I suggest this binary positioning is a very American phenomenon; the cultural reasons for which I'm unable to suggest a reason for.
I really don't think so. Binary thinking is something I've personally noticed and thought about for a while, and I think it stems from the human brain just trying to simplify things. In most scenarios, it is far easier (and time efficient) to only consider the 2 extreme options rather than the entire spectrum of possible options, even if those two extremes are far worse than the alternatives.
Plus, I've seen Europeans do the same thing all the time [0]. Remember, polarization (which is really just an extension of tribalism imo) isn't an American condition, it's a human condition.
[0] I've lived in both the US and Europe
No I didn't type that. Your reading it that way is..... binary?
It is possible to observe behaviour without knowing what causes it.
"I suggest drinking heavily is a very British phenomenon; the cultural reasons for which I'm unable to suggest a reason for either."