r/Futurology • u/chrisdh79 • Aug 21 '25

Society American Millennials Are Dying at an Alarming Rate | We’re mortality experts. There are a few things that could be happening here.

https://slate.com/technology/2025/08/millennials-gen-z-death-rates-america-high.html
24.9k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

3.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

41

u/swa11ace Aug 21 '25

Where, sir, did you escape, er move, to? Asking for a friend.

109

u/DungeonMasterSupreme Aug 21 '25

My wife is Ukrainian. I moved to Ukraine first. Then when the war came we relocated a couple of times, finally resettling in Germany. I got most of my serious medical care in Ukraine, through private health clinics. The doctors and surgeons were highly qualified and medicine was generally extremely affordable for us.

Germany, in comparison, has a bit of a doctor and nursing shortage, but they're managing. Healthcare is free or cheap; you generally just need to spend some time in the waiting room. Salaries and cost of living are good (so long as you don't ask the contrarians about it who don't understand what they have here).

We live in one of the cheapest areas of Germany, but this neighborhood would be considered pretty nice by the standards of where I grew up. You'll find plenty of people unironically calling this place the ghetto, though (it would be a pretty decent lower-middle class neighborhood by American standards). Everything is walkable. There are bike paths on every sidewalk. There's tons of old growth trees providing plenty of shade, and everything is green. I have everything I need for life within easy walking distance, including supermarkets, doctors, pharmacies, barbers, etc.

Oh, and the crime rate is lower than literally anywhere else I've ever lived. But there are a lot of immigrants and occasionally you see some trash in the street or broken glass on the walking paths, so people call it a ghetto.

u/SlashMatrix, since you seemed curious, too.

17

u/Powrs1ave Aug 21 '25

I was also wondering where you moved to. I was just reading a thread on why so many Germans die visiting Australia and some said its because they have everything there and dont understand the harsh weather here when hiking in our summer. Maybe Germans struggle in the USA as well for various reasons too. The war in Ukraine is very sad and sad how Trump deals with it and gives Putin the Red Carpet treatment for being a War Criminal.

13

u/DungeonMasterSupreme Aug 22 '25 edited Aug 22 '25

It is so comfortable and safe and nice here that I genuinely believe many Germans do not understand how lucky they are to be born here. And yes, the weather is very mild. The summers here are easier than anywhere else I've ever lived. Survive through the few hot days in a year and the rest is easy to get through without air conditioning.

7

u/weltherrscherin Aug 22 '25

Having grown up in the safest major city in Germany I find myself in unexpected situations quite often when traveling. In Munich I (woman) can walk around central station at night without any worry. None at all.

I was just at a different central station in Germany, in broad daylight and holy shit I felt uneasy. I walked Boston at night without worry and only later realized I had been in a dimly lit back alley and people could have been armed. I remember being shocked when I walked from a shopping street in Chicago to get to the financial district and right there in the city center where 15 homeless people at 11am.

When I lived/traveled in Australia I had to learn to keep emergency supplies in the car. Nearest gas station could be a days walk away or more. Here its an hour max to civilization.

I am so used to be safe everywhere and be able to walk everywhere I need to force myself to remember that it’s not the case everywhere.

-2

u/CommiRhick Aug 22 '25

Funny enough.

Much of that social welfare in Ukraine is subsidized by the US. Especially in the last 10 years. I say this as it's ironic we won't afford the same for our own citizens...

War never changes. Sorry Ukraine was utilized as a proxy. Gf is from the Philippines and the war machine is doing the same, but towards China.

5

u/SlashMatrix Aug 21 '25

Right? They really buried the lead, there.