John,
We all generalize like that at some time in our lives.
I remember standing under a tree in Switzerland with a retired French Navy
Captain. He was representing the Mistral Air Defence System and I the
Stinger System, which we were both trying to sell to the Swiss.
He remarked that he really enjoyed working with the Americans but hated the
English, "they are rude and hard to get along with and they look down on
everyone. I really hate them". He was flabbergasted and apologetic when I
replied, "We're not too fond of the French either. I think it may because of
the hundreds of years we've tried to take each other's country by force".
He was really a nice guy and I guess I've been American for long enough that
I didn't take real offense at what he said, though I did enjoy watching him
squirm a little afterwards.
We are all a product of our experiences.
Andy
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