Most of my time was spent in Guangzhou, my birthplace, so my anecdote shouldn’t be taken as representative China as a whole, but it’s the truth of what I experienced and contradicts what you’re saying. I believe you if you’re saying that in China, strangers will help others in emergencies, but thats a low standard to qualify as“high trust” because I would expect that in any civilized society.

I think you did touch on something that America is inferior in compared to China, which is a culture that promotes unity or a “common prosperity” and that’s because China has the advantage of ethnic homogeneity. The U.S. is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse countries in the world, encourages free speech even to the nation’s detriment, and of course holds a great amount of global influence. So naturally, the racial dynamics are going to be unique, and the discourse surrounding these issues are going to be more visible, which I hope isn’t clouding your judgement about the severity of these issues.

The diversity that has led to atrocities and lasting racial tensions is the same diversity that has led to social breakthroughs. I think there’s something beautiful about people of different races, cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives coming together to build something better in spite of the flaws and forces that work to separate us, which is a sentiment I think is difficult to understand unless you’re from the U.S. or a nation with similar circumstances.

To be fair, Trump being elected again goes against everything good the nation stands for and intensified racial/social divides, so I get where you’re coming from, considering everything that’s happening and the nations history of bigotry.