Damn. I had to go back and re-read the cousin's ramblings, as apparently it got by me the first time.
Yeah, folks, the cousin actually said that, that we colonized Europe.
I think the spelling was nadinized.
She meant to say we "colorized" Europe.
As anyone who's been there can attest, Europe is for the most part a place of depressing, grimy, gray, grinding, socialist poverty.
On either side of the former Iron Curtain, no American can spend time in Europe without being astonished at the constant colorless boredom of the place.
Europe sucks in every way imaginable.
But now there are some exceptions.
American satellite TV, American movies, American marketing techniques, American style, American music, and American pop culture all give a little excitement, a little color to the drabbest of drab continents.
European wretches, descendants of the losers who failed to emigrate when the opportunity was easily available at the turn of the last century, can find a small respite from their otherwise grinding existence.
In a small but important way we have colorized Europe.