But is it true? Any nation of 330M will have some loud arrogant people, but is “getting rich by doing nothing” uniquely American in aspiration or reality?
I’d argue no - our aspiration is that we’re farmer cowboys, our rich all the more so. Our reality is more complicated, but (for its many flaws) different than alleged here.
I don't think any one thing sums up America. But having lived on 4 continents, I'd say the "get rich by doing nothing" thing is unusually common and unusually accepted in America. Historian Walter McDougall wrote a whole book on the American duality of "hustle", meaning both an energy for making things happen and scamming somebody. And he wrote that well before the recent rise of "hustle culture".
You could also look at American pyramid scheme pioneers like Amway and Herbalife, both of which I consider scams. Or our huge manipulation culture of the sort potrayed in Glengarry Glen Ross or Mad Men. Or the way that scammer/marketing energy merged with Protestantism to create both the tent revival and now the megachurch.
I’d argue no - our aspiration is that we’re farmer cowboys, our rich all the more so. Our reality is more complicated, but (for its many flaws) different than alleged here.