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chokingvictim2 on 14 October 2015
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I will say, as a Canadian that's travelled all throughout the US and Canada, that there are a lot of misconceptions people have about the US. I think nationalist identity really causes this friction. For example, driving through minnesota and stopping in Minneapolis, I never had more friendly encounters with people in my life. From just walking down the street and having people acknowledge you with a smile and a "hi", to going to a bar and ending up meeting three people and having drinks with them all night. Sure, there are certain places where you'll encounter ruder people, but those are generally in the high population areas like New York or Los Angeles. In places like that, theres so much going on, and so many people, that people don't have the time for much other than what's going on in their own life. (Will say partying in NYC is way better than partying in LA though)

Aside from that, a lot of people in Canada hate Toronto for the same reason, but from my experience living in Toronto, compared to the other cities I've lived in, it's a super nice place to live. People just tend to hate on what they've never experienced, and/or when they do go, they keep a closed mindset and it hampers their experience.

Now, in the house that I live, I've had many ex-pat roommates who have come from all over Europe to live in Toronto for 6 months at a time. Out of all the French people (4 to be exact), only one of them was super open minded and embraced North American culture. The one I'm stuck with now just hates on anything American, and usually it's in stark contradiction with anything factual. For example, she thinks Americans are all fat, cancer filled, and eat terribly... yet France has a higher cancer rate than the United States does. Or watching Narcos, she laughed at scenes like "this doesn't happen in real life, stupid american shows." I then proceed to show her documentaries on the cartels of South America and Mexico, and she realizes she's an idiot.

So I guess in conclusion, I will say one thing, for all the bad shit the United States government and it's corporations do in the world, there is an equal level of good that has been done to the world through American influence. I guess what I'm trying to say is, as much as I dislike the American government (despite Obama being pretty dope compared to any of the presidents in recent history), I wouldn't want to live next to any other country in this world.

Most Europeans I encounter have a strange romanticism with their country, and it's pretty annoying to deal with. "What is this wine? This wine is shit. French wine is much better."
"What is this music? This music is shit."
"I do not understand why you guys do this, this is stupid."

Blah blah blah. European Elitism is a real thing, and it's the worst. It's like having someone come over to your house and they say "I don't like the way you decorated your place, my place is better." EVERYDAY. WITH EVERY SINGLE THING.

...maybe I've just had bad luck, but I'd rather joke with a yank and make fun of them, and have them make fun of me, than have a French person act like they're better, and then get pissy when I critique something about their culture.