I had an acquaintance many years ago tell me that "New England is where American history comes from." They were being facetious. I think.
They did have a point. Those of us living in the middle of the North American continent tend to view things as 'old' when they are World War II vintage, and anything before that as ancient. Meanwhile, travel to almost anywhere else on Earth and cultures and edifices date back thousands, not dozens, of years.
I tell myself it explains our often-thoughtless national behavior. In the family of nations, we, as a country, are more or less teenagers with the keys to the car and a six-pack (and the consequences to show for having them).
Bradley Brownell has a considerably less sanguine view of who we are and seems to have found our Parthenon and is none too happy about it.
-billkenny
