Last night on my way home I was listening to BBC radio news. In the BBC's productions, I've frequently heard their interviewers charge that "Americans don't even think about other countries" and "Americans don't care what people from other countries think."

Of course Americans care what people in other countries think. (Who doesn't want to be loved by everyone?) They just don't lose any sleep over it, or create their policies based upon the wishes of the governments of other countries. But who does?

It seems to me that an unfair standard is being applied here: Its not been my impression that average Brit cares a lot what the Germans, or the French for that matter, think about the UK's policies, much less a more distant country like Argetina. And from what I know, Denmark doesn't go to bed at night worrying how the natives of Greenland feel about greater Denmark today. Much less Camaroon. And don't get me started about how much attention the French pay to Polish or Spanish opinions.

So here's the issue: Because US media is available around the world, and because we can (when we want to) become politically involved in any area of the world, the BBC and friends expect the average US citizen to wonder what the Nepalese think of the latest episode of "Jenny Jones", and care deeply about US foreign policy. Or Dutch foreign policy, for that matter.

But the truth is that people in the US are stamped from the same genetic mould others come from. And I have no more influence over the content of a "Jenny Jones" episode than our intrepid BBC reporter. Nor can I effectively discourage the Nepalese from watching it. (And believe me, I would if I could. Your country is beautiful! Go outside and play! I'd say.)

And Americans aren't significantly different from those in other countries in this regard. (Yeah, we lose a few percentage points because our public schools suck, but that's not currently the fault of conservatives, who back Bush, who the BBC attacks.)

For example, 12% of Germans couldn't locate the US on a map -- nor could 21% of the people in the UK. And only 52% in the UK could find the Pacific ocean! (Largest bloody ocean in the world!) And even though they just fought a war with it, and though it was a former colony, only 38% could find Argentina! A further a fulll 72% couldn't find Sweden for heaven's sake! Nor could 67% of the French! [source]

So stop telling me stories about how much the average US citizen "doesn't care" about other countries. We care about smallish countries a continent away about as much as Europeans, or anyone else, from what I can tell...