I am curious how much time the OP has actually spent outside of the US...A few trips to the touristy areas of any country will definitely paint a rosier picture of a country than living there full time...I have some Italian friends that like to think they are experts on the US based on a trip or two for vacation...I don't want to spoil their Utopian view of my home country so I let them enjoy waxing poetic on subjects that they don't really understand (like American meat...)
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