People criticize the US without problem all the time on HN; if you have been banned, it wasn't because you were criticizing the US (you may have been critical of the US in the comment that provoked the ban, but that wasn't the feature of the comment that provoked it.)
Is this a problem on HN? I haven't noticed it. You must have said something really atrocious. And the comment above you make reference to, though a bit tactless, is OK in my opinion.
> You must have said something really atrocious.
No, I just stated facts (the US performing poorly on various measures).
> Is this a problem on HN? I haven't noticed it.
I didn't either. I'm not sure if it's a problem, maybe I just had bad luck. It might also have to do with how banning works: You can see your posts, but others can. So banned folks might not realize that they are banned.
> And the comment above you make reference to, though a bit tactless, is OK in my opinion.
In my opinion too. And, as I said, my remarks were similar (I think even less tactless, as I was just stating facts).
That aside, a large part of it seems to be culture. If you're living in a university-owned dorm, it is often mandatory to buy a card which provides dinner (usually at a ridiculous price). When you don't cook, you are less involved with the ingredients of your dinner, and more inclined to just 'take what tastes good'.