20 National Stereotypes Debunked By People Who Live There

    This Reddit thread asked for the most annoying national stereotypes from around the world. They really are infuriating.

    Patrick Smith
    by Patrick Smith

    BuzzFeed News Reporter, UK

    1. USA.

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    At least, that's how Redditor PKMNtrainerKing puts it, adding: "Granted, some Americans are like this, but every country has some of these, not just America."

    2. Mexico.

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    AwesomeHyruleGuy says not all Mexicans have tanned skin and drink tequila, but admits: "I love burritos & tequila, but that's because I'm human & it's impossible not to love them."

    3. Brazil.

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    4. Sweden.

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    As Swedish Redditor ASViking points out: "Sure we have a lot of hot women, but our porn is outright terrible."

    5. Canada.

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    Smadaleinad says: "I'm Canadian born and raised, and I only know one person who uses "eh" even semi-regularly. It's really irritating."

    6. Australia.

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    ZeroNihilist insists that you're 150 times more likely to drown than get killed by a shark in Australia.

    7. New Zealand.

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    MrKiwiMike argues: "It's not overrun with the little woolly creatures - there were none visible in The Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Hobbit were there?

    8. The Netherlands.

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    EnnyaInABanshhe asks how this would be possible. "I mean, come on, we also need time to dance while wearing wooden shoes."

    9.

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    "I have literally never heard someone say this in real life," says Bungle123.

    10. Scotland.

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    Scottish people donate £100 more to charity a year than Londoners, despite earning 25% less, according to a study from 2013, as Tuttle_not_Buttle points out.

    11. Turkey.

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    Several Turks point out that not everyone travels around on camels all the time either.

    12. Kenya.

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    Kenya has dominated long-distance running for decades and a lot of people there could run a decent marathon. But the many of the successful runners come from a small region in the west of the country, many coming from the same tribe.

    13. The United Kingdom.

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    No one knows where this comes from. An OECD study in 2009 found the UK to have the best teeth in the world, with the average 12-year-old requiring surgery to replace or fill just 0.6 teeth. Poland came out worst, with nearly four teeth needing to be fixed per child.

    14. China.

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    "Not all of us can fight and have mastered kungfu. But for some of us who do, yes . We can jump thousand feet high and blow up houses. all by doing those high pitched sounds," says Fubuliliyu.

    15. Romania.

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    Sicktricky3 says: "Vlad Tepes was a medieval ruler that favored killing thieves and the like by throwing them on a spear. NOT a vampire."

    16. Greece.

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    OECD figures from 2012 showed Greeks to be the hardest workers in Europe, a point Arisngr is keen to make.

    17. Saudi Arabia.

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    By one estimate, at least 20% of the Saudi population lives in poverty.

    18. Denmark.

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    The Danes are not the tallest people in Europe: the Dutch take that prize, with men measuring six feet, one inch on average. Danes have to make do with being just six feet tall on average, according to a study from Princeton and Munich Universities.

    19. Colombia.

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    As Kohe puts it: "I live in Colombia and not all of us are family with Pablo Escobar, he was just friends with our uncle."

    20. Ukraine.

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    Ukrainian Redditor zxz242 proudly says: "Our genes are not damaged, they're just hardcore and produce some of the most attractive women on Earth."