Obviously there are exceptions.

I could point out countries to prove my point, too. Look at the USA, Canada, UK, Nordics, Germans, the Swiss, Northern Italians, Northern Spain, the progress of Eastern European countries — Look at South America, Southern Spain, Southern Italy, Portugal, Greece...

Like I said, sure: exceptions to every rule. But the cold, by nature, forces you to be more efficient. Warmth makes you comfortable with the status quo. When many people are cold together, they develop an efficient society whose culture and ways are then passed to the next generations.

What’s making the Eastern block break trends is that for the first time in decades they are having access to the same opportunities that the Western block had before.