Respect: A Simple Word

[Mychael]

and the idea that Americans culture is somehow different and fostering of crappy behavior is insulting.

You're right that every culture has counter-cultures (and individual asses), but American culture in particular has some beliefs/traits that make us come off as asses when we're just carrying out business as usual. We don't purposefully act impatient, and we don't purposefully say things too bluntly, but we don't realize we're offending people, and some don't realize it's unintentional.

Just some examples--when we say a meeting's is at 12:00, it's generally expected that everyone be in the room before 12:00. Not everyone thinks that way (not even in America, tbh, but most of us do). At least where I work (which is an international department), when people get frustrated about that discrepancy, that's where a lot of our "impatient, demanding reputation" comes from.

Likewise, when people in the US speak, we say what we mean in the clearest possible way. Some other cultures don't--some cultures, getting your point across is almost an art of hiding it within clever, indirect terms.

It's a matter of perspective--to us, others are being lazy, too relaxed, or not to-the-point. To them, we're impatient, in a hurry, and clumsy. You can fling insults at each other all you want, but it doesn't change either culture, or the fact that this thread was completely unnecessary. People are going to (re)act just like they always do.

[Laeore]

It's a matter of perspective--to us, others are being lazy, too relaxed, or not to-the-point. To them, we're impatient, in a hurry, and clumsy. You can fling insults at each other all you want, but it doesn't change either culture, or the fact that this thread was completely unnecessary. People are going to (re)act just like they always do.

Well put. Culture is not absolute. It would benefit many to study cultural relativity to broaden perspectives.