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What's a common misconception about your country?

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Daydreamer1

Daydreamer1

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Thanks for the lift up guys... *sniff sniff..

Darthas

Retired Moderator

Darthas

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That america is entirely full of useful people that only give due credit to themselves.

Unfortunately, anyone who's lived here for a long enough time and worked around here knows that too many americans give themselves credit when they have nothing to show for it. Garbage in and garbage out, as a famous person said but not just in RL, in games too.

Not that I have anything against americans, but the things people say seem to be proven right by the people who live here and most of those things are negative.

[20:54] Lexicon: I may be 3rd place in the popularity poll but at NASA, the # order is 3>2>1.
[20:56] DXBlair: its a placement poll..not a countdown idiot
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I don't know if it's really a common misconception, but on some travel sites I've read that people consider Indian food too spicy and unhealthy o.o The food my mom cooks is delicious And healthy. Those 'special indian dishes' are special even in India, we don't eat them everyday.. at least my family doesn't. We eat very simple food which is not too spicy, not too sweet, just normal food cooked at home. Those hot and spicy and sweet foods are just reserved for like some weekend or very special occasions, etc. But those foodstuffs don't appear even in Indian hotels let alone abroad, cuz they're not 'special' we get to eat them at home. And that's why only spicy and 'unhealthy' some might say, food is present in hotels, here and abroad. They just keep food that sells.

There's unhealthy food in every country, and as it's more tasty, that's what makes it to other countries. The only American food I know is Pizza and Burger, and that too Vegetarian. That's because I only order for veg dishes like many indians. But that doesn't make me think all that Americans eat is vegetarian pizza and burgers.

Other things that the site said that you can see beggars and filth everywhere and I don't disagree with that.. spitting on roads or walls and throwing garbage is normal here and I hate it, uggggh Dx and yeah, beggars are a common sight.. so that's not a misconception.

oh and one more thing, whenever internet refers to asians, it's always about people with chinese features. Hey we're here too! >.<' and even Russia is a part of asia isn't it? The first time I saw that asian dad memes I was so confused.

Why die only once when you can die a little everyday

pandemonium91

Retired Moderator, Tagger

pandemonium91

@Darthas: how would you say American people are in regards to work ethic? Some of my uni professors have portrayed the US as a place where great emphasis is made on working hard and being noticed, as well as having your own business. So that kind of leads to a desire to be noticed for even the smallest of things.

@Compiler: yeah, foreigners pretty much equate India with spicy food (well, that and the Taj Mahal). And the more special foods are special for everyone because they're mostly dishes that are typical to India but, as you said, quite expensive to prepare. I read Indian-specific restaurants in America don't even use as many spices as the restaurants in India, so the "American Indian spicy" is less, uh, burning? than the "Indian Indian spicy" ^^'

Beggars are everywhere, they're just fewer or more depending on how tough the legislation is :/ Littering is a problem here too, since a lot of people don't bother to walk the extra 2 meters to the nearest trashcan. Never mind sorting trash by category (glass, plastic, paper etc.).

I think those who forget India's a part of Asia do so because Indians have noticeably different facial features from Chinese or Japanese people. I once met someone who thought India was a part of Africa *facepalm* Some even lump Japanese and Korean people with Chinese, so you can't win ^^'

If you can't handle me at my best, then you don't deserve me at my worst!

elisadevelon

Retired Moderator

elisadevelon

The purple vamp

Quote by pandemonium91Littering is a problem here too, since a lot of people don't bother to walk the extra 2 meters to the nearest trashcan. Never mind sorting trash by category (glass, plastic, paper etc.).

I guess littering is a problem in most of the countries around the globe. We also have special waste containers for waste separation but we still separate (and recycle) insuffieciently in Slovakia.

Quote by pandemonium91I think those who forget India's a part of Asia do so because Indians have noticeably different facial features from Chinese or Japanese people. I once met someone who thought India was a part of Africa *facepalm* Some even lump Japanese and Korean people with Chinese, so you can't win ^^'

Agreed about India. Um, and this might be really stupid but I, personally, can't distinguish between the Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc. either. My aunt can and she says it's somehow natural but I can never tell unless I hear the language they speak. Can anyone tell me how to tell one from the other?

pandemonium91

Retired Moderator, Tagger

pandemonium91

Quote by elisadevelon Agreed about India. Um, and this might be really stupid but I, personally, can't distinguish between the Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc. either. My aunt can and she says it's somehow natural but I can never tell unless I hear the language they speak. Can anyone tell me how to tell one from the other?

TBH I have a Chinese classmate (have known her since this October, so fairly recently), and the only way I could tell she was Chinese was by her name ^^' I just ask them outright to remove any doubt. I've talked to Chinese, Japanese and Korean people on the Internet but pics of them weren't really relevant, so they could all be any race for all I care. Just like how Darthas assumes everyone here is a guy, lol.

If you can't handle me at my best, then you don't deserve me at my worst!

Darthas

Retired Moderator

Darthas

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Quote: @Darthas: how would you say American people are in regards to work ethic? Some of my uni professors have portrayed the US as a place where great emphasis is made on working hard and being noticed, as well as having your own business. So that kind of leads to a desire to be noticed for even the smallest of things.

Depends on where they're working. The majority don't have the positive attitude and are only doing it because they have to, rather than wanting to. Your professor isn't wrong that america is where they emphasize working hard and being noticed, because that's been turned into a complex for almost every american lol - but instead of understanding the emphasis:

Everyone tries to be the indian chief and everyone tries too hard to prove something or be someone they're not. Western mentality is usually portrayed this way, all about being important and all about wanting respect even when you don't deserve it. Even hard work can be forged if you look at how degrees can be bought.

Some people have said america breeds nothing but sheep and that the only real achievers are those in specific universities or educational bodies.
Even if 90% of the population reject this, it makes you think about how something like this could even originate.

It's become a large enough problem that even taking in others opinions is enough to send people flying off the handle or being infantile about what was said.

You're right about desire to be noticed, because america is the main reason all the testosterone strutting is seen in males. Back then it was all about the muscles or how strong you are, even today some backward people still keep that mindset to give imagery on just how many muscles you have. It's how bodybuilding became as large as it did here (I don't mean simple working out, I mean actual bodybuilding) and also how 'women only like strong men' somehow made it's way into the equation because strength meant so much in america back in the day. The good thing is that in this era, being seen like that in any way pretty much doesn't mean anything to even below average citizens in contrast to how almost everyone used to be all over it.

[20:54] Lexicon: I may be 3rd place in the popularity poll but at NASA, the # order is 3>2>1.
[20:56] DXBlair: its a placement poll..not a countdown idiot
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pandemonium91

Retired Moderator, Tagger

pandemonium91

Even hard work can be forged if you look at how degrees can be bought. Some people have said america breeds nothing but sheep and that the only real achievers are those in specific universities or educational bodies.
You raise an interesting point here. From what I've seen in discussions, the only higher education that's considered "good" (i.e. usable, respectable) is the paid one, with free colleges being regarded as "the place that you go to when you can't get into a good (paid) university". Here it's the opposite, as exclusively paid colleges are usually seen as weaker (paying = guaranteed graduation, most of the time) and sometimes not even legally recognized, while free ones* are what most people aim for.

It's become a large enough problem that even taking in others opinions is enough to send people flying off the handle or being infantile about what was said.
So more concern about personal recognition and individual work rather than working in teams? I expect being raised to think you're entitled to everything you want without having to lift a finger or sacrifice much - if anything at all - leads to that mindset. And I've talked with a few people who couldn't seem to realize the difference between "opinion" and "fact". Also, a lot of Americans seem really unhappy with their jobs, especially those in retail; are the customers there that bad? XD

* "Free" means having the option to attend it for free, if your grades are good enough. There's a limited number of "free" positions and a (sometimes higher) number of paid/tax positions, and you can be moved from "free" to paid if your grades drop.

If you can't handle me at my best, then you don't deserve me at my worst!

Darthas

Retired Moderator

Darthas

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Yea it all depends on where or what the opinion is on the university you attend, but the ideal thing is to study overseas these days so most people need to apply for those 'good' universities. Your system seems to operate on merit, if you show promise as a student then you don't need to pay the fee and just lets you continue to study. The higher you go, the more you learn though, its teaching you consistency - something nobody has these days. In america, I noticed people like to stay where they are and tell themselves they have enough - because that's the only way they can really live normally by knowing they're not short on things.

Not that all americans are bad - giving credit that smart ones are actually intellectuals but they always have some backing (such as being part of a fellowship) for it. This is mainly because people like to make claims that they know what they're saying, but they misuse all the words or use words that are not simplified in order to come across as 'smarter'. At the same time you can't expect less from underachievers - academics are very easy to spot if you have studied in a university that breeds high-achieving students.

I would say it's more personal image > teamwork.
Of course, it also depends on what you do and what your intentions are that makes you good or bad. You can have good image but bad foundations. (such as stealing ideas or work or doing the least work out of everyone but sharing the best grade) I think the culprit is the culture more than anything - I wouldn't forget genetics either since 1 person can be 15 different things, good luck organizing your priorities. Opinion and Fact is dicey, but yea I don't expect people to understand the differences.

I don't know much about retail working other than you get laughed at by almost everyone.

[20:54] Lexicon: I may be 3rd place in the popularity poll but at NASA, the # order is 3>2>1.
[20:56] DXBlair: its a placement poll..not a countdown idiot
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rotten180

rotten180

Time Travel Is Never Easy

the misconception is that all the ppl are very nice, eat bacon, maple syrup and say aboot alot @.@ jeez, i dont speak like that as ive been away for a while but yeah...

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^Haha, some of my friends and I were laughing everytime our Canadian friends said oot and aboot, so they started bugging us for saying it like at and abat.

Misconception of America: if you are American and you say that you love your country, you come off as sounding quite nationalistic. This is most likely because some people do say it very nationalisticly, and they are generally a lot louder than the rest of us.

Spoiler (show)

if I say I love my country, it's because I'm happy that I live somewhere where I'm not fearing for my life when I go to sleep. The US has a ways to go still, but I think it has the potential to be better. That's part of what I like about living here. Though I'd rather live in Ankh-Morpork. Of course.

pandemonium91

Retired Moderator, Tagger

pandemonium91

@LadyTextaholic: nonsense, you guys fly around on eagles while waving flags all over the place, all the time.

People crazy in love with their country of birth are all over the place. Romanians are a strange blend of "blindly patriotic" and "trash-talk your country every chance you get". Football (soccer)? Our teams suck, yet people still crowd to see them. Politics? Everyone/the party opposing the one you support sucks, no one goes out to vote them out. Environmental concerns? Still go out for barbecues in the forest and leave piles of trash everywhere.

Hmm, a misconception about Romania: no, we're not all gypsies, nor do we all steal (though keep your wallet guarded when you visit).

If you can't handle me at my best, then you don't deserve me at my worst!

Trinidad and Tobago is the name of my country. It's 2 islands and people mostly think it's all sandals and white sandy beaches (typical expectation of a Caribbean island) or that we're a country of dirt poor locals living a third world life. What the hell does it mean to be third world anyways?

They think that we're technologically backwards and our minds are inferior because we're third world and a Caribbean island. It's totally untrue though. We have a cosmopolitan mix of races and cultures and our lives can tend to be fast paced but we make up for that by enjoying life as much as possible. We're deeply religious and our country was named for the Holy Trinity.

One more popular misconception of Russia: in Russia is very-very cold. All year we have snow and blizzard. No, we have not.
It is cold only in the north of the country.
I live in Volgograd. You are surprised, how can be hot here. Few weeks ago the thermometer showed terrible figures.
http://s010.radikal.ru/i313/1509/8e/55ddf70563a2.jpg

People from other countries thinks that Russians have gloomy and dissatisfied faces. I thought, it is misconception too, but looked narrowly and understood: it's truth. We have rage on our faces, even we have kind soul. Don't judge on appearance, my dear friends!))

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