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[Boom Boom Pow]

http://thoughtcatalog.com/michael-k...-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/

Some jewels.

People really are afraid of socialism. This seems to be especially true the less they know about it, or believe it means turning their car in to the state. It also turns into fear of Obamacare being some sort of socialist plot, which is hilarious.

The role of religion is much stronger here than in other Western nations. Things like creationism are usually believed by a handful of people in other places, but here it seems to be at least a force to be reckoned with.

It really is a diverse place, much more so than many foreigners really understand. A country that can produce both Snoop Dogg and Westboro Baptist Church is like no other place (seriously!).

Amazing presentation skills. A 7-year-old kid from the U.S. would beat any European in a sales pitch. I find the average American amazing in presenting themselves, doing sales, explaining how things work, etc. I’m jealous.

Extreme sensitiveness towards race and religion. People tend to be very sensitive about racial and religious topics. I was embarrassed to ask a Costco employee where the white chocolate was because I was afraid she would tell me I was a racist.

 

[apocalidiot]

http://thoughtcatalog.com/michael-k...-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/

Some jewels.

last one is stupid

 

[Aselith]

Doesn't the last one indicate extreme sensitivity on the part of the immigrant not the resident?

 

[Vermillion]

Extreme sensitiveness towards race and religion. People tend to be very sensitive about racial and religious topics. I was embarrassed to ask a Costco employee where the white chocolate was because I was afraid she would tell me I was a racist.

If it ain't hwhite, it ain't right.

(But actually - white chocolate is fucking godlike... though I can't eat as much of it as dark or milk chocolate...)

 

[blame space]

thought catalog? really?

 

[Lucario]

Doesn't the last one indicate extreme sensitivity on the part of the immigrant not the resident?

Yes. I hear similar things about random sensitive subjects pretty regularly, I never understood it.

I think this person might be offended by something I say

V

I am uncomfortable and it's their fault because of oversensitivity.


At least they were honest and didn't make up a story about how half of costco was out for their blood for not using the proper term, 'caucasian chocolate'.

 

[Lord Error]

last one is stupid

The more I read and learn about racial issues on GAF, the more I think it's not stupid. It really feels like it can be a minefield sometimes where something a foreigner can not possibly have a clue about can trigger an unwanted response. There are racial stereotypes like eating chicken, watermelon or the culture about kool aid, that seem a common knowledge in the US that I have not even dreamed about when I lived in Europe.

 

[Htown]

It’s like the people there live on EMIs. Cars, phones, everything. And even the lower middle class can afford this stuff. It’s like everyone has an iPhone. Which also reminds me of the extremely bad coverage that AT&T provided. I’m used to better coverage in India.

lol

 

[mantidor]

last one is stupid

I'm not from the US and I've seem people getting so sensitive about race over the most inane things it really doesn't surprise me someone could think that way. Yeah it is stupid but people get worked up over equally (at least for us as outsiders) stupid stuff.

 

[Jams775]

I like how #5 is about a Chilean that moved to Canada.

 

[Aselith]

I'm not from the US and I've seem people getting so sensitive about race over the most inane things it really doesn't surprise me someone could think that way. Yeah it is stupid but people get worked up over equally (at least for us as outsiders) stupid stuff.

wtf is this racist bullshit

 

[makingmusic476]

Doesn't the last one indicate extreme sensitivity on the part of the immigrant not the resident?

I think it's an example of overcompensating due to misunderstanding.

Say you come from a country where minorities are uncommon and racism is shrugged off or generally accepted. Move here and you'll be thrust into a situation that's considerably different. Some may dig their heels in and continue to be racist, cuz fuck everybody else. Others may try to adapt in order to make friends and avoid offending anybody, only they'll be doing so without any of the context somebody that's spent their entire life in the US would have. Thus, you end up with a situation like the one in the OP.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

thought catalog? really?

.

This made me laugh from a Russian

President doesn’t automatically become the richest person in the country.

And why do I always here about how we are too friendly?

“How are you?” at every shop.

 

[Riposte]

This article seems kind of trashy.

Things like creationism are usually believed by a handful of people in other places

Handful of people?

 

[lastplayed]

A lot of these just sound like any western country.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Extreme sensitiveness towards race and religion. People tend to be very sensitive about racial and religious topics. I was embarrassed to ask a Costco employee where the white chocolate was because I was afraid she would tell me I was a racist.

^
I can relate to this somewhat. When I went to the US with my buddy in 2005 at 18 years old, we had a bunch of our money stolen by the clerk at the hotel. When talking to the police, they asked what she looked like and I wasn't sure whether it was okay to say 'black' instead of African American.

I blame that Seinfeld episode with Elaine's communist.

 

[Poyunch]

Omg at that white chocolate quote.

That logic.

 

[ЯAW]

Jesus billboards everywhere, far as the eye can see. Also Americans know how to grill food and everybody has secret marinade recipes. That's all I the intel I got from my short visit there.

 

[Lord Error]

And why do I always here about how we are too friendly?

It's, because that it is more like a robotic response and pretence than any actual friendliness. People who work in shops are not your friends and don't really care how a thousandth person they see every day really is feeling like. They just say it because they're thought to do so, and eventually accept it as a routine. It does seem strange coming from many other countries where shops personnel just acts a lot more how they genuinely feel like, i.e bored, or pissed off because previous ten customers annoyed them to hell. They don't pretend to not be human basically.

Handful of people?

Basically yeah. It's pretty much preposterous that any normal person could believe in any of that where I used to live at least. You won't find any creationists museums anywhere else at least.

 

[PantherLotus]

Well I'm an American and I find this vastly entertaining. Great read.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

It's, because that it is more like a robotic response and pretence than any actual friendliness. People who work in shops are not your friends and don't really care how a thousandth person they see every day really is feeling like. They just say it because they're thought to do so, and eventually accept it as a routine. It does seem strange coming from many other countries where shops personnel just acts a lot more how they genuinely feel like, i.e bored, or pissed off because previous ten customers annoyed them to hell. They don't pretend to not be human basically.

I care, I care....

 

[Nesotenso]

would be interesting to see something like this for other nations and their issues/practices especially something about multiculturalism and Europe.

 

[Nesotenso]

Handful of people?

I guess handful of people in other western nations. Certainly not true for places outside the west.

Entertaining read though. Always fascinating to see what outsiders think of the place you live. As I said reading about the perceptions of other countries would be interesting as well.

 

[mantidor]

wtf is this racist bullshit

I'm being 100% honest here, I don't know if this is a joke post or not. I'm inclining to joke post for the sake of my sanity.

This article seems kind of trashy.



Handful of people?

I can only speak for catholic countries but yes, it is only seen in real fanatics or insane people, even hardcore evangelics wouldn't say creationist stuff, it would be embarrasing.

 

[Dark Octave]

Jesus billboards everywhere, far as the eye can see. Also Americans know how to grill food and everybody has secret marinade recipes. That's all I the intel I got from my short visit there.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

And my BBQ is so good, it'll make you wanna slap yo momma.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I always, always love reading things like this. It's so fascinating learning what other people think is weird about America, because it makes me realize how a lot of things that I take for granted are actually kind of strange. I especially like reading the positive ones, like the person who said we do a lot to preserve nature. It's something I didn't really think was too special, but is really neat. I'm a little upset that it's surprising, because I think all countries should do it.

 

[Aselith]

I'm being 100% honest here, I don't know if this is a joke post or not. I'm inclining to joke post for the sake of my sanity.

Yeah just messing around

 

[JesseEwiak]

"A lot of people really think a constitution written hundreds of years ago provides written guidance to any issue the nation might be faced with. Then again, a large subset of the same group believes that a book written 2000 years ago provides answers to all problems in life."

Yup. As an American, the deification of the Founding Fathers and the Constitution really gets to me.

 

[Peagles]

The above point reminds me, that Americans find it very odd if people use different words than them, like British English for eg. people looked at me funny when I asked where the “Chemist” is (Drug Store). Biscuit (Cookie), Billing Counter (Cashier), Coriander (Cilantro), Petrol (Gas) are others.

This is the one that cracks me up. I can't get my head around it, hehe.

 

[General Patton]

In my experiences Americans are way too oversensitive to racial issues and potential racist situations.

The fact Americans take themselves so seriously in general is possibly no coincidence.

 

[Affeinvasion]

In my experiences Americans are way too oversensitive to racial issues and potential racist situations.

The fact Americans take themselves so seriously in general is possibly no coincidence.

It's because slavery and Jim crow laws here were seriously fucked up. They are a horrible blight in this country's history that affected a large group of people in a completely inhuman way . I'm sure Germans are pretty sensitive about anti-semitism and the holocaust too.

 

[Alucrid]

In my experiences Americans are way too oversensitive to racial issues and potential racist situations.

The fact Americans take themselves so seriously in general is possibly no coincidence.

At the same time I find some non-Americans stubborn to the point of stupidity as they protest that a certain term isn't racist because they're not American.

 

[Supermanisdead]

god, remember when thought catalog was a decent website and not a hipster buzzfeed?

 

[youngwerther]

It's, because that it is more like a robotic response and pretence than any actual friendliness. People who work in shops are not your friends and don't really care how a thousandth person they see every day really is feeling like. They just say it because they're thought to do so, and eventually accept it as a routine. It does seem strange coming from many other countries where shops personnel just acts a lot more how they genuinely feel like, i.e bored, or pissed off because previous ten customers annoyed them to hell. They don't pretend to not be human basically.

Except I actually care about how people are doing.
Maybe you should stop projecting and making generalizations about people.

 

[Game-Biz]

Jesus billboards everywhere, far as the eye can see. Also Americans know how to grill food and everybody has secret marinade recipes. That's all I the intel I got from my short visit there.

haha

 

[BocoDragon]

I think it's an example of overcompensating due to misunderstanding.

Say you come from a country where minorities are uncommon and racism is shrugged off or generally accepted. Move here and you'll be thrust into a situation that's considerably different. Some may dig their heels in and continue to be racist, cuz fuck everybody else. Others may try to adapt in order to make friends and avoid offending anybody, only they'll be doing so without any of the context somebody that's spent their entire life in the US would have. Thus, you end up with a situation like the one in the OP.

I don't think the implication is that the US is more politically correct, less racist, or more used to minorities.

It's that racism has had a history of blowing up into conflict in the USA (slavery, civil rights movement, LA riots, etc) in a way that has made the topic of racism deadly serious. Other places may be just as used to minorities and just as shy of racism... But it's not this powder keg issue.

 

[SiteSeer]

usa!

 

[Valhelm]

In my experiences Americans are way too oversensitive to racial issues and potential racist situations.

The fact Americans take themselves so seriously in general is possibly no coincidence.

People are sensitive about race for reasons that many Europeans don't want to think about.

 

[DanteFox]

Yeah... I definitely think we tend to make it seem like we are more friendly with people than we really are. I definitely try to include foreigners as much as possible if I can, but they tend to be pretty quiet for the most part and keep to themselves.

 

[Stinkles]

"A lot of people really think a constitution written hundreds of years ago provides written guidance to any issue the nation might be faced with. Then again, a large subset of the same group believes that a book written 2000 years ago provides answers to all problems in life."

Yup. As an American, the deification of the Founding Fathers and the Constitution really gets to me.

and yet the most "important" aspects of the document are additions. Additions that are explicit revisions of its numerous flaws and gaps.

 

[Gobias]

Jesus billboards everywhere, far as the eye can see. Also Americans know how to grill food and everybody has secret marinade recipes. That's all I the intel I got from my short visit there.

I have never seen a Jesus billboard in America.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

It really is a diverse place, much more so than many foreigners really understand. A country that can produce both Snoop Dogg and Westboro Baptist Church is like no other place (seriously!).

This is where America shines far above other developed nations in my opinion. It's inherently diverse, and much of the equality and diversity legislation and values found in Europe are a direct consequence of US experiences and legislation.

Which European country would elect a black president/prime minister?

 

[Valhelm]

I have never seen a Jesus billboard in America.

In parts of the South, especially the Carolinas, they're pretty common along highways. Often it's just a Bible verse accompanied by some kind of ambiguous caption.

 

[Toa TAK]

Man we sound spoiled in this list.

 

[Hunter S.]

I do not know one person that has to have GPS to guide them anywhere contrary to that 2nd persons observation.

Also, we are not all religious, ;-)

 

[shanshan310]

I think it's an example of overcompensating due to misunderstanding.

Say you come from a country where minorities are uncommon and racism is shrugged off or generally accepted. Move here and you'll be thrust into a situation that's considerably different. Some may dig their heels in and continue to be racist, cuz fuck everybody else. Others may try to adapt in order to make friends and avoid offending anybody, only they'll be doing so without any of the context somebody that's spent their entire life in the US would have. Thus, you end up with a situation like the one in the OP.

I disagree. While people do lack American context, it's not because the US is more multicultural than anywhere else and thus is more aware of race (plenty of places are multicultural). Even coming from a multicultural place such as Australia I'm not totally familiar (I'd never heard of blackface, fried chicken, watermelon etc until I started using gaf). Not because I'm racist, but because people here are sensitive to different things, and exposed to different things.

I will say though, and I may be wrong, that the US does appear to be more sensitive to race. The inevitable "oh it was a black guy, makes sense" responses in police shooting threads, or people talking about dark skinned people in videos etc. It's honestly not something I notice or think about (I would say it's probably true for most people in my country), but a lot of the time it seems to be the first thing people pick up on there.

Yeah... I definitely think we tend to make it seem like we are more friendly with people than we really are. I definitely try to include foreigners as much as possible if I can, but they tend to be pretty quiet for the most part and keep to themselves.

Even over the phone the call centre people are just adorable and super friendly when they hear my voice. It's very sweet.

 

[RagnarokX]

last one is stupid

It is, but you'd be surprised: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc1zGRUPztc

 

[pikachu Lv 5]

I was genuinely surprised by how big potato chip bags were.

Also big gulps.

 

[shanshan310]

This is where America shines far above other developed nations in my opinion. It's inherently diverse, and much of the equality and diversity legislation and values found in Europe are a direct consequence of US experiences and legislation.

Which European country would elect a black president/prime minister?

There are a lot of inherently diverse developed nations; Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong (if you count it), and a bunch more developing countries. Some European nations do have problems as a result of not being nations founded as immigrant colonies, but there is a lot of diversity there too. From my perspective you don't really stand out as being "better" at multiculturalism than anyone else, though you are certainly diverse. Every nation has it's difficulties, but each also has their merits.

 

[Hunter S.]

I disagree. While people do lack American context, it's not because the US is more multicultural than anywhere else and thus is more aware of race (plenty of places are multicultural). Even coming from a multicultural place such as Australia I'm not totally familiar (I'd never heard of blackface, fried chicken, watermelon etc until I started using gaf). Not because I'm racist, but because people here are sensitive to different things, and exposed to different things.

I will say though, and I may be wrong, that the US does appear to be more sensitive to race.The inevitable "oh it was a black guy, makes sense" responses in police shooting threads, or people talking about dark skinned people in videos etc. It's honestly not something I notice or think about (I would say it's probably true for most people in my country), but a lot of the time it seems to be the first thing people pick up on there.



Even over the phone the call centre people are just adorable and super friendly when they hear my voice. It's very sweet.

GAF is way more sensitive to race than average real life people are. Racism will get you banned and countless people will see it. So it is not really tolerated in this community. I can tell you people are less sensitive when only one or a few people are having a conversation. There are a lot of topics here that are sensitive including women, sexual orientation, or showing any consertive type belief.