Australia Made Me Realize American 'Freedom' is Propaganda

Title: Australia Made Me Realize American “Freedom” Is Propaganda

I grew up reciting the Pledge.
Singing about “the land of the free.”
Believing—deep in my bones—that the United States was the freest country on Earth.

Then I moved to Australia.

And in three years, every belief I had about American “freedom,” “opportunity,” and “exceptionalism” collapsed under the weight of one thing:

Data.
Actual numbers.
Receipts.
Facts that don’t care about political narratives.


🇺🇸 THE PROPAGANDA OF FREEDOM (0:20–2:15)

From childhood, we’re told America is the freest nation in the world.

But in 2025, freedom is measurable:

✔ Human Freedom Index
✔ Economic Freedom Index
✔ Political rights
✔ Healthcare access
✔ Worker protections
✔ Quality of life metrics
✔ Cost-of-living outcomes
✔ Life expectancy
✔ Incarceration rates
✔ Gun violence
✔ Social mobility

And when you compare America to other developed nations?

We’re not #1.
We’re not top 10.
We’re not even top 20.

Australia ranks:

#4 in Economic Freedom

Top tier in democratic stability

Top 10 in overall human freedom

The U.S. ranks:

#25 in Economic Freedom

15th–20th in Human Freedom

Falling in institutional trust, media freedom, and quality-of-life indicators

Propaganda is powerful.
But math is more powerful.

💊 FREEDOM TO GO BANKRUPT (2:15–4:45)

This is where the American illusion collapses:

Healthcare.

Americans spend $14,885 per person on healthcare annually.
Australians spend $6,931.

Yet:

🇦🇺 Australians live 4.7 years longer
🇦🇺 Maternal mortality is 5× lower
🇦🇺 Infant mortality is dramatically lower
🇦🇺 Medical bankruptcy is basically nonexistent

The U.S. ranks dead last among developed nations in healthcare outcomes.

66.5% of U.S. bankruptcies are medical.
Even among people with insurance.

Australia?
Walk in → get treated → walk out → you owe nothing.

So tell me again:
Who’s free?
The person who can call an ambulance without fearing a $3,000 bill…
or the one who hesitates because they'll lose their home?

💵 MINIMUM WAGE ILLUSION (4:45–6:45)

Australia’s minimum wage (2025): AUD $24.95/hr (~USD $16.50/hr)

U.S. federal minimum wage: $7.25/hr
Frozen since 2009.

Adjusted for cost of living:

🇦🇺 Australian workers rank top 3 in the world for real purchasing power.
🇺🇸 American workers rank 17th.

A full-time U.S. minimum wage worker:

Earns ~$15,000/year

Is at the poverty line

Cannot survive independently

Meanwhile in Australia:

Minimum wage = dignity

Rent + food + transport are actually achievable

Full-time work = stable life, not poverty

The American Dream isn’t struggling.
It’s mathematically dead.

🚨 LAND OF THE FREE… AND THE MOST IMPRISONED (6:45–8:30)

Here’s the truth they never teach:

The U.S. has:
🔥 5% of the world’s population
🔥 21% of the world’s prisoners
🔥 2.6× the incarceration rate of Australia
🔥 Higher per-capita imprisonment than Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea

Every U.S. state imprisons more people than nearly any democracy on Earth.

The 13th Amendment still allows slavery as punishment for a crime, fueling a massive prison-labor industry.

Freedom?
Not for the 2 million Americans behind bars.

🔫 FREEDOM TO BE SHOT (8:30–10:30)

Gun deaths per 100k people:

🇺🇸 United States: 14.0
🇦🇺 Australia: 0.88

You are 15× more likely to die from gun violence in America.

Mass shootings in 2024: 600+
More than one per day.

Australian children don’t practice active shooter drills.
American children do.

This isn’t freedom.
It’s trauma dressed in patriotism.

🧑‍🍼 WORKERS IN CHAINS (10:30–12:30)

Australia guarantees:
✔ 24 weeks paid parental leave (to increase)
✔ 10 days paid sick leave
✔ 20 days paid vacation
✔ Mandatory employer retirement contributions (Superannuation)

The U.S. guarantees:
❌ 0 weeks paid parental leave
❌ 0 paid vacation days
❌ 0 paid sick days
❌ A retirement system most workers can’t afford to participate in

America doesn’t have a labor shortage.
It has a dignity shortage.

📉 THE AMERICAN DREAM ISN’T DYING — IT’S DEAD (12:30–14:30)

We’re told:
“Work hard and you’ll make it.”

But every measurable indicator says otherwise:

📉 Lowest social mobility in the developed world
📉 Wages flat for 40 years
📉 Rent up nearly 50%

💬 COMMENT BELOW

Do you think America is still “the freest country on Earth”?
Have you lived abroad?
Did it change your view of freedom?
Let’s talk honestly — without the propaganda filter.

Top comments will be featured in the next video.


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