plinio, you're from an island in the caribbean, not america. i can understand your confusion though, the usmc has 'visited' so often you might well wonder why you can't vote in american elections.

Yeah, Plinio - I did bit of a double-take over that "continent" thing too. Had always thought that America - the continent - comprised North America and South America while The Americas also included the islands surrounding this continent. So that yes, America is a continent but no, the United States are not?

It's unfortunate Mr. West chooses only to look at the worst of America. Every country has its warts. True, we don't focus enough on foreign languages or world history as a whole; however, Mr West insinuates NO ONE in the US does. Is the ratio for 2nd language fluency that much higher in Australia? NZ? The UK? Mr West, the rest of the world uses cash machines and credit cards; maybe YOU"RE behind the times with traveler's checks. We are a country of immigrants like no other; our race problems are tackled head on, and we don't bring monkeys to the sports fields like our French friends to taunt African players. How are aboriginal relations Down Under? We eat too much fast food, but really, Mr. West, we are loaded with every ethnic restaurant known to man; you couldn't find a good Italian or Chinese one? And yes, we are proud of our all volunteer military, ready to defend Bosnians, Kurds, and others who can't defend themselves, including entering two World Wars to save our European and even, yes, our Australian friends. We're not perfect, but when you're on top, everyone wants to bring you down.

As an American, I am always surprised by the hatred people in other countries have for me. I guess Dr Peter West is supposed to be a smart guy, because he is writing and others seem to think he has a point somewhere in there. It would seem he could have written anything as long as he blasted Americans as anything but human. So here we have a supposedly smart guy talking about Americans as if they were all the same. I have lived with Americans all my life and I can’t say anything that all Americans have in common, except their wish to be free to determine their own outcome.

I want to know why being a Christian is a horrible thing. These people try to convert others by serving them. There are Christians living in God forsaken lands for years and years to serve these people and hope to convert them because of the example they live. I have never heard of anyone converted to any religion with a gun. However, today there is a religion that believes in guns to clean the world of non believers. This would be the Muslim religion not the Christians. Maybe going to a church of any kind would be more productive than sitting around hating people you don’t know anything about.

In response to Rob, I enjoyed my trip to the US back in 2000 and I want to go again. I can't stand the current corrupt, incompetent Administration but then neither can many Americans - including quite religious Americans. And if Americans are regarded as insular, what about my fellow Sydneysiders who regard Sydney as "the best city in the world"? (Cringe).

Part of the problem is result of our habit of saying "America does x" or "Australia thinks y". Countries are administrative conveniences and don't do or think things. People make decisions and take actions. We need to remember that when it comes to discussing America or anywhere else.

For what it’s worth... as an Australian living in the States you may find this useful. I live in NYC and travel to other States so have a ‘feel’ for the country and I find most Americans I meet to be very friendly and incredibly helpful people. They love their country, are proud of it but are hampered by their own insularity. You have a decision to make here as a non-American; let the banal and uninformed comments and inefficiencies get to you or just have a quiet laugh to yourself and get on with it. The US has the world’s best research universities yet the bulk of their colleges produce many graduates who are functionally illiterate by our standards. Ask any Australian here trying to hire a graduate! Still if 1-in-100 is articulate and intelligent that’s 30 million people, more than the population of Australia. I chat to everybody I can and it’s common for non-Americans who have lived here for many years to say Americans never ask about the country they came from while non-Americans always ask. You can have US-born friends here but you will rarely develop the depth of friendships you will with non-US born people here because of their ultimate lack of interest in you or where you came from. We accept that. We have some US-born friends; they are articulate and intelligent, well-educated but because of the limited holiday time and fear of foreign travel they are more aware than most of what they don’t know about the world. I feel a little sorry for them – ignorance is bliss, after all. I also lived in the UK for a couple of years and on balance I would say the cultural ties of sport and sense of humour even out the increasing similarity I see to the US in terms of conservatism, money, materialism etc whenever I visit Australia. So I do agree with most of Peter West’s observations but if you live here you work out where the good food and intelligent chat can be found. It’s not unlike Australia – especially Texas!