I just cant fathom going to a place and think boy I wish there were more X here.

I can. I can’t learn from or have discussions with people who have literally the same life as me. That’s kinda boring.

Is it an American thing?

Yes. Diversity has been drilled into me my entire life. There are news articles and lawsuits about discrimination all the time. IDK about other countries, but, yeah, diversity is a huge thing in the USA.