It sounds like you’ve just been around toxic and superficial people in your international travels and then extrapolated from them to their whole countries.

Unfortunately, they have people like that everywhere.

Not necessarily.

South Korea is one example that I have intimate knowledge of where one's consumer habits (the clothes one wears, the car one drives, the logo on one's handbag) is the ultimate signal of status.

You're automatically pre-judged by complete strangers without having to say a single word.

There are always exceptions to the rule, but it is in fact an unspoken rule over there.