I grew up for a while in a non-US country (military brat), and one of the takeaways I got from growing up in a different culture was the expectations that your

I grew up for a while in a non-US country (military brat), and one of the takeaways I got from growing up in a different culture was the expectations that your family, your ties to people, and your ability to "work the community connections" were resources as much as education. To be considered successful in Italy you had to have those, on top of doing well in school and working hard -- and part of working hard was building those connections. The US meanwhile has done a great job of eradicating a lot of those ties in a Jihad Vs. McWorld sense, and leaving you as an individualist consumer.