Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | January 23, 2026
I moved around a lot when I was younger. That has made it easier to detach from people and places over the years. While I never considered the town I was born in (and would return to to spend my formative years in) my home, even New York City, the place I’ve laid my hat the longest, was easy enough to leave when push came to shove. Part of it is trying to live a life without regret, always assuring myself that, as long as I’m happy, I don’t need to dwell on the past. But would I ever leave my home country for good? Maybe!
My wife and I have certainly had this discussion. There are some options, and we loved traveling together before our children were born. Like most things, it would likely hinge on whether or not we can find work elsewhere. While I’m sure I could talk Dustin into a weekly segment where I review various coffee shops in Amsterdam, my wife’s job is specific to where we are. At least, I can say with certainty that pride would play no part in my decision. Because I’m pretty frigging sick of what my home has become.
Not that it’s a barometer for the world, but Facebook has been a good indicator of how far this country has fallen. You can go there and be bombarded by some of the dumbest generative AI I’ve ever seen, face pictures and videos of real atrocities happening right on our doorstep, or, worse, see how members of your family react to either. People I’ve known my whole life regularly out themselves as being dumb, hateful, or both. It’s depressing, and more than enough reason to agree with James Cameron’s latest rant (complimentary).
The Avatar creator recently appeared on In Depth with Graham Bensinger and took the time to call America on its nonsense while praising his new home. “After the pandemic hit… [New Zealand] had eliminated the virus completely,” Cameron explained. “They actually eliminated the virus twice. The third time when it showed up in a mutated form, it broke through. But fortunately, they already had a 98% vaccination rate. This is why I love New Zealand. People there are, for the most part, sane as opposed to the United States where you had a 62% vaccination rate, and that’s going down - going the wrong direction.” Fair, James. Tough, but fair.
But he didn’t stop there. Cameron went on to note that the land of Hobbits and Conchords is the obvious choice over the U.S. “Are you kidding me? Where would you rather live?” Cameron said. “A place that actually believes in science and is sane and where people can work together cohesively to a common goal, or a place where everybody’s at each other’s throats, extremely polarized, turning its back on science and basically would be in utter disarray if another pandemic appears.” That last sentence makes me wildly uncomfortable, but he ain’t wrong.
When the host tried to say that America is a great place to live, Cameron hit him with, “Is it?” I genuinely can’t say for sure anymore. What’s most distressing is that it’s really only a great place for rich people right now, which Cameron is, and he still wanted out. He said on the show that he is looking for sanity, and I can’t say that I blame him. I just wish I had a multi-billion-dollar franchise that would grant me the same luxury.
