Stereotypes which you are qualified to verify

Okay. As I go back the states every year I've noticed more and more that the stereortype about American's being enormously overweight in general is by and large true. Ami's are a fat people. We eat fast food laden with fat, we drive everywhere rather than walk, and most of us work in jobs where we sit at a desk and stare at a computer all day. We are getting (or are and are getting more) fat. So when people over here crack jokes about fat Americans I can at least say that this unfortunately is often a stereotype that rings true. Not always of course. There are certainly a lot of Ami's in good shape and many are normal weight, but the percentage of fatties is higher in America than anywhere I've been here in Europe. SO... What are the true stereotypes (or at least justified) that you are aware of of your own country or Germany or any other country you've lived in long enough to be a qualified 'expert'.

My American stereotype number 2. I was back in America and we were visiting family (extended family). And we were just talking about normal things and my aunt was amazed that they have microwaves over here. I've also run into people thinking that we don't have pizza (I guess that's supposed to be just an American dish... uh.). And people thinking that Germany was still basically run by Nazi's or at least by Nazi sympathizers. So I'm thinking that us Ami's aren't really as international as we ought to be. I'm waiting for someone to be amazed that we have indoor plumbing or that we don't live in huts. So grudgingly Americans being aware or knowledgeable of other countries is another stereotype that I hesitantly have to admit may be truer than I'd like it to be.

By the way... the German stereotype of being cool (unemotional, frigid) towards one another seems to be spot on unless they are family or good friends.

One stereotype that I am starting NOT to believe in Germany is that the very anal attention to order and structure pays off with flawless clockwork type precision in the end product. My reason? T-Online. Possibly the worst, most bureacratic, hideously inept, but make you jump through hoops should you ever require customer assistance, company ON THIS PLANET.

I'm interested to hear what the Brits think about the quality of British food compared to the rest of the world.

Okay... summary. My 2 cents.

Americans - Fat (justified)
Americans - Uneducated about any of the world outside it's own borders (justified)
Germans - Cool and unemotional (justified)
Germans - Precise and Orderly resulting in a superior product (verdict still out, but leaning towards not justified)

English - A race descended from God himself (justified)

most stereotypes generally have an element of truth in them.

and people in lots of countries sit behind desks for most of the day too.

To be fair too the ami's, whilst it's a bit strange that some believe we haven't got microwaves over here yet - the USA is a very big country and in some ways it isn't fair to claim that they aren't as international as other people (lots of Europeans have never been outside europe and have outdated views of Africa/S.America)

Well travelled? Yes I've been to Hawaii!

talking about tubby people - the stereotype of a German can be a Helmut Kohl type in a Mercedes but I have haven't encountered that many overweight people here

Agree completely with BR re: his point about being fair to Americans.
I know a ton of people from Europe who've never left Europe and probably couldn't pick out Louisiana on a map for love nor money.

Italians - Not affraid of trying to pull your girlfriend when she is sitting next to you (justified)

Who's Louisiana

@Topsy Yeah but Louisiana is a State not a country. That would be akin to asking an American to find Hesse.

Well, given that there are 50 states in America, asking someone to pick out one of them that's not an American would be tough. As it is, I think I would be hard pressed to pick out every single one of them and know right off what it is... maybe I could do it, but for a non American that's asking quite a bit.

italians - running away (justified)

New Zealanders - Potheads (Justified)

it may be asking quite a bit but I would argue that asking a non European (or many europeans in fact) to identify loads of European countries is asking quite a bit too.

zackly. what BR said.
but we say Ami's are thick/uneducated/whatever cos they can't do it.

(I can identify all the states in the US, btw, and am willing to take anyone up on an "identify the state on a map" challenge in return for an Augie )

but most europeans would not associate corsica with france... believe me i've seen it happen.

I loved John Lydon's description of the British stereotype in his book 'No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs'. I'm not quoting verbatim because I have lent the book to a mate (and tell him I want it back Ms Dorthy), but it goes something like:

The British have to blame everybody other than themselves for the mess they get themselves into. First it was the Irish immigrants, then the West Indians, then the Asians. Now you've got second generation British Asians blaming the West Indians. The whole thing is fucked up. Nobody looks at what the real problem is. They just dole out blame from one class level downwards.

There is kind of a strong point in what he says, and in a way, I have seen what he says in Britain, so I have to agree somewhat. Lydon isn't famous for mincing words. He just comes out and says what is on his mind. IMHO his ultimate line (about Glen Matlock) was: "When you look like a cunt, and you talk like a cunt, in my opinion, you are a cunt."

Classic.

I'll do my self-bashing Anti-Amis day today.
1) Overweight (this is true, but the studies are now showing Australia and Britain pulling ahead)! This is due to a reliance on autos, and what aggravates me are the (not to be sexest) women who I worked with before, who would take their "walking shoes" to work and walk for their thirty minute lunch. I would encounter them as I passed to the stairs and they were coming out of an elevator that only went from the ground floor to the next floor. They would also drive around for ten minutes looking for a closer parking place...and then they felt that they deserved their treat at the end of the day because of "walking" for thirty minutes.
2) Uneducated about world politics (or politics in general): in one regard I see the that due to politics that may directly effect the choices of the American, they know some local politicians, the State and National representatives/Senators, the neighboring Govenors, and if you look at it as a Geographical distribution, the American that knows what is going on in New York, compared to their homestate of California is equivalent to someone who is living in Germany knowing laws in Spain...that said, it is surprising how many Ami's don't know that much about world history, or current international politics, as the choices the average voter makes in the US appears to have a great impact on world politics...at least in terms of conflicts
3) The mundane topics discussed: after living in Germany for a few years, I have been quite adept at filtering out the conversations of the tables next to mine, since the do not speak Engölish, this has been quite simple. However the last trip, that I arrived in the US, I was dumbfounded to hear the people around me screaming away at the most boring conversations. I think it has more to do with them speaking in English. But I am happy not to daily engage in conversations concerning what was on the TV last night, or which SATC actress you most resemble...There is more to life the TV
4) Warmongerers: I just like the word monger, and there does not seem to be as many as there should be, fishmonger aside. But I was at a table one day with a person from each of the following countries: Iraq, Japan, Russia, Germany and Korea. I silently noted to myself that my country has had a war with each of their respective countries (maybe not Russia except for that "temperature dependent" terminology. But I tried to question, why the US has so much interest in war. I will save my theories for another day, but it is the same reason that Ami's are also one of the most charitable countries as well.
5) Back seat war commentators: I personally am tired of hearing so many Americans talk about how Res. 1449, or 1559, or whichever are the reasons that we should have done this or that. That where the mistake resides is that we should have attacked first... Or if we had... I have noticed that more than speaking about the issues the precipitate an attack, that more Ami's prefer to discuss military strategy as if they are talking about a paint ball game they did on the weekend.
6) Not the most educated people (that travel abroad): Unlike German society which is fairly uniform, the US is made up of so many diverse cultures, backgrounds, and financial levels. It seems that the this last seperation is the strongest seperator in the US (I would put education for Germany, and maybe speech for the UK). This being said, most people who travel to foreign countries in the US are military (who are young kids who didn't even want to be there in the first place), or rich (which in the US has no relevance to education or knowledge) people who travel over here and are surprised in everything that is different than what they expected.

Here is a geography test for europe. Didn't get many of the old soviet republics correct. Tests for all continents including possibly the hardest one in the world australasia.

Geography Test

surely you haven't actually tried to eat the cardboard with spray cheese they call "pizza" here then. Blech.

Americans are professional snackers, in addition to being sedentary/driving everywhere. Then again, I wonder if there is any European country as obsessed with fitness as Californians are (given its the fifth largest economy in the world, it merits comparison).

The intelligence bit, well that's unfortunately driven by a few stereotypes from a few select regions of the US. Look at our univerisity system however.

edit:

agree with some, though not all, of brokenm's post. surely you've heard stupid conversations on the U-bahn. I barely speak German, and I know I have.

twinsie: oh god. was trying to blot that out until it was warmer...

Germans - wear sandals with socks: justified

This stereotype is absolutely true, but your comment about Americans being worse than Europeans isn't entirely accurate. I'll have to try and find it, but I read a study that pins Brits at exactly the same percentage.


This one I disagree with. In general about "Americans" I guess, but then that's why I consider California a different country. In my experience, in California, along with a few other select states, the ones who think that Europeans don't have microwaves are in the small minority. They might not be hugely familiar with European history, but I think most recognize that they're equivalently technologically advanced.


Again, I think this distinction is not fair in any context. The US is huge in size and in population. The individual states within the US might have a lot more in common with each other than do countries in Europe, but there are just as many differences between them.

Stereotype: The British are polite to a fault. - Not justified - perhaps outdated?

what are the top four then?

BTW: Amis don't hold the fat title to themselves anymore.


More info here. The article in the International Herald Tribune had the complete breakdown of countries but I can't get my hands on it at present.

/gives fat, ignorant hugs all around

Stereo Type: Lebanese people, proud beyond reason.
Some people are almost starving to death yet they wont take up a job that is "inappropriate" Now that the Syrians are almost gone (them being the cheap labor force in the country), all construction sites are on halt, and the garbage is piling up into mountains because not one lebanese person is willing to take those jobs.

@sleepless in munich - you may have busted me. this may have been at the height to of the high tech boom rather than now. will keep looking though.

edit: now sixth, apparently, though this is from California itself and counts the entire US as one...

Germans: towels on sunbeds? (no personal evidence but I think a thread on here previously established that it was true)

Austrians - barkin' mad. Love 'em to bits.

@butterbean & Sleepless..
Butterbean is accurate.
World Economies

California 13% of total US GDP

Lebanese = very arrogant. Agree.

What??! Orderly, I prefer to say good at following rules. In work, I see nobody taking initiative, they'll just follow orders, without bloody question, even when its clear that a shitty decision was made. Maybe that was just the place I was working, but it was dire. Nobody wanted to take responsibiltiy for a decision, preferring to pass the buck, and let somebody else make an order for them to follow.

too true, don. blind adherence to rules and regulations without ever questioning their merit or application to a particular situation ("cannot cross without green man, despite no cars within 50 km").

That's from 2000!!! find something up to date please.

The flip side of the coin is that they willl cross if the man is green even if a BMW is bearing down on them at a rate of knots and gives no sign of stopping.

the link I added above is from 2004. puts California behind Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.

and an Austrian is in charge of it...

It's actually sixth, according to this document (pdf).

1. US
2. Japan
3. Germany
4. UK
5. France
6. California

Edit: oops, beat to the draw...

Ok here's another one: Germans - hypochondriacs : justified
I mean, how can a wind front influence illness, suicide, even car accidents!?

Headline on gmx today: Weniger Unfälle bei Föhn, aber mehr Selbstmordversuche
Fewer accidents during "Föhn, but an increase in suicides

Who in the world conducts these studies???

Okay even taking the 2000 figures 13% of the USA GDP still puts them below China in 8th place.
But then its just taking a part of a larger one isn't it...I mean you could start slicing off the best parts of each country to say they have economies in the top 10.
I mean the EU as single entity is mentioned, but that would be a larger economy.

Lebanese are the most loved ethnic group in australia.

maybe, but my original point was only that California/a state can be comparable to an individual EU country.

the woman who conducted the study is a meteorologist named Eva Wanka - how apt

You must be one tough son of a gun! Tell me. When have Italians run away from you enough to stereotype them that way?

i am most certainly not.
italia '90. rome '97.

Hmmm if you were in Rome for that infamous qualifier then you have to clear something up for me. I thought the idea was that you guys had basically been mercilessly beaten to a pulp by savage Italian police? I mean, who did the running away ultimately?

Irish - mad pint drinkers and party goers (justified)

Okay. I'll agree that California is in a health craze (I'm a Southern Californian myself) but California seems to have the extremes down. There are twiggy girls running around and skinny skater guys everywhere but there are still the rotund beef balls waddling around at the mall every Saturday. California is probably thinner than the rest of the US overall though. And I wasn't suggesting the Ami's are the fattest people in the world, only that the stereotype seems to be true when you look around once in the states. One thing that I really notice is that you find some REALLY REALLY fat people in the states and here you'll find fat people, but it's rare to see these people that use canes to walk as a result of their weight. Not that this is COMMON in America, but it's more common.

As for the Microwave comment, that was a one time thing. Again, I'm talking about stereotypes, not rules. It's not the rule that everyone in America is uneducated about the world outside, just that the stereotype seems to fit more often than it would if it weren't a justified one. California though (as well as NY) really are pods when it comes to America because they are SO culturally diverse. America is hard to classify because of it's size. That's why we divide it up into regions. The South for example, not very diverse, midwest, not very diverse, southwest and east coast are more diverse etc.

And will a Brit please post your own opinion on the food in Britain? Justified stereotype that it's crap or is the stereotype just untrue?

My impression was that people in the US are either skinny or fat (being curvy-slim, I felt like an alien).

I could write you a bloody essay on it mate. The FOODSTUFFS available in Britain can be of the highest quality. The selection and variety of food available in the average supermarket is high, but mostly imported, but there is excellent produce of UK origin available. The selection of restaurants in the UK is probably more varied that anywhere I have ever been to, but finding good ENGLISH food is not easy.
The vast, vast vast majority of Brits have no fucking idea on how to cook, and the pinnacle of most peoples cooking achievement is following Jamie Olivers "pukker" roast chicken recipes. Recipes that a monkey could follow, I hasten to add.
One of the largest problems is the Delia phenomenon, which has created a false level of confidence in British amateur cooks, leading them to believe that they can actually make a fucking goats cheese souffle as a "light lunch", even though preparation of a simple bloody omelette is beyond their skills.

There are some superb British recipes, some superb produce, but the general level of Englsih cuisine on offer in homes and restaurants is pretty bloody low.

May be getting off track here, but I think the quality of produce in German supermarkets is horrible! Aldi is the only one that I feel like I can reliably buy fruit and expect it not to be bad in the following 3 days. REWE is the worst. Bought fruit there a couple of times only to have it go bad the next day! Don't buy fruit there anymore needless to say.

Too true don. Mind you we at least have our goddess
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And my goat's cheese souffle is nice (haven't made one in ages, had a thing for a while about toasted goat's cheese, was totally fixated on it).