The US is different as it has a strong national identity around freedom and independence. Immigrants to US mostly would want to adopt that. A relatively young n

The US is different as it has a strong national identity around freedom and independence. Immigrants to US mostly would want to adopt that. A relatively young nation full of possibilities. That is what drew the initial waves of immigration. I don't see something similar in Japan or Germany, where a lot of that identity comes from tradition and culture dating back centuries. I like the Japanese but I will never be one. And that is totally fine, I don't want them to vanish. Many liberal intellectuals belittle the sometimes pronounced US nationalism and there is reason to do so if it gets too extreme or silly. But on the other hand it is something that unifies people and something they can rally behind. It is more difficult to summon enthusiasm for that instead of being an economic necessity to pay pensions.