7 THEY THINK WE KNOW LESS ABOUT THEM THAN THEY DO ABOUT US
It's true that Americans can't find a good number of countries—or even our own states—on a map. Yes, most of us don't have passports. So that part of the equation is, regrettably, largely correct. But how well do they really know us? "They'll say, 'We know all about you because we watched your movies and we watch CNN,'?" says Weaver. "But what they see are sensational stories. They just don't realize until they get to the United States that it's really a distortion, an entertainment." This is why so many visitors are astonished that all Americans don't have guns and that the chances of getting mugged are higher in London than in New York.

8 THEY THINK WE TREAT OUR PETS LIKE KIDS, AND OUR KIDS LIKE PRINCES
Pets are not coddled in many cultures—much less given elective surgery and organic treats or blessed with a master who dutifully carries around their droppings in a bag. And in many places, children aren't dealt with in the same way ours are, either. Bullock is married to a Frenchwoman, and his French relatives and friends like to say that American children "aren't badly brought up, they're not brought up at all." The American idea that "a child is a seed, and you're supposed to water it and tend to it" conflicts with the concept behind the strict French school system: "The child is a wild creature, and you have to tame it." It comes down to: "Are you being broken, or are you being nurtured? My children go to an American school, by the way. I don't want them broken."

9 THEY THINK WE DON'T DRESS WELL ENOUGH
When Hemon was attending graduate school in the United States, he often wore a suit to class. It was, after all, a public space "where you meet people, where relationships are established." But most other people were wearing sweatpants and "would not dress up in an attractive way." Eventually he met them halfway. But his observation wasn't unusual. The contrast is even more striking for, say, the French, who wear makeup to the grocery store.

10 THEY THINK WE DON'T RESPECT OUR ELDERS
WE DON'T ADDRESS THEM PROPERLY: Part of this perception comes from our penchant for first names. It's an extension of our general informality, but it isn't easy for a businessman in his sixties from a culture where people use different verbs depending on their age to get used to a 22-year-old calling him Bob.
WE THROW THEM OUT OF THE HOUSE: Weaver often has to deal with the perception that we put elders away in nursing homes because we don't respect them. And while there might be a grain of truth to that, he sees it differently—more as a by-product of our independent streak. "Most people who are old want to be independent. If you want to kill older people, make them live with their children." He remembers a group of Russians taking offense upon being guided through a cathedral by a senior citizen. "They said, 'Why do you make your old people work?' But they're not working. They're being valuable. They enjoy it. It's a very different world."