International Communication

My personal career, cultural and social desire as an American to achieve respect, credibility, and open communication in the world and international community is a long standing desire of mine. But I've also known, for a while now, this open-minded view on international relationships of a social and business variety is not always accepted or embraced by my family, friends, and peers. I've heard many people around me who are American mutter or proclaim many ignorant statements about the international community, as if it's an area of communication and collaboration that's not worth pursuing, simply because it's not in America. This ignorant form of social stereotyping, racism, nationalism, and xenophobia often frustrated and infuriated me in the past. I would always as myself, "Why can't most people just accept cultures and nations different from their own? Why God, why!? Why does ignorance prevail in not only business,  but culture in general so often. Whether ignorance from or toward a different culture is forward or reversed, it is unacceptable in this day in age. War and nationalism are meaningless to me.