And people like flashfirer are why the stereotypes exist. There's something about all caps, that just screams stupid.
I speak fluently: Russian, Slovak, English, German, I also speak Czech, Chinese and French fairly well. You may contact me in any of these languages. I have some basics in Japanese+Spanish --- Help others and your life will be more cheerful and pleasant.
Age 37, Male
economics student
University
European Union
Joined on 2/3/06
And people like flashfirer are why the stereotypes exist. There's something about all caps, that just screams stupid.
I know what you mean.
Is it true that some European douche bags assume stupid stuff about Americans?
Yes, it is true. Same with American douche bags.
1.True
2.Varies
3.Often
4.Varies
5.Many
6.Many Americans learn Spanish, or French, if not by themselves, than in high school
7.Stereotype, varies
8.In truth, Obama was definitely the top choice for students, and even bullies took an interest, and would often ask: Mc Cain, or Obama. The safest answer was Obama. When the outnumbered Mc Cain supporters would say they supported Obama, It was often to please.
9.Many
10.Not really, varies
11.Completely varies, many are good at math, many aren't, but most Americans can do simple math up to basic algebra, From there many forget the following in adulthood.
I tried to keep this bias free, and I am pretty sure to it's accuracy. I'll be sure to ask you of the many European Stereotypes, but where exactly are you in Europe?
Austria.
We got many stereotypes in Europe and many of them are true to some extent.
Here's another stereotype (That's correct and proven)
They think Canadians like them. (we don't)
They are never too optimistic about visiting Canada, or talking about Canada...unless it's about water to hydrate their fat asses.
Remember, these are proven.
I think I have heard that a couple of times in the net.
Regarding #8, the Democratic party is kappeals to a younger demographic, so it would make sense that students prefer Obama. Besides, you can't base any assumptions on people you've met. That second figure is totally irrelevant.
But what about Republicans? They also study in colleges, otherwise all graduates would be democrats.
Here's my answers. Keep in mind these are my observations:
1. Americans tend to live in houses, yes, but the size varies. I experienced culture shock when a Japanese friend I made in college visited my house (back when I was living there) and asked how many families lived in it, since it was way bigger than his parents' house.
2. I can't say for sure for anyone else, but I typically work over 40 hours a week. Not by too much though (three or four hours normally), so I have time to myself. I get 10 days paid vacation currently, but that'll increase the longer I stay with my company. Unlike Europe, there aren't laws here mandating paid vacation time, and I've witnessed horror stories of people being denied time off.
3. My job gives me health insurance, and it covers most of my costs.
4. Yes, university (college here) is expensive. A typical semester costs $12,000 a year for Pennsylvania state schools, and that's if you're a resident of the state. If not, you pay far more.
5. I currently like where I live, though I would not mind moving to another country if it would mean better opportunities. I've travelled abroad and I like to think of living elsewhere. I definitely don't think living in the US is best, because I don't know for sure.
6. Very true. As mentioned, most kids begin learning foreign languages in high school, and by then it's tough to learn. I can speak some French, but not enough to be able to live in say Paris or Montreal.
7. Obesity IS a problem here, due to a lack of emphasis on regular exercise, and also the fact that it's viewed as a chore rather than a fun activity. Even our professional athletes tend to fall into horrible shape once they retire from sports.
8. Those kids that tend to study overseas do tend to be more liberal. Colleges also tend to be bastions of liberalism. Though for me, college helped temper some of my views. I did vote for Obama, but because I felt he was the better choice, not due to "white guilt" or other bullshit some people have mentioned.
9. Americans that work in technical fields or scientific jobs are VERY familiar with the Metric system. Both of my parents are engineers, so I know it well. I can't say for others. Blame the English, since they founded this place and we use their system of measures.
10. Many Americans do actually save money and plan their finances. Many don't. American society tends to make people feel that the house they live in or the car they drive isn't good enough. Material possessions are seen as the key to happiness here. I know for you guys time is the most precious commodity.
11. Most Americans do know simple math, but some don't bother to think things through. The housing crash happened here because people took bullshit exotic loans and now many end up owing more money than their house is worth. I currently rent an apartment, and when the opportunity arises, I will buy a house, but one withing my means.
Those are my answers.
To answer a seperate question you had, yes, we do have trade unions. These unions strive for better wages, better customer and protection, and for better vacations. Many times, these requests are granted.
The statment was also made that the rich don't deserve the benefits they are getting. However, on must keep in mind that most of the rich have started at the bottom of corporate ladder. Ray Kroc, one of the main creators of McDonalds, would be at his restaraunts days at a time, sometimes even cleaning the mop buckets with his own toothbrush. But his ambition and hardwork led him into making his restaurant one of the most famous in the world. Out of all the perspiration he placed into his business, he could finally rest when he made his restaurant into a culinary empire. Yes, it is true that sometimes the rich do not have to work as hard as the lower classes. But that's because they placed much of their effort very early in their careers, sparing them a lot of effort later. Oh, and by the way, if you ever meet a CEO on vacation, most of the time they're busy talking on their cell phones to the their company.
I understand that you advocate socialism and I advocate capitalism. In socialism, there is a lot of political extraction to meet a lot of political distribution from the government. In capitalism, there is less political extraction for less political distribution. So while it is true that we pay more for college, we pay less taxes. In Austria, the government pays for your education, but only through the taxes they have collected from you. Therefore, both of us are paying the same price, but in completely different means.
However, America has adapted some of the policies of redistribution of wealth throught the income tax, where the rich pay exceptionally higher taxes than the lower classes do. We just haven't taken it length Europe has.
I hope that answered your questions. If there any arguments or questions let me know. I enjoy examining and comparing our systems of government.
Are the trade unions effective enough to prevent decisions made by companies management like for example firing 10% of its workers?
Do you want to say there is something like a progressive tax in USA?
US > Europe
But we have more people, more GDP, less poverty and higher living standard.
1. Because I have never lived in the city, where apartments are very common, I'm pretty biased in saying that most of the people I know live in houses like this. Unfortunately, yes, most Americans don't actually 'own' their house, they are still paying for it, and credit card use is very common. However, I know no one who has an American flag in their house on display.
2. Again, this is biased for me because my dad works more than 40 hours a week. Because he is a self-employed sub-contractor, he can be fired at any moment. However, America has many labor Unions that prevent unjust firing and wage cuts.
3. Health insurance here is pretty bad, I have to admit.
4. I would expect only upper-class families to be able to pay for their university education without having student debts, but I honestly expect that the case is the same in most European nations as well.
5. For the most part, no. While there is a sense of national pride among many republicans and conservatives, many Americans envy the cultures of European nations, and want to at least visit.
6. Sadly, this is true. American education is severely lacking, and languages are not covered until high school, and even then it is not very extensive.
7. This one's pretty much true.
8. I would say that it is the latter, that conservatives do not want to leave the U.S. Generally, people with more liberal views will take interest in foreign cultures.
9. I personally have experience with the metric system, but the average American won't.
10. While personally I'd argree, studies show that European nations like Italy and France spend more money on unneeded items than America.
11. I just got done with my math homework, so I'll pass for now. Maybe later, though. But to answer the stereotype, ye4s, Americans are reputedly bad at math.
I know some people have debts if they study in expensive universities in UK, but UK is very similiar to USA in many ways. Apart from UK I have never heard of anyone who would need to take a loan to study. Some people have part time jobs though (because the government doesn't support their living costs)
Lets simplify:
Americans don't look for debt, the goverment finds a way to give it to you.
How does the government do that?
All of these are gross exaggerations.
Americans are heavier but that's due to the fact of a good life. I myself have gained a bit of weight since starting school and being discharged from the Army due to a knee injury. I'm not grossly overweight but enough to where my fit self mocks me from my driver's license and motivates me to lose more pounds. I'm down from 225 to 195 after putting in a lot of effort and buying cheaper healthier food.
Yes, you can eat extremely healthy for a fraction of the price of fattening foods. A can of peas costs roughly 49-69 cents (if you go with generic which is the same shit as the crap Del Monte cans, it's fucking peas!!!!) and have a side full of vitamins, minerals, almost no fat, and protein. Not to mention some good old fiber to keep you regular and promotes good digestive health.
The problem with the mortgages you have spoken of deal with the fact many people are impatient and a little too ambitious at times. Do you really need a 5 bedroom house when it's just you, your spouse, and a kid? Hell no!
I myself live in Austin in an apartment. The rent's not so bad considering Austin is expensive to live in (I pay $550 plus utilities for a 512 sq. ft. 1 bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood) but it's not impossible. Bear in mind I make $11 an hour at my job and get plenty of overtime. I am in a bit of debt but it's manageable and I have excellent credit (only 1 negative item on my report and it will be flushed by the year 2011) .
I have it better than most folks. As for the second language thing, not all Americans are ignorant. I am majoring in Spanish and will move on to other languages (German, French, and Russian with either Arabic or Mandarin or both at some point in my life).
I haven't had the chance to travel abroad but plan to do so when I get my career going. I'd love to tour Europe and Asia.
Let's flip the script on you.
Is it true most Europeans:
1.) Are closet racists?
2.) Don't know how to fight?
3.) Don't bathe regularly?
4.) Are gay or at least bi-sexual?
5.) Are snobby?
6.) Are all metrosexual men and the women are lesbians?
7.) Can't beat us at basketball or swimming (Michael Phelps! LULZ!!!)
See how stereotypes can go both ways?
You forgot to ask about our guns! I'm a bit amazed considering most Europeans I've met are shocked when I tell them about my collection. I took our foreign exchange student shooting and he had a blast. Told me he never held a gun in his life. You Europeans are slipping. Why so serious?
I dont know what Del Monte is.
Food produces in EU (especially basic stuff like sugar or milk) is quite cheap, because it is subsidised by EU, which spends taxpayers money to make food more competitive and cheap in EU.
I'd say a family with only 1 child doesn't need to live an a home with more than 3 rooms. I room for spouses, one room for child and a living room.
You plan to learn ALL of these languages?
Yes, I forgot the guns.
Let me answer your questions:
1) I would say a minority (a big minority) are slightly racist. Almost no one will ever admit that but it seems that each european nation doesn't like certain other nations. Not that they would go killing each other, but still. They will think negatively of these people.
-Some people in Yugoslavia don't like each other because of what happened in their war, when they split up.
-Many europeans don't like Germans and Austrians because of their past in WWII.
-Many europeans don't like Turkish because of radical muslims and also because many who migrate to EU are relatively poor and poverty often leads to higher crime.
-Some people in east europe don't like Russia and accuse it of exploiting their countries during the cold war.
-Some west Germans don't like east Germans and vice verca.
-Some Slovaks don't like Hungarians because of past (monarchy before WWI), and some Hungarians don't like Slovaks because they say they are too nationalistic.
-Russians don't like Estonians and Latvians, because of discrimination, and Estonians and Latvians don't like Russians for their involvement in WWII. Many of them consider nazi armies the liberators in WWII and Red Army the oppressors.
-Some Irish don't like British because of Northern Ireland and vice versa.
-Some Greek don't like Turkish because of military conflicts and vice versa.
2) Mostly not true. I think everyone knows how to fight. Europe has a long tradition of war, conquests and heroic battle. Many countries of Europe conquered most of Europe at one point in history, be it Italians, French or Germans.
3) Never heard of that stereotype.
4) People are more open to that. German movies often show at least 1 gay person in teenage movies.
5) I don't think so.
6) I don't know a single metrosexual men and not a single lesbian.
7) We are better at footbal and hockey.
good stereotypes!
Here's my response to the stereotypes you've presented.
1a. There is no standard on this. It varies greatly by area. In some cities, like NYC, it's impossible to find anything other than an apartment to live in. Elsewhere, divisions typically vary by class. Wealthy gated communities, for example. Suburban communities usually run in the way of 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage family homes. Many of the industrial areas emphasize apartmental housing, or low-cost housing. The diversity makes it hard to gauge.
1b. The mortgage crisis is widespread, but it is not the average situation.
1c. Flags are commonplace here, and always have been as a cheap show of patriotism.
2. Jobs and benefits of said jobs are as varied as housing. Working-class jobs typically suffer for lack of them, however.
3. This tends to vary by job class, as most insurance is either earned through the employer or paid for privately. It can be expensive, but there are less taxing programs, such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
4. This is correct, to an extent. Those who understand and utilize scholarship programs, and similar funding don't generally have a problem. It's generally expected, at least in families that can afford to, that saving for college begins before the student goes to university. This does mean that the parent takes on some of the burden.
5. Patriotic zealotry is nothing new and you won't find an accurate representation of this online. However, actual lack of understanding of the living situation in other countries is commonplace as our media is becoming substandard.
6. No. Bilingualism is commonplace, and usually consists of any combination of English and Spanish, French, Chinese, or Japanese. Spanish is dominant.
7. Yes, though I think it is more properly categorized as many, rather than most. You really only need to take a look at world statistics to see a growing and nasty trend to obesity in certain developed countries, particularly the US, the UK, and Germany.
8. You've got your cause and effect reversed, I believe. I think that you're more likely to find that those who would become foreign exchange students already have those political leanings, not that they got those leanings from going to other countries. Like many places, political views are shaped from childhood.
9. This is correct. It's going to take a few generations to wipe this attitude out. When I was still in high school, people were very adamant about not having to learn a new system. Useless thinking, and I don't think I came out ahead by not learning the same measurement system most developed countries use.
10. ... no. Credit cards are unnecessarily overused, but the idea that "Americans don't like to save money" is a political soundbite.
11. Incorrect, but there is an over-reliance on technology as an aid. That's gradeschool mathematics. Were I awake enough, I might put some thought into it. Not interested. Age: Old and cranky.
Anyway, there is truth to the stereotypes, but as with all stereotypes, they're oversimplified.
Stereotypes are oversimplified models which people have made and it isn't based on statistics but only perception.
100% true in every way shape and form.
Interesting!
you forgot one, most americans think all canadians live in igloos. I'm not shiting you, I heard that a little below or above 50% of americans think canadians live in igloos.
That sounds to be crazy to be true. I don't think anyone thinks that. They were probably kidding!
really is it that hard to convert celsius to farenheight and vice versa?
its fairly easy to me
and some i'll say it again SOME americans think they can speak chinese
also some americans think they are the most superior people in the world so they are racist to almost everyone(okay im exaggerating about the most superior in the world part)
???
"To be honest I'd like to know more about USA without going there. Criminal records say it's not safe and that's not a prejudice but a proven fact. I don't want to risk having someone stab me with a knife for 100$."
You didnt do your research, You say you would like to go to Venezuela , but not america because they would stab you for a 100 dollars.
well the truth is, Venezuela has the highest murder rate in the world. and they would stab you there just because of your rediculous ponytail. please research before you speak, you are embarrasing the rest of the austrians sex traders.
ok, Venezuela is dangerous, but Unites States is also very dangerous! So probably I should skip both countries.
Let's have a look at homicides in USA and Austria.
USA:
5.6 homicides per 100.000 people per year.
Austria:
0.81 homicides per 100.000 people
(Iraq: 89 homicides per 100.000 people per year)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murd er_rates
PS: The only ridiculous thing is that your mothertongue is English and still your posts are full of grammar mistakes.
1)
As one person mentioned, most apartments are in cities. If not, then within more urban areas. I guess it's also a stereotype that if you go to America, odds are you'll get shot. Well, people aren't going to live in an apartment if it means endangering their lives. Of course, the whole gun thing is somewhat of a stereotype, but it depends on which state you go in. Different states have different gun laws. Texas is more lenient with theirs, while California is a little more strict (and there's still gun crimes). Safety takes precedence over affordability, in other words.
2)
I'm still a "kid" (not really, but whatever), but this seems to apply on the job you're going for. I've personally never fancied the thought of an office-type job. If I remember what my dad's told me, he doesn't get paid as much because he was born outside the country. That being said, he works 8 hours a day. His work days, however, are weird to explain. He gets one day off between Monday through Saturday, and it moves up within the days. When the day off rolls around to Sunday, he basically works six days instead. I'm not going to reveal his profession here, just so you know, but he loves his job, and he gets a good work out from it. I, personally, wouldn't mind doing his job, and most other people probably wouldn't either. It's just not that high paying, and your initial (documented) degree of education doesn't need to be as high. Mentioning this, I still want it to be known my dad IS an intelligent person, who just had the circumstance of moving to this country.
3)
To be honest, I don't know what my health insurance covers. It's a strange one that covers certain perks, but we rarely have check-ups. I'm brave enough to admit that I need to see a dentist, but at least I'm not scared of them.
4)
I don't know about other countries in regards to this, but Americans also have the options of community college, vocational college, etc. I, personally, am attending a community college. The classes are $20 a unit. I don't want to convert that to Euros since a) I don't want to check current prices and convert them b) I'm too lazy to check current prices and convert them. The best option is community college for a cheap education, with other options. You can basically take general education classes through this, then transfer to an actual university. It's actually one reason why I'd rather not say "I go to university" when I talk to other people outside the country.
5)
This depends on where you live and how you were raised. I think people in Hawaii will think that, just because Hawaii is like a paradise (my opinion). I know they're not doing that well, economically, though. I don't think America's the best, but it's certainly not the worst. Of course, you are making a blanket statement, and you are not saying in comparison to what. In terms of a corrupt government . . . well, depending on the branch, and depending on specific people, it's not that bad. Of course, I'm looking at the smaller picture and disregarding current foreign affairs (I still need to see what else Obama is doing).
6)
I am a retard . . . I get it >.> My family didn't try to teach me at all, but my excuse is that within my ethnicity, I am mixed, and my people speak different dialects (I, personally think some of them are languages more than dialects). I'm currently learning Japanese, so unlike those of you who speak Latin-based languages, I have no root words to connect. In general, second languages are offered mostly in high schools. You can be taught another language by your family, but if not, there's a low chance of you picking up a language, but this is something you know. Past a certain age, it's hard to learn a language, not to mention that during the high school and college/university age, your brain is rewiring itself. California's second most spoken language is Spanish, just so you know.
7)
This really depends on what you're watching. Some shows are secretly Canadian. Some shows are like "House", and have foreign people. About %60 of Americans are overweight. I don't know how much of that is due to muscle (for there are some, like Schwarzenegger, who are ripped . . . wanted to mention him since he's Austrian ^.^). I used to be overweight, but I lost a lot of weight and I'm considered "normal". Unfortunately, I'm Asian and have the weight-inferiority complex (that I probably just made up) and I think I'm still big. Of course, you have to take into account the height of a person. I've actually only met a few people who were 220+ pounds, but only due to muscle. Of course, this is because of sports, where you actually take the time to weigh yourself. Most of us are overweight, but this is relative to our height. Can't help it if we have short people who you thought were 100kg+. One final note: there are a few overweight/obese actors on tv, but the entertainment world gets mostly "beautiful" people and "talented" people. If you have talent, weight isn't an issue. For the rest of them . . . they can get skills later in life.
8)
I'm assuming you only met 8 people. This probably depends on the state. I really didn't care who'd win. I voted for Obama, but the votes already tallied up for him by the time it even reached my state.
9) Most Americans aren't familiar with the metric system. Even if they are in Europe they will tell you(with a straight face) that at home it is 90 degrees in the summer (especially if they are tourists).
That almost sounds like you're not used to our system. If you're visiting, you're visiting. You grow accustomed to your customs. I'm sure you've probably picked up the conversion rate, but if you don't practice it often, it won't really come back fast enough. I, personally, just think about the freezing and boiling point of water. From there, I can guess how my body would react (because half the temperature of boiling water is still terribly hot).
10)
The former is false; We have urges, however, and impulses take over. As for credit, a) people hate carrying around more items ) you can replace a credit card, and even track its spendings, should your wallet get stolen c) like our banks, we don't physically have the money (haha).
11) Most Americans CANNOT do simple MATH, which they need for everyday life. Example:
You and your spouse earn 3000$ after tax and you need to spend 1000$ per month for daily items (food clothes etc.)
You can rent a house at 1000$ per month, or instead buy a house for 300.000$. No matter if you buy or rent a house, you will have to pay another 200$ for upkeep, water and gas.
If you have already 100.000$ on your bank account and we assume that you receive 2% interest on all the money in the bank, but the bank can lend you 200.000$ at the interest of 7% to buy a house (and you will place a mortgage on the house)
a) Is it better to rent the house or buy the house? (Assume you pay the bank only at the end of each year.) Which one would you choose?
b) Assuming that interest rates won't change and you decided to buy the house, how many years will you have to repay your debt until you have paid all back including interest?
c) How many years will you have to pay back, if a financial crisis comes and the interest rates for your loan have risen to 10% one year after you have borrowed 200.000$ from the bank.
CAN YOU ANSWER THIS SIMPLE MATH QUESTION?
Type the answers and your age.
(You should be able to calculate this if you are at least 16 years old, maybe even earlier.)
First of all, math can be classified into various categories. Simple is relative. Simple implies something that is easy to do, but it also implies something not complex or to be done with ease. To be honest, this isn't a "hard" math question, but it involves thinking and multiple steps. I'm a lazy person who saw someone who commented an answer (I was reading all the replies first), and I felt too lazy to double check. When it comes to "simple" math, when it comes at you in tax form, it's too depressing to look at and too lengthy to bother with.
Are these stereotypes correct, or it's all just bollocks?
Thank you for the comment! I have read all of it!
1 Euro is between 1.25$ and 1.5$ most of the time.
"As I said, 2 cases aren't enough to make statistics. I'm sure there are at least 100 other pedophiles raping their daughters somewhere in the world. We simply don't know about what's going on."
Judging by your ponytail, that's probably something you think of often.
Yay stereotypes!
What you just said makes completely no sense.
I obviously copy/pasted the thing, so I forgot to delete the last part. To some extent, these are stereotypes. To another, they're generalizations.
After reading the last comment (before mine)
If you think you're going to get stabbed in this country, then you're mistaken. Statistics are a great thing when they show you how many people do this and that. The terrible part are the stereotypes. Yes, there's more crime, but the chances of you getting stabbed are low. Be smart about what you do when you go around anywhere. Don't offend anyone (to the best of your abilities). You getting singled out for an attack is still shocking, and people would help, if you're in the right environment.
To be honest, other people being scared to visit our country due to crime seems laughable to many. The great part about being a physically big country is that crime rate varies from state to state. It may be relatively high to your standards, but these states are still larger than some countries (depending on the state). If you're really worried, see if you can get your own stab-proof vest or bullet-proof vest. I've been doing fine for years now without either. I have family from Asia and the UK, and they visit every so often. There's really little to worry about . . . but considering they're family, you should probably contact someone you know and trust as well. Be careful when you're walking too, because some rules apply differently.
From what my cousin has told me, you can't turn left on a red light. In America, you can turn right on a red light if it's safe. Cars in general suck at looking out for pedestrians, but they'll notice you, and you'll have enough time to react, if they're in a stationary position. Please don't ride a bike here unless you feel comfortable. Traffic treats bicyclists here differently (but it depends on the city/state/etc.). It's really interesting to get yelled at a guy when I have the right of way.
Don't carry around a purse. You're a guy, so you don't really have to worry anyway. Also, don't use a fanny pack unless you can pull off the style . . . few people can. It'll mark you as a tourist, and backpackers are more common anyway. The reason why I say to not look like a tourist is to really get the feel of how we treat each other. Also, a tourist may only seem more like an easier target, being in a territory they're not used to.
Research the places you'd like to visit, first, before travelling.
Los Angeles isn't a great city, but it's not the city as a whole that's terrifying. You'd also get to see Hollywood, if it's something you're interested in.
New York City is usually full of traffic. It probably has more cars on the streets than other cities. Walking may seem like a good way to go over there. If you feel safer in a car, take a taxi; You'll see stranger oddities in the subway.
Florida is very warm and humid. I can't remember much with my trip over there, but it's a good place.
San Francisco is an interesting city. It's much safer than Los Angeles, and there's many tourist destinations. It's okay to look like a tourist there. Just know that it's the Castro District, and not all of San Francisco, that is known for homosexuality.
Again, Hawaii seems like a great place. The only problem is that it would expensive for most people. Still, they have warm waters, nice sand, and beautiful scenery.
I don't know what you'd be interested in, but being a big country, there's a lot to see and experience, and one trip wouldn't be enough to see it all . . . but of course you really DON'T want to see it all @.@ And trust me on this one: you won't get stabbed, lol. If you do, I'll personally pay for your medical bills and ticket home. (don't hold me to that)
FlashFirer
DUDE I HAVE LIVED THE AMERICAN DREAM AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT BEING AMERICAN IS PRETTY FUCKING COOL I'D RATHER BE AMERICAN THAN BE A CHINESE THE CHINESES ARE KINDA UNCOOL THEY ALL LOO KTHE SAME
Kenzu
In your dreams you racist piece of trash!