Stereotypes can be hurtful and harmful. Blanket statements are rarely ever accurate, and it’s unfair to make assumptions about anyone based solely on what you’ve heard. But occasionally, cliches about nations just so happen to be true. So as long as they’re approved by the locals, these stereotypes are harmless.
People from all over the world have been opening up on Reddit about assumptions people make about their countries that are rooted in reality. We hope you’ll enjoy scrolling through this list and learning more about various cultures around the globe, pandas. And be sure to upvote the replies that you wholeheartedly agree with!
#42
French people smoke a ton.
I hate the smell of cigarettes, and each party I go to is a nightmare, you cannot go back home without your clothes smelling like cold smoke.
We try to tell people to smoke outside, but what happens is 2/3 the population of the party ends up spending it cramped on the balcony.
But it's slooowly getting better.
I hate the smell of cigarettes, and each party I go to is a nightmare, you cannot go back home without your clothes smelling like cold smoke.
We try to tell people to smoke outside, but what happens is 2/3 the population of the party ends up spending it cramped on the balcony.
But it's slooowly getting better.
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14points
#44
USA: When you're trying to leave a family event and your mom and dad just HAS to stand there talking for like five minutes.
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11points
#45
I heard that in Europe Brazilians have a reputation for being scammers and taking advantage of others. Unfortunately, this is kind of true — Brazilian culture often has this mindset of trying to get an upper hand over other people in some way, whether in politics or in everyday life. And if you trust people too much and fall for scams, you’re treated as the dumb one.
There’s even a famous saying: 'Todo dia um malandro e um otario saem de casa, eles se encontram e fecham negocio' (‘Every day a sucker and a trickster leave their house; they meet and make a deal.’) Taking advantage of others isn’t seen with that much disdain, and people might even blame the person who fell for it for ‘being too dumb to get scammed.’
This extends to relationships too — if a man is cheated on by a woman, the usual reaction is to mock and humiliate him for being cheated on.
There’s even a famous saying: 'Todo dia um malandro e um otario saem de casa, eles se encontram e fecham negocio' (‘Every day a sucker and a trickster leave their house; they meet and make a deal.’) Taking advantage of others isn’t seen with that much disdain, and people might even blame the person who fell for it for ‘being too dumb to get scammed.’
This extends to relationships too — if a man is cheated on by a woman, the usual reaction is to mock and humiliate him for being cheated on.
9points