American man who lived in UK has listed all the ways he thinks Britain is better

Since the American Revolutionary War in the 1700s, to the now “special relationship” between Britain and the US – comparisons between the two countries are common. Which one has better cuisine options? (potentially the US). Which one has a better healthcare system?

One American who spent some time living abroad in the UK encapsulated these types of comparisons in a social media post, calling the differences between the two countries “night and day”.

Imgur-user Chimichanga007 says he was born and raised in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has lived in California, Chicago, New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

But after moving to the UK for a couple of years, he said he now has, “survivor's guilt after experiencing living in a sane country compared to America” – in a meme posted on Imgur, an online image sharing community. The post, shared on Tuesday, has been viewed more than 100,000 times .

“If you're not obscenely rich, UK is like a utopia compared to USA,” he wrote in a lengthy post underneath the meme. “I want this for my country,” he added.

One major difference is that in the UK, employees get “tons of paid holiday at every job,” he wrote. In Britain, most workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks paid time off while most workers in America are not legally entitled to any.

Chimichanga007 also praised the “free ATMs everywhere,” and well as the “modern and plentiful public transit” in the UK. He also applauded Britain's free NHS services, access to quality produce and groceries, and police that are not “lunatic power trippers”.

Many people in the comments seemed to agree with the Imgur user, with one person adding; “Worker rights in North America (including Canada) are appalling”.

“Spent 5yrs in Scotland & i totally agree! Even at its worst the UK is eons ahead of the US,” another person wrote.

As an American living in Britain at the moment, I can definitely confirm there are many policies and norms in the UK that feel preferably to the US – namely not living in fear of losing your health insurance and fearing for your life due to lax gun control laws.

But it also seems necessary not to fall prey to a “grass-is-greener” mentality when making these types of comparisons. The UK has plenty of trouble with its own police force, for example, and is certainly not a ‘utopian’ place for many marginalised populations.

It’s important to be appreciative of beneficial policy, but also to agitate for improvements.