I think a lot of American craziness stems from 3 factors:
- America is a geographically enormous country, so it's pretty easy to get away from reality and cling to your views (the rural vs. urban divide).
- A rapidly changing ethnic composition in a country with a history of slavery. Civil rights abuses are in many ways still active and ongoing (see all the gerrymandering).
- Several generations of people were inundated with Cold War propaganda.
- America is a geographically enormous country, so it's pretty easy to get away from reality and cling to your views (the rural vs. urban divide).
- A rapidly changing ethnic composition in a country with a history of slavery. Civil rights abuses are in many ways still active and ongoing (see all the gerrymandering).
- Several generations of people were inundated with Cold War propaganda.