Go on social media. Find a listicle titled “15 Things Foreigners Can’t Stand about the U.S.,” or something, and this stereotype will surely find it’s way to your screen. Why? No American could really tell you.
I’ve seen various iterations of this at least five times* this year, in English and in French. By “this,” I mean a complaint about our toilet doors not closing enough, an apparently very real in-joke for those born abroad and now living in the US.
But, really, are our public toilets notoriously badly closed?!? Do expatriés really flash one another a knowing glance over the old classic “the stall door’s never closed” conversation? Tell me your thoughts. I think our public bathrooms are pretty standard, but, you know, always something new to discover when you travel. New perspectives on home and all that, right?
*A collection of five similar articles found in a 2 second Google search, in case you don’t believe me: One, Two, Three, Four and Five. And The Onion for good measure.
la Virginienne 
