Americans are stupid, fat, and impolite...I don't get it.

[chiefohara]

I don't know about fat and lazy but i know that when America elected George Bush for a second term ye reinforced the 'stupid' part of the stereotype to no end as far as the rest of the world is concerned.

 

[chiefohara]

Well I'm from Ireland and one time an American tourist asked my friend how long it took to drive to London when said tourist was in Dublin talking to my friend. After explaining that he couldn't and that England and Ireland were two seperate land masses he then had to explain that Ireland and Northern Ireland were the one land mass and Northern Ireland is just a little Political State still affiliated with Britain.

my dad once went to work in some part of america (sorry for the generalisation, i cant remember where it was) with some christian youth. when the discussion changed to politics in the british isles, the IRA and the problems with north and south ireland were inevitable. one of the girls in the group had a solution, as everyone inevitably does.
"why not give catholics the vote?"
i have no idea, to date, of what she might have been thinking

I was in a similar situation but i was told the problem was Communism.

Also a buddy of mine was able to convince a few US tourists that leprechauns were an ethnic minority in Ireland.

 

[Mcface]

hmmmmmmm...that doesn't sound right at all...

are you sure it was America? L.A, California, America???

could it have been a dream? or you landed in Canada by mistake?

Whats with everyone saying "Must have been Canada"
The short time I spent in Canada you could have told me I was in America, and I would have believed you. It is literally no different in the urban areas.

 

[Brightzide]

Kobold!?...Ha, Ive gotta agree with you dude. When I went on Vacation, I went to San Fran and found it most awesome. The people I met were genuinely nice and friendly, I didnt see more than a few people I'd regard as Fat...I dunno, maybe for a specific place that's alien to you, you're bound to look for the positives. But when you live there i'm sure it's a totally different kettle of fish. And as far as I can tell, Stereotypes become such for a reason.

 

[WakeTheDead1]

i think the stereotype of being rude is more centered around places like new york and other more-fashionable-and-busy-than-thou places
iv heard small town american places are exceptionally nice pleasant people, but that itself is a stereotype i guess

 

[Hazzaslagga]

i've always thought that percentage wise america probably has a similar amount of idiots to everywhere else. It's just that America has the best idiots and thus get more attention with each idiot being equivilant to 2-3 idiots. using my logic America gets 2-3 times as many idot points.

 

[thahat]

Well people world wide are fat, and Frnce is a very impolite place ya know. And we aren't the stupidest we have the what 2nd highest educational system?

no. no you dont XD americans CAN be highly intelligent. but the problem is that its highly diverce in your country, either americans are realy smart, or realy stupid.

but no, your system of education, sucks donkey balls. and thats me talking, someone from the netherlands who THINKS his education sucks. and ours is rather good ( as long as you dodge the bullshit educations like sports education XD )

 

[Azure-Supernova]

Stereotypes do exist, make no mistake. There are simply a lot more which covers a wider grop of people.

 

[thahat]

Well people world wide are fat, and Frnce is a very impolite place ya know. And we aren't the stupidest we have the what 2nd highest educational system?

Gotta disagree on one point there. Your educational system is nowhere near second highest. It's a fair chunk lower than the UK's and that's not second highest.

quoted for truth, i meam the uk's system is even below the dutch system. and our system sucks donkey balls in my oppinion XD

 

[jake557]

Well people world wide are fat, and Frnce is a very impolite place ya know. And we aren't the stupidest we have the what 2nd highest educational system?

This site ranks you 26th for education:

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/15/interactive-infographic-of-the-worlds-best-countries.html

OT: Most stereotypes are at best only half true. National stereotypes in particular are poor indicators, especially in a country as large and diverse as the United States.

 

[manaman]

I have never understood it either. I live in the states, and I have never seen an unusually high number of fat people, stupid people, or rude people (Full Disclosure: I live in Washington state). It could just be that I am used to it from living with it all my life, but I do not think that is the case.

Yay Washington State! Everyone does seem remarkably well adjusted for the high suicide rate around these parts don't they?

I have lived lots of places but this is the area I call home. It's not perfect, but it's close enough for me.

OT: So LA huh? Where are you from that the vast majority of people you met in LA seem kind hearted? Are you from a fictional USSR era northern Russian village? Hearts as cold as all the ice they say. All joking aside:

So are these stereotypes just untrue? Because I've known people who would swear that they are, and insist that every stereotype is accurate. Did I just have an unusually pleasant experience in the States or is are people in California just a breed apart from their countrymen? Please Escapists, enlighten me.

The fact that you have to ask if negative stereotypes are untrue or overblown probably means you're very young, very naive, or messing with us a bit. I am going to assume it's one of the first two and say: Of course you didn't have an unusually pleasant experience. You probably had a fairly typical experience. Hopefully you learned a thing or two, and will question peoples notions like those in the future (and yes I don't mean just about the US. I mean anytime a person call another race lazy, or another country a bunch of mouthbreathers, or makes long drawn out arguments that at their heart are basically the same insults masked by length.

 

[lambsheep]

When I went to america they seemed to be over polite, and some of them are idiots(president bush) u guys had a huge moron for a god dam president!

 

[Cmwissy]

So can I start talking shit about canadians now?

Mess with one member of the Commonwealth, mess with all of us.

On Topic: When I've been in the states everyone seemed to be just normal, the only subjects they really lack at are 1. Common (Mis)conception (Thinking Hitler started WW2 and they were part of it all) and 2. Geography (Thinking the the British Islands only encompass England)


I've ranted a few times to Americans when I've been speaking my native accent (Scotland) and they've thought they were smart pointing out how I'm not British because I don't speak posh and drink tea.





Edit: I'm pretty sure the reason it's these two things they are so defunct at at-average is the fact they don't need to know things, the media spoon feeds people over there, and because they live in a super-power, they just believe it without worrying.

For example.

An average British news report - "The Pope will be visiting our shores today, this controversy has drummed up some pro and anti protesters for his visit and the PM has been trying to settle this fact."

An average American news report - "The Pope will be visiting our shores today, LIBERALS and HOMOSEXUALS hate this man of GOD, and they want you to live in a SOCIALIST COMMUNIST STATE LIKE HITLER WHO WAS AN ATHEIST, KILL THE COMMIES, USA! USA! USA!

Also, the president is BLACK, BLACK."



Also, slightly off topic, Don't say 'across the pond' to a Briton, it comes off really condescending and twatty.


/rant

 

[silversnake4133]

I highly dislike stereotypes. It seems like an excuse anymore to make fun of people or to view oneself above another. In retrospect, stereotyping doesn't seem too far off from bullying sometimes. Especially the ones against different races or gender.

 

[thahat]

Plus, those stereotypes that other people think of Americans are usually those boisterous Texans and trailer trash. It's no wonder you did not see anybody of that kind in LA.

I take offense to that. 20+ years in this state and I have NEVER encountered the Texan stereotype people seem inclined to believe.

yet do you have a comparison ?, have you been out of the unated states of america and have for instance gone to mainland europa? or finland? or for all i care, russia or india or ( well the assies dont caunt as much, but still ) australia?

 

[EeveeElectro]

LA seems to be quite a glamorous place, crawling with celebrities and people who want to be celebrities, so I don't you would find any of the stereotypes there. I don't know much about American states but Top Gear told me to stay away from Alabama. I think you'd find your fat, lazy, impolite Americans there.

Also, if you come to England expecting everyone to be posh in top hats and drinking tea, you'll be quite disappointed.

 

[Leemaster777]

Here's my theory on the whole "Fat, stupid, and impolite" thing. We americans don't have MORE of these people, per se, but our fat, stupid, impolite people are, pound for pound, MORE stupid, fat, and impolite than pretty much anywhere else in the world.

Most americans are, in fact, intelligent normal people, but when someone is fat, they're REALLY fat, etc.

Just my opinion.

 

[Pyotr Romanov]

And we aren't the stupidest we have the what 2nd highest educational system?

Where'd you get that idea? I'll refrain from linking to videos of stupid Americans, so I'll just behave and link to a nice documentary I strongly urge you to watch.

Spoiler: Educational Video

 

[RobCoxxy]

So I just got back from a vacation in LA and I don't understand some of the stereotypes centred around Americans. I imagine most of us have heard these stereotypes, and I myself have been guilty of making them from time to time. But in the week I was there, I didn't see an abnormally high number of fat people. I didn't think anyone I talked to was stupid. Everyone seemed polite and there were few people who were especially inconsiderate. I didn't notice a higher number of any of those types of people in the US than anywhere else.

So are these stereotypes just untrue? Because I've known people who would swear that they are, and insist that every stereotype is accurate. Did I just have an unusually pleasant experience in the States or is are people in California just a breed apart from their countrymen? Please Escapists, enlighten me.

I felt the same on my visit to DC the other year, everyone was polite, kind, helpful. Got along really well with them. The shop assistants are more helpful and nice than in the UK. They all knew a fair bit and every single girl in the city loved our accents. Aw yeaaah.

Then we met a bunch of Republicans and the head of DC's NRA, they really were a bit thick.

He argued that certain weapons weren't dangerous because they were semi-auto.