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LOL Americans aren't the only ones putting out "bad TV."
As others have pointed out - pot, meet kettle. If you don't like stereotypes, don't perpetrate them yourself.
No, the are not. It's just that American TV and movies do contain all those stereotypes. And not for everyone they are negative. Lots of people believe in and admire everything Hollywood puts out.
No, the are not. It's just that American TV and movies do contain all those stereotypes. And not for everyone they are negative. Lots of people believe in and admire everything Hollywood puts out.
Well, that's a silly state of mind for anyone to adopt - from anywhere.
I guess I'm just glad that I don't hang out with people who think that way. Never had a problem anywhere in the world identifying and befriending people who can think logically and who are not small minded.
Guess you haven't been following the gun control debate in the Presidential election campaign. You don't realize it but you're stereotyping, too. Guilty of that which you complain about in Americans. Many Americans myself included, detest the gun culture, and would abolish it if we could.
I know about the gun control debate even from City-Data. I think that is more than most Americans know about Euro politics - other than "they are all getting raped!" And I know some people detest the gun culture. They are a tiny minority though, not anywhere enough to have any real political power.
I think that most stereotypes are silly. But at the same time, I also know that most of them have some element of truth to them.
Now - riding horses to school, or polar bears walking the city streets of Scandinavia - those seem a bit farfetched to me, though I guess both could be possible.
But then, I guess I could also ride an alpaca to school and a goat could wander down a city street in Scandinavia too.
Most are silly, but some are somewhat true indeed. I worked at the Helsinki Airport with connection flights, and the stereotype that Japanese are extremely organised and Russians drunkards were really true, among others. And likewise, the stereotype that all Americans drive to work is as stupid that all Europeans take public transport to work. But in both, there is some truth in it.
Riding horses to school is just ridiculous. Hmm, and probably you are as close to the nearest alpaca as I am to the closest polar bear.
I know about the gun control debate even from City-Data. I think that is more than most Americans know about Euro politics - other than "they are all getting raped!" And I know some people detest the gun culture. They are a tiny minority though, not anywhere enough to have any real political power.
Oh, please. Ignorant people abound in every country of this world. Most Europeans don't know much more about the reality of just how diverse the American political scene is than Americans know about the same in Europe.
I think it's great if people take the time to thoroughly research political and societal trends in various countries, with an open mind, but the reality is that most people are busy living their own lives, in their own countries, surrounded by their own friends, families, communities and really aren't giving a whole lot of indepth thought to what's going on in countries across the ocean.
Most are silly, but some are somewhat true indeed. I worked at the Helsinki Airport with connection flights, and the stereotype that Japanese are extremely organised and Russians drunkards were really true, among others. And likewise, the stereotype that all Americans drive to work is as stupid that all Europeans take public transport to work. But in both, there is some truth in it.
Riding horses to school is just ridiculous. Hmm, and probably you are as close to the nearest alpaca as I am to the closest polar bear.
OH, I agree that stereotypes have an element of truth to them and I think they're usually sort of funny when I run across them in various places. I'm like, "Wow - I guess some people really do this!"
You know, there's some truth to the OP's statements, which granted, sound like they came from a travel website. But take for instance, the closing for long lunches thing. There's a lot of truth to that in various European countries. No, not everywhere, but especially in smaller cities and towns in some countries - if you're expecting to just pop into the local drug store for some chap stick during your lunch break, you may be out of luck.
You may find yourself scrambling for coins to pay to use a toilet - at a very inopportune time, after drinking a large cappuccino thirty minutes ago.
You may plan "dinner and a movie" without realizing that dinner may move at a much slower pace and that you're going to miss that movie.
Anyway, it's best to visit other countries with an open mind and to enjoy the different experiences and go with the flow. Before traveling to another country, I always research potential differences that I need to know about before I get caught off guard. Better safe than sorry. Meanwhile - ENJOY THE TRIP! Relax, be friendly and polite, smile, learn a few phrases and use them (people usually feel sorry for anyone struggling with the local language and are nearly always very helpful when they realize hey, this poor person is TRYING to speak my language!), go with the flow - works for me.
Oh, please. Ignorant people abound in every country of this world. Most Europeans don't know much more about the reality of just how diverse the American political scene is than Americans know about the same in Europe.
Well, that's a silly state of mind for anyone to adopt - from anywhere.
I guess I'm just glad that I don't hang out with people who think that way. Never had a problem anywhere in the world identifying and befriending people who can think logically and who are not small minded.
We're everywhere.
I used to hang out with a person like that for 12 years - who believed her religion is the only way to salvation and the American way is the only way to prosperity. The Bible wrapped in the flag, so to say. She was like a second mother to me, almost adopted, as I said. Those were good times, but there was also a lot of tears and sleepless nights involved. By now I think I am free from both, and almost found my happiness - this side of the ocean.
A post from one of the recent threads on gun control:
Quote:
Because many people forgot what Freedom is, and how it is protected. Or they are not Americans and have never been exposed to civil rights, or even human rights and have no concept of the right to self protection or the right to bear arms
So, people other than Americans have no idea about human rights or self-protection. Wow, just wow!
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