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Stereotypes about your country that's not true?

Beth Pavell said:
The accents, oh the accents ... Hollywood British, as I like to think of it, exemplified by Kiera Knightley.
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I really detest the likes of her and Hugh Grant for their wooden exaggerated accents (and their wooden "acting").
 
Here are a few untrue ones I can think of:

- We are always drunk.
- We ride Kangaroos around and have pet Koalas.
- We cook everything on the ‘barbie’.
- We always say ‘G’Day’, ‘mate’, crikey’ etc. Yeah while these words are commonly used (especially ‘mate’) we don’t use them in every freaking sentence.
- We are all a bunch of uncultured, racist bogans.
- Everything is trying to kill you.
- We only eat Vegemite.
- It is always hot in Australia and it never rains.
- Oh, and there is no snow either.
- Australia is just one big desert.
- Everyone lives by the beach and can surf.
- Everyone has a tan.
- We all wear singlets, thongs and a cork-hat.
- We wrestle crocodiles
 
Since the above user beat me to Australia, I'll list some for Lebanon. Some of these are Lebanese-Australian stereotypes since many Australians have a lot of stereotypes of our community. Others come from other Arab countries like Syria and Egypt.

- We all support Hezbollah. This is more of a stereotype of Lebanese Shiites. I'm a Shiite and I can't stand Hezbollah.
- We're all anti-Semitic and want to destroy Israel. That's not true, either.
- We're violent and criminal. Crime is a problem in Lebanon and among the Lebanese-Australian community. During the Sydney gang rapes and the Cronulla riots this stereotype was especially bad.
- We're frivolous and obsessed with partying. I like to party, but there's plenty of people who don't.
- Our women wear niqab or burqa. Not many Lebanese women wear niqabs, and burqas are not Arab, they're Pashtun.
- Our men are obsessed with blonde women. I've never been attracted to a blonde.
- Our women are all gorgeous and scantily-clad. This stereotype is more common in the Arab world than the Western world. I know plenty of pretty Lebanese girls, but I know ugly Lebanese girls too. Lebanese girls do tend to be more open about showing skin than most Arab girls, but a lot of them are still pretty modest.
- We're all obsessed with being descendants of the Phoenicians. Somewhat true, but the Phoenicians are just one component of our genetic mixture. There are many others.
- Our politicians are ultra-corrupt. This one's actually true.
- We're all rich and we have African maids. Another stereotype that other Arab countries have of us. No one in my family has a maid. My family's middle-class and my parents do the housework.
- We all speak French. Somewhat true, but mainly in the big cities. In the small towns and villages people mostly speak only Arabic. English is becoming more popular in Lebanon.
- We all pronounce the letter P as B. Somewhat true, but it's not everyone.
- We're all Maronites. I'm not. This stereotype seems to be more prevalent in the Americas than in Australia. Maronites are common here, but they're only the majority in certain areas. Even in Latin America you can find plenty of Orthodox Christian or Muslim Lebanese.
- We're all Muslims. Ironically, I've also heard this stereotype. Muslims are a slight majority, but plenty of Christian Lebanese exist too.
- We all like rap and hip-hop. I hate most rap and hip-hop. Most older Lebanese hate it too.
- We all have mullets or shaved heads. Most of my male relatives have normal haircuts. I have long hair in a normal style.
- We have big age gaps between husbands and wives. This was true a long time ago, but it's not so true anymore. My parents are only one year apart.
- We marry our cousins. Cousin marriage is accepted in Lebanon, but not everyone does it.
 
I'm from New Jersey. Like that wasn't obvious. Hoo boy, this should be a fun one....

-We're all Italian-Americans.
-We all eat at diners for every meal.
-We say "Jersey" as "Joisey."
-We all live off a Turnpike exit.
-We all listen to Bruce Springsteen and/or Bon Jovi.
-We all have ties to the mob.
-We suck at driving.
-The entire state is a suburb.
-Our politicians are corrupt... no, wait, that one's true. Fuck you, Chris Christie.
 
Personally my jimmies get really rustled by people who seem to truly believe that Americans constantly eat cheeseburgers, and we all kill Muslims in our spare time, and we're all fat and ignorant. What keeps me sane, though, is knowing that ironically, someone who would make such an assertion is the ignorant one.
 
Everyone in my country is fat
not everyone in my country has weight problems
 
I live in Alabama which is in the Deep South/Southeast part of the USA. Here are a few I picked up while in college:
  • Everyone Lives on a Farm-No, there are some pretty urban cities here, believe it or not. Not as close together as other cities maybe, but still. Also plenty of suburbs.
  • Everyone has a Truck and/or a Tractor- No, we drive cars of all kinds. And why would I need a tractor if I don't have a farm?
  • Beer Guzzlin' Rednecks Everywhere- Nope. I didn't really meet any I would classify as redneck until high school.
  • I don't know if this is a stereotype, but I have a friend who believed there would be cows and pastures everywhere. Nope. (Not everywhere anyways.)
  • That Southern Drawl - Some people, but not everyone. Yeah, there's an accent but not quite so strong.
  • Bible slingers- Does this mean you think I or some other person will burst out preaching, or try to force you to accept Christianity? If it does, then noooooooooooo.
  • Iced Tea and Fried Chicken=life - Yes I like iced tea and fried chicken. Plenty of people do. But not obsessively. Kind of like how some people think all American's live off of burgers-not the case.
  • Everyone Listens to Country Music-Definitely not true.
That's just a few I can think of off the top of my head.
 
Nala said:
I live in Alabama which is in the Deep South/Southeast part of the USA. Here are a few I picked up while in college:
  • Everyone Lives on a Farm-No, there are some pretty urban cities here, believe it or not. Not as close together as other cities maybe, but still. Also plenty of suburbs.
  • Everyone has a Truck and/or a Tractor- No, we drive cars of all kinds. And why would I need a tractor if I don't have a farm?
  • Beer Guzzlin' Rednecks Everywhere- Nope. I didn't really meet any I would classify as redneck until high school.
  • I don't know if this is a stereotype, but I have a friend who believed there would be cows and pastures everywhere. Nope. (Not everywhere anyways.)
  • That Southern Drawl - Some people, but not everyone. Yeah, there's an accent but not quite so strong.
  • Bible slingers- Does this mean you think I or some other person will burst out preaching, or try to force you to accept Christianity? If it does, then noooooooooooo.
  • Iced Tea and Fried Chicken=life - Yes I like iced tea and fried chicken. Plenty of people do. But not obsessively. Kind of like how some people think all American's live off of burgers-not the case.
  • Everyone Listens to Country Music-Definitely not true.
That's just a few I can think of off the top of my head.
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I actually knew someone from Alabama who was an atheist. (He lives in Eufaula. I met him while he was on vacation in Sydney.) He was born and raised there too. My friend Frank's been to the South three times (his parents are strangely interested in southern American culture, and Frank himself is a country music fan) and once he visited Alabama. He was surprised when he saw it wasn't all farms and rednecks. Though he did say that he loooooved the fried chicken.
 
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Birijion said:
Here are a few untrue ones I can think of:

- We are always drunk.
- We ride Kangaroos around and have pet Koalas.
- We cook everything on the ‘barbie’.
- We always say ‘G’Day’, ‘mate’, crikey’ etc. Yeah while these words are commonly used (especially ‘mate’) we don’t use them in every freaking sentence.
- We are all a bunch of uncultured, racist bogans.
- Everything is trying to kill you.
- We only eat Vegemite.
- It is always hot in Australia and it never rains.
- Oh, and there is no snow either.
- Australia is just one big desert.
- Everyone lives by the beach and can surf.
- Everyone has a tan.
- We all wear singlets, thongs and a cork-hat.
- We wrestle crocodiles
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A fellow Aussie. I had drunk alcohol a couple of times (mostly cider), but I mostly drink water or soft drink. And while unfortunately there are some uncultured, racist bogans (I saw an anti-Islam sticker on my walk earlier today) who tend to watch programmes like A Current Affair, I tend to listen to community and student radio (I am a subscriber to a community radio station here in Melbourne and I am planning to host a show on a student radio station this year) and I am tolerant of other people. I also watch ABC and SBS, and I tend to avoid A Current Affair. And I wear something OVER my singlet; and I am not a fan of thongs and cork-hat.

And I am not sure if this is just a Simpsons thing, but we don't use a boot to whoopass criminals.

And I think another stereotype is that we are uneducated. The fact is that many Australians have at least a Bachelor degree (I personally have a Masters degree in Asian Studies and I am a semester away from a Masters degree in International Relations).

Corrupt politicians. Sadly, like in many parts of the world, it is true but rarely mentioned in the media. Deputy Mayor of Auburn anyone? Brimbank City Council? Oops, I'm live in the Brimbank City Council area.
 
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Another stereotype I often hear of the Lebanese community in Australia is that we don't like being Australian and want Sharia law where we live. Definitely NOT true - I like the freedom that we get in Australia. I also have two T-shirts with the Australian flag on them. I'm actually more patriotic than many of the Anglo-Celtic people that I know. And at least where I live, people aren't as anti-Islam as they were when I first moved there.

Honestly, I wish we did have pet koalas. They're so cute, but they eat a lot... (I've never seen one except at the zoo. Seriously, we have the coolest animals down under!)

One stereotype I've heard of Australians in general is that we all hate rabbits. A lot of people here do hate rabbits because they are an invasive species, but personally I don't have anything against rabbits. (It's probably because I don't live on a farm, so I don't have to worry about rabbits eating everything.)
 
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New York City:

- Still crime everywhere and dangerous to be in

This was true up until the early 90s. Since then, crime has completely plummeted around here. Sure there's still some bad parts, but for the most part NYC is one of the safest large metros around (especially Manhattan and Brooklyn)

- We're all hipsters

Nope. Just Brooklyn. Kidding, kidding. It's amazing that this is the stereotype that's become the dominant one. NYC is one of the biggest metro areas on the planet, there's every type of person around here (which is one of the reasons that it's so amazing to live here). Sure there's your hipsters but there's also every other type of person imaginable.

- We're all rich

We would be if we didn't have to pay NYC rent. Seriously. But yes, while there are more rich people around here (especially in a few certain areas of the city), it's also incredibly diverse. Again like everywhere else, NYC is home to people of all kinds, all economic classes (this is the trend lol, kind of a given when it's the center of the universe)

- We're all assholes who are dicks to tourists

I don't know where this one came from. While it's kind of annoying when the tourists block up Grand Central (the big fancy old-timey train station that I'm sure many of you have seen pictures of) when I'm just trying to catch my goddamn train. But if someone asks me for directions or how to use the subway or even just a suggestion for a good place to eat, I'll definitely do what I can to help out. And most people are the same way.

- Everything is crazy expensive

NYC is known for having some of the most glamorous and expensive shops, restaurants and art in the world. And yes, this is true. But you can also get dollar pizza (which while low quality for NYC is still better than you can get on 99.95% of the Earth's surface), cheap beers at the right places and the majority of bars have pretty decent happy hour specials. I wouldn't call NYC cheap by any means (by most metrics it's one of the three most expensive cities in the world) but you can get by on a budget if you're careful and smart.

- New York City is the center of the universe and the greatest city on Earth

This one is true.
 
Well, as for Wales, the stereotype about Welsh people and sheep is... Not true.
However, people do despise the English for no reason (I've asked people to explain, they can't) and you won't find a more obnoxious group of people than Welsh Rugby supporters anywhere.
I don't know anyone called Gwyneth, either.
 
Ah. I see that no one has commented on Pakistan. Well, here I go;

-Terrorists around every corner. That isn't true, the people here are actually very hospitable. It's more peaceful than one can possibly imagine it to be. Any kind of real terrorism at the north western areas, where there are a few insurgents. But the army's doing something about them.

-We hate non-Muslims. Not true either. I'm a Muslim, and I've had many Christian and Hindu friends, great ones, online as well as IRL.

-We thrive on spicy foods. Okay what... There are a lot of exotic spices present along these parts, but we don't exactly tandoori spice up every small thing.

-We have a lot of strange customs. Like, customs regarding marriage and everything. Not true either. If they do exist, they exist in remote areas which haven't exactly been urbanized yet.

-All women wear hijabs. Nah. Hijabs are very rare where I live. Most women just prefer normal clothing.
 
Pandora said:
Oh man, people say so many stupid things about Brazil I don't even know where to start

1- We speak spanish - No, we speak portugueses and were colonyzed by Portugal

2- Everybody loves soccer - Not really. I will not deny that t is still very strong in Brazil, but is usually the common sense populace that likes it. Nothing against, But I really hate soccer. And many others do.

3- Brazilians are latins, so they are hispanics - lol? I don't now neither what to comment about it, who say such thing is just ignorant. Also we don't call yourselves latins

4- Brazilians love carnival and naked people walk in the streets - I think if someone get naked in the streets, will be arrested. I like carnival just because of the holiday, cause i HATE samba. Carnival is famous internationally, but not such a big thing in most places.

5) Brazilians live in the jungle, mokeys and panters walk in the streets: WTF? I had never seen a panter except in zoo. I live in a big city like NY, and i never had been on Amazonia, and I would like to go just for tourism.

6) Brazil is a rustic and exotic place: Brazil is a bigger country but smaller than USA, so the landscapes are so variated as there. I don't know what to say when people mean here is exotic. There's beaches like California, big and urban centers and there's a rainforest, but not so much people live there, to be honest.

7) Brazilians are good dancers: Well... err....

8) Favelas are beautiful: Favelas are poor places in the RJ and a reason of shame for our country. Slums should not exist and give a better life for those who lives there.

9) Brazil is a big favela and is really violent: No, favela only exist in Rio de Janeiro, but the country is not so violent, the media exaggerate, but I agree that in the famous touristtic spots is not so safe.

9) Rio de Janeiro is the capital and most important city: Well, no. But tourists love there. Okay...

10) Dont snow : In the south is cold

11) Brazil is located in the continet called south america: South america is not a continent, dear

But I don't care if Brazil is portrayed like this, because a normal urban center is not interesting at all, so people need to exagerate or create things.
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I was gonna make a post myself, but this one pretty much sums up everything. So yeah. #4 and #9 are the only ones that are kinda understandable, but the others... ugh.
 
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I'm a full-blooded Mexican, so I'm not surprised if you all have heard these.

- We're always having children: Not true. We're just very family oriented. Especially for those who come to the United States illegally, We value family above all else.

- We eat nothing but tacos and burritos: They may be Mexican dishes, but I mean, we eat other food. My mom taught me the basics of cooking and now I know how to make food from different countries: Spanish, Italian, Mexican, English, even, Japanese.

- We're all drug dealers, criminals, rapists: There is no accurate chart that states the crime rates of undocumented residents and citizen-born Americans, but it is known that citizen-born Americans are 5x more likely to commit a crime than an undocumented resident. If fact, undocumented residents try to avoid any kind of interaction with the law, because if they do get arrested, they face deportation.

- We all work as farmers or maids: The truth is that undocumented residents come to the United States to find work so they can provide for their families. They don't care what it is, as long as it's work. I gotta say, that kind of work is tough. That's the kind of work my father did when I was younger. When I grew up, I would go with him to his work and it was difficult. My entire body was sore the day after. And that's the kind of stuff my father did EVERY SINGLE DAY. He was killing himself doing that, so right now, I'm helping him open his own business so he doesn't have to do that anymore. I believe that, regardless of race or nationality, the people, who do that backbreaking physical labor are MUCH harder workers than those who work at an office or something.

- We're all affiliated with gangs: Not true. In fact, we don't consider the people who are in gangs, our people. It doesn't matter whether you're Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Asian, or Middle Eastern, I think everyone who is sane, feels the same way about gangs and gang members.

- We're all "Illegals": Not true. There are some who were born here, but have Mexican blood. They're called "Mexican-Americans" and while most of them may have undocumented parents, they are technically citizen-born Americans. And even so, why does it matter? The United States is a country founded by Immigrants. Unless you have some kind of Native American blood, you can't call yourself a "pure-blooded American." Your family may have most likely originated from another country.

- We should all have to speak "American" to live here: This is probably my favorite stereotype. It's not easy learning a new language. It takes years, yet there are people saying "you have to." like you can do it in a week. One thing I find really funny is when some people put the letter "o" at the end of every word they say to make it sound Spanish. You know, like, "Please move-o this desk-o over there-o." A blonde girl said that to me in class even though she knew I could speak English. She just did it to annoy me, so I began talking to her in Spanish and I just let her have it. She was short and I thought she was really cute until she said that to me. Everyone started laughing at her because they knew she was in the wrong and she left in the middle of class. It was really interesting.
 
DJ iOmega said:
- We should all have to speak "American" to live here: This is probably my favorite stereotype. It's not easy learning a new language. It takes years, yet there are people saying "you have to." like you can do it in a week. One thing I find really funny is when some people put the letter "o" at the end of every word they say to make it sound Spanish. You know, like, "Please move-o this desk-o over there-o." A blonde girl said that to me in class even though she knew I could speak English. She just did it to annoy me, so I began talking to her in Spanish and I just let her have it. She was short and I thought she was really cute until she said that to me. Everyone started laughing at her because they knew she was in the wrong and she left in the middle of class. It was really interesting.
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loved it because most of Mexican stereotypes also apply to south America in general. That's the way Hollywood portray us, and it's just disgusting...
Also, loved how you put "american" in quotation marks, because.... come on... as already said... american are all of us who live in the america. More people speak spanish in America than english
 
I live in iowa
and my least favorite is that iowa is too unimportant
they do realize iowa was the key state that lead the north to victory in the civil war, right?
if it weren't for us the africans would still be treated as property not HUMAN BEINGS.
 
I live in the Netherlands and one of the most common stereotypes is that we take a lot of drugs. I've always seen it as a weird stereotype (like most stereotypes tbh). Another is that most people would wear wooden shoes (that's what it is in English right? In Dutch it's "klompen"). That stereotype is even more weird. Like, who would want to wear wooden shoes for the whole day? They hurt your feet. I have to say though, when you're in the country side, there are still some farmers who wear wooden shoes
 
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