It’s all relative. People in the west are more materialistic. I’ve been to lots of place in Asia where people had a much simpler and traditional life, and they looked way happier than the average Joe who lives in big cities.

I disagree.

I spent a lot of time in Taiwan years ago. Basically everything -- from going to the doctor, public transportation, hotel service, buildings and infrastructure -- was way better than anything I'd seen in the states. Of course, I was there basically as a foreign tourist so naturally it would be different if I grew up and lived there my whole life. Wages are relatively shit for the locals.

Trying to think what else. Wild dogs roam around in packs. I could take local money out at the ATM with no fees from my US bank account. No blacks.

It felt more like prison landing at JFK, just how, well, Orwellian everything felt, seeing how run down NYC is in comparison, seeing blacks and fatassess again.

Your Taiwan/South Korea/Hong Kong/Singapore probably offers a westerner better standard of living. Vietnam, probably not so much.