Anti-Americanism Down in Europe, but a Values Gap Persists

• "Obamamania" - I like it. Very accurate, both domestically and internationally.
• I think our "go it alone" attitude stems from our nation's history. The United States was fed up with British rule and took matters into its own hands. We're pompous because of it, and ever since then, we've approached foreign relations with the same mentality, and it generally works out well for us in the end. Why don't they try something else? Well, why fix something if it isn't broken?
• I have several European friends and I know that none of them are terribly religious, but I always kind of assumed that it was just because those are the type of people I tend to attract (as friends). It's good to know that Europe isn't quite so intolerant of non-believers because I definitely feel like I'm put up for persecution everytime I don't participate in the prayer before Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. Latino countries are similar to the United States in that being religious is a part of everyday life - for everybody. Maybe it's just a "New World" thing. Europe was once extremely religious - I guess we need to evolve a little bit more to get to where they're at now.
• I'm going to refer back to American history for the subject of Americans believing "that everyone be free to pursue life’s goals without interference from the state" instead of "the state play an active role in society to guarantee that no one is in need." This country was built by people who valued working hard to get what they wanted (aka, capitalism). Typical Republicans prefer the former ideal, and typical Democrats prefer the latter. The Democrats seem to be gaining more popularity (as opinions shift) and surpassing the amount of Republican voters, so we seem to be shrinking the values gap in our very own country.
• I like that Wike made the connection between Europeans and young Americans. I think that this resemblance (or acceptance) comes from the popularity and perseverance of the Internet, particularly Facebook. We're allowed to connect with other cultures so much easier, we see the differences between our culture and theirs, and we think, "Why the heck are we so backwater?" We want change.
• This is completely (well, not completely) irrelevant to the text, but every time I think about the difference in values between Europeans and Americans, I think of an old family friend. Europeans are big on inheriting culture and history, whereas Americans don't really care as much. When our family friend found out that my family was selling our property to move on to bigger and better things, he was furious because he believes that a piece of property should stay in the family for centuries. He stopped talking to us after we moved.