I'm curious as to how far this reached. Where were you living when you heard this gem of a rumor?

I think it’s a mixed bag; the cultural transmission of American music, the roots of which were created by black Americans in the form of blues, jazz and early rock n roll, is something to celebrate; and there have been monumental examples of US technological and artistic greatness in film and television that have pushed those art forms forward. But are there shitty aspects to American culture? Sure, that’s just humanity for you, assholes are everywhere and we have plenty in the US. Anywhere there are a lot of natural resources, you’ll have plentiful assholery.