Sounds a bit harsh, I know. But after living in Europe
past several years, I may have earned
right to say just that. Please bear in mind that I’m not saying that Americans are stupid at all. It’s simply worth keeping in mind that when doing business in Europe, or even just with Europeans, or with any non-Americans for that matter, it might help to be just a bit more sensitive to a few things before starting.Let me give you an example. Do you remember growing up and going to school? There was always one kid who had
nice clothes, got good grades, was liked by all
teachers, was really good in all of
sports he or she participated in, yadda yadda. It seems that no matter what that kid did or said it kind of upset you, or it got under your skin a bit. Am I right or am I right? Sure, looking back your view of that person may seem unfair, but at
time it seemed to be justified.
Well, allow me to let you in on a well-kept secret. Many Europeans see
US in
same light. There’s a “We generally respect you, but get over it,” attitude that many Europeans have towards
US.
The US towers over Europe in several areas. Here are just a few examples: Europe United States of America # of countries251 Population457 million297 million Total Area3,976,372 km9,631,923 km GDP per Capita$ 26,900$ 40,100 Industrial Production Growth Rate2.4%4.4% Annual Patents62,000107,000 2004 Olympic Games5th place (Germany)1st place Sole Remaining Superpower?noyes
Now, after a brief look those numbers, you can easily see why others countries regard
US with an “enough already!” attitude.
I witnessed a personal example of this a couple of years back before watching a tape of
2002-2003 Fiesta Bowl game with another American, an Australian, and a friend from Britain. Prior to engaging in
time-tested male bonding ritual of sitting in front of a television yelling “Get him! Get him!” we were carrying on
type of conversation guys engage in before game time.
Obviously, sports talk was one of
subjects de jour. A comment was made about
apparent increasing strength of
American soccer team. My British friend stood up, and with a sound of helplessness in his voice, simply said “You guys (Americans) dominate EVERTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD. Can’t you PLEEEEEASE just leave us football!? (i.e. soccer)” Point made. (I’m sure there were a few expletives thrown in for good measure, but that’s beside
point.)