Americans Put a Lot of Milk in their Coffee

I have been in Europe long enough, now, to have run into some interesting European perceptions of the U.S. I have *not* heard many criticisms of the States, but I have encountered some fascinating viewpoints that all stem from an erroneous assumption that one can lump all Americans into the same category. My favorites are: (1) All Americans put a lot of milk in their coffee; (2) Jobs are easy to find in the States; (3) All Americans are rich; (4) Americans don't smoke; and (5) Americans like new things while Europeans prefer old things.

There is perhaps a kernel of truth to each of these perceptions. However, I typically respond in this manner:

European friend: "All Americans like to put a lot of milk in their coffee, right?"
me: "Ummmm it's hard to say. You have to remember that the U.S. is as big as Europe minus Russia. You can't really say that all Americans are the same."
friend: "The U.S. is that big??"
me: "Yes. I drive 7 hours from home to school, without leaving my state."
friend: "I didn't realize how big it was."

I have had the above conversation perhaps 5 or 6 times in the last month. Usually, I don't even get to the point of explaining why the stereotype is incorrect; even just explaining the size of the country takes a while. Luckily I have a blog in which I can write whatever I want, so I will now proceed to deflate these stereotypes one by one.

(1) All Americans put a lot of milk in their coffee.

My father takes his coffee black. My mother takes her coffee black. My sister takes her coffee black. I drink tea, not coffee. I am not sure where this stereotype comes from... maybe from the success of Starbuck's abroad, or perhaps from older American-European interactions that I wasn't alive for...? If you know the origin of this stereotype, please let me know. I personally drink a lot of milk with a lot of cookies.

(2) Jobs are easy to find in the States.

Ok so this stereotype *is* mostly true. HOWEVER, it is only true by comparison (comparing the U.S. to other countries), and I more object to the use of the word "easy". I have run into a couple of young Europeans who truly believe that learning English and moving to America guarantees they will find a job. As I know multiple American graduates of UC Berkeley who are unemployed and frantically seeking work, I know that that comprehension of English and physical prescence in the U.S. does NOT guarantee employment. Yikes. At least in France, the government pays for medical insurance and education... it might be better to stay in Europe, at least for the moment...


(3) All Americans are rich.

This stereotype stems from the fact that for a European who has never left Europe, the only Americans that s/he has encountered probably *are* rich. Why? Because visiting Europe or moving to Europe is very very very very expensive for an American. If I re-write the stereotype as "Americans WHO ARE IN EUROPE are probably pretty rich", then it is more truthful. Are all Americans in America rich? No no no no no no no. Visit any inner city in any state, visit the dwelling of an itinerant worker, or even just read an article about Hurricane Katrina or the oil spill this summer to find the truth: poverty is alive and well in the United States of America.

(4) Americans don't smoke (cigarettes).

This stereotype is relatively accurate. Sort of. But not really. For instance, not that many Californians smoke, but if one visits New York or Boston, the number of smokers increases drastically. Additionally, even within California, there are some groups of people who smoke. I am mostly thinking of Asian American men, for whom smoking seems to be a bigger part of the lifestyle. If one moves up the West Coast a bit to Oregon or Washington, one will find more smokers. So while smoking is less popular in the U.S. than it is in, say, France, one will find different habits in different parts of the country.

(5) Americans like new things while Europeans prefer old things.

This stereotype probably is true, but with one glaring exception: The South. Go to New York or San Francisco, and one will find an appreciation of things that are new. Visit The South, and people still talk about the Civil War like it happened yesterday and still display Confederate flags, which haven't actually had a political significance in 150 years. (As a side note, the Europeans I have encountered don't know anything about The South at all. I try to explain The South, and my American friend who goes to school in Nashville tries to explain The South, and I really don't think we ever make any progress. None at all.)

So to wrap this up, if and when I drink coffee I drink it black, I'm not rich, job searching has always been arduous for me, I guess I like new things better than old things (?) and I actually don't smoke. So I am 2/5 American. Holla back.