I thought when I started this thread that a few ghosts would creep out of a few closets, and what fun it's been so far. At times I thought of bursting into several choruses {chorii?} of This Land is your Land, and at others I've thought, "I hope he/she's not taking this too seriously" There have been, and always will be national stereotypes, and thus prejudices, but we've all got our good and bad points. I love what little of the US I've seen so far, and I hope to see more, but I'm going to Australia this year.
Late one night in a bar near Glifada in Greece, where there was an American airbase, I was introduced to a guy who was a little the worse for drink. He said "Hi my name's ......., I'm an American. "Well" I said, "Nobody's perfect", jokingly, and with a smile on my face. Well this guy exploded, and declared a deep desire to shake me warmly by the throat.
Is this what they mean when they say that Americans don't do irony??
Giok