You can build a picture of the US based on chunks of similar land area, or on chunks of similar population.
A huge amount of the land area of the US, if visited, very much supports "the pessimistic view of the US". But these are not the parts that most people will tend to visit.
If you focus on the areas where the majority of Americans actually live, you get a fairly different story.
That's not to say that either version is "The Truth About America". Both stories are interwoven and interconnected with each other, and very interdependent.
A huge amount of the land area of the US, if visited, very much supports "the pessimistic view of the US". But these are not the parts that most people will tend to visit.
If you focus on the areas where the majority of Americans actually live, you get a fairly different story.
That's not to say that either version is "The Truth About America". Both stories are interwoven and interconnected with each other, and very interdependent.