Huh, I guess American gas prices aren't that high

Let's get the obvious out of the way: gas prices fluctuate. So if you're in Chicago, say, and are looking askew at the $2.69 price, relax. The image is a bit old, from a Wired magazine a few months ago (according to someone at reddit). The point here is that, for all the ranting and raving that Americans (and the media here) do when gas prices rise, we're actually sitting somewhere in the middle of the global price range. This is no secret, but now we've got this nifty graphic to show off.

So, does seeing the prices splayed out this way make you feel better, because you know that people in other areas have it worse? Does it make you feel worse, because at 33 cents a gallon in Tehran, all the gallons you save by driving a hybrid won't make much of an impact? Does this just illustrate the global nature of the oil issue, something you've already been thinking about?

[Source: WIRED (?) via Gadling]