24 Privileges Americans Have That Most of Us Don’t Realize
Living in the Land of the Free has many privileges. But, if you were born and raised in the United States, it’s easy not to notice them and take them for granted.
From access to clean water to being allowed to buy a property, Americans have more freedoms than many of us realize.
1: Your Child’s Name
In America, you can name your child whatever you want. That’s not the case in certain other countries. In Germany, the parent’s name choice must be approved by the local registrar’s office. The registrar’s office has several rules, including that the name can’t be offensive or a name that isn’t really a name.
2: Who You Marry
Though it wasn’t always this way, U.S. law now protects your right to marry whoever you want, regardless of race or gender. Many countries that Americans tend to consider forward-thinking still restrict marriage. In Japan, for example, same-sex couples still can’t get married.
3: Right to a Fair Trial
In America, you have the right to a trial by a jury of your peers. That’s not always true in the rest of the world. A 2021 UN report found that one in three prisoners globally was being held without a trial of any kind.
4: Clean Water
Being able to drink straight from the tap without risk of illness isn’t a reality in much of the world, but most Americans hardly think about it. In fact, having running water at all is a huge privilege. In many countries, hauling fresh water home takes up a significant portion of the day.
5: What You Wear
In New York or Los Angeles, you can get on a bus dressed like a fairy princess, and few people will give your tutu a second look. But, if you did that in some of the other major cities of the world, it would be a punishable offense.
6: Basic Equality
The American government views its citizens as equal regardless of gender, race, or religious creed. That’s not the case in many other countries. In Afghanistan, for example, just being female means you can’t go to certain public places or attend school past 6th grade.
7: Education
Most countries offer public education in some form, but that doesn’t mean citizens can access it. Often, children need to work to support their families. While there are undoubtedly children working to help support their families in the U.S., it’s far less common and culturally frowned upon for a child to quit high school early to support their family.
8: Being Yourself
Even if being “you” is a bit outrageous by others’ standards, under most circumstances, no one can legally stop you in the U.S. You can take a suggestive selfie or post an outlandish thought without fear of fines or prison time. In countries like Qatar, indecency laws prevent citizens from doing things like that.
9: Ability To Divorce
Whether you’ve been married fifty years or had a crazy time in Vegas last weekend, you can choose to void your nuptial agreement in the U.S. Doing so can be as simple as filing the right paperwork. In countries like the Philippines, the government only grants divorces in very specific circumstances.
10: Your Haircut
Mullets and fauxhawks aren’t for everyone, but hairstyles of all types are allowed on American soil. That same can’t be said of Iran, where any hairstyle of “Western decadence” could lead to your arrest, along with women not covering their hair.
12: Accessing Information
As an American citizen, if you need to know something, a quick internet search will often find it. In some other countries, like Iran, the government restricts the websites citizens can access. Others, like Russia, take down websites that are critical of the state.
13: Reliable Infrastructure
Infrastructure in the U.S. isn’t perfect, but it’s better than many countries. Americans don’t typically have to worry about bridges collapsing or the power grid going down for days at a time. Citizens of many other countries aren’t so lucky.
14: Cheap Food
Though Americans are spending more on food now than they have in decades, the cost of food in the U.S. usually doesn’t eat up a large chunk of one’s paycheck. In contrast, Nigerians spend over half their household income on food, and citizens of several other countries spend well over forty percent of what they bring in to feed their families.
15: A Long Life
Life expectancy in the U.S. has dropped slightly since 2019, but the average life of an American is still over 77 years. Compare that to the life expectancy of a citizen in Sierra Leone (55.92 years), and the American life looks like a long one indeed.
16: Plenty of Space
If you live in a densely populated city, you might not think the U.S. has a ton of wiggle room, but in truth, there’s more space in America than in many other countries. The overall population density in the U.S. is 93.29 people per square mile. In Italy, it’s 518 people per square mile.
17: No Compulsory Service
You don’t have to join the military in the U.S. unless you want to. In countries like Israel, service is compulsory for citizens.
18: Chewing Gum
Believe it or not, even chewing gum is restricted in some countries. In Singapore, no one is allowed to chew gum, but in the U.S., you’re free to indulge in your gum-chewing habit as often as you wish.
19: Your Business Dreams
They don’t call it the Land of Opportunity without cause. Starting your own business in the U.S. is relatively easy. There are almost no barriers to entry, and there are many resources available to entrepreneurs.
20: Self Defense
If someone attacks you in the United States, you have the right to defend yourself. In countries like Haiti, Iraq, and Morocco, there aren’t even laws against domestic violence, and sometimes, the assault victim is the one who ends up in cuffs.
21: Elevators
The United States is young compared to many other countries, and its buildings, especially the tall ones, are often relatively new. The U.S. also has disability laws that force builders to include things like elevators in multi-story construction. In countries like France, it isn’t uncommon to only have access to stairs.
22: Air Quality
Air quality can range from excellent to poor, depending on where you are in the United States. However, even in dense cities, pollution laws prevent the air from getting as unhealthy as it does in other countries, like India, where bad air quality shortens lives by an average of five years.
23: Owning Property
Owning a home and the land it stands on is part of the American dream, but other countries severely restrict citizens’ rights to own property. For example, in Nigeria, the government technically owns all land and rents it out to citizens.
24: Enjoying a Cold One
For many Americans, kicking back with an ice-cold grownup beverage is something they look forward to. In countries like Libya and Saudi Arabia, citizens don’t have that luxury. Alcohol is completely banned there, and in many other countries, there are significant restrictions.
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