Americans are fascinated by their own love of shopping. This does not make them unique. It’s just that they have more to buy than most other people on the planet. And it’s also an affirmation of faith in their country, its prosperity and limitless bounty. They have shops the way that lesser countries have statues.
ATTRIBUTION:
Simon Hoggart (b. 1946), British journalist. America: A User’s Guide, ch. 6 (1990).
