Obama to Asians: Americans 'Can Feel Lazy' and Not Think They 'Have to Really Know Anything About Other People

When President Barack Obama stood before a crowd of young Asian leaders in Laos on Wednesday, he had a few things to say about Americans.

Because the United States is "such a big country," Obama said its citizens "haven't always had to know about other parts of the world" as opposed to smaller Asian nations grouped together.

“If you’re in the United States, sometimes you can feel lazy and think, 'We’re so big, we don’t have to really know anything about other people,'” Obama said.

He added that it's "part of what I'm trying to change."

Obama then told his audience:

This is actually the region that's gonna grow faster than anyplace else in the world. It has the youngest population, and the economy is growing faster than anyplace. And if we aren't here interacting and learning from you, and understanding the culture of the region, then we'll be left behind. We'll miss an opportunity. And I don't want to that to happen.

Here's the clip:

(H/T: Todd Starnes)