Alright, you saw the headline and clicked on the post, so let's get right into it. On the subreddit r/AskAnAustralian, user u/TheNCRis asked: "What's the Australian view on Americans?"
And look, Australians love taking the piss and roasting our friends and international allies. But in this case, we didn't hold back from telling Americans what we really think of them. Here are the brutally honest responses.
1. "Fine individually, weird collectively."
—u/Schedulator
2. "They seem to think that we think about them a lot more than we do."
3. "I’ve met a few Americans and they are very polite, cool people — pity their government sucks."
—u/Mannnddd
4. "I'll be honest, I've disliked most Americans I've met. Generally speaking, they're loud, rude and obnoxious. They have twisted views of the world, barely understand anything that's not American and I hate having to always explain 'Oh, it’s like X thing you have in the States.' I have met a few decent ones though. Like anyone, if you're a nice and respectful person there'll be no issue."
"Don't even get me started on the country itself. It all just drives me nuts."
5. "As an American who's migrated here, I'll say that a lot of the Americans you'll encounter in Australia are like this [referring to the above Reddit submission]. They're typically either fairly well-off tourists or fairly well-off upper class people here on work visas in a corporate position. Either way, it's not a good overall representation and I try to avoid the other 'yanks' here."
—u/JoeSchmeau
6. "There definitely is a stereotype of Americans being ignorant and self-important (thinking everything should be like it is in the USA, no other places exist etc.). However, stereotypes are stereotypes, and generally this attitude won't translate into personal interactions. As long as you're chill, it's chill."
—u/wokkaquoll
7. "My family spent a couple of years living in Kansas when I was a kid and I went to school there. We've got many stories to tell. Of course, people are people — sometimes nice, sometimes not nice. But Americans really are ignorant about their place in the world and that makes them sometimes incredibly funny, sometimes sad, sometimes fucking infuriatingly stupid and, rarely, incredibly rude bitches."
—u/pulanina
8. "Growing up, there was this stereotype here that Americans were fat, rude, uneducated and war-obsessed. This would have been around the Bush-era. With that being said, I absolutely love Americans. I have been to the States twice (granted it was California twice and Hawaii, but I would love to see more!) and people are as hospitable and friendly as they are here, if not more so. I could give a bunch of individual examples of American people being very generous and kind toward me, but the long and short of it is I think they are great."
9. "The bad: You're generally thought to be loud, rude and non-team players, with very little idea about the rest of the world. You're also intense and individualistic people, who are currently going through a time of division socially and increasingly suffering with wealth disparity. Your militaristic endeavours are sometimes suspect. Plus, your gun culture and the inability to see its problems seems crazy."
"The good: We share a language and have similar cultures. If England is the mother land, then you're the brother land. Generally, a can-do attitude and a good work ethic is seen and respected. We realise your regional differences too — you're a diverse people, as are we. Also, multiculturalism is more common and seems to be working better in our countries than elsewhere, not that there aren't large cohorts of racists present. You're definitely seen as a wealthy nation, with innovative tech, the most globally consumed entertainment and a fucking big arsenal."
—u/HuggDogg
10. "Current thoughts are that half of the people in the United States seem sane. The other half are batshit crazy and are willing to publicly display their racist and bigoted views. That certain states just love authoritarianism and that the country as a whole is a place I have no desire to ever go to."
—u/kdhooters2
11. "The perception of the US as a nation has definitely gotten worse since 2016. As for Americans themselves, I try to remember that America's own media tends to give special attention to the worst and craziest among the population and that the America we are being shown isn't necessarily the whole picture. I doubt you'll find many people, if any, who think badly of every single American."
"I don't really think we're [Australians] that much better than Americans in a lot of areas. I still think our living standards are better than the US, but we are a long, LONG way away from perfect. So I try not to hang too much shit on America."
12. "Whenever I've met an American, I thought they were very friendly. We tend to get along, except sometimes my accent is too thick for you guys to understand so I gotta tone it back."
—u/saddinosour
13. "When I was a kid, I used to think the USA and Americans were really cool. That's where all the famous people and movie stars are, but as an adult I just feel bad for them. They have terrible healthcare and tertiary education system. There is a rapidly disappearing middle class, making the gap between the extremely poor and extremely rich huge. There's so much crime and the gun laws are genuinely terrifying. I think celebrity culture and the concept of the American dream puts unrealistic pressure on the people there. I used to want to go there as a kid, but as an adult now I don't."
14. "We [Australians] think you [Americans] think you're the centre of the world and it would do you good to be exposed to more international ideas, issues and news. Personally, I don't like the way Australia is going with parochial media either, but at least we don't kid ourselves about being the centre of the world."
—u/teashirtsau
15. "Gun laws and gun control are a huge part of why a lot of Aussies have a bad view of the USA. When you grow up in a country where guns are strictly controlled, to the point where most of the population has only seen a gun on a cop's belt...and then every time you read or watch any American news, there has been another shooting, you can see why it negatively affects our views.
—u/amensteve91
16. "I can't speak for everyone, but I've met some lovely yanks and some dopes. The only thing they all had in common was that they were opinionated and human. If you're a cunt, you're a cunt. Like all cultures, though can't expect 'em to be the same or treat 'em shit for being different. Our media is inundated with American stuff, news, entertainment, even sport. But as far as American people go, they've all been good to me."
—u/nachoafbro
17. "On the one hand, we love America and all things American. On the other hand, we love to laugh at you and even sneer a bit at certain things you get completely wrong in our eyes. But these sort of international judgements are always massive generalisations. For example, we might say 'Americans think they are the most important people on the planet and are very ignorant of the rest of the world', but of course that isn’t true of many of you."
—u/pulanina
18. "Something I haven't seen mentioned is that religion seems to be much more of a public spectacle than it is here. There are more Australians that identify as having no religion than any specific Christian denomination and we prefer our politicians not to bring up it up."
"Also the way you guys cling to the constitution as some measure of absolute and unchangeable (despite the amendments) moral superiority seems a bit strange to me. The respect towards the flag, the anthem and the military is a bit intense. Plus, some parts of the US seem very formal. Like, I've never called a boss or a parent's friend Mr./Mrs. whoever. So more religious, individualistic, enthusiastic and respectful towards authority."
—u/kekabillie
19. "I have a few American friends and have visited the US a couple of times. My American friends are great, really open and honest and we always have interesting convos. If there's one negative quality about Americans in general, I'd say there is a bit of an entitled attitude that comes across as arrogant sometimes. You can get that attitude with some Australians as well though."
20. "The general view of Americans (that we meet here anyway) is favourable. Of America — unfavourable. Everything from the politics, healthcare, education, social security, adherence to awkward imperial measurements is truly baffling to us. Your systems are so broken and bizarre, yet they're defended so vehemently."
—u/malaliu
21. "Most Americans I've met in Australia are great. Probably because they're well travelled and if they want to stay here they probably already have the qualities that make them fit in in a place like Australia. It is crazy how outgoing they often are though haha."
22. And lastly: "I don't like to generalise and will judge on a case-by-case basis. Most Americans I've met have been fine, some even really nice and informative. It’s the loud minority that creates a negative view I think."
Some Reddit responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Okay, it's time for the Americans to speak up — what do you think of Australians? And Aussies, do you feel like this sums up your views about the USA? Let us know in the comments!
Also, this should go without saying, but as a lot of Redditors mentioned in their responses, stereotypes are stereotypes — the majority of Australians will judge you based on your personality, not on where you're from. So even if you are a yank, we still love and welcome you.