I don’t remember where I heard this, but someone a while back called America a “third-world country but with Walmarts.” And while the “third-world” moniker is a bit dated and problematic, I think the rest fits pretty well.
The US is like the Two-Face or Jekyll/Hyde of developed nations. It’s more like a developing nation with islands of modernity AND Walmarts.
We have all this money, military, cultural influence, universities, businesses, and so many other by-the-numbers indicators of a modern society. But we don’t have the quality of life, and we just elected Donald Trump in goddamn 2024. Decisively so. Fuck.