[throwaway38235]

> he didn't get more "respect" for his labor (highschool teacher)

> we will all have the dignified life of middle class westerners

What a sad irony. If he was a highschool teacher in the US as now he could be struggling to pay rent and medical bills and get more or less the same "respect".

[Err_Eek]

At the time there were two issues: - (I think) school teachers were better paid than now, relative to the average population - People in communism mostly knew the US through Hollywood films, which portray a way more glitzy version reality. Especially so in the 80s in popular sitcoms like Dallas.