"Ugly" Americans Abroad

I lovea href=”http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=347901GT1=8599″ these guidelines /a proposed by a pompous outfit called the Business for Diplomatic Action for Americans traveling abroad. Apparently, this group is “concerned by an apparent rise in what it calls ‘negative stereotypes about our collective personality,’ and ‘is hoping to clean up the image of Americans abroad.” The group has published a set of guidelines for travelers, a href=”http://www.worldcitizensguide.org/”the World Citizens Guide/a, that suggests proper ways of behaving when visiting countries outside of the U.S.br /br /blockquoteAmong its tips: br /br /Be humble. In many countries, boasting is considered very rude. … Assume resentment as a default and play down your wealth, power and status.br /br /Refrain from lecturing. Nobody likes a know-it-all, and nobody likes a whole nation of them.br /br /Be quiet. A loud voice is often perceived as a bragging voice. Casual profanity is almost always considered unacceptable.br /br /Dress for respect. Jeans, T-shirts and sneakers work for many of us much of the time, but there are people in other countries who believe such casualness is a sign of disrespect to them and their beliefs. /blockquotebr /br /Perhaps people from other countries should be given the proper code of etiquette when they come here to the United States. It seems that we are often told to be tolerant of other cultures, no matter how outrageous or unusual the behavior. Because I must say–that whenever I encounter unusual or odd behavior from visitors to America, I usually hear how I am supposed to be sensitive to cultural differences. Are there concerned groups elsewhere telling foreign visitors how to behave properly in the US or is it just politically correct to bad mouth Americans while holding others to a lower standard?