Myths and misconceptions about your country or nationality

[Phalena]

1 minute ago, alsjeblieft said:

There's another stereotype about Americans that is quite popular among Europeans, it's that Americans have little knowledge about other parts of the world and they still feel superior to other nations. I don't know how true it is, but I haven't seen anything like that among Almerican AVENites

I'm seeing that one online and offline quite often. A bit ironic that it usually comes with a sentiment of perceived superiority.

[Fraggle Underdark]

8 minutes ago, alsjeblieft said:

There's another stereotype about Americans that is quite popular among Europeans, it's that Americans have little knowledge about other parts of the world and they still feel superior to other nations. I don't know how true it is, but I haven't seen anything like that among Almerican AVENites

Yeah I think a lot of Americans don't have much knowledge of other parts of the world. I definitely agree there are many Americans who think America is superior to most countries, and among my age and social groups there are many who think it's inferior to most countries. But in either case there's usually a lot of ignorance about other countries, both their strengths and their weaknesses.

[J. van Deijck]

5 minutes ago, Phalena said:

I'm seeing that one online and offline quite often. A bit ironic that it usually comes with a sentiment of perceived superiority.

I mean, I'm seeing it a lot, too, but not here on AVEN, and I don't know how true it is among their population

[Janus the Fox]

The Welsh like their sheep a little too well

[daveb]

I guess there is probably overlap with Americans who don't know a lot about the US, too.  

[RoseGoesToYale]

I'm from Florida, and everybody assumes Floridians are off-the-wall insane partiers who own 10 guns, 3 ATVs, sleep on beaches, live in swamps, run outside in the middle of hurricanes, own pet alligators, drive like Evel Knieval, and don't know how to vote.

 

In reality, that's only half the population. The other half of us was just born here and doesn't have anywhere else to go.

[J. van Deijck]

30 minutes ago, daveb said:

I guess there is probably overlap with Americans who don't know a lot about the US, too.  

Oooh that's something

[Gloomy]

A lot of American stereotypes don’t really apply to California, which might be why the rest of the US wants the San Andreas Fault to push us into the ocean xD. A couple examples:

 

-“Americans all have guns.” Guns are actually harder to get here in California. There are even some types of knives we’re not allowed to own, because god forbid people are able to defend themselves.

 

-“Americans are all fat”. Obesity rates are lower around here. I myself have never been overweight or obese in my 31 years of living. On the contrary I’m technically underweight and am working on gaining weight.

[Steel13]

One stereotype that drives me crazy as an American is that many people from other countries think that all of America is white, ignorant, and Christian. I regularly work with international students who were shocked that I am currently living in a predominantly non white, non Christian area. They are always taken aback that I know where their country is and am familiar with literature and history from other countries. My roommate from Nepal thinks every aspect of American culture has to be Christian (holidays, music, food, etc). I don't think lots of people understand just how much of a cultural mixing pot we are and that white Christians aren't as big a majority as the media portays. As a Jewish person of ambiguous heritage, I never like being told that "all Americans" are a certain way when it is something only true of Christians, white people, or the uneducated. 

[blunose2772]

4 hours ago, alsjeblieft said:

That was my bad then

no problem.

[fuzzipueo]

4 hours ago, alsjeblieft said:

6 hours ago, - 𝕱𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖌𝖑𝖊𝕽𝖔𝖈𝕶 - said:

It was eye-opening to look up how actual Europeans view Americans, a few years ago, and that seemed accurate when I thought about it. Friendly, outgoing, like guns (compared to most countries), a bit conservative about sex (this often applies to even liberal people here, without their knowing it), optimistic, hardworking, fat, etc.

There's another stereotype about Americans that is quite popular among Europeans, it's that Americans have little knowledge about other parts of the world and they still feel superior to other nations. I don't know how true it is, but I haven't seen anything like that among Almerican AVENites

That may due to a good number of us AVENites being readers and curious enough to look for information about other countries and their cultures. Or, at least, that's my personal reason.

[fuzzipueo]

That all Americans are gun crazy.

 

Not me man. I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot barge pole.

[Lilibulero]

One myth is that it's the only beautiful place in the world, when in fact it's one of many.

Mention that to some locals and they go ballistic.🤣

[Anomaly Q3Xr]

A lot of people outside the UK seem to think we are all football mad and love the royalty, whereas I and several others I know don't like either.

[J. van Deijck]

10 hours ago, Sammie M said:

A lot of people outside the UK seem to think we are all football mad and love the royalty, whereas I and several others I know don't like either.

I've noticed that people here associate people from the UK with either being sophisticated and overly polite to the point of being funny, or completely opposite of that. But all the UK people I know are neither, actually. 

[Anomaly Q3Xr]

2 hours ago, alsjeblieft said:

I've noticed that people here associate people from the UK with either being sophisticated and overly polite to the point of being funny, or completely opposite of that. But all the UK people I know are neither, actually. 

From my experience, people in this country used to be a lot more overly polite, and polite in general, than they are now.

[Calliers]

I'm not from Spain but the saying "The Rain in Spain stays Mainly in the Plain" doesn't mean it rains a lot in Sevilla - the region they are talking about, it was actually a saying made up in the 50s about how people's accents would change, and in fact in Sevilla it seldom rains, so it is a misleading saying indeed.

[MarRister]

On 5/19/2022 at 3:11 PM, fuzzipueo said:

That all Americans are gun crazy.

 

Not me man. I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot barge pole.

Yeah, to me it actually seems like Americans are far more sensitive to images of guns due to the strong political connotations in the country.

 

For example, I asked for a Hinge (dating app) profile critique on Reddit, and most people on there are from the States, but I have one pic that is an old timey pic, and I happen to be holding a shotgun just as a prop for fun (and definitely not in any sort of threatening way). And I was told that I should take that pic out of my profile just because of the gun, with a good number of upvotes on that comment as well. I was surprised because it is clearly a prop gun and I am clearly doing like a silly old timey photo shoot, I would have never thought anyone would take issue with the gun. Also when I tried to make a bumble account, that photo was not allowed because it had a gun in it. I still have it on my current profile though, because I really don't see people having the same issue with it here. 

 

I think in Canada, because we have less of a gun culture, guns in this respect are not seen as anything other than just a prop gun, whereas in the States it seems to just be automatically affiliated with pro gun politics. At least for myself, I never get turned off by seeing a gun because it is usually they hunt (most people are turned off by the hunting not the gun), or it is just recreational, like they went to the gun range once and got some pics. I have never felt it means they are into pro gun politics, they are just hunters, or recreationally shot a gun. Nothing political about it in my mind. 

[J. van Deijck]

Actually Belgians being stupid is not entirely true, it's more like Belgians having "blonde moments" at times.

 

I myself fit this stereotype perfectly