> the fact remains that the
> US-sers tend to present themselves to the world as vile, arrogant,
> self-righteous, jingoistic and dogmatic assholes - much more so than any
> other English speaking nation. Is it in the water or in the gene pool, or
> what?
It's just the US Empire -- a.k.a. centuries of cumulative white male centurion privilege. First it was exterminating the indigenous peoples, then overseeing slaves, then it was beating the crap out of Eastern European immigrants, and in 1898 the real fun began -- stomping the Third World.
When you own the planet, as the US did until recently, you don't have to argue with the hired help. You don't have to build quality products or be particularly innovative. You point a gun (a half-trillion-dollar military) and tell the hired help to obey their masters. If they don't, the B-52s and sanctions of mass destruction get unleashed. The rage of the US Rightwing is canalized rage at the victims of Empire.
-- DRR