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Ah, cultural stereotypes. The notion that all Parisians are mean snobs, all Americans are dumb, and the Irish – rowdy alcoholics. As long as it is all in good humor and not used for propagating unnecessary hate, what’s the harm in poking fun at some common traits the locals have?
In this thread, people started sharing the things about their home countries that people stereotype most often. One person asked others to share their experiences, as they posted a question: “What is the main stereotype about your country?” Funnily enough, while people debunked most of these silly stereotypes, some, they said, are true.
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#1
Germany: "Our stereotype is best told with a joke: 'How many Germans do you need to change a light bulb?' One. We are very efficient and not funny."
RELATED:
#3
Any country in Africa: "That Africa is one homogeneous country, not an entire continent made up of 50+ distinct countries."
#4
Switzerland: "Everything is clean, and everything is wildly expensive. Yes, this is entirely true."
#5
Germany: We're beer drinking sausage eaters with an addiction of starting World Wars.
#6
Australia: "That the whole country is dangerous. That spiders, drop bears, snakes, feral cats, and dogs will rip your heart out every time you step out the door."
james stevenson 1 year ago
The drop bears have actually gotten more dangerous since getting their paws on some tactical gear. Drop bears are now an elite fighting force.
Pink Princess 1 year ago
It's very untrue unless you live in the outback, which hardly anyone does
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Kris 1 year ago
I studied in Melbourne for a year. Did not see any spiders, but got a sunburn in the rain..
Steve 1 year ago
That's because the emu's recruited a battalion of Drop bears and Hoop Snakes
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Amy Manning 1 year ago
Except that I had that exact spider on the side of my house in the States. This kind is harmless to humans. But yeah, I knew it was about to be Australia too...
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LazyStream 1 year ago
My daughter was bitten by a St Andrew's Cross spider (the one pictured) when she was 4. She lived!
Shark queen 🦈🦈🦈 1 year ago
I think that might actually be a yellow zipper spider they're harmless.
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Beak Hookage 1 year ago
I've lived here for over 30 years and can tell you exactly how many people I know or know of who have died of snake or spider bite: zero. You're a hundred times more likely to die in a road accident because some idiot kangaroo leapt out in front of you ('roos are cute but they are not smart).
ROSESARERED 1 year ago
Or a horse, sheep, or wombat...they'll rip out you car Axel, fuzzy balls of pure muscle
Load More Replies... Becky Samuel 1 year ago
The life expectancy in Australia is nearly 5 years higher than the USA.
Ritchat 1 year ago
You guys still have the most venomous/poisonous snakes, spiders, sea serpents, sea snails and jellyfish in the world down under. But they must either be rarer than the rest of the world thinks or you guys are just the most badass people, scared of nothing, fighting crocodiles with bare fists or something.
ROSESARERED 1 year ago
They are there, it's a BIG country...if we see one, most of is respect it, live and let live, idiots try and be tough guys, and some will win the Darwin award. I have brown and tiger snakes in my yard I know the spots they like, and i watch where I'm walking.its an amazingly beautiful country...and if you are sensible, you'll survive, and more likely, thrive.
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Orange Mum 1 year ago
Well, its sorta true, I'm an Aussie and there is a lot you have to look out for, snakes and spiders in the bush (we have a farm and some years there are lots of snakes, not to mention the million spiders) and when you're at the top end, even though the beaches look so inviting, you cant swim cause of salties.
Jilltdcatlady 1 year ago
Of all the murderous creatures in Australia they show a spider that only lives in North and Central America.
Marjorie Macrae 1 year ago
I'm Australian, and this always makes me laugh when I see this type of thing.
Bike Angel 1 year ago
That's a Golden Orb weaver - even milder than the Huntsman spiders, cos they hardly move, once their webs are up. You might walk face first into one though, but other than that, they're harmless, and would probably wish you hadn't seen them, they're that shy...
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago
Perhaps, but the photo above (I believe) is of an orb weaving spider that is common in the US, at least in the south.
Purple_bio 1 year ago
well, huntsman's on the toilet seat is true, found a baby on my toilet roll so i just sat down and it ran-
BrunoVI 1 year ago (edited)
"Drop bears? BFD. At least you don't need to get your weather reports from air sirens" -- Oklahoma. But forget the tornadoes. Imagine getting huge thunderstorms that shed golf-ball sized hail and can get drop the temperature seventy degrees in a matter of minutes. Now picture that as a daily occurrence. Do you know why it took them several attempts to build a memorial for the victims of the Murrah building bombing? The non-local firm hired couldn't find a material suitable for etching which could survive *normal* Oklahoma weather. Not natural disasters; normal weather. Let that sink in.
MushroomHead22 1 year ago
a huntsman spider in my house? in sydney? hearing those little tapping feet on the hardwood floors? no thank you.
#7
France: "Everyone is rude and unwelcoming. Most stereotypical 'rude' French people live in Paris. The rest of us are way more kind and polite."
Oerff On Tour 1 year ago
My experience is that the people in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseille *are* mostly rude. The rest? People are kind and helpful. In the major cities they expect foreigners to be fluent in French, and if you only string two French words together, they refuse to speak anything else than French. The rest of the country will try everything to understand each other. (The younger generation does speak at least reasonable English, but the older generation hardly had English in school. But they're trying)
#8
Spain: "So many tourists associate my whole country with bull fighting and the culture around it. In reality, most people I know hate or ignore this 'tradition' all together. In fact, parts of the country don't even allow it anymore."
Juliet Ware 1 year ago
It's a disgusting past time and the person should come together to get it banned.
#9
Italy: "That we eat pasta six times per week at least. Honestly, it's true for the vast majority of Italians."
Daniela Lavanza 1 year ago
I can confirm. Also, we drink liters of coffee everyday, save maybe on the morning for those like me who prefer cappuccino. :-)
#10
Poland: "That the whole country is a grey, depressing wasteland. In reality, it's a very beautiful place with tons of gorgeous nature."
#11
Canada: "That we're all really polite and we put maple syrup on everything. (At least the maple syrup stereotype is true, though.)"
Sergy Yeltsen 1 year ago
The "All Canadians are nice" stereotype loses some of it's punch when you realise their way of having fun is tying knives to the bottom of their shoes and hitting each other with big sticks.
#12
Lebanon: I would say one of the main stereotypes of my country(Lebanon) is that we come from a desert even though our country's terrain has no desert within it whatsoever. Albeit, our neighboring countries do.
#13
Scotland: "We all eat haggis, drink whisky, and wear skirts."
Downunderdude 1 year ago
'Is anything worn under the kilt?' 'Nooo, laddie, it's all in good working order'
#15
Ireland: Drink a lot of alcohol and our diet consists entirely of potatoes. The "Luck of the Irish" is also a load of nonsense. The phrase is laced with irony.
Luke Branwen 1 year ago
Not Irish, but I know the struggle of being a non-drinker in a country famous for its alcohol consumption.
#16
Finland: That were only happy and social when drunk. And sadly there’s 100% truth to it too.
#17
Egypt: "We all ride around on camels. I'm an Egyptian, and I have never seen a camel in real life."
#18
New Zealand: "That the only thing we care about is rugby and we all live in hobbit holes. I, for one, am absolutely terrified of rugby."
#19
Sweden: "That all our women are really beautiful. Yes, it's true, and it's sad because I have zero chance with any of them."
#20
Australia: I have a couple:
That we ride kangaroos, we always say “g’day”, “mate”, and “shrimp on the barby” (we call them prawns), that we’re some redneck backwards country, and that we don’t exist.
#21
Germany: "That everyone wears lederhosen. As a German, I can tell you that no one walks around in lederhosen except in Munich on Oktoberfest...or tourists visiting the country."
#22
Colombia: "Colombian here. People immediately associate my country with c**aine and Pablo Escobar. Netflix’s Narcos sure didn’t help. The guy's been dead for almost 30 years, and we still can’t seem to get rid of that monster."
#23
India: "That all we eat is curry. We have thousands of different dishes, and not everything is spicy."
Auntriarch 1 year ago (edited)
We have a Nepalese/south Indian restaurant nearby. It was started by two chaps, one from Nepal and one from Chennai, so that makes sense. But geographically it's like a Finnish/Sicilian restaurant.
#24
France: That we are unpleasant and we stink .. we always carry a baguette too.
#25
South Africa: "That we don't have paved roads, cities, electricity, or any of the modern conveniences, it's just jungle filled with animals where everyone lives in mud huts. I wouldn't say these stereotypes annoy me, but they certainly amuse me."
Genevieve Smith 1 year ago
Eishkom ensures the "no electricity" part is accurate. And, although we're surrounded by sea, our water apparently is also depleting. Stereotypical of a third world country, which, thanks to the ANC, South Africa has now become.
#26
Mexico: "The whole country is made up of deserts. It's hot and sunny all the time. We wear sombreros all the time. We only drink tequila, and we can all dance salsa. None of these things are true about my country."
#27
Finland: "That we are quiet, introverted, and like our privacy. There are exceptions, especially among younger people, but most of us really don't know how to speak to other people. If you want to start a random conversation on a bus or a train, you'd better be, like, 80 years old or drunk."
#30
New Zealand: "That we all say stuff like 'put another shrimp on the barbie.' Shrimp is not a thing here. We call them prawns."
#31
Brazil: "That our biggest pastimes are samba and soccer, that we live in the middle of the jungle, and that Brazil is made up only of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro."
DennyS (denzoren) 1 year ago
I don't think people realize how huge Brazil is...especially for someone like me who lives on a tiny island.
#32
Belgium: That we get triggerd when someone says 'french fries'.
#33
Since I do not know if there is a Main one, the few ones I know and have people said to me are:
-It is not safe to travel here
-We only speak "African" (African isn't a language.)
-We all are extremely Poor
-We are either Elon Musk, or a Villager
-Wild Animals roam freely around the Country.
The hint for the country I am referring to is Elon Musk's Birthplace.
§• Råinbow Påndå •§ 1 year ago
Oh my god, having just moved from ZA I absolutely HATE being asked ‘Do you speak African?’ So annoying
#34
India:
Probably things like:
IT /help desk specialist
Hairy monkey
Curry deodorant
Destined for an arranged marriage
Dancing and peeking our head from behind a tree
Lol I don’t know if some of those count.
#35
Italy: Mamma mia!
Remi (He/Him) 1 year ago
The hand thing 🤌🏽. Funniest is when you're explaining some great Italian food experience and you notice your own hands doing that... I guess that's kinda like an accent as in it transfers
#36
Mexico: Tacos, d***s, chimichanga, nachos, lazy people, corruption, USA's backyard, donkeys, "wey" (this one is true), poverty.
Lavern Defazio 1 year ago
That's the saddest plate of nachos I have ever seen. Where is it from? A gas station convenience store?
#38
Poland: "Kurwa" is the only word we say
It's 25% true, it makes up 1/4th of our daily vocabulary.
#39
India: "That a bachelor degree is worthless. You're a shame unless you have a shiny masters or doctorate from America or Europe."
Stardust she/her 1 year ago
The competition for anything in this country is insane so you have to be the best in something or else you won’t find employment
#40
Ukraine: We love borscht, salo and vodka.
Carl Roberts 1 year ago
But...Ukrainians DO love borscht. Personally, I hate the stuff, but when my father was alive, there was always borscht in the house, same with my grandparents.
What do you think ?
Dan Holden 1 year ago
Stereotypes are typically based in fact. That's how they become a stereotype.
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Tom Hardeveld 1 year ago
"stomps my clogs and throws my Tulips into my backyard Windmill" Where are the Dutch!?
ZGutr 1 year ago (edited)
The dutch (dear god, they ARE popular in this comment section) growing tulips, eating cheese, sticking a finger in the 'dijk' (water protection), smoking weed, walking pas prostitutes offering their business openly from behind red illuminated windows, selling their junk from the attic on the street on kings day,
BrunoVI 1 year ago
Are these stereotypes? Tulips? Yeah. Cheese-eating? Nah, that's a French stereotype. Sticking a finger in a dyke? No comment. Smoking weed? Yeah. Prostitutes openly offering business in red illuninated windows? Yes. Selling their junk from the attic on the street on kings day? Presuming by "junk," you don't mean a slang for body parts, I'm going to say no. In fact, I'd bet most Americans don't have a clue what King's day is.
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PFD 1 year ago
Most of these are picture-book stereotypes (perhaps archetypes is better) rather than real stereotypes, I think. How many adults really think Scottish people = kilts and haggis, for example?
LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
There are quite a few adults that think Scotland is just kilts, haggis, bagpipes, and impossible to understand accents.
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Linda van A. 1 year ago
The Netherlands, there are mills everywhere, we walk on wooden shoes and we skate to work and school in winter.
Verena 1 year ago
No Dutch, recklessly driving their bikes and doing d***s while eating cheese and fried stuff out of the wall (yes, wall, not mall)?
ZGutr 1 year ago (edited)
for those who wonder: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatiek (sorry, use translate, did not find an English article, but did not search hard either)
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Samsquatch & Monko 1 year ago
True canadian one: most of us are super insane over hockey. Ice skating itself is dangerous, (I witnessed someone break an arm from simply slipping while skating), but with a bunch of people who act like feral animals because of a sport, I’m surprised that it isn’t the leading cause of death. There weren’t even helmets made for hockey until someone’s major artery in the neck got sliced by an ice skate- the guy survived- and my school likes the Toronto maple leafs more then our own citys (far better) hockey team
Samsquatch & Monko 1 year ago
I’m the rare Canadian who literally knows nearly nothing about hockey- I don’t even know the rules lmao. I just know stuff taught in school (yes we have learned about hockey in school)
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Jess Smith 1 year ago
US - Trump. Sadly 40 percent of the country is like this, so it's uncomfortably true.
Gracie Mae 1 year ago
not country, but states within the U.S..."do you walk lopsided" or "is one leg shorter than the other?" (living in the mountains)
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
The UK is only good at the Olympic events that involve sitting down - rowing, equestrian, cycling and sailing. We do get a few more these days but this was certainly true in the earlier part of the century and before, in the days of Redgrave and Hoy.
BrunoVI 1 year ago
Check out way below for my facts correcting US stereotypes that the neo-Soviets of BP tried to censor, but another false US stereotype: we actually have way fewer police. Not only are there fewer per capita (242 vs 349), but per capita isn't even a fair measure since low-density areas require far more police per capita. Oh yeah, and cops are WAY more likely to kill white people than black people. Yes, they kill more black people per capita, but way fewer per law-enforcement incident.
Graham_Illegal 1 year ago
I love that you're so upset about less and less people buying into this USA#1 nonsense, that you failed to realize the real problem while collecting your cherry-picked data: US cops are far more likely to KILL people instead of deescalating and neutralizing situations as law enforcement in civilized countries do.
Load More Replies... Ren Karlej 1 year ago
People don't think you don't have healthcare insurance. They think you don't have universal healthcare, and that all too often people still end up with large bills regardless of their healthcare insurance. Also, let's not pretend guns aren't a problem, whether or not it's 'people killing each other like crazy' it's still a very significant problem.
Load More Replies...
Dan Holden 1 year ago
Stereotypes are typically based in fact. That's how they become a stereotype.
Load More Replies... Tom Hardeveld 1 year ago
"stomps my clogs and throws my Tulips into my backyard Windmill" Where are the Dutch!?
ZGutr 1 year ago (edited)
The dutch (dear god, they ARE popular in this comment section) growing tulips, eating cheese, sticking a finger in the 'dijk' (water protection), smoking weed, walking pas prostitutes offering their business openly from behind red illuminated windows, selling their junk from the attic on the street on kings day,
BrunoVI 1 year ago
Are these stereotypes? Tulips? Yeah. Cheese-eating? Nah, that's a French stereotype. Sticking a finger in a dyke? No comment. Smoking weed? Yeah. Prostitutes openly offering business in red illuninated windows? Yes. Selling their junk from the attic on the street on kings day? Presuming by "junk," you don't mean a slang for body parts, I'm going to say no. In fact, I'd bet most Americans don't have a clue what King's day is.
Load More Replies... PFD 1 year ago
Most of these are picture-book stereotypes (perhaps archetypes is better) rather than real stereotypes, I think. How many adults really think Scottish people = kilts and haggis, for example?
LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
There are quite a few adults that think Scotland is just kilts, haggis, bagpipes, and impossible to understand accents.
Load More Replies... Linda van A. 1 year ago
The Netherlands, there are mills everywhere, we walk on wooden shoes and we skate to work and school in winter.
Verena 1 year ago
No Dutch, recklessly driving their bikes and doing d***s while eating cheese and fried stuff out of the wall (yes, wall, not mall)?
ZGutr 1 year ago (edited)
for those who wonder: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatiek (sorry, use translate, did not find an English article, but did not search hard either)
Load More Replies... Samsquatch & Monko 1 year ago
True canadian one: most of us are super insane over hockey. Ice skating itself is dangerous, (I witnessed someone break an arm from simply slipping while skating), but with a bunch of people who act like feral animals because of a sport, I’m surprised that it isn’t the leading cause of death. There weren’t even helmets made for hockey until someone’s major artery in the neck got sliced by an ice skate- the guy survived- and my school likes the Toronto maple leafs more then our own citys (far better) hockey team
Samsquatch & Monko 1 year ago
I’m the rare Canadian who literally knows nearly nothing about hockey- I don’t even know the rules lmao. I just know stuff taught in school (yes we have learned about hockey in school)
Load More Replies... Jess Smith 1 year ago
US - Trump. Sadly 40 percent of the country is like this, so it's uncomfortably true.
Gracie Mae 1 year ago
not country, but states within the U.S..."do you walk lopsided" or "is one leg shorter than the other?" (living in the mountains)
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
The UK is only good at the Olympic events that involve sitting down - rowing, equestrian, cycling and sailing. We do get a few more these days but this was certainly true in the earlier part of the century and before, in the days of Redgrave and Hoy.
BrunoVI 1 year ago
Check out way below for my facts correcting US stereotypes that the neo-Soviets of BP tried to censor, but another false US stereotype: we actually have way fewer police. Not only are there fewer per capita (242 vs 349), but per capita isn't even a fair measure since low-density areas require far more police per capita. Oh yeah, and cops are WAY more likely to kill white people than black people. Yes, they kill more black people per capita, but way fewer per law-enforcement incident.
Graham_Illegal 1 year ago
I love that you're so upset about less and less people buying into this USA#1 nonsense, that you failed to realize the real problem while collecting your cherry-picked data: US cops are far more likely to KILL people instead of deescalating and neutralizing situations as law enforcement in civilized countries do.
Load More Replies... Ren Karlej 1 year ago
People don't think you don't have healthcare insurance. They think you don't have universal healthcare, and that all too often people still end up with large bills regardless of their healthcare insurance. Also, let's not pretend guns aren't a problem, whether or not it's 'people killing each other like crazy' it's still a very significant problem.
Load More Replies... You May Like 35 Stereotypes About People’s Countries That Might Sound Positive, But Are Still Harmful From Famously Dangerous To Surprising, Here Are 50 Destinations That Solo Women Travelers Didn’t Find Safe 51 Safest Places To Travel Right Now
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