Last but not least, I remember hearing how we Americans are so materialistic, undisciplined, ungrateful, and complacent in comparison with the friends who live in "countries with hardships".
I remember hearing this from a number of different sources, mostly talks. It would always be followed with some type of extreme experience of brothers and sisters crossing crocodile infested waters and walking for 3 hours to get to a meeting. They can do it, so can you. Of course this worked, not because you wanted to be at the meetings, but because you felt ashamed of your lazy American lifestyle. Did they do this in other countries too and tell them they were spoiled and lazy?