Americans are the unfriendliest people on Earth

Americans most rude, unfriendly: survey

I hate to admit it, but having been around the planet, the USA is the rudest, and most unfriendly place in the Western world. It was different 10 years ago, but the since the late 1990's America has become more aggressive, polarized, suspicious, and xenophobic. Even the border town I lived in Israel, I see Arabs pass by and hardly care, but there is a lot of underlying racism in America that is becoming more obvious, especially the anti Hispanic attitude I see there. Live in Miami, I am one of the few non Hispanic doctors that serve a mostly Hispanic community.

I find them to be anything but those things you said. I guess it must just be you.

Hmmm... that's weird... everytime I go back home I am blown away by how friendly people are... even in New Jersey... compared to Germans.

Being a tour guide I have really met people from nearly every country I can think of... just this last month people from over 30 countries. Anyways, I've met complete assholes and extremely nice people from just about everywhere...

...but on average, I gotta agree Crawlie and Erdbeere.

What an interesting source.

They'll have to ask more than 2 people if they want an accurate result.

I agree this was a very small sample of people. However, since 911 there is much more red tape for foreigners to get into the U.S. and this could be why the perception. I think this source and article could be propaganda.

Exactly. It's the Law of Attraction, we attract what we are.

the Americans themselves are great, as a rule.

But I have to agree with the article. I will do anything to avoid travelling to the USA these days, because of the aggressive treatment you get at customs. If you're travelling by yourself, like me, it's a dead cert that you'll end up on an airlines watch list and be searched at every airport you pass through.

They make it VERY clear that you are an "alien". And I'm white. I wonder what treatment Middle Easterners have to put up with.

Once you get into the country itself, it's all great. But customs is a painful and hostile experience.

Customs in most countries since 9-11 are difficult. Not just in the US.

I've never been to the US so it's hard for me to judge but having worked at Munich airport for 5 weeks now if the guys in the US have to put up with the same abuse and hostilities for doing their job as we do then I can't blame them for being unfriendly. I admit that it's a very small percentage that bitch around but they can ruin your day big time. Two days ago I had to put up with a Canadian bitching with me for speaking english with her! "We're in Germany, bla, bla, bla ..."

I can imagine that would suck.

America has changed. Until a few years ago, the customs people were quite friendly, especially if you smiled at them. It's very different now.

Sure, these guys now have to enforce idotic regulations for which very few have any understanding and if it's anything like here: 2 mistakes and you've lost your job!

The website from which that story is taken is enough to convince me this survey is bogus.

I was at the 60th birthday of the CSUs youth wing last night, by accident, the Jugend Union, or JU. The JU was huge and blue. The bar people were really unfriendly and threw the beers down on the bar with a stare that was not very friendly at all. I felt like Poland in 1939. Punch was not served. I think the CSU people are the most unfriendliest I've ever come across.

The Americans and their barmen by comparison I found to be a very open, congenial, friendly bunch who didn't throw my beer at me like I came in sucking slugs out of their wives underpants. They were very nice and I thoroughly enjoyed and valued the time I spent in their country. Thank you America, it was great fun. But Ireland is not next to Sweden.

Also, the San Francisco customs folk? Great, especially the one who looked like Cliff from Cheers. The Barking Dwarf? Not so good.

Better? From this story it's clear the report is referring to Homeland Security staff and procedures, not Americans in general.

Here's the original report, produced for the Travel Industry Association of America.

Most of the patients in my clinic are immigrants, and I can tell you the article is pretty accurate.

You certainly did well to get your medical degree in the two years (and change nationality in that time) since you posted about being a Canadian businessman.

Americans are the unfriendliest people on Earth, So says a recent survey

Fuck ya!

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A

Nailed.

Cannot believe it myself, all i know of are open and friendly.Only thing i find about Americans and Canadians are their punctuality.Not very good there.

I fail to see the relevance of this comment, as your bogus article was about the perception of visitors who come to the U.S for a visit and then return to their countries, not about immigrants.

I'm a little confused, InvestorClass. You say you work in a clinic where you are "one of the few non-Hispanic doctors that serve a mostly Hispanic community". Yet A possible cure for the U.S. health care crisis you post a comment saying you were billed by your doctor for a nose accident and you wished you took your father's advice and gone to medical school. Can you elaborate for me please? Maybe I missed something.

Based on EVERYTHING I've read on this poster, including the posting on the thread yesterday about the Heightened Alert for Americans living in Germany where folks were questioning the reality of his posting there, maybe InvestorClass has delusions of granduer.

I have always found Americans to be friendly both in their own country and abroad, maybe a bit ignorant or geographically challenged at times but never unfriendly, they are certainly more friendly than Germans.

I do agree that getting through security at airports is getting less and less fun -- on the other hand, have you ever seen how dark-skinned, poorly-dressed people at the HBF are treated by police? I still find it weird that you have to have ID on you at all times in Germany, even if you aren´t entering or leaving the country.

The article was from a Pakistani website that alone should make everyone take it with a grain of salt. Friendliness or Unfriendliness depends upon where you go in the US, obviously in the big cities people are in a rush, but in smaller places, I thought people were friendly. New Yorkers are definitely not friendly, that scene in Borat where he starts saying hello to people on the train and then gets cursed out is pretty spot on, you can't say hello to strangers in the street there.

The survey is largly based on how people feel when meeting customs and boarder checkpoints. and like some people said, after 9/11 the US is more on guard. But the average american is friendly as pie

friendliest most positive people I've ever met. Love 'em

I know you have to be very careful at the border because basically there you are in no-mans-land. A while back before 911 there was a Jewish guy who was at the New York – Quebec border. Anyway the US custom guards didn’t like his attitude and the guard went behind him and pistol whipped the Jewish guy around the back of his head. The Jewish tried to take it to court but I don’t think he got anywhere with it.

I dont believe this!! If you talk about people you are most likely to interact with, like in shops, eateries etc...friendliest I have seen...in fact a bit over the top. The border, well they are paid to be over cautious and then again I did not find them to be unfriendly, stoic and grumpy maybe but defo polite.

I'll find the link

I find customs and security to be MUCH more of a pain in the US than anywhere else I've visited, just based on attitude alone. It always seems like a big elaborate show designed to demonstrate might and a slothful sort of ignorant, American-centric machismo. And though immigration was quite nice to my fiance when I was with him, the security people were unbelieveably rude to him, shockingly so, as if they were just begging for someone to talk back and make a scene. It was really quite bad, they actually insulted him and made "ignorant foreigner" type remarks, and it's not like he is some hayseed who just fell off the turnip truck on his first trip outside the village.

Cant find anything on it it happened between 1985 to 1995 sort pre internet days. I am not saying Americans are unfriendly all I am saying is you have to be very careful at borders - even customs and immigration officers have guns there.

Americans are the unfriendliest people on Earth???

Bollocks!!! We English rank way above you.

Now piss off!!!

arshoo, they are waiting for their tip.

last time i visited the states, everybody (except 1 cab driver) was really friendly.

The couple of times I have been in America I have really liked the people and admired how friendly they are. I worked on a US military base here for a year. Althought he company I worked for was a crock of crap the US soldiers I dealt with were most courteous and friendly. All that friendly service you get in cafes could teach the Germans a lot about service.

Nope in my opinion living here day to day I reckon the Germans fly the flag for downright rudeness. Manners waste time and smiles waste muscles.

Sin: You forgot to say please at the end of your sentence!

Gosh! How unfriendly of you, jeremy. I shall take offence.

After being in South Carolina and enjoying the Nascar races before I leave (insert redneck joke here) I find southerners to be the friendliest of all. If I was staying in the USA I would move further south, even though I hate the weather.

Besides I didn't have problems in Dulles airport when I flew internationally, I got felt up at Hamburg and Amsterdam (by female guards people or whatever, not nearly as fun as it sounds) ...oh and 30 questions in Amsterdam about why I was there and other crap...I just want to go home ass!!!

depends on your color, oder? How do they like chocolate?

I never mind being felt up by those female guards...I guess to each his/her own

You all do have to admit that some people are really stupid when you go through customs. It may rub you the wrong way, but if you are polite and don't answer back, the security people mostly will just do their job with you. If you go there expecting a conflict, you'll probably instigate one.

I've also noticed that standing in the line for security inspires people to start talking about 9/11 and security measures and bombs and weapons. How stoooopid can you be? I think they have signs up telling you not to talk about terrorism when standing in line. Oh, and I know they have signs up telling you where you can complain if you are not handled well. You don't get that in Germany.

I also get crap going through customs sometimes, though I am a white female (thus supposedly less of a threat -- hahaha, little do they know --). I once got yelled at for not declaring chocolate, and threatened with a fine. I just calmly asked how much the fine was and where I should pay it and the lady calmed down. Oh, and the other time was a pissy gate agent who threatened not to let me ever re-enter the States because I had put some little green piece of paper in my suitcase rather than stapling it to my passport. I was hopping mad all the way back to Europe. Considering the number of times I've flown, most of my experiences have been good.

Now I'm getting on a roll: Have you ever noticed how people ignore all the directions they are given? It's published everywhere, there is a person whose only job is to walk up and down the line telling people -- and yet you STILL have idiots with all sorts of liquids in their hand luggage. People don't take off their jackets, they refuse to take off their shoes...I think I might get a bit irritable too, dealing with thousands of people like that every day. The best defense is a good offense. Smile at a grumpy security person, and four times out of five you'll see them relax and smile back at you. They're people, too.

Good post. Especially this, IMHO...

Are you perhaps just trying to justify some of the deeply divisive, insulting comments you personally have made on this site? Up until now, the Americans I have had to do with have been very nice.

thought you were ami?! dont you carry an Ami passport?

I'm certain that its not customs where the issue is. The long queues on entering US are at immigration.

All I have seen customs guys do is collect the white cards & say "thank you". Or run around with miniature-sized dogs sniffing luggage...

The biggest difficulties are at SECURITY on trying to exit the US...

I got felt up very gently in Amsterdam Schiphol too. Made me feel all tingly inside.

Wrong. This is much more accurate, according to relatives of mine who went recently:


Of course if anyone does talk back they get the full treatment. Gives the sad security fucks a warm feeling inside.

I must say I object at having to take off shoes and certainly dont do it voluntarily.
Considering that some people who travel are (like me) not the youngest some placed (Zurich was one) expect you to hop on
one leg whilst removing shoes. At least at most US airports there is somewhere to sit down whilst wrestling with knotted shoelaces.

Hamburg airport had the best solution - no shoes off. If thes are interested in your shoes they have a small "Hocker" which you
place your footed shoe on & they run around with their induction loop & send you on your way (that was February...).

There is an Australian behind the scenes type show about the security agents. Can't remember what it's called but it amazed me what kind of stupid things people despite all the warnings try to smuggle through security in their handluggage. . . knives, lighters that look like guns, boxes full of live lizards wrapped in socks, kiddie porn, the list goes on.