Are We Really That Arrogant??

Recently I met up with a bunch of strangers for tea. It is one of my favorite pastimes. The funny thing...I am not much of a tea drinker. Actually, I am not much of a hot beverage drinker. Never really been one since a kid.

But there is something high tea that I enjoy. Someone recently asked me why I enjoy high tea so much? Was it the scones? The finger sandwiches? The tea? My answer - It's the entire experience of afternoon tea. It's getting together with friends for a few hours eating finger sandwiches, sipping on a cup of tea, trying out the scones with devonshire cream and catching up on old times. It's reminiscing about the past, complaining about the present and dreaming of the future. Of course, that is with friends.

With strangers - there is that element of "strangers" that make the experience intriguing. I am allowed to sit there and observe the various people who show up to the event, all from different age groups, nationalities and backgrounds. I am allowed to listen to each person share his or her life experience in the way he or she views the world. I have yet to meet a very strange person. So far, everyone has been pretty down to earth with the occasional "weirdness."

Anyhoo...I digress again. Well at this particular tea event, I met this man, probably in his late forties, maybe even fifties. (Actually, he is a regular as he has been to past tea events.) A few of us got onto the topic of how other countries view us in America. He mentioned that in Canada - the sales tax is 14% and everyone is fine with that. He also mentioned that the Canadians said they would be fine with paying more sales tax whereas us Americans...or is it specifically us Californians wail about a .75% increase in our sales tax. Then he also mentioned how we are an arrogant country, how others view us as arrogant and how we are self-centered. I have heard, on several occasions, that others have viewed America as an arrogant nation so it did not surprised me by his comment. But as the seconds turned to minutes, the minutes turned to hours and the hours turned to the next day...it got me thinking? Are we really that arrogant?? What is it that makes us Americans so arrogant? Is it because of our sense of individuality? Our sense of independence? Our desire to voice our opinion that makes us arrogant? Perhaps I am naive and do not know much of the world. I would like to think that I have national pride. I am a minority woman who grew up in a nation that gave me the opportunity to be who I am today. It is the same country who gave my family the same choice to be where they are. I am proud of this country and I have always been proud to live in this country.

So...when others view us Americans as arrogant...it really makes me wonder what it is that we do that makes us arrogant? And I become confused as information becomes conflicting. In one sense - we complain about our primary education such as our crappy school system or our terrible healthcare system. And then I turn around and see foreigners come to America to attend our colleges willing to pay premium dollars. I want to think that it is because other countries are envious of us but if I say that...I guess it makes me sound arrogant so then enlighten me...why are we Americans arrogant?