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Comment by gertef | Hacker News Reader

> Where I live in the U.S, moss is largely an unwanted thing akin to mold.

I think that's due to the US attitude that nature is a thing to be controlled, not nurtured. Moss grows in its natural way, on top of other things, not in its own little individual pot or plot.

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The attitude that moss is like mold or that nature is to be controlled doesn't seem like "American" attitudes as far as I've ever heard. I try to speak up whenever I hear people generalizing about the country. The US is extremely diverse and there are tons of preserved areas as well as developed areas. It would be like trying to sum up an attitude of all of Europe regarding moss. It's silly.

Personally I have never really given moss that much thought, it's just something that is around like grass or dirt. Some people are into watching birds, others find that boring. Moss doesn't seem that interesting to me but I'm sure it can be fascinating if you get into it.

I think you may have a point - but national reserves and American's love of camping in the "uncontrolled wilderness" is also a strong counterpoint.

I was also careful to specify "where I live". The U.S is rather large and I'm sure moss gardens are popular in at least one region. Something I find people often forgetting is just how massive the U.S is. Including the people who live in it!

America invented the National Park in fact. One of our nation's innovations I am particularly proud of.

Well, there are both attitudes in both places referenced. In Japan, in contrast to moss, beaches are to be covered in concrete and the ocean controlled by tetrapods[1]. So there are areas where Japan believes in controlling nature.

[1]http://japanfocus.org/-stephen-hesse/2481/article.html

Right. It's like a weed. It's a sign of disrepair.

I'm not saying it's not beautiful in its own way, but it's hardly a uniquely American attitude to consider a sign of neglect undesirable.

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