and the balm for the ache of envying america so many generations, well 3 or 4 anyway, carrying this chip on our international shoulder that we weren-t americans, god didn-t love us enough...

I think most of the western (historically christian) world has a Sodom and Gomorrah narrative view of the US - complete with the inevitability of the final judgment and destruction.

If anything it's strongest within the US, and not just among christians.

Of course it's a sideshow to the main event - the ecological destruction of our planet and liquid fuel crisis - but our tribal-centric views focus our minds on the local.

I was looking at this set of photos yesterday and my usual retort for "China is the next superpower" came to mind - "not even wrong."

you are the media you consume.