[quote=njtosd][quote=FlyerInHi] Americans do have a cowboy mentality.[/quote]

Please explain what you think a “cowboy” mentality is. Europeans love criticizing Americans by calling them cowboys. Do they realize that the Marlboro man was an enormously popular image in the US? Being a cowboy isn’t a negative in most people’s minds. On the other hand, I saw the musical of “Legally Blonde” the other day (school version) which included a song known as “Gay or European”. Here are the lyrics: http://www.nitrolyrics.com/legally-blonde-the-musical_there-right-there-gay-or-european-lyrics.html

There’s a big disconnect between Europe and the US in terms of what is considered masculine/desirable behavior (not sure whether the same applies for what is feminine).[/quote]
“Europeans love criticizing Americans by calling them cowboys.” Do they? Well, that’s something I confess I didn’t know. The term cowboy in the UK is used in reference to a shady outfit or lacking professionalism. I’m also at a loss about this ‘big disconnect’, and more to the point, what a European ‘view’ is. Whenever I hear Europeans lumped together, I’m pretty confident that person has never been to Europe. You’ll find that perceptions of masculinity, aside from popular images imposed on us by advertising, are as varied as are the countries within Europe.