queries from my readers

My readers abroad often express astonishment and disbelief. "Can there really be so deranged and bizarre a group of people as you seem to describe? Are these residents of the Puritan States of America not merely your invention? Or, might it not be that you exaggerate a trifle too much?"

I am, as a matter of fact, entirely in agreement with the spirit of the question/comment.

I myself am often amazed, for example, by the extraordinary abilities this strange race possesses to see differences where none exist. Thus my humble sandals, the cheapest I could find in my neighborhood in Wien, are classed as "Birkies" and people immediately suppose that I must be some sort of hippie or would-be hippie, or god knows what. And then they launch into a discussion involving brand names that means nothing to me.

Can there really be a group of people so contaminated by the consumerist spirit?

That is an excellent question which I cannot answer. I try my best to describe what I see and experience, but maybe I really am dreaming. I hope so. It is a nightmare that I would like to wake up from. As soon as possible!