Coming Home….
Guest Essay
Jim Wilson
Not long ago my nephew and his family returned to the U.S. after living abroad for 12-15 years. My nephew wrote a thoughtful essay sharing his observations about moving back, noting the friendliness of most Americans and the high level of consumer service as big plusses. He also commented on our addiction to tipping, the miserable state of our public healthcare system, what he calls our “hustle culture,” and the many challenges facing young people, especially in our divided, toxic, and polarized society. He concluded by expressing nostalgia for America of the 1990s.
His essay, along with the perilous state in which we find ourselves politically today, has prompted me to dig a little deeper and to reflect in a similar fashion, not just what I like and do not like but what are the differences that jump out. While I have not lived for any extended period outside of the U.S., I have traveled to approximately 45 countries. With each visit – and return – I reflect on what I learned, and what I observed, and necessarily find myself comparing that with what I know about my home country. Some of my observations parallel those of my nephew.
1.) Infrastructure. We are way behind. Just entering an airport in most foreign cities is an adventure in modern architecture and technology. The designs are often stunning and the flow of travelers modern and efficient. And the differences become even more noticeable when one gets on a train or bus. In some European countries, I imagine locals set their watches daily based on the arrival times of the local transport. And the terminals are safe and clean. In Europe there exists efficient public transit, in the U.S. car-centric infrastructure (often with high levels of congestion) is the norm. A delight in every way. It’s the one thing Mussolini got right.
2.) The commitment to a modern infrastructure reflects a fundamental commitment to the public sector, an acceptance of the reality that good life and good community function together, that the public sector is necessary to fill in where individual efforts and pursuits may fall short. This has perhaps been dictated by their history. While our historical commitment to self-reliance and individual achievement is part of our national DNA and certainly contributes to many innovations from US citizens, our devotion of human and physical resources to the common good suffers. So often we view any public expenditure as a denial of our individual well-being and “freedom” and a threat to an expanding GDP, rather than a “win-win’ for the entire community.
In most European countries, the role of government is seen very differently than in the US, including a greater tolerance for government intervention to reduce inequality. Blame the frontier experience! Or Fredrick Jackson Turner!
Trust that government can often serve a common good is evident in so many ways beyond the physical infrastructure. In many countries I have visited, there is a noticeable commitment to the environment. City and village streets are clean. Public support for the arts is strong. Well-maintained city parks are a norm. And there exists pride in one’s locale and region, not so obvious here at home. To me, a stronger feeling of “us”, not so much on “me.”
And along the way, there is a clearer understanding of where these public services come from. Only in America: “Do not let the government touch my Medicare.”
3.) And nowhere is a commitment to the common good clearer than in the support for public access to quality health care. While no country has this essential but costly service perfect, the medical infrastructure in virtually every modern nation stands in stark contrast to our medieval system. I have experienced care in Scotland, Finland, and Germany – all excellent and at minimal or no cost to me or my students.
4.) Villages and small shops dominate communities; there are fewer massive malls. Particularly in Europe, the homes are noticeably smaller than in the U.S., even in wealthier neighborhoods. There is a community feel to the many neighborhoods that include homes, shops, cafes, parks, and public buildings. Cars are much smaller, the pace somewhat less frantic, or so it seems. And, except in the largest cities, fewer big box stores, fewer fast-food outlets, and fewer mall-like sprawls. Neighborhoods in which people live and work and socialize and communicate seem more the norm. Particularly in Europe and Scandinavia, the cities are more walkable than in most U.S. cities.
5.) And related to the stronger sense of community, most of Europe and Scandinavia seem more like a “mosaic” of distinct cultures and languages. Each country, and even regions within countries, have their own traditions and identities in which the residents take special pride. The U.S. also has a widely diverse population, but it is more of a melting pot reflected in food and festivals, and accents.
6.) Class divide. In no modern country is the economic class division starker and unapologetically defended not just by those at the very top of the wealth and income scale, but by tens of millions in the middle than in the U.S. Once, even in my lifetime, most persons with extraordinary wealth showed a certain modesty, did not thrown their affluence in your face. That attitude disappeared in the 1980s. Bring on the lavish estates, private jets, destination extravaganzas, and tens of millions openly contributing to political favorites and for political favors. And any major efforts to further stem this divide, either by increasing opportunities for the many or restricting the activities and wealth accumulation of the economic oligarchs are immodestly discarded as “socialist” and worse. One senses a more even balance in most countries I have visited.
7.) Status anxiety. This is an old idea that has fresh meaning and relevance. Throughout the world and throughout history various groups, defined by class, race, ethnicity, or religion, have resisted groups challenging their status in society. This seems to be part of being a human. In the late 20th and early 21st century, we, in the U.S. are redefining these fears and the implantation. Everything and anything suggesting DEI is to be banished. And much of the rise of right-wing populism in the past decade or more is the consequence of intense status anxiety among tens of millions of white Americans, the “real” American we are told.
8.) Cultural polarization. Always there have been, across the world, conflicting views on various cultural issues but for the most part these conflicts have not become so highly politicized. Today the cultural backlash is part of the status anxiety mentioned previously. The backlash began with the civil rights movement during the 60s, with immigration reforms, and with the women’s movement nationwide. It became toxic and part of the political rhetoric in the mid-90s, led by Newt Gingrich; after Clinton had moved to the center-right on economic issues, very much in line with the positions of the GOP, Gingrich, and other Republican leaders sought other issues – in this case cultural issues – to define the party. Since then, and especially in the past decade, a toxic cultural street fight has come to dominate our politics. The political divide today is less the traditional Left-Right division on economic issues and more over on an “open” or “closed” society. The battle rages on, very much more intense than in most countries I have visited. And our President and the media seem eager to add fuel to the flames.
9.) Food. One can certainly find any kind of restaurant in the U.S. but usually, it requires a search to find really good food. The U.S. is not known as a gourmet capital. I have never had a bad meal in Italy or France. Bakeries in Germany, as in most European countries, are to die for! Eating in many other countries is an event to be taken seriously and enjoyed; meals are a social event. In-person conversation occurs! For us, it’s often one hurried event among many in a busy day. My impression is that these differences are related to the different roles of “family” in different countries and a pace of life that is somewhat less work-centered.
10) Obesity. The U.S. wins hands down. Folks in many countries I have visited eat better and exercise more. There is a level of fitness that comes from daily walking to work and to shop and visiting with friends that is not a norm in most parts of the U.S. And fast food and prepared food are not as dominant. It seems the norm in many countries for people to care for themselves. And not surprisingly, this seems to go along with care for the environment.
11) As a sports fan, the emphasis placed on college sports in the U.S. stands out. Enjoyable for the fans at all levels though one wonders how big-time athletics fits within an academic environment. There was a time when most colleges pretended, with some success, that their premier athletes were true amateurs and that being part of a team was part of a “whole” educational experience. Today, at the Division 1 level, the reality is very different. Administrators, coaches, and players all recognize that the players, in a few major sports at least, are essentially “employees” and deserve financial compensation, some in the millions of dollars. At several state universities, the football or men’s basketball coach is the highest-paid state employee. Ohio State recorded a $37 million deficit in its athletic department budget for the past year. Sports are important in most foreign countries but not tied to academic institutions; professional soccer is especially popular along with local club teams in many sports.
12) And today, more than ever before in my life, I am embarrassed to say that I am a voting American citizen. I am embarrassed that we have elected such a corrupt leader, that so many other elected leaders follow him in lockstep, that daily respect for the law and human dignity and the common good is being drained away. And the midst of it all, the cowards applaud, sitting, silently, nodding, like sheep. A Sycophant Army, tribal subservience. And we are all responsible for what we have. No free country has total respect for those in power; every political community has its issues, but we have sunk to a new and very dangerous level, and no longer merit the respect of freedom-loving people around the world.
These are perilous times, and I fear that not even the supposed educated elite realize what is happening right before their eyes. And only if that occurs, can one imagine serious and effective resistance emerging.
Of course, there are exceptions, many, to these generalities. And, despite even the worst of our behaviors, somewhat ironically, it is always nice to get home – to friends, family, the comforts of home and community. I am fortunate (??) enough to live in a bubble with my tribe, peeking only rarely into the real world around me. My New Year’s resolution is to try to reach out and to better understand the lives of those beyond my very narrow bubble.
BUT, these feelings when “coming home” today are muted compared with years past. I am embarrassed, I am angry, and I am frustrated at not feeling able to do much to right the ship.
(Jim Wilson studied at Yale and, for several decades, taught history, political science, and economics at Loomis Chaffee. After moving to the Upper Valley in 2008, he has been teaching at the Osher Institute at Dartmouth College. In recent years, he has focused his thoughts on economic and social injustice and inequality in “our country.” He is an avid golfer and enjoys outdoor activities, travel, volunteering, and his friends in the community. Jim lives with an accomplished and beautiful companion.)
2/2025