History NationalStereotypes / NorthAmerica

** UsefulNotes/AmericanTelevisionStations: Though most people in the world watch a lot of television, Americans tend to be stereotyped as obsessive TV watchers more often than other countries. Possibly because so many films and TV series are made in the U.S.A., but also because there are so many different channels. It seems as if there's so many airtime to fill that producers just throw in any soap opera, drama, comedy, talk show, movie, reality show, animated series, or religious show they can cobble together. Only to have them interrupted by long commercial breaks every seven minutes. The amount of re-runs is staggering and has caused many Americans to know a lot of films and TV episodes by heart.

** To snobbish people, the USA seems to lack any actual art or sophistication and is centuries behind the cultural traditions of other continents. But how could it be otherwise, they say, if more government spending is used for the military and college sports than the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanEducationalSystem American public school system?]]. Everything ''made in U.S.A.'' seems to be campy, decadent, unoriginal, dumbed down, overcommercialized kitsch [[MerchandiseDriven only created to serve the ''almighty American dollar]]''. This image is particularly influenced by the power of huge multinationals like Creator/{{Disney}}, [[CocaPepsiInc Coca Cola, Pepsi]], UsefulNotes/McDonalds, General Motors, Creator/{{MTV}}, UsefulNotes/{{Microsoft|Windows}}, and Creator/{{Apple}} who appear to be everywhere. [[HorribleHollywood Hollywood]] and [[ItCameFromBeverlyHills Beverly Hills]] dominate movie and TV screens and give us dumb and shallow blockbuster movies, campy soap operas and sitcoms with laugh tracks. All American pop music is bland, watered down and appeals to cheap emotions only, without any authentic appeal or artistic vision. The USA seems to have no philosophical or literary tradition of any note, except infantile superhero comics. Literature fans still wait for the UsefulNotes/GreatAmericanNovel to be written. Their culinary tradition is downgraded by their tendency for fast food and soft drinks. If snobbish foreigners really want to point out what makes America's idea of culture so different they tend to point at stuff like [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disneyland]], UsefulNotes/LasVegas, the Magazine/{{Playboy}} mansion, pink limousines, shallow beauty contests, and phony award shows. In reality, of course, not all Americans enjoy this stuff. The USA is not even the only country with multinationals or shoddy unsophisticated stuff, and there are enough Americans who have made and endorsed art, education and technology of a more sophisticated and less commercialized nature. Many American film classics are internationally respected for being great works of art. {{Jazz}} is widely seen as the truest and most unique American art form and one could argue that even country, blues, rock, soul and hiphop have something authentic and original in their roots. The UsefulNotes/GreatAmericanNovel may not have been written yet, but there have been some strong contenders for that title up to this point.

* CanadaEh: The Bob & Doug [=McKenzie=] sketches from ''Series/{{SCTV}}'' cemented the idea that all Canadians say "eh?" as a VerbalTic. Another Canadian linguistic stereotype is the word "aboot" instead of "about".

* Because of the extent to which the U.S. influences popular culture worldwide, many people "[[PopCulturalOsmosis know]]" about life in the U.S. through movies and television series set here and are not always shy about admitting that movies, television series, or both are their source of information. However, those works are by definition works of fiction intended as entertainment and shaped by market forces. Views of the rest of the country that are common in New York or Los Angeles also influence many such works. As a result, many people believe things about life here that vary from slanted to flatly wrong. Also, [[Series/HouseOfCardsUS not all]] TV series on which people base their views of the U.S. are even original to the U.S. Some people have even taken to pranking on social media, on the assumption, not entirely inaccurate, that people will believe anything negative about the United States.

* Other stereotypical images are Indian women carrying their papoose ("child") in a bag on their back, [[IndianMaiden indian maidens]] and TheChiefsDaughter falling in love with a white prisoner, thus saving his life. When Native Americans make friends, they perform a BloodBrothers act. All communication is done by sending smoke signals to one another. When they travel, it's usually by horse or canoe.

* UsefulNotes/NorthCarolina. Best known for the export of cotton and tobacco. Cape Hatteras is known as "the graveyard of the Atlantic" because of the huge amount of ships that sank there.[[note]]Necessity being the mother of invention, this is why NC's coasts are speckled with lighthouses -- to warn sailors away from rocky coasts in nighttime, against which many a ship has crashed.[[/note]] Cape Fear is infamous because of the thriller ''Film/CapeFear'', and Kitty Hawk is remembered as the area where UsefulNotes/{{the Wright Brothers}} made their first flight. Also, the Northeastern transplants of the Research Triangle Park near the capital tend to get the stinkeye from the rest of the state, spawning at least one [[FunWithAcronyms backronym]] for one of the cities that makes it up: "Concentrated/Central/Containment Area for Relocated Yankees".

* See CanadaEh for the main page about stereotypical portrayals of Canada.

* Mexican characters are common in (beat 'em up) video-games and are prevalently depicted as {{masked luchador}}s in all of the main series, likely because Lucha Libre is the nation's most iconic national sport. Examples come in two distinct flavours: There's the [[HeroicBuild stacked]], [[JusticeWillPrevail heroic]], [[TheFaceless mysteriously faceless]], FriendToAllChildren type, which includes King from the VideoGame/{{Tekken}} series and the Aztec inspired, eagle-masked Tizoc from VideoGame/FatalFury - both fight to help fund and support local orphanages. The other type is far closer to real life and almost the exact opposite, being depicted as ''very'' [[TheNapoleon short in stature]], [[LargeHam loud]], [[ArrogantKungFuGuy gobby]] and HotBlooded, with [[ThemeNaming examples including]] El Fuerte from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' (who's voiced like a pitched-down Speedy [=Gonzales=]), El Stingray from ''VideoGame/SaturdayNightSlamMasters'' and El Blaze from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''. Angel, from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' (whose favourite foods are "tequila and raw cactus slices", according to her offical bio), represents a female Mexican luchadora, albeit without the usual mask.

* In (beat 'em up) videogames, American fighters (generally) come in one of two flavours, adhering to the distinct types presented by the {{Eagleland}} trope: Type 1 examples will often positively portray the [[AllAmericanFace all-American hero]], and include [[PatrioticFervor patriotic]], military powerhouse Guile of ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' Fame, who [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead has the Stars & Stripes tattooed to both shoulders]], as well as the HotBlooded, cheerfully friendly Terry Bogard from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''. Felicia from ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' also (arguably) represents Type 1, being a friendly, caring sort who wants nothing more than to [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream make it big on Broadway]].
** Type 2 examples are more numerous, the most obvious being Rufus of ''Street Fighter'' fame, who is morbidly obese, [[ArrogantKungFuGuy arrogant]], very dim, [[TheMunchausen talks absolute crap]] and has moves with sci-fi names (Galactic Tornado, Space Opera Symphony). Poison, also of ''Street Fighter'' (originally ''VideoGame/FinalFight'') fame is very much Type 2, and is presented as overtly sexual, sleazy, sassy, and obsessed with money. In ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'', one of the teams is made up of three American exchange students who sum up Type 2 almost completely; There's Roy, an arrogant, [[AbsoluteXenophobe xenophobic]] {{Jerkass}}, Tiffany an ''outrageously'' costumed, [[DumbIsGood ditzy]] cheerleader complete with ValleyGirl expressions and pneumatic boobs, and finally Boman -- a [[MoralGuardians preacher]] in training. A good Mixed Flavour Type example is Ken Masters of ''Street Fighter'' fame, who is definitely cocky and brash, but is also an honourable person and shown to deeply care about his friends and family.

* Prevailing social views in the US are the [[WretchedHive opposite]] of those of the person raising the issue. For instance, on sexual matters, someone from a culturally liberal country may say that the US is to the right of Iran, while someone from a culturally conservative country may say the Folsom Street Fair is typical of daily life in the US.

* UsefulNotes/{{Florida}} is stereotyped as one big sun-drenched tourist destination where there's a giant theme park in every city, enormous, overcrowded beach resorts across the coastline and alligators roaming the streets. It's home to Disney World, Universal Studios, Cape Canaveral, Miami Beach, Palm Beach, The Everglades, Lake Okeechobee, Key West and more. It's almost as if you can't live in Florida without being surrounded by attractions.

* Maryland: Maryland is where government employees who work in DC live or retire to (always Maryland, never Virginia.... the closer they are to the conspiracy, the better) and is full of nothing but Catholics (it was founded as the only Catholic colony and is home to the oldest Archdiocese in the United States). Baltimore is usually seen as a run-down town where you'll be shot and where ''Series/TheWire'' is set. Marylanders all over are obsessed with [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Orioles baseball]], [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Ravens football]], and eating blue crabs with Old Bay. Generally it's where the government hides top secret things related to aliens and conspiracies when they want to keep it closer than Nevada and New Mexico. The Eastern Shore (east of the Chesapeake Bay) and Panhandle (north of West Virginia) never get mentioned.

!!The Arctic/Greenland

!!Canada

!!Mexico

* Arkansas is commonly confused with Kansas due to the name's similarity. Home of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who were initially unable to attend the city's Central High School due to their color. Other than that, it's best known for UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}} and UsefulNotes/BillClinton.

* EskimoLand: The Arctic will mostly be inhabitated by the Inuit people, still nicknamed as "Eskimo" in many countries. Usually they will still be portrayed as if modern age and technology never set in. They will all wear parkas, carve trinkets, and permanently live in igloos, while in reality igloos were temporary shelters, not actual houses. When they travel they use a sled, pulled by huskies, and go fishing in a canoe while trying to harpoon every animal in their vicinity. When not eating fish, they will consume whale blubber or cod-liver oil.

** The fact that Canada is a bi-lingual community is sometimes forgotten by foreigners. Many Canadians speak both English and French fluently. In US comedy French speaking Canadians are always portrayed as a FrenchJerk, because Americans tend to sympathize more with the English speaking part of the population.

** The Inuit culture in Canada has received more attention and interest since the second half of the 20th century. Their Inuksuk stone statues have risen to become a cultural symbol. Similarly the totem pole has become this for the Canadian Indians.
* The first image that pops up when many people think of Canada is a red-uniformed mountie with a cool hat. Whenever mounties have to catch a bandit on the run they will eventually be able to arrest him, because "the mountie always gets his man." And if it's too far to walk, he'll always travel on horseback rather than in a police car. Basically, fictional mounties are living about a century in the past.
* It's always snowing in Canada and everything is covered under a white carpet. The only change in weather are blizzards. Apart from this obvious misconception popular culture will also depict Canada as a country full of pine wood forests, mountains, lakes [[note]] The country even contains 60% percents of all the lakes in the world [[/note]], log cabins, waterfalls,... So whoever isn't a mountie will be a lumberjack, a wildlife hunter, or a camper. When people travel they will use a sled or a snowmobile. Cities? Towns? People with other jobs? What are you talking [[ForcedMeme ''aboot'']]?
** If you need a typical Canadian animal, look no further than a Newfoundlander dog, a Labrador dog, the Canadian horse, the Canada goose, and the Great northern loon. A beaver, bear, or a moose are also popular choices, but sometimes too generally ''North American''. Despite that, beavers have been used as a national Canadian symbol.

* Because of the extent to which the U.S. influences popular culture worldwide, many people "[[PopCulturalOsmosis know]]" about life in the U.S. through movies and television series set here and are not always shy about admitting that movies, television series, or both are their source of information. However, those works are by definition works of fiction intended as entertainment and shaped by market forces. Views of the rest of the country that are common in New York or Los Angeles also influence many such works. As a result, many people believe things about life here that vary from slanted to flatly wrong. Also, [[Series/HouseOfCardsUS not all]] TV series on which people base their views of the U.S. are even original to the U.S.

* Throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries, the USA was depicted in foreign popular culture as a place where all white men were racists and/or members of the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan who oppressed or lynched black people. Often the American president himself would be depicted as a white "nigger-hating" asshole. In more recent times, this idea has died out, save for news stories about white PoliceBrutality against black people and getting away with it without legally being persecuted, and starting in the 2010s, protests always happening because of it. Foreigners still have the impression it's tough to be black in the USA, but it doesn't seem as awful as it was before 1964.

[[folder:African-Americans]]

* If the American South is portrayed in a positive light it will be because of a CallToAgriculture. The region will be portrayed as a romanticized area where you can enjoy the simple life in and on a farm or a mansion with a plantation. There are lots of opportunities go out fishing, walk in the woods or drive in a pick-up truck past the cotton fields and listen to local {{Jazz}}, {{Blues}}, Cajun, Zydeco, {{Bluegrass}}, FolkMusic and/or CountryMusic artists. These images are cultivated in stories like ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer'', ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn'', [[Film/SongOfTheSouth The Uncle Remus]] stories, ''Literature/GoneWithTheWind'', ''ComicStrip/LilAbner'', ''ComicStrip/{{Pogo}}'', ''Series/TheBeverlyHillbillies'', ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'', ''Film/ForrestGump'', ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou'' and virtually all Americana folk music from the 19th century until halfway the 1950s. You may even encounter [[SouthernFriedGenius an intelligent redneck]] here.
* TheSavageSouth, SouthernGothic and LovecraftCountry: If the South is portrayed in a negative light it will be a setting for crime and horror stories. There may be an abandoned HauntedHouse (''Literature/TheAmityvilleHorror'') where some axe and/or chainsaw murder took place (''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre'', ''Literature/InColdBlood''). Something may be lurking in the swamp (''Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon'') or local villagers are out to get you in some other way (''Film/{{Deliverance}}'', ''[[Film/TheHillsHaveEyes2006 The Hills Have Eyes]]''). Even in the less fantastical works the South is the place where people will have to use all their wits, faith and will power to fight against a hostile population or the entire local legal system for that matter (''Literature/ToKillAMockingBird'', ''Theatre/InheritTheWind'', ''Theatre/TheCrucible'', ''Film/InTheHeatOfTheNight'',''Film/CoolHandLuke'',...). It's also popularly associated with bankrobbers, con-artists or escaped [[WorkingOnTheChainGang chain gang]] criminals on the run (''Film/BonnieAndClyde'', ''Film/PaperMoon'', ''Film/Dillinger1973'', ''Film/TheDefiantOnes'', ''Film/IAmAFugitiveFromAChainGang'',...)

* Of course, there are black people in the South too. In [[DeadHorseTrope outdated popular culture]] they are still treated as second-rate citizens, work in conditions that are suspiciously close to slavery and will frequently be lynched by Ku Klux Klan members. Stereotypes still in fashion to this day portray black Southerners as loud preachers who [[PunctuatedForEmphasis punctuate their speech]] and engage in GospelMusic singing. Or they'll be [[Music/RobertJohnson blues guitarists who went to the crossroads to sell their soul to the devil in exchange for their talent]]. Or {{Jazz}} artists playing in a local brass band.
* Louisiana is a subset of the Georgia/Alabama/Mississippi ''Film/{{Deliverance}}'' country, except everybody speaks French patois and may be a RaginCajun. And there's [[TheBigEasy New Orleans]]. New Orleans is drunk and debauched (or was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina) and will mostly be filled with Mardi Gras, jazz bands, violent gangbangers who live in impoverished ghettos, and voodoo-practicing {{Witch Doctor}}s. Occasionally, a traditional Mississippi river boat will pass by. Expect hurricanes or floods to regularly destroy everything in its vicinity. Alligators inhabit every lake.

* UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}: Howdy Y'all! Everyone in Texas is a gun-toting, horse-riding cowboy who eats nothing but gigantic steaks and huge bowls of chilli, drinks nothing but gigantic servings of beer (Shiner, Lone Star, or Budweiser if you have it), whiskey, and tequila, and drives a gigantic pickup truck. Texans all wear big cowboy hats, carry lassos, and attend rodeos every evening, where they'll square dance, gamble, ride a mechanical bull and eventually start a shootout.

* UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}} overall is seen (by those who are even aware that Virginia and West Virginia are separate states) as the reddest of the red states, inhabited solely by Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, George Allen, Ken Cuccinelli, and Eugene Delgaudio. As soon as the locations for Amazon's [=HQ2=] were announced, newspaper comment sections filled up with wildly inaccurate speculation about what the affected part of Virginia is like. This also plays into the divide between Northern Virginia and the rest of the state.

* Alabama is best known for being the state where cowboys ride "with a banjo on their knee", the song "Sweet Home Alabama" by Music/LynyrdSkynyrd, and the home state of ''Film/ForrestGump''. On a more negative note, it's also the home state of the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan (even though none of the Klan's many incarnations were founded there) and many furious race riots in the past, plus its politics regarding abortion and gay marriage. Also famous for the city of Montgomery, where Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a racist white man notably set off the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
* UsefulNotes/NorthCarolina. Best known for the export of cotton and tobacco. Cape Hatteras is known as "the graveyard of the Atlantic" because of the huge amount of ships that sank there.[[note]]Necessity being the mother of invention, this is why NC's coasts are speckled with lighthouses -- to warn sailors away from rocky coasts in nighttime, against which many a ship has crashed.[[/note]] Cape Fear is infamous because of the thriller ''Film/CapeFear'', and Kitty Hawk is remembered as the area where UsefulNotes/{{the Wright Brothers}} made their first flight. Also, the Northeastern transplants of the Research Triangle Park near the capital tend to get the stinkeye from the rest of the state, spawning at least one [[FunWithAcronyms backronym]] for one of the cities that makes it up: "Concentrated/Central Area for Relocated Yankees".

* Maryland: Maryland is where government employees who work in DC live or retire to (always Maryland, never Virginia.... the closer they are to the conspiracy, the better) and is full of nothing but Catholics (it was founded as the only Catholic colony and is home to the oldest Archdiocese in the United States). Baltimore is usually seen as a run-down town where you'll be shot and where ''Series/TheWire'' is set. Marylanders all over are obsessed with Orioles baseball, Ravens football, and eating blue crabs with Old Bay. Generally it's where the government hides top secret things related to aliens and conspiracies when they want to keep it closer than Nevada and New Mexico. The Eastern Shore (east of the Chesapeake Bay) and Panhandle (north of West Virginia) never get mentioned.