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“We Do Not Own Stupidity”: 45 Bad Things People Think Only Apply To The USA But Are In Fact Happening Everywhere
Americans are often targets of stereotypes. For example, one in four Europeans has a negative opinion about American tourists. Common complaints include that Americans are often too loud and expect everyone around them to speak English. In reality, tourists from different countries can be just as horrible; just because you're American doesn't automatically make you a bad tourist.
People make similar assumptions about other aspects of American life and culture. Some think that things like racism, obesity, and imperialistic tendencies are exclusively American issues, and are surprised when they find out they're not. In a recent online thread, netizens had more examples, prompted by someone asking, "What isn't a uniquely American issue that the rest of the world treats like one?"
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#1
Loud, obnoxious and rude tourists.
I’m from Australia and I’m pretty sure my countrymen have this reputation in Bali.
ripyourlungsdave:
I live and work at the Grand canyon and I can promise you, every single race and ethnicity is obnoxious, messy, selfish and rude as a tourist.
I have had to spend upwards of a thousand hours over the last 3 years cleaning up litter around this tiny little village just to keep it from actively feeding plastic and cardboard to the elk and deer. And the multibillion dollar corporations operating this village can't do it themselves.
Also, I cannot tell you how many times I've turned around to find some little Chinese woman filming me without my knowledge. From what I'm told, it's just because I happen to be tall and look like a mountain man. Apparently that's something they want to share with people and it seems really rude.
RELATED:
#2
Racism. Lived in Japan for 3 years and got told to "go back to my country" more times than I ever did growing up in Alabama. That one still sits weird with me.
Traveler-Nomad:
I’ve been all over both Europe and the USA. Racism is way more prevalent in most European countries, they just downplay the hell out of it. Americans hang up their dirty laundry for the world to see.
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 day ago
The Japanese are known for hating gaijin; where has everyone been? They don't even like non-Japanese Asian people. Even the Ainu (the original inhabitants of the islands) have been discriminated against.
#3
Medical misogyny.
#4
Trashy people. Oh, the US has some amazingly trashy folks but I have been on all continents except Antarctica, and let me tell you, I have yet to visit a country that doesn't have it's share of local trash.
#5
It’s a niche one, but vaccine skepticism. If you measure the population and not the government, the US actually has fairly high levels of trust in science. The US is not even CLOSE to being the most anti-vax country in the developed world.
EDIT: the most vaccine-skeptical developed country is Japan, FWIW.
#6
Political polarization. Every country thinks their politics are uniquely broken these days.
troufaki13 1 day ago
Polarization doesn't apply to just politics, in my opinion. We see it everywhere: men-women, blacks-whites, left-right, one team-other team. Divide and conquer.
#7
Literacy rates. I’ve met adults who can’t form a proper sentence and kids who rely on AI to form every aspect of their lives so when it does end up running itself into the ground they’re going to be so very lost.
Ellie Vanille 1 day ago
I'm very surprised by how much people use AI. Sure, it's good at coding and can give some good ideas/inspiration (for letter or e-mail writing and such). But it's so dumb at everything else. When writing my bachelor thesis I found it difficult to find sources for certain topics so I asked AI if there was any research on the topic. It said "Sure, Mr X said XYZ". So I asked for the name of the paper and looked for Mr X but it was all made up. I also asked for some perlerbeads pattern (a simple heart) and indicated the number of perlers I would use. And it made up some ugly looking heart with an amount of perlers that wasn't even right... So, in my opinion AI is an idiot and there is not much that it gives me that a Google search wouldn't give me even better.
#8
Not knowing geography or about other cultures in general. I live in Japan and imo the average person here knows less about the world outside of Japan than the average American. At least we often have roots in other cultures and know some context. I've met an alarming number of Japanese people who think English is the only language spoken in most European countries lol.
I feel like the world gives Japanese people a pass on things like this, for some reason.
Edit: If you want to see my exact point, look at all the replies here. Apparently when Japan is ignorant of outside cultures in the year 2026 its because they're a kawaii island nation and can't help it. When Americans are, they're just dumb. Lol.
Pawsome 21 hours ago
I've met a number of Europeans who don't bother to learn about any countries outside of the US, Canada or Europe itself. I've had people genuinely tell me that all of North Africa and the Middle East is "exactly the same". Yeah, obviously there are more similarities than with other countries, but there are obvious differences. They all have their own history, cultures and dialects. These people wouldn't agree if I said that Germany and Belgium were the same. I also heard a girl lumping all Asian countries together. Are you telling me that India and Japan are the same?
#9
Unhealthy food.
Lilli_Puff:
Obsession with fast food. I've been to several countries in Asia and the Middle East who are obsessed with fast food just as much as Americans are.
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 1 day ago
It just tastes good. I will never say no to a burger or a pizza, i just love the taste. Go away with your vegetables 🤣
#10
Housing affordability.
Littlemiss 1 day ago
Been told regularly that I should buy not rent, usually by people who were either given, inherited, or bought house when the most spent was up to $10,000 on a home. They can't work out why I can't afford $100,000 deposit when I don't earn that a year.
#12
Litter/trash/waste. Americans get lectured for the way they treat the earth but larger cities in Europe are quite dirty. Overflowing trash cans everywhere…the non removable caps are useless when the bottles still end up on the ground. The Coliseum is surrounded by paper and plastic trash on the ground.
#13
Obesity. Granted its a huge problem here, but also in North America as a whole (Mexico, Canada etc) we like food. [It] tastes good.
The US is bad for it cause junk is so easy to get and largely we don't travel by foot like other places. You pretty much need a car. We'd all be a lot thinner if we could reliable walk pre and post train/bus station.
Icy-Builder5892:
Some parts of Europe are catching up, too.
#14
Declining birth rates. Turns out when people have a lot of control over their own fertility, they tend to reproduce below the replacement rate. Any attempt to explain the American birth rate because of social programs it doesn't have (more maternity leave, free daycare, etc.) needs to account for why countries that do have those things also have a below replacement level birth rate.
#15
Not knowing where countries are. I saw a clip on YouTube of an English woman on a podcast or show who said after a bad breakup she booked a trip for a yoga retreat in Costa Rica. She thought Costa Rica was an area in Spain and didn’t realize it wasn’t until she got on the plane and the flight tracker was showing it was going over the ocean. The fact it was a 14 hour flight somehow didn’t clue her in that she was in fact not going to Spain either…
You just know if it was an American saying this the comments would be how dumb Americans are, our schooling is terrible, and “lol of course she’s American!!”.
#16
Ignorance and apathy regarding politics/government.
I am American but lived in the UK for 6 years. I knew several people who's entire political philosophy was "don't get involved". I dated a guy while there who referred to Winston Churchill as "the fat guy on our money". And while I didn't expect people in the UK to be experts on American history, my ex mother in law asked me who Americans celebrated independence from on July 4th every year.
I think people like to believe that Americans are uniquely ignorant, but I met a lot of clueless people in the UK, too.
Loosey Goosey 1 day ago (edited)
We generally don't make the party we vote for our whole entire identity in the UK. We have a lot of political parties, with Labour and Conservative being the two main parties. The way voting works in UK elections means that smaller parties the can still have a lot of influence in Parliament. Labour and Conservative aren't as polarising in the UK as Democrats and Republicans are in the US. There are definitely clueless people in the UK though. Brexit proved that. The same people who voted Leave are the same people now moaning that they can't retire to Spain.
#17
Education.
corivscori:
Education is a big frustration for me, as a special education teacher. I've worked with teachers who came here from Germany, Australia, Afghanistan, and South Korea. They are all absolutely shocked by our education system. You mean everyone gets to go to school? Even if they're dumb? Literal question my South Korean coworker asked me, in a classroom with intellectually disabled students. People talk about test scores, but they don't talk about the fact that most countries do not let students continue in school if they do not pass, and will not even test some students. Once you get to higher grades, only the best of your students are being tested. Whereas in the US, every single student is being tested. Students who are still learning English, students who need accomodations to access the curriculum, students who are disadvantaged. Our education system needs a lot of work for sure, but I am very proud of our efforts to make it equitable and accessible.
Roman Arendt 1 day ago
Might be that way in South Korea. It definitely isn't in Germany. Here Not only everyone has the right to go to school, but 10 years of school are mandatory for every kid, doesn't matter if they're physically/mentally/intellectually challenged. Parents who don't send their kids to school might even face severe criminal charges.
#18
The US is not the only country that engages in/has engaged in foreign policy that disrupts other, “weaker,” countries. Yes, American imperialism is real, but so is/was British, French, Belgian, Japanese, Chinese, etc.
#19
[Bad] politicians. I mean maybe not every year but definitely this year and the next three.
Loosey Goosey 1 day ago
Missing the point. The US President is basically the most powerful person in the world, and the current one throws a tantrum and threatens to start WWIII every time he doesn't get his own way. Bad politicians in the US affect the rest of the world.
#20
Work-life balance problems. Americans get blamed for it, but burnout culture exists almost everywhere now — just with different packaging.
Commercial-Egg-3615:
Overwork and hustle culture. Poland has the exact same problem. Everyone brags about 60-hour weeks like it is a personality trait. I automated my SaaS customer onboarding with n8n and AI. Now I work maybe 20 hours a week on it. The rest is gym, gaming, and actually living. Americans did not invent burnout, they just branded it better.
Roman Arendt 1 day ago
Yeah, it's getting a problem in Germany and probably all of Europe as well. But there's an important difference: universal health care (again). Everyone can afford to see a physician/psychiatrist (even though it's often hard to get an appointment with the latter), and if diagnosed with Burn-out (for example), you get payed sick leave, even if treatment takes a year or longer in extensive therapy. And you're guaranteed to get your same job when you return. It makes it a lot easier to accept that something is wrong with your health and take the necessary measures to get help and get well again. Although too many people here won't take this necessary step because there's the stigma of failure (but I feel this has improved over the last decade or so). But at least they could without having the fear of ruining their livelihood.
#21
LGBT rights! For its faults and the real backsliding we've been seeing, the US is still one of the best places to be LGBT+. Varies a lot by state of course!
#22
Conspiracy theories, far-right nationalist movements, dumb people.
keyboardtek 1 day ago
Ironically the people who screamed the most about "Deep state" and government repression are now in power doing all the armed police state and media repression and protest repression they can get away with.
#23
Lawsuits. People think Americans are super litigious but Germany, Sweden, and Austria all have higher litigation rates.
Roman Arendt 1 day ago (edited)
That's right. But I guess the stereotype is rooted less in the number of lawsuits per capita, but frivolous lawsuits and the amount of punitive damages juries can grant. In Germany for example if you lose in civil court, you have to pay not only your legal fees, but that of the opposition as well, which hinders many frivolous suits. And there are no punitive damages. Only actual material/immaterial damages are considered by a single judge or a panel of judges and civilians (Schöffen). There are no juries here (praised be Ganesha!).
#24
Late stage capitalism.
keyboardtek 1 day ago
The early stage of capitalism was also pretty nasty for those at the bottom of the economic pile.
#25
Abortion is another current political issue that trips people up. I've had conversations with people looking down on the US for restricting women's reproductive rights, when their own country has much more restrictive laws than my US state does, even after Roe was overturned. Always kind of funny to see their reactions when I point that out with citations to back me up.
General Anaesthesia 1 day ago (edited)
It's the disappointment speaking. The US used to compare themselves to the best and say, "we can do better". Now they compare themselves to the worst and say, "we're better".
#26
I've seen culture war politics, especially of the right described, as "American style politics" in the European press but American culture warriors have been lifting a lot from Europe for a decade now.
There's been a lot of cross polinating with GOP think tankers and anti-immigrant demagogues in Hungary and Poland. Post Obergefell the GOP had a few failures in making trans people a wedge until the British tabloid press really showed them the way.
#27
We do not own stupidity nor complete disregard of evidence and facts. Although we may have perfected it.
#28
Gas /petrol prices. It’s far higher in other countries.
Loosey Goosey 1 day ago (edited)
Where do you think most of the world's oil comes from? Oil is traded in US dollars. Countries with weaker currencies pay more to import it.
#30
Gun violence. There are several former Soviet block and South American countries that have terrible gun violence statistics that can rival the US.
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 1 day ago
I would rather walk in a park at nighttime in wladiwostok then in Baltimore but i may be ignorant
#31
Nutjobs going off on innocent people with a knife or trying to run them down for no reason. They're all over. They just end up on the news in the U.S. a lot more frequently.
Loosey Goosey 1 day ago (edited)
The difference is that most countries at least try to prevent it from happening again. The US has a school shooting and it's business as usual.
#32
Supply chain over-reliance. People think only the US struggled with medical and manufacturing shortages during the pandemic. In reality, almost every country in Europe and Asia realized they had outsourced way too much of their critical manufacturing capacity and are now scrambling to build local infrastructure.
Roman Arendt 1 day ago
Who are these people that think only the US struggled? Can't think of anyone.
#33
Issues with the healthcare system. US has a cost issue that other developed countries don’t have. But it’s not sunshine and roses everywhere else.
General Anaesthesia 1 day ago
The US spends more per capita on for-profit "healthcare" than any other country, including those with universal healthcare. Universal healthcare could be cheaper without even touching the military budget.
#34
I would say the alt-right Christian Nationalist movement.
It’s global, and also pretty clear it has the hallmarks of a KGB psyop. They didn’t have to do anything other than turn a few aging morons and greedy tweens into their assets either.
Beak Hookage 1 day ago
Yeah, this picture was taken in Australia, most likely Melbourne. Huge problem with N'azis in Melbourne. One guy actually got arrested and charged for throwing a Sig Heil in public.
#35
Tipping at restaurants.
ohhnoodont:
Canada is arguably worse than the US. In Europe it is becoming increasingly common (especially if you’re perceived as an American tourist). UK, Mexico it’s common. Places like Morocco have their own tipping culture that’s deeply embedded.
Loosey Goosey 1 day ago
Tipping is appreciated but not expected in the UK. Even if you chose to tip you're not expected to give 20-25%.
#36
The “lean”. Everyone leans on stuff, American or not.
David Paterson 1 day ago (edited)
I don't understand "lean". Do you mean "spin doctoring", "emotional bias", "hype", "hassling", "overcharging" or other?
#37
Calling a certain sport Soccer instead of Football. We are not the only country that uses the word Soccer.
#38
Driving. [People] larp on the U.S. having the worst roads but go anywhere in Egypt or Nepal or basically anywhere in China, then get back to me. Although China’s infrastructure is exponentially improving, so my comment about their roads could be dated. Highways no, theirs are hell.
#39
Pollution.
The US is much cleaner than most places, but American industry is often seen as the big bad. Go look at the lack of environmental regulation in Asia and tell me why I need to worry about my carbon footprint.
#40
Obesity, partisan politics, unchecked corporate lobbying controlling policy, reduced or inaccessible healthcare for lower socioeconomic groups. The USA may do them all bigger better and louder, but many western countries have the same issues.
#41
I was dumbfounded years ago when I went to Oktoberfest in Germany and saw how the Germans didn’t like the Italian and the Austrians didn’t like the Croatians, etc., not racism but xenophobia.
Roman Arendt 1 day ago (edited)
Oktoberfest, the most representative gathering of Germans there is... 🙄
#42
Taxes.
Roman Arendt 1 day ago
What about them? Are there people saying taxes only existed in the US? #confused
#43
Diabetes.
Debby Keir 19 hours ago
And sticking people straight onto insulin, rather than advising low carb diets to reverse it.
#44
White supremacy.
#45
Imperialism and colonialism. Like... Europe, sit the hell down.
What do you think ?
Bailey 1 day ago
I think the big problem in the USA has been a shift over the last 30 years in the way it views itself, which has started at the top, and filtered into the culture. People used to make fun of America because it was all about winning, being first. If another country did something, the USA would immediately want to top it. However, there has been a shift from "we have to be the best" to "we are the best", resulting in the idea that the way the US does something must be the best way, and any criticism is "anti-american". A lot of this list is a good example. People in other countries don't sit thinking "healthcare in the US is terrible, but here it's perfect", they think the US system is terrible, but also complain about how their own needs to be improved. The is an element to US culture currently that if they can point to someone else doing something badly or worse, it's an excuse that they don't have to change. It's not all Americans, but unfortunately a lot of the ones with influence
astheshadowsfall 14 hours ago
I appreciate this post. Europeans on this site tend to forget the last 125 years ever happened, let alone the the last 3k. It is both annoying and humorous.
Bailey 1 day ago
I think the big problem in the USA has been a shift over the last 30 years in the way it views itself, which has started at the top, and filtered into the culture. People used to make fun of America because it was all about winning, being first. If another country did something, the USA would immediately want to top it. However, there has been a shift from "we have to be the best" to "we are the best", resulting in the idea that the way the US does something must be the best way, and any criticism is "anti-american". A lot of this list is a good example. People in other countries don't sit thinking "healthcare in the US is terrible, but here it's perfect", they think the US system is terrible, but also complain about how their own needs to be improved. The is an element to US culture currently that if they can point to someone else doing something badly or worse, it's an excuse that they don't have to change. It's not all Americans, but unfortunately a lot of the ones with influence
astheshadowsfall 14 hours ago
I appreciate this post. Europeans on this site tend to forget the last 125 years ever happened, let alone the the last 3k. It is both annoying and humorous.
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