Negative stereotypes of American People

The behavior of the American people makes that the rest of the world have a bad perception
about American culture. Americans are stereotyped as a violent and materialistic culture.
All of this is caused for the negative practices that have pigeonholed the U.S. citizens and
the media which contributed to the generalization of the negative behavior of the American
people.
First, one of the most negative stereotypes that people have about Americans is the
perception that they are a very violent society. This stereotype may be a result of the large
number of guns found in the country. At least 45% of U.S. households have a gun, and
there are about 200 million guns circulating around the country. Additionally, more than 84
people are killed daily with guns which total up to 31,000 gun-related deaths annually.
Most gun owning Americans claim they own a gun as it is needed to protect themselves and
their family. This would suggest that Americans view themselves as being at risk of
violence. America might also be stereotyped as a violent society because of the numerous
high profile killing sprees sensationalized in American media that have taken place in
shopping malls, schools and universities. One of the most recent being the murderous
rampage carried out at Virginia Tech which resulted in the death of 32 teachers and
students. Finally, this stereotype might be the result of the frequent armed US engagements
in foreign nations. Since the birth of this nation in 1776, some analysts have calculated that
the US has only seen a total of 21 years of non military involvement. This level of military
involvement would be highly visible to many of the worlds citizens as, at present, the US
military is deployed in more than 150 countries. In general, due to a history of large scale

military deployment and Americans viewing themselves as a violent society, it is therefore

understandable why people from other cultures may do so as well.
A second common negative stereotype people have about Americans is that they are
materialistic. This stereotype may be a result of the American cultural belief in the
American Dream which most Americans believe is only attainable as a result of free market
capitalism. Many modern American economists who advocate a Laissez-faire economy do
not see massive accumulation of wealth by individuals as a negative aspect but a positive
one that contributes to the economic development of the country. Popular books can even
be found on this topic in the US such as the bestseller Atlas Shrugged which may have
inspired the famous Gordon Geko speech Greed is Good in the film Wallstreet. Another
reason for this stereotype about Americans materialism may be because of popular reality
shows shown around the world like Hoarders, Man Vs. Food and The Biggest Loser. These
shows depict Americans obsessively buying and storing goods in their homes, engaging in
activities of overeating and generally obese people. Finally, popular videos on YouTube
such as hundreds of people rushing and pushing each other during sales events like Black
Friday help to perpetuate this stereotype. These kinds of videos only help to reinforce those
beliefs when paired with other statistics reflecting materialistic practices. One such statistic
states that the average American produces while the average Japanese person produces
about 2.5 pounds of trash. These types of American activities may contribute to non-US
residents view of American society as being obsessed with making money, the
accumulation of possessions and overeating.
To sum up, Americans have some basic beliefs that make them different from
people in other countries, and they tend to be pigeonholed under certain stereotypes. Some

of these negative stereotypes include Americans being overly materialistic consumer based
society. Another reflects a belief that America contains a culture of violence. Although
these stereotypes are not true of all Americans, these stereotypes are not completely false
either as they are based in many commonly seen American practices.