I've lived in quite a few places with extremely high corruption and to be honest I don't know what I prefer, probably on the one hand it feels comfortable to have the corruption hidden behind a layer of veneer, on the other to have it out in the open at least allows you to discuss the problem with others without coming across as paranoid.

This is quite true, at least with my experience of living in China (which is not that corrupt, but more corrupt than the USA, and mostly in the open).