What Europeans think of each other
This is a basic backgrounder for Americans, primarily, who might think Europeans do nothing all day but bitch about Americans. Don’t get me wrong—they do love bitching about Americans. But they also like bitching about each other, as well. Bordering countries, especially, have complex caricatures of each other, even when an outsider might think they’re more or less the same. The following is based on my numerous interactions with Europeans, having lived there for 4 years. Here’s a run down:
The French — Disliked by some Spanish (particularly the Catalonians), for being arrogant. One woman from Barcelona told me, “Come on, who really likes the French? Nobody!” The Swiss don’t like the fact that they have contempt for authority and are lazy. The Brits, of course, have the most mixed feelings about the French, though. One half the country hates them, the other half loves them. Those that hate the French tend to like the Americans, and vice versa. In the UK, they’re considered stinky, rude (they never line/queue up like decent people), and a bit yellow, based on their tendency to not fend off invaders like the Nazis.The French, in turn, dislike the British, look down on Belgians for being stupid, and don’t have much to say, in my experience, about Spaniards or Germans (oddly).
The Italians — Most of the stereotypes are positive, but mostly because of the food. Northern Europeans consider them lazy and flaky, and maybe incapable of managing anything right (mostly because of the 50+ governments they’ve had since WW2). One Dutch professor I had dismissed another Italian one, saying, “All the Italians care about are pasta and mamma.”Italians, in turn, don’t have strong feelings about other Europeans, but within Italy, the north-south divide is pretty strong. Northern Italians continuously complain that Southerners are lazy and unproductive, while Southerners complain that Northerners are devoid of culture or joie de vivre.
The Germans — Germans are considered industrious but uptight and humorless, by just about all the other Europeans. They know WW2 is a sore spot for them, so other Europeans will often mercilessly tease them about it. As much as Germany is considered an economic powerhouse, the vast majority of Europeans don’t really want to learn German or study there (or send their kids there to study). The food is considered uninspired, too, and only Berlin has some cachet among younger Europeans for its vibrant underground club scene. The most anti-German sentiments are among the Dutch and Danish, who just hate them from invading their countries too often. When German ask for directions in Holland, they’re usually given directions to the shortest way out of the country, or told “Give us back our bikes!”, a reference to the fact that Germans confiscated Dutch bicycles during WW2.Danes hate it when you pronounce their capital as “ko-pen-HAH-gen”, because this is the German pronunciation. Either pronounce it the English way (with “HAY” instead), or the Danish way, which is literally impossible to put down here.Germans tend to like their Western neighbors far more than they are liked by them, but they look down on their Eastern neighbors, particularly Poles. They, oddly, have some mixed respect for the Czechs, who have resisted German aggression.
The Scandinavians — Widely respected by most other Europeans, because of their high standard of living …and blond hair and blue eyes. However, within Scandinavia there are some persistent stereotypes. The Norwegians, Danes and Finns all think the Swedes are stupid and uptight. Norwegians are considered racist. Danes are considered more blunt than the others, maybe a bit more cranky, and the Finns are oddly introverted, even by Scandinavian standards. Except for the Danes really disliking Germans, and Finns really disliking Russians, they don’t really have anything against other Europeans.
The Belgians — Considered idiots by both the Dutch and the French. Belgians, in turn, consider the Dutch to be a bunch of cranky assholes, and French stuck-up.
The Dutch — The Dutch, like the Scandinavians, have an enviable economy and social order that’s admired by southern European countries. However, they do have a reputation of being self-righteous “know-it-alls” and very similar to their German cousins in terms of their rigidity. But they do not like any comparisons to Germans, and if you remind them that the Dutch national anthem makes a reference to the Dutch being “van Duitse bloed” (from German blood), you might quickly get the silent treatment. The Dutch are also disliked for being the biggest misers in Europe, and because of this they incur the wrath of the tourist industry wherever they travel. The Dutch have been known to stock up on water before they take their campers down to the south of France.The Dutch, in turn, kind of look down on just about everyone. Yes, there’s a bit of a reason for the “know-it-all” smart-ass reputation they have.
The Swiss — Considered extremely rigid, even by the Germans. Blunt to the point of being rude, the Swiss probably have the least likely reputation for being characterized as “friendly” or “warm”. Note that there is a big cultural divide between French-speaking Swiss, and the German-speaking Swiss. The former are almost exactly like the French, except having a blander cuisine and more respect for authority, the latter being more like the Germans except even more stiff, rigid and cranky. However, everyone knows Switzerland “works” so the fact that foreigners comprise 20% of the population (mostly from EU member states) should make this clear.Note that the German-speaking Swiss also speak their own variant of German, which sounds very strange if you’ve only been exposed to standard “hoch-Deutsch”.
The Spaniards — Honestly, very little antagonism against the Spanish or by the Spanish. No one really seems to dislike them, and they don’t seem to really dislike anyone else. (Yes, some Spaniards near the border to France don’t like the French very much) Not entirely sure why. However, God forbid you speak Spanish with a Latin American accent — there is still a lot of snobbery among Spaniards towards Latin Americans. Spaniards consider themselves white and European, and would be deeply insulted if you suggested they were Latin American of any kind.
The Greeks — Only nominally considered European by other Europeans, but the Greeks fiercely identify as European. Naturally, this is a huge irritant to Greeks.
The Poles — Not much seems to register about Poland and the Poles except that they’re quiet. They are a relatively big country (40 million people) so the supposed scare of being overrun by Eastern Europeans when a bunch of Eastern European countries joined the EU in 2005 focused in on the Poles. The Germans really don’t like Poles, and among Germany’s 9 neighbors, are disliked the most. Poland is considered a country of car thieves by the Germans. Really, the relationship between Germany and Poland is similar to that of the United States and Mexico, and often for many of the same reasons (differences in income, history of war, different languages, etc.).Poles really shore up their hatred for their eastern & southern neighbors, primarily Russia and Ukraine, although they don’t like Czechs, Slovaks or Lithuanians either. Oddly, they don’t really mind the Germans, and probably still fear them a bit — you never, ever hear jokes about Germans in Poland.
The Czechs — Considered a relatively bright spot of Eastern Europe by Western Europeans, but I think primarily because Prague is such a gorgeous city and a popular tourist destination. Czechs are a bit like Germans, though — a bit rude, blunt, and cold. Poles don’t have much good to say about them.
The Austrians — Considered a mix of the best & worst aspects of Germany and the Balkans, Austrians are considered laid-back but very nationalistic and racist. They’re said to be the birthplace of Hitler, but never came around to being fully apologetic about the Holocaust (unlike Germany). Neutral feelings from most ofWestern Europe, negative feelings from Germans (who consider them backwards, and not always the representing the best image of German-speaking people) and admired by Eastern Europeans (a throwback to the Hapsburgs).
The British – About half of the British would be really angry at being called European, so that should provide an apt starting point. The main beef with the Brits is that they’re considered the lapdog of the U.S., and are anti-European because the U.S. tells them to be so. They are considered polite, but maybe a bit two-faced (hence “Janus Britain”) and snobby. The Scots and Welsh are tolerated and liked, inasmuch as that no one really knows too much about them outside the UK, but the English are those that bear the brunt of negative sentiments among other Europeans. After all, London is in England.
The English also have a poor reputation in tourist traps, such as Amsterdam and Ibiza, for being loud-mouthed, obnoxious drunks.
The English, in turn, really seem to hate everyone. This is because it’s pretty hard to find an Englishman that has even, at best, neutral opinions about other Europeans (or Americans, or other nationalities). Europe is full of English expats, and the longer they live abroad, the more they seem to hate their host country. And yet they never seem to want to move home.
The Irish — A very small country, despite its exaggerated importance in Americans’ minds (just over 4.6 million in the Republic of Ireland) but considered polite and humble. They nominally dislike the English, but I have yet to meet an Irishman who really loathes the English. The sentiments towards the Irish and by the Irish seem to be positive, overall.
I personally don’t know much about how the Portuguese, Hungarians, Romanians, Bulgarians, and others are perceived, or how they perceive others, but if you have something to add, please do so in the comments below.
I’ll leave you with this poster I saw in an Italian office years ago, that helps sum it up in some ways:
In Heaven…
- the mechanics are German
- the chefs are French
- the police are British
- the lovers are Italian
- and everything is organized by the Swiss.
In Hell…
- the mechanics are French
- the police are German
- the chefs are British
- the lovers are Swiss
- and everything is organized by the Italians.
Update: Here’s my follow-up after this post got an avalanche of traffic and comments.
Another update: Here’s a related post on what Americans think about Europeans.
And another: 20 ways to slice up Europe.
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
Lighten up Adam it doesnt matter if everone hates us ime sure your (Friend) & family love you. Ime english & ugly & hate the F–k— French and all the other bastards. Bye the way something you cant comment on is whether you are ugly or not let others be the judge of that.
Comment by thorpey — October 26, 2011 @ 7:11 am
First of all, thanks @Adam for that post. “People shouldn’t be judged on their nationality but rather on their individual personalities and behaviour.” I wholeheartedly agree. By the way, I’m German, and reading over most of these comments it seems to me that Germany is slightly underrepresented, so I’m going to give it a go.
These following statements are stereotypes that I’ve heard, NOT my personal opinion!!!
Austria: Our smaller but closely related neighbor. Lovely people who speak an interesting dialect. You don’t hear much from them, except that they tend to kidnap people and put them into their basements. Hitler was born in Austria and spoke a weird Austrian dialect which makes it hard for us to understand his speeches.
Belarus: Somewhere next to Ukraine. Cold and grey; dubious politics.
Belgium: Small country but very important in European affairs. They speak French and German and Dutch and have a king. Also very cosmopolitan.
Bosnia: Sadly, was involved in bloody civil wars in the 90s and still hasn’t completely recovered.
Bulgaria: Lags behind the European standard of living. Also seems to be very far away from us. Many Germans don’t seem to see differences between the Slavic countries.
Croatia: Next to Bosnia. Previously a tourist destination and slowly becoming one again. Nice coast there and friendly people.
Cyprus: An island that’s divided between Turkey and Greece. It’s a sad affair; they just can’t seem to find an agreement. The country itself seems to be beautiful and Mediterranean.
Czech Republic: Has a highly beautiful capital called Prague.
Denmark: Beautiful small country to our north. Its inhabitants are descendants of the Vikings and have a high standard of living. Also patriotic – they put their flag everywhere. Denmark mostly consists of countryside. Some wonderful beaches. Their capital is on an island. Danes come over the border to Germany to buy beer there. They also visit Germany to see mountains.
Estonia: One of the three Baltic countries, but which one? Now in the EU. Also the name of a ferry which tragically sank in the Baltic sea in the 90s.
Finland: Nordic country. Their economy is based on producing cell phones and every Finn has at least three. Also a pretty cold country with a lot of forests and lakes. The people are wealthy and have the best school system in the world. Sadly, also a high suicide rate. Finns seem to tend towards depression. Kings of sauna.
France: Our beloved neighbors and good friends. France and we run the EU together. Fine food, fine wine, fine beaches. Everything is very centralized there; all the roads meet in Paris. Tons of stuff to see there. Sadly, French people refuse to speak a word of English (or any language other than French) even though it is compulsory in schools. Also way too many nuclear power stations.
Greece: Beautiful Mediterranean country. Beaches, museums, a history that is thousands of years old. Also impossible amounts of smog in Athens. Extremely relaxed people. Greeks don’t seem to like working. Because of this they need to be supported by EU money, the most of which comes from Germany. Many Germans don’t really understand why we have to pay for them.
Hungary: Mostly unknown country in south-western Europe; however, you can spend cheap vacations there. Also, home of goulash.
Iceland: Almost America but somehow still Europe. Home of Eyjafallajökull and Björk. The last Vikings live there. Iceland consists of Rejkjavík, volcanoes and geysers and unfortunately is very expensive to travel to.
Ireland: Island country on the furthest edge of Europe. Beautiful green countryside. Home to Irish folk music which is pretty popular in Germany. They also have the coolest Euro coins (with a harp). Irish people are nice and relaxed but very catholic. Many Germans actually believe that the conflicts take place in the Republic of Ireland instead of Northern Ireland.
Italy: First foreign experience for many Germans. Hot and catholic, home of the pope. Countless tourist attractions and some of the best food in the world. Italy used to be cheap but is now on the same level as everything else. Sadly, Italians have a problem with waste disposal and ship their waste off to Germany. Silvio Berlusconi rules there and has turned politics into a soap opera. Italians love football almost as much as Germans.
Latvia: Another one of the three … hmm, which one?
Lithunia: And the third one. There are frequently trucks wearing a Lithuanian license plate on German autobahns.
Luxembourg: Very small country which is the center of the EU. Luxembourgers are bilingual and not so different from Belgians.
Malta: Small island in the Mediterranean. Consists only of its capital, Valetta. People speak English there.
Netherlands: Our friendly neighbors. Germans feel generally very positive towards the Dutch, although some do criticize the drug traffic. The Netherlands are known for having greater success in integration affairs than Germany. The Netherlands are also very flat and will be swallowed by the sea once it rises due to global warming.
Norway: Very wealthy country due to oil and gas. Beautiful country too. One of the top emigration destinations for Germans. People all speak perfect English.
Poland: Eastern European country with very difficult historical ties to Germany. Thousands of polish trucks on our autobahns every day. Many immigrants to Germany. Also some beautiful nature, though Germans still have to discover it.
Portugal: Mediterranean country that doesn’t belong to Spain but isn’t very different. Tourist destination. Also needs to be supported by the EU.
Romania: Lagging behind European standards. Located somewhere between Bulgaria, Slovakia and Russia.
Russia: Big and cold and grey. Consists of Moscow and Siberia. Has large amounts of oil and gas. Moscow is fairly modern but elsewhere the standard of living is pretty low. Putin still runs the country. Home of oligarchs and vodka.
Serbia: Next to Bosnia and Croatia. Still mentioned on the news at times.
Slovakia: Located somewhere behind the Czech Republic.
Slovenia: A member of the EU, that much we know.
Spain: For many Germans only consists of Mallorca, Paella and Flamenco. Oh and bullfight (abolished now).
Sweden: Wealthy northern country with nice people who all speak perfect English. Beautiful landscapes and elks. Home of Ikea. Every German university student wants to spend a semester in Sweden because of the country’s great reputation.
Switzerland: Patriotic high-tech country. People are mostly friendly towards Germans and speak their own German language which is hard to understand (they also speak French and Italian). The Swiss banks are legendary. Germans go to Switzerland to do skiing and hiking. Very close political and economical ties.
Ukraine: Next to Belarus. Home of Chernobyl.
United Kingdom: Sadly, most Germans have never heard of the term “UK” and call the country England, even though it should be known that it’s also Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. English people don’t like the EU and would rather be American. They also live in the past – that is to say, in WW2 – and still have strong anti-German feelings. (Scots and Welsh, not so much. They’re nicer to us.) It probably has something to do with British media (which e.g. constantly compares football matches to war battles). It’s really sad that Brits just don’t understand that the war has been over for 65 years and that it was our ancestors who did that, not us.
As for me, I prefer to judge people individually, if at all, and I try to be as open-minded and tolerant as possible. I did a student exchange program and met people from all over Europe and all of them were nice and beautiful. If only all people could be tolerant and unbiased – I do believe life would be easier.
Comment by Owl — October 26, 2011 @ 7:12 pm
“”French people refuse to speak a word of English””
________________
Maybe because we are tired to see millions of tourists visiting our country and none of them say “bonjour”…is it too difficult? For us it’s impolite…
Comment by Gavroche — November 4, 2011 @ 6:45 am
I’m british and from london and this is all so silly. None of us have a REAL problem with eachother. We tease eachother – yes but none of us actually believe in these streotypes! And we obvs love the french, there is a reason we have the eurostar! X
Comment by Elena — November 8, 2011 @ 11:27 pm
French people refuse to speak a word of English, but they’ll happily look down on any other french-speaker, especially native french-speakers.
There used to be a motto among french “comedians” (french comedians usually aren’t funny): when in Swiss, mock the Belgians; when in Belgium, mock the Swiss. Same jokes, just intervert nations. A fine example of french “courage”.
Please, don’t lump us french-speaking belgians with them; we’re nothing alike. Personally, I’m much more immersed in british culture than french.
Comment by Cheese-eating surrender monkeys — November 14, 2011 @ 4:29 pm
Thorpey: the normans weren’t french; they were Vikings!
The crown of France did what it does best: surrender Normandy to Rollo, a norwegian King that had invaded in the tenth century.
By the time of Hastings 1066, Normandy was still independent from the crown of France.
Comment by Cheese-eating surrender monkeys — November 14, 2011 @ 4:35 pm
I see why the Euro is dying. You all are STARK RAVING MAD!!
Comment by King Charles — November 15, 2011 @ 3:27 am
Im British and my parents are Scottish but I was raised in England most of my life. Ive been around most of Europe and lived in America and Turkey (my fiance is Turkish). Most of the stereotypes are sort of accurate, but some are off the mark. From a British perspective I can tell you how we see things.
Spain – Cool people, like us they love football and they like having a good time. Loud people and always talking, the ones I knew liked Brits but really disliked the French. We like them generally speaking, except when they keep trying to buy all your players! (Arsenal fan)
France – Women are a bit up themselves but are also a little insecure once you see through their exterior. Quite nationalist people and i dont think they really give a toss about other countries, as France is the centre of the universe. I have a french mate and we were out once and he met some french blokes after we left he said they told him why are you hanging out with these British assholes! But then again my mate is a top lad and loves a bit of banter regarding us rosbifs and lefrogs so i think the French are a bit arrogant but thats just history and rivalry.
Germans – Hard working although unable to work outside the box, great engineering industry, like weird porn, drink a lot like us, they stare a lot which is weird and they really do seem a bit robotic. Occasionally you will find one with a good sense of humour. Living in Turkey they visit a lot and get done over by the taxi drivers and people working in the markets.
Swedes – Cold people, bit weird and always seem depressed, arrogant but have no idea they are so.
Turks – Friendly but are so patriotic and always think Turkey will be some huge superpower in the future, too conservative and not individual people. Will do anything to help you, unless your a naieve tourist.
Italians – short mamas boys, use a lot of gel, but great culture
Dutch – easy going and laid back, Brits like dutch people
Poles – always wanting to fight, look like drug addicts and a bit thick
Czechs – cool people who drink a lot
Americans – loud thinks everyone wants to know them as they are american, patriotic but also have no real culture or history
Comment by andy — November 15, 2011 @ 7:34 pm
Dear Cheese- Eating Surrender Monkeys, you are spot on, this of course means that we were invaded by the vikings again!
regards
Comment by thorpey — November 18, 2011 @ 9:21 am
actually, we do have a lot of jokes about Germans. And I mean it, a lot. We have stereotype that they are brutal, arrogant, humourless, stupid, rule-obeying and hardworking. The one of cliches is “the German, the Pole and the Russian” jokes, where Pole is smart, German is militaristic dumb, while Russian is likeably ultra-strng and tough but dumb (i do not say it’s true, it’s just how they are portraited in these jokes)
Comment by szopen — November 21, 2011 @ 3:31 am
When I lived in Belgium, it is obvious that the Flemish and Belgians don’t like each other. The Belgians and French are at odds as you mentioned, and some Belgians hate the Germans. Travelled to Czech also, our host hated the Germans from the war.
Comment by Todd — November 21, 2011 @ 6:26 am
It’s pretty true, though you forgot to say that the Germans really love the French, except for those in the South West near the border to France. For enjoying life a lot we say “Leben wie Gott in Frankreich” which means “living like God in France” (it’s a bit old-fashioned though).
As far as the old WWII hatred against Germans is concerned, my experience from Norway and Britain (probably it’s the same in Denmark and the Netherlands) is that hardly anyone younger than 50 would have anything against the Germans because of the war. There is some teasing though but it doesn’t seem to be hateful. It’s just that we normally don’t really have a good answer to the jokes, that makes this kind of situation a bit awkward. We don’t really want to say something like “Oh yes, my Grandpa loved his stay in Denmark, the people were even more Aryan than in Germany!” or “No, I don’t kill people in concentration camps, I have my Dutch collaborators for this kind of work.” We sometimes have the feeling that we should still be more sensitive than others. There are some Germans who are quite vulnerable to WWII jokes, some people would feel hurt and/or consider it more hateful than it really is meant to be.
I would just sit back, let people tease and enjoy. After all it shows that the old hate is gone and people can laugh about it.
By the way, besides Berlin, Hamburg and Munich are also popular destinations for European foreigners. There are also quite a few Dutch tourists who go to the hilly areas in Southern Germany on vacation.
Comment by Ze German — November 22, 2011 @ 2:08 pm
I forget to mention Belgians dislike Americans. *gasp*
Comment by Todd — November 22, 2011 @ 10:00 pm
LOL@Greek hate. It’s getting kinda funny after a while. “ZOMG1!1! ZE LAZY GVEEKS! R STEELING AR MANEY!1!1!ONE1!1!”
Comment by Kool — December 8, 2011 @ 3:00 am
I’m from Italy, and I’ve so many things to say… but it would take too much to write everything.
I only want to underline one point: English (I mean by U. S. A., not U. K.) has “infected” lots of other languages, and reactions has been different: Spanish and French has “refused” most of English words (“computer” is “ordenador” or “ordinateur”) or they simply changed words according to their own pronunciation and spelling (“stress” has become “estrés in Spanish”); in Italian, English words are everywhere, still in their original spelling, and they are “fashionable” among teenagers; but most of the people (not youth) above all from South Italy , really dislike speaking English.
That’s why I think that Spaniard, French and “old-generation” Italians are united (in spite of the differences among them) against U. S. A. dominance; but nowadays U. S. A. are Italians’ “Idol”.
Comment by fresno1606 — December 8, 2011 @ 6:27 am
Ive insulted the French the Germans the Spaniards and even our cousins the Americans before on this ezene and said nice things about the Scandinavians and the Portuguese, I said at the time that I would give the rest of the europeans a slagging off (with a few exeptions) at a later date, and now is a good time. The European Union summit has ended in David Camerons apparent ‘isolation’
from the rest of Europe, the leaders after the summit were quick to point this out as though they wanted the world to know that they had collectively punished our Dave for fighting his own country’s corner. Mr & Mrs Merkozy ( I think it must have been consumated by now !) were loving everyminute of it. We even had a leader from one of the baltic states, I never caught her name so I will refer to her as Mrs Baltic, getting in on the act. To her and all the others I say these simple facts, David Cameron was born in a country called England, its a very small part of Europe Geographically, in terms of its infuence on the world in the past & present it is a land of giants. To qualify that last statement I will name a just a few people that have come from his country, Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest minds of all time, William Shakespear a playwright of some renown, Charles Darwin another scientist with an interesting theory… can you see where ime going with this or shall I chuck in a load more? we wont talk about world expansion the industrial revolution, the mother of parliaments ect. ect. add infinitum, but lets chuck in the Beatles for good luck, a working class pop group from somewher up north. Those are just a few of our finest. In this country the Baltic states and a lot of the others are only known for the flood of their citizens that seek to make a new life in England & nothing else. So as far as Mrs Baltic & Mr & Mrs Merkozy and their colleagues are concerned you can stick the eurozone and its ‘Leaders’ where the sun doesn’t shine. I can say with high confidence that I am speaking for a very high percentage of British people. There are 50 nations in europe and most are in a category in which no one really knows anything about because in terms of what they have achieved past or present they are hugely insignificant. Notable exeptions (apart from the ones I mentioned in the previous post) are Greece & Italy the parents of european civilization former great countries both historically & culturally that everyone owes a debt of gratitude to, its a shame to see them fall so far. Before the Romans invaded us were bare to the waist and covered in tatoos & warpaint (some of us still are after a couple of drinks).
The eastern europeans, the baltic states, the balkans and all the others are lower division players. Lets not forget Russia though the largest country in Europe (& Asia) they are still a major player to be ignored at our peril, its just a matter of time before they are at it again, they definitely have an aversion to being democratic. You will all be glad to know that this will be my final post on this site as I must have outstayed my welcolme with some of the comments. finally I leave you with Remys comment from a previous post
France IS NOT Sarkozy, and ABOVE ALL, Sarkozy is DEFINITIVELY NOT France. Sarkozy is a deep idiot and a racist egocentric president ruling his country like a monarchic King of the 18th century … (Remy is of course French) it just showes that in spite of our differences we can all find common ground somewhere. I total agree with you Remy, and Dave, you played a Blinder.
Good Luck to you all happy posting.
Comment by thorpey — December 12, 2011 @ 5:51 am
Very good. Best single-page summary of intra-European chauvinism I’ve read. Can I add one on my (British) view of Hungarians – they all seem to be frighteningly clever. I’ve never met a stupid Magyar.
Comment by Tom R — December 13, 2011 @ 4:26 pm
I’m Portuguese thanks for forgetting us by the way
So here’s what some of us think
Spanish- like brothers we don’t feel any less significant
Brazilians- even though there not European slot of people think there beter than them
Greeks- what can I say slot of us can’t stand them we think their just idiots
Italians- we are very similar and get along well
Comment by Al — December 17, 2011 @ 11:35 am
That last post…its in Hetalia…the anime of ultimate European stereotypes….
Comment by Hope L. — December 25, 2011 @ 1:22 am
Well, I’m French and I will try to tell you how the French see the other Europeans and other peoples around the world.
The Belgians: Very positive opinion in general. We consider them as nice and they have great beers and chocolates. We have jokes about them but it’s friendly. They also have jokes about French people.
The Germans: Despite the two world wars, we generally appreciate them. They are seen as hard-working and their country is safe. They generally speak well other languages. Nevertheless, as tourists, they are sometimes seen as untidy.
The Italians: concerning the positive aspects, they are friendly and have a beautiful language and culture. A lot of French are of Italian descent. But concerning the negative aspects, they are seen as loud and having a displaced sense of nationalism.
The Dutch: no particular hostility against them but they are generally considered as cold and avaricious. They have the chutzpah to say that “Holland has not been build by God but by the Dutch” AND “France would be better without the French”. We do not consider them as the most friendly Germanic people and the Dutch language have a bad reputation. Nevertheless, we agree to say they’re industrious, skilled in language and honest.
The Irish: they are among the most appreciated peoples by the French. We love their sense of hospitality, their music and their culture. Just one thing to say: the anti-football French people think that football should not destroy a relation between peoples.
The Spaniards: almost the same perception we have concerning the Italians. Spain means for a lot of Frenchmen holidays.
The Portuguese: they are kind for us. But some French who have met some Portuguese will say the Portuguese tend to be very indifferent to the other peoples.
The English: we have a love/hate relation with them. We agree they behaved bravely during WWII. Some French think the English are scornful and snobs. Some other French, particularly the youngsters, tend to like the culture and London. The English are known to speak only English. However, the French agree to say they are generally polite. The French from the political right side say the politically correct ideology is even worst in GB than in France.
The Scandinavians: Well, we do not really distinguish the Danes, the Norwegians and the Swedes concerning the mentality. We generally admire their living system even if some French of the political right side worry about multiculturalism in these countries. Some French who has been living in Scandinavia would perhaps tell the Danes are a bit colder than their cousins.
Sweden is particularly appreciated for its culture.
The Finns: French readers love their literature and French metalheads admire their metal bands (Korpiklaani, Nightwish, Turisas). the Finnish language sounds cool to the French ears. Nevertheless, we do not have further contacts with them.
The Swiss: we highly admire their democracy and their sense of tidiness. nevertheless, some French complain about their anti-French feelings.
The Icelanders: the French consider Iceland as the coldest country in the world. We tend to appreciated the Icelandic faculty to live in their island (the volcano crisis). The Icelanders are know for their literature.
The Russians: the French consider them as courageous. We find their women beautiful and Moscow an amazing city. They appreciate to see the Russians dealing proudly with the trials of their history.
The Greeks: despite negative prejudices because of the crisis, we tend to find the Greeks friendly. We consider them as a French-friendly nation.
The Turks: some French consider them as arrogant and sub-developed. Some other French find the Turks friendly and cultivated. We agree Ataturk was a great leader but more and more French worry about Erdogan’s attitude.
The Japaneses: we highly admire their culture and their sense of honor and respect. In Europe, we are the first readers of mangas. We consider though a bit eccentric and cold but nothing bad.
The Chinese: some French consider them as industrious and humble. But in France, their products have bad reputation and we don’t like very much their government. Generally, the French expats in China are a lot more pro-Chinese than the other French.
The Australians: they are seen as laid-back and welcoming.
The Canadians and the Quebecois: same perception than concerning the Australians. We see them as welcoming even if we are aware they have some prejudices towards us.
The Americans: we share a love/hate relationship with them. The anti-American French consider them as unkind, arrogant and aggressive towards the rest of the world. The pro-American French think they are kind, very welcoming and have a great sense of family and patriotism. The American culture is both loved and loathed. It depends on which facets (music, cinema, literature)
The Algerians: the French perception navigates between indifference and hostility. A lot of French wonder why they seem traumatized by the French colonization while thousands of Algerians come in France and get the French nationality.
The Israelis: in France, the only thing told in the media are about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So there is a lot of prejudices towards Israel, aggravated by our huge Muslim population. But I don’t think there is really a cultural hostility towards the Israelis in France. For example, the Medicis Prize (a literature prize) was granted to an Israeli author this year. And the Israeli band Orphaned Land has a lot of French fans.
The Brazilians: well, we have almost the same view towards them as the other Europeans have. They are relax and optimistic.
The Peruvians: French expats hailed their kindness
The Argentinians: the French are generally more at ease with them than with the other Latin American peoples because Argentina is the Latin American country with the greatest population of French descent. Their wine is famous here.
**************************
I often read the French are arrogant. Well, French arrogance exists but more against ourselves than against the foreigners. The French looooove to think they are better in diverse things comparing to their compatriots . Some French love foreign countries in order to be snob against their neighbors. There is a famous citation by De Gaulle “The French are calves”. We forget the primary reason of this citation to apply this each time we consider our compatriots behave stupidly or cowardly.
I hate French-bashing but I must admit the French suffer of individualism. When it happens to the others, they won’t lift a finger, only when it happens to themselves or their families.
But generally, the French are not xenophobic. We have a lot of citizens of Spanish, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, Vietnamian and African descent.
Comment by Alexandre — December 29, 2011 @ 5:58 pm
I am a Croat, and I would like to say that Croats think very positive about other nations, but have difficulties with their neighbour. First with the Serbs, due to the fact that they are very agressive and impolite, ignorant and able to manipulate with informations.
We look with a lot of respect to Germans, but also to Western Slavs, ,due to their history. We are keen to learn foreign languages, and able to integrate to new cultures. Also, it is not true that we hate Serbs, we are just affraid of they agressive manipulations. You will see how they react close to a Croat person. It is torture to Croats.
Comment by anja — December 29, 2011 @ 6:04 pm
I am a Croat, and I would like to say that Croats think very positive about other nations, but have difficulties with their neighbor. First with the Serbs, due to the fact that they are very aggressive and impolite, ignorant and able to manipulate with information.
We look with a lot of respect to Germans, but also to Western Slavs, due to their history. We are keen to learn foreign languages, and able to integrate to new cultures. Also, it is not true that we hate Serbs, we are just afraid of they aggressive manipulations. You will see how they react close to a Croat person. It is torture to Croats.
Comment by Ivan — December 30, 2011 @ 9:34 am
haha!
hey, I was laughing at this because it reminded me of this anime were the characters are based on their stereotypes and represent a country (it’s called Hetalia btw).
Oh, and I’m Spanish and live in America and it true what they say.
one day my mom and i went to a grocery store and some Mexican women asked us if we were Argentinan and yeah, you can imagined what happened.
Comment by chinaIchooseyou — January 3, 2012 @ 7:48 pm
…personally I’ve always hated the people Andorra with their unhealthy mountain fixation, but they’re nothing compared to the most evil nation on the face of the earth – I’m talking of course talking about Lichtenstein – what a bunch of b*stards!
In the words of Jack Nicholson “why can’t we just get along” – though I suppose if we did history would be really tedious and boring – a lot like Luxembourg (don’t get me going about them…)
Thanks from th UK for all the posts – certainly made me smile.
ps – If you’re from the US military and are reading the above countries don’t exist and what I have written should not be considered intel or form any part of your future strategic planning.
Comment by Nick — January 6, 2012 @ 1:13 pm
Hi,
I love this article. You could write a book about this. Most of this is true.
I’m a Pole living in the UK. I worked with many Europeans mentioned by you and this is the brutal truth.
From a Polish perspective I have to add though I don’t feel any dislike towards the Czech, Slovaks or any other that you mentioned. We might laugh a bit at the way they speak (very similar to Polish), but the people from all the countries you mentioned I feel no dislike. On the contrary, I found it easy to work and socialize with:
Germans – best engineers ever existed. I’ve made a lot of German friends here in the UK and see little difference between our cultures and food. Note however the area I come from used to belong to Germany and my granddad was German. I feel sad when I hear that they don’t like us in Germany (can’t blame them though…). Give us a chance Dear Neighbours! The country is the cleanest in Europe. Hardworking, but not good at customer service at all (just like Poles). Hard language to learn. After so many years of studying, my German is still not 100%. Very punctual. I love Munich. It’s just like upgraded Gdansk. ? It’s my dream to move there. I liked people in the south better than in Berlin. Best chocolate on the planet. There are a few childish jokes about the Germans, but we generally don’t make fun of them. Someone here mentioned: “It’s usually along the lines of: “So there is a German, a Russian and a Pole…”. I’ve heard they don’t like Turks and the Greeks? About Polish… They like us in the UK for sure once they get to know us well. I’ve more German friends here than Polish. I also had many Germans coming to my parents B&B during the summer. They always come back the year after and bring more and more friends. They seem to like Poland a lot. Foods good, they’re treated well and everything used to be cheaper (I use past tense here on purpose).
Czechs & Slovaks – no dislike. Nice people. Funny languages (sorry, had to say it!) and sound alike. The closest cultures to my own. Probably the only two countries we do make fun of and because the languages sound so funny (childlike). I hear they find it easier to understand us than the other way round. I hope I don’t offend anyone here!
Ukrainians – 2 of my English teachers were Ukrainian LOL. No dislike, nice people, feel sorry for their economic situation. Some idiots might look down at them, because they are from the “east” and poor. I personally liked all Ukrainians I met so far.
Bulgarians – similar feeling as to the Ukrainians.
Russians – OMG and here it starts. Poland’s by far the most disliked country, due to their government’s politics. NEVER EVER tell the Poles they’re like or are similar to Russians unless you want to seriously offend them! On the other hand, as much as the Poles might dislike the government, they tend to say that an average Russian citizen is really… nice and likable. Paradox really. People tend to look down at them in Poland too (similar story to Ukrainians I guess). I met a few Russians and found them to be a bit pushy. Imperialists. Probably have the best educational system in Europe.
Hungarians – Poles really like them! We even have an old saying in Polish that the Poles and Hungarians are like close cousins… I met 2 ladies from Hungary – the loveliest women on the whole planet.
Spanish – nice and warm. Relaxed. Liked them a lot. Loud. They usually have a strong accent when speak German and English. Unpunctual.
Portuguese – met a few. Very friendly, always smiling. A big YES. ?
Italians – chaos. Haha. But nice people, warm. My best mate is marrying an Italian (who surprisingly is quiet and very modest). They’re famous for living with their mums until they’re 40+. Talk a lot. Worst drivers in the whole planet. Loud. Unpunctual.
Norwegians – I hear Poles complaining and saying frequently “really demanding towards others, but never themselves”, although I personally never met a single Norwegian here in the UK.
UK – goes into extremes. Half of the citizens are very hard working the other half does (literally) nothing – both at home or at work. Half are very tolerant and nice, smile a lot, the other half of the country hates everybody else on this planet (apart from Canadians and Aussies where they like to emigrate) and complain about everything and everybody. Half are sometimes blunt, the other half the most twofaced people I ever met in my entire life. Poles are not their favourites – we’re job stealers! Really good at customer service. Restaurants tend to be dirty. A lot of them have a lot of self confidence to the point of arrogance. Imperialists. Scots are my favourite in the whole country (warm, drink a lot and are generally very friendly), although I have one at work who is a racist and doesn’t like Poles… He tolerates me though. Food is horrible in the UK. Education is really bad until A-levels. People here can’t spell their own native language and often ask us (yes us, Poles!) how to spell words like Belgium!!! Universities (e.g. MBA programmes) are good. They’re generally smart, but the general knowledge (esp. geography) is not good at all (saying it diplomatically). Punctual. They’re not similar to other Europeans at all (apart from the Swedes I hear). Definitely not heaven here, but BBC rocks!
Irish – nice, warm, very friendly people. Relaxed. Drink a lot, but are really lovely. One of my favourites in Europe! ?
French are so far the biggest “challenge” to me. Some of them (have parents from other countries) are really lovely. Arrogant, selfish, proud and vain – they think they’re the centre of the whole universe. Paranoid, insecure. And dare say what you think about them… Then wait and observe the fury and revenge! Haha. They think the Portuguese, Polish, Bulgarians and others are good at cleaning the toilets only. Very racist, the concept of team work doesn’t exist in their minds. Man can be either very Macho or feminine. They have good food and wine though. Dress nice and have good taste. Terrible customer service and as chaotic as the Italians! Little advice: never ask the French for help unless you’re a close friend. Extremely R U D E … Parisians are just horrible people. And no I didn’t speak English to them. I speak good French. Cleanness is not their strongest side either. Imperialists. The last place on the planet where I could live.
Swiss. I work with them every day too. French speaking Swiss (see the description of the French above). German speaking – the best organized nationals in the whole universe. Amazing. I really admire them for that. Very punctual. When they are travellers they are really likable, but at home they tend to have their “noses up”. Well, they do have many things they can be proud of – and they are the most neutral country of the whole Europe. Italian speaking – nice, friendly and talk a lot. I hear the Brits saying they’re more direct than I am (to the point of being rude).
Poles – I live outside Poland, so I hope if you forgive me if I add something I observe every time I go back. Rude drivers and bad at customer service. Our roads… OMG. Disaster, although a lot has already improved. They like foreigners they don’t know and are exotic or anybody from the West, although this has started to change the more and more contact they have with people from outside Poland. Germans in my area are respected. The British started slowly ruining their very good reputation (drastic change compared to 10 years ago). They have nothing against our southern neighbours and Lithuanians, Estonians or Latvians. Tend to look down at the eastern neighbours (can sometimes be called Ruscy). Hungarians (although most Poles in the north never even met one…) are liked a lot. Usually very frank, but still polite. People from our dear capital Warsaw are seen as rude and arrogant. Gypsies the least tolerated group. They have a really bad reputation for being stealers, liars and refuse to integrate. I feel sorry for them in a way, but it’s their own fault. Some Poles make racist comments about Jews. I never understood why and I don’t think anyone really knows why they don’t like Jews. I even haven’t met a single one in Poland! We clearly have an inferiority complex – leftovers after the wars, years of Russian’s unwanted (oh yes!) invasion. Somewhat punctual. Very hospitable. They admire the French until they hear my experience with them. 😛 Still very pro-American, although this changes now. Hard working – yes, but even more abroad! Poles from the north like people from Krakow and mountains area and vice versa from what I observe. We are quite quiet abroad and compared to most of the nationalities I mentioned here. Very religious (not to say fanatics!) and value family life a lot. We’re quite reserved at the beginning, but we get warmer the better people get to know themselves. The country tends to be clean.
Dutch – I met one in Germany and he was lovely. Got along with him easily.
Belgian – had contact with one lady from there. Simply horrible and rude. Very bossy. Reminded me of the French. “I am B E L G E!”, she once shouted. Oh God, nothing to be proud of clearly. No manners.
Cannot say more about other nationalities from Europe as I didn’t have much contact with them.
About myself? I’m Polish, but never ever thought about stealing anything. I’ve never even stolen a job. ? All I had so far were newly created due to my language skills.
If you need more info, give me a shout!
Regards x
Comment by European — January 8, 2012 @ 10:58 am
To European 577th comment
I’m French and even if I consider that my compatriots have faults, I think your description is completely caricatural.
In which year have you been in France ? In 1910 ?
Comment by Alexandre — January 10, 2012 @ 10:59 am
This is a delightful post, made by the American literate.
Trying to speaching English, I are from Portugal.
Comment by European son — January 14, 2012 @ 6:55 am
Re to Alexandre 577: 2010.
Comment by European — January 14, 2012 @ 11:11 am
hahah polish people dont mind germans and probably still fear them??? good one. polish people mostly do not like germans as they are considered stuck-up, boring, officious, lacking sense of humour and again BORING
Comment by fghj — January 14, 2012 @ 3:00 pm
@European
“I feel sad when I hear that they don’t like us in Germany (can’t blame them though…). Give us a chance Dear Neighbours!”
youve got to be kidding me.
you cant blame them? and exactly how is that that you cannot possibly blame them? Oh hang on! of course! poland invaded their country and gassed half of the nation. no wonder they dont like poland in germany.
Give us a chance Dear Neighbours!
Comment by fghj — January 14, 2012 @ 3:07 pm
Wow, you really don’t know how german-polish relations look like. Polish peapole hate germans, more then germans hate polish. Trust me i’m half-polish, half-german. Polish don’t fear germans, and also they don’t hate other western european nations. This is really wrong. Polish peapole aren’r concider quiet aswell.
Comment by natalia — January 15, 2012 @ 4:46 am
”Poles don’t have much good to say about them”
Not true. Poles really like Czechs. According to the CBOS (Public opinion research center), the Czechs are the most liked people by Poles. 51% of Poles declare sympathies to the Czechs, 12% dislike, 31% neutral and 6% have no opinion
“probably still fear them a bit — you never, ever hear jokes about Germans in Poland”
We have jokes about the Germans (he was a Pole, German and Russian …, how to distinguish a German woman from German cows? On earrings, germany, why can not cope with floods? Because their can not shoot).
Poles (despite appearances) do not hate the Germans, according to CBOS 38% of Poles like Germans, 27% not like, 31% are neutral and 4% have no opinion.
do not know if anyone is interested but will give the relationship Poles to other nations (especially European)
so:
CBOS (2011year):
WHAT’S YOUR ATTITUDE TO OTHER NATIONS
sympathy neutralny negative don’t know
Czechs 51% 31% 12% 6%
Slovaks 49% 33% 11% 7%
Spanish 47% 35% 9% 9%
Italians 47% 33% 13% 7%
Hungarians 46% 33% 12% 9%
French 45% 33% 14% 8%
Dutch 45% 35% 11% 9%
English 44% 33% 16% 7%
Americans 43% 31% 19% 7%
Greeks 43% 33% 14% 10%
Norwegians 42% 36% 11% 11%
Swedes 41% 35% 14% 10%
Belgians 40% 36% 12% 12%
Finns 40% 36% 13% 12%
Irish 40% 36% 13% 11%
Japanese 40% 32% 17% 11%
Austrians 39% 38% 14% 9%
Danes 38% 37% 13% 12%
Germans 38% 31% 27% 4%
Croatians 36% 37% 15% 12%
Lithuanians 36% 35% 19% 10%
Georgians 34% 35% 18% 13%
Bulgarians 33% 37% 20% 10%
Estonians 33% 36% 17% 14%
Russians 32% 29% 34% 5%
Ukrainians 32% 29% 33% 6%
Belarusians 31% 34% 26% 9%
Chinese 31% 32% 26% 11%
Latvians 31% 36% 18% 15%
Jews 31% 31% 31% 7%
Vietnamese 30% 33% 26% 11%
Turks 29% 28% 33% 10%
Chechens 28% 29% 31% 12%
Armenians 28% 31% 25% 16%
Serbs 28% 35% 24% 13%
Romanians 24% 28% 40% 8%
Arabs 23% 25% 42% 10%
Roma/Gypsies 22% 24% 49% 5%
Among nations most liked by the poles are Czechs and Slovaks. About half declare they like these nationalites. Slightly fewer people say they like the Spanish, Italians, Hungarians,the French and the Dutch. In all these cases positive opinions are several times more frequend than negative ones.
At least two fifth of adult Poles have positive opinions about the English,Americans, Greeks, Norwegians, Swedes, Belgians, Finns, the Irish and the Japanese. The number of positive opinions about Austrians, Danes, Croatians, Lithuanians, Georgians, Bulgarians, Estonians and Latvians is still higher than negative views but there are almost as many people who admit they have a neutral attitude to these nations. With regard to the Germans, there are more people who like this nationality than do not like it, but positive opinions out number the negative ones only by 11 percentage points.
Neutrality is the most frequently expressed feeling towards Belarusians, the Chinese, the Vietnamese, Armenians, and Serbs and positive are only slightly more frequent than the negative attitude. In case of Russians, Ukrainians,Turks and Chechens, respondents are divided into three, comparably large, groups (negative feelings are expressed only slightly more often than positive or neutral feelings). However, with regard to Jews the division of opinions is perfectly even.
The Roma, Arabs and Romanians are the least liked nations of all the nationalities included in the survey
http://www.cbos.pl/PL/publikacje/public_opinion/2011/02_2011.pdf
if you have such tests in your countries to Give
I greet all and sorry for my bad English
Comment by Pole — January 18, 2012 @ 3:12 pm
To Pole
Thanks for this interesting survey.
Comment by Alexandre — January 19, 2012 @ 2:25 am
Hi 🙂 I am a portuguese teen and i’ve already saw that you forgot us . That’s really nice of your side –‘
I know that Portugal is totally invisible in the world and the countries that know Portugal just know us for the crisis that it’s going through.
I am here just to show you that Portugal is more than that.
Portugal is fado, the sad and melancholic music that you heard in Lisbon, Portugal is “saudade” ( is the feeling of missing something) , Portugal is Alentejo, the beautiful landescapes and hot temperatures, is Algarve, the beaches that all british people love to go in the summer, Portugal is north, that especifically accent that we know by ” o sotaque do norte” , Portugal is Açores and Madeira, where it came the famous Cristiano Ronaldo that you know, Portugal is a lot of other beautiful cities. Portugal is rancho (i don’t especifically like, but…), is the famous ” cozido à portuguesa”, Portugal was and is the great Luís de Camões, are the kind and friendly persons ( sometime not very polite, like many of you said), and much more.
I know that in the last years, it’s been dark in here, but i am sure that we will overpass that.
Now the question of “nuestros hermanos”. It’s a kinf of sad that E.U.A. and other countries think that we do’nt have a language, we are simply spanish. For those, i recommend that you read some of our great writters, and then, we can talk. And it’s true that we don’t like you very much. I am not saying why, i think that if you read some articles you will understand why.
In respect to music, we are not the bests and our music isn’t real known but we sure have good singers, like Rui Veloso, Pedro Abrunhosa, José Cid, Sara Tavares, etc.
Now some stereotypes, it’s true that when you talk to a portuguese about history, you’re doing a big mistake. The older people have the habit to discuss that. It’s a lost cause so, if your smart, you won’t talk about that.
So come and visit us, you won’t regret. Really. 😉
Comment by Joana C. ;) — January 19, 2012 @ 9:45 pm
[…] be the only one who has thought about this. I can tell you that all of the Germans I have met have made fun of the French and then often ask why Americans make fun of Canadians or Mexicans […]
Pingback by Speaking of Stereotypes « living the american dream in europe — January 20, 2012 @ 2:24 am
famous american saying: Opinions are like assholes… everybody has one.
loved this and the american version post. very funny
Comment by theresa — January 22, 2012 @ 6:19 pm
British are ‘anti-European because the U.S. tells them to be so’ Is that a joke?
I find this really interesting. Even though stereotyping can’t be helped, Every Scottish person I have met hasn’t declared hatred for England, but i have heard that is their general feeling. Personally I think there’s nothing wrong in saying i am European, as that is the continent I am from, and even though I don’t completely understand the feeling ‘to be European’, I’m sure this could be said for all European countries as we are all distinct in culture. The only country I may hold some contempt for would be America. Not hatred for it’s beauty, which I have traveled extensively, or for my own american friends (those Americans whom I felt could be my friend anyhow) but for the disgusting commercialism, complete stupidity when it comes to their stubborn dedication to their faith, and the outright dishonesty of their media. For example, Tv shows which defend circumcision and lie about it despite the scientific truths of the immorality of it. The failed debates with Dawkins and Hitchens on evidence against the bible (fair enough accepting that god could have spurred on evolution, but educated philosophers spreading the literal truth of the bible is just mind-bogglingly idiotic). LYING about British healthcare on news stations (A girl on British TV was outraged that her words were edited to show a bad view of british healthcare) just to brainwash their own people into believing that they should pay crazy sums of money to protect their own lives, knowing this money is going into the hands of big corporations and even State governers, and are just left to die if jobless and ill. I do love America but these things are detrimental to the country. Though myself an expat i am fully aware of the downfalls of the UK.
DailyCandor: Portraying Brits as being Americans’ lapdogs isn’t true but it’s a charge that does elicit its desired effect. I’d say your comment demonstrates that nicely.
Comment by Daniela — January 25, 2012 @ 1:22 am
I’m a Pole and i can’t agree with what was said about nations disliked by Poles. I fact, there is tendency not to like Russia because of historical reasons (personally I don’t share this feeling: Russia is in a way a very interesting country). Nevertheless, I don’t know why the author stated that we don’t like our southern neighbours: Czechs and Slovakians. Not true is also the fact about our indifferent attitude to Germany. This country isn’t popular here. One more thing: there is a somehow interesting bond between us and Hungarians.
DailyCandor: I lived in Poland near the Czech and Slovak borders, and there was a lot of antipathy against “Pepiks.” Maybe further away from the border, sentiments were neutral or even positive.
Comment by Piotr — January 26, 2012 @ 2:59 am
hi im from germany!
i just wasted an hour by reading this! but i SERIOUSLY have to study for my final examen now!!
I WANT MY HOUR BACK!! that was a joke by the way…you see one tries to be funny here in germany as well.
have a good one everyone
Comment by rai — February 1, 2012 @ 5:37 am
[…] What Europeans think of each other :: Daily Candor This is a basic backgrounder for Americans, primarily, who might think Europeans do nothing all day but bitch about Americans. Don't get me wrong—they do love bitching about Americans. But they al… […]
Pingback by **What Europeans think of each other** – THE Jersey Guy — February 2, 2012 @ 2:01 am
Well… I was googleing for searching something about “english sayings” and landed to this site, started to read it and it captured me !! 1+ hour nice reading indeed.
With some precautions all of you is right, we finally all act the same way in this world, a tiny 1% difference once amplified can bring to surface some shadings, that DailyCandor and your 591 posts expanded further.
I am italian and can find some traits of myself and the-italian-way in your posts, amplified of course !
This because each of us here reported her/his own personal view, direct experience, believe, understanding, guessing etc etc that is, has amplified and made a caricature of that 1% I mentioned above.
Power of internet … we can all share our views in a very openly manner.
That’s freedom, we all want it, we all like it, we all must allow for it; this is one of the most important things all people have (and must have) in common.
Ciao
Comment by Gianni — February 2, 2012 @ 3:52 am
View of Russian:
French – Good people, we have historical ties.
Germans – Always under bad influence, we dont trust them
Italians – Very Noise people, but good as noise.
Belgian – Nothing special
Chezh – Brothers, Beers, but they dont like us after 68
Slovaks – Good people, patriots, we respect them, BROTHERS!
Serbians – We In the Balkan
Poles – Always was against us.
Spanish – Footbal. Good people.
Denmark – Good friends.
Croats – good people, but we hate fascist.
Slovenians – Nothing special
Romanians – Gypsy
Hungarians – Turk, Mongols whatever.
Comment by Russkiy — February 5, 2012 @ 1:52 pm
I was born in Croatia to mix parents, Croat father and Serb mother. I guess I have an unique perspective. Generally speaking, as a child I was never accepted by either side, although my dad’s parents really loved me and didn’t ever allow anyone to make me feel bad in any way. Even though they never really accepted my mother (according to her). Though in time I came to realize the difference was not the fact that she was Serb but that she was not catholic (hence I suppose something you need to take up with Vatican). Heck, it was a known family story that my grandpa during WW2 at great personal risk has hid and fed (for a whole month) a Serb fleeing concentration camp in Jasenovac and then helped him escape to safe territory. Had he been discovered I probably would never have been born. So that is to all of you who think of Croats as stereotypical ustasha.
My mom parents were somewhat more stuck up although in time I came to know my grandfather better. He was kinda quiet fella and most of his time spent reading books, I guess I’ve inherited a lot of his genes in that regards.
When I grew up, my father was told in no uncertain terms that I (As his son and “Croat”) would never get a job because I was not serb. Heck, my mom was not loved by her own siblings much because of marrying my dad. In fact, any kind of acceptance was what we called “artificial English tight-lipped politeness” that hid real feelings.
Fast forward, when new Croatian government came, I was finally able to get passport and leave all that craziness behind, or so I thought. When I came to “English speaking world” I was faced with a host of new stereotypes. I was being viewed as an idiot from Balkans (you know place where was a war etc…), despite the fact I had degree in Mechanical Engineering. For three years I worked the lowest possible job in a factory until I’ve saved enough and enrolled at University, thinking once I have their education I would be accepted better. Well, another bachelor and two Master degrees later (management and engineering) I’ve come to realize that problem for employers was not my “incompatible degree from Balkans” but the fact that I was born there. Never mind that I speak fluent English and French, probably better than 90% of population here.
So even today at my workplace I have to be (and I am) 10 better than people I work with (for the same salary), just to be accepted, again not as same and equal but as somewhat inferior (yeah, just a touch you know, its like carrot and donkey thing, you never quite measure up). The fact that I live here for the last 17 year (i.e. few years less than in “Balkans”) doesn’t matter to most people as long as I have hint of accent ( a very faint by now).
So there you have it. I don’t think racism or national hatred is a monopoly of any nation (and other comments above testify it loud and clear). It’s everywhere, and it’s scary. Scary, not so much for me, at this stage I really don’t care anymore, but for my child who is going to inherit this “bright new world”. Think about it is this really what you want your children and their children to go through. Isn’t really now the moment we all sober up and stop this bullshit. Thinking just how connected this world is where one hick up can disturb the whole economy and then thinking about how divided we all really are makes me shudder.
In immortal words of Ronald Regan “I occasionally think how quickly our differences, worldwide, would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world”
Of course, it is never going to happen, and we need to learn how to live together before we all the way of the dodo.
Comment by John — February 5, 2012 @ 5:10 pm
I am from England, but go to a pretty cosmopolitan university, so I interact with quite a few nationalities. On the British perspective, perhaps it is the fact I am surrounded by younger 18-24 year olds, but there never seems to be any kind of real prejudice or even negative conceptions over most European countries. The opposite in fact most of the time. For example, in the engineering courses, Germans are highly praised for their skills. We do actually think Germans are very hard working and efficient. Just like their cars! No one ever brings up WW2 or any of that kind of crap, we know how long ago it was. I think many Europeans may have their opinions swayed by the British tabloid newspapers, such as the Sun, which always big up these kind of rivalries.
I’m originally from London, and while I admit that among the general population there is some negativity towards poles and eastern Europeans in general, I really do think it is mostly whipped up hysteria from the newspapers. Especially the right wing ones such as the daily mail. That is a bloody crap newspaper! I’ve worked with a few polish people before I went to university, and loads of the waiters around my area are eastern European too. They are very fast and VERY hard working. In fact, they sometimes work too hard, and people want to give them more money! However, quite a few of them need to brush up on their english skills, but that’s not really a failing, they’ll learn the intricacies more the longer they stay here.
Again, Uni students don’t really have negative perceptions on many other European countries, we really like the Netherlands/Holland because of the pot and red light district. I’m going on a subsidised trip to Amsterdam this year, and it already has dozens of people going! I have a French room mate, and while I find him quite blunt, he is a nice fellow and has a good sense of humour.
I know it’s not really European at all, but we have tonnes of Chinese/Vietnamese students here, and we all think of them as very shy, and they almost always stay within their own groups. Not that this is a bad thing, as they always come top in classes etc., but come on, socialise a bit with us english! We’re not that bad! 😉
Obviously since most universities are rather liberal, we have quite a bad opinion of bible belt Americans e.g. from the southern and south western USA regions. And as a previous poster said, we hate watching the denounce our NHS as rubbish, it is not! However, most students probably have good perceptions of most other Americans, and are probably jealous of how much space they have! I would love to just go walking/ biking and loose myself in the wilderness, not possible in most areas of the UK, too crowded!
Comment by Jon — February 5, 2012 @ 5:40 pm
it’s funny how ppl keep postin on this site after 4 years! i dont have much to say at the moment though. maybe just one thing: i am german and i hate my own country quite a bit. just wanted to give you all different perspective. someone who cant stand his own ppl! i came around a lot (half of my family is from another country) and i lived in different other countries for several years, so i allow myself to anylse my own ppl here a bit.
germans are incredibly low on self esteem since their abysmal world wars. in my opinion that is where everything that is so unbearable about german behavior originates from. if you look deep into a germans soul you will not find a spark of self esteem. but since it would be very un-german to admit your default, germany these days boast as if they were the center of the universere and as if they had invented every single item on this planet. they consider themselves much more important on the world stage then they are.
by the way german does not have any culture of its own these days. germany successfully fucked itself up with its world-domination plans and is now just a piece of ****. i could rant about this stupid little country forever, that could have been a decent, respected country with good lifestyle and stuff. but this country choose to be the global-dork. i need to move out asap.
Comment by Nobody — February 6, 2012 @ 3:07 am
I thought this was very amusing, until I saw the part about Greece… tell me who actually does not consider Greece or Cyprus part of Europe? I see this is supposed to be funny so maybe that part was a joke? Or is it because the person who wrote this is actually even lazier than the Greeks and just didn’t want to spend the time in writing about them? I would have liked this article but that was a complete fail for the ending.
DailyCandor: Actually, I wrote this several years ago, and you’ll probably find more and more Europeans who want Europe to have NOTHING to do with Greece.
Comment by Lena — February 7, 2012 @ 12:29 am
It’s strange how easily an entire country can become infamous in under three years… Before 2009 there were hardly any comments about Greece. Now with the financial crisis it suddenly became everyone’s favourite target. Kick em while they’re down huh? Why not, those arrogant b______s!
How dare they persume to be European! Just because of geography! Or just because of having given the name Europe to the continent! …
Or just because of having exported the alphabet and civilisation to the rest of Europe (through Rome or even directly)… Or just because of inventing the scientific method and every teacher in every “western” society now has to explain to his students just why Mathematics is called Mathematics and not Calculations for instance…
Or just because of acting like a buffer zone for every invading army from the Persians to the Ottomans and now to every non-EU economic immigrant considered unwelcome to the EU (they are mostly deported to Greece rather to their home countries directly)…
Or just because they actually FOUGHT AGAINST ALL INVADING ARMIES in the field of battle rather than having their king for instance surrender his crown to an enemy SOLDIER… Or just because they coined the term BARBARIANS to the Germanic people for THE END OF TIME (see Bavaria – Barbaria for more info)…
Or just because ……………
It is only natural to dispise someone who makes you feel less in comparison. So bring it! And thank you 😉
But I really feel angry towards some Greeks. Because instead of just uniting and getting back in charge of our country (I specificly left out Democracy out of the list above, simply because real Democracy is actually NOT PRACTISED anywere in the world – except maybe Switserland), they expect God to save them… But as Ben Franklin said “God helps those who help themselves”.
Oh wait, ??? ????? ??? ????? ?????… DAMN GREEKS!! THIS ONE TOO???
Comment by Giannis — February 8, 2012 @ 9:35 pm
Ah, no Greek character support huh?
Well, SIN ATHINA KE HIRA KINI loipon…
Comment by Giannis — February 8, 2012 @ 9:38 pm
By the way, the crown thing was NOT a refferance to 300. See early WWII nazi invasions of northern … European countries.
Comment by Giannis — February 8, 2012 @ 9:51 pm
Thank god you didn’t start talking about Cyprus… we may be considered Europeans, Middle Eastern, Greeks, Turks, Russia’s lapdog – any conceivable type of identity really. the only thing that most other Europeans know us for is our sandy beaches, scorching heat, a cheesy party town overrun by Brits (ayia napa), and continuous MOANING about a 40-year long conflict that never comes to an end (which is what the anti-Turks in Europe use as an excuse against accession…) and no, we don’t ride donkeys to work (i’ve been asked that a couple of times)!
Comment by Alexandros Efstathiou — February 12, 2012 @ 4:15 am