[9:49 PM] Houston, we have an image problem.
Foreign perceptions of the United States see Americans as “arrogant, self-indulgent, hypocritical, inattentive, and unwilling or unable to engage in cross-cultural dialogue.”
These images are not restricted to the Middle East but are pervasive in Europe as well according to a report by the Council on Foreign Relations. This shouldn’t be surprising to any American who travels abroad, especially to Europe (but apparently that is a very tiny minority of Americans).
The report goes on to make all sorts of recommendations to remedy this situation such as increasing “customized, ‘two-way’ dialogue, as contrasted to conventional one-way 'push-down' mass communication.”
I see part of the root of this problem much simpler (but probably no less easier solved).
The U.S. is a nation proud to eschew integrating outside views. Look no further than the president’s most recent trip to Europe, in which he was taken to task for appearing so petulant about his foreign surroundings. Irritable from jet lag (despite being the fitness guru/early-to-bed president) he joked about his fatigue being a sign of age – in the presence of the much older Jacque Chirac – remarked to forced laughter that he’d heard there was good food to be found in France, and poked fun at an American reporter for speaking French to the president of France (President: “The guy memorizes four words, and he plays like he's intercontinental...I'm impressed. Que bueno. Now I'm literate in two languages.”)
Image problem? You don’t say.
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posted 10:19 PM
Foreign perceptions of the United States see Americans as “arrogant, self-indulgent, hypocritical, inattentive, and unwilling or unable to engage in cross-cultural dialogue.”
These images are not restricted to the Middle East but are pervasive in Europe as well according to a report by the Council on Foreign Relations. This shouldn’t be surprising to any American who travels abroad, especially to Europe (but apparently that is a very tiny minority of Americans).
The report goes on to make all sorts of recommendations to remedy this situation such as increasing “customized, ‘two-way’ dialogue, as contrasted to conventional one-way 'push-down' mass communication.”
I see part of the root of this problem much simpler (but probably no less easier solved).
The U.S. is a nation proud to eschew integrating outside views. Look no further than the president’s most recent trip to Europe, in which he was taken to task for appearing so petulant about his foreign surroundings. Irritable from jet lag (despite being the fitness guru/early-to-bed president) he joked about his fatigue being a sign of age – in the presence of the much older Jacque Chirac – remarked to forced laughter that he’d heard there was good food to be found in France, and poked fun at an American reporter for speaking French to the president of France (President: “The guy memorizes four words, and he plays like he's intercontinental...I'm impressed. Que bueno. Now I'm literate in two languages.”)Image problem? You don’t say.
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