The Myth of the “Ugly American”

by John A. Tures

Associate Professor of Political Science

LaGrange College

In 1958, authors William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick published a book titled “The Ugly American.” This literary piece has become synonymous with describing arrogant Americans holding self-righteous views and condescending attitudes towards foreigners. The book spurred a presidential investigation into America’s diplomats, as well as a Hollywood movie, and a label for all Americans. But does that stereotype still fit America today? It’s time to reexamine this myth.

Believe it or not, we know a lot more about the title than about the story inside. The book is set in a fictitious Southeast Asian nation. And while a number of diplomats conform to the stereotype that has entered the world lexicon, the main character (a civilian engineer does not. While physically less-than-attractive, Homer Atkins actually listens to the locals, and does his best to help them. Yet the internet world seems to have concluded that the father in “The Simpsons” was named Homer after this character.

What’s more, while the diplomats have all the arrogance (although the ambassador is a well-intentioned naïve guy), other civilians (pre-Peace Corps volunteer types) are the good guys. Yet how many times have you heard “Ugly Americans” used to describe tourists? That’s not what the book is about.

I’m sure some of you think that the election of Barack Obama means that proves we’re a more tolerant bunch, and the world now loves us more for it. There’s plenty of evidence showing that our new president has global approval ratings that match his high poll numbers at home. A recent PIPA study in conjunction with the University of Maryland concludes that in the 17 countries surveyed, two-thirds of folks expect better relations between the US and the rest of the world. Only five percent think it will get worse.

But this doesn’t say anything about that nagging question of whether we’re a country of “Ugly Americans” … the stereotype, that is, not the actual character in the book. To test this, I look at PIPA’s survey of American attitudes on foreign policy. This group tested whether the people of this country (and others) feel their foreign policy is “morally superior” to that of other countries. Only 24% of Americans feel that way. In fact, 16% think it is actually morally inferior to others. Both numbers are very close to the world average for both responses (the former is actually tied).

As you might expect, most European countries (with the exception of Germany and Russia) and small Asian countries like South Korea are less likely to say they are morally superior than American respondents would. But Middle Easterners and individuals from large Asian countries like India and China have much higher numbers of people who think their foreign policy is morally superior to others….like the “Ugly American” stereotype. For African countries, it depends upon which country you ask.

In conclusion, Americans generally aren’t smugger than others when it comes to moral self-righteousness in international politics. Some of us just think we are.

This column is dedicated to Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity, a truly “Ugly American” (the book character, not the stereotype) who did much more to resemble Homer Atkins than Homer Simpson.