I spent the July 4th weekend in my own Americana cliche: I relaxed in the humid heartland, drank one too many alcoholic beverages (screwdrivers), ate at a chain restaurant (Noodles & Company), played with my dog (a golden retriever mix), and attended Hollywood's latest paean to mediocrity (Will Smith's "Hancock"). I was in the bucolic suburbs of Lafayette, Ind., but really, I could have been anywhere or everywhere in America — which is both satisfying and troubling.

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