I think that lack of sense of community is a big one in the west, and the cause of many ills. Of course, the corporatocracy likes it that way: people shop to try and fill the void, and the poor don't unite and rise up and demand justice. I've read that it's a very different thing to be poor in a wealthy nation vs. being poor in a poor nation. Like, at least in a poor nation you're not alone or feeling alone in your poverty, and in a wealthy nation you see all the wealth and think, "What's wrong with ME?" Of course you're not alone in a wealthy nation, either, especially the States, but it sure can feel that way! And homeless people are constantly having their scant few possessions destroyed by police and told to "move along" when there is nowhere for them to go and rest, whereas in poor countries there are slums where at least you could make your makeshift shelter and not have the police destroy it all (unless they are planning for the olympics or something, as we've seen). Even the UN inspector commented on how cruel the US was to homeless people. But I'm going off on a tangent, lol.