National stereotypes

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US : Hasty, individualistic, drastic medications, weaponry, 'career-chasers'. I'm sorry, but there's no thing I despise more than 'Americanisation'. But I'm happy for the liberation.

England : Pomposity, hooligans, bad-food-but-nice-breakfasts, Di, Drum&Bass, capital-of-pop. Most people I met when I was in England were pretty cool. I had drastically changed when I returned home: Wearing tight shirts, combats and sneakers and slightly chaotic. Get rid of the hooligans and the posh-peops.

Ireland Green, Guinness, Irish Pubs (they are different here in Holland), U2, accent

Scotland : Land of Mystics, Cabertoss, kilts, Highlanders, forts, whiskey, Braveheart, Misty Mountains, Loch Ness

Sweden : Sauna, really expensive alcoholic beverages, less tall and blond people then I'm used to.

Denmark : Rosen fra Fyn, Trolls, Hans Christian Andersen.

Germany : Industry, Invading their western neighbourghing countries each summerweekend and digging holes at the beach, Oktoberfest, beer, bratwurst, people I met were nice, good hospitality, 210km/h on highway, some pretty good sportsmen/women. I'm quite positive about the Germans.

Poland and Canada : May 5, 1945 (Need not to say more)

France : Nice country, too bad the hyper-chauvinistic French live there. They beg for cigarets, and that's annoying, too.

Italy : Annoying macho-behaviour, good food, nice language, nice girls, wonderful architecture, chianti, bad cheese though (parmasan)

Spain : War 1568-1648, nice girls, relative good food, dancers, bombs.

Belgium : Very kind people, good beer and 'gezelligheid'.

 

Getting close but still not good enough!

Now, here's what I'll say the typical Kiwi view of the world is (Deathmage can agree probably):

Let's start with our the country just across the ditch from us Australia: Strange American want-to-bes, who always find a way to beat us in sports.

USA: A country bent on world domination. The average citizen suffering from obsesity and couldn't find their own country on a world map.

Canada: Nearing normal, apart from the fact their sports are messed up.

England: People who like to talk. They talk and talk about nothing. There's also those royal people who always get on TV for the smallest little thing.

Ireland: A country who are fairly good at rugby. They also like to fight a lot and like big explosions, even if they involve blowing up a lot of people.

France: People in blue military uniforms. These people have a strange fassination with frogs and snails.

Germany: Friendly clean people, who have resently got over the idea of world domination.

Norway: Home of the Vikings. A place with a lot of snow, whose people like to sail around in long boats, chopping other peoples heads off.

Rest of Europe: Why the hell are there so many countries here? They're all so small and no-one's heard of most of them. Why can't they all just be one country?

China: Poor communist people, who march around in red and like rice. Generally short and have strange accents.

Japan A rich country just across the sea from us. It's people have no sense of humor at all, but are tidy and hard working.

New Zealand: It's friendly, smart citizen's have the worlds best ruby players amoungst them. They have fine tastes of food and are very sensibly, nuclear free a very green country.

Rest of the world: A waist of space. Go away!

 

@Rotku: You interrupted my studying for THIS?

But he told me to agree. So there. Bleeeh.

 

You, studying? You were talking in the Frindly Arm Inn!

 

I still am...but...ahhh...

Japan:
Paradise of hentai and porn. Has the Yazuka! W00t! Japanese girls tends to squeal in high-pitched voices. Sexist country.

England:
Royalty and David Beckham rules the country. English accents rocks the house. Old grannies tends to wear flowered dresses, look after flowers, and sip tea and eat ginger cookies. Old english gentlemen has sword-canes, big moustaches, a top hat, a suit, and say "Wot wot, old chap, cheerio!" and stuff like that.

Russia:
Cool accent. Seems to be stereotypically evil. Wears winter hats and uses AK-47's. Drinks vodka. And let's not forget the Mafia!!

Italy:
Cool accent (again!). Has a lot to do with pizza. People have big moustauches and are painters.

France:
French sounds cool, and people are romantic, sips wines, and have beautiful women. Roses and steak and grape wine holds a very high place there. The Meroginvian is a good example.

America:
Believes they rule the world. Scary high school life. Black people tends to be either very nice or very mean.

Australia:
Carefree people with accents and chew straws. And somehow beats us at rugby.

New Zealand:
Friendly people whose foods are a bit plain and could use some improvement. Great vegetables.

Germany:
Are obedient and humourless.

India:
Indian females have veils, dots on their foreheads, and put jugs on their heads.

 

Oh, I forgot all about the British accent! How stupid of me!

Regarding British accents, see DM's post.

 

I am so glad that Australia has been left out. I'd love to hear some of the nonsense that can be said about that, not that I'd care...

I don't believe that it's true but some people reckon that Kiwis (New Zealanders) like sheep. (I hope that this will rope in ROTKU and the other Kiwis! )

 

@ Deathmage, I think the idea of stereotypes was to be more accurate than offensive. Chew straws. What pish. We chew HAY and GRASS. Straws, where do you get off.

America:
Arrogant. I'd love to see an arguement to this that doesn't come off as arogant.

 

Hay, straw, all the same thing

 

"Other countries"?! Whaddya mean, "other countries"? Everyone one knows that all these places you name are just suburbs of New York, where you have to commute by SST instead of the LIE.

 

Hey chev, there was no need for the history lesson or even to become defensive. It's just a clichee.

 

Italy: Goodlooking people, organized chaos, when the nigth falls they are all out on the streets showing off, think they are irresistable, good food, have a terrible government. We like them but dont respect them - they respect us but dont like us.

Netherlands: Coffeshops, bongs, bami, pommes spezial, very open-minded and nice people, progressive (weed & gay marriage - good things), Amsterdam, cheese.

France: Nice country, strange people, 'grande nation', stylish bunch, very proud, foreign legion & funny foods. I have never ever met a french whom I considered friendly. Never. Not in, not outside of France. They are just sooo... strange! Theres not much love lost between us but its vital we get along, so we do. But I dont know where this "they dont bath" comes from.

Greece: Zaziki, pita, gyros, acropolis & parthenon, wonderful country. Many germans have respect for the greek because of their great history. I think I have had my best holidays in Greece.

Sweden: They think it pays to choose the Crona over the Euro, funny names such as Sven Svenson, tall, blond & blue eyes, ABBA - "Waterloo", social security, colourful towns and villages of wooden lodges.

US: Oi. Weapons, weapons, weapons - get off on their nukes, are ruled by the Illuminati, would have us think they put a man on the moon, arrogant, ignorant, no culture, think they can heal the world, cheap pathos around the clock (freedom-democracy-bla-bla), have at all times a flag within hands reach and a "god bless us" on their lips, everyone is a hero over there, deeply religious, militaristic, NRA, cowboys. Very few like them.

Poland: "New europe", are currently on a anti-germany trip, tough, hardworking and strong people, but they suffer a very bad reputation because of the crimes some of them commit here, mostly the disappearance of our cars. Very conservative, which is bad. I think they are a decent people as a whole.

Iceland: They live on a hot rock and beliefe in fairies and trolls.

Spain: Few stereotypes I can think of other than bull-fights.

Turkey: They and the US want them to be a part of the EU. But the EU doesnt want *them*. Of all foreign groups turks have the worst reputation here in Germany. Bad hygiene, aggressive, stupid, bullies, like to beat up people when they outnumber them, isolate themself from others. Tend to kill their daughters/sisters when they engage with germans, tend to call german women whores and worthless but always try to **** them. I have been to Turkey and found them to be a very nice and hospitable lot. Tragic that they are such *******s here.

Belgium: Pralines! Sweets & candies.

UK: Terrible behaviour when on holiday. Hate foxes and hunt them. Odd habits, brit-pop, a little yesterday -> lords & earls, have a style of their own, US puppy, love to piss on the german embassy, Queen & Co. Think of us as lesser beings while we are quite amused by their resentment. Like to point out at all times that they whipped the floor with us (yes, delude yourself ). Oh, has it been mentioned that they are either hools or pompous snobs??

 

Oh wow, eh? You really think all us Canadians are duller than Americans, eh? Well, I'm going back up to my igloo home, you know, cause it always snows here, and I'll set my beaver out to get you, eh? If you'll excuse me, I need to go cut down more trees, being a lumberjack is hard work, eh?

 

That's only the majority. I'm not like that. I own a german flag and a dutch flag. not an american one. Not one.

I'm not arrogant. I have no self-esteem. I never talk to people. I have exactly one friend. Arrogant? Pish.

Keyword 'average' grrr... gimme a scale and a map, I'll show you.

Go to Minnesota, then you'll never think we're vulgar. Then go to Chicago, which'll take care of the uncultured bit.

I'm really starting to feel unloved. surely you don't hate ALL of us?

[ November 19, 2003, 01:11: Message edited by: Valkyrie ]

 

@ Valkyrie

Hey, those are stereotypes and have nothing, really nothing to do with individual Americans. Its a perception of the whole and not accurate! I would never hold any of the stuff I wrote up there against a single person.

There are so many of you and each one is different. I know that there are Amis who are just as disgusted by Bush and certain US habits as people of other nations.
And you are not hated. Its just that many feel uneasy and frustrated with the ways of US policy and military. The experience of being powerless and marginalized does that to you.

 

Culture in Chicago? Isn't that where they film Jerry Springer?

 

Isn't it odd how we apply these sterotypes to nations but not to the actual citizens of the nations?

 

teekc, Singapore has an almost nil unemployment rate, gum has now been legalized, and its still so incredibly boring I want to cry blood.

America: Fat, warmonger, corporate nation

Canada: Great place, especially Toronto, Alberta sucks

Italy: Why is that homeless guy carrying a loaded wallet?

England: History, okay people (in chinatown), the rest sucks

Japan: Evil people

Korea: Awesomely scary at every computer game ever made

China: Greatest damn place in the world

 

Have you seen the jerry Springer show? There's a whole stage-full, and mores the point, audience-full of perfectly obese crude arrogant sterotypes just waiting to belittle any andvancement by the rest of the population. Love the show by the way.

 

China: lots of people there, lots of lots of people, so much that the government has been taking radical step to limit the population.
For centuries, if not millennia, and to this very day, the Chinese have been fleeing their overpopulated country, creating the greatest diaspora known to mankind. They've tried civil wars for long, until they realised they needed foreign support to keep their ever-growing numbers in check. As past experiences with the Mongols were rather disappointing, it was decided to call upon European and Japanese armies to fulfill the task. Alas, even despite the sincerest efforts of Japan, there still was too much people in China. Foreign occupiers, growing tired, decided to kill each other, deeming it more funny and stimulating than killing Chinamen.
With the end of the N!-th civil war following shortly thereafter, the already alarming situation deteriorated even more.
The next move was then to limit the number of child per couple, ie entered the famous "one-child" policy. Again, the results were not only disappointing in terms of statistical figures, they also generated a whole generation (Chinese-scaled generation: enough to colonise the whole solar system and still feel agoraphobic) of spoiled kids and enfants provocateurs. In a desperate move, the Chinese authorities have decided to send their extra amount of citizens into space, unfortunately, the first one fell back on earth, and (there must be an evil god somewhere up there) he landed back in China! Of all the places in the world... Talk about bad luck! Anyway, they vowed to continue in the space way, let's wish them the best.

Australia: if we are to believe the Monty Pythons, they love beer, which is a good thing in the eyes of the average Belgian. (and here I am stereotyping my own country...) But they do differ a lot in the way that they're all pussies, especially those who call themselves rugby players, they really should be making fried eggs in the kitchen...
... now this should be when the punching and biting part starts (or at least so goes the stereotype). Other than that, they didn't even separate from Britain in a long and bloody war of independence like any self-respecting country like Belgium. Now ... really, no punches?

New-Zealand: Haven't they been overrun by Orcs yet?

Japan: Would-be proud confusianists and traditionalists, nobility, bushido and blah blah blah ... in reality: found to be the sickest, most twisted minds on earth, accounting for 99% of the weirdest and bizarrest mating habits (or at least they wish) in the UN's latest survey of Sick Bastard Behaviors. Can't they just reproduce normally, without fantasizing over schoolgirls and tentacles?