FOREIGNERS: what do you think about american culture/gov??

Question

i volunteer at this big tourist attraction downtown and i talk to people everyday asking them this stuff and its always interesting to speak with them. im african american, 18 years old.

im already expecting ignorant generalizations about americans but you know that comes with the territory.

how i see my own country: this bipartisan government gets annoying because all the wealthy white politicians do is run after each minority making empty promises to secure votes; bush and the current government in general kind of suck.im kind of bitter toward older americans because they tend to be very conservative, make up most of the country, and voted this monkey into presidency twice.

culture - i love the gist of american culture today - very liberal and casual. while i respect more formal strict cultures, i think id shoot myself if i had to dress a certain way by law or couldnt laugh, joke, be loud with people in public. i could write more but just answer the question!! lol

Answer 1

Good on you for trying to learn more about the perceptions others have about your country.

Im an Australian, but Ive visited the US and Ive travelled with Americans before. Here are somethings Ive noticed:

- You guys can be some of the most generous and trusting people ever. To be honest, when I was in S.E Asia, it was mainly the Americans who gave money to beggars. The Brits, Aussies, Kiwis etc. were more cynical about it. (Do remember that it's not recomended to give money to them though.) But you guys were pretty unquestioning about it.

- A lot of you guys seem to take yourself really seriously. I noticed this when I was travelling in America. Pretty much everywhere else Ive been the people take a bit of ribbing with good nature, or you can have a bit of a joke with them. In America a lot of people really took everything so seriously.

- From the last point, I noticed that a lot of you guys seem to get upset about things that Aussies and Kiwis and Canadians would just laugh about. This happened a few times in S.E Asia where something would happen and the Aussies and Canadians would laugh it off and not worry, but the Americans (and sometimes the English) would let it really upset them.

- You guys are pretty much super polite with strangers. After meeting a stranger, most Aussies are comfortable with them quickly enough to get drunk in front of them, or stir them up for a laugh. You guys are far more polite and worried about offending others when you speak to them.

- In Cambodia, I was kind of amazed that the VAST majority of Americans had no idea who Pol Pot was, and what he did. You guys are very, very clever, BUT on the whole, a LOT of you dont know much about the world outside of the USA. I mean, the Cambodian genocide is something that pretty much every Australian, New Zealander, English person etc. Ive ever met knew about.

- Ive noticed that a lot of you guys can be really liberal about some things, but when it comes to sex and drugs and drinking you're still really quite conservative compared to us and Canadians. I noticed that what passes for normal behaviour in Australia or New Zealand is very often considered quite "out there" or "wild" by Americans.

As for your government.......well......the problem is, it doesnt matter who gets elected, unless a major policy shift occurs, it's not really going to be very popular in Australia. The majority of Australia dont support the war in Iraq and we want our troops withdrawn, BUT we also want yours to stay behind to fix the mess over there. (I know, it's hypocritical, but that's the way we feel.) Also, the US policy of intervention in other countries affairs is very unpopular here as well.

But remember, we dont blame you guys for your government. We might be pissed of with Bush & Co. but that doesnt mean we're mad at the people of America.

And that's basically it. Ive tried to be as honest as possible with my answer, and it's based on all the people Ive met and situations Ive been in. Keep in mind, Im not saying that you guys need to change anything about yourselves, Im just telling it as I see it.

Cheers.

Answer 2

I disagree with most posts on here. I find Americans to be much deeper, thoughtful, curious, comfortable in their own skin, confident, happy-go-lucky, extroverted, unjaded, willing to give the benefit of the doubt, and more accepting than most other societies. I've lived in America (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Florida, Georgia, Utah, Colorado and California) and met literally hundreds while living in Norway, Italy, Britain, Tanzania, Israel, and Japan and I've never met a single American who I would call "unaware" or "ignorant." They are happy people and good for them for achieving all that they are.

You see, I think that once you live somewhere you begin to better understand why a society thinks the way they do. Americans can appear loud or obnoxious or too outgoing/friendly or unaware but I think this negative judgment comes from those with a lower level of understanding. All people should endeavor to do what the Americans do..... give people the benefit of the doubt.

I interpret their behavior as a product of their environment. For example, they have largely spent the last 400 years developing a nation of immigrants far before any other European country did so. This has made them extremely diverse and, over time, very accepting and tolerant of differences. I believe this development has also made them extroverted, outspoken, and more excited about things in life (laughing out loud and so on) because when you belong to a nation of differences predicated upon the protections of freedom, liberty, and justice for all and the protections of a nation OF the people, FOR the people, BY the people and, lastly, a society largely without one single identity .... people tend to feel more comfortable and confident expressing themselves. Americans are used to being the world's greatest land of opportunity so they don't struggle in the same ways as the rest of the world in terms of cost of living, taxation, chronic unemployment, etc. So their generally more happy-go-lucky. Listen, they don't need to go anywhere else in the world because they have it pretty sweet. People and products and money and culture come to them. That's something to admire about America.

Honestly, I was shocked at how unaware the British were when I lived there. I met one woman who stated, “In America, isn’t the law that people are considered guilty until proven innocent?” I responded, “Ummm…. No. America was the first nation in the world to base their society (in The Bill of Rights) on innocence until proven guilty. In fact, Britain didn’t adopt this right until after the French and the French didn’t adopt it until after their revolution which, by-the-way, was sparked by the prior success of the American Revolution against Britain.” Hmmmm……. I met many racist Brits who called Eastern Europeans, "white *******", and Norwegians who were alcoholics, unaware, racist, and toothless and I've also met ignorant island-mentality people in Australia and a New Zealander who was clearly suffering from 'Tall Poppy Syndrome'. Guys, you can't judge an entire society on just a few. When they're loud in public they don't mean to be inconsiderate; I think the responder who said this should look within first and uncover why loud people get on his/her nerves? There's good people everywhere and those are the ones you should surround yourself with.

Americans are fine and so are good people in all other societies. I suggest you examine yourself before spouting off judgments based on limited observations about others. And that’s a moral that has been expressed by loving mom’s and dad’s throughout the Earth throughout all time.

AMERICA IS A GREAT NATION FILLED WITH MILLIONS OF WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO DESERVE OUR RESPECT AND ADMIRATION. :)

Answer 3

Yea, loud in public that should be kept to a minimum. When your loud in public your inconsiderate of others around you. It boils down to self-discipline. Much of our city culture has no self-discipline. That's why you see so much graffiti and trash on our city streets. If more of these undisciplined individuals shot their selves maybe our society would be better off. Good Idea! Being loud in public isn't culture.

Answer 4

well being from egypt I think American culture is a bit outa of order , though I can't really judge a whole culture through movies only , I withdraw from answering ur question , sorry ..^ ^ '

Answer 5

american culture is a little bit strange than indian but its way better

Answer 6

Fantastic..........Excellent..........I love america....american culture , government and all aspect in america attract me so much....i plan to settle in america on future......GOD BLESS AMERICA

Answer 7

Too soon ve get old, too late ve get schmart.