americans is provided by their own business or private activities. Any US resident can become an entrepreneur. The state supports the development of small businesses.
Schools are divided into elementary, middle and high schools. And they are all in different buildings. Senior students start studying at 7 am, and kids - from 8:30. Education in many schools is paid, the cost depends on the area of residence. Payment is made once a year. The amount is included in the total tax. Further funds are distributed by the state.
Education can be obtained in both public and private schools. Education in universities takes place mainly on a paid basis - from 3-10 thousand dollars annually. In colleges, education lasts four years. Part of the payment is borne by the state. Foreign students are allowed to enter US universities. There is a special visa for this.
How do ordinary people live in America? Not all Americans can afford to go to restaurants and cafes. In the United States, it is customary to buy food from wholesale stores, as it is much cheaper and saves time. Prices in supermarkets can be much lower than, for example, in Russian ones. But the low cost of goods is often associated with poor quality.
Grocery items may have an expiration date, good-looking meats are bursting with hormones, and fresh and beautiful vegetables are full of pesticides. Cheap and a lot of quality products. The US supports farms, the cost of land and taxes is quite acceptable for small businesses. Accordingly, all this is expressed in low food prices.
How do ordinary people live in America? The standard of living directly depends on the annual income of the family. An important condition for a comfortable existence is insurance. This usually applies to real estate, cars and health. Retirees over 65 are eligible for medical insurance from the state. This category also includes children under 19 years of age.
Each company provides its employees with insurances on which you can receive payments. Some large organizations issue them not only to their specialists, but also to their families. Small companies that cannot provide insurance to employees often offer discounts on various products.
Free medical care is provided for low-income citizens. Americans spend 30 to 50 percent of their income on taxes. The largest deductions:
Low-income citizens, pensioners and students are not subject to taxes.
Almost all ordinary people are gaining loans. Cards are opened even in childhood and adolescence. Almost all US residents have savings accounts. This is insurance for a rainy day. Savings are used in extreme cases (job loss, etc.). Americans have to do financial planning in advance.
Kindergartens are paid. Approximately 700 dollars are paid monthly for one child. Expensive are sports, dance and other sections, in which it is customary to give kids and schoolchildren. Against the backdrop of all payments, even a week of illness and disability can lead the middle class to bankruptcy.
How does the average American middle class live? Almost every second family pays a mortgage or rents a house. A small two-story cottage costs about $ 5,000 a month, excluding utilities. medical, car insurance, student loans, etc. - all this costs a lot of money.
Cars are most often rented, bought - less often. But almost every adult family member has a car. Monthly payments on a car range from 200 to 400 dollars per month. If family members do not have a good credit history, then about own house and a cloudless life can only dream of.
How do ordinary people live in America? They prefer to shop at sales. Americans dress simply, they try not to spend a lot of money on clothes. When things wear out, they are taken to a humanitarian aid center. In America, there are many stores with discount branded clothing. What in other countries can cost thousands, in the United States can be purchased at sales for $50.
Discounts are made in stores all the time. Many sales are organized in honor of public holidays. After them, the remaining things come true at even lower prices. At big sales, queues begin to line up a few hours before the store opens, and some even set up tents on nearby lawns in which they spend the night. Most often this happens at supermarkets with household appliances.
How do ordinary people live in America? They spend a lot of money on coffee. Long queues form at the coffee shop in the morning. Then they repeat during lunch and after work. Despite the fact that coffee can be made at home and it will cost much less, millions of Americans spend hundreds of dollars annually on the purchase of an invigorating drink. No less in demand are bistros with fast food and frozen convenience foods for microwaves.
Many Americans consider it their duty to have a gym membership. Even if they don't go there at all. In America, it is not customary to borrow or lend money. If a person cannot take out a loan for his needs, then he is more likely to miss the semester, refuse to travel, but never ask for a loan of money. This is considered indecent.
All three emergency services always come to calls. Moreover, firefighters are most often the first to provide first aid. There are many toll roads and tunnels in the USA. Medicine is very expensive, but it is at a highly professional level. Americans call skyscrapers towers.
I happened to study and work in the USA from 1992 to 2009. Leaving for America for a professional conference, it seemed to me, who had just graduated from the Aviation Institute in Moscow (MAI), that I would see a country that could in many ways become an example for my Motherland, which at that time was just embarking on the path, as we were proclaimed then, democratic reforms. Then I began to discover America for myself, first studying at the university, then working in my specialty. Gradually, it became obvious to me that the American reality is absolutely not the same as it is broadcast to the whole world by biased media. It is now clear to many that America is seriously ill, its economy is undermined, its public debt is growing exponentially, and the country's prospects as a single cultural and national entity are unclear. Having lived there for 17 years, and watching how America has changed, I can say that the gradient of these changes is really negative.
Ashes of the “liberal experiment”
Many commentators explain the current problems of the United States solely in monetary and economic terms. It seems to me very superficial and does not reflect much what happened there in reality.
Financial and economic problems are only a consequence of a real cultural and ideological transformation imposed by liberals on American society over the past decades. The liberal revolution was launched in the USA back in the mid-60s of the last century, and since then two generations of people have grown up, whose will is completely paralyzed by the liberal ideology, which led America to today's insoluble contradictions. This transformation is already so irreversible that it will hardly be possible to reverse the negative trends that are gaining momentum in America. Unfortunately, I also see that the liberal reforms currently being imposed on Russia, and the algorithms by which they are carried out, are very similar to what I observed in the United States. I would even say that the States serve as a kind of laboratory in which one can see what the future holds for Russia in the not so distant future, if the order of things in our country does not change.
I do not want Russia, which has been stuffed with liberalism for 20 years, to be reduced to the same state that the United States found itself in after four decades of liberal rule. What makes me believe that it can be prevented? The fact that in Russia, despite 20 years of catastrophic reforms, the processes of deconstruction of traditional morality, the atomization of society and the destruction of people's awareness of themselves as part of a people with a common historical destiny, have not yet gone as far as it happened in America. This is confirmed by recent events, when protests against the unjust system created in Russia after 1991 resulted in numerous rallies throughout the country. Many people have already realized the disastrous nature of the path imposed on Russia. These people, whose consciousness has not been distorted by liberal propaganda, will be able to synthesize a new philosophy aimed at the revival of Russia.
It is obvious that some of the liberals, now removed from power by the ruling regime, are trying to seize the initiative of popular discontent and use it in order to regain power again. If the liberals succeed, they will continue the same disastrous course pursued by the current regime, with the only difference being that instead of "national specificity" American patterns of liberalism will be used, from which domestic imitators draw their political inspiration. And the course of the current regime, which has turned Russia into a cross between a raw material appendage of the West and a financial oligarchy, and the creation of a “multicultural society with a post-industrial economy” along the American model, which home-grown pro-Western liberals dream of, are both worse, since these are two sides of the same liberal monetarism .
In this article, based on my observations of life in the United States, I would like to talk about how liberal monetarism itself changed America, the country's entry into the WTO, the creation of a trade union with Mexico, and the ensuing mass migration of cheap labor to the United States from Mexico itself. and other Latin American countries.
Then I would like to dissect the reasons why the liberals led the transformation of the United States, using free market principles, globalization, political correctness and tolerance as the tools of this transformation. Its result was that America, which back in the 1970s was based on European and Christian culture, had a powerful industry and was the main world creditor, has now been turned into a country of a “multicultural society”, a “post-industrial economy”, an impoverished middle class, which has become the world's main debtor.
If the liberal course in Russia is maintained or continued under a new banner, then its result will be the loss of the remnants of Russian sovereignty, the final destruction of domestic industry, the fall in the living standards of the population, the gradual replacement of the indigenous peoples of Russia due to mass migration from outside, the subsequent large-scale interethnic conflicts, and ultimately, the cessation of Russian statehood.
New York as a premonition
In August 1992, I came to America to participate in the Congress of the International Astronautical Federation. At the student session of the congress, where I made a report based on my graduate work, the author of these lines got acquainted with representatives of the scientific and educational center (MarsMissionResearchCenter), organized by NASA at the University of North Carolina, with the aim of preparing young specialists for the Space Research Initiative proclaimed in 1989. I was offered to apply for Graduate School at this center. I was happy with their offer, because it gave me a chance to further study in my specialty, and then to participate in the NASA project, the ultimate goal of which was announced in 1989 as a manned flight to Mars. My documents were accepted, but it soon became clear that, since I am a foreign student, NASA cannot pay for my education, and if I still want to study at this center, then I must pay for my studies myself.
While my entry visa was valid, I applied for a temporary work permit as a student whose documents had already been accepted for study at the university.
I got my first real impressions of life in America in New York, where I lived for two years, earning money. New York is actually a city of contrasts, where you can see a lot of interesting things - both beautiful and not so beautiful. It makes little sense to talk here about things typical for this city, those who are interested can easily extract the desired information from the Internet, books, stories of their acquaintances who have been there, etc.
What struck me the most about New York was the almost parallel worlds inhabited by immigrants from all over the world. It is quite natural that people tend to settle among those similar to themselves in ethnic, linguistic and economic terms. Therefore, different areas are inhabited by ethnically diverse immigrants who reproduce in New York the culture of the part of the world from which they came. Sometimes the dividing line between these areas can be just one street, such as 96th Street, which separates the fashionable part of Manhattan from the infamous Harlem. What is shown to the whole world in movies and magazines, like a hallmark of New York, is that part of Manhattan between Harlem and Chinatown, where the headquarters of transnational corporations, the UN and other international organizations are located, and which is inhabited mainly by wealthy Americans .
In the rest of the city (and this is about 80% of its area) you will feel like in some third world country. For example, most of Brooklyn and Queens are populated by people from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. The Bronx is almost entirely populated by migrants from Mexico and Latin America. We can say that New York is a huge likeness of the UN General Assembly, where representatives of the most diverse peoples of the Earth are brought together, who have neither a common language, nor a common faith, nor a common culture, nor a common moral code. I remember that I was surprised to hear from Americans more than once that, they say, New York is not America, if you want to live in real America, then you need to go to some small town. Later, the meaning of what they were telling me became clear to me.
New York is a kind of laboratory where the technology of transforming European and Christian (basically) American civilization was worked out - into an egalitarian society of all races, religions, cultures and tribes that have nothing in common with each other, except for economic interests. However, in the process of this transformation, New York has completely lost its American character and identity. Obviously, this did not happen by chance. Time has shown that New York is the prototype of what the liberal elite is gradually turning the entire United States into, and what they would like to turn the rest of the world into.
American outback
After earning enough money to pay for the first two years of my studies, I was able to begin graduate school at North Carolina State University (in early 1995). Its campus is located in the state capital, Raleigh. Compared to New York, Raleigh made me feel like I finally got to a normal, traditional America!
Studying at the university brought many surprises and gave many interesting observations, and most importantly, it allowed me to really understand the mentality of Native Americans in many ways, because, despite the many people I met in cosmopolitan New York, most of them were either visitors or immigrants in the first generation.
To be honest, the high level of requirements at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, where I received theoretical training, was a surprise to me. After studying at the Moscow Aviation Institute back in Soviet times, I arrogantly thought that it would be difficult to surprise me with something. But in the first semester, I had to literally exert all my strength in order to at least have time to hand over term papers on time. Coursework according to the theory passed, they were issued every week, and not once a semester, and they had to be handed in no later than the specified day and no later than the specified hour on that day, otherwise the work would not be read at all. The theoretical level as a whole was quite high and practical work on the material covered was carried out very intensively.
In my department, about half of the students were foreigners, mostly from China and India, many of them received funding from their governments, with a guarantee of employment when they returned home. At the Faculty of Computer Science, for example, the number of foreign students generally reached 70%. I remember how students from India and China spoke respectfully about Russia and told me that many of the textbooks they used to study were published in the Soviet Union and later translated in their country.
Americans, on the other hand, preferred to study in the humanities or business-oriented faculties, since they considered studies related to the natural sciences or technical specialties to be too difficult and with very uncertain prospects for further employment. However, those “techies” Americans with whom I had a chance to study made the best impression. They were engaged in good faith, there was no question of some kind of “hack work”. In the American academic world, plagiarism is generally considered a serious crime, and I heard that there were cases when it was expelled from the university.
After two years of theoretical training, I passed the qualifying exams and started working on my dissertation. Along with this, I had the opportunity to teach students studying for a bachelor's degree, and from that time the university began to pay for my education.
Naturally, through interaction with people in the educational process, through participation in various events outside of school, mutual rapprochement occurs and it becomes possible to speak more frankly on many topics. American students and graduate students could be well versed in their field and in some related areas. We could have an interesting conversation about some hobby or sport, but each of them had a rather weak idea of \u200b\u200bwhat was happening in the world around him. It was this narrow, limited worldview that struck me most of all. Our conversations never turned to politics, crime, or the flooding of the country with migrants who literally changed the face of everything around us before our eyes. That is, the problems that Americans face every day and, moreover, the very reasons that cause them, have never been discussed in one-on-one conversations, nor in companies. These topics are virtually taboo in the United States.
Later, I was no longer very surprised by the presence of some unwritten list of topics forbidden for discussion, what in America is called political correctness. I would say that Americans are distinguished by alienated individualism, some kind of apathy for the future of “this” country, as they said. Their thoughts are focused solely on their own survival and success. The exception was those Americans who had already studied or worked abroad, their worldview changed greatly after that. Apparently, it is not in vain that they say that everything is known in comparison.
"Golden State"
After completing my dissertation in 2000 and receiving a US Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, I was offered to continue research work as a research assistant at the NASA Ames Center, which is located near San Francisco. Bush Sr.'s Space Exploration Initiative of the late 1980s was quietly buried in the mid-90s, and NASA's top priority became the ISS, the international space station. Therefore, in the center of Ames, instead of developing a human expedition to Mars, we were engaged in the creation of landers capable of delivering autonomous rovers to the surface of the planet, significantly larger than the first successful Pathfinder rover, which arrived on Mars in 1997. The result of this work was the successful landing of the Spirit rover in 2004, and the large Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) launched in November of this year, which has the Curiosity rover on board, already with a mass of about a ton and the size of a passenger car.
In California, near Los Angeles, there is another NASA center, although it is formally called the “Jet Propulsion Laboratory” (JPL), where all interplanetary probes and landers are assembled, tested and controlled. The creation of two NASA centers in California in the 1950s was not accidental. After World War II, California became the most populous state with the most powerful economy. Until the mid-1970s, California was the hub of aviation and space companies, while its school and university education system was considered the best in the country, and its crime rate was very low. At the time, Americans called California the "golden state."
I did not find that “golden” California, but in many ways I saw a completely different state. In 2001, California no longer resembled the rest of the United States in terms of character and composition of its population. While still studying in North Carolina, I heard from Americans more than once: they say, California is no longer America, because it is the most liberal state. It seemed to me that after the first two years of living in New York, it would not be easy to see something even less American in America. But in the California where I arrived, sometimes I felt like I was in Mexico rather than in America. Because of the huge number of Mexican migrants living everywhere I go.
I remember how in 2005 California was declared the first state in the US where whites became a minority. More precisely, at that time they accounted for 48% of its population, and in fact, back in the mid-70s, their number was about 90% of the population. Over the past decades, California has gone through a tremendous demographic transformation due to legal and illegal migration, most of which were Indian peasants from rural areas Mexico and Central America.
Migrants from Mexico and other third world countries form their ethnic enclaves wherever they settle and continue to live according to the same rules and customs that exist in their homeland. Their receipt of naturalization papers does not necessarily make them Americans. As a rule, these migrants remain loyal to their country of origin and hardly assimilate. In addition, the authorities officially profess the ideology of multiculturalism. Such newly minted “Americans” often do not want to respect American traditions and rules of the hostel and actively impose their way of life and their own norms of behavior. It happens that the children of migrants express a more hostile attitude towards America than their parents. For example, many of the Mexican youth already born in the United States openly declare that they would like to return to Mexico the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, which became part of the United States under the 1848 treaty.
Not knowing English, having no education, millions of migrants receive a variety of assistance from the California treasury, which is carefully provided to them by liberal politicians. In order to fund welfare for migrants, in the form of paying for their housing, food, medicine and education, California had to raise taxes on its middle class to the highest level in the country. Since the influx of migrants is in the millions, there is still not enough money, and this has led to a catastrophic deterioration of the school system and medical services in the state, as well as an increase in crime. And the middle class, that is, taxpayers, began to leave California for those states where taxes are still lower, schools are better, and there is less crime. Thus, there is a gradual replacement of the indigenous population of California with migrants from Mexico and Central America. As a result of the constant influx of millions of tax consumers and the exodus of millions of taxpayers, the once “golden state” filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
Processes similar to those in California are now underway in the states of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. The states of Denver, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey follow with some lag. With a continuous influx of migrants across the southern border of the United States and their significantly higher birth rate than the native population, it is only a matter of time before similar trends begin to appear in the rest of the country. A change in these processes is unlikely to be foreseen, because Republicans act in the interests of businesses that are hungry for profits from the exploitation of cheap migrant labor, and Democrats stimulate the influx of migrants by providing them with generous social assistance in exchange for their electoral votes after they receive citizenship and can vote .
The scale of this migration is so profound that it leads to cultural and social fragmentation of the country.
The dilemmas that the United States will face in the foreseeable future can be summarized as follows: how to avoid social anarchy, with the country's ongoing deindustrialization, the steady decline of the American middle class and the ever-growing number of migrants who are not capable of cultural assimilation? And how to preserve the integrity of the country in the conditions of an ethnically and socially fragmented multicultural society, into which the United States has transformed liberal immigration and economic policies?
”Liberal monetarism in action”
After eliminating the Soviet Union as their global competitor, the American liberal elite started talking about globalization and decided to create a free zone in all of North America. market economy, by concluding a tripartite agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada on free trade (NAFTA) in 1994. As a result, a trade union was formed, the ultimate goal of which was the creation of a single economic space and the elimination of customs barriers for the free movement of goods, goods and people. After that, millions of migrants and illegal immigrants rushed to the United States. Who needs America, into which migrants from Mexico poured in an avalanche?
The true beneficiary of this has been the financial and business community, whose interests are precisely represented by America's liberal elite. In their cynical understanding and in full accordance with the liberal principles of the free market. Like, to increase profits, in principle, only two things are required: minimizing the cost of labor and maximizing consumption. Migrants from the South provide her with both. Population growth at the expense of poor and semi-literate migrants from the South leads, on the one hand, to lower wages. On the other hand, to a higher demand in the housing and services market, and hence to an increase in the profits of those who live off this hired labor, issuing loans under loan interest, and receiving dividends from investments.
America's liberal elite calls itself "progressive," saying it has been able to rise above such a supposedly hopelessly outdated notion as national patriotism. She declares that she has the best feelings equally for all the inhabitants of the Earth and that the very difference in such concepts as “legal citizen of the country” and “illegal migrant” has lost all meaning for her. In this case, one can only wonder how anyone who does not have a special love for his country and his compatriots can love someone or something at all? It is noteworthy that none of the “progressive” liberals wants to live in areas inhabited by migrants and illegal immigrants, instead they prefer to settle in fashionable neighborhoods with reliable private security.
The language spoken by migrants and their foreign culture, as well as the gradual decline in living standards in America itself to the level of a third world country, worries the American business community the least, since its profits grow precisely thanks to this process. The import of unskilled migrants makes it possible to use them in the service sector, while paying them many times less than their own citizens who are accustomed to much higher living standards.
From the point of view of the liberal elite, this is a completely logical approach, since it itself, in the pursuit of superprofits, since the 1980s, has been deriving the main industrial production USA to the countries of the Pacific basin, limiting the American labor market mainly to the service sector, which does not require a highly skilled workforce. It turns out that since the beginning of the 80s, the middle class has been cut off the opportunity to have a skilled and well-paid job in industry. And with the beginning of the 90s, in addition to this, he began to be forced out of the service sector with the help of low-paid migrants.
In 1995 the US joined the WTO. For the American middle class, the cumulative effect of America's accession to the WTO was in many ways very similar to that of the US entry into a trade and customs union with Mexico. First of all, it is the loss of millions of jobs, the ruin and closure of tens of thousands of small and medium-sized companies that serve as the main employers in America. These companies, in principle, could not compete with manufacturers of similar products in Southeast Asia or Latin America, where workers have an order of magnitude lower wages. Paradoxically, among the most affected by the WTO were computer and other high-tech companies of small and medium levels. The fact is that after the abolition or reduction of customs duties, manufacturers of computer components from China and Taiwan began to supply their products to the United States at much lower prices than local suppliers who had no choice but to go out of business. And why bring components to distant lands and seven seas to America, if you can assemble products from them on the spot? Therefore, now on almost any American high-tech product you will read: “designed in the USA”, and in the same place - “assembled somewhere else”. That is, for the entire cycle of production and assembly, the American owner of the company pays salaries not to his compatriots, but to workers and engineers somewhere in Brazil, India, China or Taiwan.
A similar approach has spread to many other industries.
By personal experience I can say that if in the mid-90s, probably half of the goods in American trade were labeled “MadeinUSA”, then in ten years almost everything, with rare exceptions, was made in China, Taiwan or somewhere else.
With the development of Internet communications, the next step was that now the very engineering development of many products or the creation of computer software, American companies began to order in India and China, because they can do it with high quality and on time, but many times cheaper. And with the same devastating effect on the American labor market as in the case of the production of components and finished products from them. Moreover, such a design and production scheme contributes to the constant flow of technology to manufacturing countries. This largely explains the fact that during the time of membership in the WTO, America has lost its former undeniable scientific and technological leadership, while India and China are rapidly closing the technological gap with the United States.
Progressive deindustrialization, a service sector increasingly reliant on low-paid migrant labor, an impoverished and shrinking middle class that was once the backbone of the United States - such is today the American "post-industrial" economy. I remember well how in the 1990s liberals told Americans about the benefits of creating an economic union with Mexico, about the benefits of WTO membership and the transfer of industry to Asia and Latin America. In the 2000s, liberals presented them with fabulous prospects for a new, globalized economy based on Internet technologies and the transfer of computer and engineering developments to India and China.
Ruin
Consequences of liberal economic policy are well reflected in the nature of growth public debt USA. America's national debt for the period from 1945 to 1965 did not exceed $250 billion. With the beginning of liberal social transformations, the national debt began to grow and reached 1 trillion by 1980. But as the economy began to liberalize in the 1980s and then globalized in the 1990s, public debt had already begun to rise exponentially, reaching an astronomical $15 trillion by now. With the continuation of the policy of liberal monetarism, the essence of which is the privatization of profits and the socialization of losses, the only question is: when will this financial pyramid? The consequences of its collapse will be truly catastrophic for America and very serious for the rest of the world.
In fact, the real conflict here is between America's middle class and its liberal elite. This elite is loyal only to money, the interests of the banks and multinational corporations that it owns. It is no longer interested in the welfare of the American middle class. It benefits from cheap labor from Mexico and Central America, while at the same time turning American cities into ethnic bantustans, organized crime is rampant, and schools, hospitals and prisons are overflowing with migrants who do not speak English and are hostile towards the indigenous population. The liberal elite does not care because they live in closed areas, their children attend expensive private schools, and they have completely isolated themselves from the multicultural society that they themselves have created with their policies of globalization and the export of cheap labor. For the liberal elite, America has become just a place to make money. She no longer considers the US her home. The liberal elite is cosmopolitan, they have possessions all over the world, and when a really destructive economic crisis, and then inter-ethnic strife will begin, she will simply move to one of her cozy shelters to ride out the storm. When American leaders speak of “American interests,” this is nothing more than a cover for certain group aspirations of those who have full financial and economic power and who no longer have anything to do with the American people or their interests.
There is no doubt that the liberalization of the economy, its globalization, accession to NAFTA and the WTO turned out to be very beneficial for the financial and business elite of America, since in doing so it radically reduced its economic costs and just as radically increased its profits. But in the process of enriching themselves, the liberals destroyed the economic base of America's middle class, almost turned the US into a Third World country by flooding it with tens of millions of unassimilable migrants, and laid the foundation for the coming bloody ethnic conflicts.
