Conflicting American Stereotypes That Confuse Absolutely Everybody

America is a land of contradictions – a place of bacon-wrapped everything and gluten-free everything, of Hillary Clinton and the Real Housewives, of credit-card debt and energy healing therapy. It’s hard to stereotype Americans without proving a stereotype’s polar opposite the minute you begin to dig. Here are 10 of the top contradictions in American life that confuse Americans themselves!

Obese but fitness-crazy

We are clinically obese, but also fitness-crazed: a whopping 66% of Americans are classified as overweight or obese, but we also spent $16 billion on yoga last year, and $60 billion on weight loss products.

Workaholics but lazy

Passionately political but apathetic

We are both politically apathetic and passionately political: while it may seem like America is consumed by its political passions, only 55% of eligible Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election. That historically low turnout was followed by unprecedented numbers of Americans protesting the result in the streets, culminating in the largest political rally in American history the day after inauguration.

Don’t own passports, but want them

People from other countries love to criticize Americans for being insular, and often point to the statistic that relatively few Americans have passports. But aside from a dip during the recent Great Recession, the number of Americans requesting new passports has actually climbed every year by hundreds of thousands (and in some cases millions) of people for more than 20 years.

Optimists but with mental health issues

Americans may have a reputation for being annoyingly cheery, but all of that bonhomie may be a mask for the inverse underneath: 40 million Americans have an anxiety disorder, almost 20 million are depressed, and that’s just those who reported their conditions.

Spiritual but materialistic

Americans have a reputation for being incredibly materialistic, perennially competing with one another to buy ever bigger and flashier cars, diamonds, and homes. But Americans are also deeply curious about the spiritual – we spent $2 billion on psychic services last year, and $30 billion on “complementary health approaches”, including meditation and energy healing therapy.

Love celebrities but don’t care about royals

Americans may be able to tell you the erstwhile natural hair color of a reality TV star or what their favorite actor’s tattoo means, but would be hard-pressed to tell you how many children the Duchess of Cambridge has – an unimaginable thought for most Brits.

Adore sports but prefer the sofa

We love our sports teams, but prefer the sofa for ourselves: Americans may pack football stadiums by the thousands to watch their favorite teams play every Sunday in the fall and sit in sweltering heat for hours in the summer to watch a baseball game, but when it comes to our own physical fitness, many of the same Americans generally prefer just to watch it in the comfort of their own homes.

No culture but great museums

We don’t do culture, but we sure do have great museums: American culture may be to some extent personified by the Kardashians, but America also has hundreds of world-class museums and performance spaces that are frequently flooded to capacity, and produce some of the most cutting-edge art, literature, and music in the world.

Bad taste in clothing but produce top designers

We have terrible taste in clothing, but have produced some of the world’s top designers: From Ralph Lauren to Tom Ford and Vera Wang, Americans make some of the most incredible clothing in the world. But go to any American airport, and you’ll be met with a sea of hoodies, sweatpants, and flip-flops – and that’s on a good day.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

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