Overheard on DIL’s phone call to a friend (she knew we over heard it):
“Yeah, they don’t watch or follow sports at all. (pause) They’re definitely not typical American!”
We (H and I) chuckled. She knows we don’t care. It’s true, though H will sometimes keep track of sailboat racing.
Are there things someone could say about you that would knock you out of “typical” for your nationality?
Obviously it’s good to keep this fun and not political.
Besides the sports thing, we aren’t “typical “ because we never seem to know anything about popular TV shows. Talk at school about which girl got the rose on some reality TV show?
Even if I’ve seen the movie or TV show I’m very bad at putting an actor’s name to a new spot. My DIL can reference the actor’s last four roles and a few obscure art films in between. I can’t even name the stars of the TV shows we follow. So I’m face/name cultural inhibited.
Lots of people on these forums are (or will be) atypical Americans in having or eventually earning bachelor’s degrees. Only 31.5% of Americans age 25 and over have bachelor’s degrees.
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219
We too don’t follow sports or pop culture (the latest shows or celebs).
We don’t watch Netflix or Showtime or HBO. People are surprised by that, so I guess we aren’t typical.
My husband and I split the responsibility for following sports and entertainment. He is very happy to have live sports back, and I am very sad that the series finale was last week for the last regularly broadcast show that I watched. Now it’s all streaming for me!
But I at least read about both sides, even if I don’t watch the shows. Example: Him - who’s Kerry Washington? Never heard of her. Me - The name Steve Curry is vaguely familiar.
But actually, isn’t the whole point that there is no such thing as “typically American?”
@Marilyn I think you mean Steph Curry! (proving your point?)
I’m typically American. I was even born on the 4th of July.
I watch very little TV at all which frees up my time to read. I read 100+ books/year. I don’t know if that is typical anything. I might just be weird.
I don’t think the world revolves around what America does or what Americans think. I do not think we are the land of the brave and the home of the free. I do not think America is a country every other country wants to emulate.
Also, I don’t think Americans belong to “America.” I live in the United States. Someone who is “American” could be a citizen of the USA…or of Canada or Mexico.
I don’t think there is a “typical American.” Diversity has always been a hallmark of our culture. I don’t mean to spoil the fun here but this is a potentially touchy topic.
There are approximately 400 people in the world with my last name…most of which are in another country. I guess that makes me atypical here in America.
Isn’t uniform cultural conformity the antithesis of being Americans?
Don’t enjoy Baseball? (in person or on TV).
No. The whole point is to have some fun like we got a chuckle out of listening to her describe us to her friend. 
In reality, there’s no “typical” anyone from anywhere as far as we can tell from our travels, but there certainly are commonalities many people associate with a certain area.
Once when we were camping on what was apparently Super Bowl Sunday we got talking with another group of campers in a “community house” where our family was playing games. They assumed we were Canadian - everyone else in the community house was. They assumed all Americans would be watching or at least listening to the Super Bowl - as was happening in multiple campsites outside.
It goes along with the saying, “Everyone is normal until you get to know them.”
This thread could help us “get to know” each other better?
If anyone is offended by it or what might be written on it, 'tis probably best to ignore it.
You and I might be sisters of some sort. Remember the game, Trivial Pursuit? I’d have 4 or 5 of the 6 pieces of the pie and still lose the game because I could never get the Entertainment question (except once when the answer was Lassie). Sports was easier, but still an issue. I needed a partner who could cover those. Fortunately they were many peoples’ strong points and Science/Geography were their weak ones so finding a partner wasn’t terribly difficult.
I am typical in my love of football (go Eagles!), I get emotional sometimes during the national anthem (depends on the rendition) and I do value my freedoms.
I am not typical because I am a vegan and the meat eaters in this country are just starting to see this as a choice and not a defect. Well, at least in some parts of the country!
If you think “football” means “soccer”, then you are not a typical American.
Not so much American vs non-American, but we noticed throughout youth sports when we traveled with other families, a majority will always vote to eat at a Chili’s or Texas Roadhouse type restaurant for team dinners, while a minority (our family included) were always looking for something more adventurous and would eat together on non-team nights.
Don’t watch football or basketball at all. Watch only the World Series, a few games every few years.
Well, I’m Jewish, so right off the bat I’m considered “other” in America. And then there’s the fact that I have a master’s degree (only about 8% of Americans do). I’m sure I have lots of other characteristics that make me not typical.