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With anti-American sentiment running high in many places, a new "World Citizens Guide" aims to make unofficial U.S. ambassadors out of student travelers often unaware of cultural differences and sometimes known for bad behavior.
The 60-page, passport-size booklet, produced by Southern Methodist University in cooperation with the advocacy group Business for Diplomatic Action, advises students studying abroad to talk about the weather, but not religion or politics.
Unveiled Wednesday at SMU, the guide will be distributed this fall to more than 200,000 students nationwide.
"It's not that one person is going to change anti-American sentiment," said Cari Eggspuehler, executive director of Business for Diplomatic Action, a group of marketing and communications executives that works to improve America's image abroad. "But if 160,000 young Americans just take five seconds to care a little bit more, to listen a little bit more and be more receptive, it will make a difference."
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For students worried about which fork to use -- or what to do if it's dinnertime and the food looks weird -- the guide offers plenty of advice. It also tackles topics such as U.S. foreign policy.
"Many people you'll meet do not understand or agree with our country's foreign policy, especially as it relates to the war in Iraq or our policy in the Middle East," the guide notes. "As one person, you can do little to directly affect national policy, but you should be aware of the negative perceptions surrounding it."
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-cultural-correctness,0,170777.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines
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