Are we dumb or unlucky ?

[Chairman Bill]

Are there any national/cultural differences in jumping to conclusions? Are there any national/cultural differences in choosing to interpret things in the most negative light?

[diuser]

I am an American living in Germany and I have opened my eyes, my mind, and my heart enough to realize that people are people. None of us are perfect and none of us are the same.

Are you graciously admitting that Germans are people after all?

[Petrus]

So far, in his experience, Americans buy services but decline to pay for them. All his American customers so far (one) have done this, nobody else.

So, if you Americans feel hurt about this allegation, order services from him and pay promptly to make the averages better, and improve the National Image.

[Bryan Conner]

Are you graciously admitting that Germans are people after all?

I am not admitting anything.   I am stating my personal opinion. 

Has there ever been a doubt that the Germans were not people?  Of course they are people.

After living here and looking back on my upbringing, I have realized that some of the things that I believed in my younger years were wrong. I had the opinion that I was lucky to be an American, that some people are not lucky enough to be an American. I felt that being an American meant that I was at the top...better than people from other countries.  This was reinforced by my parents, teachers etc.  This does not mean that everyone had this same belief, just that some did. Now, I have spent the last two years working with, and studying with people from Africa, South America, Asia, Russia, Sri Lanka as well as the UK. I have lost this feeling completely and now believe that while the culture that a person grows up in does often form the person in a distinctive way, it is not fair to think that all people of a given culture are the same.   The original poster questioned Americans in general. This reminded me of the prejudicial attitudes of both my former self as well as some of my own family and former acquaintances as well as friends.  I apologize if I have been too passionate about this topic.   

[Keith Reeder]

And you're still completely misrepresenting what the original post said,  Brian, to "prove" a petty and utterly unfounded point.

[Keith Reeder]

oh......bull crap!

Well I can't argue with wit and insight like that, can I?

The British and US - two nations divided by a common language.

I'll leave you to your overblown, petty, infantile, self-righteous indignation.