[Genuine Realist]

It seems to me like the reason a country like Senegal is doing so well, following science all the way, is pretty simple.

It and other poor countries can't afford to be ravaged by an outbreak. They have no margin for error. A "rich" and spoiled, powerful country like the United States can screw up the pandemic and still go on, even with a vast number of people killed and sickened.

My own thought is that all of the attributes of the country we value - its strong anti-authoritarian streak, its cultural and ethnic diversity (this is the most pluralistic nation in the world) - all go in dead reverse when we are faced with a phenomenon in which compliance with established authority and obedience to social dictates is required.

Translating, it probably can't be too much different than it is, although the personality of the President hasn't been helpful. And I would still rather live here than in Senegal.

[Genuine Realist]

It seems to me like the reason a country like Senegal is doing so well, following science all the way, is pretty simple.

It and other poor countries can't afford to be ravaged by an outbreak. They have no margin for error. A "rich" and spoiled, powerful country like the United States can screw up the pandemic and still go on, even with a vast number of people killed and sickened.

My own thought is that all of the attributes of the country we value - its strong anti-authoritarian streak, its cultural and ethnic diversity (this is the most pluralistic nation in the world) - all go in dead reverse when we are faced with a phenomenon in which compliance with established authority and obedience to social dictates is required.

Translating, it probably can't be too much different than it is, although the personality of the President hasn't been helpful. And I would still rather live here than in Senegal.