Oddbean new post about login | logout Which country is the freest right now?
If you consider US states as countries .. which they kinda are given the autonomy to states .. I would say California is by far the freeest place on earth ..
Ok.. good to know
🤣
Liechtenstein
Uhh but expensive right?
It is an interesting question but IMHO an uncomplete one. For me it is UAE. But it depends a lot on what you need and like to do. In UAE there is 0% tax and you can conduct business freely worldwide without government interference. The government makes their best effort to pave the way for people to thrive.
According to the human freedom index it's Switzerland...
Switzerland seems like only wealthy people can afford to live there. I didn't look into it a lot but I was interested at one point and got that vibe
I moved to Zurich about two and a half years ago, as a student with no cash. I'm still a student but I'm making enough to have a very good life. Yes, very good!
Are you harvesting organs?
I wish it was that easy. Working on my own project and got funds from companies in crypto valley (Zug). Project works and pleased the audience. Have two job offer in Zug now. Waiting for my masters and then decide if I stay here or move back to Germany...
Wanna be my sugar daddy? 😍😂
there you go...
That wasn't a no 😂
I zapped you, that was a loud yes!
Nah, I was visiting there during the Covid years, got kicked out of a bakery (wasn't allowed to sit down on their lounge chairs) because I didn't meet "3G" requirements (jabbed, recovered or tested within 48hrs). There were plenty of countries that were way more free.
you said it, and I quote: "that WERE more free" I wasn't talking about the past...
Right, that were more free in the covid days. Nothing has changed, they even had a direct vote on the covid laws and the majority didn't revoke them.
Absolutely. Freedom should be considered on like a 10 year moving average. The current measurement for freedom has to include behavior during covid. Any country that required "vaccines" to participate in society is on my fuckit list.
Depends on how you define freedom, like if it's the freedom to chop off some dudes head and not go to prison then there are probably a lot of places
I've been told you can do anything in Goa if you're rich; but others tell me that's actually _everywhere_ in India and that at least Goa has class...
If you think of the world as countries, no country is a country because borders are already the antithesis of freedom.
The only way to protect freedom (at least, right now) is to live in a jurisdiction actively promoting it and avoid living in one that is actively destroying it). That jurisdiction is defined by borders.
Sorry, I'm more naive and borders make me think of cages 🙏
They can keep people in, but they can also keep people out. They're locked doors.
The footings must have moved, because the door isn't locking...
I have a dear friend who will tell you its Hong Kong. She only wants to work and shop, and while she's quite cynical and witty she has no political opinions at all.
If we assume that mindset, probably Singapore or even Dubai. HK has fallen behind even in that rank.
She has lived in Singapore and Abu Dhabi before, but she loves HK. She's a bit privileged and no husband no kids, so YMMV...
Not entirely sure about Dubai, they’re still a little restricted and reserved when it comes to women and sexuality.
Oh yeah of course. Even in Chinese-majority Singapore there's a lot of puritanism and, for instance, homosexuals don't have full rights. So imagine how it's going to be in any muslim country.
Wait, homosexuality is still against the law in Singapore?
No, not any more. But for instance they still can't institute marriage-equivalent legal relationships, which affects their property rights as far as inheritance and so on goes.
HK is the most free of all those places, even politically. Singapore has the death penalty for drugs, and even chewing gum will land you in jail for 2 years. Dubai has problems if you're female or sexually nonconformist.
Switzerland might be close
Didn't they require vaccination to enter public places during covid? Even though covid is "over" you have to factor covid behavior into the calculation because it shows their true colors.
Thailand is up there
As an American you'll always get some leeway as a foreigner in a foreign country But in terms of total freedom, hard to say
Not so much anymore, you can't even really get a bank account for example. Also everywhere you go 80% of people hate you.
About 6 years ago I was to token foreigner, treated fairly well by most standards Can't say in recent years tho
Yeah back in the good old days
I don't think this can be answered in anything less than a six part documentary series, each episode needs to be like 90 minutes long.
Costa Rica is pretty good, the government is weak.
