What are the stereotypes about your country and culture that you find laughable or untrue?

Question

As I am American I always am astounded by the stereotypes of Americans held by other nationalities - as if such a huge country contained only people who are exactly the same ...think alike, dress alike etc... America has more nationalities and more common languages than any other country I know. NY has more than 100 languages used daily in it alone. Most just judge a country by the tourist traps that they visit and never see the real place behind the salesmanship. What do you think you have been unfairly labeled as? Just curious

Bindy - I know just how you feel! So many people try to do an American accent and they just sound silly to us! They come across as Bugs Bunny or worse! I love Hugh Laurie on House, but his "American" accent is hysterical!

Answer 1

Oh i think its funny that everyone thinks the British are all twee and sit around eating cucumber/jam sandwiches (cut into triangles of course!) with cups of tea drunk out of our best china and say 'old chap' or jolly good show' and have bad teeth!

With regards to peoples crap attempts at doing the American/Australian accent is the same with the English accent everyone automatically puts on an extremely posh voice and kind of stick their nose up in the air a bit....people just bases their take on accents by their stereotypes, that way everyone automatically knows what it is.

The majority of us British speak nothing like that anymore, although smaller than America our accents vary just as much!

I think everyone outside the UK should watch a bit of Shameless/Peter Kay to get a better taste of the British lifestyle, the majority of stereotypes are based purely on what we see on TV, look at programs like My Name is Earl...it portrays a stereotypical southern American people and for some people who aren't lucky enough to afford the luxury or travelling and experiences different cultures TV is all they have to base their opinions on things.

Answer 2

In many Asian countries people think it's the law that Americans have to lose their virginity by the time they turn 18 - because of so many movies we make where kids are desperately trying to get laid. Come to think of it, American kids do seem to be in an awful hurry to get jiggy as early as possible, but it's not the law (yet).

It's also a popular belief that all Americans are stupid and ignorant. CNN's Australian bureau recently did a segment like 'Jaywalking' where they asked Americans simple questions and got some really stupid answers. (Like Jaywalking they *only* included the stupid ones, we don't know how many people they actually talked to.) The difference is, this was broadcast in Australia as *serious news* and featured strongly overnight on CNN Headline News in the US as actual journalism.

Many Muslim nations think Americans are actually as promiscuous as shown in "Sex In the City" or "Desperate Housewives" - no wonder they call us decadent.

Answer 3

I come from a young developing country (Canada), but still there are few established stereotypes: We live in igloos. TRUE - when it's June and people choose to watch hockey inside an ice box, what difference does it make whether your igloo is made of ice or concrete? We only think about ice hockey. FALSE - ice hockey dominates from September to June, but once the season is over our thoughts turn to ROAD hockey. We are much different from Americans. TRUE - we shop at Walmart, Best Buy, listen to American music (or Canadian music provided the performer made it big in America first), watch Seinfeld reruns (etc. etc), but are way way different y'all ?!? We don't have electricity or other advanced technology. TRUE - what do we do for fun in the summer? Go camping where we dig our own toilets and make a fire to cook our food. Wayne Gretzky is our best athlete of all time (hockey player). FALSE - it's Steve Nash, the basketball player - according to ME. PS: The ANGLOPHONES DO NOT LIKE THE FRANCOPHONES. FALSE - we juss LOOOVE to mock zere fenny weay of talKeeng!

Answer 4

We in the UK are getting a lot of this, "all foreigners are criminals and thieves" nonsense at the moment. It kinda reminds me of the the behaviour in Germany in the late 1930s and saddens me that we British have learnt so little from the past.

I do like your approach to this issue, because, whilst there are legitimate reasons to feel aggrieved with some American foreign policy, it is quite refreshing, how many ordinary US folk seem to have quite a polite and humble attitude to everyone else.
There just seem to be a lot of people in the world who love to hate. It does not bode well. And by historical standards is the "norm".
I'll have to watch some comedy before I go to bed. "Father Ted", I think!

Answer 5

We Australians are always being viewed as criminals because over 200 years ago the place was mostly populated with England's convicts. People seem to forget that in the intervening years, millions of non-convict immigrants have flooded the country. I have only one ancestor, 6 generations back, who was a convict, that doesn't make me a criminal!!
Also, lots of other nations seem to think that we have kangaroos and koalas just roaming the streets. Not true! I live in a country area and yes, I do have a mob of kangaroos who claim my place as part of their territory, but they definately do not hop around the streets in town, they are much the same as deer in that they stay away from people.
One more thing, PLEASE will you people from elsewhere stop trying to do our accent!!!! Face facts, you can't do it!! Americans who try just end up sounding like a bad English Cockney. Sorry, but I have never heard anybody do a convincing Australian accent! Good on you for trying, but it just doesn't work!!!
Have fun!

Answer 6

there's some truth to every stereotype.

so when people criticize americans for being:
fat
lazy
militaristic
ignorant
energy dependency

I dont really mind, because I know its true of a lot of Americans. I mean, we as a nation elected George W Bush. How on earth could that happen? Only because we are a nation of idiots.

I think most people know that these things are not true of ALL americans, so I don't mind the stereotypes so much. It's only when they think the stereotypes are true of all Americans that I would get mad.

Answer 7

I'm from N. Ireland and people always think over here its very sectarian. But if u go into belfast and other cities, its just like anywhere else. People enjoying themselves and having a good time. Its not a bad place 2 live!!

Answer 8

First off, to "Worldpeace" we did NOT ":ELECT" Bush. He was placed in office by his brother's mistress. Ohio was also a joke, a huge comedy show, but an "ELECTION" in Ohio did not take place...

Hugh Laurie does a brilliant job with his accent, he just has an underbite which makes it seem like his mouth is moving funny but a lot of actors have that. Accent is perfect though!

I don't like stereotypes, they are just mean!

Answer 9

Heavey Metallers or Goths being devil worshiping dangerous people who bite heads of bats...


More like many are vege and nice and rarely any fights and any there are are very minor and pulled apart by those around them... making up after.


No weapons, no gangs no nothing... not even much drugs or alcohol


Likewise cyberpunks or ravers psi trance hippie types being a problem... more like nice babysitters.

Withces worshipping bsatan and sacrificing kids...


More like nice as pie hippie types

Answer 10

Many people think any woman raised in the southern US is lounging around in lingerie all day long without air-conditioning waiting for her married lover to show up. When She gets old, she's the bimbo in curlers on CNN saying "My Goodness that was a bad twister! I hope they find Lorraine, I loaned her my Tupperware."