&gt; I really don&#x27;t think class and pedigree mattering is an American thing.<p>Of course. That&#x27;s my first instinct when it comes to my own culture, &quot;that&#x27;s not an X thing, that&#x27;s just how people <i>are</i>.&quot;<p>&gt; I suspect you made the common error of pointing out something good about one of the ultra highly developed European countries, noticing that it&#x27;s not the case in the poorer and more unequal US, and inexplicably thinking the US is the outlier.<p>When the article sets up the usual narrative of the US leading and inspiring the rest of the world, I think it&#x27;s topical for me to point out that, <i>no</i>, I don&#x27;t resonate with those values. From someone who is from &#x27;the rest of the world&#x27;.<p>I don&#x27;t know how the rest of the world works -- the world other than the US[1] and my own -- and I haven&#x27;t claimed that the US is some outlier, really. I have pointed out that this particular kind of academic elitism is strange <i>to me</i>, yes. But the rest of the things are what you have filled in.<p>&gt; Edit: just to expand on this, the problems with the US are a result of the complicated system of cultural, political, and institutional issues. There isn&#x27;t a Dictator of America who can wake up tomorrow and decree that everyone will believe in some set of enlightened values. So whenever I hear &quot;I can&#x27;t believe Americans do&#x2F;think&#x2F;believe X, that&#x27;s so silly!&quot; from Europeans, I can&#x27;t help but think it&#x27;s no more helpful than &quot;isn&#x27;t it quaint that Syrians care so much about religion&quot; or &quot;why can&#x27;t Jews and Palestineans just get along?&quot;<p>Welcome to being a part of ANY kind of group with an insider perspective, with outsiders looking in. Of course you see your own world as being much more intricate, nuanced and varied than outsiders do. Yes, it&#x27;s exactly the same as when outsiders of Syria and Israel comment on those places. You are just another group which outsiders have insufficient and even a skewed perspective on. I guess it wasn&#x27;t as noticeable before when people had a different skewed perspective on the US, but more optimistic. I guess complimentary ignorance isn&#x27;t as annoying.<p>And I guess you would know more than me about how class and pedigree works where I live than me (it&#x27;s a relative comparison, after all). At least you guessed the right continent, so that&#x27;s a good start.<p>[1] And I don&#x27;t have the inside scoop on the US, either. But you know what I mean.