I Saw Some Americans

[JammerMatt]

I'm American and tend to agree. We stick out in other countries. Every gal in Paris looked hot, from ages 16 to 66. I think they just walk more and eat less. On the other hand, I felt that Europeans were very pushy in crowds.

Me, I'm about 10 lbs overweight, so not so bad. Try to stay low-key and appreciative of all things I see. But, after meeting some folks from Israel, (I was in France), I mentioned I was from the US, and the gal said, "well, obviously..."

So, not sure what that meant.

[Zhangliqun]

For me, the ol' Ugly American pinata routine is getting really old and uncalled for. Sorry if I'm a little thin-skinned on this but over the years the conversation on this issue has been ridiculously one-sided and I've had enough.

We get crapped on for being bigger, even if that just means taller, never mind being fat. (Should we then be allowed to crap on Asians for being 'short and scrawny'?) And we get crapped on for not knowing every single nuance of the culture of every place we visit, something no-one can do, while swept under the rug in such "conversations" is the fact that our accusers would be every bit as clumsy/presumptuous/clueless if they come to America -- and very often ARE in my experience.

For one thing, I can't tell you how many Canadians and Europeans and Arabs I've talked to who are chomping at the bit to lecture me in a snotty tone on how inferior American culture, politics, and foreign policy is compared to that of their homelands. Yet Ugly Canadian/European/Arab is a phrase the post-modern crowd in America just can't bring to their lips for fear of seeming "jingo-istic". (Although 'Euro-trash' is starting to making its way up the charts...)

When you're dealing with billions and billions of people on a globe, every country will have its share of loudmouth dunces, some of whom will inevitably travel to other countries and proceed to embarrass their motherlands. That's just life, and to use such people as the definitive lens through which to view their countries makes the viewer the Ugly Native.

[JumpMarine]

And the point of this thread is what again?

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

^see
Lol none I guess...everywhere humans have strange types in spades!

[JumpMarine]

^see
Lol none I guess...everywhere humans have strange types in spades!

LOL, that's true!

[Zhangliqun]

That Americans are loud, rude, pushy and fat?

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Well I know a few, polite, nice, maybe alittle too religious
Hehe but I am not the one to lob people in boxes
Dunno...it is like the drunk Swedes in Copenhagen, or the drunk Greenlanders...( I know all the bad jokes there) and so on!
People are people, in some way very much alike, and sometimes it is like meeting a complete alien!

[ratherdashing]

The problem with stereotyping Americans is that it is such a huge and varied country. Without a doubt, it has the most diverse population in the world. I don't think it's possible to say that all Americans are like this or that.

There's also the "fish out of water" problem. The fat, loud, stupid, and ugly Americans are far easier to spot, whereas the not-so-awful ones blend in with relative ease.

I work for an American company, and many of the people I deal with are in the US offices. We also have a lot of American clients, of course. For every one I encounter who fits the stereotype, there are four more who don't.

[Gearjoneser]

I'm gonna go to your country just to prove a point.

I plan on wearing a Dodge Mopar Baseball cap, a blue tie dye shirt with a indian/wolf motif, tight Wrangler jeans, tan construction boots, and I'm gonna walk into The Hard Rock Cafe and yell "Whoop, there it is!"...."Get'er done!"

Then, I'll make a joke about how I don't eat any foriegn slop....gimme the biggest T Bone Paco can scrape together back thar.
And then I'll order a water, and do shots off the Dale Earnhardt signature flask in my back pocket, and spit my Skoal into the empty water glass!

[Voxman]

For me, the ol' Ugly American pinata routine is getting really old and uncalled for. Sorry if I'm a little thin-skinned on this but over the years the conversation on this issue has been ridiculously one-sided and I've had enough.

We get crapped on for being bigger, even if that just means taller, never mind being fat. (Should we then be allowed to crap on Asians for being 'short and scrawny'?) And we get crapped on for not knowing every single nuance of the culture of every place we visit, something no-one can do, while swept under the rug in such "conversations" is the fact that our accusers would be every bit as clumsy/presumptuous/clueless if they come to America -- and very often ARE in my experience.

For one thing, I can't tell you how many Canadians and Europeans and Arabs I've talked to who are chomping at the bit to lecture me in a snotty tone on how inferior American culture, politics, and foreign policy is compared to that of their homelands. Yet Ugly Canadian/European/Arab is a phrase the post-modern crowd in America just can't bring to their lips for fear of seeming "jingo-istic". (Although 'Euro-trash' is starting to making its way up the charts...)

When you're dealing with billions and billions of people on a globe, every country will have its share of loudmouth dunces, some of whom will inevitably travel to other countries and proceed to embarrass their motherlands. That's just life, and to use such people as the definitive lens through which to view their countries makes the viewer the Ugly Native.

I think you could be a good Ronald McDonald,every person i know who have been in the states have made a comment on how many fat people there are in the states. I need to see this myself

[big_black]

A car is a necessity not because we are inherently lazy but because our urban sprawl has made mass public transit largely inefficient and ultimately ineffective.

It's not that public trans is something that would be inefficient where I live, it's that people would not/do not use it.

[Kivitel]

America is basically two different countries, at least to my mind. Skinnyeducatedistand and Fatretardedestan.

It's sad, really. I meet people in the midwest and south who are great people - really, despite what you may have heard, folks in say, Texas, are some of the most courteous people I've ever met - but there is so much ignorance and poverty there as well. I live around Boston, and things are a lot better for most people, but of course people here can be totally stuck up. We could really learn a lot from each other, but we all have these dumb ideas about how people actually are that we never find out for ourself. Like me for instance - the only non coast city I could ever see myself living in is Austin.

Now, fatness is another matter. Fact is, most people would rather live a few fewer years than be overweight. I **** you not. So since being, you know, respectable in your figure is ever-present on everybody's mind, it is next to impossible to be overweight and have self esteem - especially since if you are overweight nobody can believe you have self esteem. It's a revolutionary act!

So basically, to sum it up, if you're my age (23): listen up: get in shape N O W, because I have seen that the folks who let themselves go at my age look like crap for the rest of their years, and the folks that make an effort to stay active look good. I am fortunate to be quite thin and tall and apparently good enough looking to be asked to do stuff, but I know that I need to get into the habit of exercise (I work out now but need to do more) for my health's sake.

Man what a stupid rant. I like people to look healthy and happy, and fatness or vanity both get in the way.

[italic zero]

I agree that inactivity plays a big role. Our cities, outside of downtowns, were primarily designed around the automobile. Look at the good models of public transportation in the US and you'll see that they all serve dense urban development. A car is a necessity not because we are inherently lazy but because our urban sprawl has made mass public transit largely inefficient and ultimately ineffective.

When I went to Spain, I stayed around 3 miles from the school to which I went. Every day I walked there, back for lunch, to the school again, and then back to sleep. Add on to that anything I did in the evenings, which I would always walk to, and the fact that it was 40+C almost everyday, and I lost about 5 pounds in a month (which was impressive to me considering I wasn't much more than 5 pounds overweight), despite the fact that my host mother would literally insult me if I ate less than a couple thousand calories at lunch. Sure, I spent 3 hours a day walking, but it was still quite managable. Of course, Granada is an incredibly and walker friendly city.

[Zhangliqun]

Americans actually would use mass transit if it was efficient and safe.

In Europe, you're hard pressed to go more than 50 miles without running into a major city or at least decent-sized city. In America, there are large areas where you can easily go 100 miles without seeing a building. Mass transit in such areas is totally impractical because because there is no mass to transit, and as much as all governments are fond of wasting money, even ours won't subsidize a passenger rail system that might carry 10 people a day.

Ergo, in such areas, and even many areas where the population is a bit denser, a car is a necessity. There are even urban areas where lack of a car is impractical, like Southern California where I am. Unlike Chicago/NY/Philly/SF, etc, they made the mistake of building the So Cal cities first and THEN considering adding a subway or rail system. As a result, their reach is very limited. (Plus, with the PC crowd's terminal case of Stockholm Syndrome with thugs, it's very hard to keep the trains and buses safe to ride.)

I've been without a car many years out here and it can severely restrict the things you can do on a regular basis. I have a license and can and do rent a car when I really need to, but it would be better to have my own.

The real problem that causes Americans to be fat is the device you're looking at right now. Kids would rather play video games than go out to the park. This pattern doesn't often change as they become adults. Obesity would just about go away overnight if parents unplugged the computer and told the kids to go outside...

***

P.S. My apologies for the earlier rant. I admit I'm a bit thin-skinned about some of this, and my real problem is not with foreigners bagging on America, but with Americans who on hearing such things from foreigners reflexively fall all over themselves to apologize for being American. It's nauseating.

[ratherdashing]

I use walking, cycling, or transit for everything I do. I would say that I find myself wishing I had a car about once a month on average.

Vancouver has pretty good transit though - I know you can't do what I do everywhere in North America.

[St_Genesius]

Hey, as long as we can all agree that fat people are deserving of neither love nor respect, I'm on board.

[Zhangliqun]

I use walking, cycling, or transit for everything I do. I would say that I find myself wishing I had a car about once a month on average.

Vancouver has pretty good transit though - I know you can't do what I do everywhere in North America.

Actually Canada is even tougher than America in terms of huge expanses of sparsely to zero populated areas. Even down by the border it's a bit of a haul between major towns.

I'm probably about the same on cars -- once, maybe twice a month would do it.

[Zhangliqun]

Hey, as long as we can all agree that fat people are deserving of neither love nor respect, I'm on board.

Put down those Twinkies!

[Frankly]

I know you can't do what I do everywhere in North America.

That's true. If you drive on the left side of the road in the US, you'll get pulled over before you can say Jack Robinson. Also, if someone bumps into you on the subway and you drop your umbrella, shake off your gloves, pull their sweater over their head, and swing wild punches at them, you'll go to jail for much more than ten minutes, and you won't get to wear the same clothes while you are doing your bid. Your incarceration won't be in a nice (if sparsely decorated) cubicle. You will probably lose your job, too, never mind get a raise. Golf with your boss? Never again, and forget the fishing trip to Yellowknife with the guys you work with.

If you yell 'hey Gord' in a bar in America, you'll hear crickets chirping, not a choir-like chorus of 'who, me?'

Those are some of the differences between VanGroovy and the United States.

Thank you.

[newking70]

Re: I Saw Some Americans: were they caged in a zoo or something?