It’s obvious that every part of the world has something to say about Americans or knows something about this glorious country. Some parts of the world, especially the Scandinavians, have a positive outlook on America, While Southern European countries have a negative perception based on lifestyle differences. To identify what foreigners think about Americans by leveraging general news articles and social media surveys, we bring you what we found. Let’s dive in.
Americans are Universal Villain
Americans are positivism-inclined people surrounded by some of the most widely acclaimed cultures and communities. That’s not all. Americans are people of enormous wealth of experience and knowledge who pride themselves on traditions. Still, no one can fathom the idea behind the constant digging of another part of the world aimed at Americans. People from Africa sees American as being lousy, prideful and flashy. By default, Asian nations opine that Americans are villains. These people see America as a Trojan horse always found in a complex situation. It’s funny how foreigners view America distastefully but still can’t do without them.
Americans are Always Stressed Out
Most countries that love and hate America do this based on their work ethics. Americans have a frenetic work ethic that no other country can rival—an average American works 37 hours per week, more than other countries. The world is a dynamic stratosphere that is diverse and not one-dimensional. This is the same scope in how foreigners see America as a stressed-out nation. Most people from European countries are also accustomed to these long working hours. Therefore, they are on the side of this type of stressed lifestyle. This is not the case with Africans and the Arab world, who often struggle to cope with excessive work hours.
Leaders in Innovative Technology
Almost everyone agrees that America is the leader in innovative technology. No one can take away the impact of America on the way we converse and, most importantly, how the world becomes a global village. American companies like Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, and Tesla enable these. The world sees this, and everyone, regardless of where they come from, either European, Asian, African, Antarctica or South America, sees America as the leader in innovative technology.
Gun Culture
“Only in America can you get easy access to guns.” This was the opinion of one commenter from Asia. There is a direct relationship between American citizens and firearms. This can be traced to the second amendment, which restricts the legislative arm of the government from prohibiting citizen’s possession of weapons. This type of culture is alien to almost every country in the world, making it difficult for most of them to comprehend the concept of American gun culture.
Americans Eat Unhealthy Food
People all over the world attribute the prevalence of obesity among Americans to the unhealthy food they eat. The prevalence of fast food and a sedentary lifestyle filled the comment section about what other countries think about America. In addition, there is a shortage of small family farms, making it uncommon for Americans to access fresh fruits and veggies.
Freedom and Individualism
The United States Constitution is the chief enabler of this mindset that has transcended American culture. American value system views everybody as a self-sufficient individual and to be in their natural condition. This idea is the pillar of American public life, and its influence is pervasive today. The American emphasis on freedom and individualism is a thing of beauty for other nationals. This has created a notion among the majority of them who feel there are no countries that give freedom like America.
Ambitious and Entrepreneurial
This is a unanimous perception of the average American. Our sample size covers people from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. One thing they unanimously agree upon is the entrepreneurial spirit of Americans. The ambitious idea of everyone in America is evident in the country’s prosperity. Everyone sees America as the leader in world economy and innovation and the chief contributor to the world’s stability. The majority of people from other countries cited examples of heavyweight companies like Google, Facebook, Tesla, Costco, Amazon and many more startups that came up from the entrepreneur mindset of their founders.
Positive Energy and Traits
Humility is a hallmark of the average American. Most pro-US countries like France, Germany and others see Americans as friendly and approachable people. It’s enshrined in Americans’ ideology to be always positive regardless of their affliction. This is a key that fosters optimism among many Americans, which has so far been an important attribute that other countries attribute to them. Europeans and Asian nationals see Americans as funny people you can’t miss a moment with. This is the same with Africans who view Americans as jolly good fellows who give the life of a party.
Pop Culture Influence
The dominating influence of American pop culture also stands as an item of bewilderment among many countries. American pop culture has dramatically impacted America itself and the outside world. For instance, Hollywood films, hip-hop, and American TV series have a pervasive influence on other nations’ way of dressing, fashion senses, values and languages. For example, The portrayal of a glamorous lifestyle or a successful character in Hollywood movies has been a critical factor that influences the perception of other countries of America as being an ultra-rich nation with a zero poverty index.
Shallow Mindedness
The general Americans’ idea that work is their number one focus falls into the wrong side of most nations. This is also a convincing part of the American social fabric to ascribe achievement to the reason they live. The world sees this as a character flaw and also condescending remarks towards others who ascribe happy living to other things in life. The American philosophical scope of living for work has created an exciting concept of shallow-mindedness at the detriment of their family and social life.
Self Centered Mentality
Among what Americans are known for is their individualized behaviour. The US approval rating over the years has declined based on this metric. This is a matter of mentality where the world takes Americans as people who focus on others regardless of other people’s opinions. Various indications point to this attitude among Americans. Most foreigners view them as someone who doesn’t have recourse to other people’s cultures and are inconsiderate of other countries’ plight.
Americans Are Born Winners
It’s no news that Americans never lose sight of their dreams. This is part of the general narrative that birthed the term “American dream”. Americans always prize themselves to achieve their goals regardless of their affliction. People worldwide used the story of various American startups that came from zero to hero or nothing to something. Europeans, Africans, and Asian nationals all take inspiration from American sportspeople like Muhammad Ali, Lebron James and all others. At the same time, it’s much easier to envisage Americans as born winners when you look at the hurdles tech startups like Airbnb, Slack, Zoom, and others must overcome to achieve their goals.