Russians and Americans are two nations that are extremely different from one another. Long years of Russian tsarism and communism, and American capitalism and democracy lay a huge gap between us. Our difference in mentalities creates a perfect ground for prejudice and misunderstandings. There is a number of Russian myths about American people that have been nurtured by mass-media and politicians for years. Now that Russia became a Federal Republic, Russian people do understand the American nation better, but sometimes only going to the U.S.A. and seeing everything with their own eyes can change people's opinion.

Americans are none too clever

       One of the most common Russian myths about Americans is that American people are not very bright, or even ignorant. The problem here is again in two different mentalities. In Russia it is common to talk about abstract, even philosophical things. That is why many Russian people believe that they are extremely spiritual, sophisticated and can talk about religious concepts and lofty matters on an everyday basis. However, American people simply have a more practical attitude of mind. They do not talk about abstract ideas like Russian people do. They talk about practical, useful things and business. If you like talking about philosophy, join a society of philosophers.

Americans are fat

       Russian people believe that most Americans are obese because the U.S. is the country where fast food and MacDonalds came from. However, there are many obese people both in the U.S. and in Russia. Usually they are older women who had many children, because the woman's hormonal balance changes with age and after several pregnancies. Or people who have to work in the office without much exercise are also predisposed to obesity.

Americans have a great prosperous life

       In Russia they believe that life in the U.S. is a bed of roses. There are no lines, no unemployment, and no inflation. However, it is far from reality. American people have the same problems with lines and growing prices for gas as anyone else in the world. Besides recent events and economical stress put many people into dept and even bankruptcy. But Americans simply treat such problems with less worries and negativity than Russians. That is why it seems like they do not have many problems.

Marrying an American is a ticket to paradise

       Some young, “none too clever” Russian girls believe that marrying an American is a way to American paradise. What many American men should realize is that they sometimes nourish these beliefs by bragging about their great lifestyle and forgetting to mention the downside of it. This makes some girls want to move to the U.S. not for the person they met, but for the lifestyle he has. However, such marriages usually bring disappointment and do not result in happy strong families.