What Americans REALLY Think of Other Countries

"It is important to remember that every country is made up of diverse peoples and different cultures, and that any stereotype we might hear should be taken with a grain of salt."

- The Infographics Show

What Americans REALLY Think of Other Countries is a video on the Infographics Show.

Synopsis
Stereotypes can be hurtful and most often times completely untrue, yet they are upheld through misrepresentations in modern mainstream media, and in today's new video we're going to see what Americans really think about the rest of the world. We should note this isn't what the majority of Americans believe, but these are the common held beliefs about the rest of the world, mostly held by people who've never left their living room.

Transcript
When people from other countries are asked how they view Americans the stereotype of a gun wielding white man, yelling about their free-dumbs is pretty much what they think of. But what do Americans think of other countries?

Take the United States’ neighbor Canada. Some typical stereotypes of Canadians are that they say “eh” a lot, and apologize for everything. These stereotypes are obviously not completely true as the people of the Quebec Province of Canada speak mainly French, and don’t use “eh” in their daily vernacular. Another stereotype some American’s give Canadians is that they are a bunch of socialists, with free healthcare, and no one can make a profit. Although healthcare is free in Canada, they also have a booming technological industry, especially when it comes to renewable energy.

The United States’ other neighbor receives much worse stereotyping than Canada. For some reason — mostly racism — stereotypes believed by some United States citizens about people from Mexico are offensive. The main stereotypes are that people from Mexico are coming to the U.S. to steal jobs or they belong to drug cartels. Of course neither one of these stereotypes are true.

Also, people from the United States love to think that traditional Mexican food is made up of tacos and burritos, while these foods have Mexican roots, the culinary traditions of Mexico are vast and diverse. Each of the states in Mexico has their own unique cultures and dishes. A less common, but more extreme stereotype by some Americans, is that all Latin American people are Mexican.

Some Americans have several unfortunate misconceptions about Africa. First off, sometimes Americans need to be reminded that Africa is a continent, not a country. It actually consists of over 50 different countries. For the most part, a typical stereotype of Africa is that it still looks like it did from NGO ads, like Live Aid, from the 80’s and 90’s. This is not the case, and the people of Africa are incredibly diverse depending on what country and region you’re talking about.

Once we move past the distinction between country and continent, there are specific stereotypes Americans may hold about the people of certain African nations. More specifically people from the United States may think that people from Kenya are all really fast runners. Depending on what side of the political aisle an American falls on they might know that Barack Obama’s father was born in Kenya, and therefore admire the country. If they are on the opposite side they might know that Barack Obama’s father was born in Kenya, so Barack must not have been an American. Either way, Americans who hold these stereotypes might be surprised to find that Kenya is much more than just fast runners and Barack Obama’s father’s birthplace.

Many Americans can probably point to South Africa on a map. This country's name kind of gives away the location. Stereotypes about the people from this country mostly circulate around Nelson Mandela and his fight against the apartide system. American’s also might stereotype South Africans as either being black or British, which in and of itself is not true. There are actually many different peoples in the country, including a large Indian population. At this point we just want to remind everyone that these stereotypes are not held by all Americans. Many Americans are well educated and respectful of other cultures, unfortunately some are not, and hold tightly onto stereotypes of people from other countries.

Another problem that some Americans have with world geography is with the Middle East. Again, this part of the world is not a single country as some people think, but instead, consists of countries in parts of North Africa, Europe, and Asia. Americans who hold stereotypes of this part of the world assume that mostly everyone is a muslim extremist, and that if you are from this part of the world you will be stopped and questioned at customs. Other stereotypes can include that people in the Middle East are rich with money from oil, while at the same time there are refugees flooding out of the region. These stereotypes often overlook the fact that Israel is part of the Middle East, and there are Christian and Jewish populations in this part of the world as well. Needless to say, many Americans understand the complex socio-political geography of the region, while others do not.

Most Americans know that Europe is a continent and not a country. They can probably even name at least a few countries within Europe. Right now a stereotype that some Americans hold of the United Kingdom is that it is in chaos because of Brexit, and will collapse as a nation. Also, other British stereotypes held by Americans are that: all British people have bad teeth, they drink warm beer, and they all know the Queen. Some Americans might forget that Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom, along with Wales, and part of northern Ireland, so it is made up of many different peoples and cultures.

This brings us to Ireland. When Americans think of Ireland they think of Guinness, Jameson, and partying. A stereotype of people from Ireland is that they all have red hair and are drunk most of the time. Some Americans assume that everyone in Ireland loves the color green and wears shamrocks, but the biggest stereotype centers around St. Patrick's Day. The one day of the year that Americans claim Irish heritage — whether they have it or not — and drink themselves blind. Another uninformed stereotype is that there are no more potatoes left in the entire country, even though the potato famine ended in 1852.

Sticking with stereotypes about people based on their food: pretty much the only thing some Americans know about Sweden is that it is where Swedish meatballs come from. Americans who hold stereotypes of this country also might assume everyone is over six feet tall and blonde. They associate Sweden with IKEA, so a stereotype that some people in America have is that the Swedes all build their own furniture. Americans may know that like other Nordic countries, Sweden is rated one of the happiest countries in the world every year.

Americans hold mixed stereotypes of Germany. Some common ones are that Germans don’t think their ancestors did anything wrong during World War II, which is just not true. Another stereotype is that the country is still scary and full of Nazis, which is also not true. A younger generation stereotype is that Germany is where you can flock to rave and party all night long with no consequences. They might stereotype all Germans as club goers that stay out until the break of dawn. The other side of this stereotype is that all Germans drink gallons of beer, and eat long links of sausages for every meal.

France to an American can mean many different things. Some are in love with the country, others despise it for the stereotype that all French people are snooty and look down on Americans. People who hold this stereotype also think that French people don’t like Americans until they need our help in a war. A more common stereotype of French people is about the female populus, who are assumed to be very hairy and never shave. Other Americans who like the country of France hold it on a pedestal. They believe that everyone in France dresses in the latest fashion, and drinks wine while eating cheese every night.

An American might think the typical French person has a seductive accent and is romantic. They could also expect every sparkling wine that comes out of France to be Champagne. None of these stereotypes are 100% accurate. This is another good opportunity to remind you these are stereotypes that some Americans have. Please remember stereotypes are often hurtful, whether they are about your culture or someone else's. As we move east there are a lot more stereotypes to unpack.

Americans have many stereotypes about people of Asian descent. Again, the continent of Asia is not one country, but many, and it seems like the stereotypes Americans hold for this part of the world are pretty similar between the different Asian countries. Most recently in the United States it seems that a stereotype is that people from Asian are responsible for the Coronavirus, which is wildly inaccurate. In fact, no one is to blame, since the virus mutation that allowed it to jump from a different species to humans was random and could not have been predicted. Also, this is not the first Coronavirus. As early as 2015 there was a strain of Coronavirus in the Middle East. On top of that new strains of flu evolve every single year around the world. So, to blame a specific group of people for a virus or disease is just ignorant.

Regardless of current events, some Americans have had a stereotype of Chinese people for a long time. Negative stereotypes began to spring up during World War II when immigrants from China were mistaken as Japanese enemies, and were put into internment camps. As history progressed China became a Communist State and anti-communist, and therefore anti-Chinese, propaganda campaigns began during the Cold War. The stereotype that many Americans still hold is that the Chinese government, economy, and military is evil. This does not speak to the average Chinese citizen, though certainly the Chinese government has committed atrocities against religious minorities even in modern times, such as the genocide against the Uighyr people.

Again, as with other cultures, Americans tend to boil down Chinese cuisine into a few dishes such as General Tsao’s chicken and pork fried rice. However, Chinese food differs greatly depending on which province, or culture, you’re talking about. One example of this is food from the Sichuan province of China. This cuisine is filled with unique spices and is normally very spicy in flavor. Americans who hold the stereotype of Chinese food only being a few dishes that they order for a night of cheap takeout would be incredibly surprised by Sichuan cuisine.

Korea has a couple stereotypes associated with it for Americans. The first is with North Korea and the dictatorship that rules over the people there. However, the distinction between North and South Korea is sometimes lost on Americans, who may think the entire country is ruled by the dictatorship, and not know that South Korea is a democracy modeled after their own. This can lead to Americans looking down on Koreans as a people. For Americans who distinguish between North and South Korea, common stereotypes for South Koreans are that they all listen to K-pop, and are really good at video games.

When discussing Vietnamese people with Americans who hold stereotypes the only thing they seem to know is that there was a war in Vietnam that the United States fought in. Therefore, stereotypes of Vietnamese people tend to be that they were, or still are, against the United States. Also, some Americans believe that all Vietnamese peoples live in dense jungles, and look like the forces that America fought in the war movie Platoon with Willem Dafoe.

If there is one country in Asia that Americans know the most about it is Japan. Typical stereotypes that Americans hold about the people of Japan are that they are hardworking, high tech, really into anime, and everyone eats a lot of sushi. Again, this is not what everyone in America thinks, and it most certainly is not what everyone in Japan is like. There seems to be a better relationship between America and Japan than other Asian countries, which may be why Americans know somewhat more about the culture and people. However, the stereotype that “all Asian people look the same,” is unfortunately more widespread than one would hope, and a very racist concept that some Americans still hold on to. Japanese people are not immune to this sentiment and those Americans who hold this stereotype. Some Americans also think that all Japanese people are ninjas or know karate.

Almost all Americans can tell a person from India from the rest of Asia. However, there are many stereotypes that Americans have about people from India. The first is that people in India handle technical support for Americans, and therefore, all work in this industry. Also, a lot of people hold the stereotype that all of India lives in poverty like in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire". At the same time, some Americans think of the Indian culture as looking like the dance scenes in Bollywood movies. Americans also might think of the Indian people as hippies and yoga enthusiasts who eat food with a lot of spices. Depending on what American you talk to they might have at least one, if not all, of these stereotypes.

The last country we are going to talk about is Australia, which is both a continent and a country, so Americans don’t need to differentiate between the two. The main stereotypes Americans hold about people from Australia is that everyone lives “down under” with the kangaroos and the crocodiles. They also see Australians as adventurers that live with some of the most dangerous wildlife on the planet, and have accents that make them sound tough. There are not many negative stereotypes that Americans hold about Australians, this is most likely because on the outside Australians look European.

All of the stereotypes mentioned in this video are just that, stereotypes. Most are not true of the actual people in the countries, and these stereotypes are most likely due to people not being educated enough about cultures outside of their own. This is not a uniquely American trait, as people in all parts of the world have stereotypes for people from other countries. It is important to remember that every country is made up of diverse peoples and different cultures, and that any stereotype we might hear should be taken with a grain of salt.