&gt; There is extreme lack of poverty in the U.S. There is no reason for anyone to go without food.<p>I&#x27;m not sure which US you&#x27;re referring to but it&#x27;s not one I recognise. There is <i>massive</i> inequality in the US that I know and the results of that are visible everywhere that I visited.  Homeless people abound like nowhere else in the developed western world that I&#x27;ve been to (Europe, Australia) and there is a real edge of desperation to the countless number of working poor. For example, in my experience, money is a topic of conversation that pops up way more frequently in the US than elsewhere. If it&#x27;s not in the context of income (usually being too low) then it&#x27;s about prices and taxes (usually being too high). Americans seem to think about these things A LOT. Also, looking around, it seems to me like everyone is always hustling for the next dollar. It&#x27;s sufficiently weird and alien to me that I find it remarkable.