[coldtea]

>Well-meaning Americans have decent intentions but are also pretty culturally tone deaf on Asian societies

That. And because the country was founded by religious zealots, it still has a Christ complex to this day, regardless of if it involves a Bible Belter or a West Coast atheist. That and superiority ("manifest destiny", "leaders of the free world", "land of the free" and so on), it's just part of its cultural status quo.