Now that I am back in my homeland of majestic purple mountains, fruited plains, and good ol’ amber waves of grain, I am amidst my American brothers and sisters–sometimes loud, sometimes big, but almost always smiley and friendly. After more than one year on the road, I feel I have taken a very unscientific measure of foreigners’ views of Americans and America. Many statements have some truth to them—although, of course, they are all generalizations.
Here are some of the most common things I heard about us from foreigners.
- Americans are very confident.
- Americans are all rich.
- Americans don’t know much about the rest of the world.
- ‘I like Americans but I do not like American politics or foreign policy.’
- How come every American traveler I meet tells me they don’t like George Bush? How did he become president… twice??”
- I traveled to the United States and was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and welcoming they were (I honestly heard this at least ten different times).
- You are thin for an American (this was really said to me in Madrid by a British guy).
- You’re American, and you actually know how to drive a stick shift (standard transmission)??
- You’re American… so you have a gun, right?
- I don’t meet many Americans—they don’t travel as much as others.
This last one is a much discussed topic amongst travelers. Roughly 20-25% of Americans have their passports and those that do are more likely to be liberal-minded, left leaning individuals. But even though I do travel and think it is a great experience, education and investment for me personally, I do not feel the need to ‘wear my passport’ as a badge or look down on others who choose not to.
I also know there are many reasons why some Americans do not or can not travel outside the country:
- The US is very big and one can spend a lifetime just seeing the fifty states inside its borders. North America has just about every climate and landscape known to man and a wide variety of culture, cuisine and lifestyles. A lifetime isn’t enough to see everything.
- Unlike European countries, the US is very far from most other countries making it very expensive to travel abroad. A New Yorker may go all the way to Florida on holiday while the same thing for a Brit may be to fly to the Costa del Sol of Spain—probably the same distance but because of the small size of European countries, crossing borders is just more common.
- And in relation to the above, since the distance is so great, the flights are therefore very expensive and many, many people in the US can not afford to travel abroad.
- The unfortunate lack of vacation time given by the majority employers in the US.
The United States is a vast nation. With a total land mass area (exclusive of waters) of 3,536,294 sq mi (9,158,960 km²) the U.S.A. is the world’s third largest country, following Russia and China. Stretching more than three thousand miles across with nearly fifty states and nearly 300 million people in between, this is one diverse land.
Like all nations in the world some people are good and some bad. Some are the nicest you would ever meet and some are complete morons. One of my biggest pet peeves is generalizations.
In the beginning of my trip, I was slightly excited to be thought of as a ‘cool’ or ‘good’ American. People said I was ‘different’ because I was traveling and seeing the world and not just holed up in my country watching one of 300+ channels on my TV or driving my big, gas-guzzling SUV on some big highway somewhere (these are obviously more stereotypes).
By the way, I sold the only car I’d ever owned, a 1989 Honda Prelude, before my trip began. I only drove about once a month and hope to not buy another one since I normally use public transport anyway.
I was happy to also defend and explain to people that all Americans are not created equal and we are all different just like the rest of the world. But, I have to admit, as time went on I began to get sick and tired of trying to make sense of it all and either defending or renouncing other Americans. I grew weary of debunking the negative stereotypes that I really can’t do much about.
A few times I did encounter the stereotypical “ugly Americans” (as well as other English-speaking nationalities that shall remain nameless) during my travels giving us all a bad name, but I still tried to give them the benefit of the doubt because of the fact that they still made the decision to travel and see other parts of the world in the first place.
But I also met and know wonderfully kind and open Americans. Just remember also that the Americans who are traveling abroad are there to open up to new experiences and engrossing themselves in new cultures, but by making comments about these very visitors to your countries that open-mindedness can quickly turn to defensiveness.
After all I’ve seen and done I am still an American and I like myself and most of my American friends. I was proud to represent my country as I toured the world. I’m not proud of all Americans or everything my country does but who said it was all or nothing? Now shut up before I shoot you… and then sue you.
What Goes Around Comes Around
Number 11) Americans don't know how to cook and they're always eating Hot-Dogs, Hamburguers & Pizza.
Thanks god Lisa changed my mind and now I've a flatmate from Conneticut!
Your point #1 is probably the most true "generalization" of them all. Americans do tend to be very confident. They can't help it. They are born and raised in a country that offers so many diverse opportunities that it's completely natural to take it for granted. We are never in search of potable water. Even the poorest among us have an opportunity to eat and receive medical care. We're never far from transportation options. We can move very freely around from place to place and pursue employment opportunities at our leisure. Our cost of living is high. Older people suffer from anxiety as to whether they can afford to stay where they want to. Education will vary depending upon where you live, but every citizen is entitled to public education. Free will has a price tag and it's higher than it looks on the surface. To survive well here, you have to have chutzpah. To travel (well or not) you have to have the means to do so. Or have parents who do. The Americans people see in their home countries are not the complete mix of who we are. It never will be, because our nation evolves far more rapidly than any other on Earth. The colors and backgrounds of our citizenry is more diverse than any in the world. You can visit the people of the world without ever leaving the US. I've never met an American Traveler with an "inferiority complex". They're almost always very proud of their country, and even their region of the country. I agree that they can be a little too proud at times. We have taken the best that the world has to offer and built a blessed nation around it. Everything worth anything makes its way here. While I'm sure there are plenty of Ugly Americans (and ugly everyone else for that matter), there is no such place as Ugly America. Having you represent us around the world assures them Americans can be the kindest and prettiest people in the world.
Lisa,
I really want to say welcome back to Chicago but I hear the weather is so horrible I am not sure why you picked this time. You should have come in September. Still, welcome home.
I will amend rather add what I think. #2 All Americans are rich, I get America is paved with gold and everyone that ends up there set for life. I am tired of explaining how much I work and that is so completely not true. America is the best land for opportunity for those who seek but are willing to work for it.
I am black and I am tired of the assumption that I know Michael Jordan. Or that I know how to play hoops or like rap. I have lost track of people that come up to me that chirp out the latest Snoop ditty expecting me to chime in. Not going to happen!
Right now, I routinely get asked how I feel now that Barrack Obama has won the election. I am getting to the point of hating the primary process, how long it takes and the amount of time I am wasting explaining that he has not even won his party’s nomination leave alone the presidency.
This is tied to your point regarding the size of the country. I was born in Ethiopia but it seems every transplant to US gets this one where they say, do you know David or some other guy? He went over to US 4 years ago? That is WHEN I have to explain by saying imagine a country that is of a landmass larger than some 40-50 African countries combined and with cities the size of the capital all over the place coupled with a population that is about 5 times that of Ethiopia! Sad part is that sometimes that does not get the point across as they proceed to tell me he is slightly balding and a bit taller than me, as if that added piece of information further nails down the issue. Most of the time these questions come from folks that are elderly and talk of people related to them so opportunity for snide remarks are not there.
For every thing that is a US policy that ill affects whichever country I am in, the locals tend to believe that the average Joe citizen had a say in that. I get asked stuff like how do American’s allow this to happen? I often have to explain that the president has the power to do things without Congress knowing or approving things leave alone the average citizen. That shocks people. They feel the “democracy” of America grant us the power to “stop” the bad things. I wish someone will put out a website that says we do not control the leaders.
I try to not show people that I have an American passport. No matter how much I try to explain and present a story that I know the truth, I notice many prices automatically increase the moment someone finds I am a US citizen. Due to my complexion, I have the option of hiding that fact that the moment that document shows up, SERIOUS markup in pricing kicks in.
I have to stop now not to make your blog way too big, but do I have a list for you?
Hey Lisa,
Great post, I loved your reflections about encountering American stereotypes abroad, but I especially apriciated your list of reasons why it is simply not necessary for many, many Americans to hold passports.
-Suz
http://www.startgo.com
You certainly say it better than I do. I have just recently been blogging about Anti-Americanism and am trying to myth-bust through all the exaggerations and unfair stereotypes. Actually, a 12-step guide was created for Americans that travel abroad due to experiences such as your own and worse.
I agree with you that some generalizations have some truth. I don't find the US to be the best country in the world. While I am a proud American, I also realize that we have problems in our country.
And I don't know why people in other countries can't see either that most that DO travel ARE liberals!! It never ceases to amaze me why they have trouble with this.
Anyway, great post! Oh, and if you ever do pick up and travel again, go to Japan. I used to live there for many years, and it's an AWESOME country and the people are very kind and polite there. It's also rich in culture and very entertaining at the same time. I don't know who parties more… the Japanese or people in NY?
🙂
I've been in Italy now for a little over six years and hold passports from both countries. Ever since the primaries, politics have been a common topic of conversation. If I were paid $1 for every time I've been asked who will win this election I would be rich and we still have a couple of months to go!
Since I obtained the Italian passport I've been asked a couple of times if I am going to renew my U.S. passport or let it expire and just use my Italian passport. I have two citizenships therefore I have to have two passports. I am not going to renounce my American citizenship. If my Italian husband and I were to move to the States and he were to obtain American citizenship, I would not expect him to renounce his Italian citizenship.
I've heard #6 a couple of times. Then again, have heard from an English student who went to New York City and a couple of other East Coast cities and he said he found people rather cool/indifferent. Had to explain that the USA is a HUGE country, and like anywhere else, there are friendly people then are also rude people.
Have also met people here that they are so "excited" to meet an American, I being the first American they've met.
Europeans who have not really travelled in the States or have never, it is hard for them to fathom how big the country is. When one can hop on a low-cost airline from say Milan to Glasgow for $60 round-trip and 2 hours later you're in a foreign country. Whereas in the States, in two hours you'd be lucky to fly from NYC to Chicago.
Love the stereotypes of American Travelers. Unfortunately, some are true-lol.
I just wrote a post on my blog where I mention that people who dismiss all Americans or lump us together are one of y BIGGEST travel pet peeves. I mean there are 300 million of us- we can't ALL be fat lazy slobs right? Generalizing is so counter-productive and ignorant.
That's why I always try to be a good ambassador to American when I travel and I patiently answer the same questions repeatedly: No we don't all own guns, yes we have a messed up healthy care system, no i don't get Sarah Palin either… Like you said, I'm not proud of everything my country does, but I love it just the same.
I hear ya Steph. I have to admit, I felt like a very good ambassador, but I also went up and down – sometimes defending and sometimes panning…and then finally just getting tired of the whole discussion after so long traveling. I traveled through the last couple years of Bush and the start of Obama, so you can imagine the differing of reactions I got. In the end, I finally realized I am a good ambassador and proud of that, but I am not THE spokesperson for all of America.
I can see how our media and pop culture can make people from other countries think Americans are all rich. Compared to Europe, which has more social systems, there are probably a higher percentage of Americans that are poor, and it keeps going in that direction. If you have ever seen the movie "Waiting for Superman", American kids score very low on several tests – we are now something like #50 in the world in math, but we rank #1 in confidence. I guess that does a lot of good when you can parlay that into a celebrity career – unfortunately though, many youth will have to settle for minimum wage jobs. I will say this for the confidence thing though – I believe this is what creates innovators in the US, regardless of their education – because of our diverse makeup, we are more individualistic than other more homogeneous countries.
So true Don. Our pop culture is everywhere. And i met a few (ignorant) people who truly believed what they saw in movies was real. I guess since SO many movies are full of good looking, wealthy people, driving around wide streets in LA…it just becomes a subconscious "idea" of the USA. Compared to many poor nations, we are all totally rich. But yes, like you said, compared to a portion of the EU, we have more poor folks. I found many people who could not believe this. That is a sad reality about the US.
I get the gun question all the time too…
Sadly it’s sort of a valid question, since there are more guns (legal and illegal) in the U.S. than most other countries.