The people of the United States have been subject to many stereotypes. It is not unnatural for people to make uneducated assumptions on others based on their actions or appearances. America’s influence over the world is very widespread as the U.S. interfered in almost every part of the world during the Cold War. This makes the country the closest to being the center of the world, in a sense. Every person has a certain opinion on Americans whether good or bad. Many of the negative stereotypes boil down to one general idea, that the Americans are ignorant and arrogant.
It can be unfair to judge Americans in this way. After all, stereotypes are founded upon ignorance. They also do not apply to the entire American population. But my experience in the United States has suggested a reason for these accusations. If you travel to any part of the world, most likely the people there will be able to speak English. English has become the lingua franca, or most popular language used between foreign peoples in business or other interactions. It replaced French around the end of World War I as the international language used in diplomacy. As a result, education systems around the world strongly encourage their students to learn English. This makes most people bilingual as they speak English as well as their native tongue. The U.S. on the other hand, does give any incentive for students to learn another language until high school. While the U.S. does not recognize an official language, English is the most popular language in the country. As a result, their citizens already have learned the international language from birth. Most schools encourage their students to learn a foreign language in high school in order to graduate. However, there are many drawbacks to learning a language much later than in other countries. It is easier to learn another language at a younger age since you have more time to be proficient at it. It is also easier to learn another language if you are bilingual. However, students are generally given 4 years to learn a language vastly different from their own. In my Spanish classes, the most proficient students are the ones who are bilingual. They’ve already struggled to learn English or another language, so it makes it easier for them to learn a third one. Most Americans are simply not prepared enough to be introduced to new cultures associated with languages they are trying to learn.
Another explanation can be social media. As the world becomes more connected we have seen the emergence of “pop” culture. Popular culture tends to put the focus on the latest trends rather than the traditions of folk and foreign cultures. This is not only seen in America, but in other parts of the world as well. The use of social media isolates people from learning about the history and practices of other people. However, the global connection social media offers can present the possibility of exchanging different cultural beliefs from different parts of the world.
The biggest takeaway should be that some Americans are arrogant and ignorant not by choice. The environment Americans grew up in simply does not encourage them to understand the perspective of foreign peoples through things like learning another language. Generally, Americans are eager to learn something new if you are willing to share it with them. Patience is the major antidote to fixing ignorance.
-Antonin Ducroux-USA (East Coast)