Originally Posted by
Shoeberto
I take issue with how nice it is - All in the middle of a desert because it was the only refuge for east coast criminal cartels to set up new shops back in the '60s, legitimatized by years of positive marketing and faux nostalgia and Elvis and Sinatra.
I didn't really care about the tourists other than feeling sad that a lot of them were probably being duped like that. I'm sure if I didn't think so much about it I would've been wowed by the whole ordeal (and to be fair, I did take a number of pictures of some of the more impressive statues). It just all seemed exemplary of American excess and was too much for me after a few hours of walking around.
I understand what you're saying and can even sympathize, or at least empathize with you on some of it. What I'm tired of is excess always being equated with Americans or our culture. Yes, there is a large division of wealth, and yes places with a large amount wealth often trace their roots to seedy criminal activities or some militaristic, wealth hording empire. My point is you can find that anywhere. We're no less guilty of it than any other country, but we're also no
more guilty.
If someone doesn't think it exists out side of the States, go to Hong Kong, Dubai, Kual Lumpur, some destinations along the Mediterranean, etc. There's plenty of examples of excess and flagrant spending all over the world.