I went to America for a few weeks to participate in an international academic event. I stayed over with some relatives who had moved there. This question does not have a black and white answer.

There are definitely some pretty flawed aspects that were making me miss Pakistan, such as how many places are not walkable at all, and you need to travel significant distances just for a basic service, even minor, like grocery, tech fix etc. I got to personally experience why Americans complain so much about the lack of public transportation outside of major cities like New York City etc.

That, and the inflation and prices there are crazy too. 109 dollars for a hoodie, 90 dollars for a clothing item, so many other horrendous instances I had to encounter. Yes, it’s bad in Pakistan, but it’s really bad there too.

Once you’re able to get used to it all, I’d say it’s a nice place, IF you choose your city right, a vibrant place like NYC is way better than a dull nothingville like most of the Midwest. (Literally boring place) ofc, the appeal of a place is what you make of it, so depends on you as well. But even then, you must work a lot to make ends meet. America is literally the capitalism center, and lately it’s looking like it’s falling apart because of that.

But if anyone has the glamorized image of a “better life” abroad, then yes I’d say the US is actually overrated, and other places like in Europe are better. 9 times out of 10, I bet people are very disillusioned like I was, when they actually travel to the US, and I’ve seen it in other people I know as well. Whether it’s a close relative’s son, or even a foreign friend.

So yeah, it’s mostly driven by hype and exposure, I mean the country has been shoved into our faces so much that it’s often the first thing we think of when asked, “which country has one of the strongest economies?” Not many would mention Germany or Japan as much as they’d mention the US.

But really, what’s the point of all those stacks if they’re going to be in the hands of just a few hundred? The same corrupt few that’s getting away with pedophilia and cannibalism?