[mercer]

I disagree. It's quite possible that this disagreement is particular to The Netherlands, but we're /steeped/ in US culture. We also 'hate' the US. It's complicated.

If you listen to a conversation any thirty- and probably twenty-something (and possibly teen?) has, it's steeped in references to US media. Friends, Arrested Development, Breaking Bad, etc.

We had Obama election parties back when we thought he was an actual change candidate. Among the more reading- or academically-inclined, we reference Twain, Poe, Wallace (D.F.), and so on.

Personally I'm not very Dutch, and so my alignment with US culture in the broadest sense is greater than most, but I'm constantly surprised by how much of my culture here is defined by the US. It properly eclipses anything home-made, anyways, at least when it comes to entertainment, which is what we spend most idle time on anyways.