List your honest opinions about Americans

Post Reply New Topic

Japan

My honest opinions about Americans I have encountered IRL where they have differed from others:

Loud, out going, talkative (more so than loud and talkative people of other nationalities)

Occasionally obnoxious (not necessarily more so than others, but differently, kinda more like unaware of how they come off to the rest of the world; sometimes related to the point below)

Less generally informed about the world around them, and no idea how that makes them sound at times

More nationalistic/ patriotic, to the point where some of them have seemed to believe that telling you where they come from is telling you the best thing in the world since sliced bread

More politically divided (sometimes people here complain about too many small parties, but maybe at least more than 2 isn't so bad IMO; less extremism)



That said, the majority of Americans I have encountered online, have been no better or worse than anyone else, and some have been very nice. I've probably encountered more Americans than any other nationality online based on where I go online, and the majority of them do not seem to belong in the above categories, with an exception of being less generally aware of what goes on in the rest of the world. Most Americans do indeed seem fairly clueless about that, sorry, but it's true.

Yeah, sometimes I'm amazed at what Americans don't understand about British English, when I as a Norwegian, understand it, despite being far more used to American English in media. There was an British-American dictionary in John Marsden's books, and I was flabbergasted by what it was assumed that Americans didn't get, and also by some differences they seem unaware of that I have come across.

If, as someone suggested, "Americans" hated non-Americans, then its doubtful that the USA owner of this site would have appointed at least 3 current mods who aren't USA residents or citizens.... nor have I noticed that all the "Americans" members who dominate this site numerically hate the 3 of us, leaving aside the disgruntled who dislike any mod for acting on continual breaches of the rules..

However there is one thing that puzzles and to an extent concerns me about "Americans". As most members know, I live in New Zealand, which has two principal land masses, called the "North Island" and the "South Island". Heaven forbid, but if we in the North decided to depict ourselves as "New Zealanders" and designate those in the south as "South Island New Zealanders", the outrage from the South Island would probably cause the whole planet to explode.... (it would never happen, because the Northerners' sensibilities would be outraged too).

I know that there will probably be responses saying that the American thing is justified because there are countries above and below them to the North and South.

However I will just go on referring to "America" as the USA, which is what I do in my posts, because America is much bigger than the USA.

What is my HO about Americans?

We Americans are all certain that we are all either...the best people in the world, or that we are the worst people in the world.

Both opinions are vanities.

It’s called confirmation bias. You are only noticing the stuff that seems to support your preconceived notions.

Next time you’re out in public observe how everyone interacts with you and others. Don’t just see the bad stuff. Every time I engage in this activity, positive things way outweigh the negative.

Most people are much better than you are giving them credit for.

There needs to be some balance here.

Unlike Saudi Arabia, we don’t cut people’s fingers off when they steal.

Sure, there are things we could be doing better, but I find the constant negativity towards America perplexing, to say the least.

I think America is a really good country that could be great with just a few tweaks. Booting Trump out should be the first tweak...

Another thing about Americans is they always sound so non-threatening even when they're really angry. If I ever went to America and got confronted by a troubled, verbally abusive person, I don't think I would feel so threatened by their tone of voice, no matter how angry they sound. But if I'm confronted by a British person, man I s**t bricks. Our angry tone and body language seems much more aggressive and threatening when angry than Americans do, and the "stronger" the American accent the less angry they sound when really angry.

I know all kinds of words that aren't American. And I'll bet you don't know all the words that Americans use.

That's a rather arrogant thing to say.

America is a big country with hugely diverse accents and ways of speaking. You certainly can’t have heard everything.

How do you know we can’t sound as aggressive?

I’ve known one person who takes the cake in this department...

Ding ding ding!

Sociologists would call the response ethnocentric because it implies that her country’s version of English is superior to our own. Balderdash!

See Twisty, Americans aren’t the only group who struggles with ethnocentrism.

Probably the best answer on this whole topic.

I'm an American. I know a considerable amount about what's going on in the world.

I read up on other countries all the time.

And I know many British terms.

I love the USA. But it's not the "greatest thing since sliced bread."

I think what they meant by that is that Americans tend to brag about their ancestry as if it's impressive. I agree that many Americans do that sort of thing. They'll go on and on about their various European heritages like being Irish, German, French, Italian, etc. Some brag about having traces of Native American ancestry, and black Americans will also take pride in their African heritage.

From what I understand people in other countries could care less about things lile that...

Or maybe I misunderstood Skipaddle...

But I think its a good point non the less.

I don’t think that that’s necessarily bragging. It’s just being interested in one’s roots. It helps one understand family history. Such people consider themselves Americans first, and the other things help them place their families’ traditions in a broader cultural context. America is a melting pot but each ingredient comes from a different place and adds some flavor.

That’s how I think of it anyway.

It’s probably quite common in countries that have such a strong history when it comes to immigration. Some people’s last names were changed. Also, if your family was brought to this country through the slave trade, that can cause some weird, conflicting emotions.

I find my ancestry interesting.

So do I. I'm part Irish and German, but also part Hawaiian and Filipino (Polynesian). And I'm part British.