The Most Underrated Country in the World

"Why is it so hard to admit you like the good 'ole US of A?" asks Ben Groundwater of the Sydney Morning Herald.

"To kids, unblemished by political views or the rants of others, it's not a country of hicks intent on world cultural domination - it's the home of Disneyland and Universal Studios, of Hollywood and Cape Canaveral, of snowfields and the International House of Pancakes..."

"As you grow up, however, the place becomes harder and harder to love."

There is all the scenic beauty stuff, yeah, yeah, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and all that. But what about those damn Seppos?

"Borat made those college kids look pretty damn stupid when he hitched a lift with them in the movie," writes Groundwater [what a great moniker, BTW], "but have a think about what was actually happening. Here was a bunch of kids heading off on holidays, picking up what was, to their minds at least, a middle-aged Kazakhstani hitchhiker, sharing their precious stash of beer with him and trading stories."

"Find me any Australians who would do that."

Oh yeah, and it's cheap.

The full story.