Steyn has it exactly right - we were told by a teacher in the German school system that Americans were all messed up because we wanted to better ourselves, get educated and thought we could do better things in life - he was teaching the kids in his classes that they should be satisfied with what they had, not try to improve themselves or their lifestyles - that they should, basically, not dream of getting above their current
‘station’ in life’ - I told them that was a crock. He didn’t take it well. Things haven’t changed a bit.
That's almost an exact quote from a Michelle Obama speech earlier this year.