Stereotypes exist for all nationalities, but it is still frustrating when other people make assumptions about you because of the country you come from. An internet user recently asked, “Are there any myths about America that you’d like to debunk?” Here are the 21 best responses.
Americans Don’t Travel
“It’s just more affordable to go to another state. Same reason why a French person is more likely to visit Berlin than Beijing.”
“Everyone goes on road trips. They are a rite of passage for younger people. Being able to just hop in your car and drive 2000 miles across the country is pretty epic.”
“Precisely this. I’ve been to 45 of the 48 Continental states.”
Americans Think Their Country Is The Best
“Stop thinking we don’t travel abroad because we think our country is the best or something. We don’t travel abroad for a number of reasons, namely how far away other countries are and how much it costs.”
“Travelling to Europe is seen as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most Americans. It’s not that people don’t want to visit your country; it’s that a lot of them financially can’t.”
America Is Smaller Than It Is
“No, you can’t take a quick day trip from New York to the Grand Canyon. Even within California, it just isn’t possible to properly visit and enjoy LA, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite all in a single day. America is huge.”
“It’s not possible to visit and enjoy more than one of those places in a single day. You’re looking at a minimum of 18 hours of just driving to get to each.”
Nobody’s Helping The Poor
“Growing up poor does suck. But we have programs aplenty to ease the suffering: WIC, Medicaid, SNAP, free school lunches, and TANF. I’m contemplating buying a house; there are USDA loans for us rural folk to aid in that.”
“Oh, that’s lovely; I always thought of America as a ruthless society, so thanks for informing me.”
American Food Has No History
“When slaves were brought to America, they would fry their breaded foods in the leftover oil from the Scottish slave owners (who fried everything). After the Civil War, the practice spread because it was cheaper, less wasteful, and more filling.”
“The Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage exists because mistreated Irish and Jewish communities banded together.”
Americans All Eat Fast Food
“Plenty of us cook or enjoy good, healthy food. And we have plenty of great dining out options other than chain or fast food places.”
“America is a food shopper’s dream. There’s imported food from literally everywhere.”
“If you’re dining out in a big city, throw a dart at a map, and there’ll be a restaurant covering that country’s food. It’s fantastic. There’s no place like that anywhere else.”
Americans Are Stupid
“We aren’t all dumb/ignorant. Okay, we have our fair share of dummies, but I have met enough non-American idiots to know stupidity doesn’t discriminate.”
“I’ve traveled in Europe quite a bit, and I’ve seen some extremely unintelligent Europeans. Being an idiot isn’t exclusive to America, and I don’t think we have more than the average.”
Americans Are Racist
“We’re just brave enough to admit we have racial problems in this country and have a dialogue about it. The rest of the world is not more enlightened about race; they just have their blinders on.”
“We care more about fighting racism, equal rights, and listening to the victims. In other countries, their racial dynamics have often been ingrained for eons and don’t change.”
Processed Cheese Is The Only US Cheese
“Literally every major market in the US has a cheese section with a wide variety of different cheeses- you may not be able to find a relatively obscure cheese, but we have many good aged kinds of cheese and decent bread too.”
“I can go to a specialty Italian market and get high-quality food, including cheese.”
Americans Are Prudish
“We do have nipples and genitals in our lives, art, movies, and TV. Just because we don’t have topless old ladies at every public beach is neither a big deal nor something we care about/ base our freedom on.”
“Euros think we’re prudes. Everyone else thinks we’re hedonists. We can’t win.”
America Has Jackalopes
“I have yet to see a living Jakalope. From all the stuffed ones in catalogs and at truck stops, I’m pretty sure they’re extinct now anyway.”
“Jackrabbits here can acquire a virus that results in skin growths that emerge from the head and face. These can sometimes resemble horns. Some states adopted the legend of the Jackalope (but really, it’s just a sick bunny).”
If It’s Not Mandated, Americans Don’t Have It
“We have maternity leave and, increasingly, paternity leave, even though the Feds don’t legally require it.”
“If it’s not federally mandated, some of us have it. But it’s going to depend on what state you’re in and, possibly, also on what employer you have.”
“Like federal holidays; a lot of people don’t necessarily get those days off work.”
The Pledge Of Allegiance Is Sacred
“This weird idea that we have an ultra-nationalistic, Hitler-Youth-esque rally in our classrooms every morning. In reality, the pledge of allegiance is entirely mundane and something that I didn’t think about in the slightest.”
“I don’t think I actually said it once in my entire time in middle or high school. Most kids just stood up, a few would mumble, and it was never a big deal.”
All Healthcare Is Privatized
“There is a public sector of healthcare; it’s just restricted to specific people and conditions.”
“Medicare for the old people. Medicaid for the poor. Essentially the elderly and those who can’t take care of themselves.”
There’s A Mass Shooting Every Day
“Most so-called mass shootings are gang-related, in crime-ridden areas. They don’t impact 99.9% of the population.”
“In 2018, approximately 380 people died in mass shootings; more have died due to car accidents, homicides, and choking on their own food.”
“A mass shooter is angry at society for some perceived slight. A gang shooter is motivated by money, territory, or rivalries.”
All Americans Are Obese
“I mean, lots of people are huge, but not everyone.”
“Not all, but 2 out of 3: in 2010, 65.7% of American adults and 17% of American children were overweight or obese.”
“A whole third of our country is a normal weight!”
Everyone Owns A Gun
“We don’t go everywhere armed to the teeth and have frequent running gun battles in the streets like in an action movie. Most of us don’t even own guns.”
“I think it’s like 40% of households that have at least one gun.”
“Consider that there can be multiple people in a household, and only one of them might own a gun. There were four people in my household; only my father had one.”
All American Beer Is Poor
“Everyone thinks our beer is like drinking watery pee, but the craft and micro beer scenes are amazing. Just don’t drink Bud or Coors Light.”
“It doesn’t even need to be craft beer. Europeans just need to understand it’s not all Bud Light. Just like how Americans know not all European beer is Heineken.”
Americans Don’t Understand The Metric System
“Not only do we understand it, but it is widely used. Food products typically have both ounces and grams on the label, for example. A standard ruler will usually have both inches and millimeters. It’s not really feasible to get away with not having metric tools. You’re going to need a 9 mm socket wrench at some point.”
“We understand the metric system. We just have no incentive to change.”
All Universities Are Run For Profit
“Yes, they exist, but they have a bad reputation and are very rare. Like hospitals, most universities in the US are run by the government, churches, and charities.”
“This is true and also applies to hospitals. In reality, only 18% of hospitals are for profit.”
Young Americans Can’t Afford A Normal Life
“It is entirely possible to go to college, get a job, buy a house, start a family, etc.”
“The challenge is exaggerated and doesn’t exist for everyone. It’s hardest for middle-income people whose parents can’t help for whatever reasons. For people who are truly low-income, the help is staggering, especially if you have a compelling story and you want to study business or STEM.”
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