What are the worst things you've heard someone say about your culture or country here in the States?

[krautlaus 7]

Why haven't you met up with me or Aubrey and her husband?!?!

Oh gee you betcha I will... as soon as I'm out there! Still waiting for my interview..

[alienlovechild 75]

My research shows:

combine harvester, US. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combine_harvester

refrigeration, Scotland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigeration

HV vaccine was a multi nation effort the majority of the research centers were in the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigeration

Latex gloves, US http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1903205 and http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_invented_latex_gloves

photocopying, US http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_was_the_photocopier_invented

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photocopier

I love it when a poster actually looks up another poster's claims.

[scandal 951]

I love it when a poster actually looks up another poster's claims.

You mean from now on I need to actually research what I write when I tell spooky he's full of horseshit?

Australia is a great place. They invented wild dingoes who steal away little babies in the dead of night.

They also have Ayer's Rock which is almost (but not quite) as cool as the Grand Canyon.

[Y&E 12]

It would seem that some people take themselves (and their country) way to seriously. I'm pretty sure that the OP was supposed to be a lighthearted giggle about the assumptions and comments that are made by people who don't know much about us and our countries and in general are probably only asking out of curiosity. Sure, sometimes what they say is stupid or idiotic but often they can't help it that they don't know and they probably don't ask in order to be stupid.

As a few of us pointed out, it's not just Americans who ask / say silly things so can you please stop getting high and mighty about being insulted that America is stereotyped world-wide as being ignorant. All countries have stereotypes - live with it. For the most part I find the cringe-worthy comments made to me to be really funny and afford a good laugh to me and those with whom I share them. Getting into a debate about how great one country is over another is just getting really boring. America has some good things about it, so does Australia and Germany and Canada and Britain and Brazil etc.

The posters on here who are perpetuating the 'great American' myth, good on you! You obviously have a great belief in yourselves and your country but don't put everyone else down just because you believe that myth. You obviously have some interest in other countries otherwise you wouldn't be bringing a foreign spouse to America. I hope that you don't go around denigrating their countries when you travel there so why should you be doing so here?

Sundrop - I like your voice of calm reason.

Edited to add: Spooky, Vanessa may not have got all of her facts correct, but Australia has contributed some pretty important things to the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Australian_inventions

Edited March 6, 2010 by Y&E

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

I'm pretty sure that the OP was supposed to be a lighthearted giggle about the assumptions and comments that are made by people who don't know much about us and our countries and in general are probably only asking out of curiosity.

can you please stop getting high and mighty about being insulted that America is stereotyped world-wide as being ignorant. All countries have stereotypes - live with it.

it's an offensive stereotype so expect people to take offense to it.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Agreed, just as there are Americans and Americans

Because each nation in Europe is smaller geographically, it's actually more accurate to ask an American to compare and travel state to state. My USC fiance doesn't want to live in England because the weather sucks and we don't have good Mexican food. Do I take national offense at him not wanting to live in England? How could I, considering he doesn't want to live in New Hampshire either, because the weather sucks and they don't have good Mexican food. He can't stand the Mass accent and dislikes the crowded, materialistic feel of LA. These are cultural differences, IMO.

Every country, just as every state, has its "thing" that it does better than other places by comparison. If I were making Utopia, I'd have British history combined with German healthcare, French labour laws, US sales taxes, Japanese civility, Chinese industry, Australian economy, Swedish internet, Swiss chocolate, Finnish vodka, Malawian hospitality, Seychellian beaches, Thai cuisine and according to VJ, I should want Ukrainian women

It's a VJ diet!

Ukrainian women are the best, hands down. But they have crappy weather and bad Mexican food also.

Most Americans, when asked, can't name a country that begins with "U" even though they LIVE in one and the most common answer when asked was "Yugoslavia". That part is embarrassing. (try it for yourself for fun and games) Also embarrassing is a young man that finished 5th in his high school class for English, that didn't speak English at all less nine months before arriving here, and was bumped up two grade levels 6 weeks after starting school in the US. American education SO sucks and until we do something about THAT we can look forward to a future of increased government dependency and not much else. Also that anyone thinks it is summer in Ukraine when it is winter in Vermont means they were once educated that SOMEWHERE the weather is different...must have been Ukraine?, Yes? (or "the Ukraine" as most Americans will spew without thinking)

I guess that explains good Mexican food.

[Nessa 23]

Amen!

It is also true that Europeans would have more worldly knowledge as they're easily exposed to more cultures, living there travel is cheap and there's a big variety of places to go with very distinct traits.

It's funny that growing up in Brasil in the 80's, the fashion among young teens was going to Disney. I was probably in the 5% of my entire grade that had never gone to Disney but was the only one who had visited every region of Brasil (by car) and always could relate to Brazilian Geography classes (I've been to the South to the Foz do Iguaçu waterfalls; the northeast beaches; the capital of Brasilia; the Amazon; the Pantanal; São Paulo and of course, I am from Rio; as well as seeing first hand the states where all you see is soy plantations, or the huge cattle farms, or the industrial smaller cities in SP state, etc). I personally felt I had the better deal and was proud to know my country. As a young adult though I've dreamed of going to Europe, hoping to fulfill that soon.

i don't think it was an 80's thing, i was talking to my friend the other day and she wants to send her daughter to disney. i never wanted to go to disney, but then again, i always wanted to be different from everybody else and if everybody else was going for sure i was not.

i didn't start this thread to bash Americans, I've heard from people from other nationalities stupidity like that.

[SunDrop 59]

it's an offensive stereotype so expect people to take offense to it.

Ignorance literally being "without knowledge" is something that every single one of us is guilty of to some degree or another. IMHO, there is no harm in being ignorant, as long as you are humble about it. But this is where Americans and Brits alike let themselves down. We travel overseas and wonder why the 'locals' are offended when we complain about the food and the absence of english-speakers, and hear significant aspects of their culture heritage described as 'cute' or 'quaint'.

I find it offensive that at the moment, Hollywood produced movies typically typecast the baddie as English. In the 80s it was the South Africans, but it's not PC to do that these days. I have a running bet with my US friends and family that I can predict the outcome of a whodunit according to who the Englishman is... and more often than not, I'm right. And it's too political to make them Arab or Asian. The only time Americans are portrayed as ill-intentioned seems to be when they're taking over blue extra-terrestrial colonies for monetary gain. But why would they cast themselves in a bad light?

It also seems that what plays an important part in cultural sensitivity is the ability to have a self-depreciating humour about oneself. When you're out of your familiar comfort zone of home, you are hyper-sensitive to comments that are often not intended to be anything more than observation, genuine interest or a poorly judged attempt to connect with you on some level. I sound stereotypically English. And it's taken time for me to embrace that and enjoy the laughs that it can produce. I just need to order fries at our local Eegee's drive-thru for them to say "oh hi! Did you want your usual dressing with that?", because they love the way I pronounce 'ranch' that makes it sound to them like 'raunch'. It'll be a running joke in our family how we nearly ended up going to the porn store for our engagement ring. And that's because the way we pronounce 'pawn' and 'porn' sounds exactly the same to Ry. FYI, we didn't go to either

There are always people who should be held up as beacons of good national representation and John Goodman is my example of that abroad. I was working for Haagen Dazs in Paris and he sat at one of my tables, got out his phrase book and in slow, careful French ordered 2 scoops of vanilla with Belgian chocolate sauce. He then asked, again in French, if he'd got it right. I just grinned and replied in my very English accent, "Yes, Mr. Goodman, it was perfect!" He laughed and said it was just his luck to get an English speaking server, and he'd only spent 2 hours practising before sitting down. So he added a black decaf coffee and chocolate sprinkles, since he hadn't been able to figure out how to order them. LOL.

[SunDrop 59]

"It's great that you're moving here!! But wait...[serious, genuine concern face] how are you going to cope without pork pies? We don't have them here."

"What grade will your daughter go into? [Fourth] But she's in the fifth grade now, though right? [Yes, she's in year 5 here] Oh right, I guess they're keeping her back a year to give her time to get used to the language? [...ahh, yeah. She'll struggle with the English at first O.o]

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

It also seems that what plays an important part in cultural sensitivity is the ability to have a self-depreciating humour about oneself.

what happens when it depreciates to zero?

[Pooky 3,786]

"It's great that you're moving here!! But wait...[serious, genuine concern face] how are you going to cope without pork pies? We don't have them here."

"What grade will your daughter go into? [Fourth] But she's in the fifth grade now, though right? [Yes, she's in year 5 here] Oh right, I guess they're keeping her back a year to give her time to get used to the language? [...ahh, yeah. She'll struggle with the English at first O.o]

But Sundrop, they don't speak English here

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I loved once listening to a couple of English women complaining about "not being able to get a proper cup of tea"......in China

[Ladylethal 12]

i don't think it was an 80's thing, i was talking to my friend the other day and she wants to send her daughter to disney. i never wanted to go to disney, but then again, i always wanted to be different from everybody else and if everybody else was going for sure i was not.

i didn't start this thread to bash Americans, I've heard from people from other nationalities stupidity like that.

I just felt it more in the 80's and 90's as I was seeing it first hand. I'm the youngest in my family and didn't have much contact with teens after I grew up myself so I wasn't sure if it'd be correct to say it's still like that, but I imagined it'd be, after all, it is our 15th birthday tradition to do a big party or to travel to Disney or some exchange program (I did the exchange program )

[SuperDuper! 230]

Filipinas are anything but cash cows. Their partners are, however.

The Filipinas are the TLC and young Sex Machines that keep their mature Kano so happy and satisfied, after ditching the old nag hag bag Americana.

Why shouldn't the man provide her with a comfortable life?

Each partner meets the other's needs. Call it a loving, consensual mutual exploitation if you want. It don't mean that it is a bad arrangement.

[Ladylethal 12]

I loved once listening to a couple of English women complaining about "not being able to get a proper cup of tea"......in China