[arandr0x]

I've lived in France and the US. Until your friends have taken the bus in a major US city (or a suburb thereof) in a non-tourist area they have no idea how good their quality of life is. And I was in Paris where, yes, most side alleys smell awful and most areas with anything resembling nightlife have at least one poor soul passed out on some porch in their own fluids by 1am. Still doesn't compare to the look on the faces of the (mostly black and Hispanic) legions of America's glad-to-be-working class.

The US has in some ways a fascinating culture. People there, especially in the middle class, can be driven and open in ways that are usually outside of the imagination of even middle-class eighteen-year-olds in Europe, well-educated or traveled though they may be. But in America some of them start out having already lost, and they know it, and they truly in their hearts believe it's their fault. And it's heartbreaking.

I paid taxes in the US, you know? And it was the worst. Because I was still paying those 20% or whatever it really was, but I couldn't see where they were going. It could have been the court system I guess. Every other block had some kind of sign with something prohibited and "violators will be prosecuted" written on it. The roads were nice.