I find it grating too. I thought this was an interesting point: "Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) don’t target specific countries. If your site has a generic

I find it grating too. I thought this was an interesting point: "Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) don’t target specific countries. If your site has a generic top-level domain, such as .com, .org, or any of the domains listed below" I actually consider .com etc to be largely US based, particular as it appears they can be seized by the US government and are under US jurisdiction.