Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
Ah, cultural stereotypes. The notion that all Parisians are mean snobs, all Americans are dumb, and the Irish – rowdy alcoholics. As long as it is all in good humor and not used for propagating unnecessary hate, what’s the harm in poking fun at some common traits the locals have?
In this thread, people started sharing the things about their home countries that people stereotype most often. One person asked others to share their experiences, as they posted a question: “What is the main stereotype about your country?” Funnily enough, while people debunked most of these silly stereotypes, some, they said, are true.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Germany: "Our stereotype is best told with a joke: 'How many Germans do you need to change a light bulb?' One. We are very efficient and not funny."
#3
Any country in Africa: "That Africa is one homogeneous country, not an entire continent made up of 50+ distinct countries."
#4
Switzerland: "Everything is clean, and everything is wildly expensive. Yes, this is entirely true."
#5
Germany: We're beer drinking sausage eaters with an addiction of starting World Wars.
#6
Australia: "That the whole country is dangerous. That spiders, drop bears, snakes, feral cats, and dogs will rip your heart out every time you step out the door."
james stevenson 3 months ago
The drop bears have actually gotten more dangerous since getting their paws on some tactical gear. Drop bears are now an elite fighting force.
#7
France: "Everyone is rude and unwelcoming. Most stereotypical 'rude' French people live in Paris. The rest of us are way more kind and polite."
Oerff On Tour 3 months ago
My experience is that the people in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseille *are* mostly rude. The rest? People are kind and helpful. In the major cities they expect foreigners to be fluent in French, and if you only string two French words together, they refuse to speak anything else than French. The rest of the country will try everything to understand each other. (The younger generation does speak at least reasonable English, but the older generation hardly had English in school. But they're trying)
#8
Spain: "So many tourists associate my whole country with bull fighting and the culture around it. In reality, most people I know hate or ignore this 'tradition' all together. In fact, parts of the country don't even allow it anymore."
Juliet Ware 3 months ago
It's a disgusting past time and the person should come together to get it banned.
#9
Italy: "That we eat pasta six times per week at least. Honestly, it's true for the vast majority of Italians."
Daniela Lavanza 3 months ago
I can confirm. Also, we drink liters of coffee everyday, save maybe on the morning for those like me who prefer cappuccino. :-)
#10
Poland: "That the whole country is a grey, depressing wasteland. In reality, it's a very beautiful place with tons of gorgeous nature."
#11
Canada: "That we're all really polite and we put maple syrup on everything. (At least the maple syrup stereotype is true, though.)"
Sergy Yeltsen 3 months ago
The "All Canadians are nice" stereotype loses some of it's punch when you realise their way of having fun is tying knives to the bottom of their shoes and hitting each other with big sticks.
#12
Lebanon: I would say one of the main stereotypes of my country(Lebanon) is that we come from a desert even though our country's terrain has no desert within it whatsoever. Albeit, our neighboring countries do.
#13
Scotland: "We all eat haggis, drink whisky, and wear skirts."
Downunderdude 3 months ago
'Is anything worn under the kilt?' 'Nooo, laddie, it's all in good working order'
#14
UK: We all speak with a posh accent, or say "its chewsday innit bruv".
#15
Ireland: Drink a lot of alcohol and our diet consists entirely of potatoes. The "Luck of the Irish" is also a load of nonsense. The phrase is laced with irony.
Luke Branwen 3 months ago
Not Irish, but I know the struggle of being a non-drinker in a country famous for its alcohol consumption.
#16
Finland: That were only happy and social when drunk. And sadly there’s 100% truth to it too.
#17
Egypt: "We all ride around on camels. I'm an Egyptian, and I have never seen a camel in real life."
#18
New Zealand: "That the only thing we care about is rugby and we all live in hobbit holes. I, for one, am absolutely terrified of rugby."
#19
Sweden: "That all our women are really beautiful. Yes, it's true, and it's sad because I have zero chance with any of them."
#20
Australia: I have a couple:
That we ride kangaroos, we always say “g’day”, “mate”, and “shrimp on the barby” (we call them prawns), that we’re some redneck backwards country, and that we don’t exist.
#21
Germany: "That everyone wears lederhosen. As a German, I can tell you that no one walks around in lederhosen except in Munich on Oktoberfest...or tourists visiting the country."
Bernd Herbert 3 months ago
As a German I can tell you that I see people wearing Lederhosen regularly, at least here in the very South of Bavaria
#22
Colombia: "Colombian here. People immediately associate my country with c**aine and Pablo Escobar. Netflix’s Narcos sure didn’t help. The guy's been dead for almost 30 years, and we still can’t seem to get rid of that monster."
#23
India: "That all we eat is curry. We have thousands of different dishes, and not everything is spicy."
Bernd Herbert 3 months ago
What ininformed people tend to not know is that India is a huge country with many peoples and I think 23 official languages. And therefore the cuisine is very different depending on where you are.
#24
France: That we are unpleasant and we stink .. we always carry a baguette too.
#25
South Africa: "That we don't have paved roads, cities, electricity, or any of the modern conveniences, it's just jungle filled with animals where everyone lives in mud huts. I wouldn't say these stereotypes annoy me, but they certainly amuse me."
Genevieve Smith 3 months ago
Eishkom ensures the "no electricity" part is accurate. And, although we're surrounded by sea, our water apparently is also depleting. Stereotypical of a third world country, which, thanks to the ANC, South Africa has now become.
#26
Mexico: "The whole country is made up of deserts. It's hot and sunny all the time. We wear sombreros all the time. We only drink tequila, and we can all dance salsa. None of these things are true about my country."
#27
Finland: "That we are quiet, introverted, and like our privacy. There are exceptions, especially among younger people, but most of us really don't know how to speak to other people. If you want to start a random conversation on a bus or a train, you'd better be, like, 80 years old or drunk."
#28
England: "That we have bad teeth, bad food, and good manners."
#30
New Zealand: "That we all say stuff like 'put another shrimp on the barbie.' Shrimp is not a thing here. We call them prawns."
#31
Brazil: "That our biggest pastimes are samba and soccer, that we live in the middle of the jungle, and that Brazil is made up only of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro."
DennyS (denzoren) 3 months ago
I don't think people realize how huge Brazil is...especially for someone like me who lives on a tiny island.
MotherofGuineaPigs 3 months ago
Not including Alaska and Hawaii - Brazil is bigger than the US
DinosEatNoods 3 months ago
Also tired of people thinking we are all party animals. We have super shy introverts that like our space too!
BringMeMyDragons 3 months ago
I wanted to be the first to mention that true stereotype, along with big butts to begin with 🤗
Load More Replies...
#32
Belgium: That we get triggerd when someone says 'french fries'.
#33
Since I do not know if there is a Main one, the few ones I know and have people said to me are:
-It is not safe to travel here
-We only speak "African" (African isn't a language.)
-We all are extremely Poor
-We are either Elon Musk, or a Villager
-Wild Animals roam freely around the Country.
The hint for the country I am referring to is Elon Musk's Birthplace.
§• Råinbow Påndå •§ 3 months ago
Oh my god, having just moved from ZA I absolutely HATE being asked ‘Do you speak African?’ So annoying
#34
India:
Probably things like:
IT /help desk specialist
Hairy monkey
Curry deodorant
Destined for an arranged marriage
Dancing and peeking our head from behind a tree
Lol I don’t know if some of those count.
#35
Italy: Mamma mia!
Remi (He/Him) 3 months ago
The hand thing 🤌🏽. Funniest is when you're explaining some great Italian food experience and you notice your own hands doing that... I guess that's kinda like an accent as in it transfers
#36
Mexico: Tacos, d***s, chimichanga, nachos, lazy people, corruption, USA's backyard, donkeys, "wey" (this one is true), poverty.
Lavern Defazio 3 months ago
That's the saddest plate of nachos I have ever seen. Where is it from? A gas station convenience store?
#37
Brazil: We're all hotties who play soccer and dance samba.
#38
Poland: "Kurwa" is the only word we say
It's 25% true, it makes up 1/4th of our daily vocabulary.
#39
India: "That a bachelor degree is worthless. You're a shame unless you have a shiny masters or doctorate from America or Europe."
Stardust she/her 3 months ago
The competition for anything in this country is insane so you have to be the best in something or else you won’t find employment
#40
Ukraine: We love borscht, salo and vodka.
Carl Roberts 3 months ago
But...Ukrainians DO love borscht. Personally, I hate the stuff, but when my father was alive, there was always borscht in the house, same with my grandparents.
What do you think ?
Dan Holden 3 months ago
Stereotypes are typically based in fact. That's how they become a stereotype.
Load More Replies...
Tom Hardeveld 3 months ago
"stomps my clogs and throws my Tulips into my backyard Windmill" Where are the Dutch!?
ZGutr 3 months ago (edited)
The dutch (dear god, they ARE popular in this comment section) growing tulips, eating cheese, sticking a finger in the 'dijk' (water protection), smoking weed, walking pas prostitutes offering their business openly from behind red illuminated windows, selling their junk from the attic on the street on kings day,
BrunoVI 3 months ago
Are these stereotypes? Tulips? Yeah. Cheese-eating? Nah, that's a French stereotype. Sticking a finger in a dyke? No comment. Smoking weed? Yeah. Prostitutes openly offering business in red illuninated windows? Yes. Selling their junk from the attic on the street on kings day? Presuming by "junk," you don't mean a slang for body parts, I'm going to say no. In fact, I'd bet most Americans don't have a clue what King's day is.
Load More Replies...
PFD 3 months ago
Most of these are picture-book stereotypes (perhaps archetypes is better) rather than real stereotypes, I think. How many adults really think Scottish people = kilts and haggis, for example?
LokisLilButterknife 3 months ago
There are quite a few adults that think Scotland is just kilts, haggis, bagpipes, and impossible to understand accents.
Load More Replies...
Linda van A. 3 months ago
The Netherlands, there are mills everywhere, we walk on wooden shoes and we skate to work and school in winter.
nicholas nolan 3 months ago
Dude, if you could skate to work/school in winter and didn't, I would be very sad for you.
Load More Replies... Verena 3 months ago
No Dutch, recklessly driving their bikes and doing d***s while eating cheese and fried stuff out of the wall (yes, wall, not mall)?
ZGutr 3 months ago (edited)
for those who wonder: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatiek (sorry, use translate, did not find an English article, but did not search hard either)
Load More Replies...
Jessica SpeLangm 3 months ago
Thankfully, it wasn't a "let's only bash the USA" article. Thank you for that, Kornelija.
Samsquatch & Monko 3 months ago
True canadian one: most of us are super insane over hockey. Ice skating itself is dangerous, (I witnessed someone break an arm from simply slipping while skating), but with a bunch of people who act like feral animals because of a sport, I’m surprised that it isn’t the leading cause of death. There weren’t even helmets made for hockey until someone’s major artery in the neck got sliced by an ice skate- the guy survived- and my school likes the Toronto maple leafs more then our own citys (far better) hockey team
Samsquatch & Monko 3 months ago
I’m the rare Canadian who literally knows nearly nothing about hockey- I don’t even know the rules lmao. I just know stuff taught in school (yes we have learned about hockey in school)
Load More Replies...
Jess Smith 3 months ago
US - Trump. Sadly 40 percent of the country is like this, so it's uncomfortably true.
Gracie Mae 3 months ago
not country, but states within the U.S..."do you walk lopsided" or "is one leg shorter than the other?" (living in the mountains)
Apatheist Account2 3 months ago
The UK is only good at the Olympic events that involve sitting down - rowing, equestrian, cycling and sailing. We do get a few more these days but this was certainly true in the earlier part of the century and before, in the days of Redgrave and Hoy.
BrunoVI 3 months ago
Check out way below for my facts correcting US stereotypes that the neo-Soviets of BP tried to censor, but another false US stereotype: we actually have way fewer police. Not only are there fewer per capita (242 vs 349), but per capita isn't even a fair measure since low-density areas require far more police per capita. Oh yeah, and cops are WAY more likely to kill white people than black people. Yes, they kill more black people per capita, but way fewer per law-enforcement incident.
Graham_Illegal 3 months ago
I love that you're so upset about less and less people buying into this USA#1 nonsense, that you failed to realize the real problem while collecting your cherry-picked data: US cops are far more likely to KILL people instead of deescalating and neutralizing situations as law enforcement in civilized countries do.
Load More Replies... Ren Karlej 3 months ago
People don't think you don't have healthcare insurance. They think you don't have universal healthcare, and that all too often people still end up with large bills regardless of their healthcare insurance. Also, let's not pretend guns aren't a problem, whether or not it's 'people killing each other like crazy' it's still a very significant problem.
Load More Replies...
Dan Holden 3 months ago
Stereotypes are typically based in fact. That's how they become a stereotype.
Load More Replies... Tom Hardeveld 3 months ago
"stomps my clogs and throws my Tulips into my backyard Windmill" Where are the Dutch!?
ZGutr 3 months ago (edited)
The dutch (dear god, they ARE popular in this comment section) growing tulips, eating cheese, sticking a finger in the 'dijk' (water protection), smoking weed, walking pas prostitutes offering their business openly from behind red illuminated windows, selling their junk from the attic on the street on kings day,
BrunoVI 3 months ago
Are these stereotypes? Tulips? Yeah. Cheese-eating? Nah, that's a French stereotype. Sticking a finger in a dyke? No comment. Smoking weed? Yeah. Prostitutes openly offering business in red illuninated windows? Yes. Selling their junk from the attic on the street on kings day? Presuming by "junk," you don't mean a slang for body parts, I'm going to say no. In fact, I'd bet most Americans don't have a clue what King's day is.
Load More Replies... PFD 3 months ago
Most of these are picture-book stereotypes (perhaps archetypes is better) rather than real stereotypes, I think. How many adults really think Scottish people = kilts and haggis, for example?
LokisLilButterknife 3 months ago
There are quite a few adults that think Scotland is just kilts, haggis, bagpipes, and impossible to understand accents.
Load More Replies... Linda van A. 3 months ago
The Netherlands, there are mills everywhere, we walk on wooden shoes and we skate to work and school in winter.
nicholas nolan 3 months ago
Dude, if you could skate to work/school in winter and didn't, I would be very sad for you.
Load More Replies... Verena 3 months ago
No Dutch, recklessly driving their bikes and doing d***s while eating cheese and fried stuff out of the wall (yes, wall, not mall)?
ZGutr 3 months ago (edited)
for those who wonder: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatiek (sorry, use translate, did not find an English article, but did not search hard either)
Load More Replies... Jessica SpeLangm 3 months ago
Thankfully, it wasn't a "let's only bash the USA" article. Thank you for that, Kornelija.
Samsquatch & Monko 3 months ago
True canadian one: most of us are super insane over hockey. Ice skating itself is dangerous, (I witnessed someone break an arm from simply slipping while skating), but with a bunch of people who act like feral animals because of a sport, I’m surprised that it isn’t the leading cause of death. There weren’t even helmets made for hockey until someone’s major artery in the neck got sliced by an ice skate- the guy survived- and my school likes the Toronto maple leafs more then our own citys (far better) hockey team
Samsquatch & Monko 3 months ago
I’m the rare Canadian who literally knows nearly nothing about hockey- I don’t even know the rules lmao. I just know stuff taught in school (yes we have learned about hockey in school)
Load More Replies... Jess Smith 3 months ago
US - Trump. Sadly 40 percent of the country is like this, so it's uncomfortably true.
Gracie Mae 3 months ago
not country, but states within the U.S..."do you walk lopsided" or "is one leg shorter than the other?" (living in the mountains)
Apatheist Account2 3 months ago
The UK is only good at the Olympic events that involve sitting down - rowing, equestrian, cycling and sailing. We do get a few more these days but this was certainly true in the earlier part of the century and before, in the days of Redgrave and Hoy.
BrunoVI 3 months ago
Check out way below for my facts correcting US stereotypes that the neo-Soviets of BP tried to censor, but another false US stereotype: we actually have way fewer police. Not only are there fewer per capita (242 vs 349), but per capita isn't even a fair measure since low-density areas require far more police per capita. Oh yeah, and cops are WAY more likely to kill white people than black people. Yes, they kill more black people per capita, but way fewer per law-enforcement incident.
Graham_Illegal 3 months ago
I love that you're so upset about less and less people buying into this USA#1 nonsense, that you failed to realize the real problem while collecting your cherry-picked data: US cops are far more likely to KILL people instead of deescalating and neutralizing situations as law enforcement in civilized countries do.
Load More Replies... Ren Karlej 3 months ago
People don't think you don't have healthcare insurance. They think you don't have universal healthcare, and that all too often people still end up with large bills regardless of their healthcare insurance. Also, let's not pretend guns aren't a problem, whether or not it's 'people killing each other like crazy' it's still a very significant problem.
Load More Replies... You May Like “Commit Some Crimes, Go To Prison”: 40 People Share Where They Would Move To If Given The Chance 51 Safest Places To Travel Right Now The Best Travel Shows To Fulfill Your Wanderlust Needs
Jonas Zvilius
Larysa Perih
Viltė Domkutė
Related on Bored Panda
