Do other countries really think ALL americans are stupid?

[TheJesus89]

american arrogance is sometimes borderline rude and/or obnoxious.... "the best country in the world... the freest country in the world.... the greatest country of the world.... USA #1" all statements that americans seem to spout out, any opportunity they can.

I think Geography plays a big roll in that.

For many Americans, the only foreign people we see are tourists and immigrants. We only share the continent with two other countries, and one of those could hardly be called a first world country, and the other one is Mexico. Oh ho ho me.

But seriously, since you guys live in such a diverse region, you can physically see that you're not the greatest country in the world.

We can't. People who are less educated could very well think Europe is a non-factor in day to day life, since we hardly see any Europeans in the West. I live in the midwest, and I've only talked to one or two.

The other stuff in your post I more or less agree with.

 

[Handbag1992]

I an American, I believe that our problems are: generalizations, Bush II's presidency, and letting idiots get all the air time.

This, you aren't all idiots, but you give the idiots the spotlight.

 

[Robert Ewing]

Statistically yes.

But I don't think ALL American's are stupid, and I don't like to generalize that all of them are. No, they aren't. There are a lot of intelligent Americans... But in the same way there are a lot of intelligent North Koreans. The majority (disclaimer, NOT ALL, BUT MOST) of red necks, hicks, yankee's, West coast sun worshippers, guido's, mountain folk, American Idol contestants, military personnel are majorly thick by planetary standards.

Everywhere else, sure they can pass.

 

[XHolySmokesX]

people think america is stupid for the same reason that people think;

English people are posh and are all from london,
French people are arrogant and smell bad,
Italian people are obsessed with pizza, pasta and sex,
Canadians don't have a clue aboot anything,
Russians want to take over the world by force,
anyone from the middle east is a terrorist,

The list goes on...

It's all down to ignorance, once you take the time to step back and think, what are these people actually like, you realise that these assumptions are not only wrong but cloud the greatness of these nations.

Most of the time you will find that all the corruption, deviation and evilness are the result of governments and organistations that put the public down for their own personal needs.

 

[Aranialis]

The problem is that in the US there are a lot of dumb people and the dumbasses usually stand out more than the normal and intelligent people.

 

[megarik]

no not ALL Americans are stupid but i think many are but that is with all country's there are always more people stupid than smart an staticly how more people there, are how more people are stupid .

 

[dvd_72]

When I'm talking about americans in general? I will admit I do use unfair generalisations. It may be wrong, and I know it's not strictly true, but it's just easer.

As for when I'm dealing with an individual, I rarely apply the stereotype of thier country to them personally. I know people are more complicated than that.

Call my hypocrytical, call me unfair, call me whatever you like. That's just how I do it.

 

[Kesimir]

The irony with people in other countries disliking Americans is that America is made up of all the people from that country that didn't dislike it (2/3 of US population growth is due to immigration). So you either have to admit that America has taken the very worst of all other countries (your poor and huddled masses, thank you very much) which is itself a very ignorant view, or you have to admit that the very things you dislike about Americans are the things you dislike in yourself. And if America as a nation has become the most visible mirror for the world to cast its derision upon well then as an American that is something I am proud of. In a very Machiavellian sense, if everyone loved us we would be doing something wrong as a sovereign nation. Make no mistake, America does not act as the world police out of a sense of misguided altruism. America does so because you people in the rest of the world stubbornly refuse to give us everything we want ::trollface::. So if we want it bad enough and have the means we will just take it. And if you believe that your own country is above this I dare you to look through your history and prove it. The difference between America and every other super power in history is the understanding of a Nash Equilibrium as an acceptable status quo. America has no desire to rule the world and lebensraum is not in our dictionary (literally). So it is in America's best interests to react to forces that disrupt this equilibrium in what appears like farcical attempts to play the role of policing agent for the world. America has backed dictators, funded terrorism, trained insurgents, all the while screaming foul at other countries for doing the same thing. This is not hypocritical, its a subtle difference between maintaining equilibrium and destabilizing it.

That, in a nutshell, is American foreign policy...

However, this is not to say that all other nations should feel obligated to just lay down and be subservient to the will of the almighty USofA as a father figure that wants his worldly harem barefoot, pregnant, and in their respective kitchens. While a stable home that may make it definitely does nothing for the ego of the figurative wife. And you can't blame her if she gets a little despondent from time to time with dreams of having an equal say in the state of home affairs and by rights she should. Maybe someday the world (including America) will grow out of this 50's mentality and into the 21st century... maybe.

 

[corneth]

Tl;Dr Version:
Americans: Americans being stupid is a stereotype.
Other People: No, no, no, I'm sure some of you are smart, just 80% of you are Morons.

 

[TheJesus89]

american arrogance is sometimes borderline rude and/or obnoxious.... "the best country in the world... the freest country in the world.... the greatest country of the world.... USA #1" all statements that americans seem to spout out, any opportunity they can.

I think Geography plays a big roll in that.

For many Americans, the only foreign people we see are tourists and immigrants. We only share the continent with two other countries, and one of those could hardly be called a first world country, and the other one is Mexico. Oh ho ho me.

But seriously, since you guys live in such a diverse region, you can physically see that you're not the greatest country in the world.

We can't. People who are less educated could very well think Europe is a non-factor in day to day life, since we hardly see any Europeans in the West. I live in the midwest, and I've only talked to one or two.

The other stuff in your post I more or less agree with.

Lol I come from Australia, so I can happily refute that logic. We have no land borders with anyone but still don't think we're that friggin great. I think of late the end of the cold war got a lot of US citizens thinking "We won, we're number 1", and any country that even looks at the top spot needs a slapping...

I think there may be some truth to that.

However, the only difference is, at one point, America WAS number 1. From the mid 1940's until probably the Vietnam war, America basically ruled the first world.

Obviously that's not the case anymore, and that claim could definitely be disputed. Still though, that mentality of being number 1 has yet to really leave.

So mix that in with basically being isolated from other first world countries, and you have America.

I think in about 10-20 years when the "greatest generation" and baby boomers all die, you'll likely see a decline in that mindset.

 

[Saelune]

If all Americans are stupid, we are no more stupid than all the people of every country who thinks that.
And we're not as bad as people pretend we are. Not like we're having massive riots right now, pushing for a law that could make homosexuallity punishable by death, sending the police to kill our own citizens, or placing anyone who dissents against our government into house arrest at the drop of a hat. (London, Uganda, Syria, China respectively)

 

[Simalacrum]

No, not all Americans are stupid and I don't genuinely believe that they are. I still use that stereotype for a few chuckles, mind, but thats just in the name of comedy

Besides, 'stupid' doesn't necessarily mean 'bad' - from my experience most Americans that I've met have been very friendly people. They may have been 'stupid' or not as educated as some from the perspective of society, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing if they're intelligent as people, as in they know to treat others fairly, to be nice is a good thing, etc etc.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

The stereotypical picture of an american citizen is the stupid overweight ignorant and stubborn guy that no one can stand as company. he yells in his phone in museums while talking badly about the culture surrounding him.he is a great tipper though and buys the most cheap and ridiculous souvenir shit.

but hey stereotypes never give positive impressions.
and when it comes to tourists the part about being loud, very uneducated and being arrogant/ignorant (even if not on purpose) sadly proved itself true more than a few times in my live.

Dylan Moran once told his theory, after he met beautiful and intelligent people in the states, that you americans just send your most annoying citizens out in the world so you dont have to deal with them anymore

 

[Zeraki]

There are stupid people in every country across the world. But we(Americans) tend to reward stupid people with T.V. shows(Jersey Shore) and news reporting positions(pretty much all of Fox News). So our stupid is much more widely advertized.

 

[Althus]

Your own media makes you look this way.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

I'm going to answer your question with this question: why do all Americans think every Brit is upper-class scholar-gentry?
Answer: because those are the only ones they hear about. I'm English, and currently living in the US, and I have been asked more culturally ignorant than I care to count. I was once asked if I could speak English. By an American. After a ten minute conversation with them. In English. Not all Americans are dumb, just the loudest ones.

holy shit where are you at in the U.S.?

I'll remember to avoid that area like the plague..jesus christ that's fucking stupid beyond belief.

Speaking as a Canadian, we don't think ALL Americans are stupid. I actually respect quite a few of you wonderful folk. But when I lived in the US I faced racism about my nationality from way to many people. AND I'M WHITE!!! Half the ignorant wads in the office said I was from CANADIA when I told them I was Canadian, and it wasn't as a joke! They honestly thought that's where Canadians came from! But I think that was just isolated most other Americans I met were pretty agreeable (if ignorant.) But most the world thinks of the US as sort of a sit com at this point, we all watch waiting to see what will happen next.

once again..what? where are these people that are this stupid?

please tell me so I can avoid that area

 

[your-friendly-noggin]

Spoiler

Open that image to view at full size.

Hahaha that is truly spectacular.

It does make me think though, i wonder how many of those people have heard of Hiroshima or Nagasaki? Little under 2500 people died at Pearl Harbor, whilst hundreds of thousands of people died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki from both the explosion and radiation, yet i don't remember hearing anything like this from the Japanese people after the twin towers.

Those are the prime examples of unfortunately vocal idiots that seem to define your country. Still like i said before, the whole world is full of idiots, you just happen to have a massive amount due to a high population.

 

[eTe]

I'm an American and while my country has done some things that I do not agree with I really don't understand why people judge everyone in America to be dumbasses? i hear things like "for those of you who are too american to understand" or "what is it with Americans and.." and it just goes on and on and on and i just dont understand. I'm not that person people seem to think i am just because of my american accent. What's with all the hostility?

Like a lot of people have said, some tend to be very loud and obnoxious. Paints a bad stereotype.
Furthermore, it's not that you are considered stupid by some (the stereotype, not you lol) it's also ignorant. Intelligence with ignorance is a volatile mix.

Patriotism: Those who can yell the loudest without knowing what they are yelling about.

 

[chronicfc]

Not ALL, just the Fox News Audience or similar

 

[BleedingPride]

Not ALL, just the Fox News Audience or similar

i hear that. sometimes i wish fox news would just go away.