how the us became what we supposedly hate most

i ain't no france hater. and i ain't no socialist hater. but most of the us could be characterized as such. my favorite article from time of the week explains why we're late to the party, broke when we get there, and the laughingstock of the entire guest list.

So yes, while we're still willing to work ourselves to death for the privilege of paying off our usurious credit cards, we can no longer look contemptuously at the land of 246 cheeses [France]. Kraft Foods has replaced American International Group in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the insurance company having been added to Paulson's nationalized portfolio. Macaroni and cheese has supplanted credit default swaps at the fulcrum of capitalism. And one more thing: the food snob French love McDonalds, which does a fantastic business there. They know a good freedom fry when they taste one.