> a place where a single misfortune—perhaps a car crash or an illness or the loss of a job—can lead to ruin.

Is it wrong?

The US strongly discourages a strong social/family network (moving out at 18); and are being squeezed financially.

The government-run social safety networks are being starved.

Something has to change.

A while back here on HN and reddit I started noticing accounts in US / China threads with some amusingly similar or identical stories.

They would mention how at least while in China they could walk around without wearing their backpack backwards to protect themselves from thieves. It was almost like a musical refrain that would pop up in comments.

It's interesting how when we hear something about another country we assume it is incredibly pervasive / everywhere and how people of that country must be terribly preoccupied with with that problem at all times.

A lot of Chinese internet commentators are very ignorant of the reality in the US, but the Economist's riposte is weird too. For example how is the Chinese property malaise, which reflects an oversupply of housing and largely affordability of rent, somehow a refutation to the Chinese focusing on US homelessness? Is the Economist's position that they should create housing shortage to shore up the economy?

Yea, my far relative lived in China for several years. Showed me his Tiktok feed -- amount of "how bad it is in US" content is astounding.

There are lots of obese homeless people in Brazil too and we aren't a rich country. Obesity is higher in the poorer areas too.

Poor people are fat because cheap carbs, usually.