Our anonymous submitter lives in a university flat in the U.K. with four other guys. “Three of us (myself, an American, and a Brit) always take out the garbage and recycling when it’s our turn, but the two other international students seem to think it’s somehow beneath them. There must have been some unpleasantness while i was away for Easter break, because I came home to find this note stuck to the kitchen door, courtesy of my American flatmate.”
Adds our submitter: “I particularly like his choice of symbols to emphasize America as a ruling power: the stars and stripes, a cheeseburger, and Superman.” (And then, of course, there’s the note’s tone — remarkably in line with American foreign policy!)
Happy 4th of July, everyone!
related: just doing their part to uphold the reputation of americans abroad
206 responses so far ↓
#1
An American
because america is well known for its environmental awareness, right?
Jul 4, 2009 at 3:55 pm rating: 76
#2
Vanilla
AMERICAH! FUCK YEAH!
Jul 4, 2009 at 4:08 pm rating: 90
#3
ABF
Wow. Way for him to just act like a “typical American.” I have a feeling that note won’t make the other int’l students more inclined to take out the trash.
Jul 4, 2009 at 4:10 pm rating: 27
#4
anglophile
Page Two was decorated with a baseball, a slice of apple pie and the note-writer’s mom.
Jul 4, 2009 at 4:12 pm rating: 30
#5
zenvelo
why did he write to Slobodan Milosevic?
Jul 4, 2009 at 4:28 pm rating: 7
#6
hurfdurf
Too bad Superman was invented by a Canadian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9GYWbhBoHM
Jul 4, 2009 at 4:29 pm rating: 26
#7
Neeners
What better way to show America’s superiority by drawing a picture of a cheeseburger to symbolize the concept of recycling. Long live factory farming and beef manufacturing that takes up so much of our planet’s land resources! Well done America AGAIN!
Notes like this are one of the reasons why everyone else in the world hates us! Thanks you ass for making it clear how self absorbed we American’s are! Vote to kick his ass out of the country?? All in favor raise their hands and say aye!
Jul 4, 2009 at 4:46 pm rating: 39
#8
Neeners
Also, the note writer seems to be too much of a puss to sign his name so the other students can kick his ass up one side of the building and down the other. No worries true jerks like that aren’t hard to pinpoint especially when they have such awesome art skills. Maybe he’s an art major?
Jul 4, 2009 at 4:50 pm rating: 2
#9
zombieBlanco
Oops, I did it again?
Jul 4, 2009 at 5:17 pm rating: 4
#10
Fresca
America runs the world because some idiot student in the UK does the recycling? Who’da thunk? The CIA should probably look into this.
Jul 4, 2009 at 5:49 pm rating: 11
#11
RunBarbara
I’m glad to see that even though Palin stepped down, America is still maintaining its reputation as the douche nozzle of the world.
Jul 4, 2009 at 5:56 pm rating: 25
#12
Mikey
Time for the yank to be recycled me thinks…
Jul 4, 2009 at 6:41 pm rating: 2
#13
hats
The anti-American bullshit in these comments is ridiculous. The note is obviously satirical and poking fun at American stereotypes, while also having a worthwhile message: ridiculing a shitty living partner.
What all these foreign crybabies love to look past is how their own countries are more obese, are more dependant on fast food and have worse politicans.
Jul 4, 2009 at 6:46 pm rating: 24
#14
T imo®
spx
FTW
Jul 4, 2009 at 7:31 pm rating: 1
#15
Vero
I wouldn’t trust this, he didn’t make the globe OR the superman sign correctly… He was obviously not an American.. Its a fraud..
Jul 4, 2009 at 8:15 pm rating: 3
#16
Ashleigh
F*CK YOU AMERICA
Jul 4, 2009 at 8:22 pm rating: 0
#17
fluffy8u
I find fault with this note. All though I’m a big fan of freedom and the U.S., America is just above the U.K. in recycling. However guess who’s the leader?
Germany.
They recycle 70% of all waste, while America is only recycling 42%. (England: 41%). So please, check the facts before you start declaring that “The US is perfect, amazing, and rulz everything Mwahahahahaha!! :hamburger, american flag, superman:”
Jul 4, 2009 at 8:33 pm rating: 6
#18
fluffy8u
Well, I guess what Winston Churchill said was true, ”You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”
Jul 4, 2009 at 8:44 pm rating: 15
#19
Meegs
Ummm… just wanted to point out that Superman was created by a Canadian.
Happy Independence Day neighbours to the south!
Jul 4, 2009 at 9:06 pm rating: 3
#20
stickman
God bless America.
Jul 4, 2009 at 9:22 pm rating: 1
#21
Wade
cheezburger?
i can has jingoist?
Jul 4, 2009 at 9:58 pm rating: 17
#22
Araiguma
OMG, please do not hate America, I am a proud american, actually a proud north american, but, not the kind you might be thinking, I live in Mexico, yep, last time I checked, America was a… CONTINENT, a big one by the way, and Mexico is in North America too, just like Canada, so, why people from the United States of America (hahaha wtf, are they the only united states in the whole america?, wow, now i know, oh, but w8, Mexico is composed of united states too, so bad USA, you’re not that unique) call themselves americans? I mean, even south america IS still AMERICA, but, well, it’s kind of their kind of thought, to think they’re so damn awesome, and, satyrical or not, we just see this kind of attitude every single day from the USA, but, we all get used to.
And don’t hate me, i’m justing pointing the facts.
Jul 4, 2009 at 10:15 pm rating: 5
#23
la
superman was created by a canadian, fail
Jul 4, 2009 at 10:17 pm rating: 3
#24
aaa
What the fuck kind of dumbass actually wants to claim Superman as their own? Everybody knows that he’s a dick.
P.S. Superman isn’t even American, he’s from another fucking planet!
Jul 5, 2009 at 12:05 am rating: 23
#25
Laura in Ohio
Outstanding. I love it when my fellow Americans act like pushy, self-righteous ingrates and prove stereotypes correct. . Now, those of us who aren’t on a high horse with our American birth and heritage will have that much more work to do when we go abroad in fixing this kind of crap. In the meantime, we’re left feeling the ill will and scorn being stirred up by it. Way to be, buddies.
He was probably being sarcastic and thought he was being cute, but c’mon.
Jul 5, 2009 at 4:53 am rating: 6
#26
Moem
But then who’ll take out the garbage?
Jul 5, 2009 at 7:04 am rating: 1
#27
Boo
Dear sincerely,
If your country rules the world why are you doing my recycling?
Ta muchly.
Jul 5, 2009 at 7:42 am rating: 17
#28
marX
America???
Where is this place???
……………oh now get it, the damn night club near London bridge!!!!!!!
Jul 5, 2009 at 9:50 am rating: 2
#29
xs
My country runs the world and yours doesn’t. Or I have class and you don’t.
Someone’s favorite movie is The Parent Trap….
Jul 5, 2009 at 10:39 am rating: 2
#30
Kate
Even if this note was written with a hint of sarcasm, I feel that it still shows that these are the underlying beliefs of the writer.
Also, it would still piss people off, regardless of the tone.
Little annoys me more than when the President of the USA is referred to as ‘The Leader of the Free World’. The leader of America yes. The rest of the world, no.
Jul 5, 2009 at 10:56 am rating: 6
#31
ILOVETHE
AMERICA!!!!!!! FUCK YEAH!!!!!
Jul 5, 2009 at 1:13 pm rating: 4
#32
bean
Nothing will make you more patriotic than spending time in another country listening to people bitch about Americans.
But I think that this turn to passive aggressive note writing is a clear sign of the new direction we’re taking, as opposed to pissing all over others’ customs, and beliefs. More patriotism, less blind, ignorant hate.
Jul 5, 2009 at 2:15 pm rating: 4
#33
hollyjacobs
Is this when someone says that Superman was created by a CANADIAN … not an American; no way you guys can be that awesome.
Jul 5, 2009 at 5:59 pm rating: 1
#34
fluffy8u
That flag does not have 50 stars! He is not a true American!!
Jul 5, 2009 at 9:18 pm rating: 4
#35
beedog
So nobody here cares about the inappropriate (though consistent) capitalisation of letters in the middle of sentences?
Jul 6, 2009 at 1:12 am rating: 3
#36
Boo
Does America rule the world because he did the recycling? Or because Americans invented hamburgers, Superman and great big flags which would interfere with the earth’s orbit and probably send us all spinning to our doom?
Jul 6, 2009 at 8:45 am rating: 6
#37
aaaaaaaaaaaaa
Nothing makes me more patriotic and anti-american than american arrogance.
and really. who gets upset about taking out the trash? boohoo you, poor thing.
Jul 6, 2009 at 10:05 am rating: 2
#38
Andreas
Oh… I read “My country RUINS the world” and it made a creepy kind of sense…
Jul 6, 2009 at 11:26 am rating: 12
#39
KaH
Being a EU citizen with tendencies towards the far left and world music, I have trained myself to detect the smallest traces of smugness, arrogance and imperialistic leanings where members of the US populace are concerned. That being said, I found the note genuinely funny.
Those unable to appreciate the hilarity of arranging the US flag, Superman and a hamburger in a Rubbish Take-out Holy Trinity of sorts must have very solid defences against humour.
Jul 7, 2009 at 5:34 am rating: 4
#40
Lisa
I lived with 7 other people in uni, and the 3 who had the most rubbish NEVER took them out.
The bags were pretty disgusting too, normally covered in left over food, but PAN notes wouldn’t have helped. A PAN note had been left telling them to clean their fridge out before because they were at risk of food poisoning, it didn’t work, yuck.
Jul 7, 2009 at 7:34 am rating: 0
#41
kelly
psssstttt… superman was created by a Canadian.
Jul 7, 2009 at 2:31 pm rating: 0
#42
Anonymous
So would the Brits have taken out the recycling in the year 1800?
Jul 8, 2009 at 9:13 pm rating: 0
#43
Ashley
People are taking this way too seriously.
Jul 10, 2009 at 3:26 pm rating: 0
#44
FUCK YOU AMERICA
You stupid fucking american, the world is dieing because of you, every single on of you are retards for thinking otherwise, there is something wrong with all of you. To top it off you all belive you are gods gift and are top of the world, you beleive the bullshit propaganda that is forced down your throats every day. You only have poor pitterful derilect shit lives. You don’t speak american, you speak english, but you muttade it into that backwards shit you speak now.
GET A FUCKING LIFE
LIVE IN THE FUCKING REAL WORLD
Jul 13, 2009 at 7:37 am rating: 0
#45
FaeRaae
1. Never live with a friend or you shortly won’t be anymore.
2. Based on the note on the fridge it sounds like he’s calling you the slob who doesn’t take out the trash.
3. I speak for most Americans when I say, that as a whole, we are most definately like that. We have one of the longest work weeks in the world and the shortest vacation time, so we’re not lazy.
4. I’m sorry for this tacky note lest on your refridgerator. I don’t know how all the tacky Americans get to the UK while the rest of us are stuck here. I suspext it has something to do with the classlessness of New Money. Although, if I had new money, I wouldn’t act like that. In fact, when I was in London, I was polite & inquired much about your heritage. I was treated wonderfully and did not want to leave at’tall.
Jul 29, 2009 at 2:59 pm rating: 0
#46
PololBear
Hey! People with the “clever” responses that are supposedly going over people’s head. You can’t HEAR people write. There is no inflection in your written words to indicate that you are joking. And if you haven’t yet realized…the internet is SERIOUS BUSINESS ONLY PLZ.
Aug 7, 2009 at 2:23 am rating: 0
#47
That Guy
Most Americans are remarkably provincial, even with respect to their North American neighbors. Very few Americans know (or, to be honest, care to know) anything substantive about either Canada or Mexico (let alone the rest of the world). A few people are beginning to think of themselves as “North American”, but usually any talk of greater continental integration on any level brings the conspiracy nutjobs out of the closet….
Aug 29, 2009 at 2:36 pm rating: 0
#48
Holly Steel
Psst: do you want to know why Americans are called just that?
Because they are part of “The United States of America”.
If they were called “United Statesians”, someone would complain. We have the United Mexican States. We have the United States of Micronesia.
In any case, Brits don’t call themselves “United Kingdomers”, nor do Europeans identify themselves as “European Unioners”, or people of the Congo as “Democratic Republicans”. “American” is simply the most logical name.
Also, this note is the funniest thing I’ve read all day. “I recycle, which is why MY country runs the world. YOURS does not.” Thanks, PAN!
Aug 30, 2009 at 12:33 pm rating: 0
#49
jammers
hmmm, the word “slob”, what country springs to mind when you say it
Sep 21, 2009 at 10:22 am rating: 0
#50
ck
And that is why the globe doesn’t even remotely look like the real thing, while the hamburger is a very detailed representation of it’s real counterpart. Go USA!
Sep 27, 2009 at 4:31 am rating: 0
#51
blaknuppy
I’m proud to be a n i g g e r. A BLACK N I G G E R OMICRON YES YES!
Sep 29, 2009 at 12:46 am rating: 0
#52
Steve Chung
So he’s proud to be an American, actually doing something right for other people while he’s not even in his own country when a lot of people back in his home aren’t doing it for themselves.
This guy, although apparently arrogant, is doing the right thing.
And here are many people dogging him for it, also acting quite arrogant in the fact that they find it so very easy to overlook an American man trying to MOTIVATE the people around him to preserve the environment.
What the hell is wrong with you people? So he put up a picture of a cheeseburger. Who cares? Cheeseburgers are absolutely delicious. Not the healthiest thing, sure, but then again neither is Beer, something that the vast majority of the world would kill over before they gave it up.
And what’s wrong with superman? Is it because he’s a fictional character? What if I told you British people to Jog on because the Doctor is a git and a tosser? I’d probably be beaten to death.
Although I will agree that the young man was wrong in his statement that America runs the world because we’re such great recyclers.
A more accurate statement would be to say America runs the world because we happen to have more nukes than anyone else. Or maybe it’s because we’ve liberated so many countries from dictatorships and fascism and totalitarian regimes. Or maybe it’s because we have the best and brightest people from most of the successful countries in the world coming here to become a part of our culture.
I like to think it’s the latter.
Flame on.
Oct 2, 2009 at 1:07 am rating: 0
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