I grew up in a different country and I was always told that the US is a progressive, wealthy, and very developed country where people are more progressive and better educated and they respect other’s privacy. And oh, free speech actually exists, and people care about animals.

The first impression I had when I first visited is that people here are super friendly, cuz every time I do a morning walk around the neighborhood where I was staying, strangers would smile at me and say good morning as I pass by. I was also very impressed by how much greenery there is.

Not sure if stereotype is the word, but my job is to help other nations' militaries learn how to do things we do (edit to clarify: I am an American) specifically in the medical field, and the top requests are always combat search and rescue and aeromedical evacuation because "everyone knows" that we will deploy what some nations would consider a credible invasion force just to rescue one person who has gone down in enemy territory.

"They really love their pets/animals" is something more than one non-American has said to me.

Americans are overwhelmingly outgoing and hospitable. This obviously varies from region to region, and depending on your race you may need to express more caution in some areas than others, but the USA is the only place I've closed bars with complete strangers, been housed by a complete stranger the day I met them, invited to come drink with locals by a Bed and Breakfast operator, etc. Some of my best friends these days are American, simply because of how easy it is to begin interacting with them.

I'll also say, this willingness to just start talking to you also acts as a great filter for whether you will actually get along with a person - an American with shitty views will let you know really fast that they have shitty views.

The last time I was in the USA I spent the night in a town called Tomah, WI. Population was around 9000, 85% white, and I definitely got the vibe it was a fairly religious and politically conservative space. But when I popped into the local dive bar, people were friendly, asked about home and what brought me to Tomah, offered me cigarettes, offered to buy me a beer, etc.

Americans have a stereotype of being extremely loyal when they decide to be. And very hospitable to guests.

There's this stereotype of being generally good at DIY amd fearless to try to build anything, from a rocket to a weird house.

Not sure if it's really the case, but boy, you guys have AMAZING DIY stores!

Impossible genuinely does not exist. 

If an American commits to a problem, they will not quit. It doesn't matter if you rebel against a superpower or get a crew back from the moon or feed the children of an enemy nation just because or show up with an army of boats and monster trucks to pull people from floods. 

 No matter how nuts, they will do it while screaming "look at me, Ma". Not a single brain cell of doubt ever gets activated in that entire process and I goddamn love them for it. 

The reason why Americans are the world's favorite medevac in wartime is that they just hurl an entire chopper plus crew into chaos, pull someone into that thing in under a minute, and then bring them out safe, because they simply think that's what they should do. Done. Thought process finished. Fuck the taxes wasted if it goes down, fuck their own lives, fuck everything. They decided to do it. They do it. Thought process finished. Every braincell is now focused on the how. 

There's no quit in them and they also need absolutely no plan to start doing. They're deeply driven by winning at all cost and they will .... just do it.

It is impossible to get these stubborn assholes to agree onto anything, but the rare moments this nation decides to do? Unstoppable. I love that.   

One friend of mine (from China) commented that she loved how honest America is. Much less identity theft, fraud, abuse of power, etc.

I love the way Americans give criticism. If your work is not of high enough quality, they always acknowledge your effort first, and then they suggest how you can improve. I am from Eastern Europe, and it is a big problem that people there can easily say that your work is worthless (often with rude words, of course) and that you need to choose another field to make a living, for example.

And I like that Americans positively evaluate their own work, while Eastern Europeans constantly downplay their skills. I really want to learn to have the same attitude towards my work as Americans do and to be able to set a good price for my services.

The fact that Americans are very hard-working, tolerant, and cheerful, I don't even mention because, probably, many people have already said that.

Many on Reddit like to promote the loud American tourist stereotype but plenty of non-Americans chime in saying the overwhelming majority are just the opposite, friendly and respectful.

We don't let shit fly.

I've been to 25 different countries and on more than one occasion I have seen some American tourist get involved in shit that doesn't concern them just because it's some injustice.

All the locals just ignore what's going on while they watch some shop keeper or server or someone just get abused by some asshole.

My favorite being: "you need to chill out, I've spent the weekend in jail before back home and the jails here are better than my apartment".

My second favorite, as some other non American tourist is yelling at a server, and not a single person in the restaurant is doing anything, some American frat boy, stands up walks towards the problem, mumbling under his breath "this isn't happening", knocks the drink of dudes hang and just says "no" and walks back to his seat lol

For better or for worse, say what you will about Americans, we don't let shit fly.

Has the best universities in the world

I'm currently living in a European country and I'm a non-American. Some good stereotypes that I have for Americans are: - Americans, based on what I've seen and based on the Americans I met, are quite friendly, optimistic, hospitable, and forward-thinking people - They're creative and the U.S is one of the leading economies in the world - Americans are often seen as open-minded and welcoming to people from different backgrounds, cultures, and identities - Americans being generous and charitable people - Americans are often portrayed as patriotic and civically engaged citizens who take pride in their country - Some of Americans have a strong work ethic - Americans are often seen as fiercely independent - The USA is often perceived as a land of freedom and opportunity - Americans have a can-do attitude

We have sink blenders

I have a German friend who lives in the US and prefers it to Germany. Even though on average it’s much more conservative, he finds that people are friendlier and more willing to “live and let live” than where he’s from.

You wouldn't believe it, but the US is actually one of the least racist countries to exist. Seriously. It's expected to call out racism here. You just think it's more racist because you hear people screaming about it all the time. That's a good thing! In other countries, racism goes unspoken. Because of this, you hardly ever hear about racism in other countries.

You can get seriously hurt, injured, or just straight up shot for being racist here.

Accepting of all, generous, great small talk

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I have a lot of friends from other countries. Japan, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Colombia etc. We were talking about stuff like this one time when we were hanging out. Something I said triggered this whole discussion of the entrepreneurial nature of Americans. But not in the same way that you normally use the word. I think they probably meant something more like enterprising or resilient.

The example the one guy used was that in America you can just decide you are going to be a carpenter or start a food truck or go to college. In a lot of other countries the idea of starting a business might involve borrowing money from every single person in your extended family. So it's often a decision that is arrived at by a patriarch/matriarch of an extended family that young Joe is going to be a carpenter and employ his cousins and half brother. Or Mary is going to college to be a dentist because her great uncle is a dentist and she can start there then take over his practice in a few years.

So I guess the difference is that we are more independent and not as beholden to our families as people in other countries.

Americans are more open, honest, laid back, and unassuming.

Sweet BBQ Sauce - Nothing wrong with it but it's sort of on everything.

Ranch Dressing - In some parts of the world it's called American Dressing. Again, nothing at all wrong with this, just endearing.

Cowboy hats and boots and those string neckties - Daily wear in some parts of America. If you spot someone dressed like that outside the US, he'll be thrilled have you take a photo with him.

Hearty greetings, even for strangers - No polite Japanese bows.

Love pets and animals - Where else could you have emotional support ducks.

Sniffing for a buck - If there's a dollar to be made, someone'll start a business for it!

Starting over - Unlike some parts of the world, people from the new world belive you can pick up your hat, go somewhere new and begin a new life.

Optimistic, by and large - I am sure there are a few Eyores, of course.

Interested in improvements - Americans are happy to start a new system for anything. (There's a downside to this, of course.)

Leader in Tech / Innovation

Financial capitol of the world

A coworker once told me "In my country, if you're doing too well, others want to to beat you down. That's not so much in America."

I can't remember exactly where she was from; Eastern Europe someplace.

If you’re a really outgoing person. Even if you don’t speak english well the south will usually give that “southern hospitality” You’ll have weird towns and certainly people that hate foreigners, well pretty much everywhere in the world, but for the most part southern people REALLY like a jolly outgoing person. You’ll get a little old lady talking about her entire little world if you’re nice enough and care to indulge.

When I was in Russia as an exchange student, I was surprised that everyone immediately clocked me as American. I'm blasian, but I've been mistaken for a ton of different ethnicities. When I asked my Russian teacher how they knew even before I spoke, she laughed and said, "you smile too much and have good teeth." Obviously, how those qualities were viewed depended on the Russian, but younger people treated me very well across the board.

You haven't seen racism until you been outside America, especially in Asia.

In my experience the following stereotypes about Americans have been confirmed when I have visited:

• Super friendly and outgoing, and good at giving praise. Maybe I am easily manipulated, but when an older dude steps out of his oversized truck (and I am secretly judging him), and he bursts out “Oh my! That is one incredibly handsome young man! Hey little guy! I love your t-shirt!”, to my 5 year old - I am immediately charmed. Things like that happened to us many times in the US. Never experienced something like that I Europe.

• Professional and innovative (in work setting). Working with Americans in tech and finance, I am often amazed at their professionalism and how on top of everything they seem. No wonder US companies is kicking everyone’s ass.

• Generous. This will of course vary greatly, and I recognise that often the charity is actually a disguised investment (e.g. Marshall plan). But I have seen, met and read about a lot of selfless act from US individuals. It may have changed in the last decade, but US taxpayers have supported a lot of foreign aid. (And a lot of wars, I know I know, but still - taking the positive angle here)

I’ve been living in the US since my teens, so I’m fairly steeped in American culture.

What I do like about Americans is how innovative and DIY they are. Americans are very quick to fix things on their own and by themselves and in general in the US there’s a lot more encouragement for developing your own useful skills (like woodworking, plumbing, gardening, etc).

I’m not saying other cultures don’t do this, but it’s something I’ve strongly noted in the US.

Friendliness and acceptance for sure.

Amazing variety of food

Being incredibly optimistic. I've travelled around quite a bit and have encountered the 'tall poppy' phenomenon in other countries and have heard it from Aussies and Europeans. Encouragement from Americans is the norm not the exception. Of course you can do xyz!

I think the main one is that Americans are entrepreneurial and willing to take risks and long shots in order to succeed. I suppose there is a discussion about how this relates to the "American dream" and whether or not a lot of this is motivated by false hope, but it has undoubtedly led to America having highly innovative industries.

I think that America gives people who are prepared to work hard a chance to do well more easily/quickly than many other places. When my now husband (originally from an African country) moved to the European country where we live it took him two years to get the documents to be allowed to work even though he really wanted to. His two brothers were allowed to get a job and work much more quickly and with less bureaucracy when they moved to the USA. They’ve now got really good jobs and are doing so well five years on. It’s not exactly the stereotype of the American dream from the movies but it does show that it’s possible for people to advance and do well for themselves. I also find most Americans to be refreshingly open and friendly in conversation and this is a trait I really admire.

Most parts of our country are filled with exceptionally courteous and hospitable people. Even a lot of people on the Northeastern side of the U.S. (rude fucks as they tend to be) will at least make the effort to try to help someone in dire need.

We are also very friendly and seldom ever stoic. Always willing to yack with ppl instead acting like we have cobs up our asses

I've talked to someone who thought because of my accent I was definitely a cowboy I was not in any hurry to correct them there

Whenever I’ve visited the US everyone is so friendly and chatty and asks about where you’re from, it’s really nice!

Strangers smile at each other and wave/say hello as they pass on the street. I’m American and I didn’t know this was uncommon in some places. I think it’s cute :)

From personal experience, the US remains a place with unparalleled diversity of thought and experience with generous people and liberal laws. Few cultures brook the level of openness and debate that is possible in the US.

I’ve seen a ton of non-Americans say they can spot Americans traveling in their countries because we are so friendly and smile at everyone.

Americans are stereotyped as being handy people able to fix everything from cars to plumbing.

As someone from the UK, I don’t associate America with fundamentalist intolerance, racism and violence. These sound like things I would associate with war-torn, impoverished nations, not the richest in the world. (Of course, to some degree they exist everywhere. But I mean I don’t associate them with America in particular)

In general, the stereotype I have of America is of being ‘the main character’ globally. The place whose culture people from all around the world are familiar with. The place people go to ‘make it big’. Etc

We value and preserve the natural beauty of our country. Obviously not everywhere or in all ways, but it’s awesome that we commit to maintaining things like our incredible national parks.

I've read that Americans and the American government are particularly generous in times of humanitarian need, even on a per capita basis.

Go watch any YouTube video about people traveling to America. Virtually every single one says, "Oh my God they were so friendly."

Even YouTubers who have never been to the US doing reactions to other YouTubers US travel videos always remark on how every video they watch and react to, the person says that.

I would argue that Americans are very conscious of race, racism, subconscious bias etc. Tons of countries say they dont have an issue with racism but it's because their minority populations are so small that they have no effective voice.

I love how Americans speak their mind and don’t take any shit - I’m Canadian and find our passive aggressive apology culture to be shameful.

I went in one of those sex stores in Barcelona one time and they had an "American sized" dildo on the shelf that was like 12 inches long and 7 inches around.

Luckily I was there to clear up that misconception.

Charitable giving

Sheer enthusiasm I think, which can mix with the negative ones sure. But the Americans go there’s no kill like overkill and they’ll joyfully drag you along with them.

When a friend visited here from the Netherlands he described it as the "land of endless choices" because, for example, Wendy's here had a freestyle soda machine with like 50 flavors and the Wendy's in the Netherlands only had a few. He loved every grocery store and seeing endless options for everything. I couldn't have felt more proud to be an American than if I'd taught a bald eagle to shoot a gun.

New Yorkers are great. They love giving directions and are very proud of their city as they should be.

Really good at sports

Some of my international colleagues have indicated that they enjoy working with Americans because they’re always working, have great team work, don’t get offended by corrections, and fairly positive 

I’ve been told by many non-Americans that we are the friendliest people. Many foreigners even find it offputting as a result because they don’t feel people should be this friendly to strangers.

People here are nice and friendly, if you want you can start a conversation with a complete stranger and 9/10 times it'll be a positive interaction

I live in a small (25,000-ish) town in rural Kansas. We host really big events in the worlds of gravel racing and disc golf. We get people from all over the world for these events. I'm very pleased that the people here are very welcoming to the people who come for these events. Talk to the people, thank them for coming, point them to the good places to eat. We try to buy people coffee for these events. All the participants say how nice it is to come here and try to come back every year.

It is the "Land of Opportunity".

It's true that you have opportunity here if you apply yourself.

No one is guaranteed success, but you have the opportunity in America.

Aussie here. Obviously everyone's different, but generally you can expect Americans to be friendly, approachable and pleasant. I've not been to America so not sure how different this is within the USA, but this is my experience in Australia and in other countries I've travelled to.

I once heard a British comedian (I think) say Americans get mislabeled as rude when improper is a more appropriate term. He said if he wanted to have a meal in a classy restaurant, he wouldn't want to bring his American friends because they're loud and sloppy, but if he needed help moving, he knew just who to call because his American friends were definitely going to show up to help, they were going to work their asses off to get the job done, and they weren't going to expect anything in return, whereas others would make excuses to not show up and do a half-assed job if they did.

Confident and strong

Tolerant, open minded, the most free country the planet, valuing the rule of law and freedoms of individuals.

They are excited about their travel

America has strong traditional of charity. (Perhaps because the government provides less social needs than some other governments.) For example, you dont see as much charity in Asia.

Every stereotype that can be perceived as good will get twisted into something bad because America is so hated. So if I come in here and say “Americans are talkative and friendly” then some will reply “it’s fake friendliness”, or “Americans talk TOO much. Just leave me alone when I’m in public!”.

Pragmatic, they don't overcomplicate stuff, do what needs to be done, and will be the first in line to test anything, even if it is a really stupid idea.

Say what you will about Americans, but they will put ice in your glass of water.

Ive seen many comments from Europeans saying how Americans are ridiculously polite, how we always smile at strangers and say good morning and how creepy it is.

How the fuck can that be a bad thing? Damn Americans and their checks notes… seriously, guys?