The Dutch — The Dutch, like the Scandinavians, have an enviable economy and social order that’s admired by southern European countries. However, they do have a reputation of being self-righteous “know-it-alls” and very similar to their German cousins in terms of their rigidity. But they do not like any comparisons to Germans, and if you remind them that the Dutch national anthem makes a reference to the Dutch being “van Duitse bloed” (from German blood), you might quickly get the silent treatment. The Dutch are also disliked for being the biggest misers in Europe, and because of this they incur the wrath of the tourist industry wherever they travel. The Dutch have been known to stock up on water before they take their campers down to the south of France.The Dutch, in turn, kind of look down on just about everyone. Yes, there’s a bit of a reason for the “know-it-all” smart-ass reputation they have.

The Swiss — Considered extremely rigid, even by the Germans. Blunt to the point of being rude, the Swiss probably have the least likely reputation for being characterized as “friendly” or “warm”. Note that there is a big cultural divide between French-speaking Swiss, and the German-speaking Swiss. The former are almost exactly like the French, except having a blander cuisine and more respect for authority, the latter being more like the Germans except even more stiff, rigid and cranky. However, everyone knows Switzerland “works” so the fact that foreigners comprise 20% of the population (mostly from EU member states) should make this clear.Note that the German-speaking Swiss also speak their own variant of German, which sounds very strange if you’ve only been exposed to standard “hoch-Deutsch”.

The Spaniards — Honestly, very little antagonism against the Spanish or by the Spanish. No one really seems to dislike them, and they don’t seem to really dislike anyone else. (Yes, some Spaniards near the border to France don’t like the French very much) Not entirely sure why. However, God forbid you speak Spanish with a Latin American accent — there is still a lot of snobbery among Spaniards towards Latin Americans. Spaniards consider themselves white and European, and would be deeply insulted if you suggested they were Latin American of any kind.

The Greeks — Only nominally considered European by other Europeans, but the Greeks fiercely identify as European. Naturally, this is a huge irritant to Greeks.

The Poles — Not much seems to register about Poland and the Poles except that they’re quiet. They are a relatively big country (40 million people) so the supposed scare of being overrun by Eastern Europeans when a bunch of Eastern European countries joined the EU in 2005 focused in on the Poles. The Germans really don’t like Poles, and among Germany’s 9 neighbors, are disliked the most. Poland is considered a country of car thieves by the Germans. Really, the relationship between Germany and Poland is similar to that of the United States and Mexico, and often for many of the same reasons (differences in income, history of war, different languages, etc.).Poles really shore up their hatred for their eastern & southern neighbors, primarily Russia and Ukraine, although they don’t like Czechs, Slovaks or Lithuanians either. Oddly, they don’t really mind the Germans, and probably still fear them a bit — you never, ever hear jokes about Germans in Poland.

The Czechs — Considered a relatively bright spot of Eastern Europe by Western Europeans, but I think primarily because Prague is such a gorgeous city and a popular tourist destination. Czechs are a bit like Germans, though — a bit rude, blunt, and cold. Poles don’t have much good to say about them.

The Austrians — Considered a mix of the best & worst aspects of Germany and the Balkans, Austrians are considered laid-back but very nationalistic and racist. They’re said to be the birthplace of Hitler, but never came around to being fully apologetic about the Holocaust (unlike Germany). Neutral feelings from most ofWestern Europe, negative feelings from Germans (who consider them backwards, and not always the representing the best image of German-speaking people) and admired by Eastern Europeans (a throwback to the Hapsburgs).

The British - About half of the British would be really angry at being called European, so that should provide an apt starting point. The main beef with the Brits is that they’re considered the lapdog of the U.S., and are anti-European because the U.S. tells them to be so. They are considered polite, but maybe a bit two-faced (hence “Janus Britain”) and snobby. The Scots and Welsh are tolerated and liked, inasmuch as that no one really knows too much about them outside the UK, but the English are those that bear the brunt of negative sentiments among other Europeans. After all, London is in England.
The English also have a poor reputation in tourist traps, such as Amsterdam and Ibiza, for being loud-mouthed, obnoxious drunks.
The English, in turn, really seem to hate everyone. This is because it’s pretty hard to find an Englishman that has even, at best, neutral opinions about other Europeans (or Americans, or other nationalities). Europe is full of English expats, and the longer they live abroad, the more they seem to hate their host country. And yet they never seem to want to move home.

The Irish — A very small country, despite its exaggerated importance in Americans’ minds (just over 3 million) but considered polite and humble. They nominally dislike the English, but I have yet to meet an Irishman who really loathes the English. The sentiments towards the Irish and by the Irish seem to be positive, overall.
I personally don’t know much about how the Portuguese, Hungarians, Romanians, Bulgarians, and others are perceived, or how they perceive others, but if you have something to add, please do so in the comments below.

I’ll leave you with this poster I saw in an Italian office years ago, that helps sum it up in some ways:

In Heaven…

* the mechanics are German
* the chefs are French
* the police are British
* the lovers are Italian
* and everything is organized by the Swiss.

In Hell…

* the mechanics are French
* the police are German
* the chefs are British
* the lovers are Swiss
* and everything is organized by the Italians.

http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/biggrin.gifhttp://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/biggrin.gif

Taken from:http://dailycandor.com/what-european...of-each-other/

Humor: What Europeans think of each other
 

What Europeans think of each other

This is a basic backgrounder for Americans, primarily, who might think Europeans do nothing all day but bitch about Americans. Don’t get me wrong—they do love bitching about Americans. But they also like bitching about each other, as well. Bordering countries, especially, have complex caricatures of each other, even when an outsider might think they’re more or less the same. The following is based on my numerous interactions with Europeans, having lived there for 4 years. Here’s a run down:

The French — Disliked by some Spanish (particularly the Catalonians), for being arrogant. One woman from Barcelona told me, “Come on¦who really likes the French? Nobody!” The Swiss don’t like the fact that they have contempt for authority and are lazy. The Brits, of course, have the most mixed feelings about the French, though. One half the country hates them, the other half loves them. Those that hate the French tend to like the Americans, and vice versa. In the UK, they’re considered stinky, rude (they never line/queue up like decent people), and a bit yellow, based on their tendency to not fend off invaders like the Nazis.The French, in turn, dislike the British, look down on Belgians for being stupid, and don’t have much to say, in my experience, about Spaniards or Germans (oddly).

The Italians — Most of the stereotypes are positive, but mostly because of the food. Northern Europeans consider them lazy and flaky, and maybe incapable of managing anything right (mostly because of the 50+ governments they’ve had since WW2). One Dutch professor I had dismissed another Italian one, saying, “All the Italians care about are pasta and mamma.”Italians, in turn, don’t have strong feelings about other Europeans, but within Italy, the north-south divide is pretty strong. Northern Italians continuously complain that Southerners are lazy and unproductive, while Southerners complain that Northerners are devoid of culture or joie de vivre.

The Germans — Germans are considered industrious but uptight and humorless, by just about all the other Europeans. They know WW2 is a sore spot for them, so other Europeans will often mercilessly tease them about it. As much as Germany is considered an economic powerhouse, the vast majority of Europeans don’t really want to learn German or study there (or send their kids there to study). The food is considered uninspired, too, and only Berlin has some cachet among younger Europeans for its vibrant underground club scene. The most anti-German sentiments are among the Dutch and Danish, who just hate them from invading their countries too often. When German ask for directions in Holland, they’re usually given directions to the shortest way out of the country, or told “Give us back our bikes!”, a reference to the fact that Germans confiscated Dutch bicycles during WW2.Danes hate it when you pronounce their capital as “ko-pen-HAH-gen”, because this is the German pronunciation. Either pronounce it the English way (with “HAY” instead), or the Danish way, which is literally impossible to put down here.Germans tend to like their Western neighbors far more than they are liked by them, but they look down on their Eastern neighbors, particularly Poles. They, oddly, have some mixed respect for the Czechs, who have resisted German aggression.

The Scandinavians — Widely respected by most other Europeans, because of their high standard of living …and blond hair and blue eyes. However, within Scandinavia there are some persistent stereotypes. The Norwegians, Danes and Finns all think the Swedes are stupid and uptight. Norwegians are considered racist. Danes are considered more blunt than the others, maybe a bit more cranky, and the Finns are oddly introverted, even by Scandinavian standards. Except for the Danes really disliking Germans, and Finns really disliking Russians, they don’t really have anything against other Europeans.

The Belgians — Considered idiots by both the Dutch and the French. Belgians, in turn, consider the Dutch to be a bunch of cranky assholes, and French stuck-up.

One question. Where do the half live that loves them? We need to get them help. They need some serious therapy. Although it is a moot point as we cannot give help to people that do not exist! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/laugh.gif

Quite accurate from an insider's point of view. I'll think about it, to check if something should be added/removed.

Edit: for Decado:
Here nobody needs therapy. You are all seen as lapdogs of the US, excepts the brits who live in France.

Hahaha
great post!!

I think you under-estimate mon ami! About 95% of Brits would be angry at being called European. But, of course, being Brits, we wouldn't tell get angry about it. We'd just mumble and mutter and get down to the pub to plan our next holiday - in Europe.

The European Union keeps on trying to get us to be more like each other but the best thing about Europe is being different to each other - and that is something to celebrate. When I go somewhere foreign I want it to be different and not like Birmingham. Vive la difference, sage-ich! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/laugh.gif

[quote=Sparv;316996]Quite accurate from an insider's point of view. I'll think about it, to check if something should be added/removed.

Edit: for Decado:
Here nobody needs therapy. You are all seen as lapdogs of the US, excepts the brits who live in France.[/quote]

No, you have it wrong! They dance to our tune - the US that is. The Brits who live in France are seen as............., well, probably very sensible! Good food, no Gordon Brown, fairly decent wine, but still Brits. What could be better! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/smiley.gif

Dancing since 1776!

You have a lot to answer for - Saturday Night Fever for one!

I spent about a month in europe and went to 7 different countries.

I wasnt really anywhere long enough to notice this stuff. everyone was really nice except for in paris, they told us to go home and called us monkies, and the italians. However i dont think the italians were mean i just think they were to busy to be nice. all in all i went to:

England,I really loved London and how diverse it was but the weather was kinda grimy and everyone kept telling me to put on my jumper and i didnt know what the hell they were talking about.

France, paris is beautiful and full of life but they seemed to really resent me as soon as they heard my american accent

Italy, I loved all of the art and culture but the streets seemed unclean, but ill be damned if i didnt love those gelatos but by far the worst beer

Switzerland, I loved the alps, its where i snow for the first time, the people were ok, nothing that really stood out to me. But I speak high german and it was the first time i heard sweissdeutsch and it was very odd.

Austria, The people here seemed nice enough, but maybe this was because i could speak german so i dont know.

and finaly Germany, My family is from Germany but it was the first time i visited there. We went to Munich. This was in '06 during the world cup so i was super excited and we went to the olympic park to part. especially when they played poland. Not sure if anyone else heard but it was huge in germany. after they one the streets were crazy.

thats my take

Hehe awesome. PosRep supplied...

kenzan, i think the article is fairly accurate (from an insiders point of view)... though i must disgress in some points....

spanish kinda hate french with a passion (who doesnt?? :P). the average spaniard think of french as stuck-up, snobby, arrogant morons. french somehow also seem to plot against our economy for the sake of theirs. and french girls have somewhat of a bad reputation for being a tad violent and bad tempered... lol.

spanish look down on (humorously, not really hatred):
-english/brits, for their terrible bad weather and unimaginative cuisine. for being loud and drunktards (specially in ibiza, southern spain and on footy matches)
-italian for the way they treat women (best lovers my arse...) and for being very persistant and annoying with 'our' women and with just about everyone.
-portuguese, they can't drive for the love of their life. and are a 'province', hillbilly people.
-germans, for being very boring/plain and for occupying our coasts with their retired grandpas lol.
-americans, for being a bit arrogant like french, and too loud/drunk like the brits.
-latin americans, for their funky accent.

must say none of this stereotypes is usually cored by hatred or the like, it's just something humorous. i think in general spanish ppl are very welcoming to foreign ppl.... and specially foreign girls http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/biggrin.gif http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/biggrin.gif

now, in this sea of stereotypes i think spanish are (negatively) seen as utterly lazy, unproductive, couldnt-care-less bastards by the rest of europeans. positively as laid back ppl who really know how to be nice and enjoy life, food, party and siesta http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/biggrin.gif

After a small poll this morning, I have to add that you are unreliable (don't care much about given words), touchy and without an once of class.

And it's YOU who plot against our economy!

lol, sparv. didn't mean to be offensive in any case. or cause an international melee here.... like i stated twice above, all of this is humorous... as a matter of fact, one of my kendo sensei is french, (my ex-gf too) and i have plenty french friends all whom i get perfectly along with (even with the humorous stereotype jokes). so don't take it to heart pls....

OTOH, i think the whole 'plot against our economy' thing is being fuelled by this:

http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/3443...nes/franceses/

the vandalising of spanish trucks in the french border. it's happening again! now, i can understand both sides... but this is why sometimes they call french here ''volcacamiones'' (truck-knockers)... lol.

cheers

Its funny because its true......


But really.......not to fond of zee Dutch....and no you damn dike jumpers you cannot hav zee bicycles back! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/smile.gif

I don't think anywhere wants to be like Birmingham, so you have nothing to worry about.

I wonder why the Dutch have so many good martial artists...

To be honest, most of our French stereotypes seem to be based upon Parisians. I have met French people from mostly the south of France and they think the same (lovely people by the way). People in the south can understand my atrocious French whereas people in Paris just look at me blankly and give a Gallic shrug (if I'm lucky!).

Brits - bad weather, yes! Unimaginative cuisine, sort of. Traditional English food (meat and two veg) is poor and tasteless but you can eat a whole variety of food here from all over the world. The favourite meal when we go out is Indian!

Loud and drunk? 'Fraid so. Every year we send our yobs and scum to Spain and the Spanish islands so we can get some peace and quiet. I think the footy crowd have tightened up their act and most of the trouble is caused by heavy handed policing.

The great thing about stereotypes is that is all they are - stereotypes and are to be taken with a big pinch of salt and humour. Well, except for the Italians pestering our women that ishttp://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/laugh.gif

That from a Londoner! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/laugh.gif

Nice one!

If I drive one hour, I'm in Spain, so no offense either! I know some spanish, i dare even call some of them my friends.

And yes Decado, Paris isn't really in France. It's a strange place. i'm a westerner who lives in the south,