Hello everybody my name is coach Shane and welcome to easy English expressions. You and me everyday, come on let's master English! Hello everybody welcome back to daily easy English expression the podcast. Oh I like today expression it is: a token American. A token American, is this a good expression or a bad expression? Well sometimes it's good, sometimes it bad. If you don't like America than a token American probably has a negative nuance. Maybe a token American is not sensitive to your country or your culture, maybe a token American is really fat, maybe a token American is very loud, maybe a token American cannot speak your language, maybe a token American only thinks about money or only thinks about business, maybe a token American doesn't know anything about soccer or as the world says football. But if you like America then maybe a token American is somebody who's very nice and interested in you or maybe a token American is somebody who tries to help you who tries to give you their time or assistance, maybe a token American is a entrepreneur - somebody who start their own business, creates a new business and creates jobs. A token American. It's a stereotype it's the image you have of an American, a typical American. So if you like America your image is probably different than if you don't like America, this true. I'm wondering in your mind what is a token American? Now we can of course talk about any country: a token German, a token Russian, a token Brazilian, a token Japanese guy, a token ... whatever it can be any country, but we need to be careful with this word a token t-o-k-e-n, a token is basically a coin, well it looks like a coin and it acts like a coin, but it can only be used on for example a bus or at a certain business. So a token basically is a representative, a token American therefore is a representative American. So if you like me, do you consider me a token American? If so, thanks a lot! I think I'm a good guy. Let's check out the dialogue.
That guy is really fat.
-And look at him eating that hotdog!
He’s a token American.
-We really need to change our diet
Yeah, that unfortunately is my image of a typical American, a typical American, a token American nowadays tends to be heavy, pretty big obese and they love to eat junk food hot dogs and hamburgers yeah. The token American does not eat the best of foods, Americans need to eat more fruits and vegetables, they need to cook more natural foods in their kitchen, stop buying foods in the freezer, stop buying foods in boxes and in cans spend more time in the vegetable (oil) spend more time in a natural foods. If you have a house, if you have some land why don't you grow a garden that's my dream. I would love to be able to do that. I do try to eat very healthy and as you've seen if you see my videos I'm not that fat I'm not super skinny but I'm not that fat so I'm so I'm so far I'm lucky. The token American unfortunately nowadays the token American is this this fat guy who's eating a hot dog, watching a baseball, game probably playing some sort of "Call of duty" on a Nintendo or Sony Playstation yeah wearing flip flops and shorts and a t-shirt not dressing very nicely not shaving on the weekend. That is my image of a token American. It's going to change I hope it changes. America are going to die of heart attacks if we keep eating like that you gotta be healthy. So I want you to describe a token person in your country so if you are from Brazil what does a token Brazilian look like,if you are from Poland what does a token Pole look like, if you are from India what does a token Indian look like. Leave a description and don't bother talking about other countries because I know we all have an image of the token person in another country but sometimes that images not too good and sometimes it's not real so I give you my image of a token American and I'm American so I can do that. Now many Americans might disagree with me but that's okay so once again I'd like to hear your description of a token person in your country. Let's check out the dialogue two more times. You guys have a fantastic weekend it's Friday TGIF thank God it's Friday I hope you have a great weekend and together let's master English!
That guy is really fat.
-And look at him eating that hotdog!
He’s a token American.
-We really need to change our diet
That guy is really fat.
-And look at him eating that hotdog!
He’s a token American.
-We really need to change our diet