As an American who doesn’t live in the United States, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve introduced myself to someone and heard, “Oh, but you don’t look American!” This is usually said as a compliment, but what it sounds like to me is, “But you don’t fit all of the stereotypes I have in my mind about Americans!”
Every country has stereotypes, and some are probably harmless. So what if Italians are passionate about their cuisine, and the French are passionate about their language? But how accurate are these assumptions that are carried across the globe? Redditors have recently been addressing the most common stereotypes about their nations, so we’ve gathered their thoughts down below. Enjoy reading through and learning about these nations, and be sure to upvote the replies that you agree with!
#1
Irishman here, I’m too drunk to answer this properly
Image credits: The-Joc
#2
I’m English. Yes, we are reserved, yes we do queue in an orderly fashion and yes we will colonise you and add your culinary distinctiveness to our own.
Image credits: Kian-Tremayne
#3
As an Italian, yes. Keep in mind that most stereotypes about Italy are actually about South Italy. But we do eat pasta and pizza like every day and we do say “mamma mia” in every sentence. We can’t help it.
Image credits: Purple_Onion911
#4
Brazil: football (soccer) is a f*****g religion.
Image credits: Harucifer
#5
Aussie stereotype very true.
Very laid back
Up for a laugh
Always rubbishing each other
Don’t mind a drink
Friendly
Very good at avoiding dangerous animals
Image credits: Browndog888
#6
Irish
Laid back and friendly: Check
Cripplingly cynical and judgemental: Check
Image credits: Suspicious_Kick9467
#7
Macedonians are terrible to each other but extremely welcoming with great hospitality and friendliness to foreigners.
Image credits: FullCourtSwish
#8
I’m Danish and I’m miserable. Go figure.
Image credits: hasjloes_i_humlebaek
#9
We Scots do tend to swear a f*****g lot.
Image credits: ducknerd2002
#10
I am totally tired of the stereotype that Finns are somehow super alcoholic. Alcohol consumption is in line with similar European countries, and I don’t think it’s really that accepted anymore to drink a lot. Back in the day, this was kind of a game of how much you can drink in one sitting. But, the new generation sees this sort of behavior as hickish. There’s also not much of a culture of constant or daytime drinking. Most jobs require you to be sober during the working day. I’ve seen literally only two people drink during the working day, this was at 4 pm and one of them wasn’t even Finnish to begin with.
Another one is “shy” or “silent”. I think this stems from misunderstanding of Finnish politeness customs. Finns have a very steep gradient in how intensively they interact with total strangers vs. close relations like family or close friends. If they don’t know you, they’re trying to keep out of your way and not bother you with useless small talk, and that’s polite.
Image credits: RRautamaa
#11
Romanians are not gypsies, gypsies are a minority, and the country it looks and is a lot better than you imagine it to be…just check out some travel vlogs from foreigners.
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#12
We Italians are seductive, spend half of our day in front of the mirror, and constantly gesticulate when we talk.
Image credits: Il-cacatore
#13
I’m from London and I constantly hear “the land of knives and stabbing”
Is it true? Sort of. Knife crime is definitely a problem but you have a higher chance of witnessing or you yourself being robbed than being stabbed.
The UK having bad food; I disagree. The UK has the best range and quality of ethnic food in Europe. If I want curry, Thai, Mexican, Japanese food, I can probably find a good and close to authentic place in the bigger cities. London especially.
Image credits: ruggpea
#14
Canadian and yes. Kinda.
Super polite, fake and apologetic. Not to be f****d with but not the sort to start s**t either. Will avoid conflict until it’s unavoidable, and then it’s time for war crimes. Also poutine, plaid shirts and a loud minority of subtle racism.
Image credits: Anti-Climacdik
#15
I’m Danish, you’d usually hear that all Scandinavian (not just the Swedish) are “cold”.
It’s kind of true, but not really. I think we tend to be more reserved than the southern Europeans for example, we also don’t for friendships as easily as others, but the friendships we do have tend to last for life and be very loyal! It can be really hard to get new friends as an adult and particularly an immigrant, not because we don’t want to, but it takes **a lot** of time and effort! We also don’t say hello to random strangers we see on the street, we also don’t say “how are you doing?” to someone unless we really do want to know, we actually hardly speak to people we don’t know, especially not strangers passing by in the street, the metro or elsewhere in public.
So in summary, I think we may come off as cold to strangers, but I don’t think it’s at all true when it comes to people that know each other. I also think that people living in the city are less likely to talk to strangers than someone living in a small town in the countryside.
Get a Dane drunk however and they’ll most likely be pretty chatty.
Image credits: GeronimoDK
#16
Yes we live in windmills and we wear wooden shoes. We all cultivate tulips and c******s and everyone is high as f**k all the time
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#17
australia
1: swearing alot including workplace? check
2: lots of evil things thatl kill ya? sorta check
3: buncha bogans at ur local shops asking for ciggys? multiple times a day sometimes
4: regular political a*s f******s? check fatter than albys c**k
Image credits: LachoooDaOriginl
#18
I am from Azerbaijan. And because of the country’s name many think we are a super religious country like Iran, Afghanistan, and etc.
In fact we are not. We are the 5th most secular country in the world and religion doesn’t play a role for us like it does for many other countries. We really arent religious.
Image credits: Upstairs-Fee-7085
#19
From NZ
I asked my ex girlfriend this question.
She just looked at me with her curls hanging over her dark brown eyes, her face looking full of confusion.
She didn’t seem to understand what I was asking but she’s always been the quiet one I suppose and not keen on confrontation.
I was getting annoyed at this point but I needed to know.
I asked her again but she turned away from me and screamed
Baaaaaaaaaa!
Image credits: WhosSaidWhatNow
#20
Mexico False: – It’s not yellow – Yes there’s a lot of indigenous heritage both racial and cultural, but that’s not all there is to it. Just visit Mexico City, we’ve got all kinds of people and traditions. We’re more “americanized” each day actually. – People trying to cross the US border. There’s more central and south americans wanting to get to the US than mexicans. In fact Mexico has its own immigration crisis growing rapidly. You see foreigners begging for money on the streets every day. It’s common to have colombian and venezuelan neighbors and coworkers. And curiously Mexico City is getting invaded by americans, which is raising the cost of rent and commodities because they have dollars and we can’t compete with their incomes. – We’re responsible for flooding the US with drugs? Partially. Yes, our government has failed to win the war on drugs, but who sells them the weapons? mostly the US. And what about distribution in the US? How does a kilo of c*****e makes it way from the border to NYC? there’s a network of corruption and trafficking running rampart in the US not only in Mexico. True: – We love our tacos. – Cartel violence is out of control. They own politicians, law enforcers, even the top military officials and the president is rumored to be in sinaloa’s pocket. – Corruption is part of our daily life. A cop stops you, you’re expected to bribe them. You need something to move quickly, bribe. Government contracts? all directly assigned to politicians friends and overpriced as f**k, and I mean a lot, like 1000% or more sometimes.
Image credits: thezorman
#21
Greece: yes we are loud, we are always late and we religiously believe we have the best food in the world.
However, we dont smash plates screaming opa on a daily basis. I’d say keep that for a wedding and if that!! Kinda starts to die
#22
People say french (but especially Parisiens) are rude and arrogant or something. I’ve been to other countries and spoke to non-french people and it just seemed like they had much more of a “filter” than french people do so that might explain it.
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#23
The stereotypes about us Americans are exaggerated for sure, but not without merit.
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#24
Americans are an arrogant lot.
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#25
I always thought that Germans were really nice. The language sounds harsh, the people aren’t By nationality, I’m Belgian and Luxembourgish. They each love talking about stereotypes of the other country, so I get to hear about them all the time. Belgians are apparently dumb and drunk all the time. Dumb? No, but the prime minister singing La Marseillaise instead of the Belgian anthem did not help with that particular stereotype. Drunk? They do love their beer, but to be entirely honest, the Luxembourgish tend to drink a lot more often in my experience. Luxembourgers (the word always cracks me up) are apparently stuck-up, rich and narrow-minded. To be entirely honest, some are are stuck-up and narrow-minded, but it tends to be my generation. They grew up with parents who were able to make a lot of money just because they were in the right country at the right time (and worked for it!). The older generation has been able to get good, well-paying jobs without a the degrees that would be required nowadays. But, they worked hard and they took advantage of Luxembourg’s languages (German, English, French). They tend to have a lot of general knowledge and common sense. The younger generation on the other hand, often seemed to expect to go down the same path as their parents and grandparents, but in a world where degrees are an absolute must. A lot don’t speak the languages (I’ve even met some that only speak Luxembourgish) and lack the common sense and general knowledge that the older generation has. The older generation has raised a very entitled younger generation, who is growing up in a country where the price of life is constantly rising and who will soon not be able to live there anymore.
Image credits: ChickenHead1450
#26
Well it’s a bit complicated for india because it’s very region based. R**e? For sure in the north but in many parts of the south a girl can go out alone at like 2am and be fine. Good at math? Nah it’s just that the ones that are really good at math get famous or successful and the rest are nothing special. Above average sure but not anything like stereotypes would have you believe. Plus a lot of it is practicing specific types of questions. If you get something you haven’t practiced you’re f****d.
Image credits: SoggyDoughnut69
#27
Canadian here. Yes, the stereotypes are true. Sorry.
#28
Pakistan: • Religious – Am I religious? Yes. Are most of us religious? Yes. Are all of us religious? Definitely no • Corrupt – Yes • Poor – Are some of us poor? Yes. Are there hyper rich people among us too? Yes. • Cousin Marriage – Yes.
#29
Fat American checking in here. I don’t own any guns but pretty much everyone I know does. And as an Austin Tx native. I’m pretty liberal, love music and eat tacos and bbq all the time.
#30
When I was living in Japan, someone told me this. “Americans are stupid but clever, whereas the French are clever but stupid. We Japanese are polite but rude, whereas you Brits are rude but polite.”
#31
The Dutch stereotype of being greedy with our money is true, we love our money and we hate spending our money… Unless it’s weed for some reason
#32
Italians seductive? F**k no, we are a bunch of dumb misogynists (men) and pretentious pricks (women) with absolutely no right to be lol
I have so many international friends and not one of them was happy after dating an Italian ?
#33
Nobody sat next to each other, talked, or even smiled to other people during the entire bus trip this morning.
I’m norwegian alright.
#34
Not all Filipinos are gold diggers ? Most people here are educated and competitive in working, specially when they immigrate.
Although, some women (or men) here also marry older foreign men because it’s the foreigner’s choice. ✓low maintenance wife ✓affordable country ✓aged care.
Some foreigners are very unlucky tho, specially those who search for girlfriends from popular beer houses ?
Image credits: Akebi-
#35
We love good bread – yes, 100%
Cars – yes, loads of elder folks are very peculiar about their cars and speed limit debates. It’s getting less in the younger generations.
Bureaucracy – somehow even worse than its reputation
Rude/harsh – you get a******s in every country. I don’t think the average person is ruder than an average person from somewhere else. We are distant with strangers. The only people who aren’t distant are those looking to be an a*****e. The nice folks exist, they just don’t randomly go talk to strangers.
Beer – yes, a lot, and a lot of good beer. Except Kölsch, that one sucks.
Dirndl/Lederhosn – regional traditional clothes, only worn on some occasion by some people in the southern region. Not really a thing for like two thirds of the population.
Rammstein – apparently one of the biggest associations foreigners have with Germany. For most Germans, it’s a “hate them or love them, no inbetween” type of situation.
Image credits: ArmyOfGayFrogs
#36
We have a machismo problem here in Jordan, but unlike most people I think the women are partly to blame for this, especially when in Jordanian culture it is the women that are expected to play a.much more active role in raising kids until their early teens. Boys from a young age are taught that they have to be the provider, the protector, and should not act in a sensitive manner (cry, seek emotional support). Even seeking help from a mental health professional like a psychologist would make fellow Jordanians see men (women too sometimes) as a bit on the crazy side. I had first hand experience with my ex, who told me to man up when I was being vulnerable and getting emotional about it. I ended up marrying a non Jordanian who matches so well with me on an emotional/intellectual level, it really has been such a boost to my mental health that she hears and acknowledges the mental issues I go through every now and then, no judgement, as I also do for her. But for a.lot of other Jordanian men, they have to keep their emotions bottled up to keep from being labeled too soft to handle the responsibilites expected of them. And keeping emotions bottled up may make men do things out of deep seated anger and frustration that they otherwise wouldn’t do. As a result, that is why Jordanian men can come off as kind of aggressive, and that aggression in turn can make them do things that try to impress women but really make them look really sad and perverted. Little boys need fathers to be more involved in their lives, to show them that it’s okay to be in touch with their emotions and to be more confident in themselves instead of acting out of a desire to fit the mold of traditionally toxic expectations. Sorry for the rant.
#37
I’m Portuguese and I’m short, heavy, hairy and love wine, cheese and woman.
#38
the stereotype about people from my country is that we never finis
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#39
as a half egyptian half lebanese and british I would say egyptian people will always try to scam you (of course not ALL people but the majority)
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#40
**Sweden: Stereotyped as tall, slender, and blond, with a strong commitment to gender equality and a problem with alcohol. They are also viewed as somewhat arrogant and unfriendly by their Scandinavian neighbors.**
**Finland: Seen as introverted, silent, and fond of vodka, with a stereotype that includes living in the woods and a strong sauna culture.**
**Denmark: Known for a high quality of life, punctuality, and being reserved yet open-minded and easygoing. Danes are also stereotypically heavy drinkers.**
**Netherlands: Perceived as tall, liberal, and cycling enthusiasts, with a global image of being constantly stoned due to liberal drug policies. The country is also seen as the unofficial gay capital of Europe and somewhat frugal.**
**Belgium: Known for a love of chips, beer, and comic books, with a complex political system. There’s a mutual stereotype between Dutch and French speakers within the country.**
**Germany: Viewed as efficient, disciplined, and car lovers, but also as stiff and lacking a sense of humor.**
**Austria: Described as hardworking, serious, and traditional, with a love for winter sports and a strong sense of domestic life.**
**Switzerland: Stereotyped as reserved, punctual, and obsessed with privacy and financial frugality.**
**Italy: Seen as fashion-conscious, talkative, and passionate about football and family, with a stereotype that includes a deep connection to traditional foods like pizza and pasta.**
**Czechia: Known for beautiful women and a love of beer and absinthe, with a rich history in crystal and Art Nouveau.**
**Slovakia: Described as bad-tempered, with a dark sense of humor and a stereotype of being heavy drinkers.**
**Poland: Stereotyped as religious and hard-drinking, with a complex relationship with Catholicism and alcohol.**
**The British: Known for drinking tea, eating scones, and possessing a quick wit and sarcasm that entertains the rest of Europe.**
**The French: Famous for wearing stripes, eating onions and berets, and being considered rude, a stereotype that even French respondents acknowledge.**
**Italians: Seen as passionate, generous, and family-oriented, with a strong emphasis on traditional values.**
Image credits: glokz