Nobody does comfort like the Americans. No one ever has, and no one ever will. The poorest people in the nation watch movies on widescreen LED TVs and probably have a car, video game consoles, a dart board, a stereo, a smart phone and a laptop. Homeless people are technologically savvy. Our middle class will probably never come out of debt, but they will live like kings compared to the average citizen of the world as recently as 50 years ago. Americans enjoy pizza delivery, hundreds of cable channels, cheap cars and energy and just about any accommodation they can dream of. They are so used to being comfortable that their desire for comfort has propped up the economies of entire nations. Tourist industries are often the largest industries in small countries around the world and they exist for the sole purpose of making visiting Americans feel right at home, making available every amenity to which theyre accustomed. No matter how bad the outside world becomes, the minutiae of American life will be carefully administered and catered to. Smoking or non, chocolate or vanilla, workplace psychiatrists, manicured lawns, fast food on every corner, and How did we do? comment cards all ensure that Americans can still find time to relax and enjoy comfort in the small things even while the big things are crumbling down.
Kyle Schmidlin is a writer and musician living in Austin, TX. He manages the news blog at thirdrailnews.wordpress.com. Follow him at facebook.com/kyleschmidlin or twitter.com/kyleschmidlin1.
