How well I remember my father comparing himself to "you Americans" when he became defensive!
Well, I am an American now, but I still retain a unique perspective. In many situations, it's easier for me to see the assumptions we make in America which artificially limit us, as if there could be no other way. Having spent time in many European countries, it's easy to see the unique contradictions in the US -- a curious mixture of permissiveness and strictness. I could give many examples, like general acceptance of violence in movies and TV while restricting depictions of sex. As if it's OK to kill somebody, but giving someone an orgasm is taboo. Or the naive assumption that people like Tiger Woods would never have an affair, and that it should even matter to the public.
