Maggie's Farm

Thud, most horror stories told in Europe about how awful America is, take the worst possible things that could happen here and portray them as the status quo. That's the nature of European press coverage of the U.S. My European relatives are utterly shocked at how peaceful, friendly and comfortable our suburb-outside-a-big-city is, and they are shocked that the big city nearby, except for a couple neighborhoods, is relatively peaceful too. They expected legions of poor dying in the streets, constant sounds of gunshots, sub-literate rednecks, and God only knows what else.

On the other hand, when I travel to Europe, I'm generally surprised at very modest standard of living enjoyed by most Europeans, to put it charitably. Spend a few years in the U.S. reading NY Times and you'd think most of Europe is Provence or at worst the French Riviera. The fatness and uncouth of a lot of travelers I encounter also makes me giggle a bit; I'm the American, I'm supposed to be the fat loud guy in the airport, not the guy flying to Manchester...

Funny how the media sets expectations, eh?