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A new hashtag is trending in South Africa as Twitter users there express their frustration with the way they're stereotyped by people in the United States. Using #AmericaCanIAsk, they're revealing the truth about what life is like for many South Africans while outing American biases in the most hilarious way possible.
The responses were gold.
#AmericaCanIAsk why do yβall steal our dance moves and act as if they belong to yβall ? https://t.co/bguCm4KRUgβ Tamia Tshiamo II (@Tamia Tshiamo II)1547203672.0
Why do u make movies about our African Heroes but U don't use our African Actors #AmericaCanIAsk https://t.co/CzdEC49JBMβ Prof la Prof (@Prof la Prof)1547201305.0
Other questions seemed to revolve more around minor cultural differences.
#AmericaCanIAsk why do yβall pronounce βZβ as βZeeeeβ and not βZetβ ? https://t.co/eFynNQEnioβ Tamia Tshiamo II (@Tamia Tshiamo II)1547203546.0
Of course, many misconceptions about Africa seemed to stem from its portrayal in Hollywood movies.
#AmericaCanIAsk why do alien invasions in movies always start with y'all??? why not Ghana or Zim??? https://t.co/aFGDN1JHjlβ [[_Tvkzπ_]] (@[[_Tvkzπ_]])1547203541.0
#AmericaCanIAsk Why do yall think every African is zulu? https://t.co/ExlEYvozOUβ οΌ€ ο½ οΌ’ ο½ ο½ ο½ ο½πΏπ¦ (@οΌ€ ο½ οΌ’ ο½ ο½ ο½ ο½πΏπ¦)1547202123.0
#AmericaCanIAsk are we also from overseas? https://t.co/VAEkNShRajβ Malusi February (@Malusi February)1547201676.0
Fun fact: lions aren't easy to find.
#AmericaCanIAsk: What makes y'all think we have Lions roaming about in our Streets? https://t.co/CNfZ9kFn1Iβ Lebo β (@Lebo β)1547201103.0
#AmericaCanIAsk why you change Amandla to Amandala, πππβ Malusi February (@Malusi February)1547201633.0
Of course, many of these truths vary from country to country in Africa...something many Americans ignore.
#AmericaCanIAsk Why ya'll always refer to every country in Africa as "Africa"?. Do ya'll motherfuckers know Africa is a continent? πππ€β Candy Heart (@Candy Heart)1547203066.0
Some Twitter users broke out the hardcore questions:
#AmericaCanIAsk why do y'all spell colour as color https://t.co/ZNuNBCd6Tkβ Blackqueen π (@Blackqueen π)1547205205.0
#AmericaCanIAsk do u want muthi to save your marriages and reduce divorces ππππβ a boi is noone πΏπΌπΏπ¦π³π¬π°πͺπ¬π (@a boi is noone πΏπΌπΏπ¦π³π¬π°πͺπ¬π)1547201133.0
#AmericaCanIAsk are the people there really dumb/ignorant or itβs just a propaganda?β SomeoneYouUsedToKnow (@SomeoneYouUsedToKnow)1547201403.0
It's time Africa got its fare share of movie madness!
#AmericaCanIAsk why do Aliens,Zombies and horrible diseases attack only your country??..we want some of that shit tβ¦ https://t.co/R9RBhPzTJ4β Bad Newsππ (@Bad Newsππ)1547204942.0
#AmericaCanIAsk why do you always assume we all know each other? Africa is not a country. https://t.co/k3aw6Ani1zβ The Distro. (@The Distro.)1547204615.0
Several Twitter users had a problem with the way America declares themselves "World Champions."
#AmericaCanIAsk, why do you call yourselves "World Champions" in sports that only You participate in? https://t.co/092pcmnqmeβ @TommyShuta (@@TommyShuta)1547205754.0
#AmericaCanIAsk why do you invent sports that only you play like football and baseball bese you claim to be "worldβ¦ https://t.co/jA6ODK4acYβ Lungsta (@Lungsta)1547204105.0
#AmericaCanIAsk how come when your artists do "World Tours", they don't come to Africa? Noma you guys use a differeβ¦ https://t.co/3PwBOeziU1β Nelisile (@Nelisile)1547202198.0
Several African Twitter users found themselves asking the same questions we ask ourselves every day.
#AmericaCanIAsk what was the thinking behind voting for this guy to be president? https://t.co/7DV7gRs2snβ #ReadTIE #PowerWithinWrites (@#ReadTIE #PowerWithinWrites)1547200866.0
Hopefully we can all continue using the internet to better understand each other's cultures, instead of just for dumb memes. Fingers crossed!