"An American will not lie, even for little things "

I enjoy reading about America and Americans from people who are from other cultures.  This interview with a Kuwaiti scientist who studied at Boston University has all sorts of strange tidbits, ranging from praise for the Mujahideen in Gaza to scorn for Arab leaders.  And there's this:

"Q: From your experience do you think there is greater scientific awareness among the general public in America than here?"

"A: Not all of them are scientists or economists in America. They are very ordinary people. Most of them don’t know about their own country. But you don’t need to be scientists. But I see Islamic values of honesty in them. We are honest too, but it’s a way of life there. An American will not lie, even for little things. There is no such as a white lie. A lie is a lie. This advancement of America does not come from a void. It is born out of the sheer dedication of people, who worked not just for money but for the sake of the nation’s prosperity."

I like that observation that we do not lie.  It may be an Islamic value, as the doctor says, but in this country, it clearly derives from our country's Judeo-Christian foundation. I t's the 8th Commandment: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.  I can only conclude from the declaration that honesty is a way of life in the U.S. that the opposite must be true in Kuwait, where dishonesty must be commonplace and unremarkable.

Comments

[Harlekkin]

Oh man, I totally disagree with you my dear.

In all honesty, your dear President and his lovely bunch of advisers were doing a bit more than just white-lying, don't you think? Why would you expect Americans to be any different to the rest of the world? Because they appear to be more "Christian"?

The financial crisis isn't happening because of all those honest Americans, think about that for a minute. And yes, you guys started it!

[miss kelly]

Harlekkkin, the observation was made by a Kuwaiti, not by me.

Financial crisis caused by lots of things, a perfect storm of 1) banks required to provide mortgages to people who couldn't afford them, 2) deregulation of the credit industry, 3) bubble in the real estate market, and 4) greed. The financial crisis may have started here, but it followed some dozen or more years of incredible prosperity around the world, largely powered by us guys too.