As an American who has spend over a decade (most my adult life!) abroad, I really can't agree with most of this list.
Living in China (and being able to speak and read Chinese) made it abundantly obvious to me that #1 and #2 are completely wrong. I often encountered either nationalist jabs royal treatment from strangers simply due to what was on TV at the time. In quite a few people I encountered both views. Some told me point blank that they thought that the US was the best place in the world and that they didn't understand why I left... only to change gears minutes later and tell me what a dangerous, terrible country America is. A love-hate relationship with America and Americans is very common in China. In Taiwan, where I lived for 7 years, I pretty much only encountered love. In Guatemala, I saw both, but very muted compared to China. I did encounter some serious hate from some Canadians there, though... I spent hours helping them translate and apartment hunt, after which they realized I was American, not Canadian. Amazingly, this was such a big deal to them that they pretty much forgot my kind deed and blew me off!
As for affection, I think pretty much everywhere I lived in Asia saw Americans as outgoing and affectionate. In Guatemala, we were seen as reserved. I'd put us at the middle of the continuum, not at the extreme non-affectionate end.
Americans aren't that status obsessed. Just look at sales of luxury cars and handbags. Chinese people tend to be status-obsessed. Rich people in the US are surprisingly restrained by comparison.
Ditto on unhealthiness. After moving to the US 2 months ago I find there's very little drinking, people never smoke in offices, not many people smoke at all, and I haven't seen a single scuffle outside a restaurant yet. It's certainly not as health-focused as someplace like Japan, and food portions are too big, but there is a culture of exercise. On the whole I'd say Boulder, Colorado is the healthiest place I've ever lived. SF isn't bad.
I agree that the health care system leaves a lot to be desired. I do miss Taiwan's quite a bit. It amazed me how it was cheap, high quality and somehow supported by a very low tax rate. I prefer the US system to China's or Guatemala's though.
One constant I've found over the past 10 years is that no matter where I live, I encounter American movies at the theaters, news about the US on TV, American restaurants and businesses in the streets, and a lot of people who very much want to understand my home country better. Sometimes it was frustrating when I was looking for total immersion and an experience living someplace completely different from home. My Swedish and Argentinian classmates in Taiwan could go weeks without hearing their mother tongues or seeing anything about their countries in any media, but I could not. Even a single day would be almost impossible because in truth the US is exceptional among countries.
In short, I think this list is closer to a European caricature of the US than it is to reality.
>In short, I think this list is closer to a European caricature of the US than it is to reality.
I think this is a pretty good assessment. It's not as if any of what he says is untrue, in some place, at some time, but they do not hold as generalizations. As generalizations, they are way off. It's like stepping into a country for a couple of weeks and trying to write a definitive review of a country --and writing that which was most impressive (glaring differences, for example) in an exaggerated way.
>I do miss Taiwan's quite a bit. It amazed me how it was cheap, high quality and somehow supported by a very low tax rate.
This impressed me too. Altho I understand that one way they were able to afford it was by capturing medical students for like 7 years (or something, like that. i.e. pay for schooling, but then have them under contract for 7 years at below market wages) In addition, salaries were cut several times and now the system is looking to be reformed because its becoming indebted.
One other thing I never quite understood was the big packets of 20 pills for a cold you'd take several times a day for several days. I can't imagine what was in them.
"I did encounter some serious hate from some Canadians there, though..."
This is a very unfortunate side-effect of the cultural and physical proximity between these nations. Most Canadians don't travel to the states, but they do get almost all American media on their radios and TVs, producing a distorted (and somewhat negative) view of America and the average American. What the media portrays and the reality on the ground are often quite different.
Living in China (and being able to speak and read Chinese) made it abundantly obvious to me that #1 and #2 are completely wrong. I often encountered either nationalist jabs royal treatment from strangers simply due to what was on TV at the time. In quite a few people I encountered both views. Some told me point blank that they thought that the US was the best place in the world and that they didn't understand why I left... only to change gears minutes later and tell me what a dangerous, terrible country America is. A love-hate relationship with America and Americans is very common in China. In Taiwan, where I lived for 7 years, I pretty much only encountered love. In Guatemala, I saw both, but very muted compared to China. I did encounter some serious hate from some Canadians there, though... I spent hours helping them translate and apartment hunt, after which they realized I was American, not Canadian. Amazingly, this was such a big deal to them that they pretty much forgot my kind deed and blew me off!
As for affection, I think pretty much everywhere I lived in Asia saw Americans as outgoing and affectionate. In Guatemala, we were seen as reserved. I'd put us at the middle of the continuum, not at the extreme non-affectionate end.
Americans aren't that status obsessed. Just look at sales of luxury cars and handbags. Chinese people tend to be status-obsessed. Rich people in the US are surprisingly restrained by comparison.
Ditto on unhealthiness. After moving to the US 2 months ago I find there's very little drinking, people never smoke in offices, not many people smoke at all, and I haven't seen a single scuffle outside a restaurant yet. It's certainly not as health-focused as someplace like Japan, and food portions are too big, but there is a culture of exercise. On the whole I'd say Boulder, Colorado is the healthiest place I've ever lived. SF isn't bad.
I agree that the health care system leaves a lot to be desired. I do miss Taiwan's quite a bit. It amazed me how it was cheap, high quality and somehow supported by a very low tax rate. I prefer the US system to China's or Guatemala's though.
One constant I've found over the past 10 years is that no matter where I live, I encounter American movies at the theaters, news about the US on TV, American restaurants and businesses in the streets, and a lot of people who very much want to understand my home country better. Sometimes it was frustrating when I was looking for total immersion and an experience living someplace completely different from home. My Swedish and Argentinian classmates in Taiwan could go weeks without hearing their mother tongues or seeing anything about their countries in any media, but I could not. Even a single day would be almost impossible because in truth the US is exceptional among countries.
In short, I think this list is closer to a European caricature of the US than it is to reality.