Americans aren't all stupid
Just most of the ones I've met...

i was speaking to a bloke, who asked me what i'd been most shocked by on enetering the USA. My response, as usual:
The heat. oh, and the insects.
Him: the what?
Me: the insects. I couldn't sleep on my first night here for the noise!!
Him: what?
Me (thinking 'fuckwit!'): well, it was just this constant background noise, which we don't have in the UK.
Him: what did you say was making the noise?
Me: insects?
Him: but i'm sure that's illegal here!
Other postdoc in our lab: she means bugs
Him: Oh!!! I thought you said incest.
Me: Oh ffs.


for the record, I'm joking about american stupidity - it's just a few of 'em :-) the rest are lovely.
( ascorbate, Tue 29 Jul 2008, 22:05, 5 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

You're in Georgia, right?
That's part of the problem right there- you're right near Florida.

We have heat and bugs up here in Virginia too, and our share of idiot rednecks- but nothing like what's down there!
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Tue 29 Jul 2008, 22:10, Reply)

Americans
I've never met one I didn't instantly get on with.
To be fair, I have never been to the US, they have all been over here so I'm probably not experiencing the full demographic range.
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Tue 29 Jul 2008, 22:11, Reply)

yep
there are some eejits - but mostly friendly people, who would bend over backwards to help me out - it's weird, because i'm used to the UK, where people would kick you before they'd offer to help. maybe that was just my lab group...

although my housemate here did say that she wishes america could be colonised by britain, as she's afraid that americans are getting more stupid. she's from nebraska. she wasn't aware that america was colonised by britain a long time ago. quite scary.
( ascorbate, Tue 29 Jul 2008, 22:19, Reply)

I tend to find
that the people who travel to other countries tend to be better educated, reasonably smart and willing to be open to new things and respectful of the ways of others.

I could easily introduce you to Americans you'd hate within five minutes of meeting- just as you could introduce me to chavs and pikeys I'd loathe... but we'd have to travel to do so.

When I was over there this past winter I met some quite intoxicated northern guys playing snooker, and one of them invited me to take the shot for him. I smiled and said that I really only know billiards, but I'd be willing to shoot anyway. I did, and of course was crap at it- but they laughed and asked me eagerly about America and how I liked England, and were the nicest people I could have asked to meet. So far I haven't met any English people I haven't gotten along well with...
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Tue 29 Jul 2008, 22:23, Reply)

Lived there and it was great.
Although on the whole they have rubbish geography or world knowledge. On a few occasions when asked where I was from and replying "South Africa" I would get asked "Yeah....(long silence where brain could be seen ticking away) which country?". I would then have to explain that South Africa was a country and I wasn't referring to the fact I lived in the Southerly Part of the 2nd largest continent. On occasion I also had to explain what apartheid was and most of them had never heard of Nelson Mandela.
(The Archduke of South London I'm in your Girlfriend eating her organs, Wed 30 Jul 2008, 10:31, Reply)