Oops – my apologies! I would say the only time I've been surprised by media's portrayal of people in the US is when I've visited Florida – turns out Florida ma

Oops – my apologies! I would say the only time I've been surprised by media's portrayal of people in the US is when I've visited Florida – turns out Florida man isn't just a stereotype after all! Joking aside, I think I've traveled enough and met enough people from all over the world that if I ever did let my opinion of people be (overly) prejudiced by what I saw in various media it was probably so long ago that I can't recall. I try to keep as open a mind as I can. So, no, I don't really recall any time stateside that I've been surprised that people were different from their media portrayal. But I will say this, as a European I often hear people say that Americans are ignorant gun toting maniacs, and it makes me sad. The US is vast, incredibly diverse, and while I certainly have met an ignorant person or two along the way I'd say the majority of people I've met are fine people just trying to go about their business – pretty much like it is everywhere else. Maybe it helps that I don't follow the news very much. We may speak different languages, eat different foods and watch different shows, but my firm belief is that at the end of the day if we're all pretty similar after all.