zztop911 1,609 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Yeah, somewhat outdated, but not far off track. There were quite a few things I had to change on my first trip to the Middle East, pre-Kuwait invasion. Quote I only grow in living soil! Because Fat Buds Matter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FragTrap666 104 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Something is missing. Oh wait: 16. Americans are bad at geography. True or false ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirTalkShtALot 26 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 12. Americans describe distances in driving time, as opposed to miles or kilometers. Thought most people did this. 40 kilometres on the freeway can be done in 25 minutes, but 40 kilometres on a standard road (traffic lights & shit) may take an hour or more. Just makes more sense to use time instead of distance. Kilometers? What is that? lmao Also, it's funny when people know you're a crazy fast driver they actually think that you could shave off some time in reaching the destination. Most of my friends always does that when they know I'm the one driving. They're like, "It's about a half hour drive or actually maybe 20 mins since you're driving" lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LN-MLB 2,583 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 (edited) Something is missing. Oh wait: 16. Americans are bad at geography. True or false ? It's a stereotype, but unfortunately it can hold some validity. I've been to 46 states, and I've had people in my own country unable to pin-point the location of my state. Once when trying to explain the origin of my surname, I had a lady ask me if Sweden was near Italy. It's one of those things that boils down to education and just general interest, but I find that quite a few people (not just Americans) are pretty sloppy when it comes to geography. Edited July 15, 2015 by LN-MLB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgermauger 262 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 That's alright LN all of us up here in Canada live in igloo's 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicolabellamy77 441 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 doesnt everyone in canada ride around on a moose drinking maple syrup with a mounty? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgermauger 262 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Don't forget the touque ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggy 2,811 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 I know all Australian's have kangaroos in their backyards and they throw boomer-rings at each other. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no_snacks 3,345 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I know all Australian's have kangaroos in their backyards and they throw boomer-rings at each other. The kangaroo part is true, but no, we don't throw boomerangs at each other. Lol. You silly. Everyone knows they come back after you throw them. So technically, we throw them at ourselves. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haste 190 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 3, 6, 7, 11, 15 It's a dead giveaway, the others not so! Especially the tipping part, we don't really tip bartenders/waiters etc, since they're paid so much anyway, but sometimes we do it if the service has been really good, and it's completely normal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBump360 482 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Dealing with people from the US I'm always astounded by the overt "magnificence" of everything. If you ask someone from the US how lunch was, it was never ok or not bad, its great, magnificent, outstanding. Might as well shout Yee Haaaa after every sentence ;-) catches me a little off guard, I feel unsure if I'm being made fun of or not lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewy 612 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 It's a stereotype, but unfortunately it can hold some validity. I've been to 46 states, and I've had people in my own country unable to pin-point the location of my state. Once when trying to explain the origin of my surname, I had a lady ask me if Sweden was near Italy. It's one of those things that boils down to education and just general interest, but I find that quite a few people (not just Americans) are pretty sloppy when it comes to geography. I was in Vegas and received the comment that they wished they lived in Australia too, that way they could drive to Germany for Oktoberfest. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djw180 6,846 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 It's a stereotype, but unfortunately it can hold some validity. I've been to 46 states, and I've had people in my own country unable to pin-point the location of my state. Once when trying to explain the origin of my surname, I had a lady ask me if Sweden was near Italy. It's one of those things that boils down to education and just general interest, but I find that quite a few people (not just Americans) are pretty sloppy when it comes to geography. We British can be bad at geography as well, here's a couple of examples from quiz shows (Google "Dumb Britain" if you want more) Host "What is the Capital of Italy?", Contestant "France". Host "In which European Country is Mt Etna", Contestant "Japan", Host "I'm after the name of a EUROPEAN country", Contestant " ... Mexico?" Host "Which is the largest Spanish speaking country in the world?", Contestant "Barcelona", Host "I need the name of a country", Contestant "I'm sorry, I don't know the names of any countries in Spain" Back to the original topic. The tipping thing is right. I worked with a US student who insisted on tipping in a pub, even though the bar man gave him the money back. The Imperial system is still used in the UK as well, even though we have officially been metric since 1970 I think. It is a different imperial system, but I have noticed Subway now seem to advertise drink sizes in ounces. Big smiles and firm handshakes. Being an academic I do get to the occasional international conference and I can confirm that one is certainly true. Wearing sneakers with everything. I don't know about that, but using the word "sneakers" in the first place is a giveaway I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggy 2,811 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 (edited) I was in Vegas and received the comment that they wished they lived in Australia too, that way they could drive to Germany for Oktoberfest. Stop telling people what I said! So embarrassing. Were you talking to other tourists though or a bartender? Edited July 15, 2015 by LV_Jag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beez 5,091 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Dealing with people from the US I'm always astounded by the overt "magnificence" of everything. If you ask someone from the US how lunch was, it was never ok or not bad, its great, magnificent, outstanding. Might as well shout Yee Haaaa after every sentence ;-) catches me a little off guard, I feel unsure if I'm being made fun of or not lol. Great post Bump!! YEE_HAA!!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel 5,180 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Few comments on other things. I think the geography thing comes from the stereotype that a lot of Americans don't realise there is a whole other world outside of their country. The imperial/metric combination is very confusing for us even though we've been using both for many years. If you want to order steel tube you'd ask for 4 inches round x 7.6 metres long and 9 gauge thick. That's three different measuring systems for 1 piece of metal. You can't get rid of the pint either, imagine going to a bar and asking for 568mm of beer. Just wouldn't happen. What I did notice with my recent trip to Ibiza, lots of bars advertise pints at 3 euros a piece. There's no actual standard size for a pint over there so they vary massively from bar to bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumdig 957 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I don't think most are outdated, it just depends on the location. I recently went back to Minnesota and paid more attention to the differences in peoples' behavior...vs the south. I asked a guy in the elevator "how's it going today?", to which he shook his head, awkwardly, and exclaimed "what?". I'd have to say that most Americans aren't all that loud, though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin 596 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 No. 17. Doesn't know how to eat with fork and knife. No. 18. US colleague gone missing in the morning and all of a sudden popping up from around a corner with a doughnut in one hand and a starbucks papercup with a coffee-ish liquid in the other, wearing a suit, sneakers and a sporty backpack ... while we were in the center of bloody Barcelona in a posh five star hotel with a huuuuuge and varied breakfast buffet. Jaws dropped that morning. Too much cliche to handle on that one =) No. 19. Genuinely nice peeps. Most of them at least I work for a US company and get to deal with you lot almost daily. A bit bizar at times, but overall very enjoyable and straight forward. I especially like how you guys like to get a move on with things, even if that means certain failure. Opportunities are to be taken. Oh, and erm No.20. Sry couldn't resist NSFW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewy 612 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Stop telling people what I said! So embarrassing. Were you talking to other tourists though or a bartender? She was a middle aged tourist from Alabama. Didn't care to get much more from her than that 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicolabellamy77 441 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 No. 17. Doesn't know how to eat with fork and knife. No. 18. US colleague gone missing in the morning and all of a sudden popping up from around a corner with a doughnut in one hand and a starbucks papercup with a coffee-ish liquid in the other, wearing a suit, sneakers and a sporty backpack ... while we were in the center of bloody Barcelona in a posh five star hotel with a huuuuuge and varied breakfast buffet. Jaws dropped that morning. Too much cliche to handle on that one =) No. 19. Genuinely nice peeps. Most of them at least I work for a US company and get to deal with you lot almost daily. A bit bizar at times, but overall very enjoyable and straight forward. I especially like how you guys like to get a move on with things, even if that means certain failure. Opportunities are to be taken. Oh, and erm No.20. Sry couldn't resist NSFW! thats really really really disturbing lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBump360 482 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 one more sure fire way to know someone is "American"... There are three parts to the American Continent, North, Central and South America. Why oh why would the People of the Country called the "United States of America" be the only "Americans? ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumdig 957 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 one more sure fire way to know someone is "American"... There are three parts to the American Continent, North, Central and South America. Why oh why would the People of the Country called the "United States of America" be the only "Americans? ;-) Simple...it's been that way for over 200 years...and known by every country as such. "The Americas (plural) refer to North, Central, and South America ... But the only "America" is the United States of America" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggy 2,811 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 It's easier to just say 'America', instead of 'United States' or 'United States of America' if people ask where you're from too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skorpion 2,499 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I only agree with 3 and 11, the rest dont indicate American to me. I know all Australian's have kangaroos in their backyards and they throw boomer-rings at each other.I have a pet Koala that I play my didgeridoo to every night before I tuck him into bed.I had a traggic accident with a boomerang once... it didnt return 1 Quote THE SKORPION PITMy Created Content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LN-MLB 2,583 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 (edited) one more sure fire way to know someone is "American"... There are three parts to the American Continent, North, Central and South America. Why oh why would the People of the Country called the "United States of America" be the only "Americans? ;-)I think it is due to the lack of suitable names. There aren't many variations other than "American" that can be formed from the official name of the country.Quite a few "Americans" indentify mostly with their state, city, or sometimes broad geographical region. With that said, I'm more likely to identify as a Pacific Northwesterner, Oregonian, or Portlander than just simply as an "American ". Edited July 16, 2015 by LN-MLB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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