Probably because cultures with that attitude rarely progress beyond the "isolated backwater" stage.

Begins?

Since the papers are behind a Science paywall, I can't tell: Do the papers actually mention a connection to Colony Collapse Disorder? All I see is the mainstream press articles making that extrapolation.

Were you thinking something like this? http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2005/12/18

I have family who live in Alamo Drafthouse territory and they love it. Have not been there myself. I also prefer the theater (my favorite local is this restored 1928 gem), but more often see DVDs.

I think you can also enlarge or reduce it significantly to make it obviously fake.

Chevy Volt meets high resistance... Makes reductions in Chevy Ampere.

And it's also a problem in the USA. I was really saddened by a family member (who is a primary school teacher) in casual conversation calling math "yucky". I'm sure the 6- and 7-year old children in her class are readily inculcated with this feeling.

I thought it was forty-five virgins and a pelican...

Don't take it personally. At my last job we had a similar policy, though it was somewhat less harsh in execution. The policy was there because of individuals who gave notice and then spent two weeks talking about how crappy the place was and how much better their new job was going to be.