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People have so many reasons to love their homeland, from friends and family living there, to nature, language, food, and so much more. But many would agree that even the most amazing of countries unfortunately have a darker side, too, which can be quite scary.
Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community recently got painfully honest about what scares them about the country they’re from. They opened up after netizen ‘u/Efficient-Formal-195’ started a thread about it, and covered all sorts of scenarios, including violence, social issues, and other concerns. If you’re wondering what problems they face in specific countries, scroll down to find their answers on the list below, and feel free to share what troubles you about your homeland in the comments.
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#1
USA - I freak out at the thought that a young woman who was sexually assaulted must then (if impregnated) give birth to the child she never wanted because some bastards and their poisoned offspring are “pro-life”.
RELATED:
#2
Ukraine - Oh god. Missiles and drones that try to kill us every single day. F**k russia.
Lady Lestrange 3 weeks ago
Russia is the perfect example of how wrong people in leadership positions can become a threat to many.
#3
I am from the United States—I don’t care about people having different political opinions or beliefs but there is a massive issue on people being misinformed and wildly uneducated on certain topics.
#5
United States. Health care is so expensive that people suffer and there issues get far worse. And people die because they can't afford health care.
Jenn Smith 3 weeks ago
Ironic, when there's so many "pro-life" people. Yay getting born! But f**k you once you breathe independently!
#6
USA - American food. There’s literally stuff they put in our food that’s illegal in most countries.
Rose the Cook 3 weeks ago
I avoid food made in the USA because of the listed ingredients most of which are just numbers,
#9
USA. The sheer amount of mentally ill people wandering the streets. I’m talking the extreme cases. Experiencing psychotic breakdowns in public and being left alone to spiral out of control. Frightening and heartbreaking.
Bob Brooce 3 weeks ago
Even scarier: All the mentally ill people that turned up to vote on November 5th.
#10
U.S.
How everything America has built over the last 100 years about to collapse because of the constant neglect of the government and corporations. And how profits matter more than making sure its citizens have food, water and shelter.
#11
The escalating violence. We have deadly assaults, bombs and assassinations in broad daylight on a monthly basis. Kid soldiers carry out murder and they are like 12 (!).
Ultimately I blame a catastrophic immigration policy over a 10-20 years period. There has never been a real plan on how to assimilate foreigners into society, which has lead to greater dived between ethnicity and cultures. That has paved the way for a new generation of kids with no prospects because they receive no support or encouragement at home, because their parents have never been part of the society. This has grown exponentially over the years but no one (or at least far from the majority) has dared to address the problem given the cultural and racial connections.
A few years ago something happened. The violence became much more cynical and ruthless. Only when the violence hit middle/upper class neighborhoods, things started to happen politically. In desperation, politicians are now enforcing stricter laws to strike down on criminality, some of which are either totally ineffective or morally questionable, and I feel this will only widen the divide and prolong the problem. You’re not really fixing the real issue, only putting band aid on it. Sad part is, and this goes for all democracies, the ruling politicians are swapped out every 4/8 year, which makes it difficult to work long term.
I live in Sweden.
ScarletRos 3 weeks ago
Wow. I have a Swedish friend who had been living in Australia for many years but returned to Sweden around three years ago. She recently came back to Australia for a holiday and she said these exact things. I couldn’t believe it. I thought Sweden was a reasonably peaceful country. Seems not sadly.
#12
US citizen here, probably the amount of shootings, I don't mean just school shootings, shootings in general, supermarkets, gyms, parks, hell, your own house, and even if we ban guns, criminals will still have guns because they don't care about the law at this point.
#13
It will sound bad, but immigration. I don't want my progressive country (Spain) to become more and more islamic :(.
Bob Brooce 3 weeks ago
I don't see any problem with a country becoming more islamic, christian, or Pastifarian. The problem is letting any religious group (except perhaps Pastafarians) force their religious ideology on others.
#14
US: Ignorance. Most are not willing to invest the time to understand, read, gain knowledge on what is happening in our country which leads to poor decisions based on headlines and social media posts.
#15
Cartels.
A lot of people in Mexico are not experiencing DIRECT violence of Cartels. But the violence they impose is wholly downplayed by our government (they're complicit with them, obviously) and it still scares me so much, even though I love my country. I really hate that Mexico = absolute brutality of Cartels, while they're being almost glamorized in pop culture. I hate that someones mentions Mexico here in Reddit and you have to read morbid jokes about Cartels and d***s - I mean, I know it's unavoidable, but it stings when it's so close to you.
There are lots of towns I used to travel to when I was a little girl, charming little towns and cities that are completely taken by organized crime. It's heartbreaking and scary.
keyboardtek 3 weeks ago
And most of the guns that the d**g cartel have were provided by American gun dealers.
Ionescu Popa 3 weeks ago
many of them produced in the balkans and only resold by american companies.
Load More Replies...
michael reid 3 weeks ago
The Spanish managed to conquer the brutal Aztecs but they never really changed them apart from their language.
StrangeOne 3 weeks ago
This is what keeps me from travelling to Mexico. Even my Mexican cousin downplays it, saying it's as bad as Canada. I feel safe here, walking down the street at night, than I ever would walking in the Mexico during the day.
nm (he/him) 3 weeks ago
I had been in Mexico twice back in the 70s. It was poor then, but it was safe.
#16
Proximity to Russia. It's literally the only thing that I feel threatened by there as otherwise it's maybe not the best but still a chill place to live (Latvia).
#17
Lack of affordable housing.
swiftpanthera:
It scares me how global this issue is.
Verena 3 weeks ago
I live in a very touristy region. Locals have difficulties with finding affordable housing, because it is difficult to find space to build houses for permanent residency. But building a new holiday park with 300 to 400 real houses (two levels, big living room, big kitchen, several bathrooms and 3+ bedrooms on 120m2 plus big garden) is absolutely no problem. We have more than 20 of them along the coast, plus existing villages turned into resorts.
#18
> What's something in your country that genuinely scares you?
I live in the US and this last election cycle genuinely scares me.
It's not specifically that Donald Trump won... But more the apparent apathy from a substantial chunk of the country.
Something like 40% of the electorate just didn't bother to vote.
And now, after the election, we're seeing stories about folks discovering what tariffs are.
And I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around that level of apathy. I mean - I'm a nonbinary queer weirdo so I've clearly got issues with the Republican platform - but that's not even what I'm talking about. Trump is proposing policies that would have a substantial financial impact on most folks in the US... And apparently something like half the population just doesn't care enough to vote?
I don't like dealing with politics. I don't find this stuff fun or interesting. I've got tons of things I'd rather be doing with my time. But I'm not rich-enough to just throw my money away, so I'm going to take a couple hours to figure out which candidate is actually going to be the best for my finances.
And, apparently, something like half this country just doesn't care.
There's so many big f*****g problems in the world... And this last election cycle is going to be felt around the world for years to come... And folks just don't care?
How do you possibly fix anything if people can't be bothered to even show up to vote? If they can't spend an hour or two looking at actual policies and positions? If the best we can possibly hope for is that maybe folks will just vote for their team? If even something as real and immediate as your own pocketbook isn't enough to motivate people?
gbic 3548 3 weeks ago
Amen. Down with apathy. Up with thinking for yourself, spending just a little time researching what your vote for candidate A could do for yourself and what you care about. Time for brain use the next election go-around, people. Thos who didn't vote? Get your heads out of your asses.
#19
Scotland is boringly safe and unvenomous compared to other countries, but one thing that is happening here that I find massively concerning is the way cash is being phased out. They like to use the "cash isn't safe because of covid" argument but that's so obviously not the reason. Maybe I sound like one of those tin foil hat people but I don't want to find out what kind of shit the government will pull when money only exists digitally and every transaction is monitored.
Bob Brooce 3 weeks ago
Even if you've never even seen tin foil it's perfectly reasonable to want the option of paying in a manner that doesn't guarantee that it's easy to know who bought what, and when the bought it.
#20
Greek here. The fact that things that SHOULD be working safely, aren't.
Last year a passenger train crashed head-first into a freight train because the changing of the tracks on Greek railways is done manually by remote workers through a communications system, and something was communicated wrong. 57 people lost their lives because the direction of a passenger train wasn't changed manually. This happened after multiple complaints (across multiple years) from people in charge of the railway were sent to the government about how unsafe the system is currently, which were all ignored.
On top of that, there seems to be a very intentional cover-up of the whole incident, possibly because something bigger is tied to the explosion that happened during the crash and killed many of the victims. For one, the crash site was covered with gravel and concrete a week after the crash, allegedly to cover up evidence. Also, video evidence that was showing what was loaded into the freight train before it started its course went mysteriously missing.
Now most of us are not only even more skeptical of our government (as if we weren't before), but we also don't trust the railway or the metro to not literally kill us.
#21
China - the Uyghur concentration camps. I’m from that area and I couldn’t believe it when the news first came out. As a matter of fact, I didn’t learn about many negative historical events of China until I left, and I can never look at the CCP the same way.
Geoffrey Scott 3 weeks ago
I couldn't bear to tell my wife the bank she got my grandson, which plays, "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands". Please correct me if I am wrong, but that is a song the Uygurs are required to sing in the forced labor situations?
#22
I’m from the Middle East (specifically Syria) so basically it’s “dictatorship”.
#23
American here. The tribalism that comes with our political system is what scares me the most. So many people on both sides don't see each other as American, it's all us vs them, and the only discussions we can have are arguments and fistfights.
keyboardtek 3 weeks ago
I find in online forums if I challenge a conservative with a fact that disagrees with their statements, they respond with insults and vulgarity. Can't back up your statement with data or provable facts? Then attack the other person. This has happened on even non political forums like one about vinyl records versus digital CDs. People are just more vulgar and insulting these days.
#24
Indonesia: Religious extremism and increasing taxes.
Sven Horlemann 2 weeks ago
The first is the worst. Religion should always, in all aspect, and all directions, teach respect.
#25
Canada;
Cost of living,
Lack of housing.
Chaos_Object:
The endless opportunities to become homeless.
Luke Branwen 3 weeks ago
The mere existence of phrase "cost of living" should be enough to make people riot. We've grown way too complacent and defeatist.
#26
Brazilian here. My country is dominated by crime, mostly by drug trafficking and corruption.
#27
Nepal - Corruption is something that has killed my country over the years.
#28
Norway - S*icide season is coming up :/.
As have been stated already Seasonal depression is pretty real when the sun disappears from your life (even when the sun is out, it's very weak and the vitamins you might catch from it in summer is literally just gone). Add the "most wonderful time of the year" over commercializing, and everyone seeing their family and loved ones will put a massive looking glass on your possible lack of loved ones and the fact this time don't feel too wonderful for everyone. "everyone else is happy, but I'm not" but supercharged.
I first started noticing the trend in 2017 when 4 people I knew personally left in the span of 3 months. It was even mentioned in the Kings speech the year after
Jon Steensen 3 weeks ago
Remember to take your vitamins! The won't be the solve-all solution, but being such an easy thing to do, it is a step in the right direction, and may help you deal with the lack of energy that comes for a vitamin D deficiency.
#29
UK - Lack of housing. I worry for the next 2 generations.
Emma S 3 weeks ago (edited)
💯 I'm British and this scares me as well. The Salvation Army hostel has been closed down in my city meaning even more people on the streets. Social housing is virtually impossible to get now because there aren't that many available thanks to demolitions and the right to buy scheme. Many private landlords are charging high rents for poor quality housing, in addition to the sometimes thousands of pounds being charged upfront before you even move in. If tenants dare to complain about landlords not doing repairs, landlords can hit them with a section 21 eviction notice. Buying a house is only possible if you can save up the 10% deposit, which is nigh on impossible if most of your income is going towards paying for privately rented housing. Only last year, our then Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, had the bare faced cheek to call homelessness a lifestyle choice and wanted to make rough sleeping a criminal offence, because the sight of seeing people sleeping on the street or in tents was ruining her view or something.
#30
Rapid population growth from immigration paired with the lack of housing available in liveable areas 🇨🇦.
What do you think ?
T'Mar of Vulcan 3 weeks ago
Thrilled not to see South Africa on the list. We have numerous problems including crime, electricity, water availability... But we also have a good track record for getting together and getting things done when it counts (not you, Zuma, thula wena). I still have hope.
Pittsburgh rare 3 weeks ago
The rise in gang rape in Spain. The terrible housing crisis. A third of the country at risk of poverty. Inflation and the awareness that when (not if) the next economic crisis hit we'll suffer it the most.
Petra Schaap 3 weeks ago
what are you saying? You wanna go first or what?
Load More Replies...
Julie S 3 weeks ago
Can't believe no one in the UK mentioned the rising knife crime. It's some scary shít.
Gin 3 weeks ago
It is, but maybe because it's actually not very country specific. Knife-related violence has been on the rise worldwide since 2014. The UK isn't alone or the worst. We need to be very aware of how stats are collated. Here in the UK, the mere possession of a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place can be a crime and is added to “knife crime” It does not necessarily mean that anyone has been harmed. In many other European countries, possession is not a crime and therefore their “knife crime” statistics may be much lower. When we look at homicide rates for European countries, there are 20 that have lower than the UK and 23 that score higher and a handful that don't adequately record their homicides.
Load More Replies...
The Doom Song 3 weeks ago
Australia- not the snakes or spiders but the freaking magpies are terrifying
Norm Gilmore 3 weeks ago
The magpie was introduced into NZ from Australia for insect pest control. Guess what. It's now a pest. And (not related) my regions local rugby team is called The Magpies. :-)
Load More Replies...
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 2 weeks ago
Australian. The rise in domestic violence, and general violence against women. A women is killed almost every week, a direct result of domestic violence. And police pretty much ignore it, and pleas for help. There have been instances where known domestic abusers have been taken back to their wives/girlfriends BY POLICE who just happen to be the abuser's friend, and the woman has ended up killed shortly afterward. It absolutely disgusts me.
Tobias Reaper 3 weeks ago
Teletubbies tall mutants with tv in their stomachs that talk an alien language that live in a land with sentient sun that has a babies face this is scary stuff man
Eric Lafleur 2 weeks ago
Canada: Our southern neighbors are making me nervous. It's like living in an apartment building knowing there's a meth lab one floor below, run by mentally unstable morons.
CanadianDimes 3 weeks ago
Canada: grizzly bears, polar bears. Also moose. But more so, tourists who insist on feeding and/or posing with these *very dangerous wild animals*.
John Harrison 3 weeks ago
Lithuania: Their online content "authors" and their clanky web design. :) Love you, BP! Hugs and kisses!
John O'Donnell 3 weeks ago
UK- The people who talked about my country above. Never seen such uniformed drivel in my life, and they can vote.
Fabulous chocolate cookie 3 weeks ago (edited)
Germany. Lack of housing and immigrants getting a fast pass for a free house while our own people have to wait years to get a house. And the rise of fascism and extremism. But that's something over the whole world it seems.
Penguin Panda Pop 3 weeks ago
One would suggest that the two things you mention are connected. Perception that immigrants are getting an easy life is facism fuel.
Load More Replies...
T'Mar of Vulcan 3 weeks ago
Thrilled not to see South Africa on the list. We have numerous problems including crime, electricity, water availability... But we also have a good track record for getting together and getting things done when it counts (not you, Zuma, thula wena). I still have hope.
Pittsburgh rare 3 weeks ago
The rise in gang rape in Spain. The terrible housing crisis. A third of the country at risk of poverty. Inflation and the awareness that when (not if) the next economic crisis hit we'll suffer it the most.
Petra Schaap 3 weeks ago
what are you saying? You wanna go first or what?
Load More Replies... Julie S 3 weeks ago
Can't believe no one in the UK mentioned the rising knife crime. It's some scary shít.
Gin 3 weeks ago
It is, but maybe because it's actually not very country specific. Knife-related violence has been on the rise worldwide since 2014. The UK isn't alone or the worst. We need to be very aware of how stats are collated. Here in the UK, the mere possession of a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place can be a crime and is added to “knife crime” It does not necessarily mean that anyone has been harmed. In many other European countries, possession is not a crime and therefore their “knife crime” statistics may be much lower. When we look at homicide rates for European countries, there are 20 that have lower than the UK and 23 that score higher and a handful that don't adequately record their homicides.
Load More Replies... The Doom Song 3 weeks ago
Australia- not the snakes or spiders but the freaking magpies are terrifying
Norm Gilmore 3 weeks ago
The magpie was introduced into NZ from Australia for insect pest control. Guess what. It's now a pest. And (not related) my regions local rugby team is called The Magpies. :-)
Load More Replies... Smeghead Tribble Down Under 2 weeks ago
Australian. The rise in domestic violence, and general violence against women. A women is killed almost every week, a direct result of domestic violence. And police pretty much ignore it, and pleas for help. There have been instances where known domestic abusers have been taken back to their wives/girlfriends BY POLICE who just happen to be the abuser's friend, and the woman has ended up killed shortly afterward. It absolutely disgusts me.
Tobias Reaper 3 weeks ago
Teletubbies tall mutants with tv in their stomachs that talk an alien language that live in a land with sentient sun that has a babies face this is scary stuff man
Eric Lafleur 2 weeks ago
Canada: Our southern neighbors are making me nervous. It's like living in an apartment building knowing there's a meth lab one floor below, run by mentally unstable morons.
CanadianDimes 3 weeks ago
Canada: grizzly bears, polar bears. Also moose. But more so, tourists who insist on feeding and/or posing with these *very dangerous wild animals*.
John Harrison 3 weeks ago
Lithuania: Their online content "authors" and their clanky web design. :) Love you, BP! Hugs and kisses!
John O'Donnell 3 weeks ago
UK- The people who talked about my country above. Never seen such uniformed drivel in my life, and they can vote.
Fabulous chocolate cookie 3 weeks ago (edited)
Germany. Lack of housing and immigrants getting a fast pass for a free house while our own people have to wait years to get a house. And the rise of fascism and extremism. But that's something over the whole world it seems.
Penguin Panda Pop 3 weeks ago
One would suggest that the two things you mention are connected. Perception that immigrants are getting an easy life is facism fuel.
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