I am sure that there are things about your own countrymen that many of you would prefer to dissasociate yourself from
You sure got that right! What's more, I suspect that there are an inordinate number of people in this country who would prefer to dissasociate themselves from me...starting with my first two wives!
Having spent several years addicted to IRC I've 'met' people from all over the world and have come to know several quite well. At the end of the day, I've found that there is remarkably little difference between any of us.