Why So Many 'Americans are Stupid' Videos?

Analysis of the topics discussed in the many videos about how Americans know nothing about the world, only speak English, or don't understand other cultures. It's a pretty common topic now, so I wanted to address whether or not the things people complain about are true, and what the reasons may be.

Album displayed:
Supertramp - "Breakfast in America" (1979)

0:00 Intro
1:15 Americans Don't Know Geography?
2:31 Americans Only Speak English?
6:36 Americans Don't Travel Abroad?
11:26 Americans Don't Respect Other Cultures?
13:35 Americans Claiming European Heritage

[mrhydromr]

"floridas down there in baghdad", florida makes so much more sense now

[athom]

I just saw a British guy on Instagram talking about how, in America, everything is so SO much bigger than Europe. His thesis was, it's no wonder Americans haven't been to other countries, because in America, you don't need to! You can go from almost the highest mountains to the lowest desert valley within one state, then get to the ocean, then get to farmland, then get to areas that are like a rainforest, and you still have 3 TIME ZONES left to go. It's not necessarily as bad as it sounds to say you've only explored America if you've explored America right

[bmeares]

"prominently displayed New Zealand" 😂 shoutout to /r/mapswithoutnewzealand

[Acceleronics]

Something I've been saying for decades: No matter how you measure intelligence, half of the population is below the median. If your measure has a normal distribution, half the population is below average. If you only focus on the lower 50%, you might conclude the entire population lacks intelligence. People see only what they want to see.

[cubanmop]

Another factor: in general Europeans get way more vacation (holiday?) time than Americans do. Many Americans simply don’t have the time off of work to take the time for a big trip halfway around the world.

[ChristopherStandardTime]

Y'ALL - HE'S JOKING WHEN HE REFERRED TO AUSTRIA AS CAMBODIA.

😂

[peterloftus]

I live in central Texas. If I want to leave Texas, it's a 5 hour drive in every direction.

[MarcKSmith]

Another reason Americans aren't generally bi- or trilingual is that there is no economic necessity. The American economy is much more self-contained than most individual European countries. In contrast, proficiency in more than one language is necessary when dealing with the European Union's commerce. I'm not saying it wouldn't be a great idea to be multilingual. It just isn't needed.

[MegaGo]

Another interesting one, Kyle. Especially keen to know more about those Canadian cities of Perth, Sydney, and Brisbane you mentioned!!

[dcv]

This is where the smart Americans hang out

[fja.lr]

People in Finland go down to Estonia for a few hours just to buy some cheaper alcohol lol.

[livinginvancouverbc]

As a 63-year-old Canadian who has visited America many times, I can honestly say Americans are the nicest, friendliest people you could hope to meet. I was visiting my father in Florida a few years back. Everyone was so respectful to us everywhere we went. It's almost as if the news and talk shows only show content that will make people angry or afraid, but when you go out and meet people, life isn't like that. Life is full of wonderful people, like Kyle.

[carnakthemagnificent]

You had me at "not looking for drama, " Mr. Kyle. Refreshing. Thank you for well-considered geographic (and logical) perspectives I have not seen anywhere else.
I went to the site, "The True Size Of" and saved it right away. That is super-informative. I have seen Americans in Mexico behave rudely, but they very rare in my experience. The rest of us behaved as very welcome guests, as we were treated.

[msnbmnt]

The projection corrected overlay of the US over Europe is brilliant.

[lyndseyliebrecht]

Kyle I love you but as a middle eastern person I find it cringe when non middle eastern people call white people cringe for wearing our traditional clothing. I don’t think it’s cringe, it’s appreciation and it makes me sad that white people aren’t going to want to explore and appreciate our culture because they’re too afraid to be labeled as racist. All love here, for ALL races.

[C.R.W]

A single sentence that sums up the difference between Europe and the US:
"In America, a century is a long time, but in Europe a mile is a long way"

[eli-ole]

Some foreign Geography YouTubers: “Americans don’t know Geogrpraphy”

Me who has been obsessed with Geography since I was little and is American: “Heyy…!”

[taureanblue]

Well done, Kyle. This was sorely needed.

[arizonajoe]

I love that you're standing up for us American nerds. Thank you. ❤

[greble]

My immigrant grandparents always wanted me to be proud of my Norwegian heritage, so I do tend say, “I’m Norwegian”, when I really mean to say, “I’m Norwegian-American”. There aren’t many Norwegian-Americans in my part of the US, so when I meet someone with a Norwegian sounding last name, I get immediately get interested. I might ask them if they’re “Norwegian”. I don’t ask them if they are Norwegian-American because the “American” part seems unnecessary (unless, of course, they have a Norwegian accent).

Americans like to connect with one another in this way. But, Europeans react like, “How dare you presume to be one of us”! They are so conditioned to putting Americans in their place, that even when I say, “My grandparents are from Norway, and I have relatives in Norway and Denmark”, they give you a reaction that is “You’re presumptuous and an impostor. You’re not part of our exclusive club”. It seems kind of arrogant.