I have traveled a great deal, most recently in South and Central America, but elsewhere as well. I have rarely met anyone who openly expressed hatred for America or Americans, though some have expressed disagreement with political policies. I think many Americans are too touchy about what others may think of them. Disdain for neighboring countries is the norm everywhere that I have gone and it shouldn't be surprising when you see it. Also, America bashing is sometime resorted to by the intelligencia and the politically active, as a way to distract attention from their own responsibility, or helplessnes as the case may be, regarding their national shortcomings. Some Americans in foreign countries are apologetic for their nationality. That is so unseemly and, I think, not usually appreciated. I think most people the world over expect a person to be loyal to his/her country and find it a little bit embarrasing for someone to be apologising, even if they agree with them. I would rather be respected than liked, and apologising for your country is no way to gain respect. All in all, I am immensly greatful for the good things I have experienced and learned from the people in other countries. My travel has made me appreciate not only what we have here in the States, but also what they have to offer of their own culture for our enlightenment.
Louis Acker
How The World Sees America
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President, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic
Princeton, New Jersey
Are some children dyslexic? most certainly they are. But let us not rush to stamp the label on every child who takes a bit longer than average to learn to read. Some kids just do not learn at the same rate as others. There may be a host of reasons for that other than just dyslexia. Some children enter my kindergarten classroom as "zero-book kids," those who have never been read to, never handled books, never invented their own stories by looking at the pictures, never picked up a pencil or crayon to write and draw. Will it take them longer to become readers and writers than their peers, the "thousand-book kids" who have had wonderful preschool and home experiences with literacy? You bet it will. But my experience has shown that given the time and attention they need, these children, too, shall definitely learn provided they are not stigmatized early on in their student careers.
Devon Hamner
Grand Island, Nebraska
Japanese Values In your Dec. 27 article about Masayoshi Son ("Japan's Rising Son," TOP OF THE WEEK), an ethnic Korean multibillionaire born and raised in Japan, and your choice for Asian of the Year, you say "outsiders are treated as outcasts" in Japan. In that case, how come Son has done so well? When Japan, in 1977, instituted the award of National Hero of the Japanese People, the first recipient was Chinese, the popular baseball star Sadaharu Oh. Japan's attitude to foreigners is much more complicated, and often much more favorable, than most outsiders realize.
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