Worldly Perspective: What are Americans like?

I recently got to spend the day with a total stranger.  Now, I would call him my friend, Florian, a German engineer who I met while he was traveling in the US for 3 weeks and we happened to be waiting for the bus to Yosemite at the same time.  We started talking, and we didn't stop until we got back to the hostel.

Florian taught me a lot and reminded me a lot and just made me really happy that airplanes and internet and television and technology in general exist these days that allow the people of the world to be more globalized than ever.  We talked about all of the things that people tell you not to talk about:  Politics, race, immigration, voting, vacation, salaries, living habits, perspectives...it's actually much easier to talk to someone outside of your realm about these things.  I think it's because they don't have as much invested in it when they don't have as much control over it?  Or maybe that it's just so different from what we're used to?  I wonder if Florian would disagree with me since I always recognize that people from outside of the US are always much more keenly aware of anything happening in the US than I am of things happening elsewhere.  I'm not sure.

In any case, I was really excited and happy when Florian told me he really appreciated how friendly Americans are.  He said they tend to be really positive people and outgoing, that they often say "hello" and greet strangers on the street.  He told me that where he's from, that's really unusual to see...he thinks it's a really wonderful way to offer an opportunity to start a conversation or even just to let people know you acknowledge them.

Thanks, Florian, for a really great day, long conversation about everything, and the opportunity to expand as a person.

...Of course Americans have a lot of other attributes that maybe aren't the best.  Doesn't everyone?  No?  Not sure.

I laughed at this video when they talked about baggy or big clothes...I wonder if they would say the same thing if they specifically asked the people interviewed to describe American women...?  Probably not.  I also found this funny because most people I speak to (around the world) recognize anything related to tight clothing for men as "very European"...so in that way, I think it's just a good observation of the difference in styles!

I do think it's interesting how portrayal in the media plays a role in how people view others.  I wonder how much of it is TV and how much is actually knowing Americans.  Do they assume that all people in McDonald's are Americans?  Or do they actually know a lot of Americans that always suggest they meet up at McDonald's?  I'm interested, actually.

While obesity is a problem in the US, it's also a big problem in a lot of other places.  Maybe in the US people make a bigger deal about it because of the constant comparisons they make between one another and our physical appearances...the constant measuring up of our bodies...while at the same time, the girls were absolutely right: sometimes we just don't care at all and we wear PJs to school and no one thinks anything of it!  I probably wouldn't even have thought about it but when they said it I was like..."yeah...they're right"; we're really concerned about our bodies and how they look, but when it comes to clothing, generally we're less concerned about the clothes, themselves, than how we look in them.  Fascinating.  Someone once told me they think Americans are more competitive...how strange that in some ways it's true and in others people think we are completely uninterested.

Finally...I'm definitely always eating.  SO they're right;  They win.  Just kidding...but it's fun to see different perspectives.  I think this might be a series;  I'd be interested to see if they do this with perceptions of people from other countries as well.