I think it refers to enjoying the outdoors. E.g.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Crest_Trail
For instance, taken individually, Massachusetts has a higher Human Development Index than the fabled social-democratic paradise of Norway.
With a few seconds on your favorite search engine, you could discover that "rough it" is an idiom commonly used to refer to camping in a nature-heavy setting (without electricity/plumbing.)
Also first link in Google: rough it - to live in a way that is simple and not very comfortable
Don't pretend search engines deliver the same content to everyone
I'm not suggesting you jump to conclusions. I'm suggesting you do basic research when you don't understand an expression. By the time you skim the first page of results, whether or not it's the same as my first page of results, you should have a clear idea what the idiom means.
> "an argument for another country in a discussion about Australia!"
The immediate discussion was about whether there were arguments for living in America, not whether there were arguments against living in Australia. The US has a lot of things going for it; whether or not some of those things also apply elsewhere isn't really relevant.
Does rough it mean suffer? I don't know if that's a point in favor...
>We're also much less racist than Europe
That's like comparing apples and oranges or countries and continents