A Rare Compliment!

It is rare - very, very rare - that the United States ever gets a compliment in one of our two newspapers. Instead, the norm is to bash the West as much as possible - it's always the West's fault - no matter what it is - for every perceived wrong in the entire world - as well as on the moon and on Mars. So it was nice - and a very pleasant surprise - to be complimented. We'll take it, and thank you very much, Sabria Jawhar!

Ms. Jawhar recently made her first trip from the Sandbox to the States, to California, and has some kind words to describe her experience, saying she found many of her "preconceptions of the country wrong." She says the "nuances ... and how its citizens treat one another" really impressed her. "How professionals, clerks and authorities engage each other while conducting business." And, "How courtesy and respect is the rule of the day no matter what job a person performs." Ms. Jawhar describes in comparative detail the differences of how Americans treat someone in a medical emergency versus how Saudis treat someone in a medical emergency, concluding that in the event it were to happen, "... if it came down to being treated during an emergency in Los Angeles suburb or in Riyadh... the Americans would win."

Thanks so much, Sabria, for using your column space and having something positive, and actually nice, to say about the United States!