Look, I’m glad you’re advocating for good things. People need to be doing that. I’m done with the US and I really have no hope for it so it really doesn’t matter anymore to me either way. I’m lucky enough that I never have to come back.
It fucking sucks getting gentrified out of places you lived when you’re making over $100k, and its absolutely absurd. I live in the Netherlands now. Because there’s a functional tax system my neighbors are bike mechanics and students, instead of literally everyone either being a boomer who bought their house in the 80’s or a tech bro on a single income. People should be able to live in cities, and cities should be high density. If people say they’re struggling on $150k/y then believe that what they’re saying is real, because it is. If people are struggling on $150k/y then theres a huge problem. But you know what’s nice? It’s not my problem anymore.
I really hope your volunteering works out because it’s needed.
How were you able to move there? On paper I’m absolutely worthless… I’m stuck in a place I can’t afford to stay in, but too poor/undesirable to be welcomed into another country.
I’m really privileged and I sacrificed a lot. It’s not an option for most people and if I didn’t work for a big evil company I probably couldn’t do it. They paid for most of it and organized a lot of it, but it was still a ton of work that we couldn’t have done without a bunch of help from our family. Also being fueled by pure terror helped.
As much as I say I don’t care, I have so many friends who couldn’t do the same thing and are stuck like you. If I thought I could help by staying, I probably would have. I thought about leaving when Trump got elected, but decided to stay and try to make things better. Then I got shot by a Trump supporter. So this time my family and I figured out an exit plan and left. Well… My partner and kids got out, but everyone else is still in the US.
Everyone should have the opportunity to live in a place that makes sense. I wish I could make the US a place with living in. I wish that borders didn’t exist.
But if you want to escape to Europe, you want to figure out how to get citizenship in a place in the Schengen zone. The easiest to get in to legally are Spain and Portugal, which are a lot cheaper. It’s also easier and cheaper to move if you’re not taking anything and not supporting any kids or a partner.
I wish I could give you useful advice.
I appreciate your abrupt change in tone and your effort to engage with me as a person. I feel like we share many of the same goals and ideals, and are not as far apart as pithy comments may make us seem.
I hope the Netherlands is as kickass as I’ve heard it is from friends
