The culture you were born into may very well be rotten, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s the culture of “this landmass”. The USA is enormous, and contains a huge number of cultures and subcultures. I grew up here, too, and experienced nothing like what you describe.

Live the rest of your life abroad if you’d like, but don’t do so believing that everyone in the USA is from the same culture.

Meh, I’d agree with the OP. American culture has rotted significantly, especially over the past 10 years. The micro cultures within the US are great, though, for the most part. Many cities, states, and regions with a lot to be proud of. But what “America” represents right now, culturally, is deeply antisocial and can’t be sustainable: it’s self-destructive.

I think the source of our disagreement is in our answers to this question: is the USA many subcultures under a common umbrella (“American culture”), or is it many independent cultures mixed together?

I could be convinced of your position if you can name the common elements that justify the umbrella. It becomes even stronger if those common elements are the rotten ones.

Anecdotally: I married someone from a very different (USA) culture than my own, and their family feels as different from my own as some people that I’ve met from other countries, so that’s partly why I answer that question the way that I do.

> I could be convinced of your position if you can name the common elements that justify the umbrella. It becomes even stronger if those common elements are the rotten ones.

I would say our business and media cultures are most homogeneous. No matter where you are in the US, a business conference feels the same. A meeting with clients feels the same. The same toxic personalities rise to the top. I’ve never been surprised by a director or CEO.

No matter where you are in the US, you turn on the TV, and even if it’s local news, you get the same predictable messaging. We’re all obsessed with appearance and status, even within our subcultures and across the political spectrum. Superficiality.

Good points, I’ll take it!

I remember being explicitly taught in grade school that only other countries have propaganda.

As a foreigner, some parts of it are nice. People seem mostly friendly, but not truly "open" compared to Latin America. People back home can be really kind, or really rude with little in-between.

Infrastructure is much better than over here, which still looks like Shanghai in the 1980s.

Food though is questionable, there isn't any real "bread" section besides those cut up in loaves. We're not even European, nor do we eat that much bread (in the Andes region) compared to rice, potatoes, or even quinoa, but even we have fresh bread aisles too.

Burgers are nice, even if the cheese or rootbeer tastes off.

The stereotype that it's easier to talk to people, or find an SO elsewhere is very true, going back to how Americans rarely feel "open".