Ask Your Question today
Nothing to see here... it's all up there in the title and down there in the poll options.
| An invention (tell us what) | 1 | |
| An individual (tell us who) | 2 | |
| An event or disaster (tell us what) | 6 | |
| A war (tell us which) | 8 | |
| Your cuisine (tell us which) | 1 | |
| A national trait (tell us what) | 14 | |
| Other (tell us this too) | 5 |
Obesity, fucked up politics, racism, the Statue of Liberty (which was gifted to us by the fabulous French.), (I would like to say GMO's but sadly not many people are informed about this.), arrogance, gun culture, extreme patriotism, godawful music, etc.
Godawful music?:O I beg to differ! Some fantastic artists were American, I'm sure people don't just focus on the bad ones. I actually have quite a positive view of America. The country itself seems like a lovely place, although I've never been, so I wouldn't know. I'm sure your country is famous for good stuff too, you know:P.
By "Godawful music" I meant what we have now. You know, auto-tuned nonsense about having sex, going to some party, being gangsta,etc. In the past we had some wonderful music like Barbra Streisand or Jimi Hendrix.
I agree.
There are some brilliant cultural exports that I'm grateful to Americans for - a quarter of my favourite music and more than half of my favourite television shows and films for a start.
The US has had a huge impact on the rest of the world, good and bad. It's unfair to focus solely on the bad.
Wow, I am utterly shocked at yours and Bananaface's comments. Generally I see mostly hateful remarks on here about almost anything regarding America. So, uh, thanks for the positivity. It's nice to know not everyone looks at just the bad aspects of this country.
As far as the US in general? Scientific and technological innovations, obesity being the highest in the world (I might be wrong), massive, gas guzzling SUVs, fucked up politics, overboard Conservatism, being arrogant, expensive medical services and being poorly educated.
Here in California? I knew the reputation before I moved here, "land of fruits and nuts". It's actually fairly true, I'd say even most of the Republicans I meet here are liberal. We're known for our high taxes, our smog (and ironically, our "Go Green" government policies), our high cost of living and high rates of unemployment, San Fransisco (the stereotype of gays running around in fairy wings and stoned isn't 100% off), Hollywood, spoiled rich kids, illegal immigrants out the wazoo and stuck up blondes jogging on the beach with tans and bleached blonde hair who have the IQ of walnuts complaining about everyone else's ignorance and bitching about Lindsay Lohan's latest red carpet outfit.
And classic car culture. This deserves it's own paragraph. Even people who aren't into classic cars have them. The climate in California doesn't rot cars like on the East Coast. It's... it's glorious.
Most of what Cali is famous for is accurate. I found out when I moved here.
Never crossed my mind that lots of people have old cars because the climate means that they can. Although it sounds normal now, it was odd to my ears to hear the year before a car, i.e. a '68 Mustang.
Old cars are being swept off the road by government legislation here and virtually nobody uses them to drive. I'm surprised to see anything more than five or six years old now. You still get the odd museum though with real classics like 1920's Bentleys, which are just beautiful.
Well, on the East Coast, the humid climate, the snow, the rain etc. deteriorates the living hell out of cars so it takes a lot more work and money to keep them from just rotting.
Which country do you live in? Because here the government legislation allows for older cars as they are too old to be reasonable smog tested.
The UK. Drivers are given financial incentives to scrap old cars and replace them with new ones. I don't drive but I think it can be up to £2,000. The other issue is that we're subject to EU legislation and Europe is trying to bring in a law which says older cars won't be allowed on the road if they're not completely original and have been modified in any way. God knows why!
Hockey. Snow/Cold Weather. Maple Syrup. Always being overly nice. Saying "eh". More Hockey.
lets see England has a Queen, America believes in freedom, France has pastries, Canada has syrup and hockey, Mexico has tacos and drug cartel, Russia live in harsh land and like alcohol, Columbia has coffee, India have many gods, Native Americans have head dress and arrows, Cuba speaks Spanish, Arabia is very sandy, Brazil has soccer, Australia has interesting animals, Argentina is a Spanish speaking area Ireland has nice landscaping and red hair.
The first thought that came into my mind was "Getting into other countries' business".
At least after WW2, this was the case... and has been the case since.
Great scientists,inventors, artists,fotballers and hockey players, best beer in world,Eu-sceptisizm,coruption among politics.
War with the Palestinians and the rest of the Muslim world, and Dead Sea products.
My country is famous of democracy, and human rights. Brutal force, less respect for minoroties and hospitality for some foreigns.
All neighbours are almost enemy, and we think they demand our land.
Guess where I'm from?
Lots of things. I can't deny that the US is known for both good and bad things. But I do often wonder what people think my state is famous for.
When I think of your state, I think of oregano. Not sure if there are even any links. However when I wrote the question and wondered what people might say about Americans in general (I'm not one), one thing that came strongly to mind was the first manned moon landing, which should be a source of great national pride. Fantastic achievement!
No links to oregano that I'm aware of. When I first read this question I was watching a documentary on Lewis and Clark and the Oregon Trail so my perspective was immediately focused on the history of my region specifically.
I tried to expand my perspective but I didn't want to focus on the bad aspects of my country. We all know they exist. We are a huge global power, that comes with some baggage. But we are also a diverse group of people that are capable of many good things. Despite it all, I am proud to be part of this crazy experiment.
Complete forgot that Lewis and Clark would have travelled through your neck of the woods. Wasn't most of present day California still Spanish at the time? I love stories about exploration. I've seen a couple of good documentaries and an attempted retracing of the route.
FUCK YEAH OREGON!
I was considering moving there after I got my degree, or to a more rural area in California if there is any left that aren't full of meth. I have a lot of friends that think Oregon is fantastic and I've been wanting to check it out for a while.
You lucky duck you!
I have a friend from Malawi, and she said she was very surprised to find that we weren't all "posh bitches". She thought people here were really snobby. So that apparently!
I don't really know, actually. I feel like the only thing I can go on are stereotypes. So food, fish and chips! Mmm, I do love chips. Oh, and possibly irrelevant question, but do any other countries actually have proper chips (I don't mean French Fries)? Just curious. Apparently tea too. And yellow teeth.:S And posh accents.
I'd hope some good stuff too, because there are very good things which came from this country. Like Isaac Newton! And Oscar Wilde (does he count actually:S?). If not, then Charles Dickens! And all the music too! Argh, I guess the list of fantastic people is very long, and I think they're very famous people. I think a country should be famous for good stuff like this, if they aren't already.