The Misunderstood America

LET'S BE frank, outside America there are not many admirers of this great continent. People who have never been to USA, or studied there perceived that Americans are cocky, arrogant and pushy.
However, most of them do like American TV shows, its songs, its fashion and the hotdogs. I have some American friends but that doesn't make me an authority on things America.
I have the fortunate experience of meeting some great Americans who have taught me valuable lessons. From my encounters with those Americans I have been met and befriended, I find Americans are generally very nice people.
Yes, they do talk with a certain twang. If they are from New York, the accent is more pronounced. Americans have a great sense of humour. They love life like everybody else around the world. They care for their parents and those things which they value in life, like freedom, liberty, financial security and their traditions.
Heck, we are the same across the other side of the world. People in Asia, not everybody, have the notion that Americans are always trying to get the upper hand in every deal they make.
I think America is neither as sneaky or as honest as everyone else. The bottom line is America is very much misunderstood. Its trouble hinges on its public relations. Americans don't try very hard to please people because it is interpreted that they are too big a nation to go around trying to make itself understood.
Frankly, it can be a bit tiring trying to please everybody. But there is a growing respect these days among certain nations who used to think that America is that uncaring big, giant of a nation that only cares about itself.
This change of mind came in recent months when Americans were seen to be first on the scene of several disaster scenes in Asia, and particularly in South Asia. I guess Asians in general are thinking right now that perhaps they have been wrong about USA and its people all along.
I am glad in a way that America has been there when it counted. Asians are not a funny lot but if they ever find out that a certain people can be trusted, you will have a friend for life.
It is my personal belief that America was conceived by the Almighty to be great because it has a role to play in the destiny of the world. One day and it will come, America will be there, shoulder-to-shoulder, with the rest of the world, fighting poverty, disasters, Avian Flu, AIDS, quakes, hurricanes, etc.
We who are on the other side of the world won't forget such deeds because we are not that kind of people. America has been misunderstood for a long time. I think these days, people are changing their minds pretty fast.
Keep up the good work, America!