Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Stereotypes About Their Home Country Annoy Them The Most

People Explain Which Stereotypes About Their Home Country Annoy Them The Most
Juliana Kozoski on Unsplash

Believe it or not, the British don't have bad teeth, Canadians don't say "eh" after every sentence, and the widlife in Australia generally leaves you alone. People in Germany aren't all Nazis, either (you should read a history book sometime).

But many people believe these stereotypes, much to the annoyance of people actually from these countries.

As an American, it's pretty frustrating to hear that everyone thinks we're all packing heat (we're not) and that it's the Wild West out here (okay, that one might have a kernel of truth).


People shared their thoughts after Redditor FewWorldlines5534 asked the online community:

"What stereotypes about your country annoy the f*ck out of you?"

Colombia

Not all of us are drug lords, not all of us are murderers, not all of us work in the cocaine business. No, we are not living in a horrible cartel war, we are not living in that sort of anarchy Narcos presents."

"We are more than the legacy of PABLO ESCOBAR. THAT WAS 20-30 YEARS AGO. Colombia is a totally different place, it has recovered. Especially Medellin."

hencker

Colombia is a beautiful place!

It has its problems (because what place doesn't) but it is so different now.

Australia

"We do not cook shrimp on the barbie, because we call them prawns. Also the first people to live here weren't convicts, they were the indigenous people, who are among the oldest cultures in the world."

definitelymy1account

If any of you haven't read about the Stolen Generation, you're in for a sobering read.

The United States

"I hate how ever since Trump has gotten elected Americans get a bad rep abroad. Every time I go to another country, and you say you're American, people chuckle or make a snide little joke about Trump like half the time. We're not all Trump supporters and in fact most of us don't like him either."

JabTrill

Also true.

The majority of the country does not support Trump and he was a remarkably unpopular President.

Sadly, his impact on international relations will be felt for a long time.

Brazil

"Everyone here randomly plays football all the time, loves carnaval to death and every woman has a pornstar body. Brazil is way more than that."

PicksandLenses

It is absolutely more than that—people would learn so much more about Brazilian culture if they actually visited (or spent some time with people who are Brazilian!).

Germany

"People still think we're a bunch of Nazis... I don't think people realise that us Germans don't actually support anything that happened."

h-e-c-k-0

Germany is one of the few countries to successfully reconcile its sordid past, and that took a lot of work and cultural conditioning.

Ireland

"People making car bomb jokes knowing nothing about Irish history. Sure the IRA were flat out terrorists after we got independence, but before and during the fight for it, they were vital to get freedom."

SomeFreshMemes

The significance of The Troubles no doubt means little to most people outside Ireland and to make light of it is a big faux pas.

Canada

"That we end every sentence with "eh" and drink maple syrup by the gallon and have moose and igloos in our backyards."

cumbun9

To be fair, if I were Canadian I'd probably be drinking maple syrup everyday.

Great Britain

"A lot of Americans seem to think we're inbred because we're an island. This is dumb, because it's a very big island (10th biggest in the world), and it's not isolated, we've been invaded, invading, and trading with the mainland for thousands of years."

TheKnightsToppler

The history of Great Britain is very, very long and quite a few people would learn a lot more if they simply picked up a history book.

Italy

"We do gesticulate a lot, but we definitely don't yell like crazy."

CastleFi

I think in this case there is a profound difference between Italians and Italian Americans.

Iceland

"Iceland. We're not some utopian Disneyland filled with quirky superstitious people that all believe in elves."

amicubuda

Wait, you mean you're not?

That's okay, though—Iceland is a fascinating place everyone should visit, elves or not.

Remember, the world is an enormous place filled with people from all walks of life, and they don't take too kindly too stereotypes.

Expand your horizons by having conversations with as many people as possible.

You'd be surprised how quickly your preconceived notions will vanish.

Have some annoyances of your own? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less