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individual lives_; and there are pockets of severe deprivation within the United States) but the U.S. economy is one of the most successful on earth, and many of its citizens enjoy comparatively high living standards.

The fact that the United States is the largest English-speaking marketplace allows firms to compete across the country and to enjoy economies of scalę (cost reductions that arise from the huge scalę of manufacturing) that reduce prices and benefit consumers. The relatively uniform commercial culture--with many large Stores or "chains" operating nationwide-produces a commercial atmosphere which is relatively homogeneous throughout the country.

The population of the United States tends to be centered in large cities, in marked contrast to the demographics of a century ago, when the country was quite agrarian.

The United States is skeptical or hostile toward socialist and communist ideologies, but some of the related movements, such as the labor moyement were accepted by the country, although not without dispute. The country was less affected by socialist ideas in the 20th century than was Europę, and the McCarthyism and The Cold War as a whole demonstrated a deeply felt hostility to communism, which was perceived as anti-individualistic. They are also evidenced in aspects of social policy, e.g. the absence of a national health care system and constant controversy about the size and role of the government, especially the federal government, in individuals' lives and in States' laws.

The American tradition of free-market capitalism has led the populace (and their leaders) to generally accept the dictates of the market and the alterations to society that a changing economy implies, although social and economic displacement are common. The result is a flexible, but money-minded, socio-economic system.

Individual Americans can be ethnocentric. with little interest in the culture of other countries. For example, very few books from European countries or Japan are translated for sale in the United States and sales of those that are translated are slow. Imported television shows are rare except on PBS although remakes of foreign shows are morę common, and imported films are less successful than homegrown yersions, especially imports that are not spoken in English. Americans also tend to travel less than citizens of other countries, but that may be because the United States itself is so large and diverse that tourists need only visit another State for a new experience. American businesses, however, tend to be quite internationally sophisticated.

The insularity of the generał population and the media means there can be limited understanding of and sensitivity towards other countries and cultures, and this has arguably produced problems for the United States.

Names

The citizens and many other residents of the United States refer to themselves and each other as Americans, and to their country as the United States or as America. Non-Hispanic

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