What a great article, and, yes, you have hit the nail on the head with respect to the cultural differences between American culture and Europe's aggregate culture.

A substantial part of the difference, I believe is that in America we are distracted/diverted from true interpersonal relations: being informed, having independent thoughts based on the ability to critically think; and, generally, having far more emphasis on sports and entertainment than exists in Europe. Yes, there are soccer (football) games, but they generally don't consume so much of our time and energy.

Sports, in America, is driven by huge advertising dollars. Fan(atic)s dress in outlandish costumes and behave as slobs, with no attention paid to self-respect. They are loud, they are obnoxious, and they use competitions between teams as a substitute for warfare. In short, much of sports---especially (American) football---is based on brutality.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, but I've traveled in Latin America, Asia, North America, and Europe--and I'll take Europe ANY time over the decadent mess America has become. That's why my significant other and I are planning on moving there in the next couple of years.