For you, would you say Americans are nicer than most Western Europeans
Posted by SpiritMan112@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 92 comments
I always have noticed that people worldwide tend to notice that Americans are nicer in attitude than most Western Europeans. From your observations would you say so or nah
Stverghame@reddit
Yes.
Americans can be clueless and "dumb", but they never seem to reach rudeness and superiority complex that's quite common in western Europeans.
No-Championship-4632@reddit
Except if you are not white or you are poor.
Goats_for_president@reddit
What’s that supposed to mean ?
No-Championship-4632@reddit
I mean in that particular case their rudeness and superiority complex far outpaces the Western European.
Goats_for_president@reddit
The ones that travel to Europe usually get that from the Western Europeans, they think they’re so much better and more sophisticated than us. Even tho they never did learn any European languages
No-Championship-4632@reddit
You mean MAGA guys are the ones that travel to Europe and get that from Western Europeans?
Goats_for_president@reddit
Well most traditional maga people cannot afford to go to Europe. Most countries in the Americas have racism engrained into their society, even though most north and south American countries aren’t even majority white.
PungentAura@reddit
Lol go to NYC and test out your theory
mearcliff@reddit
As an American I can say the US friendliness is pretty comfy
Goats_for_president@reddit
But you’re from Albania ?
Sea-Bend-5914@reddit
Don't forget that Kosovo is an US state /s
Heyonit@reddit
as an american most are fake nice. thats it. and i hate it. and if you dont smile back or treat them with the same attitude they find it rude. when i was in croatia i loved that people were genuinely heart warming without the fakeness. only other experience i have is with germans. they just seem straight up cold.
IndigoRed33@reddit
Maybe..but i prefer Western European attitude..American one appears more ingenuine and over the top and rather make me feel uncomfortable.😅
springheeledjack69@reddit
"But its faaake"
I'd rather be around people that exude positivity, than a bunch of eastern island head-ass looking mofos with bland attitudes.
AbbreviationsFree792@reddit
Thissss. I enjoy the american extroverted, cordial behaviour. Im aware its fake, its just a habit, a comunication style. But it felt so right when I was in US regarding that. Balkans love the whole:"Theyre really rough and cranky but theyre actually an amazing person" narrative. Idc how amazing deep on the inside a no-home-training edgelord is tbh. Bc how many times realisticly will I need a stranger/aquantance to save me from some sirious injury, vs. how many times Ill be buying something somewhere, work a shift somewhere etc. I want civilized treatmant in those daily things.
cressida25@reddit
It's not fake though. People are just interpretting it wrong. They are being friendly, they do want to make chit chat, they like conversation, they are enjoying themselves smiling and talking to you but it doesn't mean more than that. Like most people they take time to really develop a deep relationship but that doesn't mean the nice lady at the coffee shop doesn't look forward to chatting with you but probably won't led you 10k or take care of your dying relative.
lissybeau@reddit
This. We genuinely want to chat with you or we just wouldn’t at all.
I say this as an American who lives in Germany and has been able to make close friends here as well.
Meowmeowmeow31@reddit
This is 100% correct. I’m so confused by all the “but it’s fake” comments here.
cevapi-rakija-repeat@reddit
Yeah I don’t get what’s so hard to understand about this. I am friendly to everyone I have to interact with unless they give me a reason not to be. It’s just being nice to other human beings as a default setting. If people decide to perceive that as “fake”, says a lot more about them. Kindness shouldn’t be transactional.
ExtremeProfession@reddit
Don't know where you're from but Bosnians for sure are open and mostly relaxed, there's even a lot of the "OMG darling where are youuu" attitude adopted by consuming American media.
wghpoe@reddit
Why does it have to be fake?
I mean, just cause we think so?
it’s just cultural.
icancount192@reddit
I agree
People confuse "it's not deep" with it's fake.
Yes, they might talk like a person who's a good friend of yours while they aren't but that doesn't mean it's fake. They don't play a role, they're genuinely nice.
I prefer it 1000 times to the rude Swiss.
wghpoe@reddit
And to be fair, there’s a large portion of the American population that is not friendly, warm etc. Matter of fact, country is full of aholes.
But most Americans people do meet, in their respective countries, are socially capable of being warm and communicative.
People don’t like it? Tough luck….
springheeledjack69@reddit
The odds of you getting a positive response from greeting a neighbour in America is better than Northern Europe. Except the Irish or the Welsh.
In Germany, you'll be met with a deadass stare
wghpoe@reddit
Hmm the odds of getting shot by a neighbor you’ve never met by simply knocking at their door?
Guess which one is higher?
springheeledjack69@reddit
Luckily, I'm in Wales. Friendly folks.
wghpoe@reddit
I’ve lived i germany for several years. Folk will return the greeting. In Bavaria, at the small pubs, people will even tap each table to greet one another, even mine, a stranger. It varies a lot.
But I’m American and nope, the Americans you meet in Europe are their own class. Not the average.
springheeledjack69@reddit
Excluding the PNW. They're kinda closed off there. Like a microdose of Scandinavia
BogdanD@reddit
But when it comes down to it, they would rather your children go hungry than pay 1 more cent in taxes. That’s why it’s actually fake.
fk_censors@reddit
This is such a lie, coming from such an ugly world view. Americans are some of the most generous people when it comes to giving money to charity and feeding the needy. It is idiotic to assume that a reluctance to pay taxes to a corrupt and mismanaged government (which every normal person has) means that one wants children to go hungry or is devoid of empathy.
BogdanD@reddit
Name a single government that isn’t corrupt and mismanaged. The American culture is at its core extremely selfish in a way that other cultures simply do not exhibit.
fk_censors@reddit
I agree with you that most governments are corrupt and mismanaged, it's simple game theory - they have a monopoly on the use of violence in their geographical area (like any gang or Mafia) and have no real competition, so not much incentives to be efficient with the money they forcefully take from people.
I don't understand what you have against a society reticent to participate in this farce, but which at the same time contributes to private charity and volunteers time far more than in more selfish places like Eastern Europe.
It's illogical to say that governments are corrupt, but it's immoral to feed that corruption - because hungry children or some illogical non sequitur.
BogdanD@reddit
Yeah, try living in Europe and America and you’ll understand. Otherwise keep jerking off to theories.
fk_censors@reddit
I have lived in 4 countries in three continents, including Europe and North America. I've been to about 50 countries (and to some of them 6-7 times). You're easily tricked by charlatans, to believe anything you read online. I suggest you visit more of the world and then revisit your views about various nationalities.
BogdanD@reddit
I have also lived in 3 countries and my claims are based off my experiences, not online anything.
fk_censors@reddit
We must have had wildly different experiences then...
BogdanD@reddit
Your argument is basically that donating to charity makes a society less selfish. In the US donating to charity is just a scheme for companies to save on taxes so that renders your point moot given the vast majority of charity donations come from corporate sources. On an individual, person to person level, the differences in selfishness are so visible. Go to a Romanian’s house for dinner and they will drown you in food. Go to an American’s and you will get as many grains of rice as is sufficient for you to not complain. See who holds the door open for you too.
fk_censors@reddit
It depends where in the US you went. There is a huge difference between visiting someone in Washington DC, for example, versus rural Arkansas, where the hospitality matches that of the Balkans.
Also, donating to charity is not a tax scheme - yes, taxes are reduced but you still pay way more than you save.
Lastly, Americans tend to volunteer a lot, donate blood a lot, and spend a lot of their personal time helping the less fortunate (even animals, like at pet shelters). Plus a lot of firefighting departments are supported with volunteer funds, etc.
People in Eastern Europe, being poorer and with more Soviet mentalities ("I never smile and I'm unpleasant all the time because I'm not fake like those evil capitalists in normal countries"), tend to be far less giving to strangers, and outright psychopathic when it comes to animals. They may treat guests well but they don't care about strangers - they will step on corpses just to get slightly ahead in their petty world.
Try to change lanes in Romania vs the US with a car - and see who is more likely to slow down to let you in their lane.
BogdanD@reddit
How ironic given that a place like Arkansas specifically votes for the most selfish policies imaginable.
fk_censors@reddit
Again - you confuse funding corrupt and/or incompetent government entities with empathy.
BogdanD@reddit
Empathy affects the way you vote…
fk_censors@reddit
So in Romania, if you vote for the communists (or social democrats) who mismanaged the country (PSD), or for the socialist, pro Russia nationalists (AUR) who promised nearly free housing for tens of thousands of people (before admitting it was just a "marketing scheme"), you consider yourself more empathetic than someone voting for what they perceive as a less corrupt alternative? Who decides what the more empathetic political option is?
BogdanD@reddit
I mean you probably don’t vote to stop feeding poor children in schools the way they do in the US. How’s that for selfishness?
fk_censors@reddit
There could be legitimate reasons someone charitable would vote to stop feeding poor children in schools. Maybe they think the food is unhealthy, and they volunteer and provide healthy food. Maybe they voted for a politician who never said they would cut food programs for poor children. Etc. There are thousands of reasons why your assumptions about someone's motivations, when voting, could be wrong.
InBetweenSeen@reddit
The US is a very individualistic country and with that comes the idea that you're responsible for yourself.
There's a difference between occasionally donating to charity (to groups you selected) and supporting social systems year-round. "It's their own fault, why should I pay for them" is indeed a much more common mindset in the US and it's why they lack so many policies that are taken for granted even in the corruptest European countries.
fk_censors@reddit
It's not quite like that. You confuse the federal government with the various state governments (which are constitutionally responsible to feed the poor etc). So if you don't see a lot of federal mechanisms for that (there are some - close to half of the federal budget is spent on healthcare!) it's because it's done at the state level, and those programs are not so visible in the media, where all the federal political battles take place. Also, don't assume all the selfish American patriots you read online with outlandish views represent Americans - they are more often bots or poor employees in India, Nigeria, Russia, or other impoverished places.
wghpoe@reddit
There’s truth to what you say. Americans are greed driven.
But there’s also a lot of exploitation by the ruling classes (big businesses and political system). For most folk, it’s easier, although not necessarily smarter, to vote for lower taxes” than to get businesses to change their abusive approach towards them.
In the end, it’s not a democracy. It’s a hyper capitalist country.
This doesn’t mean our friendliness or extroversion is necessarily fake. But it can be. Just like awkward social habits can also be a lack of socialization and not introspection.
springheeledjack69@reddit
Which is why I live in Wales 😄😄
EmbarrassedAd8549@reddit
Americans were always sweet and approachable to me
Ulukuku@reddit
Americans are friendly. It's not fake, it's just cultural. Being friendly is considered polite. It doesn't mean we're your best friend. The time it takes to get to know someone well varies from person to person. I live in NYC, I spend most of my time with Western Europeans, my own family is Russian. I have found superficial people and surface level friendships to be common amongst every group of people, they're just perhaps more common in large cities.
niksa058@reddit
America is big country, big difference between someone from main New Hampshire etc is someone w.Virginia Missouri etc
Spiritual-Act3077@reddit
Strong yes. Western Europeans are stuck up for no reason. They have nothing particularly interesting that they do or say in comparison to Americans yet they act like their shit doesn’t stink.
Ok-Courage-1079@reddit
I second their shit not stinking. A lot of the criticism I heard about the U.S in the Balkans frankly applied, and to a greater degree, in the place I was staying at lol.
Ok-Courage-1079@reddit
I am from the Balkans but live in the U.S. I would say Americans have better manners on average based on spending time in the Balkans and the U.S. I have had many negative interactions with people in the Balkans there that were just unnecessary. It has made me think people over there are a bit more toxic than Americans on average.
There have been so many:
attempted rip offs or overcharges because I am a tourist ( countless times). Littering is normalized. Kids under parental supervision beating dogs and animals in broad public fine. Getting chewed out by a lady because I knocked over a glass and it startled her. Getting rejected from a clinic in spite of having the money to pay and the clinic not being busy. Passing remarks when I am speaking in English. Getting blocked in while parked. Frequent bad interactions with customer service reps. I could go on but you get the gist.
I know a lot of this stuff is pretty generic and it probably happens everywhere, but it really has been a daily thing in some weeks over there to make me think. I've also heard family members describe the people there as "animals" and the place a "zoo", so I don't think I am being unfair or a tribalistic dijaspora.
Goes without saying lots of cool people there too, and life in the Balkans can be awesome. I have had so many experiences there I will not forget.
maddgun@reddit
The U.S. is a massive country that has different subculture in different regions. A typical person from New York City will have a vastly different culture and attitude than someone from Houston, Texas. It's just one out of thousands of examples and variations
WildOne5303@reddit
Americans are deer in the headlights when they go to Europe.
PGLBK@reddit
No. Find them very superficial and forcefully cheery.
FriendshipBorn929@reddit
Idk I’m in New York. I grew up upstate and we’re still a little more standoffish than the south or Midwest. I’ve never had more meaningful and pleasant interactions than in Ireland. I’d say “how are you” and they’d really answer and we’d chat for an hour or more. I shared an ashtray with some people in Galway and they took me to a house party. ’ve met a couple rude Spaniards, Germans and French people. I wouldn’t make any generalizations based on that tho.
Sandytayu@reddit
When people say rude Westerners it mostly only means the Germans, French, Austrians, Swiss and Benelux. You can also add the Nordics if you feel like it. I also never heard anyone complain about how extremely rude the Irish and the British are, Irish are mostly seen in a good light meanwhile Brits are seen as annoying clueless drunkards at worst.
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
Yes, they are.
floegl@reddit
I've lived in western europe and the US north east region. Americans are friendlier but they seem to develop more superficial relationships. That may be also due to the fact theyre a lot more mobile than most Europeans so they had to become more open minded in letting new people in their lives.
vevezka@reddit
Yeahh being nice to everyone is fine for daily interactions with strangers, sure. But to develop deeper relationships you need way more than that. I lived in the US for a bit and the only actual friends i made were all first generation immigrants. And it wasn't like i lived in a bubble, i was hanging out with americans alot. Btw i think they have superficial "friendships " among themselves as well.
rug_muncher_69@reddit
Americans are fake nice
varzaguy@reddit
Unironically yea.
They also don’t mix us up with tigans because they don’t know who tigans are or Romanians are, outside of vampires, gymnastics, and Ceaușescu.
RestepcaMahAutoritha@reddit
They do mix us up though with Armenians though. I'm fairly certain 90% of Americans dont know theres a Romania and an Armenia (different countries) and if they do know, then they think we are very similar like Slovenia/Slovakia. There is a significant Armenian community in the US and several prominent Armenians, however Romania is generally unheard of.
reyadeyat@reddit
Maybe this is a little bit of a silly comment, but I am an American mathematician and I think most mathematicians here are well aware of Romania because you have produced a lot of talented mathematicians (for example, I would be shocked if any mathematician did not know who George Lusztig is) and just generally have a reputation for good mathematics education. Armenia also has a reputation for good mathematics education and competition performance, of course.
Anyway, I agree that the average American probably does not know much about Romania. I guess because
GlitteringLocality@reddit
As someone who is a dual citizen there yes they are. Most of it is the culture the over friendliness, and it’s pretend most of the time too. Or performative perhaps.
titaincognita@reddit
Not gonna lie, as an American living in the Balkans, there's plenty of fakeness that runs rampant here too. Its about what people put off. Any time you've got something new you're expected to show it off so others can see you come from good stock lol. Let's pretend in front of the neighbors we're all happy together but really we can't stand the sight of each other.
The friendliness in America may be largely fake but at least they're friendly and not trying to tear you down for not following dear mom and dad's demands.
FirmConcentrate2962@reddit
The US has a mask culture that is similarly strong to that of Asian countries, only less collectivist. That means that, yes, everyone is nice, but you can't really talk to anyone, take anyone seriously, or get through to anyone, so you'll have a hard time forming genuine connections.
Incidentally, Black people in the US were exempt from this. They are unaffected and cool.
So I would basically decide based on context. Short flight, train journey, Uber ride, and I happen to be in a talkative mood? Americans all the day.
For anything beyond a one-night stand acquaintance, Western Europeans.
Nervous-Creme-6392@reddit
The fact that you think black Americans aren't fake only shows you don't know any.
FirmConcentrate2962@reddit
That ain't gonna happen in Baltimore in five years. So let's start dat Balkan-war-of-who-knows-more-Black-Americans'.
springheeledjack69@reddit
Americans are 10x more welcoming than Asian countries. It's a country that was literally founded on immigration
Comprehensive_Ad3399@reddit
They are nicer but they sound fake af, so it cancels itself out
Relevant_Roll2@reddit
No. As a European, I dislike superficial pleasantries that seem overdone. And not genuine. I saw this more in Northern America. I would be greeted in a shop as if I was their long lost friend. To me that feels weird.
So it depends on what you count as nice.
roaming_wonder@reddit
As a non-European from a warm country, I'd say yes. They tend to talk a lot and never run out of topics. They also tend to befriend people. Though I didn't like one American's opinion on naval bases in my country because it kinda speaks of his ignorance and privilege
As a non-European who lived in and travelled around Europe, I'd say my opinion is mixed. I've learned to embrace the reservedness of Europeans because it encouraged me to be more proactive and I usually initiated things without regret or asking something in return (such as friendship), I just did it because I needed to try. And I am glad I made friends that I feel like will last long, and I can't wait to go back to Europe (once I get a job or something) to meet them.
I'd say Europeans have this common personality of being reserved, with the spectrum changing from north to south, so Balkan people are much warmer than, let's say, Finns. Americans, on the other hand, are nice I think, but I don't know maybe I need to meet more of them.
Ok_Tie_7564@reddit
Nah. Noisy and up themselves.
Mastermindkrug2@reddit
Yes they are
Ok_Pool2585@reddit
Americans are fake. As croatian, i really don't like that
macgruff@reddit
I’d say we as Americans, are more “cordial”. That’s a far cry from being actually nice. Western Europeans I’d say by comparison are more honest, but probably more truly decent.
Scary_Bottle2959@reddit
As a Balkan-American, other Balkan folks see me as Balkan but for outsiders, they completely ignore my Balkan heritage. I got so annoyed when people would be so fake to me because they assumed I would be fake to them. I genuinely wanted to come over and cook food at their place. I even warned a Hungarian peer when I found her Hungarian boyfriend cheating on her - she had a difficult time admitting but it planted the seeds of her breaking up with him.
fk_censors@reddit
It depends on what you mean by Western Europe. Americans are introverted and indifferent by Italian or Spanish standards, but open and talkative by Scandinavian standards. It also depends what kind of Americans - for example "Italians" (whose ancestors didn't even speak Italian) from New York or New Jersey are quite open and friendly whereas some Anglo or Germanic (or Scandinavian) descendants can be closed off and uncomfortable around strangers. It's impossible to compare Americans to Western Europeans, because both groups are incredibly diverse, you have to get far more specific here.
PomegranateOk2600@reddit
No. Never had any problem with anyone especially. But from the internet, americans look like really dumb.
fk_censors@reddit
The Americans you're likely to interact with online are mostly either bots or very dumb people in India, Nigeria, Russia, etc.
Willhelm_von_deroker@reddit
Americans is vague. Yanks are the best people you can meet or the worse
Ill_Chicken550@reddit
Having lived in America since birth, I gotta say Americans are nicer than some Europeans I've interacted with.
Esskov47@reddit
I'm in Canada, parents from MNE, been to the Balkans many times as well as the US and Western Europe.
I'm very comfortable as a Nothern American, I like Europe and Europeans, I just find that sometimes, some Europeans can feel a bit stuck up with the "mind games"?
Y'know when you're talking with someone and you can "sense" they're being unsincere and trying to get to you by provoking you in a subtle way or try to use your kindess as a weakness?
These can be found anywere but way more prevalent in Europe (especially in the Balkans) IMHO.
FennelFinal6512@reddit
Americans fell fake. I prefer honest indifference to whatever fake pleasantries americans do.
FastBeach816@reddit
If what you mean by “nicer” is saying good morning, and smiling, yeah Americans are better, but if you mean being a real friend, western europeans generally better. Especially Swiss people are really nice.
ConnectionUsed3684@reddit
I have lived both in western europe and usa, and I would say Americans are more open to having personal conversations and share about their life quicker, they tend to do that as casual conversation and doesn’t mean close friendships. With western europeans I find once they start socializing with you it is more intentional. They aren’t being friendly for the sake of it.
Few-Interview-1996@reddit
No, I find most people to be very pleasant.
I do agree that American attitudes appear to be more superficial, but I cannot say I'm sure.
East-Raccoon135@reddit
Yea but they are more self absorbed
-sandwich@reddit
I met Americans outside I haven't really hanged out with any, they are nice usually. Definitely more extroverted than people from London which is good.