Do you dislike Americans?

[Kismett]

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?

I think a lot of peoples default is to dislike, or at least ridicule Americans (sorry OP) - they are working on a cultural stereotype and the people who think like this invariably have never visited America.

The Americans I have met have generally been polite, friendly and helpful - more approachable and pleasant than many Brits are to visiting tourists, that's for sure. I've been to New York, Martha's Vineyard, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Boston and Hawaii and so I have had a reasonable amount of exposure.

No!

I love the States and its people.

I love the history of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution. I love the fact that the Magna Carta monument at Runnymede was built on behalf of the American Bar Association.

I wish I was an American citizen more and more as the years pass.

In my twenties, I worked for a global tech company and got seconded to their HQ near SF for a few years. I got offered a permanent job there i.e to relocate there and turned it down basically because my experience there had turned me off (despite having a US/UK dual citizen DH who was in the telecomms industry who could have come along with ease). Despite a diverse workforce, there is more racism and social division and definitely less integration than the UK. And this is my Silicon Valley experience.

I'm politically central - sometimes, left/right - like the majority of the UK electorate. I feel positively extremely liberal in the USA.

Generally, Americans are more insular - the amount devoted to world news is negligible. Yes, the majority still don't have passports. I remember being on the touristy Durango train (in Colorado) and striking up conversation as you do with fellow passengers. The furthest anyone in that particular carriage had come from (besides us) was from Texas. That Texan asked us where we were from and we replied the UK. She then asked us where that was! "England!" my friend answered. Her husband then asked "Which shire?" My friend replied "Essexshire!" I don't know how I kept a straight face. Yeah, I know that was mean but it was funny at the time.

It's more consumerist - we do the odd duty holiday to small town America with say a population of 30,000 people. That town still has huge warehouse type retailers the size of Ikea and they don't provide shopping baskets, only trolleys!

Fresh fruit and vegetables aren't cheap! It's cheaper to buy junk food which is crazy.

DH is half American - born in the States to Eng/US parents but grown up in the UK. He's in the process of renouncing his US citizenship due to FATCA. His all American work colleagues and his US relatives (apart from his Mum) has absolutely no idea why he needs to do this. And we are talking about highly educated and liberal people here.

Aslice. Well said.
I think it is great the historical links and history we have with America.
It is good that we have stood together in times of need and share many values.
Please do not take to heart any offence comments made to you, we have an awfull lot of ignorant people here who have bigger mouths than brains.
Welcome to the UK.

You're 10 times more likely to be bitten by a New Yorker than by a shark.

Apropos of nothing.

On the subject of X% of Americans not having passports, there’s a reason for that....

If I live in, for example, Ohio and I want to go on vacation, I have many options :

If I want to go to the beach, there’s Florida, Hawaii, Southern California.

If I want to go skiing, I can go to Colorado.

If I want to visit the big city for a dose of Culture or sport, I can go to New York, Boston, LA, San Francisco etc etc.

If I want to visit national parks to trek and spot wildlife, the US has the some of the best in the world.

If I want wilderness, there’s plenty of that in Wyoming or the Dakotas.

If I want to gamble, I can go to Las Vegas.

If I want to see Polar Bears I can go to Alaska.

Etc etc etc...

Why do I need a passport?

That Texan asked us where we were from and we replied the UK. She then asked us where that was! "England!" my friend answered. Her husband then asked "Which shire?" My friend replied "Essexshire!" I don't know how I kept a straight face. Yeah, I know that was mean but it was funny at the time.

Yeah, these people didn't just mis hear you, or weren't familiar with "UK" rather than Great Britain or England etc. Definitely they were ignorant americans who didn't understand the central importance of the UK in the world.

I'm interested to know if at the time of this encounter you could have named any county in Texas or given any passable precis of the history of this interesting state? And did you ask these nice people any questions about where they lived - as they were doing of you in an attempt to learn more about life outside the US?

I've only traveled the states a bit but I'm astounded at the beauty and diversity.

I feel more at home here than I've ever done in Britain. I feel accepted and welcomed and safe. And I'm a 'foreigner'!

No, but some British people piss me right off.

I've lived in America, it has it faults but so does everywhere else. People vary from state to state, but in general I like Americans.

In defence of the passport thing. When I was chatting to an American friend, the issue is that they just don’t get much holiday. So long haul is very difficult. Quite often two weeks at a time wouldn’t get signed off by an employer.

It's very true Bonnie, everyone within 500 miles of an American is usually also an American. Brazil is like that too, most people I know, if they've left the country at all, have only been to Argentina.

I don't think I'll ever travel as much here as I want to!

We've down a few big boat trips down from Maine to Annapolis and Florida.

The best thing I've EVER done was camp in the Moab desert in Utah. Driving from Salt Lake City. I was blown away. I'm in awe of America. And it's people. It's grand yet small and so wonderful.

I'm so excited to go to to the other National parks, New Orleans (the street jazz looks out of this world), Seattle, LA, so many places.

OP - I'm a Brit living in the US so know (and like) many Americans, but when I travel home to visit family the questions they ask reveal the stereotypes of Americans that they're seeing.

Unfortunately, it would seem (according to main stream media and consumerism) that the 'typical' American votes for Trump, loves their guns enough to not care about children being shot in schools, eats McDonalds, drinks coke, loves Hershey and can barely name another country except Canada & Mexico. In addition, they're keen to promote white supremacy, hate all foreigners, and want the entire globe to be awash with the most crass parts of capitalist consumerism (see the Coke/Hersheys/McDonalds comments).

It's not a very flattering stereotype, and is (of course) deeply untrue of vast numbers of Americans. But that's how lots of other countries see the USA. Remember we see Honey Boo Boo as one of your prime exports, as if that's a typical American family. In addition, how much some American companies do seem to be hell-bent on taking over the world economy, while evading taxes and eroding workers' rights, actually makes American culture seem quite threatening.

So no, personally, I don't hate Americans, but a less-informed Brit relying on media perceptions may well hate the stereotype & even feel concerned about British identity being subsumed by Americanism of that type.

It still makes them very rude to bring up, apropos of nothing, that they don't like Americans (or their chocolate)!

choli to be fair I live in the mid west within walking distance of a whole foods and a trader joe, the price of food is eye watering here though. The chocolate is horrid but they have Lindt, so it's okay.

America is huge with a lot a variation, it wouldn't be my choice of forever home, guns, healthcare and a societal attitude of l'll just worry about myself attitude are off putting. However the people are mostly great, the scenery can be stunning and there are great museums.

@midgesforever you're living in the wrong place. Where I live strangers care about each other.

@KickAssAngel I don't know one single person like that!

I'm a dual citizen but more American and lived in the UK for many years. I experienced very little in person anti-American sentiment. But on MN I see it a lot and it strikes me as very odd. Like "don't name your baby that, it's American" or "having this sort of party is too American." Who cares?!

I should probably add that I'm not white so perhaps I don't fit the stereotype many British have of an American and so they view me differently.

The reason people don't have passports is most Americans only get 2-3 weeks of vacation a year and they can't afford to jet off to Europe or Asia. It's not ignorance it's cost and opportunity. Having said that, I had colleagues at a large firm in London who had never been abroad or had been abroad only once or twice. I also wouldn't say a few stag weekends in Amsterdam or Magaluf make someone particularly cosmopolitan.

@stimmyplip I think what I am trying to say is that politicians feel comfortable stating things like new born babies without health insurance should be allowed to die if they don't have coverage and have a serious heart defect because they should be expected to pay towards it. Individual neighbors here worry about the postman getting sick or the janitors wife dying but they have to because there is no sensible support network and people just accept that. It's a good country to be well and rich in but I Wouldnt fancy old and poor.

Stimmyplip I don't know anyone remotely like that, but it's clear that many of my family/friends in the UK have picked that up as the stereotype. They know that Trump didn't win the popular vote, but enough people voted for him to become president, so they kind of forget about the millions of people who DIDN'T vote for him. The news about Trump/shootings/Chralottesville etc etc swamp the more logical knowledge that America is a vast & varied country.

It doesn't excuse the rudeness of Brits who slate Americans, but it explains it.

I can't believe someone said American food is crap! I think the only reason at one point the sun never set on the British Empire is that y'all must've been looking for some better tasting food! I go to England every May and I have to really look hard for good food. Baked beans for breakfast! Ugh!

I can't believe someone said American food is crap! I think the only reason at one point the sun never set on the British Empire is that y'all must've been looking for some better tasting food!

Hahahaha good one

I won't take any criticism about food from people who eat fish finger sandwiches.

Caveat- I'm Australian.

We're judgy about Americans and the English. Interestingly the rest of the UK get a break. I've thought long about why and have come to some conclusions.

1. Americans and the English feel a bit like cousins to us, culture wise.
2. Were competitive
3. Americans in particular appear to REALLY like America (and appear to think that everyone else should too) and we feel it's our duty to point out the shit bits to bring them down a peg...
4. We think we know a lot about you- sitcoms you know..- this is especially true for Australians who've never been there and never would bother going.

Personally if I'm not framing it around "Australia is obviously heaps better than America" I LOVE Americans. Their friendliness can't be compared.

takemetovegas is right about point 3, I lived in Mexico for a while and spent a long time pointing out all of the many good features to nationals who very deprecating of their country and my possible view of it. In the US the default is that the country is god's gift and we are so lucky to be here particulary compared to Mexico, the idea that there were things Mexican's did better causes raised eyes more often than it should.

Im so bored of the MN stereotype about the US . As a pp stated, if this thread was about any other country, it would have been nixed hours ago. Ps of US chocolate is so bad, how come we have Ghirardelli...food of Gods?!!

If not of!