I think there is something else as well, something touched on by Andy Warhol.

There is a certain care and attention given to low culture that isn't given as much in other cultures. A lot of the valued and treasured culture that is American isn't for the elites, but for the commoners.

American culture can create high art, but it is often in the forms of low art that other countries will create distance from. Quentin Tarantino is a playwright making 70's B movies. Lady Gaga is a talented composer writing catchy pop hits.

American high culture is relatively shallow because its low culture is so deep.