What do you think of (US) Americans?
Asked by
Strauss (
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)
March 25th, 2015
While surfing YouTube, I came across this clip. I always think it’s interesting to see ourselves in a mirror held up against other cultures.
I’m primarily looking for non-American point-of-view, but anyone can chime in.
And I have not forgotten that the so-called “American” culture has little in common with what might be called the “First-Cultures” Native American cultures.
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39 Answers
(This is crying out for ragingloli to come and take a dump on us.)
I like us. I like that we’re we have so many subcultures because of all the ethnicities that came here. I love that we have so many subcultures based on regional circumstances because we occupy such a large and diverse landscape.
I love the general vitality of the population.
This question will likely engender a bunch of vitriol from at least one specific person, who is probably just jealous that they don’t live here.
Well said @canidmajor. The melting pot idea is a huge part of what makes the US such a strong nation. It’s amazing to see such a broad diversity of backgrounds come together.
That said, there is a huge white, protestant, xenophobic, close-minded population here that really gives us a bad name in the international community.
At this point you would have to work very hard to disappoint me further.
I agree very strongly with @canidmajor. While I certainly don’t discount that there are some of the strongly negative people that @gorillapaws warns about, I do not find that to be a “huge” group. A lot of people have carefully worded and well-thought ideas about why uncontrolled immigration (combined with a potentially quite rewarding welfare program, and lack of assimilation of many recent immigrant groups), but that’s not “hate”.
I have to admit to a love/hate relationship which i keep to myself once outside of her borders. I only discuss this with other Americans. It’s like, oh hell, it’s a very strong love, like you have for your sibling or child and you want the best for them, you are extremely aware of their potential because you’ve seen less gifted families, less gifted children in wealth and opportunities and you’ve seen the drudgery the others must put up with in places like Haiti and Cuba, or even Dominica. I see the need, the lack of resources of other people and how they must cope. Then I see this bunch of wealthy complainers, these sniveling little children with everything. Even their poor have cars and cell phones and air conditioning, schools, medical care at the touch of three numbers on a keypad, a working sewage system, adequate food and potable water. I become like a hyper-critical parent. It’s not the healthiest thing. I’m constantly made acutely aware of how unique America’s circumstances are, how lucky we are to have been born in such a place, but I’m too often disappointed in us, and lose patience. Or maybe I’m just getting old and crotchety and it’s time to go back home and chase kids off the lawn.
I’m a Brit who visits America quite often. In general, I like Americans. I find their customer service to be better than ours and even during casual interactions I have always found them friendly and polite.
3 youtube clips from non-Americans in the responses. Do you guys not know how to express yourselves?
@CWOTUS Unless you’re 100% Native American, you’re a descendant of immigrants. Our entire culture is based on that.
Are we considering the South and Midwest (the part that seceded in 1861) to be part of the US? The culture there is so different from the Northeast and the West Coast that you either have to give two different opinions, or ask what part of America you want an opinion on.
It’s been 150 years since the Confederacy was brought back in, and we’re still two countries. I wonder why we consider ourselves “united” in light of the wide-and-growing cultural divide.
FYI, I couldn’t watch that whole clip because the camera-person couldn’t be bothers to filter their mike, so all I heard was wind. I saw lips moving but only heard hurricanes and tornadoes.
@canidmajor Did you even watch the clip I posted?
It’s all in good fun,now tell me if you did why would those people go on like they did on a subject they know absolutely nothing about, no less just a hoax, they would have looked a great deal smarter to just admit they knew nothing of what was being asked and have the fake reporter move on, I definitely would have.
Based on your media: Guns, prisons, fast food. Loud, angry, dull, self-important, self-centred, belligerent, religious, uninformed.
Based on personal experience: Diverse in pretty much all ways. But rather obviously in need of many improvements to catch up with the rest of the civilized world (gun control, universal healthcare, education). America is not run as if it is a single country, and its poor suffer for it greatly.
@SQUEEKY2 The funniest thing about Rick Mercer’s Talking to Americans is that Jay Leno shamelessly stole it, as “Jaywalking”.
No, @SQUEEKY2, I didn’t bother to click on either your link to @ucme‘s links because the question was not asking for clever little links, it was asking for opinions. I would be more interested in what you guys have to say for yourselves in this case.
Or maybe you’re right. Maybe I wouldn’t.
The clip I posted does show my opinion of Americans.
And die hard right wing Americans scare the shit out of me.
@SQUEEKY2 Watched some of it and I have to say I hate that kind of piss-taking satire of unsuspecting people. It’s something I don’t like when the Daily Show does it either although when the target is politicians that’s fair game.
Speaking as a U.S born citizen, I think Americans are individualistic, masculine, risk-takers, and impulsive. This is only in comparison with the rest of the world. If I had to compare current Americans to historic Americans, then I would say we have greatly declined in those descriptions.
@canidmajor Most americans are cool, those on Fluther…considerably less so.
There, better?
I am an American chauvinist.
I am also not apologetic about it.
Which makes me an unpopular figure on Fluther.
And, I don’t care.
Having said it, I believe Americans have the foundation to be the saviors of humanity.
Can’t wait for the bullshit that follows. But I think I am correct.
Hitler thought the same thing.
No – I think he was called Herman Goerring.
@gorillapaws I don’t know what was unclear about my response. Of course I am a descendant of immigrants; I have always recognized that. I fully support immigration, and I am always happy to meet and greet new arrivals to this country.
However, the example you gave of the “original” settlers of this country, the so-called Native Americans, fully represent why immigration should be in some wise restricted and controlled. By “restricted” I do not mean that we should only let in a few billionaires each year, either. I favor immigration by the hundreds of thousands per year. But not “everyone and anyone and with no accounting”, and certainly not to end up on welfare rolls.
Many of us here idolize America, comparing every aspect of life in America to life in my country. Like, you are richer than us, more civilized than us, have a better government system than us, blah blah blah. Products from America are always welcomed. A life in America is something many dream of.
Personally I find some of the opinions true, but then again, I see a lot of you on Fluther discuss about some bad things in America, so maybe things aren’t as perfect as people think. I’d like to think of America as a place where there a lot of things my country need to learn and avoid.
The question in the clip was ‘What do you think about America’... not ‘What do you think about Americans’. I think they are two different questions, don’t you?
@cazzie A country without it’s people and culture is just land. Now, do we compare native trees and weather patterns, or do we throw people (along with their people, culture, government, etcetera) in and make it about more than just the wildlife?
Americans are there to show the world what Canadians woulda been like before they became civilised.
Difficult question. I’ve been to America, and I loved it. However, I know about thirty Americans in real life, and I just learned that there are 318 000 000 of you guys. I don’t feel competent to judge from personal experience.
Of course, I do have stereotypes. Those probably say more about my culture than yours, but I can include them to satisfy your curiosity. Here are the ones I agree with:
Religion still has a firm grip on your country. In parenting, some of you cling to antiquated beliefs. Many of you are too patriotic for my liking. Your health system is atrocious, your police force needs to be cleaned up, and your gun control is not existent.
These are some I don’t agree with, but have heard:
Americans love junk food and are, in general, fat. Your school system breeds ignorance. America is fake. Americans are inherently more aggressive than other cultures.
I think those generalized ideas are racist, and I speak up when I hear them said in my vicinity – but, since you asked…
@jerv , My point is more to the ‘America’ with its history of over hundreds of years as opposed to what people think of Americans who are currently living and represent the current culture, but also as ‘Americans’ in certain cases of personal renown or infamy.
Well, @SQUEEKY2, still not going to click. A lot of people log in from a small mobile device, if you can’t be bothered, neither can I.
@canidmajor oh well your loss, and I did state in another post without the dreaded click of what I thought but I guess you didn’t bother with that one either.
One more thing I must point out from personal experience that when you get more than say 75miles south of our border the people are absolutely clueless about any thing Canadian and it get more so the farther south you go, don’t you find that a bit odd seeing how most Americans claim at how well informed they are about the rest of the world ?
And will add again die hard right wing Americans scare the shit out of me.
@cazzie Looking at our history, that makes things worse.
@SQUEEKY2 What did you name your pet polar bear? Is it difficult living in an Igloo?
“God Bless America”…all kinds of blech.
@jerv I never specified which gave people a more ‘warm and fuzzy’ feeling. I just said there is a difference.
I know some nice Yanks (I work with a couple), but I think you are victims of an education system that doesn’t acknowledge that the rest of the world exists, and the world’s most stupid, self-destructive gun laws. If the US stopped playing world policeman, I think it would be more popular.
Based upon the comments from non-US citizens I’ve met that visited the US, they are shocked by the how overweight and loud we are. Other comments, questions, assumptions are:
* Gun ownership is common
* Christians that either assume others are or take offense if not
* We all are rich
* That the US is wonderful based upon their visit to Orlando, New York City and/or Las Vegas
* We are eerily friendly with strangers
* The massive food portion size
* Our politics
* Our lack of world education
* Tipping
* Cheese Whiz
The list goes on. It’s all cultural. Personally, I would like to see the US adopt practices that work well in other countries if it suits.
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