I was in Rome for the 2006 US midterm elections and was struck once again by the complete ignorance of Americans when it comes to anything outside the bubble that is our border. Every single channel in Rome, and every newspaper (about 10 global papers) at the hotel led coverage—extensive coverage—with the US election results and more analysis that your normal city paper (e.g. Dallas Morning News). It’s depressing—Italians know more about US politics than Americans know—I’m not kidding. They know the Cabinet, they know how our legislative branch interacts with the executive, and have an all-around solid picture of American politics.
So my issues with Americans are two-fold:
- The average American on the street IN America knows less about the US government than the average foreign citizen. Come on people.
- We don’t know anywhere near as much about foreign politics as we should. It’s really embarrassing.
Now I can hear a chorus of protest coming that their politics don’t affect ours as much as ours affects theirs (and their lives). You’re right—no question. Is that a function of US impact on global society, or does their policy affect us less because we’re unilateralists who don’t really give a damn about achieving consensus on any issues in the global community?
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