False Impressions that Germans may have of Americans

[@DontTrustTheRabbit]

Attention! Please be aware that the aspects I mention don't reflect my opinion. I'm just raising awareness that this is what people may think of Americans if they don't question what they hear from untrustworthy sources (TV, internet, celebrities, etc.). Achtung! Die Aspekte, die ich in diesem Video anbringe, entsprechen nicht meiner eigenen Meinung. Ich möchte lediglich darauf aufmerksam machen, was manche Leute über Amerikaner denken könnten, die nicht hinterfragen, was sie von unseriösen Quellen (Fernsehen, Internet, etc.) hören.

[@herkaderka9225]

You are about to experience a great American rhetorical tradition: Straw Man Arguments. (People responding to something you said that you didn't actually say in order to lie about you)

[@MrYutoob]

this was a great video for me, somebody living in alaska. i can tell you that the over exposure and over criticizing go hand in hand. its because these thing get out on the news that people do them. gay pride parades would not be a thing if nobody ever watched them. we have a lone few that believe in crazy things like vaccines are bad, and that the earth is flat (look up flat-earthers, they're real). but we also have the power to absolutely slander them, and blast them out of relevancy. this is the result of a relatively diverse, which has it's own problems not mentioned in this video. a lot of media seem over-the-top even for myself, but we are not all loud and ready to 'jump out of the camera'. this comes from a highly competitive entertainment market. but some you tubers are rather quiet and mellow, and i can point you in the direction of these creators; wranglestar and miss asmr come to mind first. the quest to go bigger and better is something from the older generations. millennials and double o's are more withdrawn and interested in minimizing what we use. we have lots of military publicity but we also have anti war material as well. there are dozens of anti war movies that highlight the bad sides of war, in fact you have to include at least some negative aspects into a movie if you want viewers to take it seriously. i grew up wanting to join the military, then i started really learning about it and thought "oh shit, being a soldier is so prestigious because its so awful. you have to be nuts to volunteer for this and stick around." i hope my response can answer some of your questions. if you would like to know more leave a reply please :).

[@MrYutoob]

another facet is that we are very interested in other cultures. we have channels full of show dedicated to traveling the world and showcasing foreign politics. this was something that struck a german exchange student at my high school as odd since she never saw anything like it back home.

[@daleburrell6273]

DontTrustTheRabbit I THINK THAT THE WHOLE MAINSTREAM NEWS MEDIA IN THE U.S. IS UNTRUSTWORTHY-!!

[@sawsbucky488]

First off, I acknowledge these viewpoints are not necessarily your own and you're bringing them up as generalities possibly thought about Americans. Okay, having gotten that out of the way, I'll touch on some mentioned, sharing my personal take on them as someone who was born, raised, and hasn't ever left the contiguous states. I'll say that many of the stereotypes you mentioned are true-to an extent. Sure, there's zealots who give a kid a gun and are hardcore about them, but I personally know none myself and stereotype them as someone who is trying to compensate for some loss or shortcoming or lack of purpose in life (or maybe just someone who clings to tradition or the whimsical, imagined notion of "the good ol' days" a bit too much because reality is painful or difficult and they need to find something to give themselves guidance-because religion is an entirely different conversation). Or hey, they may just live in a not-so-safe neighborhood and wanna protect their home. I don't know their struggle. It goes the same with all the exposure stuff you mentioned. Yes, there are shows about vapid people, or moms parading their daughters out too young, but I don't watch those. I know a couple people who do, but it's not the kind of program I'm interested in. I feel like they-the people on those shows-feel that if they become famous, maybe they'll be liked, finally be recognized for their hidden potential, won't feel empty...or they wanna be really really rich. There's that too. In movies, producers and directors found what sells tickets and just keep making that kind of thing. Not everyone likes every movie, but they make enough money domestically and or internationally, so, more are made like it in that style, or just simply sequels or something. Right now, I am tired of reboots and just want more original content-not just some callback to pull on heartstrings of nostalgia. I haven't seen many German movies for comparison, so I'll just say that much. Okay, so, by now, KZbin has been out for a decade and I'm sure plenty of Americans have indeed have jumped on the "If you're loud and energetic, people will give you the time of day and not click off of your videos due to boredom" bandwagon. Some are specifically personas for the cameras for the sake of views, so just upload videos pertaining to topic they're really enthusiastic about, like a game they really like, or reviewing a movie they hated. I suppose there has to some drive behind it, or at some point, you're just watching peoples' vlogs...which people do. Also, I had them at my high school and understood why they have a purpose (conceptually anyway), but I never really got behind the notion of cheerleaders. I've never been rallied by them, nor have they fueled me full of pep to support a local sports team of any kind. Yes, there's a HUGE celebrity craze in this country, what watching gossip news shows for dirt on or scandals of TV and movies stars. People see them look amazing, be successful, well-liked, happy and strive to be the same, or as close as they can feasibly be in their mind. Sometimes, this means wasting money on plastic surgeries. Maybe the person in question is super competitive and think certain looks in particular will get them further in life, maybe it's self-esteem/self-respect issues. Reasons aside, that industry makes the big bucks, so to speak. I personally view it as a practice that could help victims of birth defects or horrible accidents, so they can look/feel normal (again). Recreationally though? It's very situational, but in general I see it a waste of money and time (that which is used for recovery). There's the militarization and nationalism aspects as well. I'm an adult in my late 20's, but when I was a child, sometime around elementary school, they did have us sing patriotic songs, salute the flag and propagate that the USA was the greatest, but it didn't exactly last long. Before high school, that practice stopped-at least for me and my peers at the time. I never knew why. No announcement was made. It was just, at some point or another, we just stopped reciting them in the morning. There were more important things to work on, it seemed. I've always thought that the USA was so big into a show of force like it was the most popular kid in school (those don't exist by the way, that stereotype in U.S. high school movies-there's no one person or clique that just clears the way through the halls and has people stare at them in awe or fear or anything) and wants to maintain their position and they keep working out, showing off how buff they are, too afraid to let anyone come near to their ranking in power. They promote nationalism here, however, to those who aren't personally on board with doing stuff like having a flag in their front yard or wearing a flag-print as a shirt design or something, the whole thing-those kind of gestures of patriotism-seems overboard and weird. Yes there are mothers here who have been deluded into believing lies about vaccines (or voting for Trump-most of the people here didn't voted for him and dislike him as much as other countries do). They're a minority as far as I'm aware. They're simply a LOUD minority of people...almost they're saying things so much as if they're trying to keep convincing themselves that it's still the truth they believe...Anyway, yeah, most Americans don't fall into those stereotypes, and even if some do, it's a big country with a lot of different states that already assume plenty of stuff about each other as it is.. Okay, rambling over. I'm just one person with my own viewpoints, but you're interesting enough to reply to.

[@Silkiroth]

A lot of the things the media portrays really only captures how people are in the wealthiest cities of US like Miami, New York, or Las Angeles. Most people can't afford such a carefree lifestyle with plastic surgery, pink poodles, etc. US has 50 states and they're all very different.

[@felipepubillones2768]

Silkiroth as a Miamian... Miami Is actually among the people. High welfare, low income for average person. Money is localized to certain areas (Coral Gables, Star Island, etc). Most people in Miami live paycheck to paycheck.

[@lexort4204]

It really depends on what part of a city your in too, some good neighborhoods some bad.

[@adanmartinez4552]

Los Angeles * not las

[@Kinsman00]

colette s Isn't that how most people get there opinions on almost everything? Very little actual research goes into the thought processes. When I took a vacation for a friend's wedding to Veitnam it really opened up my mind. The biggest thing it taught me was to get my information from many sources and put it together to find out the truth. Or what is closer to the truth then what each source was telling.

[@victoriasnead1662]

lmao most of that is true !

[@thoremblem4027]

The problem here is that people, from different countries, tend to compare differences as being better or worse. Sometimes things are just different. The things that work for us may not be fitting for you and visa versa. But it doesn't mean our ways are better or worse than your ways.

[@davidcole333]

Actually, difference ARE better or worse. I don't care to live in North Korea because their DIFFERENCES are unacceptable to me.

[@thoremblem4027]

Not always. Is driving on the right better than driving on the left? Or is it just different? You can focus on extremes like North Korea or you can read into the spirit of my comment. Your choice.

[@mylzcrooks5487]

Proud Momma Bee totally man I hate being mixed and mixed people

[@ITILII]

"If you treat Americans well...they will always treat you even better" - Winston Churchill

[@finnishwehraboo8377]

Black americans you did treat em so well now did ya? Brits treated them so well too

[@sodiesarin1]

@@finnishwehraboo8377 nobody cares

[@ssjlalo]

Based

[@stevenkoehler6018]

Finnish Wehraboo Your perspective is ignorant, shallow and cliche’ .

[@gerhardbraatz6305]

I am a German citizen with permanent residency living in the US most of my life. There is no other nation with this great experiment called the bill of rights and the constitution. No other country in the world has these freedoms. You have to live it to understand it. This is why I think there is such huge nationalism.

[@GeorgeNadaYT]

That's why we can't have them taken away from us like some people are wanting to do. Not one!

[@davidharvell3191]

I'm an American Gerhard, and I completely disagree. All of the rhetoric about the constitution, the bill of rights and the like is nothing but smoke and mirrors. I think that American nationalism is cancerous quite frankly, and I wish it would stop. We spend billions on maintaining a global war machine while we are the only developed country on the planet that does not provide universal public healthcare to our citizens. Nowhere in Western Europe is there such a contrast between wealthy and poor as there is in the US.

[@davidharvell3191]

People like you contribute to the stupid stereotypes that people have about Americans Derick.

[@gerhardbraatz6305]

And by the way, if you liked the over inflated Obama care we were all forced to buy then you are a real idiot and not worth wasting my time over.

[@davidharvell3191]

Lol, I lived in Europe for years. It's much more free than the US if anything. I would absolutely stay if I could get a work visa

[@kthq]

One thing most people forget is how big America is and how regionalsed we are. Often when moving from one state to another the beliefs and culture is completly different.

[@fakecubed]

The United Sates is not a single nation, it's about 10 different nations loosely connected in a federal system of government that makes up our country. Laws from one place to another are often very different. Cultures are quite different as well. It's not just Democrats vs. Republicans, North vs. South, Coasts vs. Interior. When our country was founded, and as it grew to new territories, there were a number of different nations making up the land. There were the Puritans in Massachusetts trying to create a utopia on Earth. There were the Dutch traders in New York just wanting to make boatloads of money. There were the Virginians trying to create a new nobility like those in old Europe. There were the Scots-Irish in greater Appalachia bringing their militantly independent streak to the frontier. On and on like this, and as the country expanded westward, corridors of these cultures expanded with them, occasionally creating new nations out of newly settled lands, or annexing cultures like New France in Louisiana. Even as new immigrants arrived, they integrated into those existing political and cultural frameworks in the areas they became residents in. These separate nations of course complete with each other and conflicts have arisen repeatedly as alliances shift or the balance of power shifts because of economics or population growth. We fought a civil war, essentially on these national lines, with an alliance of several nations fighting an alliance of several other nations. The United States may someday Balkanize, either through additional civil wars or more peaceful secessionist movements, and if that happens it will be along the borders of those same old rival nations, dating back to the 1600s.

[@fizpop01]

kthq That's true. Today I watched a video about how there were these German POWs in a POW camp in Allegan, Michigan during WW2. They didn't understand how big the US is so they thought the local lake, Lake Allegan, was Lake Michigan. Some soldiers tried to swim across "Lake Michigan" to get away from the POW camp. Goes to show you that many Europeans, or just non-Americans in general, really don't know anything about the US other than false or exaggerated stereotypes.

[@jdb4163]

Adding on to all of this, the US is a nation composed of individual states, something that I'm sure is a difficult thing to recognize. Yes, we have a central federal government, but the states are themselves in essence soverign and independent nations capable of operating separate from the rest of the union. They are simply joined together for mutual protection under the name and banner of The United States. Nationalism is a big thing for Americans celebrating the union, but they also tend to possess a subset nationalism for their state as well. This is how people can have as much pride in being from Pennsylvania as another can have being born and raised in Oklahoma. Many states also have their own unique laws separate from the general blanket of laws set forth by the Constitution as basically a nationally applied guideline or framework. That by the way is why gun laws in particular are such a huge issue in some areas of the US, because some states have very tight gun laws (New Jersey, and California) while others are a lot less restrictive (Pennsylvania and Texas).

[@DatawaveMarineSolutions]

Speaking as an American, I think the biggest challenge to understanding American's comes from viewing us all as one homogeneous people. It is the equivalent of assuming all Europeans are just one people. America is a nation of great diversity, both in people and ideals. You can't separate all the groups by drawing borders on maps, and some not all opinions are good. This is all part of being American, and I think that diversity is one of our best qualities. But it does make us very difficult to characterize as a people.

[@davidcole333]

The most "diverse" areas in the US always vote left, however, it doesn't dawn on them that they may have diversity of culture, but not diversity of thought. There is no true diversity in the left, only an attitude of think like us or we will brand you some hate word.

[@sb-nl6ge]

Good point.

[@AynMax666]

@@davidcole333 Yes, in broad swaths of our Nation, just innocently saying that you think all black people are lazy criminals or women basically just orifices there for male pleasure will lead to legions of people in lock-step calling you a 'racist' or 'misogynist'. Similarly, our Statist schools brainwash legions of sheep into agreeing that '3×3=9'.

[@roymarius1634]

David Cole owned himself like a buster...

[@jameshorn270]

Absolutely true. Even here in the US, we talk about New Yorkers, but every few blocks in NYC you may meet a whole new culture, Italian Neighborhoods, Syrian neighborhoods, Chinese or Japanese neighborhoods. Some of the neighborhoods are full of recent immigrants. Others have been here for four or five generations and while the ethnic origins are still there, they are more "American" than that original ethnicity. Southern Pennsylvania is still fairly strongly Pennsylvania Dutch when you get away from the major highways, but northeastern Pennsylvania is more Polish. Kansas grows a strain of winter wheat brought there by Mennonite immigrants from the Russian Empire at the same time the army was fighting the Sious in the Dakotas and the Apaches in the Southwest, and some of their descendants are still around. There are communities in Louisiana which are not French Creole, but Vietnamese shrimpers. You might expect a Hindu temple but they also exist in Alabama and West Virginia.

[@lordfunnybone4092]

Regarding Americans' displaying patriotism and love of their country -- I hear this one a lot, and to me it emphasizes how often non-Americans don't get the U.S. on a very basic level. Americans generally don't feel like we're excluding non-Americans when we talk about how great we think the U.S. is because we truly believe that *anyone* can be an American if they have the same values as described in the Declaration and Constitution; that there are a lot of people out there who are American, but happen to have been born somewhere else. It's just a matter of paperwork and bureaucracy to get citizenship. I think citizens of most other countries have the view that your values and ideas matter far less than the land you're born in, and that even if a person gets naturalized, thay person can't truly be a citizen at heart because they weren't born there. So naturally if you think that way, hearing someone else talk about how great their country is *must* feel exclusionary. But that's not how most Americans feel. Out of all the things you discussed in this video, this is the most important.

[@criticalthinker1982]

Very well said.

[@faithfulrose5372]

Lord Funnybone yeah and that's it's not like people with different background don't celebrate there day like in New York just had a Dominican and Brazilian parade or other parades that's for other groups

[@jimmyshousevideos]

The most American guy I know grew up in Croatia under Soviet control

[@jimmyshousevideos]

FaithFul Rose are you OK?

[@jimmyshousevideos]

whitemannativemind The French revolution was after the American one.

[@CJoksch]

The bubbly attitude is from the marketing types in New York or Los Angeles. You'll find a totally different America in the interior of the country.

[@SamAronow]

But people in New York and Los Angeles aren't like that at all.

[@alexschexnayder8624]

Yes, but marketing makes it seem that way. Middle America is friendly sure, but bubbly... not so much, at least not based on my own experience. Which is almost entirely consumed with the mid west and some of the south.

[@davidharvell3191]

I think that's a good point, it does come from marketing types. I find it extremely annoying and I'm from New York.

[@ellengregory8002]

Yeah, right. New Yorkers are known for being bubbly and upbeat LMAO.

[@davidharvell3191]

Not bubbly and upbeat. I think what was meant is sort of the over enthusiastic sales types, or as I like to call them, conmen.

[@massreign2246]

Sitting in my driveway after the gym watching this thinking “some of these aren’t true” turns to my left, giant American flag in neighbors yard with local college sports team flag under it.

[@WarThunder-zt4xw]

To all non Americans from an American please don't look to our media in order to form an accurate view of what we are really like. Authenticity and accuracy are not always synonymous.

[@hihu7200]

To put it bluntly, American media is trash. They do not reflect American culture. I say that as an American who does not care for American media. American movies, much of our t.v, and press are propanganists pushing the left wing point of view on us. Us Americans yawn and ignore it.

[@MrMissionkid]

Hi Hu and right wing is pushed as well, perhaps elsewhere. Basically every possible opinion is pushed somewhere, just some you see more of. Also Amarican here.

[@hihu7200]

Steven Bartels Funny joke. The left runs t v, movies, music, academia, and the main stream media. The right willingly gave the left control of popular culture in the 80s. Big mistake. Now the left runs Americas popular culture.

[@jeremyparker6920]

You are ridiculous, Hi Hu.

[@falco1173]

+Kem 123 well the rest of the world recognizes us as the leading superpower so you're qrong in saying this nation is a joke. e me Even Putin admits it in an interview where he is talking about the missle treaty we have with Russia.

[@bubbleheadft]

Another American here to tell you that you're not totally wrong on the gun thing, although three years might be a bit of an exaggeration. I grew up in a household around firearms, and I shot a .22 for the first time before I was five. However, I wasn't given a gun of my own until I was around eight, and even then it was kept locked away with all of my father's guns. From what I've observed about other armed Americans , my experience was pretty average. I think to understand this lifestyle from the outside, you have to consider a certain way of thinking. The United States is an armed society, and many citizens believe that the best way to keep it peaceful is to make people understand at a young age the kind of significance firearms hold. If a child is allowed to shoot guns in a controlled manner under supervision, the mysticism is taken away. If the child should find a gun in the household, they are less likely to play around with it and cause an accident, because they understand the inherent dangers, and how to avoid them. With that said, most Americans also prefer to keep guns locked up when children are around, which is definitely preferred. We also like to think that this practice of teaching from a young age keeps people safer in the long-run, as adults who understand the significance of firearms are less likely to use them in anger. I can't say with much certainty whether or not all of this is true, but I can say this: living in the United States, it is not hard to notice that there are a higher proportion of crimes involving guns in areas where it is harder to legally access them.

[@fakecubed]

It's about a third of Americans who are armed, and you're right that areas with less of a gun culture that tend to have more gun violence. People who grow up with a respect for firearms and a respect for human life don't tend to use firearms for anything but self-defense or sport. It's absolutely insane to me how there are parents who don't want their children exposed to firearms early, so they can learn safety. You never hear about a child accidentally killing themselves or a young friend of theirs in places where guns are a part of daily life. It's always in some anti-gun Democrat area where schools expel kindergartners for biting their pop-tart in the shape of a pistol.

[@andyd2960]

colette s that is a very respectable position. Responsible safety and markmenship are the most important tools when operating a firearm

[@religiohominilupus5259]

fakecubed, your info isn’t correct so please take the time to research gun issues!

[@MrJohnbatist]

thats nice!

[@usafvet100]

Right on! I grew up in rural NW Arkansas where almost everyone owned guns and gun safety and responsibility was taught from the cradle. In my high school parking lot you'd likely see pickup trucks with gun racks which may have contained a rifle or shotgun. Yet nobody, NOBODY ever dreamed of walking into the school and opening fire. If you had to settle a difference, you stepped behind the gym and put up your dukes, then shook hands like gentlemen afterwards. Whatever the reason for school shootings, I suggest that it's a negative turn in our culture, not the availability of firearms.

[@emileclede4510]

I am an American and I was not at all offended by any of your mental images of Americans. I do understand why many Europeans would thing badly of us when their only source of information about us is from American movies and TV -- especially the talk and reality shows. They are always exaggerations of American people, American life. They show extreme emotions for dramatic effect and they are almost always displaying a very busy life full of critical event after critical event to compress the story into a certain time frame. American movies and TV do not represent the majority of American people. We do have all kind of people, just like any other country. We do tend to be more patriotic than most Europeans, but not everyone walks around carrying the flag and the fact that we love our country does not mean that we think we are better than anyone of any other country. Most Americans I know, enjoy meeting people from other countries and other cultures and watching tourist videos of other countries - their people, their cities and towns, their countrysides. I enjoyed the fact, in your video, that you realize that many of your impressions of us are exaggerations of what is real. I hope that many others from Germany, and other European countries, have the same understanding. Thank you for posting this, Trixie.

[@natashadavis2959]

@Barrier Boy It's also a sad indictment to think Americans believe everything they hear in the media and on Twitter. But people do think that. He isn't bash her in anyway. I'm very confused as to how you jumped from the OP to your comment.

[@bdetert82]

Dont confuse "commercial" United States with "everyday" United states. The way most people behave at work and advertising is not the way they behave withing their inner circle of friends or family.

[@Lambda_Ovine]

Yeah, but I think she talks about the fact that in the US you HAVE to put that faceda with everybody except when you really feel safe, while in other parts of the world people just don't pretend that everything is OK. Like, the "commercial" thing is what she is talking about.

[@edwardmcwilliams3036]

A little National Pride would do Germany a lot of good right now. It's been 70 years. You are a great Nation.

[@scotchgod8478]

Edward McWilliams you nailed it👍thank you mate!

[@edwardmcwilliams3036]

Springbanker Gern geschehen

[@Skiamakhos]

Likewise a bit less nationalism might be a good idea elsewhere. I think Ireland gets it about right - since the formation of the Republic of Ireland, Irish soldiers have only ever been used as peacekeepers on missions of mercy & Ireland's international reputation is correspondingly awesome. People love the Irish.

[@Skiamakhos]

That said, they got into a fracas when their 158 man base was attacked by 5000 mercenaries *with* air support, in the siege of Jadotville, & although they had to surrender in the end, they killed about 300 & wounded 1000, for a cost of 3 of their own killed and 13 wounded. They're no pushover.

[@SSJ3MetaridleyXros]

As a german i am proud of my history (not the WW Stuff) , we had people like Johann Sebastian Bach, Einstein, Goethe or Martin Luther. But our political dudes... oh boy, please kick merkel now.

[@fakecubed]

Since you brought up our military-worship, that's also a pretty accurate point. The US does not have a state religion, and in fact the law forbids such a thing to exist. Although many people mistake this for "separation of church and state" which is really misunderstood and does not exist at all in actual law. Americans, even government employees, are very much allowed to express religious belief anywhere at any time, it is merely that the government is not allowed to enforce one religious belief on everyone. What the US does have is a sort of "secular religion", however, which is very much a part of US culture and our government reflects that in national and state holidays. The US did not come about through ancient tribes living in a particular area thousands of years ago, and becoming larger nations over many centuries and ultimately uniting small city-states into nation-states with a shared racial background in a particular territory. The United States only exists because we fought a war over a set of ideas, and through victory established our country out of many different peoples. The military, and guns more generally, are seen as forces of liberty, of independence, and create a national identity where none would otherwise exist. The US is made up of too many different races and cultures to have a single unifying national identity, so we turn to the one thing that does unite us, that is the use of military weapons and the spilled blood of patriots to win and preserve liberty. That blood is sacred to us. We put it on our flag with 7 stripes, which we stand and swear allegiance to. Our national anthem is about that flag still waving over a military fort under attack by the British. We know, and are taught from an early age, that we would not have the rights and freedoms we enjoy if not for the blood of our ancestors spilled over those ideals. The first president we elected was the general who led us to victory so we could even have a country that lets us elect our leaders, and we are incredibly reverent of the fact that he had the honor and wisdom to step down from power rather than become a new king-for-life. With no one state religion, what is universally sacred to us is the peaceful transition of power, and the service and sacrifice of those who swear oaths to our ideals and are prepared to lay down their lives for us. And they do; the blood of our citizens is periodically spilled on the altar of American liberty, reminding us of the cost of our rights.

[@xylemfielding682]

US government employees are allowed to observe any religion privately, but they may not express their beliefs in some contexts, such as a judge making a ruling in court. I think this is a good amount of separation of church and state. The rules for a judge or district attorney are actually more complex - a finding of law absolutely cannot have a basis in religion, but the things they say casually in the courtroom are also limited if they might be prejudicial to the jury. The plaintiff, defendant, and witnesses can say anything they want, because they do not represent the State. Interestingly, Representatives in the House and Senators have far more freedom to say religious things. *Side note:* US Congress could technically write legislation in German or Spanish, if they voted to pass it. They never have passed anything except English legislation. Writing legislation in a random language would not be legal in most countries on the planet. In practice, legislation written in a random language probably would not pass in any democracy.

[@TheConservatino]

fakecubed - well said!

[@jawesomes6939]

here here!!!💪🍻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@stephenmaurer7008]

Ditto. I agree!! Hey Trixi... Notice my last name?? My ancestors were busy doing masonry work for little or no pay for a German prince/lord. Then we were "sold off" to the British to fight in the American Revolution. Can my family get a "pay day" for lost wages from Germany?? Not going to happen anymore . This German/American owns a nice array of firearms!! Including a Walther P-38 (AC-42) that was taken off a dead German during WWII. By the way... Walther, SIG Sauer, H&K and Mauser make great firearms. Just keep your global views in Germany.

[@jilliannyc2124]

How many stripes? 13- For the original colonies.

[@raymondstrunk4770]

A couple of points as an American: America is a big, tolerant country, so more extremes exist. When you have a huge population, the most extreme behavior comes up more frequently. I wonder if non-americans unconsciously compare how many times they have encountered a phenomenon in their own country to how many times they have heard of it in the US, instead of comparing to how many times specifically in California or Texas (a more realistic comparison in most cases). We are all trapped by our history. Germans have been stigmatized since WWII and more generations will pass before nationalism will be tolerated or openly endorsed. America's Constitution is a product of the enlightenment, and enshrined individual rights over government control in reaction to British oppression. Although the revolution is not in living memory, the right of self defense still remains a necessity in some rural settings in the US. Although guns were never appropriate in urban social settings, owning a firearm is viewed as almost an obligation by a fair segment of the population, to check government control.

[@fakecubed]

I believe in the next 10 years Germany will become much more nationalistic, or it will cease to have any national identity at all. Violent crime is much more prevalent in cities where gun control laws are the strictest. I would suggest that guns are more appropriate in urban settings, not less. City folk have simply offloaded the responsibility for their safety to police and their inadequate response times and no legal obligation to actually protect citizens.

[@blackmichael75]

British oppression= Asking you to pay your taxes

[@Bolt99K]

Michael Black No. Taxation. Without. Representation.

[@mathiasnightlord018]

Bolt If you'd read your history carefully, it was after not having to pay the same taxes as everyone else in the British Empire for at least 100 years since we were basically forgotten at the time due to the wars in Europe. The British were simply trying to put a Band-Aid on 100 year-old problem that eventually spiraled out of control. Instead of gradually raising taxes back to where they should have been, they tried to do it all at once which put a strain on the American businesses who hadn't done things that way in at least 100 years. So really there was fault on both sides of the conflict. Neither side was blameless for what came about.

[@Bolt99K]

MathiasNightlord01 We won, thats all that matters to me. USA! USA!🇺🇸

[@MitchNesbitt]

I'll let you in on the whole small talk thing. Most Americans use "How are you?"/"How's it going"/etc as another way to say "Hello" or "Hi". We're not always asking for an answer. It just evolved into a weird way to greet someone. Honestly if you answer and start talking about more personal stuff, most Americans get uncomfortable. I kid you not, coworkers will walk past each other saying "How are you?", and nothing else.

[@lhornet52]

I think the "How are you" thing depends on what part of the country you live in. I have generally found people in the Midwest and South to be very interested in the answer to that question. I think what you said is more true in the East Coast, West Coast, and major cities

[@vullom29]

Mitch Nesbitt true

[@Quarton]

William Douglass - I'm from Illinois, and if I ask someone how they are - I am genuinely asking that very question! Thanks for pointing out that there are regional differences.

[@jonok42]

I'm from Utah, if I say, "Hi, How are you?" I'm asking because I genuinely expect an answer. If I don't want an answer I just say Hi.

[@davesmith9680]

I miss the good old days of 'How's it hangin'?'

[@DanDownunda8888]

I've been to the US many times, to many cities in many States, from Arizona to Arkansas, California to Colorado, from Montana to Minnesota, from Nevada to New York and more. Americans are pretty much the same anywhere when they meet someone from another country. Friendly, polite, interested and often amused. I like the place, that's why I keep going back. At a rest stop in Barstow a trucker gave me some hints and tips about the CHiP and how to get on their good side if they pulled me over. A road maintenance worker in Arizona happily told me where a good motel was while I was waiting for the traffic to be let through because I looked tired. A guy at a drive through liquor store in Rapid City SD recognised my accent and went off to bring out some Australian beer if I was feeling a bit homesick. A motel owner in Cody WY was delighted to tell me that she had an Australian Rules football match on cable on the night I arrived. Then there was the cab driver in New York City who asked if I had any Australian coins he could give to his kids. I love the place!

[@penwiky9637]

aussies rock. thats why lol

[@OhioPuppy]

Downunda88 Yeah, we love you guys. I suspect typical American and Australian social instincts just mesh well. And the common (enough) language doesn’t hurt. 🙂

[@joshgellis9463]

I can figure some of us in the U.S.A. figure that Australians are a badass tough version of Brits. lol.

[@IvanGarcia-rc1xf]

When I was 18 & in vacation for a week at San Francisco walking by fishermans wharf at 11 pm I ran into an Australian man & some how we started speaking about our respective countries & then i asked him if he could buy me a bottle of whiskey & he replied with surprise that I'm 18 and can't buy alcohol & I told him no i can not. He went back inside the liquor store & got me a bottle ( i gave him money before he went inside) & was a cool dude. I asked him if he knew where this park was at & I immediately recognized his accent. My point is Australians are awesome. Years later when i worked as a bartender a group of Australians came to drink...i served them up for free so they know what O.C cali is like.

[@parzival8331]

There is a exchange student in my class who is german and i really want to know her culture and thank you for your positivey so i know not every European hate us lol.

[@salveetvale]

American national pride is a weird thing. A decent amount of it is sincere, in that we genuinely like some of the stuff America tries to stand for; democracy, freedom, social and economic mobility, etc. However, most of us recognise that the government tends to be flawed and corrupt as often as not, and our culture can lead to unhealthy excesses in various ways. Understanding that, we have made it something of a meme that America is a shining eagle made of guns and machismo, metaphorically. It's a way to laugh at ourselves, and it makes it easier to laugh at unflattering depictions of Americans.

[@michaelpratt3266]

Very well said!

[@italia689]

I prefer to call it "American optimism."

[@matt666pbone]

With the gun thing... I did shoot my first gun at about 8 in Nevada. There is also a lot of military warship since we have basically been mobilized since World War Two and never really demobilize. The great thing about the United States, and of course on a larger scale the world, is that stereotypes are often true and not true at the same time. There are so many people here that there are people that fit the stereotypes but there are also tons of other people that are different. Either way, national identity doesn't matter to me, I just love people :-)

[@daleburrell6273]

Matt609pbone ...if there wasn't some TRUTH in it, it wouldn't be a STEREOTYPE, it would be a MYTH!!!

[@preuen732]

Dale Burrell exactly

[@fakecubed]

American friendliness is not fake at all. It's totally genuine. Believe me, if Americans don't want to be friendly, we aren't friendly. We're a very optimistic people, culturally. If you understand our history it even makes sense that we feel this way. Plus, let's face it,right now the United States is the most powerful nation on Earth. We're the biggest economy, we have the biggest military, we've put men on the moon, and we always seem to be inventing amazing new things or discovering amazing new science. Life is great if you're an American, for the most part. We got kind of depressed for a while after 9/11 and then the economic problems under Obama, but we've been recovering from that and we're a hard people to keep down for long. I think we're particularly friendly to foreigners, simply because we're enthusiastic to meet new people from new places. We like learning about other cultures, and meeting a foreigner is a great way to do that. Consider just how large the United States is. We can't easily travel to another country. We can travel to other parts of our own country, which can be very different from where we're used to, but we can't simply hop on a train and be in another country in a couple of hours. When somebody comes along who's exotic and new, it's like another country has come to us, and we're excited about that. The United States is a very extroverted culture, as well, even if many (most) of us aren't even extroverts. We're encouraged to be outgoing and friendly from an early age. It can be exhausting for us, too, but it's just how we are. We want people to like us, and we want to like other people. That's a genuine desire. Having a lot of different kinds of people under one flag also forces us to learn how to deal with all kinds of people, so there's a lot of politeness built in to how we socialize, which may come across as being overly polite, or overly friendly, but it's not insincere. We believe we are all in this together, that we're all equal at least in opportunity and under the law, and we want to see our fellow Americans do well and bring pride to all of us. We see ourselves in our fellow Americans, our fellow humans. When you consider how quickly our country has gone from being a bunch of struggling colonies and frontiersmen in the wilderness, to the greatest economic power on the planet in just a couple of centuries, you can start to understand just how much teamwork went into that. If we weren't highly social and enthusiastic about forming connections with our fellow Americans, I don't think we could have done any of that. I think without our extroverted culture, we would still be just a collection of small nation-states, having never gotten involved in the world much at all.

[@drew_porter806]

Nope in the South it's pretty genuine, ever heard of southern hospitality? In Northern cities, like New York people are pretty rude though, I was born in New York but moved to North carolina as a kid, the people are polar opposites

[@drew_porter806]

New Damage Well everywhere you go there's gonna be jerks, but for the most part everyone is really nice. When I visited my grandpa in Georgia almost every store i went in i was greeted and felt really welcome, hell even in McDonald's i saw two strangers awkwardly try to figure out who was gonna let the other order first rather than just jumping in front

[@drew_porter806]

@yonderTheGreat "arrogant a-holes and self absorbed morons" Where did you get this information?

[@randyc5650]

Read these comments and decide yourself who is the "arrogant a-hole and self absorbed moron" and where he lives.

[@xkindredxsoulsxxx4195]

@@drew_porter806 I love southern politeness. It's a magical thing. They are masters with it and can use it as a weapon as well as a kindness. It's a thing of beauty...

[@kyler.windhorst]

HOW DARE YOU DOUBT OUR LIZARD OVERLORDS?!? ;)

[@user-fd6ik7ws1j]

Robot lizard overlords*

[@dmknight08]

Haha

[@thoremblem4027]

Actually, Americans are generally upbeat and nice. I wouldn't assume that they are being superficial.

[@xkindredxsoulsxxx4195]

Unless you're in suburbia or they are a service industry employee. Then it might be fake. I've had to smile and be polite to someone who told me I was rude in part because they found my voice to be irritating. It's painful. I'm so greatful I work in a small town where people are generally nice --or at least politely indifferent-- so I don't have to run into attitudes like that often when dealing with my customers.

[@liviemillie6455]

I live in America and they seem superficial to me too.

[@theguitarkid7719]

apparently you have never been to Oregon it is the living embodiment of a KZbin comment section

[@johncassles7481]

The question is. Does seeming to be superficial mean 'actual' superficiality. Being superficial is like hypocrisy, the internal state doesn't match the external state. How can you truly tell that distinction on a chance meeting.

[@salehuddinmasrom9161]

The Guitar Kid

[@angolangel]

I’m American. I live in Germany, and have for many years now, but am currently in the USA for several weeks to visit family. These impressions of American culture are actually pretty accurate. I am currently being driven up a wall by the things you just described. I actually appreciate the friendliness and emotional openness (I kind of miss it when I’m in Germany), but at this point in my life I really can’t stand the obsession with status, with everything needing to be bigger and more impressive. The military fixation and extreme patriotism is just weird, though it seemed perfectly normal when I was growing up here. I love America. I love that people dream big here and believe anyone can do anything. But after just a few weeks here, I am exhausted.

[@thomasrudiger2035]

I am German and you are right when it comes to friendliness. Germans say what they think and mean what they say, without caring about whether the other person likes hearing that or not. Being honest - brutally honest - and showing your true feelings is part of our culture, as opposed to the typical American optimism/positivity and overall friendliness. Foreigners often perceive that as rude and far too direct, meanwhile Germans often perceive the American behavior as fake and superficial.

[@rawyin]

Interesting. What I see here is not a stereotype of Americans but more of a profile of the media you consume.

[@candygirl7586]

Yes, exactly.

[@rawyin]

Rather strong there, Richard. Getting sucked in by media is something half of the US population does, and then half of that group is left wing and half of it is right wing. Being able to think for yourself is not defined by borders, ethnicity, gender or any other quality. Also it's not universal. For example, in America, Americans are told that foreigners think we are fat and loud. If you go to France, the French think that Americans are health nuts who "jog" for no reason. (I had this conversation with a French guy, btw.) In China they think Americans are more attractive because they see them on billboards and admire their light skin and strong features. (Not sure what they think of Chinese Americans though. Mind blown?) Fact is people everywhere get sucked in by their media. We are stronger as people when we recognize the things that unite us. When you see a father in Syria who has just lost his son, and a father in Kansas who has just lost his, their pain in the same. When you see a woman laugh with joy at a fond memory shared with her mother, that joy is the same. You'll see little cultural differences but if people were left to just be people you would find that the only thing that separates them is a language.

[@mikestein3852]

I wish the American media was a fraction as intelligent as the caliber of remarks I am reading here.

[@77thNYSV]

excellent point

[@mikestein3852]

Tom Palfrey then please name a better country?

[@minorshan]

As an American female, when I visited Germany (I was basically conversational fluent at the time) people didn't realize I wasn't German until I tried for real conversation. But then, in the US I am considered an introvert. I'm not a small talker, I don't get into personal space and I don't wear white socks or shorts in public. My friends had the same experience when they visited a Germany. In the US when we're not bubbly, but also not all doom and gloom, we tend to get labeled goth or some other subset. So, while we're not in a super small minority, not all Americans subscribe to the uber iutgoing, or even, smile at everyone mentality. On the one hand I would call say, giving a small smile pretty much a prerequisite in US culture if you catch their eyes, I'd say it's on the same level every society has of some social lubricant to make interactions with strangers run smoother. It's both "fake" but not, in the sense that you want to make those around you comfortable. I hope that makes sense. Kind of like how the Japanese are known for being extremely quite but are equally comfy with being squeezed together in compact spaces like a subway. Meanwhile, while I've never been to the Netherlands I hear there's lots of silent staring and that's something that's creepy and stalkery to an American, but normal there. I think it's pretty interesting how geography, combined with demographics and history, have influenced what we find normal and comfortable around the world.

[@MICKEYISLOWD]

America is not a country because it is a corporation run from the City of London. The flag is fake. America is a product and has been taken over from within. It's sad because it started out with the intention to make the people free but nobody is free and nobody is allowed to be a freeman.

[@disordered_sprout8990]

+Shannon Ongley I'm an American introvert, as well, and I don't like certain types of touch, I don't do small talk, and extroverted people really bother me because they seem loud and fake. I'm fine with talking about more serious subjects, but whenever I do that, people think I'm dark or too serious for my age. In America, I'm considered oversensitive and quiet. But in Germany, I think I would get along quite well.

[@disordered_sprout8990]

And also, I don't think I really worried about what other people thought until I got made fun of for the way I interacted with people.

[@RonRay]

Mickeyislowd America sure isn't a "country" (it's a continent), but the USA IS a country and a NATION, one of the best ones in the world! If the USA was "run by London" (as you said), why has the £ Pound been in decline against the US Dollar for three years? (They wouldn't allow a "subordinate" to trash their economy!) The flag is not fake! I fought in the Vietnam war to live under my great nation's flag and if you are here from "another" country, that is YOUR problem, not ours! We enjoy more freedom than ANY country in the world! If you are in 'another country' right now, I understand your ignorance; however, if you are in the United States of America, take your 'business somewhere else!

[@watercolors2076]

I love Germany. I lived there in the late 80s early 90s. But I think you should probably live in America to understand why we are the way we are. What you see in the media is not what America is. We're much more than fake and bubbly and status chasing. I Get to know us.

[@Leprechaun-qv6mo]

We strive to greatness and struggle at lows aswell. Ive been playing a lot of xbox lately and i have 3 good friends from europe 2 german and a russian and theyre all just like us. The russian is more of a Republican than trump lol and hates his government

[@Pavlovianmodel146]

That’s correct. In addition to those things, we’re also generally pretty stupid.

[@lukasmiller8531]

You know a lot of the things you said about Americans, we Swiss think about the Germans... ;)

[@BronyTimereactions]

now THAT is interesting

[@steakismeat177]

Lukas Miller så vad gillar du om Sveitch

[@Naomi_Boyd]

I didn't get a gun for my third birthday. I didn't even learn to shoot until I was 6.

[@kevinmorrow8734]

I'm an American myself, and I can tell you that the obsession with guns and militarism is quite real. You're not imagining it. Of course, there is a split in American culture between people who are into these sorts of things and those of us (like myself) that find these things creepy and weird.

[@logansorenssen]

And some of us moderates who have guns and think we ought to be able to go on having them, but think the ra-ra-flag-waving over-the-top gun culture is just a wee bit offputting.

[@sodiesarin1]

That's because you're a pussy. A soldiers have to protect weird scared little girls like yourself

[@theoneandonlylordfarquaad3361]

Eric Sprague Agreed. I am exactly like this, and I hate how people from other countries assume that because I believe we should have the right to own firearms that I am somehow some gun-obsessed radical. I just believe in freedom, and I love my country, but I am not going to let my freedoms be taken away and I’m not going to be over-the-top Uber-nationalist either

[@chris7263]

As an American, I've always found the constant expectation for bubbly enthusiasm exhausting. You get judged and criticized for not being outgoing enough: why are you so quiet,why don't you smile more, you look sad, etc etc. I feel like I have to psych myself up for a performance when I go out to meet people, like I'm supposed to have exciting personal stories ready to tell all the time, and it does feel fake. But when you don't put on a good show people act all concerned, like there's something wrong with you. That said, it depends a lot on who you're interacting with. I'm currently living with a roommate who's driving me crazy with this, but I have had roommates who were calmer and more laid back, and my family is super quiet.

[@mannydib]

I think its all part of the marketing culture that has developed in the "Land of Opportunity" I think times are changing though. Technology and nerds are cool and along with that introversion

[@patrickperry6945]

Chris Sanders You may need to hang out with a new crowd or scale back on the expectations you set for yourself. Fuck ‘em, I say, if it doesn’t work out.

[@edwardrabette7735]

work on your social skills and grow up. Cheese with that whine? you're just weak.

[@heatherallison7917]

I totally agree with this . Also if your not smiling like a loon you have resting b--- y face .

[@Jwallworth]

As a Brit, I assumed that was always a dramatised stereotype. Didn’t think there were actually Americans out there who were exhausted by the standards of being outgoing.

[@84SuperDom]

"America! Fuck yeah!"

[@kitdoggaming2432]

84SuperDom gta tv

[@wlan246]

'Murrica. :-) A lot of it is simply team spirit (c.f., cultural optimism), but the founding of the U.S. also incorporated some principles that distinguish it from most nations that came before, and those principles are themselves a source of pride.

[@67cuda38]

Wlan2, yeah, but look at us now !? Makes me sick !!!

[@wlan246]

I agree: for quite a while we've been coasting on the past success of our individualist foundation, which Progressives are intent on dismantling in favor of collectivism.

[@nataliegarcia73]

So interesting! I pretty much agree that these are common stereotypes of American people. I think we have a proud military sense because of our history. Not just when America was founded but our military influence throughout world history. I also know after Vietnam the military was not welcomed home. After that, i think many people recognized that the boys who served there were not doing those things of their own free will. That if they were putting their life on the line for our freedom, the least we should do is honor them.

[@Dyonivan]

"Americans hug and kiss" I've heard this in other similar videos, and it makes me really curious where non-Americans get this notion. At least in the mid-west, Americans only kiss family or our spouses/significant other. We don't kiss our friends, let alone strangers. As for hugs, we will hug our friends if it's appropriate to the situation or if there's been any extended absence and the friend of especially emotionally close to us, but once again hugging strangers randomly is a good way to have legal actions taken against you.

[@austinhenning4935]

Have you been to middle America? Such as the Upper Midwest? I have you'd feel more in common with us than the West coast version you have been influenced by - especially since almost all of us are of German origins.

[@azriannakrajnik]

Very true! I'm from Wisconsin, and we have a very German population. In fact, all of our street signs were all in German, until anti-german sentiment changed that during the world wars. Many of us have very recent German immigration backgrounds on at least one side of the family, and thus incorporate a lot of their words into our English. Even the Wisconsin (especially northern) accent is very influenced by German - the people I know living here who are native German speakers often have an accent that sounds reasonably close to our own. I actually thought Trixi had almost no accent at all when I first heard her, although apparently, it seems quite foreign to others. I can only tell her accent is different from my own when she uses more of the German/British soft r sound.

[@austinhenning4935]

Azrianna Krajnik Very similar here in Iowa! I feel we would all be speaking German at home if it weren't for WWII. My grandma didn't speak English until she started school and now she doesn't understand a word of Low German. My great grandparents on the other side were immigrants from Germany and for some reason one of my dad's many cousins speaks with a fairly strong German accent even though her dad was older than my dad. Very interesting stuff.

[@adanmartinez4552]

Just because you speak German doesn’t mean you’re like Germans. For instance I speak Spanish but my culture is completely different from Spain let alone Mexico. My point is that when people migrate cultures fuse and create something totally new from food, accents, styles and beliefs.

[@austinhenning4935]

Adan Martinez Mexico hasn't been influenced by Spain?

[@p.j.mccahill7494]

Austin Henning what's interesting is the late author Stephen Ambrose when he wrote his book" The Victors " towards the end of it he interviewed American soldiers that fought in Europe and asked who they had the most in common with. They replied "The Germans" . The author gained some valuable insight that just after fighting each other in a major conflict it turned out that the Americans and Germans had more in common with each other then any of their allies. I would get this same sense after serving two tours in Germany during my service in the Army.

[@damnsong8675309]

Actual American here. I am fat and have a bunch of guns!

[@dragunovbushcraft152]

Texan here. NOT fat, but lots of firearms.

[@fakecubed]

With regards to social status and commercialism in the US, there's definitely some truth to that, but it's massively overblown by Hollywood and New York media. Americans are very competitive with each other, on an individual basis, but you have to realize we're that way because we can be. Our culture encourages people of all backgrounds to strive for personal achievement. It's what makes our economy so big. It's what our American dream is all about. We are a rags-to-riches country, when you think about our humble origins and where we now stand, and we celebrate those rags-to-riches stories when it comes to individuals, as well. When people do achieve a lot, they want to show that off, because they're proud of their accomplishments. We celebrate the fact that anyone can achieve anything, if they work hard enough. People can argue about how much this is actually true or not, but it's what we believe as a whole. What you have to understand is that the movies and TV shows and music American companies produce are both reinforcing these ideas and also making it seem like all Americans are that way. Our "reality TV" is nothing like reality. Our scripted media involve characters that are living unrealistic lives with well-above-average personal wealth.

[@tomunderwood238]

A good percentage of people live paycheck to paycheck. Many don't share this American dream, or by personality, are not interested. I have been very fortunate to have survived 60 years. Please try to accept others you feel are inferior or different to you, so we may all actually be united.

[@501lilspoon]

I live in the south in America and that gun part is kinda true a lot of people start teaching there kids about guns at a vary young age. my father got his first gun when he was 7 and hunted but I don't really hunt.

[@forgivenessisasixgun]

the blue leader I live in wyoming and its the same way. no permits required to carry open or concealed carry etc and I love to hunt especially elk up by the tetons

[@forgivenessisasixgun]

Flashtrash ART Texas is very mixed on their love of guns I've noticed. You got people like matt from the yt channel demolition ranch and where he lives in Texas is very pro gun. but other parts especially around the bigger cities are not

[@forgivenessisasixgun]

fjellyo32 well you have fun with that

[@fjellyo3261]

pellet man I do^^

[@fabpoltronieri]

Guns save lives

[@felipepubillones2768]

Honestly, stop apologizing. Opinions and impressions are just what you think without looking further into things. It seems American patriotism impresses/confuses/seems foreign to you. You need to remember the histories of both countries. America was born out of a revolution to secure personal freedoms away from an oppressive foreign government. There was a unifying effect. Germany isn't so openly patriotic because of what happened when it was on display the last time (a certain Reich). To Germany, open patriotism of the American kind is basically taboo due to history. It developed a different patriotism. From what I see, German patriotism is on display with the work ethic and high respect I've seen from Germans. Another good point is that you need to realize something about the USA. We are effectively 50 countries (originally 13) that each gave up sovereignty to the greater federal government to create a unified front. Effectively, the flag is the one thing all Americans can stand under in unity without question (for most part). It is the symbol of unified walks of life. This is why within the USA, we ally more with our state. But when pushed, our state patriotism is put aside to defend the American. I'm Floridian, but....'murica! I also align myself with my Cuban roots due to being 1st generation American. As some have mentioned, when you become naturalized you are American. One of us. No question. This is why the Constitution requires those wanting to become citizens must relinquish all prior citizenships. Not the same for legal residents by the way. You become American, you are now American, you are now added to our fabric of diversity. You're not supposed to be a sorta citizen that is never fully accepted. In the end, we all are patriotic in ways unique to our respective countries.

[@alexanderhensel611]

laughed way too hard when she said "I'm German, and somehow we are inhibited of showing national pride". Y'all are still in time out, that's why 😂.

[@Army4Runner]

Exactly.

[@richunggoy3960]

Because Germany is forever cucked

[@hyacinthlynch843]

Funny analogy.

[@ashleyhockenberry2187]

Thank you for your comment. It is very honest. Something I never understand is what is wrong with showing pride in one's nation? Or do people perceive that to be some kind of elitism?

[@brannongale6355]

For the most part spot on. I find that Germans tend to be more analytical, and I respect that. I do think that there are sacrifices made to be so analytical though. Depending on which state you reside in greatly influences American stances on guns. Our leftest do not like guns, because they live in that dream world you referred to. We are militarized, but it is also important to take into account that our military is essentially the European, and U.N military as well. So we get the whipping boy status, and E.U. politicians can pretend as though they don't support "said" wars, but when you follow the money, the American military is acting on the whims of the European governments at an equal quantitative value. The one variable holding true across nations is that politicians tend to be lying cheese dicks no matter where you go. This is not to champion or support some of the altercations we get involved in, but to point out that it is my opinion that European perspective on U.S. citizens being war mongers is unrealistic. I'm saying that your politicians were intelligent enough to delegate/outsource the shit work to Americans, and so they get to pretend like they are some how are more noble by leaving that little factor out of the equation. We have the right to bear arms. This is insurance from foreign, and domestic threats. I do not want to invoke past national histories, but the Germans of all people should recognize how dangerous domestic governments can potentially be. As with everything there comes a sacrifice. So it is true that we have mass shootings, but we are also a gigantic nation dense in a diverse population. Therefore it is not realistic to compare the U.S. to single countries in the EU. That's bad science, being purposefully manipulative. The reality is that if you compare mass killings over the entire EU to America, which is way more realistic, the difference is negligible.

[@williamfranks1215]

Only some of us are touchy feely most of Americans don't do that. Don't touch the Americans.

[@williamfranks1215]

New Damage : Most of us aren't touchy feely. Some are. But they creep me out.

[@xylemfielding682]

"Don't touch the Americans" is actually good advice for most Europeans. People from Germany and the UK don't do this (in my experience), but in Spain they greet one another by kissing on both cheeks. Much of Europe is more reserved and only kisses on one cheek. Germany and the UK didn't sign the "kissing instead of handshakes" treaty, but most of Europe did. I also *still* get a bit startled when a European touches my knee to get my attention before saying something. Whoa, I didn't realize we were such close friends who met five minutes ago. Okay, you definitely have my attention.

[@crunkalac]

Yeah that'll get you a nice punch to the face or a lawsuit

[@redgirlsrain]

Being from the United States I would say that everything you said about Americans is true, it's just not true for all Americans. I also think that the reason people get the impression that Americans are loud and over the top from American youtubers is because the types of Americans who would want to do youtube are ones that are loud and over the top. An American who is quite and reserved is going to be less likely to put themselves out there on the internet.

[@macvena]

Louise89 Oh, like adults with life experience and good self-esteem. I fully agree.

[@Quarton]

Good comment, Louise 89.

[@andremccormick2680]

How you gonna contradict yourself by the second sentence

[@raygiordano1045]

I can't think of a more stereotyped people than Germans so a little good natured stereotyping is totally fair play.

[@raygiordano1045]

In the USA plastic surgeons make the most, and pediatricians make the least :(

[@raygiordano1045]

Guns! Our soldiers! Great stuff. The crazy "elective" foreign wars, not so much.

[@WranglerSlim]

Ray Giordano Agreed. I'm a midwestern American of Germanic descent, and pretty much every fresh-outta-highschool young'in that hears I'm German immediately starts telling anti-Jew jokes. "Why do German shower heads have 11 holes?"....et cetera. Or they assume that I'm Jewish and immigrated here to escape the Holocaust. I'm like, no, I immigrated here to save you from the Californians :-D

[@natewind5594]

I'd similar experiences as a Germanic lad in California, though. :P Though that was back in the 70's. Do you have a guestimate as to what percentage of folk in the Midwest aren't of Germanic descent? When I've been back there it's seemed possible that there was a higher percentage of Germanic folk in the Midwest that perhaps in parts of Germany. :P

[@WranglerSlim]

I don't know what percentage aren't. Those that aren't Germanic probably trace back to early English settlers that moved west from the east coast. I think a large part of the German population in the midwest came here in the 1800s to get away from the rising imperialist movement in Germany.

[@VTXCageSC]

I get your purpose. You did well in your goal, but apologize or qualify far too much. "...shoot skwee-rills," ...I love it! Americans say "skwuhrls" (one syllable). I spent 4 yrs in Berlin. I discovered they have absolutely NO concept of how large the States are, how diverse the people and locales can be, how foreign we can find each other to be in our own country AND that most Americans couldn't care less (seriously) about the places most Europeans, especially Germans, tend to visit when they do bother to come here. American beauty advice advice from my three granddaughters (who think you're pretty): Move your part from over your right eye to the left to visually even the length of both sides of your face. Your right eye is higher than the left, so accenting that with the part above there also gives it an exaggerated imbalance they found distracting. - Of course, I found their discussing it ad nauseum while I was trying to hear you much MORE distracting, but who listens to GramPa when you're teen girls...?

[@massiveferguson9466]

Cage SC There is more to the world and to the English language than Americans.

[@gravis778]

As an American who travels abroad on ocassion, I must smile - some stereotypes are right on, others I just smile, because I understand why you would think many of these things, even if they are not true. Status symbols are big in America, and it seems that most of us think we must do better than our parents, and at least as good as our neighbor, or we have failed in life. It is actually quite sad, because you are never satisfied. Superficial greetings. This is something I have been battling with for a while. Day 1 in my German class, they teach you that the American expression "Hey, how are you?" translates to "Wie ghet ist du?" Yes, that is the translation, but what they fail to mention is that it has a very different cultual meaning, and this leads to issues. The reason is that for Germans, this is asking someone for personal information, yet for an American, the question is not completely superficial. So, when I first came to Austria and used the expression, and got people who were shocked, ignored me, grunted, or gave a reserved "good", I got the impression that Germans / Austrians / Swiss were cold and unfriendly. The problem stems back to that first day of German - we are taught that the proper response to "Wie ghet ist du?" is "Danke, gut. Und du?" to which you would respond "Gut". It was not until Donna on Wanted Adventure addressed this a few months back that it finally it me what the problem was. If there is an issue with the initial greeting between an American and a German / Austrian or Swiss, it sets up an uneasy barrier that will last the rest of the conversation. Plastic surgery. I know of no one that has had it. It actually surprised me that I was driving down the road yesterday, and saw a sign advertising it. I was completely shocked - I have never seen it advertised before. It was really weird. To hear you talk about it today was even weirder. Overdoing emotion in KZbin videos - yeah, I can see this. These seem to be the people screaming for attention, and this is a way to get it. Back before youtube, there were always those people who were like that, but they were usually thought of as weird and people tended not to associate with them, which lead them to being even more colorful. In this comment, though, you brought up an interesting point. I have had a friend from Russia staying with me the past three weeks, and while it is his third time to Russia, there are still some things that surprised him. He commented that Americans, especially in Texas, seemed to smile a lot, and he realized that it was not superficial, they seemed to really be happy. So we started trying to figure out why. Whether this is the reason or not, I do not know, but we think we hit upon an answer. the USA, at least historically, was a Christian nation. In the Declaration of Independance, we state that Happiness is a right endowed by God. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." So, what does this mean today? Well, many people act happy, because it is expected that we are to be happy, and if we are not, something is wrong. However, that would be a superficial happy. What about those who are genuinely happy? Well, what we hit upon is that, in most areas of the USA, most people still believe in the Creator. The belief, and the relaitonship with the Creator that we claim to have, brings hope and joy to an otherwise miserable life. The smile is an outward appearence of how you feel on the inside. Therefore, the smile and the happiness is usually genuine. Of course, this does not mean that you have to be a believer or follow a certain religion to be happy. We just think this is why so many people have an outward appearence of happiness most of the time. Nationalism. Yep, its big.Bigger than it should be. I think a lot of this is due to ignorance. In 2001, I lived in Austria for a while. When I returned, I was amazed at some of the comments I got. "Are you happy to be back in a rich country again? It must have been so awful." "Is it nice to be back in someplace you can drink the water?" "Is it nice to be back in a place where you have freedom of speech?" "What is it like to be back in a democratic nation?" "Are you glad to be back in a free country?" Every time I got one of these questions, I was just in awe. I would not have even asked these things before I left to go to Europe. The questions some people asked, you would have thought I had been living in a remote village in Africa rather than in central Europe. I think these misconceptions that many people have about the rest of the world fuels our nationalism. I mean, if you think the USA is the only country that has democratic elections, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, safe drinking water and a high standard of living, than yeah, you would think that America was the best country in the world, and it would fuel your nationalism. Of course, you could still have a since of national pride without being so ignorant of the rest of the world. So why do we think this? This is a stereotype, but I really think it is because of Mexico. For many of us, Mexico is the only foreign country we get to see, and the level of poverty there is great (although there has been an ever increasing middle class over the past two decades). We see the violence, the bad water systems, the drugs. Then we have had images beamed back to us of wars and we see the "Save the children" commercials, and people think "we are the only country like this". All of this fuels national pride. So great video. These stereotypes were interesting, and I can see where they come from. My biggest fear when I travel is people are either going to think I am a redneck or a cowboy o r a Yankee and stereotype me in with everyone else. I know it is annoying for you when you travel, but it can be just as annoying for us. Just knowing I am an American, people automatically think stuff about me. However the best compliments I got were this last time I went, and people were like "Whoa, I did not realize you were an American until you started speaking English. You speak German with a Bavarian dialect, you don't act like a typical American, and you don't look American (that one really amused me, what is an American supposed to look like? I was told I look Swiss or Austrian)."

[@Hans293]

I'd be interested in hearing from a German whether "wie geht's?" really is a real request for information or is just a pleasantry.

[@yikes9944]

gravis778 Yeah, that German greeting and response you learned is completely wrong. It's supposed to be "Wie gehts?" and the response being "Es geht mir *insert however it's going*"

[@faithfulrose5372]

gravis778 bruh I saw a video about weeaboos and they said you rather date a American or a Asian and I'm like but there are asians in America 😂

[@phvaguiar]

Biggest comment ever lol

[@jdpalm1981]

As a Southern American (Mississippi), 1) I can see you thinking we're loud, because I see Europeans as being too soft spoken. 2) Americans DEFINITELY care a LOT about status & things. It's not good. 3) I've noticed that Americans are becoming less patriotic. Still, we are very patriotic, because we are proud of the ideals that founded America and not so much the people or ethnicity that founded it. I assume that when another country shows patriotism for their own country that it's, also, showing pride in their own ethnicity. For the most part, patriotism has nothing to do with being proud of any ethnicity but of ideals. 4) Extreme - Movies & entertainment, in general, are very extreme. We do give off the impression that we dream big, because we tell ourselves that anybody can be anything that want in America with enough hard work. It's a little crazy. You have to be lucky, too, but we don't admit that. California's Hollywood is a big reason for this thinking. Road rage - Yeah, we have that. It's bad. Hysterical Beliefs - Yeah, our 1st Amendment allows for a lot of wacky beliefs to develop. Vaccines - Yeah, I'm embarrassed about that one. 5) We are very competitive. In regards to cheerleading, my friend from Italy LOVED them when he was over here as a foreign exchange student. 6) Our affinity with guns has nothing to do with our respect for the military. Guns are a part of our constitution (2nd Amendment), because we wanted a gun-loving citizenry to defend against our own military and/or our president just in case they wanted to overthrow the government. Nowadays, we have them to protect us against burglars, robbers & rapists, as well as for hunting and shooting for fun. There are some that are preparing for a collapse of the government and think that they will be necessary for defending against lots of people, military even!

[@hoobymarburg167]

The US should be the safest country of the west as far as burglary is concerned, but what are the real statistic figures?

[@jdpalm1981]

I Googled "burglary statistics by country" and the website nationmaster.com says that the US is 14th in burglaries using its 2006 data. We had 714.4 burglaries "per 100,000 population." Germany is 18th using 2006 data, with 631.6 burglaries "per 100,000 population." Estonia has the best European burglary rate 40.5. Canada is 15th with 680.9.

[@hoobymarburg167]

Thanks James for your effort, to find those statistics. I tried the same, just because of you ;-), but that is not that easy to get trustworthy material. In Germany there were about 170,000 (total with 82 Millions of inhabitants) burglaries in 2016. Half of these were organized by East European gangs. Balkans and former Russian states are the home countries of these criminals. German politics is slowly waking up. The national elections in autumn will probably be very much determined by national security. I just wanted to point out that the US would have to be one of the safest countries on the planet, since every burglar is likely to assume the house owner is armed. This is obviously not the case. Despite the hate campaigns of Fox News, Breitbart and not least Trump, Germany is much safer than the US. Despite the strict gun controls.

[@jdpalm1981]

That brings up a good point about guns being a deterrent. I'm a gun owner, but there aren't enough visible owners to give that impression to the bad guys. It is true that there are more guns than people here, but we gun owners can own TONS of guns. Thus, the perception to the bad guys that every person owns a gun is not true. I own about 10. I knew a man that owned 32, and there are gun nuts that own hundreds. So, bad guys aren't deterred by them for the average burglary. Plus, the criminals have guns, too. I'd love to not have to worry about guns, anymore. But, with two very porous borders with Mexico & Canada, doing away with guns is impossible.

[@hoobymarburg167]

I beg your pardon, you even are worried about Canada? If I would be a politician in the USA, and really concerned about the crimes that are committed with firearms, I certainly would be for much stricter gun controls and I would fight the NRA with all I`ve got. It worked well in the UK and it certainly works here in Germany, although there still are plenty of guns around. The US gun "culture" is really sick. Michael Moore made a great movie about that: "bowling for Colombine" or so, and he asked the simple question: "What is it, that Americans are so afraid of?" I`m not comparing the US with any 3rd world countries, which are really hell on earth. But as a advanced civilized country you can certainly do much better. I refer you to the statistic link you`ve shared with me. The US is really a great country in many aspects, but your gun loving attitude really makes me sick.

[@czar6127]

You are spot on about not trusting stereotypes. Every nation has its extremes on side or the other. In the United States, there are the same misconceptions of not only Europeans but other nationalities. Having lived in Germany for 9 years and traveled all over Europe during that time many of my impressions I had prior to living there were mostly unfounded. Are there gun-toting crazies here in the US absolutely. But not every one of us is packing heat 24/7/365 no more than every German has a beer gut. I fondly remember my time in Germany and Europe as a whole. I strongly encourage you to visit the US. Not just one city but all over. There are culturral differences from the northeast, south, midwest and west coast, just like the differences between Germans from Bavaria and Hessen. I enjoyed the video Trixie and I will look at some of your other offerings.

[@renderedtoscale]

One thing to remember when you see pro-military things in American media is that it's partially a reaction or maybe an overcorrection to the anti-military view during the Vietnam war. Whatever the intention of the war protesters a generation of soldiers felt betrayed and belittled by the people that they believed they were fighting to protect. Many Americans want to make sure that doesn't happen again and at times we might go overboard in our celebration of our military.

[@JamesJones-li6ff]

Thats an interesting take on it.

[@Chris-bn1vt]

There is a lot I'd like to say actually, But being tired at the moment I'll keep it short. I just feel that a lot of people see America as what they see in the movies, never really doing any research.

[@the_most_ever_company]

I gotta say, as an American (born/living in Oklahoma... ie, Texas Part II), I feel most of your perceptions are correct, at least in a general kind of sense. Loud, overexaggerated, "look at me! look at me!" kind of media, an obsession with status, overbearing competitiveness, fake or forced enthusiasm, love of guns, militarism, lack of authenticity, excessive nationalism, unfounded belief in ridiculous conspiracy theories, etc are all aspects of American "culture" I am confronted with on a near-daily basis in some form or another. It's dire and often noxiously, subtly pervasive. That said, even so this is only at most 50% of the truth, and most *individuals* manage to have something to recommend them, despite the less-than-ideal "cultural" pool from which we all drink.

[@realmenshoot3085]

Fat American Gun Owner here.... ;]

[@salvatornado]

Insecure men shoot 308

[@realmenshoot3085]

salvatornado Weak! You can do better than that! Put a little effort into it. :)

[@Nifuruc]

No, that was actually pretty smart. Well done salvatornado!

[@rcookie5128]

haha ^^

[@fabpoltronieri]

blessed be

[@PhenixJoe]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I thought that you were spot-on and that many of these, though generalizations, lean on the side of truths. That said, particularly with regard to expressiveness and approachability, I’d like to add something. I am an American who lived in Munich for eight months and Warsaw, Poland for three months. During that time, I became depressed as I could not meet friends. As a whole, the people seemed secluded. There was an underlying melancholy just about everywhere. Fake or not, I missed this smiles of the United States; I missed the approachability. There just didn’t seem to be a whole lot by way of enthusiasm. I understand that the counter-argument would be that Europeans save their enthusiasm for situations that genuinely warrant it, while American express it constantly. I get that. Even still, I found the people to be quite gray as a whole. That doesn’t mean I met no friends in Germany; I did. It was unfortunately near the end of my exchange and I did spend the majority of my time completely on my own, besides the company of my host parents

[@brycenemehia4340]

Absolutely spot on - yep! all your observations are basically true in one way or another. I’d say as far as generalizations go, you did a great job summing it up!

[@JohnDayDude]

Trixie - I hope you are able to visit the U.S. and have your stereotypes confirmed, corrected and deflated, as the case may be. Americans are proud of being American. We have flags everywhere... and we love it. Our ancestors packed up their bags and left Germany, Sweden, Norway, France, England and so on for a better life. Most of them found it in the U.S. and passed that pride on to us. We are very competitive -- we compete in sports with a passion and that spills over into the job market. As for the military, we are proud of our military. We unfortunately had to go to Germany twice in the last century and turn our weapons on our cousins. We wish Europeans, who have lived under the umbrella of American protection, would step up and spend more on their military so that we could spend less. The Russians are still a very real threat to Europe and something I think more Europeans should see realistically. Guns -- yes, guns are a part of life here and we always have a national tug of war over what the proper balance is between our Constitutional right to own weapons and our need to protect the public. As for plastic surgery, I have one friend who had a disfigured nose corrected through plastic surgery and I worked with one woman who had her breasts enlarged. I suppose there may have been others but it’s not much of a topic of discussion in my world.

[@christinedapizzano4414]

Mr. Schrade, some of our ancestors packed up their bags and left Africa in chains, on slave ships in which hundreds of thousands of them died in ghastly conditions, and built up the U.S. economy with their free labor.

[@Armygirlsdad]

You left out the part where you were captured by other black people or by Mohammedans first.

[@Quast]

The US just needs a place to sell their weapons and weapon systems to. I don't dare to say what the dark figure of illegal weapon exports is but as part of monitored exports, the US currently ships more than 30% of all exported weapons (by export value).

[@fakecubed]

You also left out the part that slavery in the US wasn't that big a contribution to the US economy, even in the south, and it's been more than made up for with government handouts that seem to have only encouraged more dependency and less ambition to rise above the past and make a future.

[@jessmith390]

ForeverDreamWithinADream Same here but to many people like you dwell in it.We should remember and acknowledge what happened in the past but also move on and live in the present and plan for the future.Learn from the past don't live like it's still going on cause it's not.

[@bbrev106]

*I'm an American* Sorry about some of the unreasonable Americans on here. You could add "we get our feelings hurt too easily" based on a couple of the comments I've seen here. I agree. It's interesting because I actually think that the stereotypes that you have are actually formed logically but it's a matter of perception(as you've stated). Americans in general, when we meet other people, it's considered impolite to talk or dwell too much in negative topics so then it seems like we don't have those problems or are super warm. Many of us are warm but also it's part of our culture to not talk about negative things early in the conversation or with people you don't know well. On plastic surgery, stage parents and guns front, it's totally what you see on tv and in film because that is the hype that you talk about in the sense that everything seems over the top. In TV and film it's totally true. There are a huge number of people in America that are against owning guns. Because of our history and constitution, there are a huge number of people that never plan or want to own a gun but still want a law saying we can own one. It seems weird to non-gun owning nations but totally part of our cultural DNA at this point. Plastic surgery wise, I'd say that the levels of it are probably higher here than in Europe but a vast majority of Americans wouldn't and don't do it but it's all over our tv shows (for some reason) Haha and as an overly flag waiving American I can tell you that, tying into the competitiveness and hype, we as Americans like to try to "out American" other Americans which is why we seem overly nuts about it from the outside. Thanks for this video, I actually love to hear this kind of stuff. I'm a big europhile and often wonder what they think of America.

[@edwardrabette7735]

you are a great example of why they dislike us

[@edwardrabette7735]

unreasonable like yourself you ass kisser,

[@Kinsman00]

victoria zabaras Wait. You choose to live in a place where that has happened to you multiple times? Why? Just because your tough? That a really really stupid reason to stay. Lol

[@Megan-rr6qg]

I'm originally from a German family who imigrated to chicago. When I was 12 we moved to Mississippi, if you think typical Americans are over-enthusiastic it is nothing compared to a genuine southerner. Lol no offense just my personal observation.

[@vivahernando1]

It's fake too your face and talk about you behind your back ... I grew up in the south

[@Megan-rr6qg]

vivahernando1 this is very true lol

[@seesixCM6]

When I was stationed in Germany, I wanted to leave a good impression of US soldiers. I'd never curse in German, English or French. In restaurants, I'd tip the server more than German customers. I was courteous and polite and Germans were the same.

[@edwardrabette7735]

I was stationed in Ludwigsburg in 1972 Americans were treated like shit and Turks were treated with a welcome. Any chance they had to make us uncomfortable they did. Although Americans (black mainly) made us ashamed the way they acted contributed to issues between German and Americans.

[@MUtley-rf8vg]

The flag thing in particular is really true. I won't get too deep into it but I think there is something of a battle for ownership of this symbol and what it means to be American. It's sort of an esoteric thing for each individual. But erecting the flag is kind of like putting a stake in the ground you stand on. We're struggling to be unified and at least we are still struggling over the same flag. The flag and American-ego can manifest itself into this sort of hyper-patriotism. Those chants of..."USA! USA!". Depending on who you are this is either a bit tongue-in-cheek, or it is real fucking ego masturbation.

[@scottt5521]

Thanks for a frank perspective. On the military side I think there has been a counter-reaction to a very very anti-military culture that developed towards the end of the Vietnam War when it had become extremely unpopular. I was in high school then and went into the US Navy for a time. We were the face of the frustration of an unpopular war. A lot of anger was pushed on to soldiers returning home to urban areas where feelings ran hot. It was an ugly time and that was followed by a time of regret once people cooled off. I think that the lesson which was taken from that was to never be like that again to our own. From that it has progressed to what you see today.

[@danielregaldo1365]

I'm in the American military and stationed in the Kaiserslautern area. Majority of the Germans I've come across like us. Then again, Germans in this area see us all the time, and we directly feed the local economy

[@command5613]

Daniel Regaldo In general most Germans like America, but the extreme nationalism or patriotism ruins it for me.

[@command5613]

Sitting on Ceilings And that's exactly why people love the Netherlands, but don't like America. You can really learn something from the Dutch. They give back love, if you love them. And most importantly they don't always talk about how great they are, even if they are.

[@Hans293]

I think Germans don't get the celebratory/festive nature of American patriotic displays. A lot of the flag-waving and fireworks is for fun and because we like our country, not because we are against other countries. In a discussion on another youtube channel, an American was disappointed by the lack of Italian flags at an Italian parade (IIRC). We're not against other people loving their countries, too.

[@danielregaldo1365]

Command after living in Europe for a few years, I understand what you mean. You must understand that most Americans love their homeland and like to express it. I can tell a lot of Germans do too, but you are more subdued in the expression.

[@Hans293]

+Command SoC's recent USAUSAs may have been of a slightly tongue-in-cheek or teasing nature.

[@freeduc]

Wow Trixii , you've heard the expression "opening up a can of worms"? I think you did just that. ha ha. Maybe another stereotype about Americans is that we can't take criticism. From the comments I'd say that's pretty true. Love your videos Trixi , I hope you don't delete this. I think it's a very interesting topic. Love you! 😊

[@JamesJones-li6ff]

cant take criticism? how dare you! ... yea you may have a point there.

[@jimmyshousevideos]

Are we looking at the same comment section? the like/dislike ratio is pretty positive and most of the comments I'm seeing are just clarifying her observations. Maybe the negative comments got pushed way down?

[@macvena]

Bob S. Who likes criticism? Especially out of the blue from a stranger waxing on with stereotypes as evidence.

[@andremccormick2680]

I thought the comments were pretty funny

[@mhlevy]

I just happened by your video while browsing around KZbin. I really enjoyed your video, and will check out your facebook page, as well as the video you suggested. You made some very good points, and of course, it's easy to make assumption from your experiences, or any exposure to America you've had from afar. I wish you well from Overland Park, Kansas, USA.

[@jrg7951]

The Average American is very conservative and not prone to fads and fashion of California. The US is not represented by California or New York City.

[@glenjones7597]

@Bill Bo Haggins -lol the only Americans are the american Indians Bitch , and the last time I checked Indians aren't white

[@theman9048]

That actually not true

[@ds1402]

Most Americans dislike Trump (3 mil voted against him), but we are generally more conservative than other developed countries, whose conservatives would be labeled commie socialists in the USA.

[@collectorofcats294]

D S I am one of those Americans that THOROUGHLY dislikes Trump!!!

[@davidbrianhoffman]

As an American, I think most of the stereotypes mentioned are at least partly true. We do tend to an extreme and restless people. We are also a diverse people from every corner of the world, so I think the flags and patriotism are our way of keeping together since there isn't really an "American" nationality. I have never owned a gun and don't like them much. I support the right to bear arms on libertarian grounds, but I wish fewer Americans would exercise that right.

[@ethan073]

I enjoyed this video, as an American! What’s funny is several of the points you mentioned are more than just true-ish and I had no idea some of these things weren’t universal!

[@LeadFarmer_84]

Observation: Most European countries have a gradual/vague origin. They just kind of always were there. But the U.S. came about in a relatively sudden and more recent way. "Taxes?!" Sign a paper, shoot a cannon... Boom: 'Merica. And that birth had a heavy emphasis on individual freedom, and happened because civilians were armed. So that's probably why there's some truth to the stereotypes of national pride, military appreciation, and gun ownership. I would say that national pride isn't meant to say everyone else sucks. We just really like what we have. We don't have close neighbors like Europe, so we don't notice how it might seem that way. And appreciation for the military is less about pride in beating other people/nations, and more about appreciating the personal sacrifice one endures to serve, and appreciation that adversity builds character.

[@minorshan]

Oh, and on national pride, more correctly called Nationalism, my understanding is that that nonsense pretty much gotten beaten out of European participants, and the Japanese because of the 2 world wars. Germany and Japan especially because of certain WW2 events. Why Italy wasn't shamed as much, I can't say, but Italians still seem pretty nationalistic (at least immigrants to the US). And Russia is super complicated. But signs of nationalism in Canada (I'd actually argue Canada has more images if their flag everywhere even than the US) and Central and South America, certain African countries, and Asian countries China being chief, of course) do plenty more display than European countries and that is due to world war history. I think this points to Europeans having been pretty broken after WW2 but maintenance of a sense pride in how important they've been on the world stage for almost 1,000 years. Meanwhile Russia and China were in new beginnings as countries/economies, and the US was only really coming into global importance during and post war. To put it simply, Europe is emotoonally a 30+ adult while other countries are still kind of insecure adolescents. Again, only my perception as an American (though I do have a BA in history). But I'm hoping it may be a theory that's worth a thought. And despite my avatar, I've never shot a gun in my life, I just love Mass Effect. :)

[@amberabroad723]

You are so lovely! As an American with friends from many other countries/cultures, I'm always fascinated by hearing how other people view my country, but seldom have I seen someone talk about differences between cultures with so much grace and good will. Thank you for such an interesting video and for navigating "tricky" subjects so smoothly and kindly. :) Oh - and to add my answer to your questions about whether the stereotypes are true, I have to echo some of your other commenters and say that the United States are so diverse that the answer really depends on where you are and who you talk to. There's a grain of truth in almost every stereotype, but for every person who fits the stereotype, there are hundreds of other people who don't! :) Some day I want to visit Germany, and if I do I'd like to make a reverse version of this kind of video. Hopefully I'd do as good a job as you did.

[@peterthomasjones3675]

I as a citizen of the usa, agree that us nationalism is over the top. patriotism should be a virtue, not an absolute. good video!

[@1LSWilliam]

Any German should be uncomfortable because Americans have little to apologize for. Trixie is indulging in criticism of American cultural superficialiity, rightfully so. I have too for 50 years. As she insinuates, Germans are too repressed for road rage. That must be a good thing. Finally, we are crazy enough to never allow our government to disarm us the way you Germans did when Hitler came calling for them. Which culture is more superficial. You dock America for defending your interests by its militarism. We pay for your protection while your Mercedes and BMW's suck us dry. We are stupid, but at least we are right.

[@meiketempel8430]

You have to remember that back then, Germany was in a really bad period with all the inflation, jobless people and shame because of the crisis and WW1. The people believed that Hitler would make everything better so they believed in him and did what he said.

[@tubekulose]

But not that free as you might think.

[@massiveferguson9466]

William Schutter All those disarmed Germans aren't putting a gun to American heads to make them buy Mercedes and BMW.

[@KeithDameo]

You know I only watched a couple videos of your's and it just makes me wish I could speak with you about the topics you go over. I enjoy when people can meet in the middle and learn to understand things along side each other. If you ever heard the term "the squeaky wheel gets the oil", that goes a long way in understanding how our media works and why certain ideas seem so popular among Americans. A lot of what other countries notice about us is true but a lot of it isn't with many shades of gray in the middle. We're an extremely polarized country.

[@CaptainRonRico]

Trixie is awesome

[@1337fraggzb00N]

She has boobs.

[@SoxExcalibur]

1337fraggzb00N some real big badonkers

[@user-fd6ik7ws1j]

haha ha ... *sigh* *facepalm*

[@1337fraggzb00N]

yass, amasin bewbs

[@bvbxiong5791]

those are some seriously nice breastuses, but the left boob is smaller than the right boob. my ocd won't let me fap to them.

[@tylahmanwell]

There is definitely some truth to these assumptions--some more so in other regions of the US, but I actually think many of these stereotypes are legitimate. My mom is from Germany and she teaches kindergarten here where we live in California. Every single morning she'd have to recite the pledge of allegiance with her students and sing other patriotic songs even though she wasn't American. She thought that having national pride is good, but at times it was just a bit too much lol

[@macvena]

Raven Saoirse Cudney 150 years ago the United States nearly destroyed itself in a vicious Civil War that killed more Americans that all the other wars combined. It would literally take and entire lifetime to heal that wound as many veterans of the conflict lived until about WWII. America spent about 7 decades trying to reunify itself, thus all the flags, patriotism, the "Pledge of Allegiance" weren't just means of assimilating immigrants.

[@kevintanner1628]

Spot on. As an American I can say (to varying degrees), we are a materialistic, over sensationalize things, and very patriotic. Are we the best country in the World? No. I do believe we are some of the most willing people to give our help to others around the World. Money, food, or even our blood and life if needed. We do have a lot of guns. Guns are to Americans what wine is to the French. It is part of our culture and always has been, much like our love of big cars, homes, open spaces, and big dreams. The one big misconception about Americans vs Europe in general, is that in America, the phrase “How are you doing?” is exactly the same as saying hello. So when we go to Europe and say to someone “How are you today?” and then that person proceeds to tell us everything about themselves, instead of saying “ah good, you?” we feel weird, and the other person sees us as superficial. We really do care, we just do not understand the culture and vice versa. We do in fact hold our military as heroic. From our fight to gain freedom from the Crown of England, until now, our military people hold a special place in our hearts to protect our freedoms as a Nation. Guns being one of those freedoms and that feeling goes back to the beginning of our existence. So no offense taken. I just wish we all could spend more time together to learn each other’s customs and cultures. The world would be such a nicer place. Kevin “Super Dad” Tanner

[@Anubisdream1]

I'm an American and hate to say it but I think a lot of people here are truly superficial. I've felt that my entire life and have never lived in another country. People ask how you are doing but don't actually care and if you ever truly talk about anything of real substance that makes a person have to face challenging emotions they can't handle it. they want you to pretend to be happy even if you aren't. fake it till you make it is an American invention. But I firmly believe that suppressed emotions is why so many people here explode into violence.

[@futurestoryteller]

I had so many political discussions warning people of the dangers inherent in being ignorant of the manipulations of democracy who didn't want to hear anything of it, before the country descended into complete political chaos. I had people asking me why I cared about things that literally affect every person I could conceivably meet, and hundreds of millions more that I would never see, but taking it seriously made me seem to these people like a lunatic. I bet some of these same people claim now that they "can't believe" people don't take some of these things seriously these days.

[@PrussianJaeger]

Well, we do spend more on military than the next 27 countries combined...

[@fakecubed]

Good thing we do, too. Without the US military protecting the public commons, global trade would be far more risky and dangerous, and subject to the whims of pirates and rogue states. I would ask what country would you trust to control the seas, other than the US. China? Russia? Iran? As the current superpower, we've been a pretty benevolent one, compared to other examples.

[@johnwesson6440]

Yeah we spend alot of money on embassies , why because we are like the world police , personally I hate cops , I'm not one of those BLM wiggers , and I'm not a white supremacists , (well maybe in my own terms somewhat lol but I'm not in a neo or traditional sense) love my ninjas 💖💖... But I hate cops , not personally (usually , sometimes I think they do their job wrong, with poor excuses for the ignorant and acceptive) but the job it's self is supposed to be to protect people , but it has become like a small tool for socialist dictatorship to slowly abuse our rights in the name of saftey and justice so it seems natural and appropriate. Like searching vehicles without a warrant , countless other issues in the name of stopping drugs. All this seems irrelevant to military budget , however , these stupid problems on a local level are alot like every other problem , could be fixed with common sense and letting dumb shit go and stricter with problematic issues. I could go on but I'll keep my comment brief.

[@davidcole333]

hey cop hater, remember that next time you need one.

[@shecamt]

I think a lot of what you had to say was true. I've watched a few videos of people from other countries talking about their experiences in America and I find kind of funny. It seems like most people from other countries go to places like New York, Florida, Texas, California or Nevada. I think of these as the "special state". Being from Chicago I find each one of those places a bit extreme. I feel like the Midwest is a bit more laid back and genuine. A lot of people in America are consumed with superficial things and tend to look at entertainers as their standard for living. I see this a lot on Facebook. People always want to show you what they have and what they are doing. Most of the time they won't show you the difficult things they are going through because they want you to think they have it all together because everyone else on Facebook has it all together. We can be a very caring country but we can also be a very self-absorbed control.

[@stimproid]

MURICA!!! That is all:

[@macvena]

stimproid How clichéd?

[@aaronpatterson2369]

FUCK YEAH🇺🇸

[@edwardrabette7735]

go back home

[@gathanzo4751]

haha you never met an american from the ghetto i take it. Your experience with americans seems to be with the middle/upper class. That will make a difference on most of your opinions.

[@shyryTsr2k]

Thank you so very much for not being stereotypical or offensive. You said truth, and you have definitely earned my respect. Thanks so very much for being honest and seeing us for who we truly are and empathizing and sympathizing with us. Many Europeans (in MY experience) are quite rude to us and our ideals. You are very beautiful btw!!😍

[@TomekSamcik69]

In liberal freemarket economies people tend to care more about success and status, while in socialist Europe people tend to care less since success/money is not available to them

[@aaronpatterson2369]

And that’s why the all mighty dollar is worth more and any European currency

[@mannydib]

right now 1 US Dollar equals = 0.81 Euro

[@mannydib]

they also don't worry as much about healthcare, homelessness, cost of higher education

[@lucifiaofthefreecouncil1312]

Tomek Samcik hate to break it to you buddy but America isn't a liberal free market economy never was and hopefully never will be. It's a chaotic and cruel system to live by.

[@nielsreviewsmusic3055]

what is your impression on the Netherlands (im from the Netherlands)

[@lillil9794]

Niels uit het natuur 2003 in general we germans like you

[@command5613]

Niels uit het natuur 2003 99% of Germans I know love the Netherlands. Great food, cheap coffee, mostly nice people, we can understand your language without knowing it and of course weed and most importantly hardstyle music. :D

[@nielsreviewsmusic3055]

Command thanks although im not really a fan of hardstyle music (especially the song kind van de duivel) but its nice to hear that germans like us we in the Netherlands love you germans too:)

[@lukasf.3319]

great country

[@nielsreviewsmusic3055]

LUKFU ! thanks

[@MrMissionkid]

Trixi you're all good. I'm an Amarican, but I grew up primarily overseas... I've also traveled quite a bit both in and out of country. You're right. Basically the US is big enough that for any proposed cliche you can find a region that reflects it. Some of your examples I have observed directly and also the polar opposite depending on where I was and who I was with. To me many people have a limited view of their surroundings and don't realize just how different things can be if you travel or enter a difference social group. Thanks for this video.

[@nille577]

Im German and I have exact the same thoughts about america XD And a lot more... Like the cliques and bulliers at the schools. And that new and crazy ideas, trends and so on are (always) coming from America. (No: you have to say The USA. Why do even the Americans and their president always say "America" ???)

[@jayburgin2303]

Cel. Anilec Because of simplicity. Try always saying "US citizens" instead of "Americans". It also sounds better. Every other country in this continent has it's own name. The USA are just an abbreviation. Therefore it's easier to refer to the USA as America.

[@nille577]

My theory:) : The Europeans who once moved to the US were the more 'crazy' and fearless part of the European population. Only the Europeans who had a more 'extrem' character and who liked the adventure once moved to America. And then their kids and their kids and so on also liked excitement, adventure, new things and inventing... So thats my idea XD

[@minorshan]

Cel. Anilec I'll take you 1 step further. Speaking as a 1st generation California who came from east coast families that go back to the 1600's, those of us that moved west tend to be more independent minded, more adventurous, and generally more inclusive of other cultures. I post that that's why the US west and NYC and surrounding areas tend to be the center of arts and sciences these days. But, a cultural tendency doesn't work on an individual basis. I will say that the further east and especially south you go the more formal (but also IMO polite to the point of fake) you get. I've certainly heard more than once from real live southerners that us western people sure are more informal. And we're impolite because we don't all smile at everyone we pass, even if they're strangers. Another thing to keep in mind is the size of N. America. We're essentially the size of the EU. Hell, Arizona, where I currently live, is roughly Germany sized. Germany has high and low versions of their language. In the UK a Londonder can have a hard time understanding a Scot or an Irish person. TL:DR? I think emmigrants, explorers and prospectors, etc likely bring with them a personality ( which creates a culture with like-minded folks) and family culture of that same mentality that's passed on. Some awesome traits, some traits that a crazy person may take too forward. And also, the US is too big to be lumped into each other, just like EU. As a whole, both groups favor many of the same values, but trying to say (culturally) a Grecian is exactly the same as a German or a Frenchman is patently false. Hell, some French Canadians and some Texans both want to secret and be their own countries still. Best wishes, just hoping to make at least make anyone reading this to think for a moment that people are people at heart and if you meet someone of a different background try and judge them on their merits alone, not prejudge on stereotypes

[@BagoPorkRinds]

No American really cares if you say U.S., U.S.A., America, they're all correct.

[@BagoPorkRinds]

YoungtheDark You must be really young becausr cliques snd stereotypes have been going on TV and movies since the 1960s. I don't know where you got that impression that it's a recent phenomenon.

[@2012escapee1]

Have you been to America, or do you just watch TV?

[@joel7636]

Im an American and a native English speaker and you speak my own language more formal than myself. Kudos!

[@greenghost2008]

Most of us do have guns. There are several times more guns then there are people. I went on a walk and saw people in my neighborhood unloaded an arsenal of rifles from their van like they did it everyday. I used to say you know you are at an American's house when they start the visit off by showing off all the many guns they have. We also argue over guns. BTW. I am a fan Heckler & Koch and they are in Germany.

[@OpticObsidiaN]

greenghost2008 no, most of us don't have guns. It's just that most gun owners own more than one gun, so you can have a lot of guns but few people being gun owners.

[@treyb.194]

greenghost2008 Rates of gun ownership vary from region to region. But a majority of American households do not own a gun.

[@fabpoltronieri]

so let's buy more guns !

[@greenghost2008]

I really should give the disclaimer that I'm from Kansas and that colors my views.

[@WranglerSlim]

Whether "most Americans own guns" or "most guns are owned by a small number" is subject to debate, as the FBI NICS background check system is designed to protect the privacy of gun owners, so there's no real way of knowing what percentage of the population owns guns. When purchasing, the FBI only verifies that you are currently eligible to purchase firearm(s), only the seller has records of what he/she sold you, and those records are sealed unless the government has a warrant to search your records (or the gun store's records, if they were suspected of criminal activity). The political left claims that only a tiny minority of less than 5% owns all of the guns in America, as a way to make it sound like owning a gun makes you a weirdo, while political right tend to lean towards "less than 5% don't own guns," as though not owning makes you odd. I personally think that, averaged out between all the states, it's probably about 60% own and 40% don't, or vise versa. All we do know is that despite the massively high number of guns-per-person here, the number of gun-crimes-per-gun-owned is way lower than in other countries. Most of our gun crimes are committed in gang infested cities like Chicago (or acted out in movies).

[@hectorrivas9441]

Je-sus Christ... I am absolutely stunned at just how gorgeous you are...

[@jmshaw357]

hector has never touched a live woman.

[@jeffmeckley242]

American culture, politics and ideals are constantly and tirelessly swinging from left to right but the pendulum pivots always on freedom and liberty. To understand Americans you must first understand the concept of what liberty and freedom means to the American. Keep dreaming big and you will achieve great things.

[@kainnosgoth7336]

With all due respect to you and the views in this video, (and that it's not YOUR personal view, which I understand completely) I have to say a few things: Americans and Guns: It's NOT a crime to own a gun for protection. However, many of America's most powerful lawmakers\citizens\elites think differently. THEIR view? "YOU don't need to keep a gun next to your head, YOU don't need a gun at all". However, it's OK for THEM to carry a weapon thru Executive Privilege, OR enjoy protection for them and their families as they have armed guards where ever they go. I guess protection is only for the wealthy and privileged who live in their little kingdom states, far and away from the problems of the normal everyday citizens living in their straw huts. I guess it's OK to be a hypocrite when you have enough money to live by a different set of rules. And then we have Hollywood, the BIGGEST hypocrites on gun violence: Seems they don't care about it whenever a new action shootout movie with GUN VIOLENCE in it makes millions of dollars, right? OR when they have guards protecting THEM at the Oscars? American Nationalism? Europeans shouldn't criticize too much here: Look at the violence committed at European Football games. Police\fans\innocent civilians killed, property destroyed, entire city blocks terrorized by people over their favorite National team. Seems a bit odd to complain about American pride when you have people in Europe killing each other over their favorite sports teams..

[@Kikkerv11]

Don't confuse the UK with the rest of Europe. Here in Belgium, we are literally afraid of British soccer fans. German fans? Not so much. Huge nationalism seems to be typically Anglosaxon in a way. Or at least typical for both the US and the UK.

[@jessicaely2521]

@@Kikkerv11 it's not just the UK. Did you forget the riots in Paris after they won the World Cup this year? Did you forget 12 May 2018 Germans. Here's the article. www.upi.com/amp/Hamburg-soccer-fans-cause-mayhem-after-relegation/4511526151538/ Did you forget that German football fans burned down a stadium 14 April 2017? Look up German Soccer Fans Burn the Stadium. Did you forget 28 July 2015 fights broke out between Poland and Germany? Again go to KZbin and look up Fightig breaks out before Germany-Poland match.

[@constans74]

I think one important thing to remember about Americans and guns is that while we have more guns than ever, the percentage of people who actually own guns is falling and lower than ever. 3% of the people in the US own half the guns. But the rest of your stereotypes are heavily accurate. The funny thing about status consciousness is that it varies dramatically by region. The stereotype about Los Angeles is that status is about what car you have. In Texas it is about your custom pickup truck and your big house. In nyc it is about your clothes than your neighborhood

[@kevinherrera277]

I'm an American and I love your honesty. Many of the things you have said are true, especially in the area that Americans are very competitive and very patriotic. I don't think being patriotic is a bad thing, but I can see how other nations could see that as arrogance. But you have to be an American to understand it. The closest example I can think of as far as patriotic is concerned would be how Europeans feel during the World Cup. Americans just feel patriotic more than just one time out of the year. Yes, Americans are very competitive. I think that is rooted in our culture as a result of "manifest destiny," a term used in American history to correlate to some degree with power and achievement. I've heard many of the things you've said before and to be quite honest, I was surprised to hear more negative remarks by Germans than positive. I would of thought that the German people would be more pleasant towards Americans given that thousands of American men and women died to provide Germany with the freedoms that they enjoy to this day. But that's just my opinion. 😄

[@straightforwardsubstandard996]

After watching only two of your videos, I can tell that you are a sweet person. I read some of the comments and they are as varied as there are fish in the sea. Some are graceful and pleasant while some sting and others are dead and smelly. I am an American with a German ancestry (Prussian) and name. I offer you a bit of constructive criticism. One of my sons high school teachers sent out an email to all her students (and parents) a day or two after the last day of school requesting a critique of how she did. She wasn’t too much older than her students. I politely emailed her back and reminded her that she was the adult in the room, and to be very careful with that kind of request. My thought being that by that very evening she would be cowering in the corner of her home crying her eyes out over the horrible responses a teacher would get from her students. The good ones being completely overshadowed by the bad. I suspect that you have gotten a feel for the comments to skip over and ignore, otherwise you would stop making videos. Unlike the teacher, your audience spans far more age, social and economic groups in various counties. As the adult in the room don’t get too wordy with your explanations of intent. Everyone has prejudices due to their own exposures in life. If they are not mature enough to see your point with a minimum of clarification, then their comments aren’t worth reading anyway. Good job. Looking foreword to more.

[@EthuilielCyneburg]

As an American (who is a Dutch dual citizenship and has traveled enough to see places outside America), I would say all of what you said is true for some Americans. America is a very big and very diverse place. And also very polarized. Pretty much everything you said is also a stereotype that some Americans have for other Americans. Not all for the same subset though.

[@lorinatidc]

Awesome video, great presence, and go be what ever you want to be!! Captivated by the accent and tone of your voice too. Best of luck to that Rabbit!!

[@spondoolie6450]

The way you know she is European is because she spent the first 2.5 minutes apologizing for what she was about to say.

[@goodbye5030]

Cause she's not full of herself?

[@hihu7200]

I am reading a series of books on WW1 right now. It seems to me that Europe at the time was prone to war. All of the European powers did it. For example, the river Marne has seen battles for as long as history has recorded and likely before history started to be recorded. Germany took part in this European practice. History is about the past. The Germany of today, i.e the post Heinz Guderian era, is a very different Germany. No longer is Germany a slave to a kaiser or to Hiltler. Todays Germany is a modern, effective, and wonderful country. As an American, I would love to visit Germany. Many Germans who were mislead have taught their children well. Today, Germany is a wonderful ally and friend to the world. Todays Germany has nothing to be ashamed of. You guys played a critical role in defeating communism. Germany is awesome. When I visit Europe to see WW1 battle fields, I would love to visit Germany and see the sights and enjoy real bratwurst.

[@thomasrudiger2035]

Thank you for the nice compliments! Greetings from Germany

[@theresatrego4319]

Hi, Trixi. I'm American & found your channel today. The extremisms that you are skeptical of impress me! The over the top loud & people who are also superficial, is almost entirely in California and the New England states. The rest of America is pretty down to Earth. Of course, the media & tv shows capitalize on that extreme behavior. I think if you visit mid-America that you'd enjoy the people. Loved your video by the way. The cartoon you mentioned, I have never heard of, and I wouldn't let my children watch, but I won't let them watch anything that I feel is extreme for their age groups, whether it's a far right stand point, or far left. Keep up the great way that you use your common sense!

[@hannahroisinreilly8831]

I agree with a lot of what you have expressed, as a Canadian we watch a lot go by in the us. I think it's important to keep in mind that there are a lot of different states and each have there own (some would say culture) ways/norms that are very vast and don't always end up in the media which is very centralized around Hollywood, California, etc.