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Who Do SO MANY Americans think "The UK" and "Africa" are countries?

neversickanymore said:
same as Europeans looking at Americans like we are one big people..

Levels of ignorance..

tell me more about America and Americans @The UltimateFixx
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Oh there's a definite preponderance of certain states over others when it comes to these types of people that I've noticed. But if I were to point those out anyone on here who's from there is gonna feel personally insulted.

And yep, sorry to say, while there's uninformed tourists from every country, every time you meet one with that extra idiot level of uninformed, 9 times out of 10 they're from the US.

'I know you said you're from China, but I wanna know what COUNTRY you're from. There's countries in China like Asia, China's not a country.'
(This to a Chinese fellow student of mine.) 'Why are there no decent Mexican restaurants here when you all speak Mexican.' (To my step sister who lives in Barcelona.) 'Oh if I could go on holiday abroad I'd go to Italy ' cause it's close to Rome . ' (Someone in a chat room who promptly logged off when an Italian member tried to get it into his head that Rome is in Italy.) ' Do you have cars in Germany? ' (To me by an aupair before she visited us.) Nope, we only pretty much invented the damn things. I could fill a book with those gems.

And the number of times English acquaintances of mine have been complimented by Americans on their grasp of English, as though the word England wasn't a massive clue as to where the language comes from, the number of times someone thinks Austria is short for Australia and THEN insists on arguing the point when told it's a) a totally different country and b) they speak German there, the times I've personally been asked how long a drive it is from Europe to the US etc, the number of times I've encountered genuine surprise that European countries have all the mod cons like fridges and TV and Internet etc, with the exception of the odd Australian or Canadian that was always Americans.

I mean wtf do they teach at school over there. There's got to be some systematic issue or there wouldn't be such a prevalence that every single person who's ever worked in the tourist industry (I was a tour guide for a bit) could give you a ton of such examples.
 
The UltimateFixx said:
I mean wtf do they teach at school over there. There's got to be some systematic issue or there wouldn't be such a prevalence that every single person who's ever worked in the tourist industry (I was a tour guide for a bit) could give you a ton of such examples.
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their education system is fucked. i feel bad saying that given that the UK system is also fucked. but the US is a whole other level of fucked. US students coming over on exchange programmes strggle, because even though they are technically in the same year of study, our level is higher. ditto when i went to france to study, their level is higher so i stuggled. they have to do the longest PhDs of anywhere (6 years compared to our 3.5) to be able to produce researchers capable of competing on a global stage.

at this point i think it has to be a willful decision by the ruling elites in the US to keep their people ignorant. and then cos of american exceptionalism most americans don't seem to stop to consider that they are in any way under informed.

it sounds really snide but these observations have been repeated by everyone i know who has studied with, or lectured, US students. and those are the ones intelligent enough to go to uni and interesting and curious enough to study abroad, so they are outliers right at the top, but its still so fucking obvious. on the one hand, its sad. on the other hand, most jobs don't require much education and if people are happy, who cares. problem is that poorly educated people are more easily manipulated.
 
The UltimateFixx said:
Oh there's a definite preponderance of certain states over others when it comes to these types of people that I've noticed. But if I were to point those out anyone on here who's from there is gonna feel personally insulted.

And yep, sorry to say, while there's uninformed tourists from every country, every time you meet one with that extra idiot level of uninformed, 9 times out of 10 they're from the US.

'I know you said you're from China, but I wanna know what COUNTRY you're from. There's countries in China like Asia, China's not a country.'
(This to a Chinese fellow student of mine.) 'Why are there no decent Mexican restaurants here when you all speak Mexican.' (To my step sister who lives in Barcelona.) 'Oh if I could go on holiday abroad I'd go to Italy ' cause it's close to Rome . ' (Someone in a chat room who promptly logged off when an Italian member tried to get it into his head that Rome is in Italy.) ' Do you have cars in Germany? ' (To me by an aupair before she visited us.) Nope, we only pretty much invented the damn things. I could fill a book with those gems.

And the number of times English acquaintances of mine have been complimented by Americans on their grasp of English, as though the word England wasn't a massive clue as to where the language comes from, the number of times someone thinks Austria is short for Australia and THEN insists on arguing the point when told it's a) a totally different country and b) they speak German there, the times I've personally been asked how long a drive it is from Europe to the US etc, the number of times I've encountered genuine surprise that European countries have all the mod cons like fridges and TV and Internet etc, with the exception of the odd Australian or Canadian that was always Americans.

I mean wtf do they teach at school over there. There's got to be some systematic issue or there wouldn't be such a prevalence that every single person who's ever worked in the tourist industry (I was a tour guide for a bit) could give you a ton of such examples.
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What do you do that you repeatedly interact with so many dumb people?

I’m going to call BS on most of what you have claimed. Typical American bashing bullshit.
 
Here in Spain we perfectly know what is UK and we consider United Kingdom a "country" even if technically is a "conglomerate".
Ourselves have some "problems" with different "countries" in our territory but let's be honest, a Scott is firstly considered someone from UK rather than someone from Scotland, same for the Welsh and North Ireland. I know they don't like that at all, but that's how it's "normally" considered, same stuff with Vascos from País Vasco/Euskal Herria and Catalans from Cataluña/Catalonia.
They may not like it but the fact that they are called this or that in terms of political display doesn't change their basic political and cultural roots. I think.

Not trying to minimize or play down the importance of their own habits, language or culture at all, on the contrary, I lived in Galicia, a small region with a language that is similar to portuguese and I value that a lot, to have experieced that richness of genuine roots and cultural variety.
 
jasperkent said:
The USA is incredibly diverse. We have extremely ignorant people and highly educated people. We have radical leftists; we have fascists. Most of us are somewhere in the middle between the extremes-- but there are a lot of differences within that group, too.
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The thing I observe is the massive difference between the educated and the uneducated, as well as the sheer preponderance of the uneducated the US appears to 'export' as tourists.

Case in point, my well - travelled friends from Ohio find it necessary to tell everyone who identifies them as being American tourists that 'we're not one of the stupid ones'. What citizen of what other country would have to make a categorical point of that.
 
jasperkent said:
The USA is incredibly diverse. We have extremely ignorant people and highly educated people. We have radical leftists; we have fascists. Most of us are somewhere in the middle between the extremes-- but there are a lot of differences within that group, too.
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Very true. It's like a bunch of different countries slapped together. For example, people from Montana, Utah, Nebraska, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Maine aren't really Americans. They talk funny and smell of odd spices. I don't know where the hell they came from, but they need to go back.

Just saying.
 
ditching school or not paying attention in class
 
ChemicallyEnhanced said:
Before anyone argues:

Africa is a CONTINENT.
The U.K is a United Kingdom containing four countries.
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skin care help GIF
 
Illyria99 said:
Very true. It's like a bunch of different countries slapped together. For example, people from Montana, Utah, Nebraska, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Maine aren't really Americans. They talk funny and smell of odd spices. I don't know where the hell they came from, but they need to go back.

Just saying.
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just so ya know, i live here, and i never met anybody from Nebraska - so how did you? :Sherlock:
 
go ahead

keep telling me how smart you are while being a complete idiot in your own homeland

i'll wait right here

:USA:
 
Who are the best tourists in the world..

www.reuters.com

And the best tourists in the world are...

The best tourists in the world are the Japanese, followed by Americans and the Swiss, a survey based on views from hoteliers across Europe said Wednesday.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com

Americans came in 2nd on that take.

Americans are great people and most people really enjoy us as tourists.
 
i'll tell ya this:

where im from, thinking and acting like you're smarter than the next guy, will get your ass handed to you

that's no lie either

so stay where you are with that big brain of yours


:USA:
 
And Europe has some amazing food.. but you all really have almost no Mexican and I don't think you know how three plus months will absolutely jones many Central and North Americans out for Mexican food..

I backpacked from Athens to London some years back and what an amazing trip.. First meal I hit State side was Mexican.. right after we broke outta long term parking with a dukes of hazard move with Chicago's finest mounted Police is in hot pursuit. True.

 
Mr. Krinkle said:
just so ya know, i live here, and i never met anybody from Nebraska - so how did you? :Sherlock:
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Occasionally they leave Nebraska for pilgrimages to the REAL America. You can always spot them...flushed skin, limp hair, and mom jeans. Sighting them is similar to seeing Bigfoot. They don't like to be photographed. Nor can they survive too long away from Nebraska. Like fish out of water, they start gasping and quickly head back to their natural habitat.
 
Mr. Krinkle said:
i'll tell ya this:

where im from, thinking and acting like you're smarter than the next guy, will get your ass handed to you

that's no lie either

so stay where you are with that big brain of yours


:USA:
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God, you sound like a Texan. 😅
 
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