Those Stupid Americans…
I was reminded the other day of how hated we Americans are. An admittedly stupid website was reporting that Pippi Longstocking is a Satanic character, and the visiting Swedes (Sweden being the country of Pippi’s origin) let their opinions fly:
- Another stupid American; the world is full of them!
- You’re probably a stupid American áššhølë!
- I wipe my ášš with the American flag and spit in your face.
Being an American myself, I was curious as the sentiment of others. So I decided to find some additional opinions by searching the Internet with Google, spelling (or lack thereof) intact:
- “The only thing Americans can teach is how to corrupt countries and take their money. All Americans are is greety báštárdš.” - I think countries have been corrupting themselves for centuries without the help of the United States. Also, most people worldwide work hard to better themselves and provide as much as possible for their families. Americans included.
- “[The] US is the laughing stock of the world. American cars suck, American people are stupid, fat and ignorant, your technology sucks.” - Yes, spoken out of prejudice and ignorance, Americans can be conceived as being the laughing stock of the world. So would whichever country happens to be in the economic and military lead at the time. Some American cars do suck, but the Yugo hasn’t won too many awards that I’m aware of. Oddly, the fantasy car of choice when I lived in Germany as a child was a Pontiac. Yes, some Americans are stupid, fat and ignorant. So are some members of any other country in the world. If Microsoft products are a measurement of our technology, then, yes, it sucks. But I haven’t seen any other countries that provide the number of major innovations that have stemmed from America in the last hundred years.
- “Americans are full of šhìt. ignorant, yet stuppied people. they are bvery norrow minded and veyr materiolistic.” - I already agreed that sum Amurikanz ar bvery stuppied. But not all — the first spell checking software was invented at UC Berkeley in 1972 by an American.
- “You have a handful of smart and educated people who drive the country, and then you have this humongous blob of utterly clueless people who are hardly able to make a living.” - Can’t really argue with that. But the same can be said for just about every other nation in the world.
- “You are all non-sensical inbred morons.” - Actually I don’t personally know anyone who can be accused of resulting from inbreeding, although it may be common in certain areas of the country such as Tennessee (pronounced “Ken-tuck-ee”, if you’re from Tennesee). You think inbreeding didn’t occur within the European and Asian royals of the past?
- “Americans are generally loud and stupid.” - Yeah, I hate American tourists, too. Again, I’d qualify that as “some”, rather than generalizing the population as a whole.
- “U.S.A is the biggest šhìt hole.” - Seems that lots of people on the Internet are calling every other country on the planet the “biggest šhìt hole”, too, based on results from Google. I say we just all take a vote and decide once and for all. After all, that is the democratic way.
- “I thank God that I’m not a stupid ášš-fûçkìng American.” - I’m glad I’m not a stupid ášš-fûçkìng American, too! I’m just a plain American of average intelligence, eking out a living, trying to live my dreams.
I’d rather be considered a stupid American than have to resort to pointless name-calling in a vain attempt to gain national stature. I am hardly a Bible-toting born-again Christian, but I find it difficult to disagree with: “The proud and haughty man, ’scoffer’ is his name; He works in the arrogance of pride… When pride comes, then comes shame, But with humility comes wisdom.”
Thank you, Stephen, for underscoring the point of my e-mail with your Pavlovian, knee-jerk sarcastic comment. I couldn’t have produced a better reinforcement of my point.
To further expound on my original post, the U.S. is a union comprised of 54 independent state and territorial governments, making it a vast (geographically larger than Europe) amalgamation of different cultures, political ideologies, languages and governments. After the final steps in the creation of the European Union, the two entities will function in a similar manner (on some points).
And California, broken out by itself, has a greater economy than that of all of France, despite its smaller population of 34 million versus France’s 61 million. Yet France should not be lumped into its respective greater union, while California should? - RDL
Dear me, IQs really have dropped in the US… ONE passport for Americans (if any of you have bothered to get one), that means ONE country, numerous DIFFERENT passports within the European Union. I’m not German, French or Italian etc, I’m English, I have an English passport, and by the way you wouldn’t know a Pavlovian response even if the slavering dogs bit your ášš.
Now this REALLY is stupid:
9,390 - Number of people murdered with handguns in the United States in 1996.
15 - Number murdered by handguns in Japan during the same year. Compare the U.S. figure with: 2 in New Zealand, 30 in Great Britain, 106 in Canada, and only 213 handgun murders in Germany during the same year.
30,708 - Number of Americans killed by all types of guns in 1998. In comparison, 33,651 Americans were killed in the Korean War and 58,148 were killed in the Vietnam War.
15 to 24 - In 2000, the leading cause of death for African-American males in this age group was homicide by firearms.
22 times more likely - That’s how much more likely it is that a gun kept in the home will kill a family member or friend, instead of an intruder in self-defense.
192,000,000 - The number of firearms currently in the United States. That’s two guns for every family of three.
10 - The number of youth under 19-years-old killed with firearms, every day in 2000.
Every 6 hours - A child between 10 and 19 years old commits suicide with a handgun.
3 times the risk - Increase in chance that a homicide will occur in the home when there is a gun in there.
Every 3 hours - A child dies in America as a result of a firearm.
$100 million per year - The estimated cost to treat a year’s worth of gunshot injuries at a typical county hospital.
31 - The number of states (in 2000) without a waiting period for handgun purchases.
And meaningless statistics relating to various economic, educational, and legal conditions have WHAT to do with the perception of intelligence? More than 17% of Britain’s population fall below the poverty line as opposed to just under 13% of the United States. The unemployment rate in the United States is lower than that of England. Even staid and stoic British Rail unabashedly solved the problem of lateness in train service by redefining “on time” as arriving within one hour of the scheduled time. Should those be used as measurements of the intelligence of the British in general? I don’t think so. - RDL
Numerous different passports… but all EU passports now go through a single queue, headed with a sign that reads “EU Passports,” while the rest of us stand in the non-EU line. The pretty colors and type fonts on the front are different, but one line for all EU citizens sounds like a Union to me.
Aside from that… the point of my original post is that vitriolic ranting against a collective group of people, based on stereotype, is an ugly form of prejudice and racism, as destructive as hating a person of a particular race or religion.
Stephen, you don’t know ME. You’ve never met ME. I’m a person first, a magazine editor next, a fan of Jethro Tull third, an aspiring novelist next… then somewhere in that mix, yes… I’m an American and I’m not ashamed of it. Yet you spout such scorching menace based on… what…? Did an American girl dump you once? Do you hate McDonalds? So do I… I think it’s the second Evil Empire, after Microsoft. If it’s guns you hate… I’m with you there. I’ve never owned, fired, touched or even SEEN a handgun up close, except in a cop’s holster. I vote liberal, which is about as much as I can do to protest the lack of gun control in this country.
Though I dislike taking the offensive line because it’s counterproductive, if it comes down to education, Sweet Cheeks, anyone comparing your grammar and spelling and mine could probably draw a conclusion that reads right to my keyboard.
And don’t forget the accepted concept of the European Union passport! Plus, the Schengen Treaty allows travel across border with no passport check, and permits passengers traveling by air within those countries to use domestic terminals rather than international ones! And, like Tracey, I don’t own a gun, nor does any one else I know. - RDL
Meaningless statistics? Well, fair comment. However, in Switzerland, EVERY male aged between 20 and 42 is REQUIRED by law (with exceptions no doubt) to keep his assault rifle and 3000 rounds of ammo at home. There are more guns than people, so clearly INTELLIGENCE is a factor because they have extremely low gun crime. In addition I find it amusing that you are still trying to convince me that America isn’t a country but a group of disperate states, in that case I’ll invade one and see if the US armed forces think the same.
Interestingly you mention grammer and spelling, please enlighten me, would that be color for colour, thru for through or indeed any of the other remarkable ways Americans find to shorten words so that their puny little minds can remember them?
Our trains are poorly run, many people are below the poverty line, however we don’t stomp around the world shouting about how great it is to live here and why doesn’t everyone live the same way as us, unlike 95% of Americans that I have met.
America is a “young” country, an adolescent if you will (my house is older than your Constitution), so its hardly surprising that other nationalities regard you with some contempt, however grin and bear it and no doubt eventually everyone will adopt all of the many fabulous foibles that America has to offer.
One parting shot, just between friends, Cuba has a higher literacy rate than either the US or GB, perhaps we should all move there instead…
Aha! Something resembling civilized discussion and not spewing. I knew you had it in you, Stephen!
It was never my point to indicate that the U.S. are 50 different countries (well, maybe it’s two, since Texas likes to think of itself as the Federal Republic of Texas).
A great deal of U.S. gun violence is inner-city gang related. Los Angeles has the highest gang activities in the country; as a result, its gun violence is appalling. Unfortunately, it’s an ill that’s beginning to spread to other countries… when I read about the “for kicks” bombing of a shopping center several months ago in Finland, I was appalled. FINLAND, for God’s sake! Yet violent crime in the U.S. has been slipping dramatically lately (by some estimates, New York has a lower crime rate that London at this point… when Rudolph Giuliani accepted his OBE last year, London’s mayor (Livingstone?) asked him for tips on how to stamp out street crime. Yet private citizens STILL feel the need to keep guns… doesn’t make sense to me.
Cuba’s literacy rate is admirable… and I believe some poor Caribbean nations also have higher literacy rates than either the U.S. or Britain. Soviet Russia had a great literacy rate, too, and with the introduction of more personal liberties, it dropped. May have something to do with the fact that children have no choice but to attend school, instead of leaving at 16 to pursue a career as a rock guitarist, for example, like we can if we wish.
It doesn’t surprise me that I get regarded with contempt occasionally, my countrymen abroad can be excruciatingly embarassing and stupid. I do, however, think part of American’s ignorance of the rest of the world is a function of geography, at least a bit. When leaving the country is a major trip rather than a short jaunt, people are less inclined to do it. Geography insulates us. Canadians are no better travelled than the average American, either, for a lot of the same reasons.
I still can’t leap from Switzerland’s societal norms and extensive gun training to an increase in intelligence, but even they are reconsidering their laws regarding the private ownership of guns after a recent massacre in Zug. And I am not trying to convince you that America is not a country; more that the 3.6-million-square-mile United States is so vast economically, socially, and geographically, that it is SIMILAR in its diversity to the 4.0-million-square-mile continent of Europe. New York is to North Carolina as France is to Finland, passports and currency aside. Maybe we should all move to Japan: http://www.fadetoblack.com/bestcountry/ Thanks for sparring! - RDL