[quote=mdk]
In a global sense though we are *ludicrously* right-wing. If you think of politics as a scale, we're easily holding up all the euroliberal jerks with our fat american rightness :)Our 'left wing' is cobbled together from statists and anarchists, but we're all very individualist in the States. That's.... I mean, that's how we became the States, really, it's in our blood. I'm not sorry.
[/quote]

I've always found the States incredibly interesting for this reason. There's such a fierce sense of pride in country, of patriotism, and yet nobody actually seems interested in participating in or contributing to wider society. There's no willingness to sacrifice anything on the individual level for the sake of one's neighbours, with the focus instead being on saving oneself - there's an absolute loathing for any kind of socialist policies like universal healthcare, for example. And yet, there's this patriotism, where they declare to love their country. Well, what is a country but the people in it? What is America but Americans? How can you claimto love America but be so opposed to being a part of and contributing to the society of people that actually makes it up? I've never really understood that, as a Brit. I know one could argue that the love of their country is for the ideals of that country, or the individualistic rights that country grants them, but I still just can't really connect with the logic.