Follow the leader?

Yesterday, Friday the 21st, we had an interesting discussion in class: who is the leader in terms of modernization, the US or Europe? This is an interesting comparison - even if it is between a country and a continent.

In terms of technology, it may be argued that America. But what about the social area?

Sweden, for example, is said to be very modern as it supports the absolute equal treatment of genders. On the other hand, France remains traditionalist because, for example, same-sex marriages are not legal.

The significant increase of women in the workforce during the past few years might support the fact that the US is moving towards modernization, but traditionalism is not completely gone - for example, gay marriage is only accepted in about 6 of the 50 states.

So, who sets the trends?

Does the US mark the pathway and Europe follows? Does the US follow Europe's leading ideas? Or do they just each follow their own ways?

Will we see more modernization or more traditionalism in the US? Where will our society go in the future?

This is hard to answer, but it could also be applied in terms of benevolence. Is there some sort of trend going on in the philanthropic area?