"Americans Are Super Friendly And Helpful! It Really Caught Me Off Guard.": 14 Non-Americans Are Sharing The Stereotypes They Believed About Americans
Americans are "known" to act in a variety of silly stereotypical ways. From being overly patriotic to extremely loud to just plain ol' dumb. People all over the world can't help but to group all Americans into a box until they actually meet one that doesn't fit.
So, I asked the non-Americans of the BuzzFeed Community, "What's a silly stereotype you believed about Americans until you met one?" And people did not hesitate to share:
1."I thought all Americans lived in huge, 3000 square foot houses (my house is around 800 square feet, for context). They're the ones you see on TV!"
—Anonymous
2."I thought Americans all got scholarships and grants to go to college because that's so heavily featured in TV series. It turns out it's merely a plot device. Most US students pay through the roof for their university education. It's free in plenty of other countries."
—Anonymous
3."I knew Girl Scout cookies were a thing, but I figured it was more of a stereotype that's super played up in movies. I was surprised to find a bunch of Girl Scouts selling them outside a supermarket, and I ended up buying two boxes."
4."I grew up believing that most Americans only eat fast food or takeout and do not know how to cook proper food. I've met a lot of Americans who make amazing food!"
5."In the '70s, I went to junior college in Arizona. I was from Canada. I was disappointed that there were no cowboys or Native Americans. No tepees. I really expected it to be like those westerns I saw on TV."
—Anonymous
6."When I was a kid, I somehow assumed all Americans were naturally chatty until I met an au pair (an American in her early 20s) at a childhood friend's home. She was quiet but friendly and quite affectionate with us kids, but only spoke when needed."
"The realization that I was dumb for making that assumption came when we talked about her hometown. She said she was born and raised in Lubbock. I asked, 'Where's that?' while assuming she'd tell me all about it. She replied, 'Texas.' I waited for the rest. Never happened. That's when I finally realized."
7."For some reason, I learned in school that Americans will immediately tell you how much money they make, like, 'Hi, I'm so and so, and my salary is x dollars.' I swear that was in an English-language textbook for German speakers in the '90s. It turns out they don't do that."
8."Lazy and convenience-crazy. They would drive from one end of the parking lot to the other to avoid walking. They buy everything pre-done: grated cheese, cookie dough, etc."
9."I recently went on a trip to the US (I went to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York), and it was incredible! Coming into the trip, I expected that everywhere we went all the food would be unhealthy and full of sugar."
"Some of it was, but a lot of it is actually quite healthy and really yummy, and I was completely shocked! I expected to be eating a lot of sugar, but the calories were hardly different at home. Some of it was full of sugar (fizzy drinks were a big one), but overall, the food was great!"
10."I always thought Americans were a bit ignorant about the UK (where I’m from), thinking we all knew each other because we’re such a small island. Years ago, I was studying in Spain and met an American called Chase — a lovely guy who seemed a bit dumb and totally played into my stereotypical view of Americans."
"Anyway, I told him I was from the UK, and he said, 'Oh, do you know my friend James?’ So I rolled my eyes and started explaining that the UK wasn’t that small, etc. Well, after a few more back and forths, it turned out that I DID know James! He was in my class at school and dating my best friend!"
11."I didn’t realize how beautiful and wild (in the sense of wild nature) so much of the USA is until I visited. Britain is very beautiful but mainly quite populous, so we don’t have vast swathes of uninhabited land that are protected the way your national parks are. I visited Rainier Park last week, and it’s incredibly stunning."
12."I’m from Germany, and my only exposure to America was from TV, and the only American TV my family really watched was cowboy shows. As a result, it wasn’t until I met an American at the age of 19 that I realized not all Americans have southern accents."
—Anonymous
13."Americans are super friendly and helpful! It really caught me off guard."
And finally, in a change of pace, this American wanted to chime in on the topic and share their non-American family's silly stereotype:
14."American here, but my foreign family members who only recently started traveling here to spend time with us constantly say that they can’t get over how good our food selection is. They really believed we all ate American cheese and Cheetos 24/7."
"Now, don’t get me wrong, I can throw down on Cheetos, and American slices have their rightful place on a juicy burger (many may disagree), but our grocery stores are wonderlands compared to other countries, and my relatives get EXCITED for a simple food run when they visit."
Non-Americans, do you want to share any more silly stereotypes you believed about Americans? Let me know in the comments!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
