the ugly american

“The simple fact is, Mr. Ambassador, that average Americans, in their natural state… are the best ambassadors a country can have. But something happens to most Americans when they go abroad… feel that they must live up to their commissaries and big cars and cocktail parties.” This quotation taken from a conversation between Minister of Defense, Magsaysay and MacWhite basically shows the main point the authors of The Ugly American, William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick were trying to get across. This main point being that Americans have the potential to be some of the best ambassadors in the world. However, when these same Americans are sent abroad, a transformation occurs in which they believe they are expected to live up to the standard of American luxury, such as numerous servants, large houses, and extravagant houses, negating any chance of completing their duties. The Ugly American goes on to further attack the indolence of the majority of American ambassadors through count...