KLc brings up a good point. What is it to be "American"? I know that defintion will be very different between someone in New York City, and Dallas.

But are we truly culturally isolate? Probably the great genius of the American culture is that we take other cultural influences and fuse it into the culture to where we don't even think about it. Case in point the Cowboy. One of the great Icons of American culture (Cowboy politics) is actually decendant from Spanish Vaqueros. Most of the things we associate with cowboys were imported from Mexico, we just fused it so well into our cultural awareness.

In regards to The French hating us, we should not take it personally, If you're in Paris you have to realize they hate everyone, including other frenchman! (the term Provinicals is negative and french!) I think the English are more jealous about the fact the their upstart colonies have taken their place in world influence! And European don't like each other either, remember the two bloodiest and destructive conflicts the world has been involved in started in Europe.

But that is the way it's always been. We have hated France from before we were a country, we inherited the rivally from England. You also have to take into consideration that European cultures, as diverse as they are, are, by our standards, piled in on top of one another. (the reason why we see more Latin American influence is because it is the only culture that we share a border with that is different! Canadians are similar culturally and blend in much easier) we are a vast and geographically isolated nation where as traveling between countries in Europe is considered the morning commute for some people in this country.

I'm also amazed when I talk to Europeans about they way they do view us. (the good and sometimes puzzling, not just the bad.) To them we are a much more mobile society (We are the decendants of those who braved the unknown and set out to start a new life, it is the foundation of the American culture.) I had a friend while I was in Germany that had been depressed for some time and I finally asked him why. He said that he was home sick and missed his family, he had not seen them in awhile. When I asked him where they were, he said they lived in a village 30 miles away! To an American that would not even be an issue, but again Europeans aren't as mobile as we are and judge distances differently. (I'm rambling!)