杨鹏难句第二句

Fascination with this ideal has made Americans defy the “Old World” categories of settled possessiveness versus unsettling deprivation, the cupidity of retention versus the cupidity of seizure, a “status quo” defended or attacked.

真的看不明白。请帮忙啊。

Without context, it's difficut to translate it.

Basically it's saying The ideals made Americans resisted the traditional views of 3 blah, blahs. I think this probably about America's democratic bullshit the article, whatever it is, talk about.   

"this ideal" refers to freedom to own land in America during the colonial and revolution periods. The sentence means that because of this ideal, thereno longer exist the categories that defined the Old World. Settled possessiveness is those nobles, unsettling deprivation is those who dont have money. the cupidity of retention is those who want to retain their wealth, and the cupidity of seizure is those who are eager to seize others' wealth. "status quo" defended is those who want to keep the current being of the system, and "status quo" attacked is those who want a change in the system.  All in all, it means that in America (later the US) because of the freedom to own land, those categories no longer exist.