I’m not sure number 4 is unique to the US. Seeking purely political solutions to spiritual problems has probably always been a temptation (though as we discussed here, I’m hesitant to completely separate the two). It’s probably become more common with governments that emerged from the Enlightenment, since “reason” overtook faith and religious tradition as the basis for organizing the body politic. I would assume most liberal democracies and republics, as well as the few remaining communist and socialist states, would think that nearly any societal woe has a purely political solution. I don’t imagine that the spiritual implications of a problem receive more discussion in China, France, or the UK than in the US.

You know you’re an American when…

You spend tons of money for a liquid in bottles when you could get the same liquid out of the tap for free or nearly free.

You’re against people burning your nation’s flag in protest, but you have no qualm with and in fact enjoy wearing flag-styled shorts or underwear.