Shivvy_NTL
Member
I'm Australian, I went to US/Canada and was asked multiple times "do you guys ride kangaroos to work"... Smh
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Misconceptions about your home country.
- Thread starter Spaced Harrier
- Start date
God Dayumm
Banned
The thing called "american cheese" is bad. But America has the best variety of cheeses
MadJackChurchill
Banned
England, and Europe in general, gets a lot of "full of terrorists" comments from Japanese people. Pisses me off so much.
paragonpro
Banned
Were all fat and racist, and we adbohr boobies...yet love guns...who am i kidding im american and i know for a lot of people here this is true : (
kqedequalsvolvo
Member
Ah legit. Same in London for me - I'll eat out maybe once or twice a week at most either if I'm meeting people or I'm feeling lazy.
Likewise, I may well have just surrounded myself on my visit to NY with friends who are lazy and use their tiny kitchen as an excuse to eat pizza all the time...
Weltall Zero
Member
To be fair, it isn't a celebration of it (although 'the last man to enter parliament with honest intentions was Guy Fawkes' is a modern saying for the cynical, and so your mileage may vary!).
It's origin was a celebration of stopping the plot, as the fear was that, should King James have been killed, his daughter would have ruled as queen alongside a Catholic-sympathetic Lord Protector, hence the anti-catholic message following the far-more-commonly-used first lines here:
http://www.potw.org/archive/potw405.html
V for Vendetta is probably the most influential modern interpretation, which then also contributes the modern idea where some people thought Fawkes and co (he was only the explosives expert, not the instigator of the plot, and became the face of it as he got caught at the scene) had the right idea.
While I knew Fawkes was more or less a scapegoat / visible face, I didn't know about the Catholic / Protestant implications, interesting!
Also Sauerkraut. Noone eats Sauerkraut.
lensoftruth
Member
Don't forget the coffee, chocolate, beer
No one thinks you beer is shit, but your lager is
I'll piggy back this and do the same for America. Most people don't realize how huge and diverse America is.
Hmm, my initial reaction is that I doubt this is true compared to European countries and their cheeses, however, this thread has been very educational so far, so what US cheeses would you recommend? Always happy to expand my cheese horizons!
Don't forget the coffee, chocolate, beer
America has some legitimately wonderful chocolate, Hershey bars just tastes like literal crap compared to the low budget brands I've had in western Europe.
RedSparrows
Member
More like all of the UK is England.
Not country, but I am from the basque country, region in the north of Spain. Up until a couple of years ago we had this independentist terrorist group called ETA. The attacks around Spain were pretty brutal, with bombings and stuff (glad they disbanded).
Every time we went on a summer camp to other place in Spain we got asked by other kids: "do you carry guns everywhere? do they teach you at school how to make bombs?" They thought our cities were a war-zone.
Every time we went on a summer camp to other place in Spain we got asked by other kids: "do you carry guns everywhere? do they teach you at school how to make bombs?" They thought our cities were a war-zone.
KillerMan91
Member
Alcohol consumption in Finland is completely on same level as in central europe. It's not especially high. I guess even finns have eaten up the stereotype of them as heavy drinkers.
Dane_gerClose
Member
I'm sure this stigma is attached to many countries, but I remember helping a Korean tourist at Disneyland pick up knick knacks they had accidently dropped.
Afterwards he smiled and said "Good, you're not all assholes!"
I laughed and said thanks, but I'm amazed people truly believe this. I wish idiots here in America would stop giving all of us a bad reputation.
Afterwards he smiled and said "Good, you're not all assholes!"
I laughed and said thanks, but I'm amazed people truly believe this. I wish idiots here in America would stop giving all of us a bad reputation.
. London / England are synonymous.
. The English speak with either received pronunciation or with a Cockney dialect.
. Scotland is probably in Scandinavia.
. The entire English population suffers from bad teeth disease and are generally weedy types.
. Something about roast beef.
. The English speak with either received pronunciation or with a Cockney dialect.
. Scotland is probably in Scandinavia.
. The entire English population suffers from bad teeth disease and are generally weedy types.
. Something about roast beef.
Wrong. Hershey bars taste like literal vomit.
Plenty of people do. American beer is a lot better than it used to be, though (and has been for longer than a lot of people think).
Sauerkraut is amazing and i eat it often
Chaos2Frozen
Member
Singapore is NOT a part of China.
This still keeps happening.
This still keeps happening.
I love Cookies n' Creme Hershey bars. And I love Hershey Kisses. I don't what that says about me.
my country's only recent portrayal in games is as a country with drug cartels and wars.
sorry but that shit doesn't happen here. it happens in the country next to ours but that doesn't mean every country is the same.
also, the Panama Canal is in a country. not in the middle of a jungle with natives (this one is old. not sure if it's still popular these days)
sorry but that shit doesn't happen here. it happens in the country next to ours but that doesn't mean every country is the same.
also, the Panama Canal is in a country. not in the middle of a jungle with natives (this one is old. not sure if it's still popular these days)
Foxy the Fox
Member
Peruvian here.
Some people think we ride llamas and still live on the mountains using candles and playing music all day on Machu Picchu.
Some japanese girl friends that came here to study said that their parents told them to not bring any electronic device because they weren't sure we would have electricity here.
Of course, some places could be like that but the capital is very western.
Some people think we ride llamas and still live on the mountains using candles and playing music all day on Machu Picchu.
Some japanese girl friends that came here to study said that their parents told them to not bring any electronic device because they weren't sure we would have electricity here.
Of course, some places could be like that but the capital is very western.
……forgetit
Member
I'm from the US, I guess the biggest misconception I've come across is how many black people actually live here. When I was in college I met plenty of Chinese and Japanese study abroad program due to a program they had their. They were completely shocked to see that most of the Americans they had to interact with were black. One told me they thought the US was almost entirely white.
As you can see, I wasn't talking about the average consumption. I was talking not being able to handle it and drinking too much at the time. We are at top 10 in alcohol related deaths. 80% of homicides are under the influence of alcohol. 70% of violent assaults are under the influence of alcohol. So yeah it's a big problem. It's about the binge drinking, drink until you drop. We don't so much drink small doses with food, as we get fucked up on the weekends and holidays. Which is way more harmful. People drink to lose their minds. For example our wine consumption is quite low and even then stronger wines are preferred. The attitudes towards being "wasted" should change, it's not funny and it's not cool.
Just doing a direct comparison to central europe average consumption is misguidingly downplaying the alcohol problem in Finland. When the central european drinks the same amount in a week, we do it in a weekend. Read this for more info http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005151095.html
Bloodporne
Member
German
The video game universe in general seems to be completely unaware of the fact that there is German "stuff" in general outside of Nazi-ing.
Probably the best one:
The German character in Windjammers (Neo Geo) is named K. Wessel after Horst Wessel.
The video game universe in general seems to be completely unaware of the fact that there is German "stuff" in general outside of Nazi-ing.
Probably the best one:
The German character in Windjammers (Neo Geo) is named K. Wessel after Horst Wessel.
That British food is inherently terrible. The truth is that it doesn't exactly suit itself to fast or easy cooking, a lot of the time it requires some pretty major prep work to really get right; you can't slap up a good roast dinner in 20 minutes like you can a good stir fry or curry.
Oh, and we have more accents than just posh, cockney, Scottish and Irish. Hearing the Super Best Friends call a thick Welsh accent "Irish" in a recent video just made me smh.
Oh, and we have more accents than just posh, cockney, Scottish and Irish. Hearing the Super Best Friends call a thick Welsh accent "Irish" in a recent video just made me smh.
We can start with the spelling and it just gets worse from there.
- Colombia
- The climate isn't the same everywhere. Our capital is one of the highest in the world. It's known for being cold and gray and dreary. We have beaches and snow capped mountains and deserts and the Amazon.
- We are not all drug dealers and drug users.
- There is a large portion of very light skinned people. Same with very dark skinned people. No, we are not lying when we say we're Colombian. Nor are we anomalies in our country.
Ironically Germany is the place least likely to have nazis. The de-nazification was brilliantly done.
The absorption of the East seems to have gone well too?
kitsunelaine
Banned
That sheep jokes are funny.
Aberdeen or Welsh or kiwi?
English sex ed, while unorthodox, has proven quite popular.
Mech.E. Risarovi
Neo Member
C'mon, it's more common the great jokes we (the rest of Spain) make about you.
How strong and stubborn you Basques are. Explain to GAF, do you really rise with your hands gigantic rocks for fun? Do you really cut enormous trees for competition?
I love the jokes about you and I really love País Vasco. Probably one of the best regions in Spain, if not the best.
Well, to be fair, with the way our government and much of our media acts this might as well be the case.
DeviantBoi
Member
I live in Honduras, Central America.
Many years ago, when I was still in high school, a group of us went to Washington, D.C., as part of the Presidential Classroom program.
We were touring around with students from schools all around the world (mostly U.S.) and we were at a NatGeo museum. There was a kiosk where you could see photos from countries all around the world.
This was way before Google Earth or anything similar.
I wanted to show my new friends photos of my city... nothing like NYC, of course, but it's a modern and beautiful city (this was long before it became the murder capital of the world).
I pull up a photo of Honduras... and it's of a poor farmer out in a corn field with a mule.
That's it.
Man, I was so disappointed.
Many years ago, when I was still in high school, a group of us went to Washington, D.C., as part of the Presidential Classroom program.
We were touring around with students from schools all around the world (mostly U.S.) and we were at a NatGeo museum. There was a kiosk where you could see photos from countries all around the world.
This was way before Google Earth or anything similar.
I wanted to show my new friends photos of my city... nothing like NYC, of course, but it's a modern and beautiful city (this was long before it became the murder capital of the world).
I pull up a photo of Honduras... and it's of a poor farmer out in a corn field with a mule.
That's it.
Man, I was so disappointed.
IdreamofHIME
Member
Scotland is not in England.
I love the jokes too, making fun of oneself is fun, but i am talking about years ago and among kids. They really believed that we all knew how to make bombs.
About our "national sports", I can link you guys a video about a competition of cutting a car in half with an axe
(we are so weird wtf)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0XMNeqmRvg
Mighty Chin
Banned
We don't all pronounce About = Aboot
Milk in Bags is an Eastern Canada thing
Beachcombers is the pinnacle of television.
Milk in Bags is an Eastern Canada thing
Beachcombers is the pinnacle of television.
Yeah this one for me. I've had Americans and Australians say this to me. Completely baffling how someone could think this in 2017.
I love the jokes too, making fun of oneself is fun, but i am talking about years ago and among kids. They really believed that we all knew how to make bombs.
And yes, we cut down trees and rise rocks for competition, it's a regional sport
I can link you a video about a competition of cutting a car in half with an axe.
On the french side we joke about the accent and the language. Some say: "just replace a few letters with "x" , "tx" and "k" and it will sound basque enough".
I'm from Bordeaux and we love the Pays Basque, though.
Sakura
Member
Canadian here...misconceptions I've heard:
Canada doesn't get hot.
Everywhere in Canada gets super cold in the winter.
All Canadians have a single, strange accent.
All Canadians speak French.
The ones I get the most are about the temperature. Living in a foreign country, people are often like, you must not be used to this heat! Or when it is winter or something, you must be used to the cold because you are from Canada! It must get much colder in Canada!
I'm from Greater Vancouver. It rarely drops below zero in the winter, and some years it doesn't even really snow. Also. temperatures above 30 are not that uncommon. There are even plenty of places more in the interior that see days above 40.
Canada doesn't get hot.
Everywhere in Canada gets super cold in the winter.
All Canadians have a single, strange accent.
All Canadians speak French.
The ones I get the most are about the temperature. Living in a foreign country, people are often like, you must not be used to this heat! Or when it is winter or something, you must be used to the cold because you are from Canada! It must get much colder in Canada!
I'm from Greater Vancouver. It rarely drops below zero in the winter, and some years it doesn't even really snow. Also. temperatures above 30 are not that uncommon. There are even plenty of places more in the interior that see days above 40.
George Oscar Bluth II
Banned
The biggest misconception I can think of for Iran is that we're an Arab country. Actually, I think a lot of people believe all of the Middle East is one giant Arab country.
No, we don't speak Arabic.
No, Iran is not Iraq.
Yes, Persia and Iran are the same place.
No, Persia isn't the Iranian name for Iran. That name originated from Greece. We've always called it Iran.
No, we don't speak Arabic.
No, Iran is not Iraq.
Yes, Persia and Iran are the same place.
No, Persia isn't the Iranian name for Iran. That name originated from Greece. We've always called it Iran.
ZedLeppelin006
Banned
That Canadian's are all super polite to a fault and apologetic. I work in the health insurance field in a call center and every second person calling is usually a huge asshole.