Forums > Social Discussion > stereotypes of americans...

Login/Join to Participate
Page: ...
KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
I'm mostly out to ask the people from England, Oz, and NZ, who supposedly speak the same language as us americans... heh.

Basically, I want to know what people's sterotypes of americans are. Obnoxious? Self-centered? Those are a few I've hit so far. But what things do you usually associate with them?

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
well, since cass asked...

stereotypes i've noticed americans have about otehr countries:

*disclaimer: these arn't meant to offend, i don't belive most of them, if any, and i don't want to reflect badly on anyone. this is just what i hear. similarly, i just wanted to know what otehr people heard.*

Italians: dirty, obnoxious, smelly, no sense of personal space

Irish: drunks

Russians: drunks, with good vodka. also commies. a word which shoudl not be the insult taht is is here in this country but that's another topic

Mexicans: small, fast, dirty, stupid (and i don't even know where some of these come from)

French: hairy, woman are loud mouthed and masculine, good wine

English: snobby, play funny sports we don't understand. (and, well, i actually don't understand cricket)

Japanese: super smart, snotty, rich, skinny, cute girls.

Aussies: Loners, dislike americans

Kiwis: they have a cool accent, and they have too many sheep. in fact, some people seem to think anyone form new zealand has sheep.

Phillipinos: cute girls who are all either rich or whores.

Anyone from Iran or Iraq is "bad"

Anyone from south america is part of a drug gang

Americans sterotype themselves based on geography too. it's pretty sad. this is only what i've noticed in middle/ upper middle/ & working class midwest and east coast, btw.

I know my people from Utah and Idaho that have added some even crazier stuff to the mix (not to single out those two states, just to say other areas/ social classes might differ)

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
btw, as to Pele's comment about americans meaning anyone form the americas, while this is true, it is also acceptable slang for someone form the US. I wish there was a better way to differentiate...

and of course i hope everyone knows that these are stereotypes, and as many people have said, they are not all of america, there are people in every country who are like that, and of course there are plenty of wonderful americans, whatever the stereotypes may be.

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


arsnHow do you change this thing???
1,903 posts
Location: Behind the couch...


Posted:
As Bender said... all the people from the US that I've meet are really down to earth... but there was one thing that I could have done without... They repeat every thing you ask before they answer... brrr

I can't hear you... I have a banana in my ear.

"You mean I'll have to use my brain?... but I use staff!!!" ~ ben-ja-men


KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
what do you mean, they repeat everything you ask?

i'm so confused.

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


arsnHow do you change this thing???
1,903 posts
Location: Behind the couch...


Posted:
I mean if you ask...

"Where do you come from...?"

they answer like this...

"Where do I come from... the US of A..."

I can't hear you... I have a banana in my ear.

"You mean I'll have to use my brain?... but I use staff!!!" ~ ben-ja-men


KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
very weird. can't say i've ever encountered that. could see why it would be annoying tho.

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


SmokyDavySILVER Member
Do my poi look too small in this?
394 posts
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada


Posted:
Arsn: Thats probably cause they can't understand your accent and they need to make sure that you said "where do you come from" and not "Wayer dew yewr cumfrum?"

For fucks sake! Its America not Ameriker! just kiddin, I love the aussie accent.

"Americans sterotype themselves based on geography too. it's pretty sad. this is only what i've noticed in middle/ upper middle/ & working class midwest and east coast, btw."

This is true everywhere, haven't you seen the way people stereotype those savage "Norverners" (northerners) in the UK?

Its true in all countries.. north vs. south, east vs. west.

And just to settle one stereotype about Canadians thats been going on for too long. Its "Abewt", not "Aboot"! And my head is attached perfectly well to my jaw thank you ver much

[ 14 April 2002, 02:14: Message edited by: SmokyBowl ]

KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
Ameriker? way cool.

*heh, just promoting the stereotype that american girls love accents... and so do the guys actually.... this stereotype is actually pretty true!*

I'm serious about that one.

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


Raymund Phule (Fireproof)Enter a "Title" here:
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California


Posted:
Ohhh ya the accent thing two wordS for you SIERRA HOTEL (shit hot) I dunno what it is Russian and Aussi (like) accencts just drive me up the wall.

...*thinks back*...

Damn I need a girlfriend!!

Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"


Loleenamember
25 posts
Location: south woodham ferrers, Essex, UK


Posted:
Yeah totally, i love accents especially Aussie's, Kiwi's an South Africans, the south africans i've met seem to have such a posh sounding accent, their words were very clearly spoken

Its all good (as long as you dont have an Essex accent) he he

Lolee Xx

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead, where there is no path an leave a trail


DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
and they smell funny

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
- americans, not people from Essex...

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


TwirlyVicnorthern monkey
235 posts

Posted:
as a girly who was tormented for her canadian accent in her throughly geordie (newcastle, place where sting comes from) school i can tell you that stereostypes are a pain in the bum!

first the a-typical... "you must be american" line. Emm no, I'm not.

secondly, "you live in an igloo?" no, i didnt i lived in a house next to a forest with much sun

"its HERBS!" and "MAM!"

NO ITS NOT YOU MINGING FOOLS!! ITS WHATEVER I GODAMN FEEL LIKE SAYING!!

ARGH!

Sorry, childhood trauma lol!

but anyways, british people smell weird, like tea cosies and wooly jumpers...

vic xx

ex-hop-aholic, now inconsistent lurker...


starbukmember
75 posts
Location: East Side


Posted:
Im going to have to agree with the vast majority and say
1)Fat and Lazy
2)Stupid........... or is ignorant? another debate maybe?
3)violance loving
4)So patriotic its cringeworthy

but somehow i get the feeling that a lot of our ideas may come from silly american T.v shows!

Dont forget to bring a towel


SmokyDavySILVER Member
Do my poi look too small in this?
394 posts
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada


Posted:
I'm not sure if the stupid thing is a literal lack of intelligence, or just a general condition thats promoted by the country.

What I mean is that the media, the government and anyone in charge seems to treat the public as if they're ignorant idiots, and the public seems to respond by doing ignorant and idiotic things.

i.e. the movie "The Madness of King George III" was renamed to "The Madness of King George" in the USA (not in Can) because the media company felt that the american public would think it was the third movie in a series and wouldn't go to see it based on the fact that they'd missed the first 2.

Then there's the 'caution:contents may be HOT' on McDonalds coffees cause some woman was driving with hot coffee between her legs and sued because it spilt and burned her. (thats implemented internationally though, as I've noticed)

Not many people need to be reminded that fresh coffee has been boiled, and is therefore hot. But thanks to 1 ignorant and idiotic american, nobody will pick up their coffee thinking it will be icey fresh.

stickyfishmember
39 posts
Location: Lingfield, Surrey, England


Posted:
TwirlyVic : "NO IT'S NOT YOU MINGING FOOLS!! IT'S WHATEVER I GODAMN FEEL LIKE SAYING!!"

lol I hear you so well on that point. I know we need to be able to understand each other but it is so annoying when people constantly accuse you of pronouncing things wrong or just repeat the word with extra emphasis in their reply.

However they did have a point with herbs, it has an H at the front. Besides the spelling I say it like that so it must be right, you just talk funny

evenstarmember
36 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia


Posted:
quote:
Originally posted by Loleena:
Yeah totally, i love accents especially Aussie's
I find that quite hard to believe

Anyway, the Americans I've met have been a really nice and easygoing bunch. The stereotype is unfortunate, but what can you do? American news propaganda is one of the most obnoxious and egocentrically biased, tho I doubt it really reflects that much on the American individuals who greet other cultures.

[ 16 April 2002, 01:25: Message edited by: evenstar ]

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring.
TOLKIEN


KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
There's been quite a few titles released differently in America and in England... most recently, "Harry Potter and the Philosepher's (sp)Stone" vs. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (sp) Stone." Score one for Americans

nah, the sterotype is unfortunate, but at the same time, it has it's roots in truth. *looks around town.* I wonder if it is truly unintelligence or if it's media based tho? huh, sounds liek anouther thread

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


SmokyDavySILVER Member
Do my poi look too small in this?
394 posts
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada


Posted:
I like the Aussie accent too.

Its weird hearing an Aussie tell me she thinks my accent is sexy though.. Very weird. I think its harsh and nasal.

DutSILVER Member
lurker
380 posts
Location: Nashville, TN, USA


Posted:
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Johnny's in America
Low techs at the wheel
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Nobody needs anyone
They don't even just pretend
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Johnny's in America

CHORUS (x2)
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't

I'm afraid of Americans

Johnny's in America
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh

Johnny wants a brain
Johnny wants to suck on a Coke
Johnny wants a woman
Johnny wants to think of a joke

Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Johnny's in America
Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh

CHORUS (x2)

I'm afraid of Americans

Uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh

Johnny's in America
Johnny looks up at the stars
Johnny combs his hair
And Johnny wants pussy in cars

Johnny's in America, uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh
Johnny's in America, uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh

CHORUS (x2)

I'm afraid of Americans

God is an American
God is an American

CHORUS (x2)

Yeah, I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the words
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't

I'm afraid of Americans

Johnny's an American
Johnny's an American

Johnny's an American, uh-uh-uh uh, uh, uh-uh uh-uh-uh (repeat)

--david bowie

Traceredmember
71 posts
Location: Salem, Oregon USA


Posted:
I just have to say that if I let my opinions be defined by stereotypes, and let those stereotypes be formed by tourists, my outlook on the world would be very different. The more I get to know those from other cultures (which has been much more recently, after moving to college from whitebread, USA) the more it seems to me that we all want the same things deep down. I know there are a lot of fat, stupid, warmongering americans out there, but I don't assume that people from other countries will conform to their stereotypes, either. I mean, I don't exactly call every frenchman I meet a cheese eating surrender monkey, and I don't try to pose for a photograph for every German tourist I meet. Once you break down a few of the language barriers, or cultural barriers, and start to learn more about the person that you have just met, they just might be a lot like you. Then again, maybe not. We are all different, and crazy in our own special ways

peace and love to you all--

Tracered

An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind - Mahatma Gandhi


stickyfishmember
39 posts
Location: Lingfield, Surrey, England


Posted:
I'm not sure how true these are because I've never actually met any Americans but I've heard that they're short green creatures with with tentacles comming out of their heads. They have no decernable language and eat little children.

I'm pretty sure these are all true because not only did a guy down the pub tell me but there was this guy at work who's cousin's brother in law once witnessed an American using it's tentacles to kill a baby before eating it.

Kaosmember
11 posts
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada


Posted:
I'm in an interesting boat seeing as I am a citizen of the USA but have lived nearly my entire life in Canada and a few years ago got dual citizenship. Both my parents are American (not particularly proud of it) and they influenced me quite a bit, that and my obnoxious relatives. I had a really bad impression of Yanks.

I agree with the stereotype to an extent, but of course its a stereotype, it takes the most extreme elements of a society and puts them in place of the entire society. Americans become gun toting fatsos, Aussies crocodile wrestling outdoorsmen, Canadians hockey playing polite folk in igloos, etc. While there's obviously some truth to these the fact is all nations, particularly colonial nations are extremely diverse.

When I was in South East Asia recently I realised (really Realised, capital R, not just spouting accepted rhetoric) that we are all fundamentally the same. Meeting locals, meeting other travellers, I realised every nation has right wing whackos, left wing bleeding hearts, this and that. America gets a bad wrap because its largely under the control of boneheads (my opinion), that doesn't mean the country is composed of boneheads.

Its easy to stereotype in our busy, chaotic world. Do you really have the time to get to know everyone you bump into? No. So you use stereotypes based on a few isolated experiences to get you by. We've all been influenced by the culture, history and politics of our nations, so we do have general tendancies one way or another. They're hardly set in stone though.

Oh yeah. One of my pet peeves as a Canadian is this "American" thing. America is two continents, it is not the USA. Brazillians, Canadians, Cubans and citizens of the United States of America are all Americans. Sadly the USA picked a rather dumb name (sorry) so they can't well call themselves USAians. As a result they stole the words "American" and "America" from the rest of us. Please, a plea to all foreigners, don't call the USA America, call it the USA, the US, the States or whatever, but don't lump a couple dozen countries all together when you really mean the Yanks. I know the Irish and Scottish have the same problem with Britain. I feel your pain...

========================================
- K.A.O.S.

sarah...member
339 posts
Location: Central coast / Sydney, Australia


Posted:
THEY ALL WANT TO BE ON TELEVISION!!!!!!!!!
I dont like america in general, but ive met a lot of great people from america..
the tv thing IS a stereotype.
i love you all till you make me hate you

Fire... A bushmans telly


Itsgottabmember
244 posts
Location: NZ


Posted:
i have only been in this country for a week or so, but i have to say why the fuck do you send all the wankers overseas dont you want anyone to come here or something. all the people i have meet so far have been really nice people, i dont get them and you guys sure are different from ever other group of english specking people ive ever meet. i hope this continues for the rest of my stay here. oh and you guys are so fat and ugly , but the serivce people are really lad back which is cool in my book but others get pissed about the lackof serivce ah well

[ 10 June 2002, 08:58: Message edited by: itsgottab ]

DarkFairyQueenmember
557 posts
Location: The Underworld


Posted:
Ever noticed it's mainly 'Dick-Heads' who want to be noticed?
Get da chips off yer shoulders guys.
Most generalisations, or stereotypes in my opinion, are a pathetic reaction to fear, or ignorance towards another culture.
I don't give a shit if somone insults my background, I just pity da fools who have nothing better to do than go on about our differences, and pick on others weaknesses.

Az abouve, So below...


faith enfireBRONZE Member
wandering thru the woods of WI
3,556 posts
Location: Wisconsin, USA


Posted:
*bump*

I'm resurrecting this thread because I've been really bothered by what I've seen



For the sake of the post US Americans are a race.



And there has been a lot of racism against them. I don't go around making generalizations about French or British. Why is it ok to make sweeping generalizations that have practically no basis against us?



We get treated as if we are all from the same cookie cutter.



Since when did it become okay to start being racist against us as individuals?



People have been really hurtful with near constant undeducated attacks. Sometimes we get angry and strike back because no matter what we try to say, the others fall back on stereotypes and essentially ignore what we say. And then we just fulfill the stereotype because we have been goaded too much.



For some reason because we come from the US, we have no concept of reality and no idea about global problems. Even if we do express an opinion with evidence, we are wrong. Period.



The government does one thing, then we are all one way, and then we don't do something and we are all they exact opposite of what we were and it's all at the same moment. We're damned if we do, and damned if we don't (sorry if I should have censored that)



I'm not whining but hoping that some people might actually look at themselves and realize what they have done.



I may need to start lurking or just leave all together because some people are just racist IMO. People are not considering the rules of posting. Some things have been unneccessarily mean, some completely untrue, but no one cares because it's about USAmericans. I've had enough problems with racism and general stereotypes in my life already, I don't need it in this group



I understand that it's freedom of expression and we all have our own opinions but...I don't know if I can do this any more



edit: Just my luck, it's in the wrong section
EDITED_BY: faithinfire (1191270945)

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
 Written by: faithinfire


For the sake of the post US Americans are a race.




confused

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


faith enfireBRONZE Member
wandering thru the woods of WI
3,556 posts
Location: Wisconsin, USA


Posted:
For the sake of this post, US Americans are a race



Or would it be ethnicity-whatever you want to call it. I really don't know. Race seemed to fill the requirements of the word I was looking for



Can we not focus on the little things, but rather the post as a whole? Or just ignore it.

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed


ElectricBlueGOLD Member
Now with extra strawberries
810 posts
Location: Canberra, Australia


Posted:
Don’t get me wrong I'm not saying it is fair but people from every country get this in some way or another.
The English always being referred to ass whinging pommy bastards
or
Australians being referred to as convicts or that we all have kangaroos in our back yards and sit round drinking beer all day.
Nobody gets off scott free.

Aside from that it can be expected that if your country is the biggest economic/political power in the whole world there is going to be some resentment.

Yup it is not fair but unfortunately that is life, and we all need to do our best to combat theses stereo types.

I {Heart} hand me downs and spinning in the snow.<br /><br />


Page: ...

Similar Topics No similar topics were found
      Show more..

HOP Newsletter

Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more...