Another Soap Box

Perhaps it's the heat down here, but the microbus ride got me thinking
about another American phenomenon, which is nationalism. Okay, I of
course, realize that nationalism isn't a purely American
phenomenon--that there are nationalists everywhere, and of every
stripe. However, how can we be such strongly nationalistic people in
the states, when so few of us have actually been to other countries to
see how our lives compare? How can we make a reasonable comparison
without really knowing what goes on in other places?

I would, of course, consider myself relatively nationalistic--I think it
would be hard not to realize how great things are in the US with just a
little bit of travel down here. But I really wish that more Americans
had the inclination to travel in places like this, both to understand
their problems a little better, and to understand what's so great about
the U.S.