George Bush recently gave a classic representation as to why many Americans are disliked when abroad.
Since coming to Canada from the UK, I have been asked quite a few times by American friends why Americans seem to be disliked throughout the world.
George Bush himself gave a classic example the other day.
Just prior to his arrival in China for the Olympic games, he made a speech condemning his hosts for their record in human rights.
The point here is that we have all by now got the message - human rights in China are not as good as elsewhere.
My observation of his speech was merely how crass (what in America they call 'low-class' - the rest of the world, being of 'higher class' does not use such terminology) and ill-couth it exposed him to be.

Can you imagine a similar situation. A neighbour down the street invites George Bush to a dinner party. The neighbour is generally well respected, but has a large family, and does not generally mix with the neighbours around.
Would anyone with any manners at all then stand in the street and call attention to the neighbour's bad faults, then, having done so, attend the party anyway.
If the neighbour is so bad, George, you don't have to go. There are enough of the rest of the world to fill in for you, I am sure that you would not be missed. You will soon get used to this as your economy fails, and the rest of the world no longer has to kowtow to your whims.

There are several points here - the first is that this is a sporting event. It is hypocritical surely to condemn those 'terrorists' who might attempt to disrupt it with demonstrations, when as a world leader you do what amounts to the same, using your status to get your point across.

And now on to how this reflects on Americans generally. There are many Americans who are ordinary people, salt of the earth, working away to try to do better, and behaving in an 'average' manner as far as global manners go. These are the ones who are surprised that the USA is disliked, they cannot understand it, because they have never experienced it first-hand. They are humble hard working people. and they are in the majority in the USA.

The plain fact is that most of the Americans that the rest of the world is likely to meet when travelling around the world are people with above average income, if not stinking rich.
And it is not 'Americans' that the world experiences contact with, it is these few who have some manner habits that are perhaps not what the average American would have.
In short, the world judges all Americans on the few that they come in contact with.  And those few are generally loud, interruptive, bombastic, and act like spoiled kids, which is probably how they were brought up.
And I guess judging from his lack of manners, George Bush should perhaps have consulted his advisors before making speeches condemning his soon-to-be hosts.

There is a good side to this, and that is that with the decline in cheap energy, we seem to be approaching the decline of the American Empire, and so perhaps some humility will occur at some point in those Americans who 'have class' - that means 'have money and the power it brings'.

Or maybe I need sensitivity training for mentioning this!

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