Jim, the US might have the most advanced military technology, but that does not justfy calling it an "advanced society." In fact, the US is mostly a backward provincial society whose imagery and perceptions of the world are shaped by small-town petty bourgeois mentality, religious morality plays, Hollywood movies, self-righteousness, ethnocentrism and ignorance of truly colossal proportions.
True, these traits can be found in virtually every society on Earth, but in the US they are much more visible because: (i) they are sanctioned and exacerbated by right-wing populism, and (ii) they form a stark contrast with wealth, education, and access to technology which elsewhere are generally associated with more wordly attitudes.
As far as Dalai Lama cult in the US is concerned - this is a real life travesty of the movies. I suspect that most US-ers know jack shit about Tibet and China - they perceive the whole thing as a sequel to the Star Wars movie, where China plays the role of the Evil Empire and Dala Lama is Yoda master of the Jedi.
Never underestimate the naivete of the Hollywood-inculcated society.
wojtek