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Original poster

Do you dislike Americans?

345 replies

Kismett · 21/08/2018 15:07

I feel like I often read posts online that are insulting American people, culture, food, etc. In person people are generally nice to me in the UK, although I do get unsolicited comments about how our chocolate is shit or they'd never want to live in the US. It's not a great feeling, to be honest. But is this how most people really feel?

OP posts:

YeTalkShiteHen · 21/08/2018 16:39

Aye I should add I feel the same way about Theresa May and her mob!

Tara336 · 21/08/2018 16:43

I don’t mind Americans a close family friend is from Maryland. My only negative comment is they can be a little loud at times

RaskolnikovsGarret · 21/08/2018 16:45

So many people I happen to have ended up friends with are American. If I were to generalise (which I of course don’t normally), and speaking as a second generation non-white person, I would say that they have been the easiest to befriend at work and at the school gates. I have lots of fellow British friends of course, but a disproportionate number of US ones.

I cringe at the negative comments about Americans on here. It’s so inappropriate and wrong.

Hippopotas · 21/08/2018 16:45

No because I can’t judge an entire country of people as I haven’t met them all.

Cauliflowersqueeze · 21/08/2018 16:47

I think our chocolate is pretty shit now!
Never met an American I didn’t like.

Chipsahoy · 21/08/2018 16:52

I married one, my American in laws are also amazing. Love them. Love visiting. Love how friendly people seem to be in the mid west when we visit.
But yeah, the chocolate is shit as is trump

RaskolnikovsGarret · 21/08/2018 16:52

We met an obnoxious posh American woman in Italy recently, who told us to get out of her train seats. When we were able to demonstrate (very politely) that the seats were in fact ours, and that her family were in the wrong carriage, she left without apology.

That was the only rudeness we experienced in our two weeks on holiday. But that only of course made us judge her, and not Americans as a whole. Which is surely as it should be?

shirleyschmidt · 21/08/2018 16:57

Love Americans, and if I could live anywhere else in the world it would be the US. Those I've met have been hospitable, articulate and kind. For some people, Americans seem to be fair game for appalling snobbery and disdain, but it's not shared by me or anyone in my family.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 21/08/2018 16:58

Love Americans, and love America. I’d live there if I could.

TomHardysNextWife · 21/08/2018 17:00

I like or dislike people by their personalities, not their nationality.

We met some very charming Americans on a trip there - equally met some very rude ones. Absolutely no different to being here in the UK

Original poster

Kismett · 21/08/2018 17:01

Apparently the thread should have been “Do you dislike American chocolate?”

@NorthernKnickers I don’t think how I feel is particularly sad, I think it’s a normal response to hearing these sorts of things on a regular basis.

And yes to whoever asked, there are things I dislike about the UK. But I don’t go around telling every Brit about them! I feel like Americans (acknowledging all the cringey stereotypes we have about you) are on the whole more positive about the British than the other way around. I didn’t realize that was the case until I moved here, so it’s been unexpected and a bit difficult. I wondered if I was filtering my experiences and thought I’d ask here to see what people really think.

OP posts:

PinkBuffalo · 21/08/2018 17:04

I've been to the USA a couple of times and have to say pretty much everyone I met out there seemed genuinely nice people.
Some areas of the U.S are absolutely beautiful and I would move there in a heartbeat if I had a green card and unlimited finances!
I remember getting lost in Salt Lake City once, couldn't find my way back to the hotel, and a group of young American men who were also travelling through did their utmost to help me without even being asked. Everyone I've generally found to be happy to chat and as I travel alone, I've had many interesting conversations over breakfast with people I've then never seen again. Everyone I've met up and down the country have been pleasant and polite

pallisers · 21/08/2018 17:06

I wondered if I was filtering my experiences and thought I’d ask here to see what people really think.

If you simply read threads on MN, you'll see what people really think. Loads of generalized, anti-american sentiment - usually cliched and bigoted - freely expressed. Even in a thread about something not american you'll sometimes see a pot shot at the US op up. generally it will be inaccurate and irrelevant (Halloween is an cheesy american invention for example or Mom is a horrible american import).

I'd like to think the people who express this kind of thing wouldn't actually be prejudiced against an individual american they meet in the UK, but I'm not certain.

QueenCity · 21/08/2018 17:07

There does seem to be a lot of anti-American feeling in Mumsnet. I am a Brit living in the US. I have met Americans I dislike just as I have met British, French, German, Finnish etc people that I dislike. I judge everyone as an individual. However if you're looking for sweeping generalisations I have found the following:

Positives
I love the way they celebrate success here. Every achievement large or small is spoken about. Houses in the neighbourhood had banners out celebrating their children graduating high school, celebrating swimmer of the week for the swim team, celebrating their children going to college etc, etc. I have seen my children grow in confidence with their academic work.

Positivity- people generally are much more positive and it is a less depressing place to live. The schools have just gone back and we have had some lovely back to school events in the run up to it with teachers that genuinely seem excited to have the children and have enthusiasm for their jobs. Very different to our experience in the UK.

Community spirit - everywhere I have lived here has had a strong sense of community. There are lots of ways to get involved in the community. Just had a baby? In hospital? Your neighbours will sign up to make meals for you. Volunteering is valued here. Students can even get extra credits for volunteering. There are lots of local events to participate in.

Negatives

Insularity - many Americans I have met (including well educated ones) are very ignorant of what's going on in the rest of the world. They seem to believe that it doesn't affect them. Someone yesterday asked me who Theresa May was. Their news is completely dominated by Trump and little else. Equally I know many Americans who are extremely knowledgeable and very politically aware but they are in the minority.
I've had a few comments from Americans about how lucky we are to live here as if they can't imagine why anyone would want to live anywhere else.

Davros · 21/08/2018 17:10

No, not at all. Being totally anti anything is just bigoted bullshit

nervousnails · 21/08/2018 17:11

They are just like most of us. You have extremes everywhere. They are loud yes. But most of us are so soft spoken and mumble! They get excited about everything and most of us never express any emotions in public. Who is to say what is right??

Original poster

Kismett · 21/08/2018 17:19

@pallisers @QueenCity it’s not just Mumsnet, it’s on other UK forums I’ve read as well as real life. On my first trip here someone made an offhand, insulting comment about Americans in front of me. They hadn’t realized that I was American because I had reigned in my loud, opinionated voice and hadn’t spoken.

I would say that people don’t appear to dislike me personally, but they definitely will make negative comments about American things and people directly to me. Perhaps they simply don’t respect me.

OP posts:

Ohyesiam · 21/08/2018 17:19

Can’t say, I’ve not met all 300 million of them.

Davros · 21/08/2018 17:23

I've been treated to many negative generalisations about England/the English/London/Londoners straight to my face from visitors/settlers in London and I'm not supposed to get upset. I pretend not to be. It's not nice so I sympathise.

ScreamingValenta · 21/08/2018 17:24

No.

PerverseConverse · 21/08/2018 17:26

Your chocolate is shit. Check out the chocolate thread
What the fuck have they done to chocolate?www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3339012-What-the-fuck-have-they-done-to-chocolate
And you'll see that our beloved chocolate is going the same way.

American people are lovely though. One of my nearest and dearest is American but lives here now.

I've only visited a couple of places in the USA but everyone, bar one rude man in New York, and a real bitch of a camp counsellor in California, were lovely.

leighdinglady · 21/08/2018 17:28

Brits are often more reserved and introverted than Americans, who can often be very loud and extroverted. Nothing wrong with that, but it can cause some to clash maybe?
Every individual American I meet has been lovely, chatty and polite, but I must admit whilst on holiday and coming across groups of Americans, I can find them a bit overwhelming. Again, they're not doing anything wrong, they're just different

SnuggyBuggy · 21/08/2018 17:30

Us Brits must seem like right unfriendly sods

Saggital · 21/08/2018 17:35

I think a lot from the US look down on the rest of the world, openly so, which isn’t a good place to start.

gamerwidow · 21/08/2018 17:38

Anyone who dislikes a whole nationality is an idiot.

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