What is the American Stereotype?

So these kids came over from france and visited our french class. They said the typical american stereotype is that Americans are all very very fat.

If you aren't in the U.S, what do you think of when you here 'American?'

Hi there the stereotype I have found here in Scotland ( with the people I know) is this. The people who have never been to America and have no desire to go don't like it they are the ones who label you as overweight, arrogant, loud etc but the ones who have been to America say the complete opposite and more often than not can't wait to go back. The problem with it comes from what we see on TV about you and that in the area I am most of the Americans who visit are the very well off ones and sorry they do tend to be a little rude (no offence intended to anyone).

I myself have not found the typical stereotype to be true my BF is American and he is nothing like that. I also have quite a few friends who are also from US and they aren't like that....and well I haven't found too much of it on here either.

You get arrogance everywhere and some of the best of them are here in the UK! I wouldn't worry about it too much we have a typical world stereotype too but I find that most people don't hold the fact that I am from the UK against me and tend to take me for who I am.

PLH: Stereotypes don't have to be negative.

I find laziness a funny stereotype -- since the US has the largest GDP in the world, but not the highest population. And the US ranks in the top ten countries for hours worked per year. And the fact that most US citizens are obese and stressed out typically stems from the "need" for quickly prepared, easily portable foods, along with long work schedules in high stress environments.

Then again... a stereotype doesn't have to be true... I get that. I just think it's funny is all.

My US stereotypes:

Spoiled
Fat
Ignorant
Religious
Self-centered
Materialistic
Wealthy
Gullible
Arrogant
Rude

Lets not forget sue-happy - I certainly had, but they certainly are.

pg - it's not valid to say that I am tainted by my world view of Vancouver so therefore I am seeing people as fat. I don't see fat as any worse than say, green hair. It's not like "ew green hair", it's more "oh, green hair" - I have the exact same emotional response to overweight people. It has nothing to do with how I see Vancouver, it has to do with the fact that your average, white, middle-class person is a little overweight. If by "downtown" you mean "west end" then yes, I concur, people are not as heavy there - I blame it on people being gay and/or fabulous.

That said, when we go to Vegas I boggle at the sheer volume of the people there. I swear, Vegas is where fat people go on holiday, because obese is the norm there, not just overweight, OBESE.

Original Post by hgielrehtaeh:

PLH: Stereotypes don't have to be negative.

she put (-) next to it. so, yes, it is one of her negative stereotypes.

As a European, I haven't heard the "fat, lazy, spoiled" stereotypes until I actually moved to North America. It's almost like Americans make up these stereotypes about themselves...  but that's just my opinion. Instead though, many Europeans assume Americans are generally ingnorant and not as intelligent....

Without giving it a lot of thought, I'd have to say there are five:

1) The stupid, gun-toting redneck who, despite his 22 year old sister's amputated leg due to a shooting accident perpetrated by her 12 year old son, is still an NRA card-carrying member with a pic of her longtime crush, Charleton Heston, (becasue of her Daddy-fixaton) on her fridge.

2) The WASP with three kids, a house that offers 10,000 sq. ft per person, a collection of antique cars, a VIP membership to the most exclusive golf club in Connecticut, 6 vacation homes, kids in parochial school who hate him and an alcoholic wife addicted to Xanax who is having an affair with her plastic surgeon who declares to the Greenpeace canvasser, "Oh, we don't have air pollution in our neighborhood!"

3) All of those who aspire to those described in #3.

4) All of those who despise those in #3.

5) All the poor immigrants who bought this American Dream thing, hook, line & sinker and are still grateful to not be in their 3rd-world country of origin!

Original Post by moscovite82:

As a European, I haven't heard the "fat, lazy, spoiled" stereotypes until I actually moved to North America. It's almost like Americans make up these stereotypes about themselves... but that's just my opinion. Instead though, many Europeans assume Americans are generally ingnorant and not as intelligent....

Oh, so true! We are a nation of neurotic, narcissistic, egomaniacal, self-loathing wannabe-capitalists.

Oh, ok, before I get screamed at, there are exceptions, like me!

Don't forget to include me  ;)

i really don't see how this thread is at all productive.

Original Post by aasil:

i really don't see how this thread is at all productive.

Productive? What's that?

And how many threads on here would you consider 'productive'?

Sorry, PLH... I'm a dumb American and didn't see what was going on with her pluses and negatives! :-D

I agree, it's not negative!!! Yayay! Sex and parties!

i seriously want to know why so many people think sex is bad. i want to know why *I* think it's bad. (for myself, not others) it's like we're programmed to think it's absolutely terrible.

sweetie, i don't know anyone who thinks sex is bad.  i also don't know anyone who thinks that the US is the place to go to party.

mostly everyone i know sees sex as something negative.

you need new friends ;-)

the majority of americans are religious. religions say non-marital sex=bad.

this isn't a stereotype, exactly, but when the US decided it was going to demand that canadians and american have passports to cross our shared border, it wasn't much of an issue for us.  forgive me while i pull these stats out of my ass: i'm sure i'm out by a few points.  but something like 25% of americans had passports at the time while 70% of canadians did.

i think that's telling.

peacelove, you need to decide what you believe - about sex, religion, etc.  what everyone else believes is largely irrelevant.  you can respect it, but you sure don't have to live by it.

i know. i was just trying to prove my point that it's still looked down upon.

 

I was walking in the park last week and had a German tourist come up to me and ask me why I was so thin, because "American women are supposed to be fat." It was one of the most random/blunt moments of my life...