The Typical American Day
In a previous article, I discussed the belief held by many people around the world that Americans are rich. That belief has been voiced in comments for decades, ranging from the classic film "The Quiet Man", in which an American moves to Ireland, to more recent quotes in which an immigrant from a developing country pointed out that America is so wealthy that even people considered to be poor, living primarily on welfare and donated food, can be obese. In that article, I pointed out that while the average income in even rural, less-affluent parts of the United States may be higher than in many parts of the world, this is offset by a considerably higher cost of living. In some parts of the country, such as Los Angeles and New York, one could be earning an income that would be a fortune elsewhere, while being unable to afford even basic housing. In this article, I'll dig deeper into the divide between life in America and elsewhere, but looking at the amount of time typical Americans spend at work and at school.
