YMMV / The Ugly American

• Viewer Name Confusion: The titular "Ugly American", Homer Atkins, is a positive example of Americans working in foreign aid programs, as he not only comes up with practical inventions that can be made with local materials but also does so while treating the Sarkhanese he works alongside as his equals; however, since the book came out, the term "Ugly American" has been applied to those who are the opposite of Atkins when it comes to how they behave overseas. Because of this, some people believe the eponymous "Ugly American" refers to one of the other, more negatively-portrayed, American characters in the book.