The Great American State Fair opened on the National Mall this week, but the heartland has already drawn international attention. As the United States, Canada, and Mexico host the World Cup, global soccer enthusiasts are traversing the country, marveling at the abundance they find in American stores and restaurants.
Their astonishment serves as a powerful testament to what makes America great. It directly refutes critics of the American way—both on the far right and left domestically and internationally—who claim the system is fundamentally broken and rigged against ordinary citizens. The opportunities provided by capitalism stand as one of this nation’s most potent assets, with adversaries working tirelessly to undermine them.
Many of these visitors hail from relatively affluent nations but remain awed by the vast array of choices available in American commerce. Among the most active social media participants is FreddyLA7, a cheerful German who has been sharing his experiences exploring the heartland with friends. Even Walmart, long criticized as emblematic of aggressive capitalism and declassé consumerism, becomes a point of fascination.
They are uncovering America’s enduring secret: Despite challenges in adapting to the information age, this country maintains a standard of living that remains unparalleled globally.
The benefits of this free enterprise system extend far beyond Silicon Valley and Wall Street. Economist Mark Perry illustrates this with his “chart of the century,” showing that nearly every facet of the U.S. economy has become significantly more affordable since January 2000, with the exception of highly regulated sectors such as healthcare and college education.
This economic strength was a defining force during the Cold War era. Globally, many witnessed the tangible reality of American ideals, echoing Ronald Reagan’s narrative about a refugee from communism greeting an American sailor who rescued him with “hello, freedom man.”
However, the adage “beauty is truth, truth beauty” does not encompass all aspects of our system. Pragmatic leaders who held power adopted elements of American capitalism not out of idealism but because they observed its effectiveness.
Communism sought to create a utopian society for individuals, yet American workers have fared far better than even the most privileged communist officials. Russian leader Boris Yeltsin expressed bewilderment when he saw American grocery stores, remarking, “even the Politburo doesn’t have this choice. Not even [General Secretary] Gorbachev.” While poverty was never communism’s objective, it became a stark reality for many nations. Leaders aspiring to build prosperous and strong countries turned to America’s model rather than Moscow’s.
The collapse of the Soviet Union continues to resonate within China’s political landscape. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) faced its own crisis in 1989 when pro-democracy college students established a camp at Tiananmen Square, only for military forces to intervene. President Xi Jinping instructs his subordinates to remain vigilant against internal dissent and historical misrepresentations of past failures, which he labels “historical nihilism.”
The CCP counters America’s economic strength with two strategies: first, by leveraging international events such as the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games to highlight China’s growth while deflecting criticism; second, by actively engaging social media influencers including Hasan Piker—a left-leaning figure criticized for his past comments about Tiananmen Square—and apolitical streamers like IShowSpeed.
Concurrently, Chinese state propagandists relentlessly depict the United States as a hellscape of greedy capitalists exploiting the vulnerable. They target America’s vulnerabilities, some of which Politburo member Wang Huning detailed in his work America Against America. The underlying message aligns with Xi Jinping’s assertion: “the East is rising and the West is declining.”
Unfortunately, some Americans internalize these narratives, arguing that rather than updating aspects of our system for the information age, the entire framework must be abandoned. Figures like Hasan Piker and his allies within the Democratic Socialists of America have shown sympathy toward adversaries.
Yet others recognize this perspective as fundamentally flawed. America’s prosperity remains uniquely attributable to its free enterprise principles.