re: Are Americans delusional about the quality and conditions of things in our country?

quote:

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Not having electronics, SUVs, and wasted square footage doesn’t make someone poor

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By any objective measure, yes, it does. One man’s wasted square footage is another man’s extra bedroom for kids or office space or recreational area. By the English language definition of “poor”, that is how it is defined - in comparative economic terms.

Oh yea, a fair chunk of those places even in wealthier European countries don’t have centralized HVAC or modern appliances or any number of things we consider de rigeur even in lower middle class areas. That is the very definition of comparatively poor.