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This is a very consumerist outlook (you're American, no?) I don't think many people in Europe spent a large amount of time wishing they lived in the US, I don't think many do now. Europe is not some sub-standard America. When the pound was strong (2:1 against the dollar), British people could come to the US and have comparable, if not better, buying power than Americans. There was not a large number of people wishing they could live in the US. Nice place to visit, though. Consuming stuff, and attaining status based on it, is not unique to America, but my experience shows its more highly-prized. It's a good, visual metric for your progression, and I get that. When I lived in New Zealand, it was positively brutal to be a consumer of much of anything. I was on an above average wage (as my first job), and I still couldn't really afford much in the way of furniture or electronics. However, my quality of life was so good, it didn't matter. They had a wonderful community, a relaxed working atmosphere, and good people. Americans could move to NZ tomorrow (particularly those in IT). You're trading in one idealism for another, but it certainly never had anything to do with "Can I eat?" or "Will I have a roof over my head?" but "What do I value?" Personally, as a Brit, I'm quite enamored with burritos, Costco, and sunshine, so I like it here in CA. But that's a choice I made, and it never had anything to do with how much money I have. |