Society America, the land of the free? Freedoms and rights missing in the US

[Maciamo]

One of the things I've heard the most times from the mouths of Americans about their country is that they live in the freest country in the world. That may have been true when the US became independent in 1776, but that is no longer the case. For example the Freedom in the World Index for 2024 ranks the United States in 62nd position, behind such countries as Mongolia or Barbados. For freedom of press the United States ranks 56th worldwide — lagging behind even Moldova, Mauritania, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Even the Index of Economic Freedom, created in the US itself, ranks America in 25th position.

But in this thread I would like to review more specific freedoms and rights which are found in other developed countries but are lacking in the United States.

I will start with this excellent video made by an American woman living in Germany. She has a PhD in architecture and geography and is also an incredible storyteller. It concerns the right to roam freely in nature.

 

[Maciamo]

Another kind of freedom that people usually do not think about because it is not enshrined in a constitution or a law, is the freedom children have in society to move around and feel more independent from their parents. This may be more of a cultural thing and tends to be more pronounced in Germanic countries. But it also depends on how safe the streets are and how socially accepted it is to leave your kids walk or cycle to school to their friends house on their own.

In Japan it is completely normal for even 5 or 6-year-old children to go to school and come back on their own or even to take the metro by themselves without adult supervision. That's also relatively normal in Scandinavian countries. I recently read an article about this in The Guardian: How to be a Norwegian parent: let your kids roam free, stay home alone, have fun – and fail

"In Norway, children walk to school aged six, or even travel across the country – and no one bats an eyelid. Why do these kids have so much independence, while other countries are so risk-averse?"

In this video Ashton explains how German kids are allowed to have far more freedom than American ones. That also makes them more independent and self-reliant.

One American viewer commented this:

"It has recently occurred to me that an overarching characteristic of Americans is fear and distrust of others. Studies show gun ownership is driven by a feeling of threat and that "only I can protect myself and my family". In more subtle ways I think this shows up in our insistence on owning huge cars, gated neighborhoods, and the way we raise our children. Though general danger is greater here than in Germany, my sense is that perception of a threat is overinflated, but making our way of life worse for all of us."

The feeling of insecurity and mistrust of others in the US and ends up curtailing people's freedom. It's not just about what you allow your kids to do. As explained in the first video above, they are no trespassing signs everywhere in the US and people are ready to protect their property by force (guns) if necessary. Such signs don't exist or are extremely rare in most European countries. In fact you cannot even translate "no trespassing" in many languages. American society is also very conflictual. People sue other people all the time, often for frivolous reasons. That's really one of the things that defines the most American society in the eyes of Europeans alongside gun ownership. Even in safe neighbourhoods people still have this underlying fear of being sued for personal or business reasons — a feeling that is not common outside of the US.

 

[Maciamo]

In case you haven't watched the first video about the lack of freedom to roam in the US, it is because of trespassing laws. Most land in the US is private including 70% of the beaches and vast swathes of forests, meadows and prairies. In most countries that would not be a problem. But the US is not most countries. Not only is it the easiest country in the world to buy a gun, they are now 32 states that have stand your ground laws and allow use of deadly force, meaning that trespassers to someone's property can be shot on sight. The American police already has a very bad reputation of shooting first and asking questions later. But this is much worse as private individual have been given the right to do so on their property. This is why it is extremely dangerous to wander in nature in the United States unless it is clearly written that this is public land (e.g. a national park). There are plenty of wackos out there who will not hesitate to shoot anybody who steps on their property just because they can do it. Actually they may not have the right to shoot if they are not threatened by the trespasser, but it can be hard to prove when the "trespasser" ends up dead and cannot defend his/her version of the events.



Many states automatically grant immunity from prosecution to the survivor and/or give presumption that the survivor had reasonable belief that is serious threat was posed, which is another way of saying that "might is right". No other country in the world gives civilians the right to use deadly force against trespassers. And obviously no other country grants automatic immunity to such people.