Accurate**

48 - Words do not begin to describe your aparent ignorance towards Americans right now.

To be fair #81, you can't exactly have ignorance towards a person or group of people... Other than speaking ignorantly in their general direction I guess...

48 I accidentally "thumbed up" your comment when going to hit "thumbs down" on my phone. I feel like this needs to be said.

Well people, 48 isn't that far off. The extreme sensationalism of news reporting, the insanity and hyperbole surrounding the ACA, the hilarity of the presidential election. The list goes on and on.

Aren't you from America? Oh, if I use you as an example it may be accurate -_-

Just think how many comments on fml you see saying "sue him/her/them"... Stereotypical, yeah right. Google for crazy lawsuites. Have a laugh, or maybe cry when you see those that were won.

I would not thumb down 48 Because the stereotype is what is portrayed in the media that's broadcasted to the world. That's what get the ratings. Most foreigners think all or most Americans are tall, good looking and have great bodies. Also they are crazy, lazy, like to sue and are generally ignorant or dumb and pretty arrogant. ( ala beauty pagents, politicians, Borat, Jersey shore, Jay walking and the other shows that 'highlight' this). Plus american tourist have a sense of entitlement. There are not enough shows that highlight the simplier, compassionate side of everyday Americans. You can't blame people if its mostly negative things are all that reach them.

How does borat come into play here? The actor is British and plays a character from the Middle East.

Not Borat himself, but the Americans he comes in contact with during the movie. I don't think many people think 'all or most Americans are tall, good looking and have great bodies'- I've found many people think most Americans are fat and ignorant, and that the attractive ones live in LA.

stereotypes have to come from somewhere

126 - Is that really how Afghans think of Americans? I'm surprised. To my knowledge the rest of the world knows stereotypes in which Americans are fat and lazy, inbred rednecks, arrogant and selfish and last but not least hypocritical. 2/3rd of the world dislikes the US for reasons tied to the stereotypes I just summed down. I think the US is sue-country number one worldwide, though. It's certainly not a stereotype when compared to Europe.

So I guess it's mostly the same, but lacking any positive stereotyps.

Actually, foreigners don't think Americans are tall, good-looking or fit. They think they're all insanely fat. Which is unfortunately true for a lot of them. Although, in Scotland we're nearly as bad. (Only looking at percentages though, as obviously, America has a MUCH higher population.)

@177 well most afghans that I encounter mostly have interactions with or see American soldiers. And most of us fit the stereotype. But based on movies and television shows, barring a few, that what you see most of. Tall good looking people. Propaganda is another story altogether. I can speak for the rest of Afghanistan but where I am electricity is a novelty and television is rare. So the people here might have both positive and negative stereotypes. From what they see and what they are told or hear.....because most can't read.

** I CAN'T Speak**

-112 I love you picture!!!

Oops, I mean *your

Don't forget emotional distress!

the American way, sue your way through life

that will show them that Americans aren't all sue happy

Might as well add pain and suffering to your reasons.

I'm almost afraid the commenter wasn't being sarcastic, but I'm holding out hope for the human race and being optimistic.

But it wouldn't feel great to be somewhere your not wanted. And have to live with them...

yea because suing them will prove a point. plus discrimination laws might not apply in the other country.

I really hope that's sarcasm -_-

It ain't

Funny how I'm literally native to America and I could see the sarcasm no problem. Huh

Now only if your grammar wasn't stupid

It's sad that America's stupid people is stupider than other countries' stupid people.

#44 remember hearing that in one of Dylan Moran's stand ups. I think it was "Like, Totally". Check it out and have a good laugh.

This thread gave me a migraine. Yes it's major sarcasm by #3, and #3 purposely spelled "stupid" wrong as the joke. Good god. Use your brains people.

@49 I wasn't implying that #4 was stupid. Plus, I knew it was sarcasm. I was just stating a fact. c:

Numbah 3, ya damn right we ain't. We is just as smart as all them other countries.

XD

I think the big difference is that in other countries, they ship their stupid people to remote rural villages where they are never heard from again. Here, we give them their own TV shows!

#44 Yet you can't even form a grammatically correct sentence?

Were only Slightly Stoopid.

It's because many have proven to companies that those shows are going to be watched. The life of the stupid becomes fun to watch as you laugh at all their crazy/dumb actions and feel superior to them.

50- What brains? This is Amurica!

42- Your grammar wasn't perfect either... using the subjunctive, it would be "weren't" not "wasn't."

perdix, if that was the case my sister would have 5 TV shows

Stereotypes are only stereotypes because they're mostly true.

Stereotypes are only stereotypes because they're mostly true.

Or, you know, they're untrue a good percentage of the time.

40: Stereotypes are mostly true? So, because I'm an American, that automatically means I'm fat, stupid, and loud? So, because someone's British, that automatically means they're obsessed with tea and have teeth in poor condition? So, because someone's a Muslim, that automatically means they're a terrorist? Sorry, but I find this to be a very ignorant statement

They aren't saying stereotypes are always true. The problem is that there are enough people who fit that stereotype which is why we have them.

Haha dear god take a joke people. They are called stereotypes because they are a generalization, not because they apply to every individual.

#56 stereotypes didn't just magically appear. They're there for a reason. I'm not saying all Americans are fat, all British have bad teeth, or that all Muslims are terrorists, but enough are that the stereotypes came to life.

I live in a very multicultural city here in Vancouver and I'm going to tell you that the stereotypes we have here do tend to hold true. For instance, a Korean walks in and ask for cigarettes: 9/10 times they'll ask for Belmont. Asians are stereotyped as bad drivers here: statistically, most of the accidents are indeed caused by them. The German community is stereotyped as being very fair but strict when it comes to working (either as employees or managers), every German I have met here happens to be like this too. Much of the fights that break out are from the Iranians too, so we tend to be cautious around Iranian young men. I work in retail, so I see a higher than average volume of people from all over the city coming from all walks of life. Stereotypes are made for a reason, they often hold true. There will always be exceptions, obviously, but more often than not they are correct. One shouldn't necessarily act upon such notions but if anything they're amusing to think about.

Agree with 100, however I will add that stereotypes do sometimes become out of date, at which point they no longer exist because they are true of a certain number of a social group, they exist because that was the case, once.

#78, totally agree and I find it ao humerous when people get these things mixed up. Esspecially when she is my soci prof. She seemed confused as to why people say men are the sexual agressors when some women are more agressive.

Stereotypes also come from racist/sexist/religious intolerance, etc. Sometimes people use stereotypes as a way to generalize people so they don't have to think about individuals. Hollywood has also created stereotypes in their movies and other media. Finding a handful of people that fit a stereotype doesn't make it a good generalization.

Well, I could go and stereotype blonde women as being stupid based on what I've seen but I know it to not be worthy of that term because my mother is blonde and probably one of the smartest people I know. I work with a few stupid blondes as well as a few smart ones. I could stereotype Asian men in my city to be incredibly stupid when it comes to understanding flyers and price tags (since they're the source of 90% of confusion at my store) but I happen to work with a few very bright Asian guys whose judgement I'd trust over my own. Unlike some people, I know where to draw the line with my stereotypes. There is nothing wrong with making stereotypes, it's how you choose to apply them that really matters.

It's the loud, stupid, fat people among us who are first to speak out.

It's the white family from Texas who's dads a rancher and their mom complains at every restaurant and the son throws a bitch for cause his world of Warcraft was cancelled. Merica.

Or get their own TV shows, as a Predix stated earlier.

Do us all a favor and don't pretend to speak for the general public. Have you gone to school? Because we learn about other countries in school, therefore we do in fact know about other cultures. Also, all Americans are not as people tend to think we are. But, obviously by your example, some are.

13- Do us a favor and stop talking before you embarrass yourself any more. Perdix is almost never serious, and your argument is shit.

13 - Pipe the **** down. It's a joke.

Public schools speak little to nothing about other cultures. There's also quite a bit about our own history that isn't taught in our schools, as well, if what I've heard from a Canadian acquaintance is true.

Wait we learn in public school? I thought it was more time for sleep during the day! :o

They do a pretty good job, if one takes advanced classes.

Well #9 what do you expect with out international "stars", such as Honey Boo Boo, Real House Wives of Whatever, Toddlers in Tiaras, 16 and Pregnant, and other shows that represent the American life so well! Don't you know all of us southerners marry our kin-folk, act like backward morons and talk like we have only three years worth of education? Op I feel sorry for your situation, it's racist (or perhaps an -ism that pertains to nationality) and small minded to assume you fit a stereotype, I hope you can find a family that will foster you during your studies abroad.

26 - I wish! I try to sleep, but so many people snore in most of my classes that it just isn't possible :-/

#94 I think the ism that you are looking for on nationality would be selective-xenophobia

Seriously, the amount of Geography than the average American know about outside the US is almost none existent so is their willingness to learn. Same goes for grammar and the general use of the English language. For the average American the laws and rules of other counties don't apply to them. I'm sure less than 50% have passports or are willing to get one to see and experience what else is in the world. It's sad that the stereotype exist and hardworking, smart people are the ones that we DON'T see more of on the news or what is shown around the world. Yes they are stupid people everywhere but nowhere else, that I know of, do they have the ability to get rich and be successful as in the US. And thats a part of what makes this counrty great or not in some cases. It sucks that people like OP suffer for it.

Kyu, they may not teach about other cultures, but they teach geography plenty. Culture does not extend to geography in curriculum.

13 - says the ****** who calls himself "carebear"

@#154 the geography they teach is mostly about north American. Geograph might be too broad a term. But Most people dont know where to find most countries on a globe in an atlas. Or the difference between Guyana and Ghana, which happen to be on two seperate continents. And will actually argue with you about it.

As an American, I'd be surprised if op didnt... People seem to want to put a 'murican flag on everything.... >_

I remember when I was on an exchange trip to France, my friend's host family was next-door to mine, and requested that he bring an American flag with him, just because they wanted one. Upon his arrival, his host sibling took a large stick, tied the flag to it, staked it in the front yard and exclaimed "We 'Murrica now!"

Only if there's oil there!