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15 Dead Giveaways That Somebody is American (by non-Americans)


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Saw this online this morning and figured I'd share it with the crew since we have people from all over the world.  So... how true is this?  :lol:

 

See the link here

 

 

 

1. Friendly to the point that you become suspicious of their intent.

 

2. Americans generally are more confident in the way they present themselves, most other countries tend to be more reserved. Walk into a room full of different nationalities, I guarantee the American person will be the first to introduce themselves. It's a confidence thing, and I admire it.

 

3. When they use the imperial system.

 

4. Wearing sneakers with anything

 

5. Big smiles, firm handshakes

 

6. Using big adjectives generously ("Wow, your aunt's kidney stones sound awesome!" or "This Euroshopper beer tastes great!")

 

7. Mostly it's the 'prepared for anything' look they have about them (fanny pack, backpack, bottled water, camera pouch) compared to various other tourists - Asians tend to herd together for safety, while Europeans vary between blend-right-in Scandinavian to designer-brands-everywhere French and traffic-laws-are-for-others Italian. But Americans are the only ones who seem to view a perfectly civilized, modern city like some kind of uncharted jungle that doesn't have places to shelter in the rain or buy cheap bottled water.

 

8. They say 'great' and are not being sarcastic. I can't even begin to imagine making a sentence where great actually means great.

 

9. Constant clapping.

 

10. Being surprised about the topless models on page 3.

 

11. Speaking as a former barman or "bartender" as American customers would say... tipping! No British person will ever tip a barman. I'll occasionally get bought a drink by drunk ladies or gents, but Brits actually giving me money for doing a job that I was already being paid for? Never happened. I would listen for American accents (which were easy to hear due to their natural loudness) and immediately serve them next.

 

12. Americans describe distances in driving time, as opposed to miles or kilometers.

 

13. The dead giveaway is when they call you "honey" or "sweetie" or "darling".

 

14. North face jackets. Everywhere.

 

15. Incredibly loud but incredibly friendly. Very often you can hear them before you see them.

 

 

 

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  • Jaggy

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  • LN-MLB

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@Jag - we've heard you on the mic, and I think G has pointed out many times how you make Americans look.... :P

#justsayin #hillbilly

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The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it.

:default_sign0081:

the tipping thing is kinda funny i would always tip when not in america as it is just standard here.

i live right near the Pennsylvania new jersey border and over in new jersey you are not allowed to pump your gas they have attendants who do it for you. i always hear how people from Pennsylvania go over there get gas and then tip the person who pumps it for you. they are always a little shocked at this as tipping them isnt standard. 

i have been yelled at a few times from people who live in jersey because i said i tipped the gas attendant over there

When I first moved to Texas and got the friendly and polite greeting "what's up" I politely answered the question as I interpret it "what exactly is going on in your life at the moment ?"

It didn't take long before my answer was heavily reduced.

Very friendly people indeed !

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Yeah I'm guilty of 2 and 12 for sure lol. Now that I think about it I have a terrible time telling how far something is in terms of distance :D

 

Most people will give you a blank stare anyway if you say, "I'll be driving 500 miles."  They can understand the grasp of that if you say, "I'll be driving 4 hours."  It's just easier for people to process.

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Yeah they do lol. Like I know las Vegas is like 4 hours from me but no idea how many miles. Or even in giving directions I will say 20 mins that way or 5 minutes after that street etc

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tumblr_m8l94nfFrG1r5jta4o6_500.gif

One day the sadness will end.

 

Good thing I'm quiet.

 

This is probably 20 years out of date. I donno about "incredibly loud and friendly" either. If I'm in a place I don't know, the LAST thing I want is to call attention to myself (unless I'm being attacked). And on a side note, that whole notion of "Southern hospitality"? Yeah, that's bullshit. Probably true in the 1800s though.

Edited by G37
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: FIRE :

 

"If you ride like lightning, you're gonna crash like thunder." - The Place Between The Pines

 

I think a lot of it depends on where you are in America.  We could essentially be divided up into at least four different countries, and there are stark differences between most regions.

 

Number 13 is incredibly alien to us here, and it will immediately mark you as a transplant or tourist.  People might even be suspicious of your intent--I had that reaction when I travelled to the South once.

 

The tipping thing is pretty universal here though--servers in many states make far below minimum wage and they depend on these tips to make ends meet.  That's not true where I live, but it is 90% of the others--to not tip a restaurant worker or bartender is essentially saying, "there's something wrong with your service."

 

I'm anything but loud though--the loudest you will ever hear me is while playing this game. :)  Normally, I'm about as quiet and reserved as you can possibly imagine.

Edited by LN-MLB

12. Americans describe distances in driving time, as opposed to miles or kilometers.

 

Thought most people did this.  :huh:

40 kilometres on the freeway can be done in 25 minutes, but 40 kilometres on a standard road (traffic lights & shit) may take an hour or more.

Just makes more sense to use time instead of distance.

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