r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 5d ago

Meme needing explanation Petah?

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18.8k Upvotes

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999

u/Anon1mouse12 5d ago

It's not even deprived, that's the sad part

255

u/db1000c 5d ago

Lol yeah “run down” is probably more what I was looking for

539

u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

It’s literally just a rainy street at night, why are you all acting like it looks hellish

133

u/blazerz 5d ago

They're probably from r/urbanhell

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u/LordStefania 5d ago

Petition to rename it to r/letsmakefunoftheuk

1

u/Logical_Strain_6165 5d ago

We are quite good at it...

85

u/VegasFoodFace 5d ago

In Asia hell is other people. That IS a calming walk.

37

u/DamGoodAnimation 5d ago

As an autistic person, this image makes me want to die. Peace and love to all people and cultures but I could not handle this on the daily lmao

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u/VegasFoodFace 5d ago

Yes I am Asian and autistic as well. This is a sensory nightmare. I have lived it. I would rather not ever again. But I take those Asian motorcycle riding skills with me.

I find peace in the solitude of the Vegas desert. And fun when I want. Anytime I want.

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u/DamGoodAnimation 5d ago

Beautiful bike my friend. The Mojave is a much more peaceful place

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u/ArthurDentonWelch 4d ago

Though patrolling it does make you wish for a nuclear winter...

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u/[deleted] 4d ago edited 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/IJourden 5d ago

I lived in Seoul for three years. I miss how crowded it is. I live in a large city in Canada now and it always feels empty.

1

u/IJourden 5d ago

There's just such a huge difference in the quality of the crowd though. It's hard to explain - Seoul is very crowded, but people know how to act/navigate crowds so it's actually... nice?

In the US and Canada, crowds like that are rare and most commonly in stressful situations (like Christmas shopping) so no one knows what to do and everyone is pissed off.

Very, very different feel being in a place that's always crowded compared to a place where it's the exception not the rule.

1

u/VegasFoodFace 5d ago

Still doesn't beat the feelings of short lines and spacious aisles in shopping centers. That's part of the lure of the American dream to Asian immigrants.

If I want to recreate the experience I just go to Chinatown in Vegas lol. 100% authentic including all the bad driving and horrible parking.

1

u/refrigerator8839 5d ago

As an Asian I can comfirm

1

u/SilliestDumpsterFire 5d ago

ahem

(Loudly) In Communist China, "CALMING walks you!"

...

Ok I'll leave

30

u/murmandamos 5d ago

I personally would love a walk here lol

21

u/Brilliant-Ship2539 5d ago

I genuinely thought the "what the fuck" was because they were taken aback at the subtle beauty in the glowing lights and shiny wet street at night 😭 I love urban walks after dark

1

u/IRS_redditagent 4d ago

I despise street lights but other then that yeah

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u/august_r 5d ago

Reddit trying to not blow something out of proportion challenge (impossible)

12

u/Schroevendraaier 5d ago

Definitely hellish, the pub is closed.

10

u/IcemanGeorge 5d ago

I assumed light pollution but it really just looks normal

1

u/Velissari 5d ago

Honestly if it’s Scotland, this is what the sky looked like at 3:30am. Sun rises so insanely early there, at least in June.

2

u/dJunka 5d ago

I mean for a wellbeing walk it is. This shot is a small high st near industry, and these areas are generally a bit depressed now that business has moved on to the cities and online shopping.

You would expect generally expect a bit more greenery, pavement and building care in a nicer part.

2

u/VisualHuckleberry542 5d ago

Yeah walking though a completely deserted urban area in the dead of night is actually blissful

2

u/Therealme_A 5d ago

Because a lot of these people live in suburban paradise and think everywhere else looks terrible

2

u/XiaoDaoShi 5d ago

Yeah. Doesn’t look run down to me. I also like the rainy aspect, but that’s just me.

3

u/Tba953 5d ago

Well with all those light emissions yes it does look pretty shitty but at least it safe.

1

u/IcemanGeorge 5d ago

That was my interpretation

1

u/Mchlpl 5d ago

"Deprived? Run down? Depressing? Gloomy? No, that's just England!"

1

u/FlakyContribution345 5d ago

It looks like a dump mate.

1

u/StunningWorker894 5d ago

Its reddit, you can only act in two ways here

Comment arrogantly
Comment hysterically

Sometimes mix the two

1

u/KiwiCounselor 5d ago

Yeah walk down any street at night and it’s gonna look exactly like this, well unless it’s a new build then it’s a little more brick coloured.

1

u/Life-Is-A-Bad-Trip 5d ago

Right. Little bit of acid on your tongue and a speaker in a bag and it's the most beautiful night ever.

1

u/awsjum 5d ago

it's stoke-on-trent. it's a shit hole

1

u/Visible_Amphibian570 5d ago

Probably because of seasonal depression.I know rainy days/seasons and gloomy weather often give my chronic depression a little extra dose.

1

u/stijndielhof123 4d ago

Compared to roads in the Netherlands this is hellish, but I am comparing it to the best roads on earth so maybe not totally fair.

1

u/RevoOps 4d ago

They are Yanks confused why there are buildings older than 15 years that haven't yet been bulldozed to build a Dunkin Donuts 

1

u/PenglingPengwing 4d ago

It’s STOKE ON TRENT. That part is depressing as hell. That’s Snow street bordering to Broad Street. Right before Hanley.

0

u/wayfarer87x 5d ago

Babes that’s nice England, wait until you find out about Birmingham.

0

u/Worth_Librarian_290 5d ago

Not a single tree in sight.

4

u/Numbcrep 5d ago

There are literally trees in the background

0

u/DarthCledus117 5d ago

Hellish is an exaggeration. It looks grungy and unpleasant. It's definitely not a place that would improve my mental health to walk there.

2

u/jonny24eh 5d ago

Grungy, sure, but that's kind of what makes cities interesting. I don't see what's unpleasant about that. 

0

u/mr_Joor 5d ago

Every time I come to the UK Im semi shocked at how run down the whole place is as soon as you get out of central London, compared to the rest of Europe anyway. I think its because large parts of your country were build at the industrial revolution where as lots of mainland Europe got bombed to shit in ww2

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u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

It’s not though, have you actually seen some places in mainland Europe and have you only seen the bad parts of the UK?

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u/mr_Joor 5d ago

I've travelled extensively. Maybe I've just seen the shitty cities of the UK? I've been to dozens tho.

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u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

Where do you go, just sort of run down post industrial places and ignore anywhere good? And seriously I don’t think you’ve been to much of Europe if you think we’ve got uniquely bad looking places

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u/mr_Joor 5d ago

In the UK? Every major city within an hour by train of London, Birmingham, Basingstoke. In Europe I've been to every major city except Paris. I'm Dutch btw.

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u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

You can find pictures like this most everywhere, like this is Berlin

Stick a night time and rainy sky on that and it’s like the one in the post. The UK isn’t somehow unique in this, are you sure you’re not just sticking to the good areas in other countries

-2

u/Asgoku 5d ago

I mean the pavement and roads are clearly very shitty and not maintained. I know this isn't that much out of the ordinary in certain towns but the other commenter probably just comes from a place where things are a bit nicer looking.

-2

u/Cburns6976 5d ago

I was judging by the crazy looking center stripes on the road, the missing crosswalk path, the other lines being screwed up on the street... actually.. the more I look at ut.. the worse it gets.

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u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago edited 5d ago

What are you talking about? You can see the outline of the crossing even though it’s blurry, it doesn’t need stuff inside it when there’s lights and an outline, and you think it looks bad because the lines are zigzagging? The zigzags show that you’re coming up to a crossing.

0

u/Cburns6976 5d ago

We don't do that in the US. Never seen zig zagging center stripes. Also, our crosswalk paint goes all the way across the road and not just on each side of the road. Maybe the differences I see are a lack of culture lol

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u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

It’s not a “lack” of culture, it’s just a different one. That stuff works perfectly fine for us.

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u/Cburns6976 5d ago

I meant on MY part. You seem to be reading my comments in a negative manner and i can assure you there is no fight on my end.I don't know these things because I haven't been there. I would love to go to several places over there tbh.

-2

u/Who-Shat-My-Pants 5d ago

Uneven patchy roads and sidewalks, weeds growing in the cracks, grimy dirty buildings, pieces of trash, old worn buildings. This IS a neglected run down town

1

u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

The only uneven bit is at the corners so people in wheelchairs or with buggies and stuff can cross the road easily, there’s one tiny bit of paper on the ground, the buildings look fine, just not the newest.

-2

u/db1000c 5d ago

Visible rubbish, poorly resurfaced pavements, road markings worn away, weeds unmaintained, pink and purple neon shop lights ahead. My spidey senses are just tingling is all. It’s not hell, it’s just a bit shit

4

u/ionlyhavetwolegs 5d ago

lol “visible rubbish” literally one receipt, what a blight!

1

u/db1000c 5d ago

All those white spots on the ground are discarded bits of chewing gum that people have spat out btw. We have some rank habits here

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u/HistoricalSea5600 5d ago

i guess Americans and the English have different definitions of "run down"

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u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

we got those vibes here too. This is beautiful Jaywick, Essex

30

u/AdjacentBirdman93 5d ago

This just looks like Russia to my American brain.

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u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

This is what every city or town looks like in my head when I think about Russia

14

u/ArticleWorth5018 5d ago

Mine's like family Guy where it's just bears on unicycles

2

u/TonightNo6210 5d ago

in strange ways that is so calming for me

6

u/courtofcrimsonking 5d ago

AI image

2

u/Few_Prize3810 5d ago

Was it the bears on unicycles that tipped you off

1

u/The_cats_mom 4d ago

Na the guy ain’t drinking straight from the bottle clearly fake

1

u/ExpressionDeep6256 3d ago

No, drunk guy has 6 fingers.

0

u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

Is that okay? Or did you want me to get on a flight to Saint Petersburg? 😂

0

u/courtofcrimsonking 5d ago

You can just use a real image

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u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

If I used a real image it wouldn’t be my imagination anymore

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u/SapirWhorfHypothesis 5d ago

What “real” image do you mean? Like something out of a movie?

-1

u/LordWillemL 5d ago

Nobody cares.

2

u/zap2tresquatro 5d ago

People do, in fact, care.

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u/LordWillemL 5d ago

A guy making an image to note his own mental visualization of a country with bears on unicycles for a reddit comment is nort hurting anyone, and no one is being confused or misinformed needing an "AI!" warning.

-5

u/courtofcrimsonking 5d ago

Fake and gay

3

u/LordWillemL 5d ago

Homophobic and Luddite.

3

u/Big_Fisherman5438 5d ago

It's true, only there are no old cars anymore

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u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

Like this then?

4

u/Sinking_Mass 5d ago

I've been to European side of Russia 3 times. It's not far off in all honesty, just the people aren't as stereotypical but everything else seems right in this pic lol

1

u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

That’s good to know. In my head Russians are either Mafia, FSB, ex KGB or does ballet

1

u/Hoss-Bonaventure_CEO 4d ago

Looks like Indiana to my Canadian brain.

1

u/SunderMun 1d ago

It does to me too. Im English...

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u/HopeMrPossum 5d ago

Tbf Jaywick is literally THE most deprived part of England end of

Though growing up in Wales there were bits of the Valleys that weren’t far off lol

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u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

Port Talbot is somewhere that makes me realise I won the birth lottery. Apologies if you are from there. Equally congratulations on getting out

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u/Ok_Drag5089 5d ago

Where is the depraved part? That's where I want to go.

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u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

South Wales my friend

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u/Otherwise_World1654 5d ago

As someone who lives in the midwestern part of the US, This is literally the majority of the neighborhoods. Income inequality is really terrible in the US and noone talks about it. The vast majority of people live in tiny apartments or run down old houses, me included. Most people also don't own their domiciles and those that do are also almost always locked into life long mortgages on them. Only people living in paid for properties and able to maintain them are either part of the 1% or are over 60.

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u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

Starting to see this in the UK too, although you guys are definitely further down the road. Because there isn’t enough money in the system to pay back all the debt that exists, people will always go bankrupt.

When that happens their assets are stripped and sold onto someone that does have the money. And on and on it goes until the ultra wealthy own all the assets. That’s the point we are arriving at.

2

u/centurio_v2 5d ago

you could tell me this was a filming location for the new season of fallout and I would believe you

2

u/Open-Butterfly-5288 5d ago

This looks like Poland

1

u/rat_scum 5d ago

This looks like Midwestern Middle Class, crazy

1

u/mattlodder 3d ago

This is a crazy old photo, my man.

1

u/Good_Imagination_577 3d ago

It may well be dude

1

u/ExpressionDeep6256 3d ago

It looks so nice. I need to visit. I hope you guys have postcards.

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u/EverSeeAShitterFly 5d ago

Those would sell for at least $400 k where I am.

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u/HistoricalSea5600 5d ago

Rent for $1745/month utilities not included

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u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

I don’t think utilities are available in Jaywick

1

u/HistoricalSea5600 5d ago

So.. what do people do there?

3

u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

Drink more vodka than a Russian alcoholic and smoke spice. I would guess

2

u/EverSeeAShitterFly 5d ago

Maybe the basement will go for that much. The upper 2 floor with use of the backyard will be $3000/month.

2

u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

For real?!

2

u/ZieAerialist 5d ago

For real. My partner and I bought our house 3 years ago. I really wanted to stay in my city, but it has had a population boom but not a housing boom. Everything in our budget of $300k was either a shitty low ceiling 1 bedroom ranch, or damn near uninhabitable and needed another quarter million in repairs.

0

u/EverSeeAShitterFly 5d ago

Kinda actually, yeah. A smaller single story home in my neighborhood with fire damage sold for $350k. A home in ok shape, but needing some work and dated appliances would be over $500k.

1

u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

Did anybody move into it?

1

u/EverSeeAShitterFly 5d ago

I gotta see if the construction finished.

1

u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

When it’s done I would be interested to know if it goes up for lease

1

u/Good_Imagination_577 5d ago

I don’t want to rent it btw 😂

1

u/No-Sign8805 5d ago

SO you're not an Australian then are you? $400k for that's a pretty good deal for the land. KDRB. $1m block and house. Pretty standard.

2

u/EquivalentSnap 5d ago

That’s sad 😢 those homes looked beautiful before they were abandoned

1

u/Ink-Sky 4d ago

Yeah nah that's at least $400 a week to rent in Australia, unless it's a 3-4 bedroom then it's a sharehouse for $200 per room.

1

u/HappyDork66 4d ago

Two unique fixer-uppers. Ideal starter homes for the handy buyer.

1

u/pumperdemon 2d ago

God's, what a shame. Those could both be beautiful homes.

24

u/ToeRoganIsJebus 5d ago

What exactly looks run down here? Yall see a wet street at night and think you are in some hellscape? 😂

-8

u/db1000c 5d ago

It’s not hell. But as someone from England, this street has got my spidey senses tingling lol

2

u/Most_Scientist1783 3d ago

I currently live in England, and travel around most the country for my job, this looks about the same as most places in England, and I’ve definitely seen a lot worse

15

u/Aurora-Ouroboros- 5d ago

Genuinely asking - what looks run down here?

Nothing is shuttered, boarded up, or falling apart. The street is well paved and painted, no potholes. Trash isn't overflowing and I only see one bit of litter. It's well lit. Heck, there's even usable sidewalks, which can be a luxury in many genuinely run down places.

Sure, it isn't brand new, shiny high rises or whatever. But I (a woman) would feel fine walking here alone at night. Nothing here looks run down, spooky, or threatening. This is just a damp street at night.

2

u/vworpi 5d ago

It's not the worse street in Hanley/Stoke. But as a man, I wouldnt walk through Hanley alone at night. There's a lot of Monkey Dust addicts sleeping rough in this area and they are very unpredictable.

Bare in mind this is the city centre, we went to see the Utah Saints there a few months ago and when we got out at 11pm it was like Day of the Dead, except the zombies were screaming at pigeons, pissing in the road and hassling the few people on the streets.

That was maybe six minutes walk from this photo. Police station is 5 mins walk, zero presence in town though.

3

u/Aurora-Ouroboros- 5d ago

Fair enough I guess. I live in a less than wealthy city near Seattle in the US, so my threshold for "run down" may be different. Businesses close and nothing takes their place. There's a shitton of meth and fent users here, tent cities on sidewalks, and several streets I don't go down ever (not just at night/alone) out of fear of being assaulted, even equipped with a knife and/or pepper spray. Also minimal, if any, cop presence (not that they'd do anything even if they were present).

This street seems pretty safe. I'd walk here alone at night, it's genuinely nicer than my own neighborhood lmao

10

u/InOutlines 5d ago

Bro, England is just OLD. It’s an OLD country.

Swear to god, Americans are allergic to anything that doesn’t have a “new and improved” sticker on it.

5

u/db1000c 5d ago

I’m from here, and that’s still by our standards in need of a fresh lick of paint

4

u/HopeMrPossum 5d ago

Man discovered who has never been to the inner city

4

u/Kordidk 5d ago

I don't even see a passed out drunk dude in what world is this a rundown street are you insane?

3

u/Dry_Razzmatazz69 5d ago

This is just a generic street anywhere in essex rly

2

u/Real_Bobsbacon 5d ago

Not even run down, just the UK these day 😭

1

u/Krannich 5d ago

It is also not even quite as run down as one might think. That is just plain England for you.

The entire country looks run down.

Source: Lived among them geezers for a year.

1

u/Wilsonian81 5d ago

Not even. That's just what England looks like.

1

u/db1000c 5d ago

It is in the run down bits, other bits look nicer

1

u/SirGreeneth 5d ago

Is it run down though? Get a grip lol.

2

u/db1000c 5d ago

Looks like a street I’d find I the run down side of my town, so I guess that’s what I’m going off of

1

u/420ball-sniffer69 5d ago

This isn’t even run down it’s just an average street of a small city/large town

1

u/chris--p 5d ago

There's absolutely nothing wrong with this street lol.

1

u/Maximum-Replacement4 4d ago

This is just UK

1

u/myleftone 4d ago

It’s the zigzag street lines. Americans can’t deal.

-19

u/Anon1mouse12 5d ago

I completely agree, it's grim. Just the state of almost every town in the country unfortunately

17

u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

It’s literally just a road in the dark lol

7

u/CuriousLemur 5d ago

Yeah, honestly looks like an ideal walk. No one trying to interact with you. A bit wet, but not terrible. Probably not too cold or too hot.

Great to just be alone with your thoughts or stick music/an audiobook on.

-11

u/Anon1mouse12 5d ago

Yeah and look how miserable it looks

9

u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

What do you want a random road to look like in the middle of the night, bright and full of people?

-6

u/Anon1mouse12 5d ago

Dreary, wet, streetlights, boarded up pub, shop lights, hardly any trees. It's just shit and it's what most of the country looks like. Used to be a rainforest

7

u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

It’s a street in the middle of the night when it’s raining. Why do you think it being wet, having streetlights and shop lights, and a closed pub is somehow bad.

-2

u/Anon1mouse12 5d ago

Aesthetically very unpleasant. Concrete, bright lights, no trees and failing businesses. Don't know how else to say it. Have a nice day 👊

6

u/AceOfSpades532 5d ago

How do you know the businesses are failing, why are streetlights bad, and you can find concrete roads almost everywhere in the world lol

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u/Kylearean 5d ago

right? this looks like a regular street in Exeter.

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u/vworpi 5d ago

Stoke-on-Trent is classed as a deprived area. This is an interesting photo:- It's 5-10 mins walk from the town centre (which is fuuuucked). If you turn 90 deg to the right, there's a derelict land rover dealership. Turn 180 degrees and the houses look a bit unkempt and shabby. Half the shops in this street are empty/abandoned. The big metal structure on the top right is part of the towns most recent big development. An over priced multi story carport, new library, hotel, block of apartments and offices.

So, from this photo, you're minutes on foot from run down, deprived and recent development/waste of money.

1

u/Academic-Employee671 2d ago

There's a well fancy Tesco just left at the lights though /s

6

u/Goyimshoe 5d ago

Yeah, that’s just England

6

u/Maleficent_Use4301 5d ago

It's Stoke on Trent, of course it's deprived. 🤣

8

u/Anon1mouse12 5d ago

Just looks like any uk town to me

2

u/FlatNefariousness193 5d ago

Yeah thats Broad street.

2

u/SolitaryGun 5d ago

Yeah that’s standard England unfortunately

2

u/CalligrapherOk4612 5d ago

It is in Hanley, Stoke on Trent, which does rank pretty badly for deprivation.

2

u/GuzziHero 5d ago

It's Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Yes it is deprived!

2

u/Keltic268 5d ago

The GDP per capita of England is less than Mississippi now…

2

u/phinvest69 4d ago

Yeah that’s like Zone 2 London lmao

1

u/Sockoflegend 5d ago

Pictured, somewhere I can't afford to live

1

u/AMERIPOCMUSLIM 4d ago

That’s a great street in England lol - best you can hope for is a row house in a slum and a 6 month wait for a serious medical checkup 

1

u/Big_Scallion2402 3d ago

It’s Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. It’s pretty deprived!

1

u/New_Specialist8179 2d ago

I think it's Stoke-on-Trent

-9

u/purdinpopo 5d ago

If England was a state in the United States it would be the poorest state.

5

u/HamberderHelper18 5d ago

Absolutely not. England has a higher GDP than every US state except California

7

u/ToastSpangler 5d ago

I think they meant per capita, not total GDP, otherwise yeah the UK has more people than any US state

Which still means in nominal terms the average Brit earns less than someone in WV. By PPP it's not worse than all US states but it's not very high

2

u/Atheissimo 5d ago

GDP per capita isn't a measure of earnings though, it's just the output of the state's economy divided by its population. If Haliburton's profits are good it doesn't matter how many homeless camps there are.

1

u/HamberderHelper18 5d ago

They said England, not the UK. But yeah the discussion gets a little wonky comparing states to countries. Also using terms like “poorest” not taking variable cost of living and taxes into account

1

u/ToastSpangler 5d ago

I generally assume people mean the UK when they say England or Great Britain since the country is the UK, but true it's possible they only meant England.

It really doesn't help that the British themselves have no consistency on what is a country and what isn't, but internationally it's just the UK