AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS





One evening I was having dinner with two friends in a New York City high-rise apartment. My friends were naturalized Americans, meaning they had been immigrants, and I was a foreign student then. For some reason, our conversation turned to America. And all of us came to the conclusion – that Americans are for the most part kind people – not only to their own kind.  


Why is it then that in many conversations around the world, one often hears anti-American rants? And we are not just talking about the Middle East or Europe. In Canada, ask anyone on the street and chances are there will be an expression of animosity and disdain. In New Zealand, I have heard Kiwis remarked visiting Americans were rude even though they were not by Kiwi norms. It seems it’s de rigueur to use Americans as international punching bags. Of course we must be clear, there is a wide range of sentiments. However in weighing the oftenness, the balance drops on the side of the negative pan.

The reasons for the antagonism, whether with basis or not, are multiple and the pundits and academics can discourse on this forever. Two decades ago, I was doing my graduate thesis on international students’ adaptation in the United States. What is true then and now is that general impressions of Americans outside the U.S. often based on American foreign policies, or Hollywood, do not jibe with the experience of most international student and immigrants who are or were in the United States.

Yes we did and still do encounter what we perceive as discrimination in its many forms, subtle and not. However, in weighing the oftenness of positive personal interactions and professional opportunities for most not American-born or raised individuals living in the U.S., the good outweighs the bad. You need proof? Just talk to immigrants who migrated first to the UK, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada, than relocated to the U.S. When you can compare, then you can confirm. But this is another essay.

Americans have not been remiss in showing the world their real character.



American couple Sue and Cito Cruz (L&R) entertaining
international students in their home in Maine USA

We have heard stories of foreign students in America going back to their countries and becoming national leaders and important allies. America owes some of its goodwill to churches and non-profit groups who connect students with an American host family or assist refugees. It only takes a day to be with Americans to realize by and large Yankees are welcoming, considerate, and really more polite than other nationalities who claim it as a collective trait. In Canada, hundreds of international students have been in the country for a year or two but have never been invited to a home of a local Canadian family. Most are living with host families who they themselves are immigrants renting out rooms to keep up with the mortgage. Although it happens in many countries, the scope and outreach of Americans to help foreigners is remarkably more energetic. And we are talking of solicitude, not resources. 

For some reason, the Peace Corps has lost its luster among Americans. Abroad, locals encounter more of the young ubiquitous Mormon pair in their clean outfits. But faith is a touchy issue. Americans who volunteer to help others speak volumes of the noble aspirations and values of the United States.

The media recently chronicled the relief efforts of the US military in the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear near-meltdown in Japan. But the coverage was largely from American media catering to English speakers. More of the world could have known if the news wires, not just the majors Associated Press or Reuters, but Chinese Xinhua and the Spanish language EFE news agency, to name a few, were invited aboard the navy carrier USS Ronald Reagan. And Al Jazeera Arabic news network – why not? This is not to mask the horrors of Abu Ghraib or the darkness of Guantanamo Bay.

Where in the world can you walk down the street and a stranger would say, “How are you?” Most likely in America. Who in the world will give you a hug of friendship after a short meeting? Most likely an American. Not all, but a good number, and in New York City too.



Joseph Lopez is a media/cross-cultural communications professional.

For comments please e-mail the author at: writetojosephlopez@yahoo.com