5 ms·

I don't know about "America Inc" but as an expat American living in Asia who recently visited after not having been back for a couple of years, I didn't leave w

I don't know about "America Inc" but as an expat American living in Asia who recently visited after not having been back for a couple of years, I didn't leave with the view that things were improving. To the contrary, while I do think that the massive "stimulation" of the economy has made things seem less worse, America today seems a lot less healthy than the America I left.

bricemo 5y ago
What are some things you saw that made you feel it wasn’t improving or less healthy?
- LurkingPenguin 5y ago
  Economically, it seems like the disparity between the haves and have nots has increased significantly. Price inflation is not an illusion. In the Bay Area, it felt like no matter where I ate a meal, it always cost at least $20. The supply chain issues are also real and seeing bare shelves, empty car lots, throughout the duration of my visit was disturbing. I noticed a significant decline in the quality of service at many businesses. The labor shortage is apparent, and many service workers seemed not to care about their work, which reflected in their attitudes towards customers. On a personal level, I felt that people were less friendly and, more worryingly, less respectful. The public cursing everywhere I went was really unattractive. I'm sure some of this is that I have been changed by living in East Asia, where people tend to be more polite (if not friendly) and focus less on the individual than the group. But I don't think it was just me 100% either. I believe the increased politicization of just about every subject is a part of this.
  - refurb 5y ago
    Well if your sample is limited to "SF bay area" then I could see why. Quality of life has definitely been degrading in California.
    - LurkingPenguin 5y ago
      I spent time in Oregon and Washington too.
  - Vadoff 5y ago
    Did you visit during the pandemic?
matttproud 5y ago
The same. I left the country about a decade ago. I don’t observe much positive dynamism when I return: grinding morass and retrograde motion. Reactionary politics, regulatory capture, graft, and naive faith in the market hold such a disproportionate sway on the levers of power. What is big is too damned big, and it crowds out everything else. The exceptions to this don’t outweigh the general trend. Consolidation in the private and underinvestment in public goods are the most striking. From a raw cultural perspective, it strikes me how commercially uniform the country became: outside of enjoying differences topography and pre-homogenization (what remains of walkable old towns), I deeply don’t find much of a compelling reason to travel within the country due to how damned cookie cutter it feels. I am sufficiently concerned about this trajectory (among a suit of other more significant concerns) to aim to get a second citizenship for my family.
- defterGoose 5y ago
  Whaddya mean? Everybody loves Chipotle! /s
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    While I do like Chipotle, a lot of homogenization is simply the result of efficiency. Cookie cutter succeeds because cookie cutter is what people want. The pace of homogenization might have increased because technology greatly enables it. If you want a product just type “best whatever’s” into Reddit or wire cutter or consumer reports and you can have thousands of people’s experiences distilled down within minutes. Same thing for food and travel. Do I want to take chances on various stores owned by various owners sourcing goods from various places? Or do I want to get my sister a gift from Target, where if she does not like it, she can go home and return at the Target near her home.
    - fearfulofview4 5y ago
      Trillions of flies eating feces doesn’t make it haute cuisine.
- LurkingPenguin 5y ago

bricemo 5y ago

What are some things you saw that made you feel it wasn’t improving or less healthy?

LurkingPenguin 5y ago
Economically, it seems like the disparity between the haves and have nots has increased significantly. Price inflation is not an illusion. In the Bay Area, it felt like no matter where I ate a meal, it always cost at least $20. The supply chain issues are also real and seeing bare shelves, empty car lots, throughout the duration of my visit was disturbing. I noticed a significant decline in the quality of service at many businesses. The labor shortage is apparent, and many service workers seemed not to care about their work, which reflected in their attitudes towards customers. On a personal level, I felt that people were less friendly and, more worryingly, less respectful. The public cursing everywhere I went was really unattractive. I'm sure some of this is that I have been changed by living in East Asia, where people tend to be more polite (if not friendly) and focus less on the individual than the group. But I don't think it was just me 100% either. I believe the increased politicization of just about every subject is a part of this.
- refurb 5y ago
  Well if your sample is limited to "SF bay area" then I could see why. Quality of life has definitely been degrading in California.
  - LurkingPenguin 5y ago
    I spent time in Oregon and Washington too.
- Vadoff 5y ago
  Did you visit during the pandemic?

matttproud 5y ago

The same. I left the country about a decade ago. I don’t observe much positive dynamism when I return: grinding morass and retrograde motion. Reactionary politics, regulatory capture, graft, and naive faith in the market hold such a disproportionate sway on the levers of power. What is big is too damned big, and it crowds out everything else. The exceptions to this don’t outweigh the general trend. Consolidation in the private and underinvestment in public goods are the most striking. From a raw cultural perspective, it strikes me how commercially uniform the country became: outside of enjoying differences topography and pre-homogenization (what remains of walkable old towns), I deeply don’t find much of a compelling reason to travel within the country due to how damned cookie cutter it feels. I am sufficiently concerned about this trajectory (among a suit of other more significant concerns) to aim to get a second citizenship for my family.

defterGoose 5y ago
Whaddya mean? Everybody loves Chipotle! /s
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  While I do like Chipotle, a lot of homogenization is simply the result of efficiency. Cookie cutter succeeds because cookie cutter is what people want. The pace of homogenization might have increased because technology greatly enables it. If you want a product just type “best whatever’s” into Reddit or wire cutter or consumer reports and you can have thousands of people’s experiences distilled down within minutes. Same thing for food and travel. Do I want to take chances on various stores owned by various owners sourcing goods from various places? Or do I want to get my sister a gift from Target, where if she does not like it, she can go home and return at the Target near her home.
  - fearfulofview4 5y ago
    Trillions of flies eating feces doesn’t make it haute cuisine.
LurkingPenguin 5y ago