We are not all that stupid! (Even the ones who call tomatoes "maters" and potatoes "taters" aren't all that stupid... although saying "maters and taters" makes them sound as if they are)
It reminds me of that commercial featuring an American ship sending a mayday message to a German ship: "We are sinking! We are sinking!" to which the German on the radio replies "Vat are you sinking about?"
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at August 15, 2018 7:15 AM MDT
When I was about 19 or 20 years old, I was chatting up a young lady from a foreign country who was in the US attending college. I asked her what kinds of things she liked to do, what were her hobbies, that sort of thing. She rattled them off, they were the usual things for someone of our age group, but the last one really threw me for a loop. Almost as an afterthought, she said, "Oh, yes, and I love cocaine." I blinked, startled as could be. When I found my voice, I asked her, "Wait, you know that's illegal, right?" "Why would it be illegal?" she returned. "Because it just is, that's why!" "So you mean Americans don't like cocaine?" she asked me. I had to admit, she had me. "Well, sure, some do, but it's still illegal." "That's silly. Even my mother does it, she's the one who taught it to me." "WHAT?" I flipped my wig, "Your own mother is into cocaine too?" "Yes, and she's very good at it. What's wrong with you? People can't survive without cocaine." My jaw dropped, but she went on. "All I know is that I miss my mother's cocaine, and it's hard for me to do here because I live in the dormitory," she said. "See, that's exactly why it's illegal!" My head was beginning to hurt. "Lots of women do it in China, not too many men." "Here, it's illegal for everyone." I said, but she had already stopped paying attention to me. "Instead of making my own, I have to buy it already made," she continued. "S...so, so you're ... um, ... you're addicted to it?" I stuttered. "That's stupid, I just do it sometimes, not every day. I've never heard of anyone being addicted to cocaine," she was quickly getting fed up with me. "LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE ADDICTED TO IT, THAT'S WHY IT'S ILLEGAL!" I wanted to get away from this druggie. ((Chinese women are crazy,)) I muttered under my breath, but I think she heard me. "I have to go, I'm hungry and I want to go see what they're cocaine for lunch in the cafeteria, don't be here when I get back, and don't try to find me, bye." ((American men are crazy,)) I heard her mutter under her breath, She KNEW that I heard her.
I had a coworker at the prison and it took me a couple of years to understand one of my coworkers. He had a thick African accent coupled with one of the deepest voices I’ve heard. It was impossible to understand him on the phone. I finally was able to understand what he was saying. I was far from the only one who couldn’t understand him.