Disclaimer: This is not meant to be a bait or any kind of bad-faith devaluing or stereotyping. This is only based on my experience, hearing similar stories from others and wanting to understand. I’m aware that there are good and bad people everywhere.
So I’m European and starting on a good note I always admired America for many things like the freedom, diversity and cool movies.
But after more experience with meeting real Americans I noticed this personality type that I and I think many other non-Americans would describe as arrogant.
Like I stated before I’m not saying every American is like that and I know there are many very nice Americans. But I often saw that some Americans seem to only be nice on the surface (if at all) but actually seem to have this attitude of “I don’t give a f about you”. And I know that America is a very individualistic culture that focuses on the self and the belief that everyone can achieve anything on their own.
But I still think having a sense of empathy and sensitivity towards others is a very important core human quality that everyone should have. And from personal experience and also from a very prevalent notion of others both in every day life and when looking it up online it’s clear that many non-Americans perceive many Americans to cross a line there.
For example there’s a prevalent observation of Americans visiting other countries and acting like they own the place by being very loud, demanding and not accepting if things aren’t the same way as they are in America.
We know that Americans have very big issues with divisiveness and social injustice and it seams like there’s also this sort of “ghetto” personality including trash-talking, lots of vulgar slang and slurs and bragging.
And a general perception of money playing a big role as if many Americans judge someone’s worth by money and this attitude of not feeling like needing to help someone. I think there’s this famous description of a person lying in the middle of the ground in a public city and people just walk around the person not feeling the need to help.
It almost feels like they’re very entitled and put their ego up way higher than it actually is and lacking the quality of making themselves smaller/putting themselves second to treat others with more dignity.
We’re arrogant. Hope that helps
Oh my god I laughed and laughed and laughed 🤣 I needed this tonight. You poor folks, I hope you figure it out soon, it ain’t pretty to watch!
We’re trained like dogs by corporations to fight each other instead of them.
Noam Chomsky talked a lot about how political conversations in the US transformed into battles, as Republicans/Conservatives have adopted a policy of never working with Democrats to fix problems.
I’m curious, have your interactions with Americans been with those that have traveled to Europe? The reason I ask is because I was able to visit years ago and wondered if maybe European’s view of Americans is skewed because they mostly see those of us that come from well off backgrounds (upper income). I met young Americans that had been there multiple times because their parents paid their way while they were on summer break from school. In contrast, I was the exact opposite. You’re not likely to see many low income folks visiting so you may have a skewed viewpoint.
All this shit could be said of every other country in the world. Americans don’t have the market cornered on being a prick.
I watched a Chinese tour group practically destroy a museum exhibit. Germans don’t tip. Some Brits still carry a colonial attitude when it comes to people of color. We had to ban an Indian family from this restaurant I worked at because they thought they could bring the caste system with them on their vacation. In my early twenties, I almost got into fist fight with a Russian guy who didn’t understand why I couldn’t break his $20 with the money in my till.
Go out into the world and actually interact with people instead of painting broad stereotypical strokes on the Internet. You’ll see the capacity for being an asshole isn’t relegated to one nationality or ethnicity.
I could say the same about Germans based on their tourists, but it’s because the most obnoxious people tend to be the most noticeable. Then meme-level thinking makes the false assumption that millions of others must be identical to them, because “it’s obvious” or some such irrefutable logic.
I’m a Canadian who has lived and worked in the US, so I’ve got some familiarity with it.
There is a pervading sense of exceptionalism buried deep in the American zeitgeist. It runs so deep that most people don’t even notice it - even on the outer edges.
Case in point: My closest friends down there were staunch leftists. In a land of gun owners and meat lovers, they were vegetarians and pacifists who marched in protests against the government. Most of the time they were quiet, charming, soft-spoken, but firm in their beliefs. Pretty much the polar opposite of the “loudmouth American tourist abroad” stereotype.
And yet if you asked them if the US was the greatest country on earth, they’d say “well yeah, which is why we have to fight for it.” An admirable sentiment, but the “well yeah” speaks volumes for how the country sees itself.
The protest singers who lived through McCarthy are the same. Woody Guthrie and his son Arlo would probably say that for all of its flaws and horror, the US is still the best nation we’ve got so far.
When you know deep in your soul that you’re the best, it’s hard not to let some subconscious arrogance show through.
I’d like to add some nuance to your observation.
We Americans, most of us anyway, went to public school. And in our history classes, we teach what has been called the “Standard American History Myth” by YouTube channel Knowing Better in their video on American Neo-slavery.
In short, America is founded on many ideals (freedom, liberty, etc), and we generally write our histories as if we have always believed in and acted according to those beliefs (with slavery being a “failure to live up to those ideals”). That’s the simple history we teach our kids here, it’s what we grow up believing, and the only people who ever really learn anything different had nontraditional learning opportunities (e.g. local experts in black history, American Indian history, etc), studied history at a university, or nowadays maybe learned from social media (like the above Knowing Better channel).
Manifest Destiny is a big example. We teach that America believed in their divinely inspired right to the American continent, from sea to shining sea. We do mention the Trail of Tears, but it’s taught as a brute fact at best, and as punishment for standing against America at worst. There’s no emotional processing that we did a bad thing and that we shouldn’t do that thing anymore. Most Americans would do it all again given the opportunity.
And that’s the big thing. We just… simply don’t have any sort of national level conscience. If we did something bad to someone, no we didn’t, and if we did, they deserved it.
I only really came to grips with America’s dark side in grad school by reading, listening, and watching interviews with black people who protested Jim Crowe and Asian Americans who told their experiences living in concentration camps (euphemistically “internment camps”) during WW2.
That, I think, is the biggest problem in the American psyche. Not only have we “never done anything wrong, really” but we’re also pumped up on religious symbolism (we’re a beacon on a hill, a light into the world, etc).
“Divinely inspired” crybully, basically. There’s a reason Trump resonates so strongly here. He’s the embodiment of “I am the best, I never did anything wrong, and fuck you for trying to insinuate otherwise, you ungrateful traitor.”
buried deep in the American zeitgeist
I think you mean American psyche. Zeitgeist means the spirit of the times. It usually refers to the present way of thinking or the way things were at one time.
The American psyche is much more of a timeless thing, stretching all the way back to the attitudes and beliefs of the founding fathers when they drafted the Declaration of Independence. Norman Rockwell’s paintings, Robert Frost’s poems, John Steinbeck’s books, the games of baseball and (gridiron) football. These are just some of the cultural artifacts said to be part of the American psyche.
I actually has psyche written down, and changed it.
It’s not exactly the normal use of zeitgeist and maybe volksgeist would be a better term (except tthat we don’t use it in English), but I feel that this is a relatively new aspect to Americanism, starting in WWII. It’s still more of a growth on their psyche than a fundamental part of it.
It also has some parsllels with British exceptionalism up to the endnof the 19th century
Where in Europe are you from? Cause Im from Europe and i feel like this is just a human trait. To answer your question though, america is basically the center of the world for a lot of people, and they truly do think america is better than the rest of the world. That’s probably why.
Most Americans don’t have passports and only know about outside USA from TV and news. And if they’re watching fox, they hate themselves as much as they hate outside USA. So yeah, were uncultured swine in that regard.
I do not feel USA is the best, haven’t in a long time, in fact lately we’re sliding downhill so fast, literally racing to the bottom of everything, education, empathy, human rights, healthcare, basic reading skills, astronomical prices, burnout… You name it, we’ve fucked it up.
I mean it’s not a personal attack on anyone, I’m well aware definitely not all Americans think america is the best. Not even saying it’s super common, was just giving an idea as to why OP might have this perception
I have noticed it’s less common to travel outside of America. This makes sense though because america is huge and has a lot of places to visit.
Yeah but America thinks theit shit doesn’t stink and it’s getting really annoying.
Yeah, I understand how that can be annoying
I’m sure if you polled the average American they would not agree that “America is better than the rest of the world “. Maybe 20-30 years ago that might have been true.
Not sure what the average American is, but every American I’ve spoken to seemed to like it there.
Liking it and thinking it’s the best in the world are different. I like our national parks, but USA is far from the best.
Where are the best national parks then in your opinion?
Any of them really. Shenandoah is near me and it’s a beautiful place to go especially during the summer. I like going up to PA during the winter I found a leanto that you can block off the wind and snow pretty well and it’s fun to camp though winter. Don’t remember the name of the park though. Zion national Park is amazing but I haven’t been there since 2016.
Oh, I thought you meant US national parks are far from the best haha
Nah, we have a great park system. One the highest rated services globally, rated internally and by visitors.
Maybe because it’s nature and not humans you deal with.
The U.S. is like any other country; it has its share of assholes. But I generally avoid painting everyone of however many million people with the same broad brush.
There is a somewhat obnoxious level of patriotism to Americans in general that comes from simply being the biggest economy and a net cultural exporter to the rest of the world; think blue jeans and coca-cola, metaphorically. (I’m sorry, Americans, but it’s true. Put on your big boy pants and deal with the criticism like adults, please.)
But it only rises to the level of arrogance in those people who think that the rest of the world only exists because of them and should behave as some sort of client state to American hegemony.
That’s not all Americans. Heck, I’d say it’s not even most Americans. But they’re just really really loud and drown out everything else.
It’s who we are.
More ashamed of my country than ever and feel stuck here. From California and feel like we have some dead corpse strapped to us.
It’s not all Americans, but there is a certain type that when you see them, you know it.
I’m talking the type in baggy cargo shorts who 20 seconds after meeting them brags about having great weed and how many women they’ve fucked.
I had one of those come work with us in Mexico some 6 years back. We had an integrated karate dojo where all employees could train and at the first (and last) training he joined he immediately grabbed two women by their breasts because USA! USA! USA!
Since I ran that dojo he was banned right there and then, but the company owner did not wanted to fire him because he saw absolutely no problem with that behavior. Owner was Russian so take from that what you will about certain types of Russians
With all the constant anti-American sentiment on here day after day I’d like to count every single time I return here in the “American humility” column, thank you very much. Signed, one of the “good ones.”
I’ve heard similar stories during my random travels around the world over the years. It’s unfortunate that people in Europe and elsewhere are subjected to these negative encounters. As you said, I don’t believe it’s every American, but from these consistently shared anecdotes, I learned early on in my travels that the USA is not always sending its best people.
With that said, I would like to share some observations about this from the perspective of someone from the USA. Amongst my friends and other American travelers I have spoken with, there is a noticeable anti-American sentiment that we have felt from, for example, Europeans while we are traveling throughout Europe. It ranges anywhere from immediate, perceptible changes in demeanor upon hearing my accent, to unsolicited and overly judgmental comments on every aspect of American society, all the way to unprovoked anger.
Many of the complaints I’ve heard from Europeans about Americans, I’ve ironically experienced myself from Europeans: arrogance, intolerance, racism, overt drunkenness and loudness, a lack of understanding about geography (Europeans don’t seem to understand how large the USA is), uninformed opinions they absorbed from sensationalized media sources, etc.
As a result of these experiences, we are sometimes hesitant to talk or discuss anything related to our country when forced into a conversation about these topics. The key word is forced. This is not to say we are afraid of admitting the issues that are prevalent throughout our society. In fact, I would say most Americans who are traveling would agree with you. It’s just that when we travel, it can be difficult to have a conversation with a European without being bombarded by unsolicited opinions on everything they believe is inherently wrong with me. While I have encountered this elsewhere, this tends to be a mostly European experience for me.
Having to hear that over and over can get tiresome, whether deserved or not. Especially since this isn’t something new, and has been going on for many years before the Trump and Bush eras. I’ve resorted to self-deprecating humor when any of those topics come up, which seems to assuage most people. I’ve noticed a lot of Americans do this online or in person, even some taking it to the point of self flagellation.
All of this is to say that most of my travels and encounters with people around the world are positive. It’s a great way to experience other cultures and people different than our own self-contained society. It’s one of the reasons why I love to travel, and encourage most of my fellow Americans to do so. The more we learn about the world, the better we will be at being good neighbors. Until then, I’m sorry we keep sending shitty people to your countries.
Europeans don’t seem to understand how large the USA is), uninformed opinions they absorbed from sensationalized media sources, etc.
We’re aware but who nobody actually cares when 95% of cities all look like the same garbage car designed extreme sprawl hellhole. And yes I know that’s an exaggeration, but you from south england to wales or Manchester then upto to Edinburgh youd see more variation than most of USA in culture and city
While I have encountered this elsewhere, this tends to be a mostly European experience for me.
As an ethnic south Asian who goes to Asia a bunch, I can can tell you. Americans are genuinely loved in very few places and even those that aren’t outright telling you suck, are just people more polite and jumble than the Europeans but still feel the exact way. Except Americans are even more fucking animals and creeps in Asia. You aren’t alone in that, British tourists can be awful, french people should be exterminated and the Chinese tourists is just a villager from hunan with too much factory money and not even sense.
That all said. Definetly not all, and many Americans exude personality. One of my best friends was a dude from Philadelphia who was a republican who became friends with the mortal enemy of the republican party haha
french people should be exterminated
Whoa
but you from south england to wales or Manchester then upto to Edinburgh youd see more variation than most of USA in culture and city
Yeah no, this is just wrong, and again completely ignoring the, “people don’t seem to understand how large the US is.”
I am aware that most of our large cities were designed around automobiles, but there’s (literally) countless smaller cities and towns that vary wildly in appearance, tradition, population, etc. 99% of which you will never even hear about as a European.
For example, do a quick Google search to see how many boroughs are in New Jersey alone. Then look at how small NJ is compared to the rest of the nation.
You can drive pretty much anywhere in the state of NJ, and be unable to swing a cat without hitting a world class pizza place, great Chinese food, amazing sushi, Mexican, Thai, etc. etc. Like quite literally the best pizza in the world.
The food you will find in a literal hole in the ground in Paterson fucking NJ is better than most of what you can find from South England to Edinburgh.
One of my best friends was a dude from Philadelphia who was a republican who became friends with the mortal enemy of the republican party
He became friends with the concept of education?
I think its because they tech how great a nation is America from a very young age. The country is great. It is the best. The ultimate true power. President is like more powerful than pop. God always their for America. White american people are true American etc etc. So it goes on and they become blind of truth. Hence it forms in their character. Its the main contributing factor I believe.
showing an offensive attitude of superiority : proceeding from or characterized by arrogance (an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions)
As an American that worked for a German company for ~10yrs, and spent a significant amount of time in Germany, I’d say many Germans have an arrogant personality trait.
I genuinely can’t tell if they’re arrogant or if they’re knowledgeable and don’t bother to hide their expertise behind false modesty. But damn do German engineers write the best Jira tickets. So much detail, precise test steps, clarity about what changes they want made. Most engineers I get frustrated with because they don’t give us enough to work with, but German engineers almost give us too much.
Why would that indicate arrogance?
The Jira thing has nothing to do with arrogance. That’s just a side note about how much I like working with Germans. 😅
