Examples of countries that over-exaggerate their importance

[Winston]

To be fair, other countries and their media can also portray themselves as the “center of the world�, overinflating their importance to themselves that is not shared by other countries. My culture consultant gives the following examples from his multi-national experience

http://forum.internationalliving.com/vi ... .php?t=491

“Most countries have an overinflated view of themselves and their role in the world. In Thailand they think that the whole world knows their king and that he is some great world leader next to Kofi Annan ( sp). In the US, they think that events in the US, especially the 9/11 "changed the world forever". Also, that every human being on the face of the earth would rather be living in the US than back in his country.

In Arab countries, they think that the entire world is looking to them to be taken out of darkness and to be converted to Islam.

The Russians think that the most important event of the 20th century was the October Revolution of 1917.

Again, the countries, their media and educational systems confuse "our country" with "the world". Most people do not know Thai king's name and have never seen him. Most people like to live in their countries and 9/11 changed *the US* forever, but people in Bhutan, Lithuania and Mali were not changed by the 9/11 events which took place in a country very far away from theirs.

Most people do not want to be converted to Islam and the Russian revolution of 1917 was an important event for *them*. Not for the world.�