I agree with most of that. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Philippines as well as Hong Kong and Singapore, with occasional visits almost everywhere else in Asia and have seen the shanty towns, the raw sewage, and the abject poverty, but the central thrust of his argument, that many Americans seem to have an innate sense of superiority, and are astounded when they find out the rest of the world doesn’t really give a flying fluke about the US or Americans one way or another, is hard to refute.
One of the jobs I had in my past was working as a manager for an English school here in Tokyo, and dealing with spoiled rotten American kids who came here to teach was a real eye opener. Simple things like making sure they paid their rent and monthly utility bills, knew how to use bank machines, explaining to them why they really DO need to get a personal seal made, etc. almost drove me around the bend.
Their most common complaint, by far, was that nobody spoke English, even though they had accepted jobs to come to Japan to TEACH English — and, of course, that none of the signs were in English. I had more than one such teacher haughtily explain to me, “I came here to teach English, not learn Japanese.” And this was just five years ago, when most of the train station ticket vending machines and even bank ATMs had already been upgraded with English options.
As far as Japan, specifically, with literacy at 99%, even though high school is not compulsory, you can make a case they are doing a better job than America is. I don’t personally know of any kid who did not go to high school, although I am sure it is more common in the rural communities where they go straight to work on the family farm.
And as far as danger zones are concerned, I can only say that yes, they exist, but you pretty much have to go looking for them — parts of Ikebukuro or maybe Kabukicho in Shinjuku, maybe — but I’ll also make the case that anyone that is cruising that area of town at night is looking for something illegal, immoral or questionable anyhow.
Ultimately, I think the author’s point was not that any of the other places in the world were superior to the US, it was that the US is just another country in the eyes of the rest of the world, and that it is not exceptional in the spiritual sense that most Americans like to assume it is.
Oh I agree with that premise that there are those in America who feel superior and need their eyes opened and I’ve met those to whom you refer who can’t refrain - but I’ve also seen the exact same thing from people in other countries who felt denigrated or superior when they’ve visited the states or other countries and find it difficult to find good sushi in Indiana, decent chinese dumplings, as one recent article had an Englishman complaining about “good biscuits”, or the french turning up their nose at stuff...
My issue is he seems to think it’s only the American’s that are this way and that it is all of us instead of just a portion. Just felt unbalanced overall.