8 Reasons the World Respects Americans

Americans have a lot of bad stereotypes surrounding them, causing the rest of the world to snub their noses at us. Lucky for us Americans though, every criticism made about us is accompanied with a compliment. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since despite all of the complaints against Americans, the U.S. is still one of the most sought-out destinations for immigrants.

Don’t worry my fellow Americans: the world doesn’t actually hate us! In fact, many Europeans follow, “I could never live in the U.S. because people eat too much and I’m afraid of being killed on the street,” with “but, I am grateful for the positive qualities they have (forced) on other countries.” Below is a list of what Europeans tell me they like about Americans the most.

1) Americans are friendly. This statement may sound contradictive since one of the main complaints about Americans is that they come off as false because they are too friendly. Allow me to explain this conundrum: foreigners like that we welcome them with enthusiasm and a smile, but they do not like that we do not have a lot of time to dedicate to new friendships. Otherwise, Americans are considered friendly because we often do not single out foreigners, making them feel ashamed of their English language skills or lack of local know-how. In fact, Americans give a lot of support to those learning English, offering a strained ear in order to understand what they are trying to say. In Europe, foreigners are not met with outstretched arms, we are simply something in the way of daily life.

2) Americans are “open-minded,” or at the very least embrace differences and diversity. Open-minded here means neither philosophical nor well-cultured. An open-minded American is someone who is accustomed to respecting the individual choices of others, even when those differences are grossly out of the norm. Americans generally go about their business not caring about how others behave, speak, or dress unless there is a risk of some danger. This is something that Americans take for granted. Even in Paris, the “City of Light,” you will receive a menacing stare from people around you if you dare to be too different or expressive. For example, ordering a coffee before you have eaten your desert would be enough for those around you to glare in disgust.

3) Americans are innovative. The rest of the world has become addicted to certain technologies, such as the smart phone, thanks to Americans. Americans are raised to think outside of the box, we are taught to be competitive, show initiative, work hard, and to never give up on our dreams. This mentality doesn’t always lead to wondrous life-changing innovations, but it hasn’t failed us as a country. Europeans have told me that they would like to have the freedom to shoot off new ideas without having people laugh at them.

4) Americans are entertaining. This is of course in reference to Hollywood and the overall entertainment business. American films, music, and even literature can be found all over the world. This is not to say that other parts of the world do not generate great entertainment, but Americans have managed to appeal to most parts of the world in ways no other country has.

5) The standard of living in the U.S. is higher than that of most other countries. (Affordable health care, high levels of violence, and over-priced education excluded, of course). Even in wealthy first-world countries such as France or Germany, an American will find out very quickly how much easier life can be in the States. Believe it or not, in the U.S. one can obtain a new car, house, quality furniture, a gym member ship, and other goods that are not necessary but make life easier. The ability to have more for less in the States can be attributed to such establishments as Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Costco, Walmart, or even Dollar stores. This genre of business does not exist in Europe. European “discount” stores can sometimes cost as much as shopping in a mall or grocery stores such as Safeway. Other benefits Americans take for granted include: unlimited hot water, heaters that actually work and will not cost you hundreds of Euros a month to use, air-conditioning, medicine sold almost anywhere, almost everything in operation on Sundays, screens on windows to keep out flying insects, renovated apartments, more space, acceptance of many different lifestyles, and the ability to modify one’s order in a restaurant (this is a big mistake foreigners make in France). The list of American basic standards that do not exist in other Western countries could go on for pages, so I’ll stop there.

6) Americans like being comfortable, and have no problem admitting it! Only in the U.S. will one find people walking around in pajamas, slippers, or hideous (although great for your feet) shoes. This is because in parts of the world such as Europe, your appearance must come first! Europeans will neither admit that it is easier to eat a burger or slice of pizza with their hands, nor that traversing the city for hours would be more comfortable in a pair of running shoes rather than stiff city shoes. What they admire about Americans is that we do not care. We prefer to just be comfortable human beings sometimes, something they wish they could get away with in their own countries.

7) Americans are competitive. The built-in need to compete is not always a good quality, but foreigners recognize that their countries would have more to offer if they were brought up to compete. In many parts of Europe the necessities of life come easily, such as healthcare, internships, university acceptance, and government aid, therefore there is no need to be too competitive. Americans must push themselves to be the best that they can be in order to have access to these benefits, although this cannot be said for every American.

8) Americans have a strong work ethic. Outsiders call Americans workaholics, but once they realize how efficient the country runs when people work a lot, they admit that it is not so bad of a quality after all. In some parts of Europe, expect the worst from any service that involves time. What might take five days in the U.S. could take five days to seven months in parts of Europe. The month of August for example, is Europe’s annual shut-down period when nothing gets done because everyone leaves for a four week (minimum) long vacation. It’s not fun to work all of the time, but in the end we all rely on one another for something.

There are good and bad points to every culture. Despite the general bad opinions about Americans, the world does give Americans credit where they really deserve it. Americans have chosen capitalistic lifestyles, creativity, diversity, hard work, space, and competition in place of European preferences such as government-sponsored healthcare and education. Americans have something positive to offer the world, after all. It’s nice to know that you’re appreciated sometimes.

 Jacqueline Perrier-Gillette is currently a resident of Paris, France, where she lives with her husband. Together the two of them operate their small translation company, giving Jacqueline the opportunity to observe the French and their culture up close. She is an avid reader, writer, and student of foreign languages.

By Jacqueline Perrier-Gillette