From what I can tell, US carriers have the seatbelt lights on for a longer proportion of international long-haul flight time than European or Asian carriers. And just because American pilots are not retired as early as some other carriers probably does not explain the "forgetfulness" -- if that is what we are being subjected to.

Leaving the seatbelt sign on too much is sort of akin to the flight crew being like the boy who cried wolf.