If Brits are obsessed with class and Americans are obsessed with race, what about everyone else?

[NutellaEllaElla]

What about other countries? What are the French, Italians, Germans, South Africans, Chinese etc obsessed with? I'm guessing for Indians it's Caste?

I'm just curious!

My impression from American TV is that they are completely obsessed with politics in general, Spaniards too actually.

@iCouldSleepForAYear

British people are obsessed with council houses. Who has got one, who hasn't gotten one, who deserves to get one.

Obsessed with football. There is actually no break from football and the football coverage. There is no seasonality to it, it's just all year round. The sports section of each newspaper is almost entirely football. My husband is in his 40s and still actually goes off in a sulk if his favorite football team loses (note: they often lose). I used to like soccer 15 years ago but I'm bloody well sick of it now.

American are obsessed with liberals and with people being liberal. We're either the anti-Christ or being ourselves badly. Everything from where you go shopping to Podunk town meeting politics has been filtered through this lens.

@Flickflak

Australians are obsessed with property prices, and now the weather (particularly Sydney, I can tell you exactly what a 90mm day feels like now).

Obsessed? Or rightly concerned? Australia is at the forefront of climate change and it is terrifying.

@NutellaEllaElla and the weather! When my sister lived in California the weather started every day with "it's a beautiful day in Southern California" followed by in depth detail of how sunny. That took some judicious rhetoric given it was always sunny.

@pinpluf

I don't find Koreans in any way obsessive,

They are obsessed by plastic surgery

I haven't observed this and to be honest that's a pretty xenophobic accusation. I think you will find that women of the UK and USA are equally of not more so obsessive about their appearance.

@sweetbellyhigh South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgeries per capita in the world.

Xenophobic? It is a well-established fact that South Korea is one of the plastic surgery capitals of the world:

www.businessinsider.com/south-korea-plastic-surgery-gangnam-biggest-misconception-2018-6

Not to mention pinpluf didn't mention appearance, per se, or compare it with appearance-obsession of other nations - simply plastic surgery. I actually find the SK attitude to PS refreshing. They don't judge others for improving their appearance by way of surgery. In the west, we consider only natural beauty something to be lauded by those who get surgery? Vain. We are all encouraged to improve ourselves in every other area - career, studying, fitness, hobbies etc. by whatever means we can. Why not looks as well?

Xenophobic means to hate something because its foreign.

People throw the wrong words round all the time. Irritating.

Let us not be distracted by unnecessary drama.

The Scottish are obsessed with sectarianism and not being English.

@bellac11

Xenophobic means to hate something because its foreign.

People throw the wrong words round all the time. Irritating.

Totally. See also narcissist, gaslighting, and a whole host of other misused buzzwords du jour.

Funny how this entire thread has people making presumably light-hearted generalizations about the people of other countries, many of which are far from flattering, but this was the country / accusation that was supposedly "xenophobic"... people love looking for reasons to get offended.

I also have the impression that Poles and Ukrainians are really into talking about different kinds of teas/plants and what ailments they're good for.

Here's a fun activity.

Go to Google and type in "Why are [nationality] so obsessed with" and see what Google suggests. So far we have:

Americans: guns, work
Brits: tea, alcohol, the weather, pubs, the same four vegetables [lol!]
Japanese: American culture, blood type, cats, blonde hair, France

Just fine that. Apparently, the Japanese are obsessed with the Finns who are obsessed with saunas.

Also noticed that Italians are strangely interested in knowing your star sign. I had never taken notice of mine or anyone else's zodiac sign until I lived in Italy and people would ask me (I think star signs are complete nonsense but I guess it's just a talking point when you don't know someone.)

@sweetbellyhigh

The British are utterly obsessed with the weather. Even though it's invariably shite, they want to talk about it endlessly.

Because it changes ALL THE TIME! :D providing endless scope for analysis, speculation, opinion.

Germans are obsessed with educational background. You get bonus points if you have a Dr title and can quote random shite in Latin so that you can show everyone that you got your Abitur and went to Gymnasium, just in case they hadn’t gleaned it from your Dr title

Out of all of these I don’t blame the British re the weather

The good stuff is rare so we like to notice it

The irish are obsessed with houses.

Reading the thread back, ha yes, www.rip.ie is like social media for my dad's generation in Ireland. He looks at houses on www.daft.ie and www.rip.ie every day!

@hungrywalrus

Germans are obsessed with educational background. You get bonus points if you have a Dr title and can quote random shite in Latin so that you can show everyone that you got your Abitur and went to Gymnasium, just in case they hadn’t gleaned it from your Dr title

The Germans invented the PhD so it makes sense they value it.

The Irish are obsessed with the craic. They think no one is as good at having the craic as they are.

Ditto previous mentions of RIP.ie and house prices, and the stupid property ladder.

@midsomermurderess

Just fine that. Apparently, the Japanese are obsessed with the Finns who are obsessed with saunas.

I had a chat with a Finn recently, and he mentioned that he owns 3 saunas. Just for his small family.

@Dishh

Australians are obsessed with:

Sport
Weather
Things that can kill you (spiders, snakes, crocodiles, jellyfish, sharks, dogs)
House prices
Politics (Australian only)
Public transport of all varieties - land, rail, sea
Coffee (ours is the best)

Totally agree except for the killer wildlife - apart from sharks in summer. Never think about the others. ( I'm Australian). Many here in Melbourne are totally obsessed with what school you'll send your children to. I was asked this for the first time at a playgroup when my daughter was not even 2. The real question of course is " what private school?". I shut this down instantly and thereafter by saying our children would always attend state schools ( and they did) because private schools were businesses and a waste of money. Agree many are obsessed with hot weather, beach days, summer. Not me, happiest in any other season, which never are extreme here in Victoria.

@boronia

Totally agree except for the killer wildlife - apart from sharks in summer. Never think about the others. ( I'm Australian).

Perhaps that's a more a Melbourne thing - there's less that can kill you there! I grew up there and moved up north when I was a young adult. I live on an acreage now with snakes and plenty of spiders.

Many here in Melbourne are totally obsessed with what school you'll send your children to. I was asked this for the first time at a playgroup when my daughter was not even 2. The real question of course is " what private school?". I shut this down instantly and thereafter by saying our children would always attend state schools ( and they did) because private schools were businesses and a waste of money.

Yes, we do get there here too, even in a more regional area. I did end up sending mine to a private as that was the only non-demoninational school in the area and it offered the curriculum we wanted.