One problem I see is that nearly all of America seems to think that low-tech is bad and high-tech is good, no matter what. They also seem to believe that old things can never be as good as new things. Interestingly, I've found that many old or low-tech designs work better than new ones, many old things last longer than new, and much of the past saw more ingenious designs than many things modern. But Americans are so in love with all things high-tech that they would be utterly humiliated if they were ever seen using a product that is considered out of date or old. Of course a bicycle is considered a children's toy or a piece of exercise equipment, to be used only in the designated nature areas (bike paths). It's amazing that one of our most clever inventions has been reduced to such.