@p I don't know where it's coming from but in Germany especially (not exclusively) there is this image of the simpleton American. My guess is the prevailing cynicism that operates like mortar, filling every gap and fissure, in the construction of German perspective. That cynicism is seen as realism, and they don't see it in the American mentality. While Germans have a knack for solid engineering and quality production, looking at recent history, it is often Americans who innovate, create, and steer the winds of time. Making me wonder whether that European cynicism is just a different form of delusion, on the other end of the spectrum.