The Listening Project

This man has no problem sharing his dislike for our country with listener Han Shan.

If you're reading this, chances are pretty high you're an American. Have you ever wondered what someone in Cape Town, South Africa thinks of you? What about a Palestinian's outlook on the hubris of the United States?

In this documentary, four Americans travel the world to acknowledge international perspectives of the U.S. Listeners asked people in Africa, the Middle East, Canada, Asia and Mexico what one message they would like to send back to America.

The often impassioned responses (ranging from the belief that we live our lives in fear to calling the nation a terrorist) do not exactly come as a surprise, but it is humbling to hear us repeatedly compared to the Roman Empire. In fact, the overriding message heard in these conversations is that the American government irritates the hell out of the rest of the world.

This is one of those "a-ha!" projects with an idea so simple it would be difficult to fail. The documentary is compelling and eye-opening, and we could have stood another hour of interviewees rattling off complaints against us. It's good for the conscience.

Catch it: As one of the listeners says, "It's time to start caring about what the rest of the world thinks of us."

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