You dahling Americans

You know I love you guys.  Americans make up 90% of my readership.  So clearly you guys must be ok.  But you do make me smile sometimes.

*Huge gaping generalizations coming up*

You know how there are certain attributes / characteristics that are attributed to people of certain nationalities?  Like we joke that the Scots are stingy?  The Brits are dour and sexless (except you of course)?  The Germans meticulous and quite regimented? The Aussies drunk sheep-shagging ho’s who suck at cricket and rugby?  ONLY JOKING!!  (not about the cricket and rugby tho.) Love the Aussies. 

Well what is the worldview of the typical American?  What do you think it is?

I am not getting into political shit here, this is supposed to be funny, ok!!  Remember – we laugh at ourselves here!!  Make as many SA jokes as you want.

So, would it be fair to say that the cartoon American is a slightly large, big Mac eating, Stetson-wearing, loud, brash character who thinks the world is divided into two countries ;  America, and Not America.  World (i.e. Not American) geography not being the strong suit. 

Of course, this doesn’t apply to you, the people who come here are intelligent, worldly-wise and G&D. 

(Although I must be honest and say I was surprised to see how many people wanted to know more about SA.  You clearly are not the cartoon American character.)

However…  a little test.  It’s something I find so amusing, and something I see all the time.  To me it’s a little thing that speaks volumes.

As you may, or may not know, each country has a unique international dialling code.  In business, and otherwise, if I give out my telephone number I always prefix it with the country dialling code for SA.  I.e. +27 xx xxxxx.  I do this so that people outside SA know how to dial the SA number from their country.  People all around the world do this.  In the UK they precede their numbers with their international dialling code, +44 xx xxxxx.  France, Germany etc, they all do it.  No one assumes the rest of the world automatically knows their particular dialling code.

Except (some!!) Americans I know.  They hardly ever prefix their telephone numbers with the international dialling code for America.  It’s as if we (Non-Americans) are supposed to just know the international dialling code for America.  It makes me smile every time.  I just love the confidence.  So funny.  I get this all the time from American business people I deal with on a regular basis.  Almost every businessperson in a Not American country knows their country’s international dialling code.  Not my dear American colleagues.

So here’s the test.  Do you know yours?  Quick!  What is the international dialling code for your country?  If you had to give me your telephone number, would you have included the dialling code, or would you have assumed that I should know it? 

I love you guys.  Really, I do.

Comments

[Nopenname]

it's +1 Now how is THAT for arrogant and single minded?

HEH

But seriously I'd think that perhaps it was because of American telegraph/telephone companies making up the international code thing anyway.

I always forget to add it and I try to dial up friends without the international code all the time, I just forget it exists in general, not just for me.

[RDS]

I use a telecom software product from an American company called Verizon.. it's called IOBI and allows you to manage incoming calls from your PC. Anyway, to cut a long story short, this IOBI product does not support international numbers... it doesn't know what the hell to do with +2721555555, for example. It only knows how to deal with 01127215555555 (011 is the international dialling prefix from within the USA)

Note: This is a telecom product developed by an American telecom company...

Also: Most Americans do not really know what SMS is. Most people here think SMS is text messaging. Which it is. But mobile to mobile text messaging is not necessarily SMS. In the USA, many cellphone carriers do not support SMS (that's why I have a work mobile phone and a personal cell phone)

[Sarah]

It's 1 ... which should pretty much answer your question about whether that stereotype is unfair. We're number one, nobody else matters, and all that. Unfortunately, some prominent American politicians aren't doing a lot to help disassemble that stereotype.

Love the polls and such!

[bethiecow]

Lol! Sadly, I actually have met a few Stetson-wearing people like you described.

The international dialing code for the US of A is +1. I can't imagine anyone in the states not knowing that. Heck, I have to dial it all the time just to reach the next town. Sad, sad Americans. =p

[Lisa]

NO clue on my country code. Then again, I don't have anyone overseas with whom I communicate via telephone. If I did, I'd know it.

(DH says it's 011..., and I'm sure he's right. Yup, he checked and he's right.)

DH also says that the large, brash, Stetson-wearing, Big Mac eating worldview of Americans is ironic considering our enormous diversity (give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses...) One in every seven Americans is Hispanic. I live in Los Angeles where that statistic is more like six in every ten is Hispanic. Not offended at that world view of Americans, as what is projected by our media is pretty much as you've described.

On our short street of 18 homes alone we have Japanese, Hispanic, Iraqui Christians, Chinese, and white. I teach 2nd grade and all of my 20 students are Hispanic- they all speak Spanish at home. As a matter of fact, in my 15 years as a teacher, I've only had ONE white student. My son attends preschool where the majority of students are Asian- Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian.

Perhaps my USA-view is skewed as I've always lived in port cities (San Francisco and Los Angeles) that historically attract and retain peoples from other cultures.

I was in Iowa a few years back and was surprised to find that the 7-11 convenience store was manned (personed?) by white people. I'd never seen that- every other 7-11 I'd been in was run by Pakistanis or Indians.

We don't take offense to your comic description of an American, it's just a shame that all the other people of America are left out of it.

[meganann]

The US is +1 (how egotistical of us!) with an idd of 011
Mexico is +52 with an idd of 00 and that is where I learned that the US is +1.

I suspect US citizens who leave the country for the first time or have no international friends are shocked that ours is not considered the "default" for everything (language, currency, phone dialing, dvd codes etc) and that even technology differs in different parts of the world. I wish we were taught to be better world citizens, but it tends not to be a priority here.

[Earthchild Jen]

T....I am ROTFLMAO

I am a very intelligent, Non-Stetson wearing, trendy New Yorker. I am cultured. I am educated. I love to learn. AND I HAVE NO FREAKEN CLUE WHAT MY COUNTRY CODE IS!!! I am finding this rather comical. I can't believe that I don't know it.

Thanks for this post T....I am getting a big laugh out of it.

[Bridgette]

We have a country code???

[wessel]

Actually, I believe the code is 001 (I should know, cause I dial it a lot since I'm far from home right now!)

Americans are friendly and generous (except for New Yorkers, who are rude and brash). Southerners are very friendly and helpful. Midwesterners are solid help-you-when-you're-down types. Californians are happy-go-lucky. There is a lot of diversity in our gigantic nation, but I would have to say that the common trait I see running through all of us is ARROGANCE! Sometimes it's a nasty kind of wait-on-me arrogance, but usually it is more benign than that--more like that of a people who just really has no clue that there is a world out there beyond us. (er . . . some describe New Yorkers that way . . .) We expect everyone to speak English, to understand our ways, to conform to our rules, to buy our products, and to know our international telephone code. Why?

BECAUSE WE REALLY ARE THE BIGGEST AND THE BEST!

Yes.

[mijk]

31! You forgot in you're stereotypes the camera on their belly and the fact that they always assume just anybody they speak with in Europe speaks english ;-) even when they speak with a weird accent....

Mijk

[Erin]

I totally know my +1 code, and I'm even willing to share it with the damn Canadians! How's that for the spirit of American generosity? I just assume that everyone knows that Americans are #1, so they'll know our code. I mean, please. ;)

[Nicole]

The North American (at least Canada and the US) code is 1.

And I'm Canadian, eh?

N.

[Ninotchka]

I SO don't know ours. Good point. I have had to call international on business quite a bit throughout my working years too and you're right, they always include the country code. Very interesting! We Americans
are pompous pieces of shit, aren't we? BA HA HA HA

[Callie]

Without reading the previous comments (in case it's been revealed), I will sheepishly admit that although I consider myself to be fairly intelligent, know a bit about international affairs, know where many foreign countries are located, etc., I do NOT know the U.S. international dialing code. To be fair, I do not deal with poeple from other countries on a regular basis, and even in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean countries, which are the non-U.S. places that I go most frequently, it is not necessary to dial a special code to call the U.S. All these North American countries have 3-digit area codes just like the U.S. and you can dial into the U.S. from them without any other special additional code. I think. When dialing between North American area codes, even within the U.S., it is usually necessary to precede the number by a (1), so perhaps the U.S. code is 1?

That said, I do know that the U.K. code is 44, b/c of having to dial that country on occasion. I could not tell you the international code for any other country.

Now, I will read the previous comments to see if the U.S. code is revealed.

P.S. I am thin, I hate Big Macs, I look stupid in a Stetson & I don't own any cowboy boots. But I think your stereotype of the average American is not only the prevalent one, but based in some degree of truth, like many stereotypes.

[mamaPajama]

Americans are clueless, myself included. We think we invented everything, we're the richest and the smartest. Therefore everyone should envy and emulate us. We are the alpha-group of the world! Let's all get on the phone and talk about that G&D Tertia. Call me.

[wessel]

I just double checked, and I'm right--it is 001.

[Callie]

Ha! I guessed right! Which just goes to show you that although I may be ignorant of certain international protocols, I am at least capable of intelligent reasoning. Innovation! Imagination! That's what makes America great.

[jacqueline]

Poor Canadians - they too have the +1 country code even though they are MOST DEFINITELY NOT Americans, or even Americanesque.

I am Australian [+61] and we are far more like Americans [shudder] than Canadians are. I have lived in Canada for 8 years now, and I shall be obtaining dual citizenship.

[Louise]

I've never quite understood this, but how exactly do we use our dialing code and idd? If we are in North America (Canadian here) we just dial 1+ (idd of ____ country)+ xxxxx
but if we are outside North America, we would dial the idd of where we are+1+011(NA idd)+xxx xxx xxxx? I've only been off the continent once, and that was 9 years ago when I was 16. I remember I was dialing on a rotary phone and it took so long to get through the numbers, I eventually lost my place and would have to start over.

It's funny that even though we are neighbours, Canadians often make the same generalizations of Americans as others do, although I think our generalizations become slightly more nuanced (cause you know, for us it is really personal. And for goodness sakes, the US is not geographically larger than Canada).

[CountessAmy]

Haha, thats funny...that dialing code thing. You *were* joking weren't you? There aren't really international dialing codes are there?
I really hope not because before your post i had never heard of them. I guess that means i'm an ignorant American. Oh well, at least i know a few of the providences in Canada. hehe.

[Scout]

01 right? I will give you your stereotypes, but in defense of the country code thing I almost never have to dial someone internationally and vice versa. Business may be different though.

As for the stereotpyes, they are unfortunately largely true. I have not traveled extensively, mostly in Europe, but it is quite easy to pick Americans out of a crowd and the amount of ignorance regularly demonstrated by my fellow citizens is embarassing. Here's a great one:

I have a friend with three children that is sort of a know it all. The last time I saw her we somehow happened on the subject of antibiotic resistant bacteria. She railed against doctors overprescribing antibiotics for colds, etc. In the next few mintues she related how her family doctor had prescribed a round of antibiotics for her sister (who is 22 or so) to take with her to on a trip to EUROPE. The sister was instructed that she should take them as a precaution. I did not hide my reaction at hearing this ridiculous tidbit.

[Kam]

Sarah, you meant to say, 'dissemble', didn't you? Or is it 'disassemble'? Ah, heck, now ya'll got me confused.

And for the record, most Japanese don't know their country code, either. So there! :p

[Jenergy]

Wow, great question. And I'm ashamed to say I don't know the answer. My only excuse is that I don't do any business outside the US... nor have any friends or relatives in Not America.

[Egg Donor]

I'm american.

What's a stetson? I know it has something to do with texas, but I'm not really sure if it's a hat or boots or something else. Hm. Whatever it is, I'm sure I don't like it.

Also, I'm a vegetarian, so no Big Macs for me (though I never ate that nasty mushy meat before I went veg). AND I'm the correct weight for my height (as, apparently, you all have witnessed since I got over 2,000 hits on my breast reduction site when I posted the link here - you're all pervs).

I'm fortunate. Working in academia, especially in my field (one of the hard sciences), I am surrounded by international people. In my lab, there are about 30 members of whom only about 6 are american. Life in that environment is very different than life outside. It gives a lot of different perspectives.

I hate the USAcentric americans. There are a lot of them, as evidenced by the fact that Bush got re-elected, but there are a lot of us who hate that (as evidenced by how close it was). Nothing against you Republicans...but come on...how can I take you seriously when you vote for a guy who can't pronounce nuclear?

I'll be very interested in seeing the rest of these comments. I often wonder exactly how we're perceived.

[MollieBee]

lolol

you got me again T, I come over here expecting to hear about the babies or something and here I am giggling about stetsons and big macs.

I think we are dumb, as a whole.

Hubby is mad. He says we're not dumb. He reads the paper everyday.

LOLOLOLOL