Over the course of my experience in the Arab and Muslim world I have learned that there is a prevalent impression that Americans are pampered, indulgent, perhaps even soft and unaccustomed to hardship. Although the popular media; action films and TV programs; also portray America as a violent place, nevertheless, there seems to be an idea that Americans are lazy and used to an easy life.
This is very far from the reality. Life in the US can be very difficult, more difficult even than life in the so-called “developing world”, and Americans are an extremely tough, hard-working and adaptable people. They are resilient, practical, and capable of both tremendous courage and ruthlessness.
The way of life in the US, and the fundamental tenets of the American identity have created both positive and negative characteristics which make Americans simultaneously admirable, formidable, inspiring and terrible.
In the US, every person is left to make their own way, alone. This “rugged individualism” that has been part of the American ethos for centuries and it has made the people self-reliant, but also capable of great indifference, even mercilessness.
As I have written before, actions which revolutionaries in the Arab world regard as risky and radical, occur in the US on a daily basis, just for fun, even while the police are present on nearly every corner.
The society is highly competitive, and yes, quite dangerous and violent. You should be able to imagine what sort of psychological impact this has on the character of the people