Here is an article by Chesterton titled: On American Morals. It is dated, of course. It seems to be from the 1920s, and was published in '29.

His general criticisms are that America's moral values are not based on any sort of reasonable system, but rather on irrational association. I wonder if he is not in some way right. Alcohol is by no means inherently evil in and of itself. It has no moral quality. For that matter, neither does cocaine. But, on the other hand, things can be dangerous and unfit for the commonweal because of mankinds' weaknesses.

The last paragraph I found particularly punchy and thought provoking because Chesterton attacks racism. I wonder, however, whether or not Chesterton is attacking a particular American quality or a particular human quality. The quality of irrationally associating doesn't seem inherently human, though it may be inherently democratic. I wonder how fostered American idealogy is by those in power. If you can create a population that's hedonistic it will assist the selling of goods. If you can create a non-thinking populace, then demagogues will find power much more easily.