Americans? Opinions?

Mean Laqueefa · 26-06-2019 2:04am

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

My previous job involved being around tourists all day everyday so naturally came across a lot of Americans.

A lot of them where grand and i didn't mind chatting to them and giving them advice about what to do in Dublin where to eat etc etc.

I did find though that they love to annoy you with wanting everything changed to there liking especially food!!

Ireland has become an awful lot like this lately. In general we seem to be taking a lot of the worst aspects of American society not the best ones and applying them to our own incredibly different country and the people in it.

On the tipping thing I tip someone if I'm happy with the service and I think they done there jobs well. Otherwise it's kinda pointless.

You should not feel as a customer your forced to generously tip a member of staff no matter what just because there boss doesn't pay them enough!

while i agree, does it not say something of Americans and other cultures that they do this when in fact its not necessary so someone feels worthwhile or atleast has a few extra quid for hard work ?

The job not paying them enough is the the problem but what is the proportion of employers to employees in a 350mil country and you can prob add another 100mil illegals that work there ass off especially in the food industry.

Blaizes · 26-06-2019 2:06am

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

My previous job involved being around tourists all day everyday so naturally came across a lot of Americans.

A lot of them where grand and i didn't mind chatting to them and giving them advice about what to do in Dublin where to eat etc etc.

I did find though that they love to annoy you with wanting everything changed to there liking especially food!!

Ireland has become an awful lot like this lately. In general we seem to be taking a lot of the worst aspects of American society not the best ones and applying them to our own incredibly different country and the people in it.

On the tipping thing I tip someone if I'm happy with the service and I think they done there jobs well. Otherwise it's kinda pointless.

You should not feel as a customer your forced to generously tip a member of staff no matter what just because there boss doesn't pay them enough!

No one is forced to give a tip but if the service is good it’s a nice thing to do. The money can be shared out amongst the waiting staff and they do appreciate it. The service charge is different though and is the one I’m not too fond of, I wonder if it’s really a supplement to pay staff wages, don’t honestly know though.

How Soon Is Now · 26-06-2019 2:15am

Blaizes wrote: »

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

My previous job involved being around tourists all day everyday so naturally came across a lot of Americans.

A lot of them where grand and i didn't mind chatting to them and giving them advice about what to do in Dublin where to eat etc etc.

I did find though that they love to annoy you with wanting everything changed to there liking especially food!!

Ireland has become an awful lot like this lately. In general we seem to be taking a lot of the worst aspects of American society not the best ones and applying them to our own incredibly different country and the people in it.

On the tipping thing I tip someone if I'm happy with the service and I think they done there jobs well. Otherwise it's kinda pointless.

You should not feel as a customer your forced to generously tip a member of staff no matter what just because there boss doesn't pay them enough!

No one is forced to give a tip but if the service is good it’s a nice thing to do. The money can be shared out amongst the waiting staff and they do appreciate it. The service charge is different though and is the one I’m not too fond of, I wonder if it’s really a supplement to pay staff wages, don’t honestly know though.

In most situations in Ireland your not forced to tip we usually do it unless something bad happens anyway.

It's not like that in some other country's though staff will sometimes get very annoyed if you didn't tip them or in some cases didn't tip them enough!

Ive no issue with tipping when you feel your being looked after sure I tip the barbers in the place I get my hair cut!

Kermit.de.frog · 26-06-2019 2:19am

Assetbacked wrote: »

Shallow, simple, greedy, vacuous, obnoxious and fat.

Having such an opinion of 400 million people is unbelievably fcuking stupid and sad.

I take it like me you are Irish?

You might want to be careful there. A lot can be said about the Irish that tends to go unsaid.

Angel1971 · 26-06-2019 2:47am

The Irish people I've met here in the states have been very nice. There is an Irish pub in Oklahoma I really like. We were there just last night. The music was amazing and I tried to learn some new words. Let's just say I need alot more lessons. But in general the people I've met who are actually from Ireland and not just their ancestors were, like me, have been very pleasant. I'm looking forward to my trip.
And like the US there are A holes in every crowd. I wont judge an entire country on a couple grouchy people on a message board.

NSAman · 26-06-2019 3:00am

Living here for a number of years, Midwest.

The majority are uneducated bigots, even if they have education.

They are not stupid, but naive. They have no life experience for the majority of them. They have been dumbed down by lack of world experience. They work, provide for families as we all do, but the thought of actually going abroad frightened the sh1te out of the majority of them.

They will fight with their toe nails for the sake of getting their point made, but they don’t see the bigger picture (for the most part). They follow blindly instead of questioning things.

HOWEVER, those that are smart use all the experience and abilities they have and can make a good living here. I am the oddity here. I have travelled lived in various parts of the world and they cannot comprehend how someone can do that.

As many have said sarcasm is something that they do not understand for the most part. Those that DO get it, seem to be the smarter people...funnily enough.

I have some really great friends here, who have great personalities and are smart but yet ordinary people.

There are the loud mouths and they tend to be uneducated morons (same as everywhere). I love New York as people for the most part are no bull..say it as they see it, LA annoys the hell out of me as they are for the most part fake.

This is a massive country. It is diverse but very homogenized. It is beautiful in many parts but ugly in many others.

Same as every country, it has its good people and it’s arse holes...

ceadaoin. · 26-06-2019 3:09am

A lot of people on boards have a huge chip on their shoulder about American people, as can be seen on this thread.

I definitely come across more fat, obnoxious, loud ignorant racists when I'm back in Ireland tbh! Apparently the US is swarming with them though!

Manic Moran · 26-06-2019 3:10am

That how compasses and directions work ffs, just gonna say to the OP ahhh yeh town is it me oul flower sure head for the spire, down the country then is it ? sure head for the hill down the lane by marys house when in you ballynanowhere.

In fairness, my wife, who is a Jersey Rican, gets infuriated if I give her directions by the cardinal points. "Get out the North side of the train station".... "But there's no signs saying "North" or "South", just "Dublin" and "Pleasanton". <sigh>

NSAman · 26-06-2019 3:18am

ceadaoin. wrote: »

A lot of people on boards have a huge chip on their shoulder about American people, as can be seen on this thread.

I definitely come across more fat, obnoxious, loud ignorant racists when I'm back in Ireland tbh! Apparently the US is swarming with them though!

Obviously not in the Midwest, fat is fit here. No amount of butterflies tattooed on you ankles can hide your massive shelf ass....ahem..:)

ceadaoin. · 26-06-2019 3:24am

NSAman wrote: »

Obviously not in the Midwest, fat is fit here. No amount of butterflies tattooed on you ankles can hide your massive shelf ass....ahem..:)

I think obese people here tend to be bigger than you see in Ireland, but there are tons of super fit people to balance it out. It's two extremes I suppose. In Ireland seems like the majority of people are overweight to obese, and not many
at all are fit and toned looking.

Kermit.de.frog · 26-06-2019 3:59am

ceadaoin. wrote: »

A lot of people on boards have a huge chip on their shoulder about American people

Of course. Begrudgery is part of Irish life generally.

A lot of people don't like that the US is by far the foremost superpower in the world with so many resources to project that power in their own national interest around the world, far more beautiful/diverse country than Ireland, a cultural super power where it's movies, sport and culture are consumed around the world, far more opportunity for it's citizens than Ireland (or anywhere else for that matter)...and Irish people don't like that because we can never have that.

the-island-man · 26-06-2019 6:38am

ceadaoin. wrote: »

I think obese people here tend to be bigger than you see in Ireland, but there are tons of super fit people to balance it out. It's two extremes I suppose. In Ireland seems like the majority of people are overweight to obese, and not many
at all are fit and toned looking.

This reminds me of an old Tommy Tiernan sketch. When you look out the window in America there's either someone jogging down the road or eating a mars bar but it's never the same person.

Tough thing I find about America is the work culture that seeps into American multi-national companies based in Ireland. The attempted brainwashing to make you think you're privileged to be working for the greatest company on earth. It's just a ****ing job!

Also the blurring of lines between your home and work life. Not strictly limited to Americans but for some it seems that people they work with are also regarded as their friends. Results in you talking about work even on time off.

metaoblivia · 26-06-2019 7:27am

OP, I'm an American who visited Ireland two years ago and found the people there very kind and welcoming. I stayed at an airbnb and my hosts had some friends over one night and we stayed up well into the night chatting. I was traveling solo and am more introverted than what's probably expected of Americans, so in general did not draw a lot of attention to myself when I was out and about. But when people found out I was American, they had no problem with it, and some of them really loved it when I put on a full Southern accent (so don't be afraid to drop a 'y'all' or 'fixin to').

One suggestion I would make is that if you have some Irish heritage, as I do, you can mention it, but always frame it as having Irish heritage and not being Irish. That's something I learned in my many years on this board and was careful about as I have an Irish surname (which is always mispronounced and misspelled in the US - a small joy was not dealing with that while I was in Ireland) and did meet up with a relative in Dublin while visiting.

s7ryf3925pivug · 26-06-2019 7:44am

Diverse culturally and very diverse politically. Not much you can say about the entire group. For the most part, they are more overtly friendly and positive especially with strangers. This makes a lot of Irish people view them as insincere. I see it as a different basic standard of what is polite behavior.

Wibbs · 26-06-2019 8:30am

NSAman wrote: »

This is a massive country. It is diverse but very homogenized. It is beautiful in many parts but ugly in many others.

Yeah. When I think of America I have a few images and concepts in my head, but chief among them is that it's the land of contrasts. Like was mentioned you get the fattest people and the fittest people, the religious and the atheistic, the aggressively dismissive and the kindest people you could wish for, the hardline conservatives and the biggest liberals, the western nation with the least amount of social safety nets, yet they're the biggest charity givers, brave while being fearful etc. I reckon because culturally it has been more focused on the individual than society(to a point, again you get the contrasts).

It's also the land of the salesman. More than any other culture I've encountered you get the feeling that Americans are trying to sell themselves a lot more, even to themselves. They tend to be quite "local" on the ground. The wider world is another place. You can sometimes see that with politics. "Big Government" is out there somewhere at a distance. The "fear" thing is odd too. Maybe a holdover from the oul pioneer circle the wagons thing? Though you see kinda similar in Russians and Chinese, ditto for far away government and being more "local". Probably just a side effect of living in such a big nation.

On the personal level I find Americans fine, pretty OK actually, though the vast majority of my experiences have been with either tourists or expat Americans and like any culture they tend to be different to the average back home. Though I would say as expats they're one of the least irritating of any expats out there.

Infernal Racket · 26-06-2019 9:20am

Mean Laqueefa wrote: »

That how compasses and directions work ffs, just gonna say to the OP ahhh yeh town is it me oul flower sure head for the spire, down the country then is it ? sure head for the hill down the lane by marys house when in you ballynanowhere.

And they are ****ing idiots for using a proven fact of direction ? like y'know maps.

Imagine you are in New york and want to see the grand canyon, and some apperent ''Idiot'' insists to tell you tal#ke the yellow trail to you see the big brown bear, then continue on not east or west or even north or south you just walk into a train station and ask thick irish accent ''Big hole''.

U ok hun?

Infernal Racket · 26-06-2019 9:24am

Manic Moran wrote: »

In fairness, my wife, who is a Jersey Rican, gets infuriated if I give her directions by the cardinal points. "Get out the North side of the train station".... "But there's no signs saying "North" or "South", just "Dublin" and "Pleasanton". <sigh>

Exactly. This is exactly what I'm talking about

Franz Von Peppercorn II · 26-06-2019 9:32am

khaldrogo wrote: »

And here is the example of not understanding sarcasm I was talking about......

That’s a myth. I mean watch US tv shows.

Franz Von Peppercorn II · 26-06-2019 9:59am

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Of course. Begrudgery is part of Irish life generally.

A lot of people don't like that the US is by far the foremost superpower in the world with so many resources to project that power in their own national interest around the world,

Why would we support any country to project it’s intrests at the expense of other people’s or country’s interests.

far more beautiful/diverse country than Ireland,

It’s bigger for sure. And being bigger it has some remarkable beauty but plenty of unremarkable cities, counties and States.

a cultural super power where it's movies, sport and culture are consumed around the world, far more opportunity for it's citizens than Ireland (or anywhere else for that matter)...and Irish people don't like that because we can never have that.

If Irish people don’t like that they aren’t showing it at the box office. If anything Irish people are so dominated by American culture they think they are living there.

Gwynplaine · 26-06-2019 10:03am

They call a liquid "gas"
The MidWest is in the East.
They call the winners of their domestic leagues "World Champions"

Roger Hassenforder · 26-06-2019 10:11am

metaoblivia wrote: »

OP, I'm an American who visited Ireland two years ago and found the people there very kind and welcoming. I stayed at an airbnb and my hosts had some friends over one night and we stayed up well into the night chatting. I was traveling solo and am more introverted than what's probably expected of Americans, so in general did not draw a lot of attention to myself when I was out and about. But when people found out I was American, they had no problem with it, and some of them really loved it when I put on a full Southern accent (so don't be afraid to drop a 'y'all' or 'fixin to').

One suggestion I would make is that if you have some Irish heritage, as I do, you can mention it, but always frame it as having Irish heritage and not being Irish. That's something I learned in my many years on this board and was careful about as I have an Irish surname (which is always mispronounced and misspelled in the US - a small joy was not dealing with that while I was in Ireland) and did meet up with a relative in Dublin while visiting.

'Aroo one of dem O'Blivias from Shneem bi any chance gurl?

jmayo · 26-06-2019 10:33am

Yester wrote: »

They are really good at building barns.

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

That’s the Hamish your thinking of, nice people, weird dress sense though.

That the travellers FFS.

The Amish are the anti social gang always causing trouble.

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

You drive ridiculously big cars, especially pick up trucks, for no apparent reason except to pollute the air and burn as much fuel as possible. Last time I was there nearly every vehicle was a 8 litre enging GMC truck with one dude driving it.

Oh yeah baby.
Also add gun rack.
BTW where the feck were you, Montana?

Being serious OP you will find the odd one in Ireland, even some here have done it, that will lecture you about how all the ills of the world are down to you yanks.
It would seem they will blame you personally for everything from the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, Gulf War, Africa, El Salvador right down to Trump.

Now the best answer is that you are not responsible for your government, but if they persist you could counter back with this.

Remind them what might have happened to Western Europe, but for American military force.
Remind them what a backwards shytehole Ireland would be, but for all those American multinationals that chose to set up here even as far back as 60s/70s.
Remind them of all the colleges in Ireland that benefited from bursaries and funding given by Americans.
Remind them of all the Irish that were given a fresh start in the US.

The "do nots" when here would be...
Don't be very demanding, it is a trait exhibited by some of your country folk and Irish people don't like it.
Don't expect the ultra friendly service, our service staff don't have the tip culture in the US and some may be just peed off with not just you but everyone.
But you will meet genuine friendly service especially in quieter out of the big city places.
Don't refuse to stand a round of drinks, if someone buys you a drink you buy one back even if you are not drinking another yourself.
Also don't try match some Irish drink for drink or you will be under the table.

Also beware Irish people like to talk and sometimes can be nosey.

Igotadose · 26-06-2019 10:39am

Gerry G wrote: »

And why do they insist on giving directions using north south east and west. Use landmarks dammit

Ireland can NOT claim to be good at giving directions. Ye've got minimal road signs, nothing like a consistent numbering scheme for the numbered roads, no street lights, and your idea of a landmark is 'the field where Murphy's barn used to be.' At least start using the fecking Eircodes, ffs, they're handy and don't rely on you knowing where Ballyrazzmatazz the unmarked 'village' of 2 barns and a boarded-up chipper is where you have to turn left before the stand where the statue of dear departed Fr. McGuinn used to be.

Americans are much better at directions and their highway system is infinitely better, but it is a country designed around traveling by car.

Full disclosure: Expat US living in Ireland married to an Irish citizen.

Tony EH · 26-06-2019 10:44am

Depending on what part of the country you visit, you'll meet very different kinds of people. But, I've found most Americans I've met to be quite friendly and enthusiastic about you and they'll be interested in what you have to say about them. This does vary though. I found people in San Francisco to be self absorbed arseholes for the most part and the only people I found to be nice there weren't from the West coast.

They can be charmingly naive at times too and their knowledge of anywhere outside of their own state can be astonishingly poor. But they can also be aggressively ignorant and stupid too, to a degree that has to be seen to be believed. Talking to some Americans can make you feel ready for the Mensa entrance exam.

But there are also the folk you'll meet who you could talk to for hours about various subjects and a lot of Americans will have an opinion on everything and won't be loathed to speak it. You can head into a bar in most towns and cities and strike up a conversation over a drink and nobody will think you're mental.

This is one of the biggest differences that I've found between America and Europe. People are generally eager to talk and nearly everyone will want to know where you're from, what you do and all that bollocks.

However, there are those that can be also crushingly tedious as well. You can meet a lot of Americans that just work and talk about their work. They have nothing else in their lives, but their boring job and their boring family and their boring lives. They'll go to their death bed patting themselves on the back for a promotion they received in 1990. Absolute bloody charisma vacuums that could kill a good atmosphere from a hundred yards away.

By far, the most Americans I've met were from New York, as that's where I've been the most often and that's a crazy mix of whatever you're having yourself. Though over the last 20 years, that place has changed so much. Manhattan is almost unenjoyable at this point TBH. Expensive and unwelcoming. The Boroughs, too, are becoming unlikeable as well and everything just costs so much there too.

So, there are huge variations to Yanks and it's impossible to pigeonhole them. But, like most folk everywhere, there are good, bad and indifferent.

Unlike Canadians. I've never met a Canadian who wasn't nice. :pac:

Mad_maxx · 26-06-2019 10:53am

Angel1971 wrote: »

The Irish people I've met here in the states have been very nice. There is an Irish pub in Oklahoma I really like. We were there just last night. The music was amazing and I tried to learn some new words. Let's just say I need alot more lessons. But in general the people I've met who are actually from Ireland and not just their ancestors were, like me, have been very pleasant. I'm looking forward to my trip.
And like the US there are A holes in every crowd. I wont judge an entire country on a couple grouchy people on a message board.

Hope you have a nice trip over here, you appear to be getting a hard time of it on this site or at least your homeland does

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 26-06-2019 11:11am

Igotadose wrote: »

Ireland can NOT claim to be good at giving directions. Ye've got minimal road signs, nothing like a consistent numbering scheme for the numbered roads, no street lights, and your idea of a landmark is 'the field where Murphy's barn used to be.' At least start using the fecking Eircodes, ffs, they're handy and don't rely on you knowing where Ballyrazzmatazz the unmarked 'village' of 2 barns and a boarded-up chipper is where you have to turn left before the stand where the statue of dear departed Fr. McGuinn used to be.

Americans are much better at directions and their highway system is infinitely better, but it is a country designed around traveling by car.

Full disclosure: Expat US living in Ireland married to an Irish citizen.

"Excuse me sir, how do I get to Ballybog?"

"Well, jaypers. If I were you I wouldn't start from here"

Corcaigh84 · 26-06-2019 11:12am

I have Yank family and in general like Amercians. I will say that ye are obsessed with getting married early, as soon as possible, to the first available candidate. 5 out of 6 of my Californian cousins got married 'young' (early 20's mainly).

My Irish buddy married a girl from Utah and is now divorced. Another friend of mine from Texas is divorced. Fair play to you for traveling, a lot of your countrymen don't even have passports.

Yester · 26-06-2019 11:18am

Lola Whispering Ape wrote: »

"Excuse me sir, how do I get to Ballybog?"

"Well, jaypers. If I were you I wouldn't start from here"

You're on the right road but you're going the wrong way.

NSAman · 26-06-2019 11:31am

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Hope you have a nice trip over here, you appear to be getting a hard time of it on this site or at least your homeland does

It is easy to poke fun at Americans, yet I have to say as a country to make a living in...there is nothing on earth like it. If you use your intelligence, nothing is unattainable. If you set yourself a goal, it IS possible to achieve.

Americans are very open to new ideas for the most part. Business is open to change. It is not run entirely by the ‘Oulde boys network’ as Ireland is.

While there is much I dislike about living here, there is a huge amount to like. Again, it is a country of complete contrasts.

Fan of Netflix · 26-06-2019 11:32am

The Americans themselves aren't the worst at all, especially the ones you met in Ireland. I'd have many American cousins I'm sure like most. But America the country, nah I wouldn't move there. Done a J1 and maybe a few holidays in the future. But it's a different world. The cops, guns, justice systems, prisons, inequality etc it's a different world to Europe.

Americans? Opinions?

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