My goodness, you've got a big ugly chip on your shoulder, don't you? Who cares if summer camp is a common practice unique to the US? Big deal. I'm sure there are similar practices that are common/unique to other countries. Great, more power to them.

And..what the hell is the 'US character?' Considering that this country is truly a melting pot of peoples and cultures from around the world, there is no one stereotype of a US citizen. You sound like a first-year college student at some ultra-liberal school who's flexing her muscles after having taken one class in world cultures.