I just came back from an awesome, epic 2 week vacation in Asia. And yes, for us poor Americans, taken 12 days off work is a BIG deal. The last two days were in Bangkok, a city that I desperately wanted to avoid in my trip planning based on some stereotypes and that unfortunate movie. On the last night, I was, as it tends to happen on vacations abroad, depressed. Depressed to be returning to the US. And also ashamed.
...
Every time I go abroad, I become less and less patriotic. Something is seriously wrong with American values, with our interaction and understanding of the public sphere. It's like we only value things which can be measured with money, and that is just... shameful.
Well, all I can say is I hope you cheer up. A lot of those countries are going through/have recently gone through their version of the Industrial Revolution. I don't think you would want to live in that time period, unless you were among the handful of successful tycoons.
It's incredibly expensive to live in cities like HK or Singapore; it may not look that bad in US$ terms, but certainly in terms of local wages. Most of the people working in these cities cannot afford to live there or they are forced live in rather uncomfortable conditions if they choose to stay in the city.
Speaking as a Chicago guy who has lived in HK for the past 6 years (with frequent trips home), I would not be depressed or ashamed about living in the US 
- 28/08/2013 08:45:07 AM
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