Most ignorant comment you have heard from a foreigner regarding the U.S.?

[carmelita189]

The most ignorant thing said by a foreiner about the United States.....

I like it here. It's a nice place. I think I'll stay.

[Fitzrovian]

Dear Mike1306 -

My reply to you was deleted due to your use of "inappropriate language" but I did want to answer your question.

The country with most languages spoken is actually Papua New Guinea... by a long shot. Ever heard of this country? Probably not.

But keep talking, don't let me interrupt. Discussing foreigners' ignorance about our country is much more fun than trying to learn something about the rest of the world.

[BigCityDreamer]

Foreigners are often ignorant about the U.S. for similar reasons that Americans are often ignorant about other countries: misunderstandings and biases.

People's views of foreign countries tend to be distorted based on how they want to believe those countries to be rather than how those countries actually are.

[Georgiafrog]

This is perhaps not an ignorant anecdote, but funny to me all the same.

I took my kids to Disney World last summer. We had a great time, and in particular, my two boys loved Tom Sawyer's Island. I bought them each a wooden musket and we spent hours chasing each other around the island.

When it was time to leave, we moved outside to the bus station. My wife and I sat on the bench, while my boys played with some other children behind the stop. They had their muskets with them. I noticed an older man, (mid 50's or so) with a young child, who was very interested in my boys activities. The young boy kept staring at my boys, who were hiding behind trees and bushes, and popping up with their muskets to play fire on each other. The conversation between the obviously German man and the German young boy went as follows...

"What are they doing papa?"

"They are naughty young boys!"

"But what are they doing, papa!"

"It is none of your concern!"

"But what are they doing papa!"

"They are playing guns! They are Americans! This is what they do!"

He had no idea that my wife and I were the children's parents. Not saying that he was totally in the wrong and us in the right, but I grew up the same way as my boys, and it was a cultural eye opener.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by carmelita189

The most ignorant thing said by a foreiner about the United States.....

I like it here. It's a nice place. I think I'll stay.

Then why don't you leave?

[Tintlelli]

I had an awkward moment with one of my "new relatives" (a nephew-in-law is the best I can call him, and although I say nephew he is a few years older than I am) the last time I visited my husband's country. He is the only one of my husband's relatives who studied English and he speaks other languages too. He was talking about how Americans don't care about learning other languages and always expect people from other countries to speak English for them. I gave him a brief and dumbed-down response because I didn't want to lecture him or anything, but I wanted to say a lot more about how our countries are different in that way (he had never been to America or any country other than his own).

[415_s2k]

I worked as a front desk agent in hotels for some time, so I've heard a variety of complaints...

"There are too many rules here." From a young Saudi Arabian, visiting from a nation where women (currently) cannot be elected to office, are not allowed to drive, are not allowed to mingle with men in public; alcohol is forbidden to own or consume; and as recently as 2007, publicly beheaded someone for sorcery.

"My husband told me that America was very nice, but now I see that you are all ugly liars." Nice middle-aged French lady travelling with an extremely embarassed husband.

"Americans have no sense of fashion." From a frenchman wearing Where's Waldo glasses, a blue blazer with gold buttons, a blue/red/white vertical striped shirt, and yellow pants over brown penny loafers.

"American women are too easy," from another young Saudi guy whose B.O. was palpable from the other side of the desk. He later tried to get a girl at the desk to "go out for dinner with him" because she "was very pretty," and was rebuked.

"You're a bunch of ignorant warmongers who've ruined the damn world," from an English guy in a pub in Salisbury, 2006 (FTR, the others at the bar as well as the bartender told him to shut up).

Now, to turn the tables a bit... here are some of the positive comments that I have heard from people from the rest of the world, which I can recall off the top of my head.

"California is the most beautiful place I've seen in my life," from an older English Indian fellow who visited for a week with his wife.

"Everyone we've met in America has been really, really nice to us," from a woman from Scotland, visiting with her husband on a honeymoon, driving from Florida to California.

"Americans are alright. These are the nicest guys I've met, I don't know what people are talking about." Overheard as I passed by a room that a group of young Australians had checked into after myself and a coworker had spent about a half an hour recommending spots for them to visit in San Francisco.

"San Francisco is such a wonderful city; I think it's the nicest city I've ever been to. There's something very special about it." English fellow visiting with his family.

"The American southwest is amazing, and the people are so warm and welcoming. You are very lucky to have it." A French television production group who were filming a roadtrip documentary with some famous French TV presenter; he said that they initially intended to highlight how miserable the trip would be due to Americans being boorish, but had (to) chang(ed) it to highlight what a nice trip it was. Myself and a coworker got to be in it, checking the lady in... they dubbed us over with Texan accents

"I am very sorry that I said such mean things to you. This has been a good trip; Americans are very nice people and have been very helpful and patient with us." The same lady that said that we were all ugly liars.

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by Fitzrovian

Dear Mike1306 -

My reply to you was deleted due to your use of "inappropriate language" but I did want to answer your question.

The country with most languages spoken is actually Papua New Guinea... by a long shot. Ever heard of this country? Probably not.

But keep talking, don't let me interrupt. Discussing foreigners' ignorance about our country is much more fun than trying to learn something about the rest of the world.

Using indigenous languages from small groups, some that only number about 100, some less, is hardly a good barometer of the country with the most spoken languages. Most people when discussing spoken language would usually discuss languages that are more widely spoken not those spoken by a small tribe whose language varies slightly from the neighboring tribe or group. Linguists may have some interest in them but usually not in common discussion.

I also have heard of Papau New Guinea since that is where my uncles plane went down in WW II. They went down in a valley in the Finisterre Range. The wreckage was not located until the late 90's and he and the rest of the crew were interred at Arlington in 2004. It took a while for them to get to the wreckage and identify everyone by dna so it took a while between the time they located them and the time of interment but 60 years after they went down they were laid to rest. So yes, I know a bit about the island.

[atlantagreg30127]

From the get-go this topic had the seeds of negativity - a variety of comments so far have reinforced that.

Sound of door closing.