Actually, I would say the exact opposite. I think a lot of Americans are TOO emotional and that has caused a lot of problems in this country (in my opinion). I wish the USA as a whole was LESS emotional.

That is an interesting observation, though, because the average American thinks of Russians as being cold, stern, and emotionless; Russians never smile! Obviously that's not true, it's just differences in our respective cultures but I think Americans are quite emotional and that is not necessarily a good thing in my opinion.

As for being shallow, some people are and some people are not. I'm sure it's the same in Russia. However, Dennis is in Beverly Hills, so I'm sure he has encountered MANY more shallow (and vain) people than usual as that is a fairly wealthy community with movie stars and whatnot. California is NOT a good representation of the rest of America and especially not places like Beverly Hills (or all of California actually). I would say the same about New York City and Chicago as well.

The important thing to remember is to not generalize an entire nation, especially one as large and diverse as the USA (or Russia), based on a handful of impressions or experiences. I would tell the same to an American traveling to Russia. Would you compare the people in the rich part of Moscow to the Russians living in, say....Vladivostok?

Anyway, that's only my opinion, for what little it's worth.