Are Americans really more prejudiced?

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Actually no.

Canada is physically big, but it only has 15 percent of the US's population so it IS a small country in power and GNP etc. The one state of California by itself is bigger than all of Canada. Japan is physically small but has half of the population size of the US and thus Japan is also "big" and is also several times the size of Canada.

^^ It's not how big it is, it's what you do with it, or so I'm told.

I think a lot of Americans do tend to tar all autistics with the same brush, like thinking all autistics are murderers. There's not so much of that in the UK. If one murderer says he's autistic, then that one murderer is autistic. It doesn't immediately make everyone think all autistics are murderers all of a sudden.

Americans have no filter compared to other countries. They can be really overwhelming as they over share everything. There is nothing subtle about Americans.

I have no clue how someone would know you are autistic unless you are really low or you told them. Americans value conversation and friendliness. If you are doing the blank Aspie stare, and seem "out of it", people can view that as rude. And depending on the person, call you out on it.

Where I live has many foreign nationals. Yes, there are the bigots but they tell me, at least you know who the bigot is. In other countries, people put on the varnish of politeness and still think ret*d, idiot, moron.

They are also amazed how Americans just help out and give. We jump in with both feet, and figure it out on the fly.

The UK is really the Autism anomaly. From what I hear from foreign nationals, at least the US educates autistic children. It may not be pretty or perfect, but they try. Their countries don't bother or try hard, and the social stigma on the family is bad.

In the US, people may not invite your child over because they can't handle the behaviors or meltdown. In other countries, people view the whole family poorly, and avoid them. Because your child is autistic your whole family is a tainted. This can also spill into your employment situations.

Americans muddle through the best they can with such a large diverse population.

One last thing...

The UK has the NHS and actually has a game plan for adults with disabilities. Visible and not visible (like Aspergers).

Our health system for the poor and uninsured is a mishmash of mostly county and state funding. Services can very greatly in areas of a state and the state itself when compared to others. When budgets get cut, there goes all the funding for everyone except the psychotic and profoundly disabled.

Your services in Manhattan are totally different from a small, rural Mississippi town.

Also remember the US throws the bulk of its funding and effort towards children and people who are low functioning. The adult person with autism, who isn't toilet trained and non verbal will get more help the than Aspie with advanced degrees. Sort of like, you got your education, deal with it. Work sucks for everyone and why are you being a snowflake about it. Americans don't view autism as a life long issue. I don't know why. You get your college degree, and I guess you are cured.

So, I don't think Americans are more prejudice. When the powers that be don't have united front on the issue, how can the great unwashed be any better and more accepting?

I do not think Americans are inherently more prejudiced against Autistics but in the UK the leading Autism Charity is the National Autistic Society and as mentioned above the policy setter is the NHS, in America the leading charity and policy setter is Autism Speaks. This makes a big difference.

There are no real American equivalents to Lorna Wing, Uta Frith, Tony Attwood. Our leading "experts" are on the DSM.

For the most part America only exists on my television, so that makes me prejudice.

However, I do work with two American people (in UK), I see them as being without prejudice to be fair.

I have traveled in three different counties, the US, Canada. and Japan. I have met polite and rude people in each of the three countries. But I have to say that the US has the most rude people. A large part of the US population seem to be uneducated redneck trash, who are filled with bigotry, racism, and xenophobia. I have never met many people who thought Americans were particularly polite.

That said, I can think of people from a few cultures that are a lot more rude then Americans are IMHO.

I wouldn't say it is so.
I have traveled quite a bit over my life with dad and thru military.

We can be considered rude because we are almost an apsie nation in our tendency to not sugar coat blunt opinions.
But it makes it way easier to know who you want to avoid. We are more gregarious as a society, generous, encompassing and want to assist in assimilation.

Though Quebec Canadians are frippin snooty rude I never had a problem hanging in territories my riding and skiing buds lived. The majority of Canadians I have met are not so much polite as they are laid back.


Of the European countries I've stayed in for week here or there, I'd say France was frippin rude. Mean arse snarky jerks that can target a 7 yr old for no particular reason other than obviously an american? and going again at age 14 with French Club only solidified my opinion. (edit: I have to add that the countryside at border had a better class of people in tehe farmlands) We missed UK. We were in Morocco, Egypt, Greece, Italy , Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia and then the Netherlands. If I rate rudeness (not to be confused with reserved) I can only include France then Spain.
Level of friendly non fawning helpfulness top was Morocco. Then Portugal, Greece, Nertherlands, Germany, Italy. Egypt then Czechslovakia. Germany was fun since we spent a Oct-Dec with kin of a farm outside Nuermburg. Ohhhh the foood!.

This was the 70s.


Other than schoolyard bullies, disabled people do not get too much grief day to day. Racial bias actually seem to have sharper hostile lines in Cities which like begets like. Here in Podunk south where even the KKK is active and skulking, it is really pretty quiet.

As far as specific Aspie hate? I doubt an average American would even know a person not on severe low end. And they really don't care. A large portion of Americans are offended by anyone they think is faking an illness for milking the system, which may make a unwelcoming or hostile attitude to a higher functioning ASD person.

Most US service sector workers are overworked and underpaided. They can be under a lot of stress and pressure.

I try to be careful with my facial expressions, choice of words and intonation when dealing with people.

Americans are just like most people. I suspect your problem was a social/emotional misunderstanding. That happens to me all the time.

Last edited by goatfish57 on 15 Jun 2016, 11:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

I have lived a few years at least each in the northeast, south, west, and midwest. People are basically the same everywhere.

I was born and raised in and around NYC and after 27 military service now live in Pennsyvania. So you can call me a natural Yankee more or less.

But I take exception to the concept of rude redneck trash as a stereotype for southerners. I found the people of the south (Texas, South Carolina, Mississippi) to be if anything, more polite and just as nice folks as anywhere else. The only real problem I had in the south was the heat/humidity.

Go in polite and respectful and 99% of the time thats what you receive back.

I'm glad that you're mindful that everyone has different tastes, but want to emphasize: do not judge Americans based on reality TV!! ! The people on those trashy shows are picked precisely because they're perfectly willing to make a scene, and I'll bet both my eyes that they're coached and manipulated to the Nth degree!

Similarly, family videos posted on YouTube are put up there for all sorts of reasons (I don't get most of them), and there are plenty who haven't and never would post a single thing. It's not wise to generalize based on such trivial productions.

I'll agree with you on that, American humor, at least what one sees on TV, is very seldom "laugh-out-loud" funny except on occasion. Interestingly, TV comedy aimed at a black audience is often funnier than average. I see many shows that depict situations that are funny but don't contain many real knee-slappers.

A lot of today's TV humor is what I would call "cringe humor" in that you are shown people in mortifying situations and expected to laugh "out of recognition".

The main problem would seem to be the writing. Most of the lines just aren't that funny. Whereas many Americans can be hilarious if you hear them talking at a party, but it doesn't translate to the screen. The one recent major exception being the Big Bang Theory, which I have laughed myself silly at many times. But it doesn't have many imitators. In contrast, something like Modern Family might seem less funny because it has "heartwarming elements" i.e. you are supposed to admire the courage of the gay couple. Whereas none of the characters in TBBT has any "redeeming characteristics" plus they constantly startle you by coming right out with what you might be thinking but could never imagine actually saying.

I think American humor was actually better back in the days of radio, possibly because it had to depend entirely on the writing. Something I enjoy watching is early episodes of a quiz show called "What's My Line?", which was unscripted, but the repartee, especially between the male performers John Charles Daly, Fred Allen, and Bennett Cerf is brilliant. Of course Daly and Allen were long-time radio guys; Allen in particular knew as well as anyone how to get a laugh. You can find episodes of "What's My Line?" on Youtube BTW unless it's blocked outside the US for copyright reasons.

I'll admit I have had nothing whatsoever to say about US prejudice against autistics.

Yep...I thoroughly enjoy What's My Line--but only the old John Daly-hosted version of it. Did you know that John Daly was actually born in South Africa?

You know who I liked on that show? Bennett Cerf. I liked him because he was one who showed that one could combine a New York accent with erudition.

American humor probably reached its height during the 1960s and 1970s. The 1960s was more madcap; the 1970s was more issue-oriented. Both featured really funny shows.

Today, American humor tends to focus on sexual innuendo, and all the same stuff in general. It's not what it used to be.

I don't believe Americans are necessarily prejudiced against people with autism. I believe they are, to a considerable extent, ignorant about autism. Aspergians are seen as people who sit on the computer all day in their parents' basements. They are not seen as being autistic, by and large. They are seen as being geeky, socially awkward, not able to color-coordinate in clothes. Modern people use the term Neckbeard to refer to the stereotypical basement dweller.

To Joe90 about Americans seen on reality TV -- most ordinary real-life Americans are nothing like that.

Consider the source. The reality TV shows you see, the newspapers or online headlines you read -- good news and positive portrayals never make the news do they? It's because sensationalism sells, and good news isn't news.

There are no reality shows about plain, nice, calm, normal people because that wouldn't be fun enough to watch, to most people who are in the market for a reality show. So instead there is Jeremy Kyle, Jerry Springer. There are headlines about how fat, dumb, rude, bible-toting or gun-toting "Americans" are.

What you DON'T get to hear about are the millions of Americans who are none of those things, and just live ordinary, moderate lives every day.

Regarding politeness -- in my personal experiences the Americans in my life have been WAY more polite than the Brits!

Seriously, Britain is alas no longer a bastion of impeccable manners. If anything, life in at least the major cities has become breathtakingly rude. Brits are also awkward -- people fail constantly to introduce themselves or a friend, fail to give polite customer service OR BE a polite customer, just for a few examples.

I find Americans to be much more conscious of everyday manners and to execute them well. Customer service there is normally extremely polished and polite. In my experience it's on the contrary in the UK that restaurant staff or anyone else in a service position is likely to treat you like crap. Come to my local Tesco! Cashiers guaranteed to be sullen even when you are polite and friendly first!

I think America has the exact opposite problem as the Far East - which is that, people in China, Japan, etc. are thought to be "inscrutable" which if you actually know anything about those cultures is a major misconception.

In contrast, everybody seems to think they know EVERYTHING about America and Americans - they have been repeatedly told what America is like and how Americans think all their lives. Whereas in fact, America is very complicated and Americans themselves don't really understand their own culture all that well (compared to the UK where most people seem to have a good basic grasp of their culture). When actually dealing with Americans, it is not surprising if the experience is other than one expects, which could also lead to the impression of rudeness. Just as if you pet a cat and it bites you, you conclude it's a bad cat because you had fully expected the cat to just love being petted.