What (if anything) do people from the U.K. think of the "average" American....?

Question

What is our stereotype? Why? Would you visit here...

Answer 1

People all over the world are basically the same.

The average American just like the Average Briton, gets up in the morning, goes to work, grumbles about it, looks forward to going home again, watches television, gets fed up of bills, wants more money, wishes it wasn't bedtime with the prospect of doing it all again tomorrow.

Answer 2

yeah yeah wath everyone else is saying....crazy Americans   they doo something first then think!!!

Answer 3

I think that Americans are probably similar to us British, but with different accents.  There are good and bad people everywhere of course, but my experience with American people in I.T. is that they are very smart and helpful.

America is a place that I guess many British people would love to explore, if they could afford it.  I for one would love to travel around America and see how the Americans live.  One big attraction is that we can communicate in the same language, and the other being that we see so much television based in America, and would like to see the place for real.

Answer 4

lol the irony. You've asked the question, then defended yourself against everything everyone has said!!

I particularly love your claim of 'who really cares beyond that' regarding leaving the US. Believe it or not, there really is a h**l of a lot else out there beyond the States. I actually love the parts of the country I've seen and I don't blame you for not really wanting to leave, but I know that from seeing other parts of the world (OK not many, but SOME).

On a side note, I was told before I visited that everyone there would love my English accent. I've never felt so special - lots of people picking up on it, asking me where I was from. I really enjoyed that sociability, we don't get that in the UK at all. People are hideously antisocial in the UK. Although I did find that the small part of America I saw was ruder than the UK - people walk through you rather than round you. Owch.

Answer 5

On the flip side, I am an American who has always been jealous of English I see in movies...so self depreciating and aware of your own ridiculousness.  You see things for what they are and I wish we did that here.  

American's may have plenty of good qualities but they most decidedly are NOT aware of their own ridiculousness.  More of us need to laugh at ourselves.  But yeah, we're good at laughing at others...that's why we're so much fun!

I can't argue the point about the guns...I have two myself!  I don't know why, we hardly ever use them, but we like having them at home for some reason.  My brothers and I shoot bottles every year at my mom's house when we're drinking beer for Christmas.

Answer 6

In all honesty we tend to use these descriptions:

Loud

Fat

Ignorant

Scared

Narrow minded

The thing is you did ask about the 'average'. Of course actual people who we meet tend to set that opinion straight [er].

It has to be said that the lack of world awareness is a huge issue with us- it seems so few Americans have any idea of world politics and even geography and yet your nation's influence on the world is massive.

We are hugely concerned about your politics- the non-democratic election of Bush was a scandal to us. The unbelievably stupid re-election was more than most of us could take.

The fact that 25% of the world's pollution comes from a nation that won't even accept global warming exists frustrates us. So we feel that none of you are taking any responsibility for what is going on.

Then there's the guns. Don't get us started on the guns...

So you see when we imagine a US citizen all of that comes out.

But I've been. Not much but I've seen you in your native [well not quite, but it is yours now] country and you can be:

Charming

Fun

Carefree

Generous

In short most UK people see you as the teenagers of the world- one the one hand fun and carefree, enjoying your world the way you want. On the other you are loud, brash and ignorant.

You'll be having fun, fun, fun 'til daddy takes the gun away [BB]

Answer 7

I like you Americans. I would say you are funny and generous.

Answer 8

most americans i have met have been lovely.  but as ive not been to america the only ones ive met have been those that have set foot out of america and want to see some of the rest of the world.    

sorry saywhat but i've gotta tell you... unfortunately not all english are nice selfdeprecating teadrinking 'oh bother' and 'how do you do' and 'jolly good' colin firth and high grant types as portrayed by hollywood. most of us are horrid.  :-)

Answer 9

Hi there, i know a lot of brits seem to be stuck up about americans.

I feel that the USA have the best businesses and are a really powerful developed nation. however the average american is so unaware of the world an isnt I-tune with anything else around the world. i would love to vist NY anyday but get pissed off when you use the term soccer!!! its football, the rest of the world call it football.

Answer 10

Well...

i think that they are AMAZING as they are mainly the entertainment and everything basically

i give you a thumbs up America ( :

Answer 11

Stereotype, mmmm, tricky...fat, ugly, loudmouthed, uncouth, braggarts with the ability  or nerve to wear fashions 10 years out of date lousy beer makers, self centred, egoistic, we know everything, clueless, uneducated, drug stoked dull lacklustre, unimaginative bores with an overwhelming desire to make everyone else in the world look as stupid as they are. Your coffee and chocolate .manufacturers should be prosecuted for wrongful description of their products And as for manufacturing cars, give up they are c**p. You inherited a perfectly good language and you corrupted it, that in itself should condemn you. Your ability to mock the French about their fighting troops, whilst having the worse fighting men in history yourselves, your record of deaths from friendly fire is nothing to brag about. Well I think I have just about broached the subject without going into detail, I wonder how many thumbs down this will receive from the good old US of A?

Answer 12

Oh boy... I have seem Americans find Taj Mahal in Perth, Australia.

Answer 13

fat and ignorant though I know this is not always true.

Answer 14

The majority are friendly and polite (any Brits on here we need to be careful what we say here as when we go abroad 90% of under 30 year olds are rude, drunk and a national shame).  You get arrogant and stupid ones as well.  On then whole a good bunch who seem to be able to enjoy a good night out without having to drink until they are sick and fight in the street

Answer 15

My cousin married an American, I met her but not the rest of her family as the wedding was in South Carolina and they lived there. She was very nice, very friendly and we all welcomed her to our family. My parents went to the wedding and spent  a couple  of weeks there. They said they were made very welcome and had a wonderful time and it was the same wherever they went. All I need is the money and I would be on the next flight!

Answer 16

I`ve never met an "average" American.  Would love to visit.

Answer 17

Fat, loud, rude, bad taste in clothes (but great teeth!).  Doesn't actually fit the profile of any American that I know personally... bit of a throwback to old 70's disaster movies I think!  What else - oh, you all drive SUVs (but we're not quite sure what they are), live either in an appartment in NYC or you have a white picket fence, a huge amount of land and a dog called Old Yeller... You're all called Chuck, you all carry guns and you use more fuel than the rest of the world combined... but that last bit might just be jealousy.... I know I'm envious of a country that is so prepared to defend it's traditions (no matter how brief a period of history they cover) - seems to me like most of us in the Uk have given up hope that we will ever be allowed to be English again...

Answer 18

They eat with their hands. 'Burgers and fries' are a staple diet. Fizzy drinks with everything.

Obese.

Not the brightest spark in the box.

They can't talk or spell properly, for example say "Mirror", I bet you said "Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrr".

They make terrible cars.

The merkan film industry always portray English guys as the baddies -ALWAYS!  

Grrrrrrr!

Answer 19

I think a of proud and patriotic person, wears their heart on their sleeve, usually is religious and is rubbish at geography! (sorry!) I like them though as they like us Brits.

Having said that, this is a complete stereotype..I have visited New York, Chicago and LA and met great Americans in all three places. Very warm and generous and very keen to ask all about me, my life and the UK...although I did get the questions "how many British Euros to the dollar" and "do you know my friend Charles who lives in Manchester (I live in London)"  from a wonderful woman from Wisconsin. LOL

Answer 20

fat, an idiot, cannot spell, a bit of an airhead, follows whatever the tv tells them to do...

because thats how the majority come across, dont get me wrong there are some who arent like that, but yeah

yes i would, i'd love to go to new york :)

Answer 21

My friend from England once joked with me that we are fat, loud, not bright, jingoistic, arrogant slobs....oh and that we suck horribly with geography ;P