Ther germans?

Question

last year i met a guy from the united states. he had an exchange to hamburg, germany. we were talking and he told me, that he was wandering that we have cars in germany. he thought we still cook our food on a camp-fire. and many other things. he told me that a lot of his friends think about germany that way.

the most annoying thing was that he thought that everything in germany looks like bavaria.

and another thing i have recognized was that he couldn't seperate between the european countries. he didn' say england, sveden, poland ore even germany, he always said "europe"

why is it that way? was this guy a total dumbass or do you don't learn bout other countrys in school?

Additional Details

5 minutes ago

of course i know that not ALL americans think that way. iwas just surprised when he said that a lot aof people in america think so. and he was very very serious.

Answer 1

That guy has no brain at all.

Answer 2

that guy was an idiot.  i was born in Stuttgart, and im american.  so perhaps i have a little more insight.  i think the guy was just a moron.

Answer 3

was he joking?  cause of not - that guy is retarded.

Answer 4

Honestly - I was born in Germany and grew up in the US and Canada, and even though I keep hearing stories about people like you describe and their ideas of the world, I have never, ever met any like it. Where do they hide? You must have run into some really rare breed of total idiot, please forgive my outspoken-ness. On the other hand, could it be that he was having you on? I mean, when I was Canadian, I sometimes told especially hopeless people I met in the US for fun that Canada is a place where people lived in Igloos and ate seals, and they believed it. Maybe your American friend thought you were a bit hopeless (sorry, it's just atheory...? But misunderstandings can occur - on the other hand, your English is so good I doubt he would have thought of you as simple, so... probably just a case of bad acquaintance).

Answer 5

You were right on the money when you said the guy was a total dumbass.

Answer 6

I have totally encountered the SAME thing and I'm sorry to say that it's not just the guy you met.  I told one of my co-workers that I was in Austria for a few days and he asked me if I got to hold any Koalas while I was there.  I was also asked if we had sidewalks in Germany, and I have encountered people bringing toilet paper with them to Germany because they thought there wasn't any.  I was also born in Germany, and you are right, most Americans DO think that ALL of Germany looks like Bavaria and that they all run around with Lederhosen eating pretzels and drinking beer all the time.....So I tell them that they are totally wrong and that we all wear Dirndls, drink Spezi's and eat Mika. One of my other co-workers argued with me about where Porsches come from....I think she still thinks they are Italian....because "obvisouly", that's where all performance vehicles come from.

Yes, there are a lot of americans who know better, but a very large percentage do not.  My personal belief is it's because a lot of American's don't have a lot of opportunity to travel to other countries.  Ok, there is Mexico and Canada next door, but if you're from some one horse town in the Mid-west, chances are you won't be traveling outside your own state very much.  If an average american gets 2 weeks paid vacation for the year, he is lucky, so besides the financials aspect, 2 weeks paid time off a year doesn't leave a lot of time for travel.  Another sad fact is that people in the US are constantly being told that the US is the non plus ultra and are lead to believe that only americans are free.  It creates the false impression that the rest of the world must all be much more primitive, when in fact this is not the case, and quite the opposite is true when it comes to most European countries.

For americans the world consits of the US, Mexico, Canada, Asia, Africa, Europe and Misc.  I admit that I'm somewhat guilty of thinking of Europe as one place.  I think that's a symptom of the fact that the countries are comparatively smaller than some states in the US.

I remember seeing an interview during the World Cup where this american guy said he felt cheated, because all his life it had been drilled into him that the Superbowl is the biggest sporting even in  the world....until he had the chance to go to one of the World Cup games and saw for himself that the US is in fact NOT the center of the universe, nor is the Superbowl the biggest sporting event in the world.

I could go on, but you get the picture.  Thankfully the military and some foreign exchange programs allow people who would otherwise not get the chance to travel, to see more of the world and make up their minds for themselves.

Answer 7

Well you know how it is - some people are just so secular in their outlook. I do seem to notice that this is more prevalent among Americans though. The mentality that the world revolves around them & anywhere else in the world must be substandard or just plain not good enough. Then again it could just be a minority of people - most of my american friends are ever curious & interested to know abt other countries & cultures.

Answer 8

who cares. you must have been a beautiful women he wanted to impress,and said some dumb things just to talk to you. i suggest you just take it as a nice gesture, and nothing more. you must be a beautiful women.

Answer 9

I think you just happened to meet a particularly clueless guy.