Are Americans Stupid?
Dmitri May 21st, 2007
If you are a non-American who deals with Americans or know people who do, you’d probably have come across the stereotype that Americans are stupid. The general image of Americans around the world is of that of a stupid boor posessed with a loud obnoxious behaviour.
While such stereotypes are not fair to the considerate among Americans, they do have a socio-cultural reason for their origin and existence. And no, it is not because the world hates the American freedom and democracy (if you are an American, making such a silly remark would instantly put you in the ’stupid American’ group). It is the way Americans behave and project themselves around the world that gives birth to these stereotypes. If democracy and freedom were actually triggers of global prejudice, then nationals of France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark or Singapore would have faced the brunt more often then Americans. Yet this is not the case. All of these countries are highly regarded around the world for their strong democracy with a healthy mix of liberalism and patriotism.
A video survey which portrays Americans as idiots. (Click on video to play)
From Tokyo to Caracas, an experienced eye can easily spot an American within the first few minutes of interaction. There is something ‘different’ in the behaviour of an American that makes them ’stand out’ and become targets of social hostility. Today the world outside America has become an unpleasant and sometimes dangerous place for Americans to travel or visit. A European or an Asian doesn’t have to deal with as much unpleasantries around the world as the average American does.
In the next couple of posts, I will discuss the behavioural patterns and cultural factors that causes Americans to be dubbed stupid or resented. By avoiding these behaviours and attitudes, Americans can avoid being singled out or targeted for prejudice, thereby ensuring a pleasant experience in foreign lands.
Possibly Related posts:
- Are Americans Stupid? - Statistics, Studies and Research
- The Stupid American Tourists
- Obama Cannot Stop Global Sentiment Against Americans
- America , Internationalism , World Culture
- Comments(56)
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I live in America and I cannot believe how stupid and ignorant people are here. I am seriously contemplating moving as soon as I finish my degree. The rest of the world has it right about most Americans, we deserve the reputation we have obtained.
[...] had a couple of posts concerning people’s perception of Americans around the world and the things American tourists do to enforce that perception. Now we come to the [...]
A video like this is easy to make anywhere in the world. If you ask 100 people a question, you will get a stupid answer.
At least one of the people was obviously homeless. How educated are homeless people anywhere in the world?
Furthermore, it looks like the map was mislabeled to intentionally mislead people.
If you put a camera in most people’s faces, they are going to follow where the interviewer leads them because they are afraid to disagree with the person in the position of power and because Americans are generally trusting.
Americans are generally not extremely bright about the world, but that video is an exaggeration.
The video is just a survey to portray Americans as stupid as pointed above, it is more of a case of ‘leading the witness’ as you pointed above. To be honest I do not really appreciate the choice of video to the above post as it dilutes the matter of the article itself.
Even if we were to go by facts and take statistical information and practical experiences with resident Americans into question, a majority of them are isolationists and unaware of the world compared to Europe or Asian countries. Apart from this, in general intelligence, the average American citizen gets beaten down by their European or Asian counterparts.
Ha ha you are right Dmitri most of the Americans are too clueless about the world and would not even give a damn when they are in a foreign country. There are golden anecdotes of americans shouting is busy markets in here “How much is that in REAL money?”. For them a Euro of any currency is secondary to dollar.
Yea America so bad. That is why we pay 22% of the all United Nations expenditures, compared with China’s 1.53% and Russia’s 1.2%. Wow. At least non the ex Warsaw Pact countries want to join NATO, oh yea….
Further, as an “Isolationist”, I would like to know what is wrong with trading with anyone who wants to trade with us and that is it. That is the only contact we need to have. What they do in other countries that aren’t our allies I could care less.
And the better question would be,
Are Europeans lazy?
How does US contribution to UN, an organisation it funded and controls, has anything to do with how stupid (or not) Americans are? Speaking of UN contributions, there is no reason China and Russia should fund so extensively an organisation which is practically a political tool for US. It is not hard to understand why the world disregards the UN to such an extent that it is held less relevant than G8, EU, ASEAN, CIS or other international organisations.
Maybe you could enlighten others on the answer to your question. If you have a definite and clear argument I won’t mind putting it up as a guest post.
Personally I think being somewhat lazy is better than being hyperactive but stupid. The mess in Iraq wouldn’t have been if only there were more lazy people in US administration (and military) rather than narrow minded but hyperactive administrators. But then, it is only my personal opinion which I doubt would be appreciated here.
If Americans are so stupid why do we rule the world? The richest country is America and it is more powerful than any country in the world.
@ ericoak
“That is why we pay 22% of the all United Nations expenditures, compared with China’s 1.53% and Russia’s 1.2%. Wow. At least non the ex Warsaw Pact countries want to join NATO, oh yea….”
Really brilliant, I am astounded. Do you know that the neither China nor Russia have any serious consideration of UN in their policies. They know that the UN is nothing but a foreign policy tool for America, to be weilded as they please and to be blackmailed with disregard when it seems to go against them. As for a couple of ex-Warsaw countries joining NATO I don’t see anything which puts a halo around the American head. In fact I am forced to conclude you lack logic, plain and simple. A lot of Europeans joined Nazis and Fascists during World War 2, in the beginning even the US corporates funded Nazis to power. Does that alliance make the Nazis good? Just because someone wants to join an organisation does not make that organisation good. Oh well I forgot it is an American I am talking with, I hate to say it but I am yet to meet an American who has shown a trace of reason and logic. Maybe I haven’t come across them or maybe they just don’t exist.
” What they do in other countries that aren’t our allies I could care less.”
That still doesn’t give you a justification to conduct mass genocides. If the Americans kept their noses out of other countries’ businesses, no one would have cared what they are. But they deserve to mess with countries selectively, to mess with countries where they have strategic interests and ignore countries where they don’t. Living in American and brainwashed by your propaganda media you might not be able to understand it. But don’t expect the rest of the world to be a bunch of idiots.
Americans are understood as stupid because of their unique mixture of one part arrogance to three parts ignorance… a combination that does not go down well with other inhabitants of this planet!
Here’s the problem. I would say, in general, that the average American is just about as smart as the average person from anywhere else. However, I think our stupidest people may be stupider than your stupidest people (wherever you are). I believe it stems from the “we’re the greatest country in the world” mentality that seems to have people in its grip. In any case, the U.S. will need to get over itself because, in the ensuing decades, arrogance and ignorance are becoming increasingly dangerous. (did I leave out hypocrisy and xenophobia?)
@ peacekeeper
The US is richest, and maybe the most powerfull?
does’nt mean a mojoraty of americans aren’t stupid.
and the US dont rule the world, explains everything about America aint it, a bit like Nazi Germany and you know what they lost.
Haven’t americans learn’t there lessons by now……………… Stalingrad,Korea,Veatnam(twice),Iraq (twice) and know powerfull Iran.
US is a bit like a Barbarian cant live without a war or invading another country.
Talking about above video…
I see no proof that it is filmed in America (except American flag waving in background in first sequence) & no exact figures are disclosed of how many people were asked & how many of them given a right answer & how many wrong… Film might be made up with solid intention to prove Americans as an Idiots.
anyways…assuming it as genuine, we must say that Americans are lousy in General Knowledge - GK, but calling them Idiot is really embarrassing for any American. lets not forget that ALL Americans are Not Idiots… (as blog creator mentioned in his intro.)
I think computers which we are using right now had most of its inventors in America. I think that also denotes something.
We shouldn’t confuse ourselves into difference between GK & Intelligence.
@Peacekeeper
Educate yourself with economics that Richest country in the world is Luxembourg $ 68,800 GDP - per capita.
USA ranks 6th with $ 43,500 GDP - per capita.
I think guys like you are the main cause why Americans are notorious as Idiots.
@nofal
Hey… you are the Pakistani guy who gone crazy in India Vs Pakistan Military Strength right?
brother at least you shouldn’t nag Americans…they pour billions of $ every year on your country to feed you. don’t they? of course not for charity, but to have wars. & they do.
As an American, I am deeply hurt by the terrible things that the rest of the world associates with Americans. It is difficult not to take these comments personally. I wish there was something I could do to change the world view of Americans. I do not even know where to start, frankly. It seems like we are in too deep.
Many Americans are good people with good intentions. They believe what they are told by a censored media and are sheltered by what I would consider to be “big brother.” It is really hard to find a good news station that does not just report on the latest celebrity drama.
One day the most interesting thing reported on my local news station was that a family had their pet deer taken away because it is illegal for deer to be domesticated as pets. Honestly, this is the news most people get!!! We cannot tell you about what went on in China today, but we can sure tell you what happened to little “Snowball” the deer. It’s sad, really.
My personal theory is that the United States government wants to keep its citizens uninformed. We are much easier to control this way. If we are stupid, we will not venture outside of our “American” bubble and question the staus quo.
I believe that most Americans could not handle the truth about our dealings in world affairs. We choose to stay in our little bubbles, because things have gotten so far out of our control that we do not know how to cope. We want and need change in our country, but its almost like an addiction that we cannot face yet.
We hide behind the cloak of religion to justify our actions. I often feel the only sane person in the room, with regard to this. However, it is what it is. Either conform to some degree or be burned at the stake as a witch.
I guess my point is, I understand the concept that Americans are perceived as idiots. We are! Just understand that not all of us chose this for ourselves, we were just born here. If you had a terrible president like Bush, little to no help for health care costs, a chronic addition to McDonalds, a failing public education system and religious fanatics sponsoring every gig in your town, not only would you be drugged up with the latest anti-depression medication, you would also be an idiot with regard to international affairs too.
Just my two cents.
mypetviola you’re obviously not any old stupid American so there’s no need to be insulted you’re not the problem. In fact you’re assessment of the “American problem” was so clear and honest I can’t find a flaw in anything you said. You should find solace in the fact that you are not just some idiotic “average joe” and take pride in the fact that you display a degree of understanding which puts most (if not all) so called American politicians to shame.
The last time I travelled in Europe, I was at a business conference. When I said that my country represented Canada and the US, I was cautioned to say only Canada. The reason became very clear over the next few days. While Americans may think Canadians are just like them, we are certainly not, and there is a large difference between how Canadians are treated and Americans. Incidentally, our offices were only one border and state apart from the American company. I was invited to after-meeting suppers and parties, they weren’t. I watched the subtle body language change from respective listening at my questions to almost hostile when they did.
The American group wasn’t loud, annoying or boisterous. However, their business practice was, shall we say, aggressive, telling the Europeans what to do, rather than accepting suggestions the other way.
There was also the embarrassing moment when they all showed up at the last meeting dressed in pleather jackets make to look like the American flag was wrapped around them. In the meantime, I could only tell from skin tones and accents which person was from what European country.
Outside in the street, I also encountered Americans who walked up to me, thinking I was a local (I never travel like a stereotypical-gawking tourist) and shouted at me loudy “DO… YOU… SPEAK… ANY… ENGLISH?” “Yes, I’m Canadian, and shouting loudly at anyone in any language isn’t going to help. What do you need help?” and that led into a very painful discussion about how confusing it is to travel here because nothing is in English, blah, blah, blah.
I also experienced a black American celebrity who just couldn’t understand that the black people in Brussels were not like the black people in Detroit or the American Deep South, that the entirely different culture of Europe makes that different too.
Last, the concept of “old”. Neither Americans nor Canadians have a sense of the ancientness in Europe and how long cultures have grown there. Our histories as nations go back only 200 years at most, so everything for us is immediate like a brightly-lit fire that goes out quickly, rather than the slowly smoldering pot that is Europe. A person above mentioned the American’s power in the last several wars, as if that was any more important than the many wars that raged all over Europe and Asia before the “New World” was even discovered. I’m sure life in America would have been different if the Spanish Armada had smashed Britain. How often we forget the consequences of history.
While the video is obviously organized in such a manner to display Americans as stupid, it is just a gimmick. Although, it appears no one is arguing that. As viola so eloquently put it, the problems with our world view stems from policies outside many American citizen’s control. Nationalism is matched in America only by its blind acceptance to the ruling elites decisions.
The citizenry not only accepts, but welcomes, blatant violations of there constitutional rights in bills passed such as the patriot act. From a young age, there is a very strong societal influence of not only military dominance, but ethical superiority as well. Ever since Woodrow Wilson, the people of the united states have not only been very ethnocentric, but believe that it is our divine duty to spread our democracy and freedom throughout the world. This facilitates blind support to such needless conflicts as the one we are experiencing right now in Iraq. The average citizen does not look at the war in Iraq as securing oil interests for the future but rather, a protection of democratic freedom that everyone should enjoy (which if that were the case, darfur would be looking at a much different scenario presently). Wilsonianism justifies every conflict we enter now, just as raison d’etat did for Richilieu and France in the 1600’s.
The problem then can be deduced to a lack of critical thought in America’s populace. On every account, there is none. With state run media filtering all sentiments detrimental to the ruling parties interests, it is no wonder that citizens stationed on the bottom level of the socio-economic strata support whatever the current administrations goals are.
Although there are many factors as to why so many americans are not only seen as ignorant, but are in realty very much so, there is still strong anti-war sentiments in the country. Not everyone is for the war, and not everyone is happy with our foreign policy, and you can be damned sure not everyone is pleased with George W. Bush.
On to my stance pertaining to this article, I disagree. There is no biological difference between me and a frenchman, or a citizen of Japan or Singapore, although there are many different social and environmental factors. Therefore, Americans cannot be inherently stupid, the problem is societal. Blind nationalism with a heaping scoop of ethnocentrism and a lack of educational opportunities and support will create the people you see in that video.
Despite all this, as an American I have pride in my country. My heroes are Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Roosevelt. These are men of my history, not bonaparte or sun-tsu, or Han-fei-tzu, or Talleyrand and Richelieu. So if the world has the opinion that I and my countrymen are fools ready to fall, in the end, it doesn’t matter. They cant prove it and I cant convince them otherwise.
I agree to some extent…I have seen Americans behaving embarrassingly stupid in other countries, but I have also seen many other English-speaking tourists being mistaken for Americans due to their stupidity. One such incident occurred while I was visiting a friend in Krakow. Some Australian tourists were completely drunk - singing, dancing, and parading through the city center like total fools. They approached us to ask if we could speak English and complained that few people in the city could speak good English with them. My friend, a Polish guy, assumed they were American because of their behavior.
I have seen tourists from many countries - Germany, UK, Australia to name a few - make complete idiots of themselves in the presence of the local population. I’ve witnessed a German guy chastising an English guy about England’s quest for superiority in the world; an English guy burning his rubber shoes and dancing around the smelly fire in Israel; German teenagers spitting, jumping, and dancing to Euro-pop while visiting Auschwitz; and Canadians discussing their superior intelligence and education to make them appear more acceptable than the USA population to their European acquaintances (these same Canadians were unable to locate the Netherlands on a map I provided, were unable to name more than 7 of the 50 US States, or tell me who the president of France was). So, obviously, Americans are not the only stupid tourists. That said, I know many Americans travel abroad without any knowledge of or respect for the country they are visiting, and that is pathetic. But those are the Americans everyone notices. The Americans who are more considerate likely go completely unnoticed.
The stupidest thing an American can say is ‘we are the greatest’. Cut the crap, you are no better than other countries. You just have a lot of money and a nationalist obsession for wars because unlike Europe, you haven’t faced a major damage in wars.
Stupid and arrogant? Perhaps. Amazingly, Americans are also the people that treat immigrants the best. I came to this country from Russia 14 years ago and have never been mistreated because I am a foreigner. Just compare this with immigrant experiences in Austria or France or Russia… Having spent only a month in Vienna, I witnessed an ugly incident in the subway where a woman told a group of teenagers of Middle Eastern appearance to go back home because the foreigners steal jobs from real Austrians. And what I have seen in Moscow is even more disgusting when it’s not simply horrible…
At home, Americans are incredibly open-minded and tolerant towards guests. They respect both the individual immigrants and immigrant communities. In this, as in many other respects, this is a country of unique greatness.
Peacekeeper-
You just proved this blogger’s point about Americans being stupid.
USA is not the richest country in the world, Luxembourg is. And yeah, our stupidity has made me ashamed to be an American. It’s ridiculous. Many high school students can’t even find New York on a map or globe. If I could move to France or Spain, I would.
Stupid! What is the meaning of this word in America? Education! What is an education in America?
Is anyone really without any knowledge? or the ability to
reason ? It is has been said that the best student asks the most wise of questions! demonstrating he has as good an understanding as his teacher. Hoping that together they both may discover more truth on their pursuit of knowledge. The best meaning of “Stupid”
is ignorance, and ignorance is to be with out knowledge, and if you deprive one of true knowledge, for too long ,you will have a stupid person/persons. This kind of works back to the meaning that stupid carries in America today! Everyone has his own truth in America and this is
an oxymoron! Everyone recieves some sort of education
wether at school,home or street. So to ask if Americans are educated is not percise.We generally accept that this means college educated. So lets look at education at American universities since early 60’s.
What do they teach? or dont teach?
They teach State sponsored subject matter and enforce
through university administration and faculty subjegated course work upon students. This system of education is indoctrination and not true education,for it hinders critical thinking,a requirment for asking the “best questions”
Since American youth have been robbed of critical thinking for to long of a time ,they have collectively
become STUPID! Those with stronger itellects have long abandoned university educations,i.e Bill Gates,Steve Jobs and a whole host of lesser knowns too numerous to mention, including the unknowns.
Unfortunately there is no cure for stupidity. Once you
become truely stupid ,you will remain so!to lose the ability
to critcally think is like getting a lobotomy.
Are Americans stupid the answer is yes and no!
The creator of this post is an ignorant, sterotypical douche bag. Calling Americans “stupid”. Sure some are stupid but to generalize the whole entire population like that is retarded. This frivolous bashing is so pointless and will have no effect on anything what-so-ever.
To argue with this claim about Americans being stupid, keep this in mind. Four nobel prizes for physics, medicine, chemistry and economics went to, you guessed it! Americans! Not to mention the fact that we have some of the best schools in the world! Where do immigrants of the world go to? Nowhere else but America!
Next time you want to post such a shitty topic, make sure you have facts to back up your retarded statements.
apologies for the rant but one other thing intrigued me is why do you guys use ‘Z’s in words such as ‘generalize’ or ‘rationalized’ rather than the correct english spelling with an ’s’ also you drop the ‘i’ in alum_i_nium….. ‘aluminum’ as you guys say…?
AMERICANS SHOULD LEARN THEIR GEOGRAPHY BEFORE TRYING TO INVADE SOMEONE!
AND NO I’M NOT A FULL AMERICAN MY FAMILY ARE IMMGRANTS WE HAVE HAD IT WHEN AMERICANS MOCK OUR NATIVE COUNTRY!
lool, america owes more money than they actually have, i wonder when america will pay their debts, ull see america going down real soon, europe is already starting to win over them
and yes of course this topic will have an effect, people will start lookin at americans in other way…
go on youtube and look for “stupid americans” ull find a lot of videos there
and Dr. Reefer (PhD) lool urs schools arent the best !
go on wikipedia and look up for the countries with the best education ull be very surprised, lool
it seems to me that ur 1 of those americans that never got out of ur country, i bet u never got out of ur state in america wich is even worst …
and now for ur last statement, facts ?
do u really want facts ull be humiliated if someone presents them to u, u really are “american”, “american” its slang for dumbass … here in Europe
In response to Dr. Reefer, yes we do have nobel prize winners and great universities, but many are populated with immigrants not native-born Americans. This trend may change in the future. In the last couple of years, there has been a reverse brain drain. Immigrants from India and China who would have stayed here after earning their U.S. degrees are returning home to find better jobs in their burgeoning economies. Isolationism is a bad thing in the age of globalization. The world now looks at America as a sinking ship. Sorry, but America is no longer #1. China, Russia and India are catching up. These may be “third world” countries, but a child from China or India can kick any American kid’s butt in math and science.
jiw78 you know their is a difference between American English and British English right.You don’t say trunk in Britian you say boot.I rest my case stupidity does exist in Britian.
Dr. Reefer (Ph.D)
The creator of this post is an ignorant, sterotypical douche bag. Calling Americans “stupid”. Sure some are stupid but to generalize the whole entire population like that is retarded. This frivolous bashing is so pointless and will have no effect on anything what-so-ever.
To argue with this claim about Americans being stupid, keep this in mind. Four nobel prizes for physics, medicine, chemistry and economics went to, you guessed it! Americans! Not to mention the fact that we have some of the best schools in the world! Where do immigrants of the world go to? Nowhere else but America!
Next time you want to post such a shitty topic, make sure you have facts to back up your retarded statements.
You`re the most ignorant and stupid american I`ve may say…:))) your schools are good BECAUSE that foreing students that you mentioned go and learn there they are the ones who raise the prestige…of your precious schools and academies I say this because I`m at o highschool of music here in my country and one of my classmates got accepted at some conservatory in Manhattan and the people there say that she was somekind of a genius but no she`s just a very good student who study alot but on the other hand she was accepted also at Lousanne in Belgium at guess what she remained there because your american way of life and educational sistem sucks…;) at NASA the second language is romanian….and at Microsoft corporation guess what a big number of employees are romanians…they are very smart from nature I`m an romanian and at this subject :”Intelligence” I can say that I`m proud to be romanian and in the same time european…..and now I want to ask you how many languages do you speak beside english? I speak your language pretty good because I CAN…not because you are some kind of o superior human race…can you speak romanian? surely not !!:))) can you point Romania on a World map or atleast Austria or Germany…or Poland why not?for example…. :))) You are living in a dream world back there in USA my friend
the theory of movie “The Matrix” fitts you well 
and last but not least that Nobel prices wonned by americans…please tell they`re names I`m sure that atleast two of them are not entirely Americans….ohh ups I`ve forgot that SUCH THING DOESN`T EXIST you-re an artificial people you`re just a bunch of nations…there under one flag…;) whit no real history society ruled by war-maniacs who want to steal other nations oil you earned you`re global supremacy whit wars fought on other nations territories never sufferd great losses
I am as an American, offended at the rubish on this post. Where would most of the other nations be without the “Stupid” Americans? How many billions of dollars do we contribute to the welfare of other nations? Where would the brits be if it had not been for those brave Americans that fought for them and died in WWII? We are a caring nation and always come to the aid of our allies. I just don’t get the attitude of other countries, because we are hard working high standard people. I truthfully think it is jealousy, if not why do you all want to come to our wonderful country?
And how many billions of tons of explosives has America contributed to the “welfare” of other countries.Just seen a documentary about Laos an average of 300 people a year mostly children are killed there by American cluster bombs left over from American aggression in SE Asia. it may take a hundred years to clear the country of this “American benevolence”.And Laos was a neutral country.
There are millions of emigrants wanting to enter Europe also,the difference is we dont take that as proof of our inate “wonderfullness”.Europe contributes billions of Euros to aid poor nations as a matter of course and we dont expect to be put on a pedestal because we help somebody either.
You are an American simpleton from Texas and find this post offensive….why am I so surprised?
Far ahead. Global warming will be negligible, the world will have an additional 25% resources and 20 million wouldn’t have their right to life snatched from them. Moreover, millions of kids won’t be dying or born disabled every year in Iraq, Vietnam and Cambodia. And there would be a lot less fatsos and fatties in the world.
Actually none. Every dollar that the US ‘contributes’ is either to buy political goodwill from third world countries or stimulate US corporates by ‘donating’ money to African countries to buy US products (and destroying their own industries as an added bonus). You can call buying something as a ‘contribution’ to the shopkeeper.
If there were no Americans at all, there would have been no American corporates to fund millions for the Nazis to successfully come to power in Germany. In any case, if the US didn’t come to Europe to secure its own interests (European markets) from Russia, Britian would have been a Russian ally instead. Brave or not, your soldiers fought only for American and their interests.
Tell that to the Afghan people, the Iraqi people, the Vietnamese or the Koreans. And I am sure the 9,00,000 Austrian and German women who have been brutally raped and shot by Americans would have enjoyed all those ‘caring’. Would you be okay to spread your legs for a dose of the same ‘caring’ from a victimsed Iraqi or Serbian?
Uh oh, I am not sure ‘we all’ want to go to that swine flu infested, hellhole country of yours. Thank you very much, but we are quite happy without all those serial killers, rapist maniacs, KKK lunatics, swine flu, recession blues and fattening garbage you call food.
And please make some program for rehabilating Iraqis, Pakistanis and Africans to your country. Europe is getting too burdened with their mass migration because they are trying to run away from your ‘caring’ (~ carpet bombing and mass murders).
Immigrants of the world go to Europe, Russia, China, India, Brazil and a horde of other countries. And yeah, sometimes USA.
If one of these schools gave you your Ph.D., I can only understand why people of low calibre would want to go to US for education. Your unis hand out degrees like candies. Of course you feel they are ‘the best schools’ since you are too ignorant to know any better. And when you get Ph.Ds where you wouldn’t even get a first degree in Europe, you can’t really complain, can you?
One a population to prizes ratio, Switzerland, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Germany won a lot more Nobel Prizes than Americans. Not to mention that the Nobel Prize itself is a European idea, that Americans like take pride on winning. Thats indirectly saying we are the judges of the best.
Next time you want to post such a stupid and retarded comment, make sure to do at least a little bit of reading up what you’re talking about. Unfortunately, your declaration of Ph.D. doesn’t seem to have helped you much. You Americans spew such ignorance with an arrogant overconfidence that it is irritating to us.
Sorry to break this to you Texasbabe, but your ideas are outdated. People don’t want to immigrate to this country like they used to. The economy is down the toilet, U.S. bankers ripped off its citizens and thousands of Americans lost their homes. There are people in this country barely scraping by. Our allies don’t think we are “wealthy” anymore because let’s face it we’re not. A few rich American billionaires maybe. The average citizen? I don’t think so. It doesn’t matter if America was powerful in 1955. That was then, this is now. In fact, there is a large and growing expat movement out of America. We have no safety net, no socialized medicine, illegals running amok. The writing is on the wall.
I like that they all said a war was needed some place. Not one said, “gosh, no war. Try talking.” And if they wage war, they would wage it in wrong place. Middle of ocean so this good. No one get hurt if you bomb imaginary country in middle of ocean. Right?
Americans are very stupid, narrow-minded, workaholics–the first thing an american will ask you when you meet them is–where are you from and what do you do—we usually said hardcore porn–that way they stop with their stressed out, work-addicted, materialistic mentality; The dumbest of many americans are found particularly from the mid-west (kentucky, minnesota, illinois, west viginia, tennessee, ohio) sometimes called the mid-worst.
They are ignorant about most cultures; have not travelled outside of the USA except to Hawaii where they overtake beaches, rentals and scream, yell, drunk, and are rude/obnoxious b/c they only get a paltry 2 WEEK holiday????!!!!.
They are work-addicted to their lame office work. They talk about work constantly, it envelops them, there are never at ease–stressed to max regarding work, and buying “things.” Rather then forge relationships, or relax, reading, listening to symphony, they watch porno, watch an imbecile hit a ball, on prowl for their next orgasm, or watch the boob tube (tv-idiot box); they are plumb dumb. The school system is quite poor b/c teachers are inept, and do not hold students to high levels of achievement. The students are too busy fornicating with teachers, other students, or watching imbeciles hit balls, or pop “singers” get drunk or wrapping themselves around another guard rail from drugs. That is the american way.
Funny video =)
But not all americans are idiots
Wow. those guys are really really stupid and they give all americans a bad name. the reason why we have such low test scores are…. duh. illegal immigration we have millions of immigrants that are completely retarted and we have to lower the standards of our education system to fit them. by the way im 15 and get strait A’s, not that thats hard here if you have half a brain. and pop stars and rappers are the biggest Fu**ing idi0ts in the world. be sides we have alot of people in the US so dont discriminate against us all.
Thank you Cap V. Could not have been said better. I am an American who has always detested the mindless drive for more and more that exists here. There is no respect for history, intelligence, contemplation, reflection, or taste. One works for and grades others on the amount of success at achieving the status quo, AT THE EXPENSE OF ALL ELSE. It would be one thing if the typical American respected money making along with many other things to possibly respect about people. That has not been my experience. ALL respect follows money, regardless of any unsavory actions required to earn said money. This, at times, even from people in supposed noble environments such as the religious or scholarly. Just because a culture is one thing, why does that mean that almost everyone unconsciously reflects it? For a place of such supposed individuality, why is so little of it witnessed? Perhaps because we’re a land of soulless hyper morons; short-attention-spanned non-book-reading prozac-popping banker-trusting war-saluting entertainment- drenched consumer dolts. And to top it off they’re arrogant! Too narrow-minded to appreciate what it is to be in another’s shoes. I love my country and its advances. I love the terrain and the Constitutional Republic (teetering), and even many of the dolts. But ignorance, arrogance, and lack of complex intelligence will not cut it this century.
Interesting. Seems there are a lot of unspecialized generalizations in the posts on this topic. I believe there is irony to be found in the concept that “Americans are Stupid”. The United States is a “Melting Pot” of all of the cultures of the World to make comments of the I.Q. of an entire nation based on the perception of the few that find themselves in the (filtered) media spotlight is absurd. I believe the World must shed their preconceived viewpoint of any culture and embrace the positive attributes within humankind, not the ancient social cancer that makes human beings judge another culture and want to label their entire society. Humankind is either on the verge of something amazing, or possibly something horrifying depending on the way we perceive each other. This statement was written by a Multi Language Italian-Greek-Irish-English “Mid Western American”.
Well said Nick, or should I say, perhaps you’ve taken a real lesson from these reasoned citizens of the world.
That video is depressing and funny. It’s true Americans are idiots and i’m not excluding myself. I am also not fully aware of the world outside the U.S. However any moron should no that North Korea is not where Australia is located, and everyone knows where the Leaning tower of Pisa is. I think what is more important why AMericans are idiots, that is what i want to know.
The United States isn’t the best country, and I think everyone knows that. But nowhere is perfect.
A lot of Americans are idiots, but for the people in other countries that are hating on them, please realize that Americans are actually from everywhere else (excluding Native Americans). Americans are from YOUR countries.
Yes, Americans are stupid. The smart and worldly ones are very rare to come by. They are as ignorant as can be, but like to stereotype other race, cultures where in the first place, they know not a thing. They just suck in whatever the media feeds them, not bothering to use their brains or use their legs to travel more and see for themselves.
Yes they are. A lot of Europeans can agree so. but they never look at why americans are stupid. America is an extremely corrupt country and is constantly waging war on any oil-rich third world country. it spends more money on its military super power than it does on anything else including health care and education. speaking of which we dont teach our children anything. we dont expect a lot out of them. I suspect our government is dumbing down its citizens on purpose so that we dont get in the way of their illegal warfare and stop the fat cat bankers and oil companies from profiting on such war. But stating that we are ALL stupid fat and lazy is a stereotype and not all stereotypes are true.
Since I am an above average teenage American I want to say this not all Americans are stupid we do have above average Americans too, but we have idiots in Washington’s congress that make poor choices like invading Iraq when it wasn’t their fault it was Osama bin Laden who was hiding in Afghanistan that we should have search for and captured. Or letting big corporations like Mcdonalds advertise and make our kids obese and fat for sakes of money. Or our failing education system which cant compete with the rest of Europe or the world. With our stupid healthcare that most people cant afford and our homeless population which we dont give them extra help, and that is what makes a stupid dumb typical american.
When traveling abroad should I keep my nationality a secret and if people ask me where im from should i state canada instead of the us? (accents are similar)
I agree 100%, Americans ARE stupid and getting dumber by the minute! I am an American and am almost embarrassed to admit it. America has turned into one large ant farm where a minimal amount of folks use their brains. They depend on “someone else” to care, to worry about or do something. It’s all about greed, selfishness, & dis-respect of others. It’s that “holier than thou” attitude and false sense of self righteousness that blind sided Americans when the credit market bottom fell out. Then they blame the financial institutions. The financial institutions took advantage of the irresponsible Americans who were too blind & ignorant to apply common sense to their
personal affairs. Most Americans can’t set up a budget let alone balance their own checkbooks. Doubt me? Just take a drive though your own home town and observe the brainless wandering aimlessly through the malls & mega stores gathering worthless items to go home and relish upon.
God HELP America
Americans are not stupid. That’s an absurd notion and obviously at odds with reality. You can find ignorant people all over the world and perhaps a lot of them are Americans. But I’ve known and worked with many smart and culturally aware americans. I find them extremely friendly and very warm hearted. Yes, sometimes they display a lack of awareness about the world outside of the US, but I do not believe I would call that stupid.
The question, seeming calling for a yes or no answer, is itself too simplistic. This should be obvious to everyone.
I have to enquire how in any sense of the word you can call Singapore a democracy. While it calls itself a democracy, in actuality it is closer to a benign dictatorship or one party state.
Some aspects of the political process, civil liberties, and political and human rights are lacking, especially where criticising the ruling PAP is concerned.
“Singapore’s use of criminal defamation to censor criticism of the government, most recently in the case of the British author Alan Shadrake [2010], reflects a continued disregard for the basic rights of freedom of expression and intellectual inquiry, Freedom House said today.” http://www.freedomhouse.org
Singapore is neat, clean and safe, but this comes at a price.
I’ve traveled extensively and of course, it is a learning experience. Now, I’m no longer recognizable as an American until someone hears me speak. I’ve learned to say (in the language of the country I’m visiting), “I’m sorry, I don’t speak your language, do you speak English?” I’ve found it is quite helpful and of course, most Europeans speak English and are happy to do so, if they feel as if I’m being respectful and humble. Many Europeans forget how large the United States is (5431 km from Maine to California, and 3060 km from Florida to Maine) and of course in all that huge amount of landmass, English is spoken everywhere. Unlike Europeans, we are not traveling through other countries, we are all American and speak the same language with only regional accents to differentiate our language. Had we been surrounded by a variety of countries and languages like Europeans, we would have learned to speak another language AND to navigate other cultures with more understanding, sensitivity and insight. So, with the exception of that embarrassing Texan’s comment above, I hope you will cut us Americans some slack. Going to Europe is often a once in a lifetime trip for many middle class Americans, and as I pointed out, it takes experience to become a seasoned, respectful and culturally sensitive traveler. Don’t be so judgmental.
*disclaimer to the above: Being an American and used to taking shortcuts, I cut and pasted my own comment from one post to another dealing with this subject. But, I neglected to edit out the reference to the Texan. The Texan in this post is not the one I was referring to when I made my snarky comment.
Really funny to read this! I am from the Netherlands and I’ve visited several other countries in Europe and I have been to the States for the last 3 years. Although I like to be in the States (Florida, in my case), I wouldn’t call the average American stupid, but I do figure that a lot of Americans know jack about what’s going on outside of the US and even IN the US. I believe a lot of Americans are so in love with their country and somehow having this strange conception of democracy and liberty that they just don’t bother looking across the border and think they kinda rule the world. Apart from this, the Americans live a totally different way compared to the “average European”.
Europeans, by the way, are all different. Sweden, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece and all those countries are really different cultures. The EU is far from being united as one, even though there’s 1 currency.
I am an Australian and have met the so called ugly American in Asia & Europe. I have also been to the USA as well and have met the same on their own soil, so to speak.
The myth that American is the greatest country in the world abounds among its inhabitance. The American education system is partly to blame for this lack of knowledge of the outside world but you would think now with the net, Americans would be coming a little wiser ? Ah apparently not so. In a European tour I was on a few years back the Americans in the bus wanted to know how much the tip should be to the bus driver & tour guide ?? The behavior of these 50 years plus people reminded me of children who had to be told what to do before they could make a decision.
We Australians don’t take ourselves too seriously and can laugh at our shortcomings. Sadly most Americans have not ever been able to do this and really can’t handle criticism as some of these posts show.
I think US citizens tend to be culturally ignorant not stupid. Our intentions as people are generally very good. I can’t speak for our government as I really can’t tell exactly what is going on in the confusion of propaganda, lobbyists, pork, and my lack of interest, which I understand is probably what US citizens are stereotyped as. But some of the criticisms here are pretty obviously over generalizations, and as have been said by others, could be said, to a lesser or greater degree about any other countries inhabitants. In the end we are all pretty similar, just because our cultural expectations and knowledge, or lack there of, can be annoying to each other doesn’t mean that we are any less similar or related genetically for that matter.
Not to say we don’t all discriminated because of our frustration and lack of understanding of each other, but it sure is annoying to be stereotyped.
I don’t understand why this is so bad, for lack of a better word:
“In a European tour I was on a few years back the Americans in the bus wanted to know how much the tip should be to the bus driver & tour guide ??” -Robert Scott
I might have had to have been there.