Are Americans too xenophobic?
Do we ignore (or dismiss) too much of the rest of the globe? Do we care enough about other nations? other peoples?
As a European I would say there is a stereotype that Americans are ignorant of world politics, geography and customs. But that is likely just a stereotype. Every nation looks after its' own concerns above and beyond those of other nations. I would say that America is tarnished from its foreign policy of recent decades - the cowboy attitude.
My own experience of Americans on vacations and meeting them in this country (at uni, work etc) has generally been very pleasant. Most are extremely polite, interested and genuinely wish you a good day (something lacking in my part of the world)
There are likely individuals that do ignore or dismiss everything that isn't the USA, just as there are individuals that go the extra mile to change national and international attitudes of, and towards, the US
I think just the opposite. It seems that collectively we are so arrogant that we want force the entire globe into what we think is the right type of government. We need to be concerned about the world - but we need to get our own house in order before we try to tell the rest of the planet what they should be doing.
Given the fact that I have lived my whole life in the United States, it's hard for me to say. Xenophobia definitely exists in this country, but I imagine that it can be found in all societies. So relative to other places, I am not sure if it is any worse here.
But for a country that has such a tremendous economic and political influence around the world, it is disturbing to see the general level of ignorance in this country regarding other places and cultures. For the country with the most powerful military forces in the world, the standard should probably be higher. And when American paranoid extremists make crazy statements, the world pays more attention than when people in less powerful nations make the same types of statements.
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Verstehen Sie mich?
The answer to this question is:
Yes they do care about the globe, I can ensure you that.
Americans are as xenophobic as all the other peoples of the world down through history. Essentially, we're all self centered. For example, the Navajo call themselves "The Dineh," meaning The People, with all the rest of the world as "others." A Chinese friend told me that the character meaning 'Chinese' is 'the people'...sound familiar? And throughout the Bible you have The Jews and The Gentiles; their version of US and them (capitals and miniscules intentional).
What we do about our xenophobia (I'd call it enlarged tribalism) is your second question. I believe America sends the most amount of financial aid to the most amount of the world; which partly explains the economic conundrum of our times.
Howzzat?
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