Is that all you've got to prove your point? I'll rest my case then.
And those McMansions you speak of, are mass-produced plastic-looking disneyesque eyesores.
Careful, your envy is showing.
Careful, your bad taste is showing.
(You should note, btw, that I spoke only of McMansions, not of America's beautiful and stately old homes, which are--no matter how large and expensive some may be--the next best thing to see after nature iteslf--although I concede that many Victorian era homes were the McMansions of their day, however I can forgive that earlier generation its naive taste, save for an occasional overly exuberant example.)
You point to crap--most of which are vices, and wasteful vices.
I find a color TVs, air conditioners, and a host of electronic gadgets a poor recompense for sacrificing one's career to another country.