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Comment on Why does it seem like many Americans have an arrogant personality trait?

TopHatExtraordinaire@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

I’ve heard similar stories during my random travels around the world over the years. It’s unfortunate that people in Europe and elsewhere are subjected to these negative encounters. As you said, I don’t believe it’s every American, but from these consistently shared anecdotes, I learned early on in my travels that the USA is not always sending its best people.

With that said, I would like to share some observations about this from the perspective of someone from the USA. Amongst my friends and other American travelers I have spoken with, there is a noticeable anti-American sentiment that we have felt from, for example, Europeans while we are traveling throughout Europe. It ranges anywhere from immediate, perceptible changes in demeanor upon hearing my accent, to unsolicited and overly judgmental comments on every aspect of American society, all the way to unprovoked anger.

Many of the complaints I’ve heard from Europeans about Americans, I’ve ironically experienced myself from Europeans: arrogance, intolerance, racism, overt drunkenness and loudness, a lack of understanding about geography (Europeans don’t seem to understand how large the USA is), uninformed opinions they absorbed from sensationalized media sources, etc.

As a result of these experiences, we are sometimes hesitant to talk or discuss anything related to our country when forced into a conversation about these topics. Let word is forced. This is not to say we are afraid of admitting the issues that are prevalent throughout our society. In fact, I would say most Americans who are traveling would agree with you. It’s just that when we travel, it can be difficult to have a conversation with a European without being bombarded by unsolicited opinions on everything they believe is inherently wrong with me. While I have encountered this elsewhere, this tends to be a mostly European experience for me.

Having to hear that over and over can get tiresome, whether deserved or not. Especially since this isn’t something new, and has been going on for many years before the Trump and Bush eras. I’ve resorted to self-deprecating humor when any of those topics come up, which seems to assuage most people. I’ve noticed a lot of Americans do this online or in person, even some taking it to the point of self flagellation.

All of this is to say that most of my travels and encounters with people around the world are positive. It’s a great way to experience other cultures and people different than our own self-contained society. It’s one of the reasons why I love to travel, and encourage most of my fellow Americans to do so. The more we learn about the world, the better we will be at being good neighbors. Until then, I’m sorry we keep sending shitty people to your countries.

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Shezzagrad@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

Europeans don’t seem to understand how large the USA is), uninformed opinions they absorbed from sensationalized media sources, etc. We’re aware but who nobody actually cares when 95% of cities all look like the same garbage car designed extreme sprawl hellhole. And yes I know that’s an exaggeration, but you from south england to wales or Manchester then upto to Edinburgh youd see more variation than most of USA in culture and city While I have encountered this elsewhere, this tends to be a mostly European experience for me. As an ethnic south Asian who goes to Asia a bunch, I can can tell you. Americans are genuinely loved in very few places and even those that aren’t outright telling you suck, are just people more polite and jumble than the Europeans but still feel the exact way. Except Americans are even more fucking animals and creeps in Asia. You aren’t alone in that, British tourists can be awful, french people should be exterminated and the Chinese tourists is just a villager from hunan with too much factory money and not even sense

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- prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨23⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  
  but you from south england to wales or Manchester then upto to Edinburgh youd see more variation than most of USA in culture and city
  
  Yeah no, this is just wrong, and again completely ignoring the, “people don’t seem to understand how large the US is.”
  
  I am aware that most of our large cities were designed around automobiles, but there’s (literally) countless smaller cities and towns that vary wildly in appearance, tradition, population, etc. 99% of which you will never even hear about as a European.
  
  For example, do a quick Google search to see how many boroughs are in New Jersey alone. Then look at how small NJ is compared to the rest of the nation.
  
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  - Shezzagrad@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
    
    you can drive pretty much anywhere in the state of NJ, and be unable to swing a cat without hitting a world class pizza place, great Chinese food, amazing sushi, Mexican, Thai, etc. etc. Like quite literally the best pizza in the world.
    
    The food you will find in a literal hole in the ground in Paterson fucking NJ is better than most of what you can find from South England to Edinburgh.
    
    Is that it? Food, that isn’t even your food. Food of the immigrants your nation absolutely despises yet all your culture and reasons to come are for the immigrants like the African community, native American, amazing diverse food that wouldn’t exist without the immigrants.
    
    I can’t deny, you definitely have more variation, but also the fastest and most obese nation on earth, so I’m good, id rather eat in Edinburgh where my healthcare is actually free. And every city looks different and unique, our roads and highways respect the nature and history of the nation and even do UK, isn’t that great, it’s a hell of a lot better than America (apart from the cold and rain(
    
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- rockstarmode@lemmy.world ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  
  french people should be exterminated
  
  Whoa
  
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  - Shezzagrad@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
    So you want world peace or not?
    
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- I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  
  One of my best friends was a dude from Philadelphia who was a republican who became friends with the mortal enemy of the republican party
  
  He became friends with the concept of education?
  
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  - Shezzagrad@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago
    No, a born Muslim. He had never been with friends with one. Dude was acted like old style republican. He worked really hard while in uni in America to pay off all his student debts while still studying so that when he did his masters in Scotland, his finances were clear. Didn’t like trump but hated Hillary. But didn’t vote for trump nor Biden
    
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