We live in a bubble, a big bubble that insulates us from the rest of the world.

I don’t believe living in a bubble is so unusual.  Think about tribes discovered in Papua New Guinea that have never seen the outside world; they live in a very small bubble, although they probably view their bubble as a big universe.  We live in a big bubble and feel like we’re the center of the universe. But Americans in the U.S. total less than five percent of the world population…only five percent!  Ever wonder how the outside world views us?   To many it doesn’t matter, just like the tribesmen in Papua New Guinea who don’t even know there’s an outside world.  I found this long but fascinating article on the Associated Press website this morning.  More ‘man-on-the-street’ than scientific study, I found it fascinating to hear how Americans are perceived by people from other countries.  Take a read and let me know what you think…it’s not all bad;

America seen from abroad: arrogant, nice, tech-savvy, free

BANGKOK (AP) — The rest of the world may think Americans eat a lot of burgers, have huge shopping malls and are ruled by an arrogant government. And yet the “Ugly American,” it would seem, isn’t all bad. Americans are also seen from afar as generous tippers, friendly, uncomplicated, rich and the standard bearers of freedom, equality, creativity and technological power.

While many Americans feel their nation is divided as never before, a sampling of the rest of the world reflects a more charitable view.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story is part of Divided America, AP’s ongoing exploration of the economic, social and political divisions in American society.

Generations in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America have grown up under the influence of the superpower U.S. and have felt awe and envy. America permeated their lives — through comics and Coke, through Hollywood and Neil Armstrong, and via the internet, iPhone and Facebook. It has been seen as the land of plenty, freedom and equality where Indian migrants could head behemoths like Google, Microsoft and Pepsi, and a South African could capture the imagination with an electric car. And after 9/11, the world grieved with America. Read more