Live in America
There is a song with the title “We don’t live in America – but we’re not sorry.” The group who sings it, The Sounds, are living in Helsingborg, a town in southern Sweden where I was born and raised. When teens watch and listening to The Sounds performing the song they are jumping up and down singing “We don’t live in America – but we’re not sorry.” Doing that they look a little angry, but most of all they look very happy.I don’t know if the kids are happy living in Sweden, some probably are, some don’t. But why are they so happy singing to the world that they are not sorry not to live in America.
One answer is obvious. I have listened to many people in US talking about living in America as the best thing. For many Americans it probably is. For many people outside the country it probably isn’t.
I don’t want to live in America. No offence. I think it’s natural. I like to visit US and I have done it a lot of times and I will come back. There are lots of things I like in the country. An American friend once suggested I should write about it. I probably will sometime. One of those things I don’t like is the common idea many Americans have about citizens in other countries longing to live in United States of America.
Most Americans don’t want to live in Sweden. Many are quiet sure about it. But they shouldn’t be, because very few US citizens have been in Sweden. About 90 percent the Americans have never been visited other countries than Canada and Mexico. Even so most of those 90 percent know that US is the best country to live in. I have visit most of the states in US travelling the country for many years. I think it could be possible to find places that are not that different from plaves in Europe, at least if you turn the terrible television off.
If I wanted to live in another country it should not be USA. I think a lot of Americans take that statement as an offence. If a person told me, and in fact some has, that he don’t want to live in Sweden I don’t take it as an offence.