Cultural Superiority

Who thinks their culture is superior to others?

Well, according to this study of Pew Global, a majority of Americans believe so. Even more surprisingly, only a minority of French people do.

Americans are (...) more likely than most Western Europeans to think their culture is better than others. Over half of Americans (55%) agree with the statement, "Our people are not perfect, but our culture is superior to others," a larger percentage than in Canada, Spain, Germany, France, Britain and Sweden. But Italians are even more confident than Americans in their cultural pre-eminence; 68% of Italians believe their culture is superior.

This is interesting because in my opinion, it is the one thing that our two countries (France and the U.S.) have in common: a belief that their nations embody unique universal values, including cultural ones of course. But then, look at the Italians....

I personally know very few people (if any) who really believe that seriously in either France or the States, so I am afraid my American milieu may not be very representative then... I have of course noticed that the idea of (not just cultural) national superiority transpires in politics and the media (think of how some people take for granted whatever Foxnews, Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck may say) so one shouldn't be surprised so much, I suppose.