Yes but that's kinda my point - these sort of oppressive communities which have this level of control over their members only really seem to be common in Americ

Yes but that's kinda my point - these sort of oppressive communities which have this level of control over their members only really seem to be common in America, the "land of the free" which I find incredibly ironic. I would have thought that not being told by your neighbour what you can or cannot do in your own front lawn would be a core principle of American life, but clearly I'd be wrong.