Euro and Americans (friendships)

An interesting article on some stereotypes

And a happy new year to you guys and ladies

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...ps-superficial

"To begin with, in a conversation Germans tend to be quite direct. (An American might joke that their words are so long that there is no time left to beat around the bush.) Where an American might say "From my point of view, I see it this way," a German might simply say "I think X." Direct speech can seem inconsiderate to Americans. In this regard, Brazilians are to Americans as Americans are to Germans. Americans who are new to Brazil complain that "You never know what Brazilians think." or even "People are always lying to me." From the Brazilian point of view, they're being considerate, modulating what they say according to the non-verbal reactions of the other person, so as to have an agreeable conversation."

There's been a few studies related to this one. Many Canadians and Americans have been proven to say "sorry" for bumping into a stranger on the street or something that requires no apology.
In my opinion America is going through a trend lately of defending peoples feelings, all these new champagnes against bullying and what not.
Personally I like a little sugar coating, I tend to interpret bluntness as anger towards me.