Americans and Stereotypes

In Distant Mirrors, one author pointed out that many people in America have very narrow-minded concepts of people in the Middle East, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Merely hearing the word Islam can invoke incorrect ideas about all Muslims in many Americans' heads and we are influenced by what we hear form the media. In general, the media portrays all Muslims as terrorists but we know this is not true. We know that this only accounts for a very small percentage of Muslims. 

Nevertheless, our stereotypes of Muslims and Middle Easterners persist, often because of the preconceived notions that the media has led us to believe. Maybe the media in other countries can account for the generalizations that foreigners believe about the United States. By reading about the authors' attitudes towards and experiences in America, we can gain better insight of how people in other countries view America. Understanding how other people view America can be helpful because it can allow interactions to be easier and more enjoyable. If a foreigner thinks that you are condescending or trying to impose your ways on them, then they are less likely to be accepting towards you.