I wouldn't say spending is a western culture only. I have Asian background so I can comment that "working till you are supposed to retire at 65" is the norm in Asia as well. Most of the family have 2 income earners who work until time to collect pension. The idea of FIRE is nonexistence. Money is the most important thing in life even though it doesn't necessarily bring happiness. I've seen enough families have more money than they need yet live a miserable life.
Asians are usually very good savers. However it has changed quite dramatically in recent years as more and more people are spending money like there is no tomorrow. Old generations save but don't know how to invest. All money is put in a savings account or GIC and eaten by inflation.
EDIT：
I think I got off topic a bit. I'd like to add that my peers don't know "ER" ever exists. It's like I'm talking to a wall every time I bring up FI or ER. Last night I was talking to a close friend about ER, she is like "are you joking". So I stopped. Everyone thinks that we need to earn high 6 figures to retire and no one retire before 65, period. Even if we earn enough money but we should still work until 65.
My parents are very supportive though and that's all I care about. I need to find a partner who shares the same vision as I do. I feel that it's extremely hard as all of the young people I know knows nothing about FI or ER. I'm better off by myself.
This is actually true in my area. I live in a very large Asian community (only non-Asian in the 'hood I think) and when I have told my neighbors about my retiring early they could not grasp it (now I just tell them I work from home). Most live in large family groups and everyone works until a fairly old age. They do save and live fairly frugal lives (except most seem to have luxury cars for some reason - odd to see endless Mercedes and Lexus' in a working-class neighborhood) and put a high value on helping their children thru college and into a better future rather than FIREing themselves.
I am ABC (American-Born Chinese), and I definitely agree with the statement that the older generation's "American Dream" was sacrificing themselves to set up a stable life in American and put their children through college. After largely dating other Asians, I ended up marrying a Caucasian Southerner (so about as American as it gets) who is strangely asian in lifestyle - very frugal and eats anything.
My parents are supportive in a confused sort of way. They are very happy that my husband and I are such good savers, but they don't understand our FIRE goals. I think early retirement is equated with laziness. All my cousins and siblings are engineers, doctors, and Ivy League professors, so I am definitely the odd one out. Strangely, my grandfather, however, is totally on board. He took me aside one day and said that he has come to realize that "normal" or "average" has become too rare these days, and that he thinks I am doing something right by focusing on spending more time with family. I think he genuinely regrets not spending more time with his children when they were younger, but those were different times and he was under intense pressure to be the "big man" and breadwinner.
I guess it comes down to values. You only have so much time in a day, and while I haven't completely discounted the argument that "you can have it all," I personally feel like something has to give. I would rather have an average career, save harder, and be free to spend more time with my husband, children, and aging relatives. Others prefer to pursue careers, aspire to making a difference on a broader scale, and don't worry about FI because their ambition means money is not a primary concern, or that there is no foreseeable end in sight to their work. They set the bar high, hit a peak of happiness that fades quickly after the goal is met, reset the bar higher, and then it's back to work. I have my bar set low, and have been steadily content for about 8 years now. I think I get as much happiness from when my ultra-Mustachian husband allows some ice cream into the house as my cousin gets when his pretrial for a cure to kidney stones succeeds. Maybe I am selfish to only focus on my small bubble of family and friends, but I guess I have much more nihilistic leanings than most.
