TV Lifestyle. The US is tied with the UK for most hours of TV watched per week: an average of 28 hours per person. That’s enough time to earn a kung fu black belt before the next presidential election.
Environmental Devastation. The US is having an impact on nature that can be described as nothing less than terraforming. Nearly half of the country’s lakes are too polluted to sustain fish. The US is 2nd in the world in C02 emissions, exceeding all nations of the European Union combined.
Air Pollution. Air pollution is linked to the deaths of 100,000 people per year. Most Americans are now breathing air that is dangerous for their health. In places where, a few decades ago, you could stand in a city and see mountain ranges in the distance, now you can see only the orange gleam of the smoggy night sky.
Cult of Personality. Americans are completely obsessed with celebrities. The most obscure, personal details of actresses or musicians are splayed across front pages. There is now a whole class of people who make a living as professional celebrities. Now, even political campaigns are harnessing the unmitigated adoration that Americans have for their fancy people.
Unwanted Pregnancy. Regardless of your stance on abortion, we can probably all be upset that by age 45, half of American women have had an unintended pregnancy and a third of them have chosen to terminate it.
Divorce. While figures on divorce have been overblown, the fact remains that the US has the highest divorce rate in the world. Divorce is associated with health and financial issues and is devastating for children.
Drug Abuse. Americans lead the world in the use of illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin, and in toxic legal ones like tobacco. Alcohol is the only exception. After spending a trillion dollars and imprisoning millions of people in the War on Drugs, the US government has failed to have any noticeable impact on the skyrocketing popularity of drugs.
Racism. Large portions of America were built on the backs of African slaves (or over the bodies of Native Americans). A century after they had been set free, black US citizens still lived in fear of suddenly being beaten, imprisoned, or even lynched. Today, most Americans still harbor explicitly racist sentiments toward blacks and Hispanics.
Discrimination. The US is shockingly unequal. The average white American household earns 64% more than its black counterpart. The government has robbed the church of its moral authority, leading to intrusive and inconsistent laws about marriage contracts. Though things are improving for female professionals, they still earn only 81% of what they would if they were male.
Body Shame. Hannah Lobel writes: “Short of burning obese people in effigy, it’s hard to imagine how we could stigmatize fat more in this culture.” Most commercially-produced images of humans in America are heavily edited, creating a standard of beauty that is physically impossible to attain. The psychological damage of constant exposure to this standard is catastrophic.
Rape. The objectification of human beings is fueling a rape epidemic. The US has the highest number of reported rapes in the world. A recent study suggests that nearly 1 in 5 American women are sexually assaulted. College and grade school are particularly dangerous.
Crime. America has the highest reported crime rate in the world. The annual murder rate is 4.7 per 100,000 – a figure that is unthinkable in other developed countries.
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