Athens rocket attack - already called as a false flag.

[JimBenArm]

This is what I have seen. Just like the British, the American identity has been so successful because it assimilates everyone else.

You can see it with American cinema, for example. German Expressionism was absorbed directly into American cinema, as was French New Wave.

Often people see it as the USA projecting its culture overseas and crushing every other culture. But that's wrong. The US Culture is slowly absorbing every other culture.

The British did EXACTLY the same thing. Just look at the English language for evidence.

-Gumboot

We are the US. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile!

 

[Architect]

Frankly it's just big-country syndrome.

In my experience here, there is not difference in the attitude of anyone coming from the "big" countries. Canada, America, China... they're either really nice, or exceedingly arrogant"

I'm going to stand up for Canada here, as they're usually quite aware of cultural issues elsewhere. But in any event, I think you're over simplifying a fair bit. Surely it has more to do with (a) education and (b) proximity to/contact with other countries?

Americans are just particularly bad because so many of them never travel outwith their own country; apart from the far south, or up near Canada, they've no need to have a working knowledge of other cultures or languages.

I was reading a Clive Cussler book whilst in hospital (hey, I was desperately bored) and it was quite funny the mistakes he made when talking about Britain; little assumptions that we did things the same way as America, use of Americanisms, and so on. It just never occured to him that it might be different!

 

[Trifikas]

Americans are just particularly bad because so many of them never travel outwith their own country; apart from the far south, or up near Canada, they've no need to have a working knowledge of other cultures or languages.

Objection! Architect has obviously never seen the different Neighborhoods in Philadelphia ;-)

(you're welcome to substitute almost any major city here, I've been to philly enough to have seen most of the different areas.) A lot of cultural absorption means we don't have to leave our country to have exposure to different cultures and languages.

Even state-by-state we have different cultures. The north-easterners, mid-westerners, southerners, west coast, all part of America, all with different regionalisms.

I also think the bad reputation is caused for the usual reasons - one or two people ruining it for the rest of us. There are thousands of Americans going abroad for work or vacation everyday, most of them you don't hear about. Those that you do find obnoxious, would probably be found to be obnoxious by other Americans as well. As near as I can tell, it's not countries, it's just how people in general are.