[aerohead]

You may not want to make the intellectual leap,that people in the U.S. can actually differentiate between 'need' and 'want.' I see little prima facie evidence.
If we were pygmies,we'd have clear rights of passages into adulthood and we wouldn't look to the likes of Sylvester Stallone,Chuck Norris,Arnold Schwartzeneger (sp?),Vin Diesel,and Madison Avenue for clues as to whether or not we made it into manhood.
A totally blissful nation predicated on total ignorance.