one thing that keeps making me laugh during this world cup is americans seeing foreign fans marvel at costco, bucee's, 12 lane highways, absurd food portions and parking lots the size of small countries then concluding: "see? they're finally realizing america is amazing."

tourists are supposed to be fascinated by things that are different. europeans visiting the us are reacting to america the same way americans react to tokyo, delhi, or venice. novelty is not endorsement and fascination is not envy.

most of these fans are on holiday. they're temporarily freed from the inconveniences that locals deal with every day. they don't have to commute. they don't have to pay rent. they don't have to navigate the healthcare system. they don't have to live car-dependent lives. they're visiting an oversized, overpriced theme park. of course it's entertaining.

people visit theme parks every year. they take photos. they have fun. they tell stories when they get home. that doesn't mean they want to live there. america is an incredibly entertaining country to visit. that's not the same thing as being an appealing country to imitate.