Monday, May 20, 2013

Hey Foreigners: Here's Why Americans Don't Pay Attention To You

In my vast travels around the business world and the internet, I've run into a great many foreigners. Yeah, they're everywhere. We even have foreign visitors to this here blog. And one of the things I keep running into is this idea that Americans are self-centered and don't pay attention to foreign countries. Let me explain why this isn't true.

Americans care a lot more about domestic news than they do about foreign news. That's a fact. The evidence is overwhelming. Even here, I can cut readership by 40% just by mentioning a foreign country... Prussia! So there is some truth to the idea that Americans don't pay attention to foreign events. But you know what? We pay a lot more attention than other countries do. The problem is that most foreigners don't understand that just because you pay attention to us doesn't mean we have a reason to pay attention to you.

This is the problem. Foreigners pay a lot of attention to us. Our films and television dominate their entertainment. Our products are everywhere in their countries. Their newspapers and nightly newscasts typically lead off with coverage of America and what we are up to. If you ever check out their papers online, you'll see that most of what they talk about is us. . . our politicians, our economy, our military, our sports, our celebrities. Sooooo, naturally, they assume that we must cover them the same way because if they care about us, then we must care about them, right? Well, no. And when they discover that we don't care about them, they get rather put out. That's when they call us self-centered jerks who only care about America.

But that's not true, and here's why.

Consider London (to use an example outside the US). I will bet you that every paper in Britain is packed with stories about the goings on in London. Yet, the London papers probably don't say Lord Jacksh*t about the happens in Bumfkferdshire. Why is that? Is it that Londoners are self-centered? Probably. But beside that, there's just no room. A newspaper can only cover so much news, so they pick the things that are most likely to matter the most. That means reporting on the movers and shakers, and the movers and shakers don't tend to live in small, out-of-the way places. Not to mention, there are thousands of Bumfkferdshires, so how could London pay attention to them all?

Well, it's the same thing with countries. You pay attention to us because we matter on the world scene, but you don't pay any more attention to Krapistan than we do because they don't do anything that warrants your attention. That means to the good people of Krapistan, you are just as guilty as we are of being self-centered. The only difference is that Krapistan doesn't care if you pay attention to them or not, because you don't matter to them either.

Look, I hate to say this, but most of you live in Krapistan whether you know it or not... you just aren't that important to us. Wow, that sounds rude, but it's true. Is this helping? Anyway, I know the British and the French and the Germans and the Brazilians and the Whatnots all think that they should be at the top of our list of countries that matter, but think about the competition. Think about what countries matter to us directly and indirectly. Do Britain, France and Brazil even crack that list? Let's find out. Here are the countries that impact us directly at the moment:
1. China -- the economic and (possible) military enemy
2. Afghanistan -- we're at war there
3. Iraq -- we just had a war there
4. Iran -- we're planning a war there
5. Israel -- big Jewish lobby here
6. Mexico -- narco-war on our border, we have 11 million of their people here
7. North Korea -- run by lunatic who wants to nuke Austin
8. Russia -- run by closeted homosexual who tries to stop everything we do
9. Saudi Arabia -- exporter of oil and terrorism, houser of American troops
10. Pakistan -- all kinds of trouble for us in many ways
See the problem? That's just the first wave. Those are the countries who are constantly on our news because they do something that poses a genuine threat to us almost every single day. How many people in other countries need to pay attention to ten "hot spot" countries?

Then you have the second tier. These are countries who affect us less directly, but still make our news for one reason or another. This includes Germany, the owner of the Eurozone, Japan and South Korea where we have massive numbers of troops in harms way, and India, the land of outsourcing. This is where Britain finally appears too because we get their television programs. But I still don't see a France, an Italy, a Brazil, etc. even though each of those countries seems to think they deserve to be at the top of the list.

Do you see now why this perception that Americans don't pay attention to foreign countries is wrong? The real problem isn't that we don't pay attention, it's that you don't stand out from the crowd. If you want to get noticed, do something to make us notice you. Nuke your neighbors... turn to terrorism... build an economic bloc and let it collapse. Seriously, if Hugo Chavez can get noticed, then so can you. Don't blame us if you're boring.

In all seriousness, this has been somewhat tongue-in-cheek but the point is valid. Americans pay attention to a lot more foreign news than the rest of the world wants to believe, but since we don't have an infinite amount of time, we focus on the things that matter to us the most -- wars, terrorism, threats of being nuked, economic competitors who inflate their currency and launch cyber attacks on our companies, narco-wars on our doorstep, and so on. Americans are not self-centered... we're just busy.

60 comments:

Tennessee Jed said...

well, you wrote about foreigners and here I am posting, so take that my fine feathered foreigners. I do pay attention to Knoxville, but then I live near there. AND, finally ... Bumfrichferdshire (or whatever it was) did make me laugh out loud.

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

The next time someone tells you, "Why don't you Americans pay attention to us?" remember this article. Then look them straight in the eye and say, "Why don't you pay attention to Knoxville?"

darski said...

Well, as a Canuck I am pretty sure I should be insulted. Except that I don't pay any attention to Canada either.

And no, we will not give you our oil anymore and the fact that you don't want it is irrelevant.

K said...

Prussia? Isn't that somewhere near East Lansing?

Tennessee Jed said...

King of Prussia is near Valley Forge, Pa. and equally newsworthy

Anthony said...

I'd say its true that Americans tend to tune out the outside world unless they give us a pressing reason not to. I'm by no means an isolationist, but I think our general detachment is a good thing both for us and for the world.

There are a lot of countries in the world whose ego is tied up in subjugating others. The US has done some of that (for a variety of reasons I won't go into here because I don't feel like writing a book) but a lot less than we could/would have if we thought conquest was a measure of greatness or something.

BevfromNYC said...

Hey, speak for yourselves, peasants! I live in the center of the Universe (East Coast division). We are what all people aspire to be and sadly fall short.

[Oh, BTW, another NY State Legislator is resigning today. Sexual
harassment/secret taxpayer payoff.
]

Now don't you see why we are the envy of all?

Critch said...

I British friend of mine lamented that no one will care about the UK because they have sunk so low that they have to share an aircraft carrier with the frogs..
Very good commentary BTW.

Eric P said...

darski. please save some of that oil. We're doing our best to right the ship in the next 2-3 years.

Cordially, Keystoner

AndrewPrice said...

K, Prussia's not a country anymore? When did that happen? ;P

AndrewPrice said...

darski, Oops, I forgot Canada. You supply us with all of our newsreaders! :)

And our timber... and our hockey players... and someday with our oil. And all of our television is shot in Canada now.

Actually, in all seriousness, Canada is another country Americans keep up with quite regularly.

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, I've been to their mall. :)

tryanmax said...

Wait? Canada is still a separate country? I thought they were part of the US now. You know, because of Obama's "57 states" comment. I figured those extra states must've come from Canada.

AndrewPrice said...

Anthony, That's the other aspect of this -- Americans by and large aren't obsessed with controlling anyone else. There have been times in our history where it's happened, but by and large, Americans simply want to live their lives without worrying about other people. Thus, we tend to notice things only as they affect us -- good or bad. We don't obsess with knowing everything or controlling everything.

By comparison, my experience overseas is different. Other countries see us very differently and they see us differently than they see anyone else. They are surrounded by our films, our television, and our products. In many cases, our soldiers protect them and our businesses dominate their economies. So they become rather obsessed with us. They want to know everything about us and they want to understand us. Moreover, their leaders either praise themselves for being our friends or they use us as a scapegoat. And the result is a borderline obsession with America the all-powerful.

Moreover, the American dream lives on overseas. A great many people I've met over there who don't particularly like their countries, see us as a place they can escape to and live like however they've imagined us.

All of that raises our profile. And it's unrealistic for a small country to expect that we would return the favor, yet they do expect it and I've found it annoys them when we don't.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Uh... yeah. Yes, you New Yorkers are exactly what we aspire to be! LOL!

Actually, I hate to say this, but New York is probably the most unlike every other part of the country. Honestly, I've never found any other city or part of the country that is remotely like New York or that desires to be. Yet, clearly, our culture machine projects New York as very typical. Interesting.

Another one, huh? Sounds like you're gonna need a bigger jail!

AndrewPrice said...

Thanks Critch! In all honesty, I'm not sure Britain matters on the world stage anymore. They don't seem to have a strong bond with their former empire. Their businesses are lousy. Their military is too tiny to matter. And the one shining example they had still provided -- the BBC -- has become just another leftist "news" site... the world is full of those.

At this point, I would say where they still matter is they still export good television and London is still the best place to put a bank to reach Europe. After that it gets dicey.

AndrewPrice said...

Eric, Think about the stupidity of this idea -- a great oil source right on our doorstep and a certain jackass hiding as President would rather that our good friends sell it to our enemies so that we need to keep buying oil from our enemies. Shocking.

AndrewPrice said...

tryanmax, No, Canada has not taken over the US yet. ;P

rlaWTX said...

It's sorta like Texans paying attention to those little barely-significant states within the US. I mean, we try to know what's important to, say, Ohio or Oregon. But really, we've got Houston and Dallas, and the all important weird Austin & Travis County, and great stretches of land in between. After all, Midland's unemployment just fell to 3% (PLEASE DO NOT MOVE HERE - WE HAVE TOO MANY DAMN PEOPLE AND A 1-BR APT WILL COST YOU OVER A GRAND!), so we're important too!
So, unless it's a Presidential election year, Ohio is out of luck... We're not snobbish, we just have more important things on our minds. (Besides, Ohio gets a crap load of water falling from the sky and COMPLAINS about it!!)
:)

AndrewPrice said...

rlaWTX, LOL! At least Texas recognizes the rest of the country. :)

What's in Travis County?

AndrewPrice said...

P.S. Congrats on your low unemployment. :)

rlaWTX said...

Austin is in Travis County - but Travis County has the prosecutor who likes going after Republicans...

Thanks - just don't tell anyone about the jobs... unless they have saved up and have a chunk of money to put down on a place to live. Even the trashy, flea-bit motels are pushing $100/night.

AndrewPrice said...

Oh, that guy. Ok. I didn't know that was where Austin is.

Don't worry, we won't tell anybody about the jobs. Your secret is safe. ;P

It's interesting what happens to prices when an area starts booming. Supply and demand at work.

BevfromNYC said...

"Think about the stupidity of this idea..."

Ugh, can't we discuss the intelligence of a government idea instead?

[Thinking....thinking...thinking...Looooooooong uncomfortable silence]

Okay, I understand. Now back to the stupidity...

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, The government isn't exactly known for its brilliance... or its work ethic... or its integrity... or its competence.

BevfromNYC said...

Here is an interesting shoe that's dropped re: IRS/TP issue - Teh American Specator is reporting that it appears that perhaps the POTUS met with the head of the IRS workers union just days before the directive went out to locate groups for extra scrutiny. And this person is recorded as to have been at the WH several times including the WH Christmas party...

BTW - the spectator.org site went down right after I read the report and not long after it was linked on Drudge...

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, That's an interesting addition. I read the other day about the IRS employee unions giving heavily to Obama. Maybe they can be hit as part of this as well? Perhaps its time to ban government unions?

BevfromNYC said...

Here's the American Spectator story -
LINK

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, If you want a fun read, here's Maureen Dowd crapping on Obama over the IRS scandal. She even calls his government Nixonian.

Ha ha

BevfromNYC said...

"...you may be the least fair and most biased person I've ever met."...

A reply to one of my comments. This person hurt my feelings. Is this true? 8-\

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Well... we weren't going to tell you until your birthday. :(

In all seriousness, the world has gone insane and blindness is "the in thing." I'm amazed how many people simply can't use their brains in any way except to form nonsensical thoughts.

The human race is awash in idiots right now.

EricP said...

The Keystone Pipe XL Pipeline fiasco just one more in a long (and growing) source of President "Sand Trap" Obama-inspired face-palms, AP. Sad, but true.

T-Rav said...

And also, you guys wear turtlenecks. Really weird turtlenecks. You know you do.

K said...

The human race is awash in idiots right now.

When everything is paid for, the food is plentiful, easily available, shelter and healthcare is considered a human "right", you can be just as idiotic as you want as long as you don't cross the law. That leaves quite a bit of latitude for stupidity at the expense of the none stupid.

The trick is to die before it all catches up with the idiot society.

AndrewPrice said...

Eric, Yeah... sadly, this is definitely a face-palm era.

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, Don't forget the wooden shoes too!

AndrewPrice said...

K, There is something to that. But I think the bigger problem is that everybody suddenly thinks that they're smarter than everyone else.

AndrewPrice said...

As an aside, here's another point in Rand Paul's favor... he won't talk about impeachment. He said this:

"We need to figure out the truth of what happened before we go anywhere else."

Very smart.

Kit said...

RINO!

AndrewPrice said...

Kit, I have no doubt that Rand Paul is a RINO, since 99% of everyone is now.

T-Rav said...

Yeah! Their turtlenecks and their wooden shoes and their....their funny-looking names.

I think the smart thing to do would be to focus on Holder and demand his resignation if he can't defend his behavior. If successful (and with enough Democrats feeling so embarrassed, they might not put up much resistance), it would at least weaken Obama a great deal, and if word should leak out that the DOJ wasn't just acting on its own here....well, we'll see. But I would say focus on Holder for now.

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, I think Holder is a good target. I would take the strategy of walking through the agencies acting shocked at the politicization and demanding resignations and firings of people involved. I would probably simultaneously work on Holder for trampling the press. And paint the whole thing as a government out of control while Obama slept.

That keeps them from rallying around anyone.

Then, when you've gotten everything you can, then you focus on Obama... but not until after you've gotten new legislation, resignations, and purges.

T-Rav said...

Andrew, I think the wild card in all of that is whether Obama responds by quickly demanding the resignation of Holder (or another high-level official) himself. If that were to happen, it could create the impression that he really is on top of things and honestly trying to clean house.

But I don't think he will. He's probably too obstinate to bow to that kind of pressure quickly, and in any case, Holder knows where all the bodies are buried. And the longer Obama waits to make such a move, the more it starts to look like he's actively working against a cleanup.

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, It's hard to tell. He is remarkably good at self-preservation and attorney generals are disposable.

Right now, it sounds like they are setting up a firewall by saying that "high officials in the administration" knew a lot of this stuff, but never told Obama.

Some on the left are already freaking out that this makes it sounds like Obama's administration is out of control.

Critch said...

A while back I saw a story by a lib who was mad that Americans were making so many jokes about the French and their lack of any military noteworthiness in the last 200+ years,,,he felt we were being childish, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I'm 60 years old and I well remember the days when they taugh Civics in school and we learned how the French helped us to defeat the British, they were our oldest allies, and Layatette, etc...in reality, any American distrust of the French was brought here in the 60s by the English. The Brits love to make fun of the French and Peter Sellers, Monty Python, and many other movies went after them with no quarter. The French couldn't even defend themselves against the BBC and Pinewood Studios...The French refusal to allow American
F-111s to overfly France to attack Ghadafi did not help their reputation with Americans..BTW, a good friend of mine was shot down in that attack and my personal view of the French government has never imporved.

Eric P said...

AP, as long as the President's going to play the "willfully ignorant" card, and have his sycophants in and out of his administration let him get away with it, totally digging your plan. Now to see what moves the Party of Dumb makes next.

El Gordo said...

Critch, now that you mention it, I´m not aware of any anti-French sentiment before that time. Good point. They have done enough in recent decades to deserve it. Sure, jokes about "surrender monkeys" are a bit unfair given their military history but that´s life.

AndrewPrice said...

El Gordo, The first bit of anti-French sentiment I can recall is older people talking about the French refusing to join NATO. But you're right, there really wasn't any anti-French sentiment when I grew up. I wonder what caused it?

AndrewPrice said...

Critch, That's an interesting point. I'm not sure when I really first heard truly anti-French rhetoric in the US. It might have been in the 1980s, around the time of Libya. I really don't remember. I do know that by the time of Desert Storm, it was already in place.

AndrewPrice said...

Eric, I think it's a great idea. If they offer up underlings as a sacrifice, then take them out and use them as examples to establish an "out of control regime" charge, which you then use to disrupt and destroy their leadership.

El Gordo said...

"Our films and television dominate their entertainment. Our products are everywhere in their countries"

Not as much as they used to. I don´t speak French or Italian, but from what I have seen on many a hotel tv, the local content is pretty high. It´s just as bad as the worst of our crap. On the other hand, most of the movies and books we export are either generic globalized entertainment or they don´t make us look particularly good.

Other products? It´s all software now. The only tangible American-made things I have ever seen in Europe were made by Caterpillar or Boeing. You know you´re in a Boeing because it is noisier than an Airbus. Not counting the occasional Ford Mustang, there are practically no American-made appliances, cars, machine tools, durables or consumer goods.

On the other hand, a lot of these things are still made in Germany or France.

True, there are ancient global brands (Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Pampers) and new global brands (iPhone, Google, Windows) but it is debatable if they are perceived as "American" in any meaningful way. There is nothing produced in the US save the code and the marketing. That is not "dominance".

I have my own theory about the decline of US manufacturing. In any case, I consider it a tragedy.

Hey, we even depend on foreign gun makers like Beretta, FN, SIG Sauer or Glock despite having the largest domestic market in the world. That is just pathetic.

AndrewPrice said...

El Gordo, Hollywood films dominate the world. The last time I checked, there wasn't a single market in the world where our films didn't outgross the domestic market by a good deal. Television is changing a bit, but it depends on where you are. I know people in several countries who watch more American television than I do. It's kind of shocking actually to hear someone from New Zealand start talking about what they watched on "Ellen" today. CNN and Fox are now carried in most countries.

In terms of products, keep in mind that the US is the second largest manufacturer in the world (just a smidge behind China) and we are the number one manufacturer in high value products. But manufacturing isn't what defines our presence, it's our brands.

In that regard, American brands are everywhere. We dominate food, fast food, clothing and things like toys. Sometimes, they are localized, but more often they are not. Indeed, even when the company is European, like Unilever, they often keep American brand names like Ben & Jerrys. As unbelievable as it may sound, American beer is one of the best sellers throughout the world... which I will never understand. American tobacco is too. We dominate the internet and everything attached to it -- Windows, Apple (ipad, Iphone), Intel, Google, Yahoo, Skype, ebay. Amazon has conquered most countries by now and is destroying their retailers. Walmart is doing the same in bricks and mortar stores... except in Germany.

There are an amazing number of American brands everywhere. Until a few weeks ago, Blockbuster was all over England, for example. In Asia, American products are often seen as status symbols.

That is dominance when everything you buy on a daily basis, the films and television you watch, the websites you visit, and the brand names that surround you in stores and all the toys in your house are American.

AndrewPrice said...

El Gordo, Compare how other countries are seen. As an American, I may drive a Japanese car, buy a Japanese television and a Korean phone, and maybe some German cookware. My clothes are made in Bangladesh, but under American labels.

After that... nothing. All the brands I see claim to have American origins, no matter who owns them. All my television shows are American, unless I find the BBC. All my films are American except for the occasional foreign film, which few people watch. My news only covers big events overseas unless I go digging for more. Everywhere I go online caters to Americans.

I am in no way surrounded by any foreign country.

Compare that to what I outlined above. It's very easy for Americans to not think of the rest of the world because we don't see their stuff on a day to day basis. Conversely, it's very hard for other people to escape us because we are everywhere around them.

El Gordo said...

Andrew, all true and I agree with your wider argument. My only point is that the US doesn´t loom nearly as large as forty years ago when attitudes about America were in my opinion more positive. It doesn´t invalidate your argument but it is a fact that America´s current global mind share has become smaller.

Many Hollywood movies are clearly products of a global industry and not particularly "American" (if they are, they often make us look bad, but that is a different debate).

Services and software simply don´t have a hold on the imagination in the way American cars or motorcycles (or rockets) had in the 1960s. No one opens Windows or a pair of Pampers and thinks "Ah, America". People use Amazon to buy local stuff and they use an iphone to run local apps. They know that these ideas originated in the US but do they think about it? Amazon has probably less visibility than UPS with their famous uniforms and vans.

Take an huge gift from the American people that nobody ever mentions. All over the world people are using GPS. When people drive their Peugeot or Hyundai are they actively aware that they are using an American system for free? I don´t think so, the bloody ingrates!

AndrewPrice said...

El Gordo, True. Forty years ago, we were everything everywhere. Now we're not nearly as "in your face" as we were.

As an aside, I'll tell you one change in attitude that I've run across a lot lately and I find it really interesting. I've found in the past several years that more and more foreigners really think they should have a say in how we run our country. It's a fascinating change and I'm not sure what sparked that. Maybe it's the fact they can talk to us so much more now through the internet? I don't know. But I've noticed a definite change where they seem to see themselves (for lack of a better word) as stakeholders in America.

AndrewPrice said...

P.S. On your GPS point, its the same thing with the net. I don't think most of the world realizes that America created it, funded it, built all the things that make it work, and gave it to the world for free.

El Gordo said...

It makes sense that they see themselves as stakeholders in America. They are.

If they love liberty, America is the symbol and bastion of liberty. The left is the same everywhere but American conservatism is unique. Even if they won´t live in the US they want the US to be there, unchanged.

And if they are left-wing, the same holds true but in reverse. A traditional America that works is a repudiation of everything they believe, including about themselves. As long as the Western idea of personal freedom and responsibility survives here, you will have foreigners who are obsessed with America´s reputed inequality or lack of healthcare or gun ownership, but totally uninterested in the actual outcomes.

AndrewPrice said...

True. But even the nonpolitical people think they should have a say in what goes on here. I think this goes to them realizing that we really do run the world. We drive world politics and world culture.

El Gordo said...

It´s a plausible reason. I just hope they never get to vote.

AndrewPrice said...

Tell me about it. I like these people, but they are all very much non-American in outlook. They trust authority far too much to be trusted to vote here.

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