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This is why i tell people my name and not my nationality.
People are more friendly to me when i say "Hi ,my name is Leo" than "Hi, i'm American"
Especially when you have to stay in those Hostels with those snobby backpacker types.
Really I don't think anyone would say that? I only ever answered when asked in Europe, and more often than not the person doing the asking was a tout or some other low life trying to get money out of you.
Generally however I found the North Americans in Europe to be more interested in who you are, rather than trying to automatically assign century old colonial stereotypes on you.
Last edited by danielsa1775; 10-22-2014 at 12:02 AM..
Oh, is it a Brit thing? That's why I haven't heard of it. In the US, you only ask "are you all right" of people who look like they may be unwell and might need help.
Evidently, It's certainly not in common use in Australia, where it means exactly as it does in the US.
To be brutally honest with you, I prefer Americans over Australians by a big big big stretch, yeah Americans can be loud and tacky but Americans mean no harm for the most..... Americans are overall laid back
Australians especially the ones I met while in Bali, were horribly condescending towards the Asian locals, some would get drunk and behave exactly like british do on holiday (vandalizing private property, vomiting on people's doors, fighting with anyone anywhere, disrespecting the local women)
A lot of Australians are VERY CONDESCENDING especially when in developing countries, they act like complete new money and look down on the locals, Americans on the other hand tend to be more laid back and even in poor countries they'll just feel sorry for the locals and the conditions they're in but will never act like complete pricks.
I know many Americans think aussies= cool and interesting, but I know plenty of Americans who have gone to australia and completely change their mind about the place and the people..... like an American girl told me once (you couldn't pay me to live there), according to her Australia is like a big Mississippi!!!
and based on the australians Ive met, the stories Ive heard from british of indian and african descent who have been there and so on I think the whole australia = mississippi thing sound VERY CLOSE TO THE TRUTH!
What about American college students partying in Cancun?
In my travels I've met plenty of Americans who've been condescending and behaved like pricks too!
Can't judge a whole nation on the actions of a few.
I did not find Europeans to be uncaring of where tourist are from. I was there years ago however (1980s) so my experienced is dated. I found a lot of people I talked to were curious about the USA, just as curious as I was about them. I also never felt any dislike of America aimed at our group, other than a little bit in Paris. English people were very friendly, as were Germans. I know things have changed, the anti American rants I see on here prove that. Thirty years of tough history has passed since then. People in the US often are curious about tourist who visit our nation, and overall we still hold high opinions of most Europeans inspite of what we hear of their opinions of us. The tension over the Iraq war and the Bush years has been put mostly in the past over here. No one talks about "freedom fries" anymore lol.
I did not find Europeans to be uncaring of where tourist are from. I was there years ago however (1980s) so my experienced is dated. I found a lot of people I talked to were curious about the USA, just as curious as I was about them. I also never felt any dislike of America aimed at our group, other than a little bit in Paris. English people were very friendly, as were Germans. I know things have changed, the anti American rants I see on here prove that. Thirty years of tough history has passed since then. People in the US often are curious about tourist who visit our nation, and overall we still hold high opinions of most Europeans inspite of what we hear of their opinions of us. The tension over the Iraq war and the Bush years has been put mostly in the past over here. No one talks about "freedom fries" anymore lol.
When I first went abroad, it was during the Bill Clinton years, and it was VERY positive to be abroad as an American.
It went downhill incredibly fast during the George Bush years. With Barack Obama in office, it's slowly evening out again, to a nice complacent indifference.
However, in general, I would say that your two examples of the French and Germans, they have always been quite nice to me as an American. Particularly Germans, who have a hell of a lot more negative stereotypes that they are sick of. French have always gone out of their way to show that they don't fit their negative stereotypes of not being friendly to Americans. In short, I think nationalities who have a lot of negative stereotypes about them, are the most sensitive and self-aware that they can't do the same to individuals either, just as they wouldn't want others to do to them.
As an American I have been treated nicely in many places, Actually in South America I was always treated very nicely and people made me feel right at home (Colombia, Peru, Brazil), in Argentina I was treated with certain indifference.
In asia (in south korea nice, in china very rudely treated, in Japan indifferent)
in Europe depends (the british, italians, french weren't too nice)
(the Germans were very cool)
(the spaniards, Dutch and irish were indifferent)
I believe backpacks and flags patches were mentioned and those were probably all worn by Americans to avoid being detected as Americans!
In my experience, people with Canadian flags patched on their backpacks, are definitely Canadians. They'll talk about Canada nonstop, and constantly compare things to Canada, and talk about Canada. It's all from a very Canadian perspective. Plus, they are kind of like magnets so that flag-wearing Canadians can locate each other to talk about their favorite topic while abroad - which is more about Canada.
I don't think there is any conceivable way an American can masquerade as one.
1. A stupid maple leaf patch on their backpack (NO ONE cares you're canadian)
2. Talk about Canada NON-STOP, canada this, canada that, canada the other
3. Constantly compare themselves to Americans NON-STOP (Toronto is like New York), (canada has healthcare America doesnt), (we're not Americans look at my maple leaf see?), (canadian women are the most beautiful women in the world)
4. their favorite topic is comparing themselves to the US and talking about Canada non-stop boring everyone else who is not interested in listening about Canada's healthcare and its "supposedly hot" fat girls.
To be brutally honest with you, I prefer Americans over Australians by a big big big stretch, yeah Americans can be loud and tacky but Americans mean no harm for the most..... Americans are overall laid back
Australians especially the ones I met while in Bali, were horribly condescending towards the Asian locals, some would get drunk and behave exactly like british do on holiday (vandalizing private property, vomiting on people's doors, fighting with anyone anywhere, disrespecting the local women)
A lot of Australians are VERY CONDESCENDING especially when in developing countries, they act like complete new money and look down on the locals, Americans on the other hand tend to be more laid back and even in poor countries they'll just feel sorry for the locals and the conditions they're in but will never act like complete pricks.
I know many Americans think aussies= cool and interesting, but I know plenty of Americans who have gone to australia and completely change their mind about the place and the people..... like an American girl told me once (you couldn't pay me to live there), according to her Australia is like a big Mississippi!!!
and based on the australians Ive met, the stories Ive heard from british of indian and african descent who have been there and so on I think the whole australia = mississippi thing sound VERY CLOSE TO THE TRUTH!
Nothing its just not one of the most developed states of America you know
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