Americans do believe in progress and there is almost certainly a kernel of truth in the joke.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I'm sure we, the American people, are the butt of jokes by those in power.
Sometimes Americans don't quite get my sense of humor. My good ol' British sarcasm seems to go over their heads.
America has believed that in differentiation, not in uniformity, lies the path of progress. It acted on this belief; it has advanced human happiness, and it has prospered.
Americans are pragmatic, relatively uncomplicated, hearty and given to broad humor.
I don't know if my sense of humor goes over Americans' heads.
Americans believe that if you know something, you should do something about it.
In order to be able to write a good joke, you have to find the truth.
I always thought the biggest failing of Americans was their lack of irony. They are very serious there! Naturally, there are exceptions... the Jewish, Italian, and Irish humor of the East Coast.
America is so vast that almost everything said about it is likely to be true, and the opposite is probably equally true.
A true Englishman doesn't joke when he is talking about so serious a thing as a wager.