I think your comment may be true of this one particuler experience.  I told it only because I found it ironic that it was so similar to Stormy experience,,,and I found it was quite humorous.  (Interesting however, on the sporting level, there does some to be some particular glee in the World Cup when America loses.  And I found that glee on the continent, actually not in the UK.  There was even some comment on a thread here that the American's were not going to be disadvantaged on the refereeing,,,and that certainly was the case......though it's also the case that we are not a top 8 team, imo.)

But do you mean to broaden my comment beyond my specific story, and to my broader experiences of living in Europe, traveling frequently there, and doing business in Europe (not just the UK).  It's an interesting thought that we all to some extent see things because of who we are, I guess--ie. our experiences are partially due to who we are.  But I think one gets through that as you develop friendships, have long discussions that yield deeper understandings, and through all of one's experiences of decades (reading, discussing , observing) you gain a pretty deep understanding of the other's mind.