There's an old saying that I've often used to describe negotiations and relations between nations, namely that diplomacy may often be defined as "saying nice doggie, nice doggie," until you can find a rock. That's the kind of robust and kinetic "diplomacy" that's going on between the United States and Iran right now. Diplomacy, though, is generally conducted between leaders of nations and their top-tier representatives.
Even so. As we have learned in the last few weeks, there's another kind of diplomacy, and the recent World Cup events have given us a good look at it: The real-life experiences of everyday people, who came to the United States expecting to see what their biased media told them to expect, and instead, found President Reagan's shining city on a hill. And those folks, from Europe, from Asia, from all over, are speaking out about it - about how awesome America is.
This isn't without precedent. I've traveled a lot. In my previous career, I was able to see a lot of places and meet a lot of people. Most notable among these places is Japan, where I have spent weeks and months, and often well outside of Tokyo and the other big cities. It's not uncommon for travelers to the Land of the Rising Sun to visit Tokyo and claim to have seen Japan. Granted, there's a lot to see and do in Tokyo, but that would be like visiting New York City and claiming to have seen America. I've always advised people, if it's at all possible, to get out of the cities. See some of the countryside, the small towns, meet the regular people.
That's what's been happening here, with so many of our visitors coming to watch the World Cup games - and finding an America they didn't expect.
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What's more, a lot of these people have taken to social media to proclaim their amazement at the wondrous America they found. One of the most famous, and rightly so, is Freddy from Germany, who seems to have fallen in love with America. Here are a few of his comments. First, he discovered the wonder of Buc-ee's:
DUDE LMAO THIS IS A GAS STATION😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/YYFmWJiCQa
— Freddy🇩🇪 (@FreddyLA7) June 10, 2026
Next, he happened across another great American institution: Bass Pro Shops.
We found another surreal place on our way. I know some people will say I’m too positive about everything I see, but this place was crazy. They had a shooting range in the store. pic.twitter.com/dBkEDzmRKo
— Freddy🇩🇪 (@FreddyLA7) June 11, 2026
Freddy went on at length; his timeline merits a visit. He drove a rented Dodge Ram pickup, ate in American eateries, listened to country music; he is getting a pretty good look at what America really is, and most of all, how friendly and accommodating Americans can be.
He isn't alone.
“We owe America a huge apology, because America is nothing like what the media tells us. Everyone is so friendly, everyone is so accommodating, and I've honestly had the best time.”
— TONY™ (@TONYxTWO) June 21, 2026
Amazing to see all the eyes that have been opened to how amazing America is 🇺🇸🙏🏼
The media has… pic.twitter.com/sTaWxu11Fb
That post reads:
“We owe America a huge apology, because America is nothing like what the media tells us. Everyone is so friendly, everyone is so accommodating, and I've honestly had the best time.”
Amazing to see all the eyes that have been opened to how amazing America is.
The media has seriously twisted the world’s view of us, but everyone traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup has exposed all the media’s lies.
Speaking as an American, I can only say, "If you'da asked, I coulda told you," and, of course, "welcome, and y'all come back now, y'hear?"
There may well be a diplomatic and media revolution underway here. Furthermore, it's not one-sided. A lot of people, here and elsewhere, have these rather distorted views, thanks in large part to biased media outlets. Americans, for instance, have had a tendency to look down their noses at Europe, because of their all too often feckless and weak leadership and those leaders' throwing open their nations' doors to waves of unchecked Third World immigration, not to mention their constant whining whenever the United States vaporizes a few drug smuggling boats. We've all heard and (I admit it) made comments along those lines.
Then, a Freddy comes along, and all of our ideas go into a cocked hat - and so do his.
Regular folks are, for the most part, regular folks. And most regular folks can appreciate the wonder of a Buc-ee's, or a Bass Pro Shops, where they not only will sell you a rifle but provide a range to shoot it on. Most regular folks will appreciate biscuits and gravy, chicken-fried steak, and a jumbo bacon cheeseburger. This is the America these visitors are seeing now: Not Washington, not our whiny legacy media, but the America of Waffle House and big diesel pickups, of country music and vast, sparsely populated landscapes. Now, I'm scarcely impartial here, but this is what I would call real America. Now, the truth is known.
There's a new kind of diplomacy out there now, not between nations and governments, but between people. Let's call it Diplomacy by Waffle House, and it may just change the world.
