I was trying to avoid this topic, but who cares anymore.
I’ll try to give you my perspective of “average joe”, but you should know that all information I’ve got are from my friends and family who live/lived or visited USA and my interaction via internet.
And one notice, I visited other countries and continents, culture and religions, and I live in multicultural, multinational environment, so I have experience of meeting different kinds of people.
And right from the bat, I don’t like YOU. So here is what contributed to that:
1* American citizens are ignorant of what there government does, and they lack interest/ knowledge or just don’t care of rest of the world (Geo-political).
Maybe on of more known example happen in your show ” .. millioner…”, when participant answered that France is capital of Europe. I laughed when I saw that, then little later I got worried. Image of parents giving a “dump” kid a machine gun and saying “Go play in the park with other kids” popped in my head.
I know that its banal example, but participants for knowledge quizzes get tested before so they pass minimal requirements.
I’m sure that you can find tone of other examples where people lack common knowledge of the world.
2* Hypocrisy. You advertize your tolerance towards anything, but in reality you’re prejudgmental even more then rest of the world.
Discrimination on every corner is just common seeing in america. IE. my cousin got silent treatment at office because he befriended with chines accountant from other firm from same building. At first I though he is making staff up, until he wasn’t called to some kind of office celebration.
Canada has similar ethnic structure, but it’s polar opposite to USA.
Other two reasons are quite personal, so you don’t have to take as valid.
3* YOU are to cold, antisocial, unfriendly.
In my part of the world, we have “custom/ritual” that in the morning neighbor would come to cup of coffee, some chit-chat, maybe even stay for breakfast. And at evening, around 5, some more coffee and more chit-chat, vice-vars. It neighbor, not a best friend.
But, when my cousins come to USA due job offer they got, they called some of there neighbors to meet but got cold welcome. It took around 10 years for first “american” family to try this. It has been more then 15 years since my cousins got back, but they keep in touch with those neighbors and now have there own “ritual” and every 2 weeks they make conference video-call and chit-chat with a coffee. ^_^
4* Calling yourself “american” as nation, unless you’re native who speaks with Wind spirit, you’re not american by nationality, just by citizenship. Your nationality can be Brit, Scotch, Nigerian, Egyptian… Your country is around 250 years old, and yes, you think that you act as global police, but world sees you as bully who is making excuses to get its own way. Don’t get me wrong, your nor first nor the last country/empire who is/was superpower. Before you it was Germany, in 10-15 years China will take that role. But, your first one who don’t realize that. Which makes you look like “dumb” kid on playground with a gun.
I guess this last one was little out of tracks, and it can be grouped up with statement 1*.
I know that this is generalization, and that there are a lot of people are not like this, but sadly they are wast minority.