[javert]

As an American who has a decent amount of interaction with Europeans:

It's much easier to interact with Europeans of similar class to me than it is local people across class boundaries.

This is anecdotal, but as a knowledge worker and an atheist living in the American south, it just feels like there is often an "unbridgable gap" with less well-educated folk around here.

Which speaks to the fact that America is culturally balkanized. I mean, yes, "nigger" was a very popular search term right when Obama was elected... that's because there's a small, distinct group of Americans, say 5%, that are very ignorant racists.

[learc83]

>Which speaks to the fact that America is culturally balkanized.

If you think Europe isn't "culturally balkanized" ask the next European you meet what they think about "Gypsies", and "Travellers ".

Europe has plenty of their own class/cultural issues--they just happen just a bit different than America's.

[javert]

I would expect it to be culturally balkanized. Didn't say otherwise. Just sharing my experiences. Seemed to be what someone was asking about.

[guard-of-terra]

"that are very ignorant racists"

I would say they are not ignorant racists rather they are deliberate racists. As in, they're perfectly aware.