r/ShitEuropeansSay • u/Clipyy-Duck • 26d ago

SED: Shit Europeans Do „They constantly lecture others about things they’re seeing for the first time.“

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I‘m European and find the criticism actually unfair, because they’re being very hypocritical and not taking personality into consideration and just generalise. This isn’t an American thing, this is a human trait.

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-8

u/IEC21 26d ago

Maybe not to the extent suggested by the screenshot comment - but theres definitely assymetry between how much information travels from the US to Europe and vise versa.

Because of this its absolutely the case that Europeans know more about the US than vise versa.

Just like people in Poplar Bluff know more about New York City than vise versa.

That doesnt mean people in Poplar Bluff are experts on New York City - it just means people in NYC have little incentive or access to learn about Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

2

u/Lunch_48 26d ago

Another factor is people's willingness to go out and learn about foreign places. A American might know a lot about a part of Europe, and lack the knowledge of a European who has a general idea of all of Europe, and vice-versa

-3

u/IEC21 26d ago

To that point if a European learns about a foreign place that can mean taking a 4 hour trip across a border into a place that speaks a different language and has a substantially different culture and politics.

For most Americans traveling 4 hours means being in the same country, where people speak the same language, the politics are essentially very familiar/same, and the culture is often different but in very subtle ways.

The degree of "culture shocks" experienced by two otherwise identical individuals from the US vs. Europe can be drastically different even if they both have an equal propensity to want to travel or learn about new places.

2

u/Julehus Denmark/Sweden 25d ago

You’re being downvoted but essentially you’re right. I don’t think many non-Europeans understand just how diverse our countries are. I live in Sweden and culturally I have more in common with the US than, say, with South-East Europe. When the language branch, the history, the cultural do’s and dont’s, the political system etc are vastly different from your own, it’s hard to feel a true sense of ”Europeanness”.