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How is the political climate currently in the state and city that you live in? I live in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the DC suburbs, about 10 miles out from the city proper. It skews liberal but it's also one of the absolute wealthiest areas of the country, so between that and the capital being, you know, right there, we obviously have a bunch of doofy conservatives too. What kind of food culture does your local area have? if you're into cooking, or simply know of some local delicacy, please share a specific dish, with a recipe if you have one, of something that you enjoy making or buying yourself that would be representative of your local food culture. You can get literally any kind of cuisine you want here. The DC metro area in particular probably doesn't have a local delicacy per-se, but we have large populations of immigrants from Central America, India, Ethiopia, and Asia (especially Vietnam and Korea) so there are a lot of really great restaurants from those cultures. So if you like Peruvian style chicken or a nice bowl of pho, you're in luck. How is religious life and worship for you in the states? As an outsider, it appears as if religious life might vary pretty wildly from state to state, with some US areas having markedly different religious demographics than others. I'd be especially interested in whether people experience any prejudice or bias against their religious practice, or lack thereof, in their home states, or from US society at large. Religion is still fairly prevalent around here but most people don't take it too seriously. I went to church a lot as a kid but eventually my family just sort of stopped. Generalizing a bit, but minority/immigrant populations seem to be more devout overall around here. Almost no one my age (mid-late 20s) is particularly religious, but I think that's fairly common for my demographic and urban areas world wide. Sharing what you work with or study for, or if you have any specialized knowledge, would imo also be interesting, because it would allow follow-up questions for specific fields, like, imo someone working with law or healthcare would probably have interesting insights on those areas. I plan conferences and trade shows for non-profit organizations. It's not really exciting but I do get to travel around the US a lot, which is neat. If you belong to a minority group, do you experience harassment? If you do and you are willing to share personal anecdotes, and thoughts about how your state or city might differ from other areas in the US, then please do. I am mixed race Asian-White. I have never experienced outright harassment anywhere in the country. How familiar are you with other US states than the one you live in? Like, how many different ones have you lived in, or visited for a shorter or longer period of time. Are some states essentially as foreign to you, or even more, than some foreign countries might be? Do you feel as if there is animosity between your home state and other states? I have lived in Minnesota and, as I mentioned, I travel all over the US for work. I've been to every state in the continental US, although some I literally just drove through. Every region is going to have it's own little differences and customs, but on the whole there isn't going to be too much of culture shock. You'll still speak the same language, see the same chain restaurants and stores, etc. Virginia and Maryland have a sort of regional rivalry, but it's not anything serious and most people actually don't really care. It's just fun to say Marylanders are the worst drivers, stuff like that. have you experience bias or hostility as an American when travelling abroad? Nope. Everyone I met seemed interested to talk to an American or were, at worst, ambivalent about my nationality. If someone was to visit the US for the first time, or your state or city in particular, what sights would you recommend? Well since it's DC there's all kinds of US government stuff, museums, everything you'd expect of a major city. Virginia itself is probably a place you'd like to visit if you have any interest in American history. Jamestown was the first British colony in North America. Several US presidents were from here and you can still tour the homes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and others. Yorktown is where we won our independence from Britain. Also, Richmond (the state capital) was also capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and due to it's proximity to DC, a huge portion of the war was fought in Virginia so there are tons of battlefields you can tour as well.
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Feb 10, 2017 18:17
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 00:52 |
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Oh something else interesting that I don't think anyone has touched on is that a lot of people in America probably wouldn't identify themselves as "American" first. I don't know if it's because we're a nation of immigrants, or because the country is so big, but it's pretty common to people to refer to themselves as whatever nationality their ancestors were and people are often pretty interested in their ancestry and ties to more "established" (for lack of a better term) cultures. If you ask someone where they're from it would not be uncommon to hear "my family is Italian" or "my family is Scottish" even if the family has actually been here for generations and they don't really have any connection to that country anymore. It's kind of an interesting disparity considering how vocal many of those same people can also be about America being the greatest country. Another variant of this is that it's not uncommon for people to identify as being from their state first, especially in the south.
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Feb 10, 2017 18:44
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I can think of three types of people who own guns that I semi-regularly interact with: 1. People who are current or former military. My dad and uncle, for example, were both in the army for 20+ years and they're just used to having guns around and using them. My dad has a pistol and a .22 for target practice, and thats it. Ditto for my uncle. Seems fine to me, I guess. 2. People who live in in rural areas and/or go hunting fairly frequently. Also fine. 3. People who "need them for self defense" but otherwise don't actually have a reason. It's generally someone who works an office job and lives in a nice neighborhood but is obsessed with the idea of having to protect themselves from all sorts of calamities or crisis situations. It's unsettling to be around these people even though they're generally reasonable about other things. It's not because they own guns necessarily, but because they have this weird siege mentality where everyone and everything could potentially be out to get them.
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Feb 16, 2017 15:20
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System Metternich posted:Okay, so other topic. I've never been to the States, and with the latest TSA madness the likelihood that I'll be going sometime soon is basically in free fall - no, I won't give you my FB password, thank you very much. But other friends who have been there told me that Americans basically take the car for every distance that's longer than the car itself. That's hyperbole, of course, but which distance would you be ready to walk instead of drive? Every Wednesday I walk to choir practice and back which Google Maps tells me is 1km (~0,6 miles) or about 12 minutes of walking each. Would you take the car for that? And would it even be feasible to walk in your average American town? Most places I've been are not walkable at all, and most cities have pretty lovely public transportation. As I mentioned, I live about 10 miles outside of DC, which is technically the suburbs, but they are definitely a more urban type of suburb. I really only drive my car to work or other places that are not accessible by public transportation (friends or family, for example), or if I needed to transport something that I can't feasibly carry while walking. Sometimes if I'm feeling lazy or it's very cold, I'll drive the car on a shorter trip. This is not the norm for most parts of the country. That being said, the major urban areas on the East Coast are also a lot more connected than I think some people imagine. For example, I could walk 10 minutes from my house to a Metro station, ride that to Union Station in DC, get on a train to New York City, and be there in a few hours without ever need to drive (or fly) anywhere. Jamwad Hilder fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Feb 17, 2017 |
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Feb 17, 2017 18:31
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Non-city people's insistence on talking to strangers is loving weird. If I'm at a bar or something else social like that then sure, I don't mind a little conversation with a stranger. Otherwise just mind your own business. I don't see why thats a difficult concept.
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Feb 28, 2017 15:26
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Grandmother of Five posted:I recognize that as largely a rural versus an urban thing here, too. I don't really have a clear preference, personally. It is nice to acknowledge strangers as people, with a smile, nod, or some pleasantry or other, but if you did that every single time you passed someone in an urban area then you'd never get anything done. If you're walking somewhere rural, though, I feel it is odd and borderline rude to not acknowledge people in some basic way, like a nod and a smile, or whatever. It's pretty much this. Most Americans in urban areas aren't going to acknowledge everyone they see on the street, other people waiting for the train, at the grocery store, etc. I think the suburbs are pretty similar to be honest. Now, if someone says "hi" or nods at me or something, I'm not going to stare blankly at them or anything, but it's a pretty uncommon occurrence. Grandmother of Five posted:People are exaggerating when they are talking about in-depth talks with strangers, though, right? Maybe that is part of the Scandinavian standoffishness, but outside of very few contexts, striking up an in-depth conversation with a stranger is just weird. If you're waiting in line or stuck in a common area, like waiting on a train, then it wouldn't be odd, but are people actually expecting, in-depths personal talks with strangers, or is the counter-reaction just the sort of typical goony "i don't see the point of small talk / pleasantries"? It's a mild exaggeration. Sure, there are people who will want to talk your ear off, but they're fairly rare. I'm not sure if it's a rural vs urban or Northern vs Southern thing, but a lot of people just want to mind their own business and do whatever it is they need to do or get wherever it is they're going. It's not really a "I don't see the point of small talk" type of thing. Grandmother of Five posted:Anyway, from the friends and relatives I know who have visited the US, the general impression has been that people from the US are very open and forward in talking with strangers, and that this has been experienced as a positive and welcoming thing, and that includes people visiting in NYC. It is anecdotal, of course, but it is sort of funny to me that there seems to be a internal US stereotype of NY people as being aloof, distant or arrogant, when it has been the opposite perception from the Scandinavian tourists that I know, but again, Scandinavians are probably generally not seen as the most warm, uninhibited and welcoming people around. In the other direction of hyperbole from "strangers all want to have in depth conversations" is this idea that people from the city will refuse to acknowledge or talk to you. Do I want to make small talk with a complete stranger? No. Will I at least respond politely for a bit? Yes. What's aggravating is people who talk too slow or take too long to get to their point. If you need directions, ask me where you're trying to get, I don't need the whole backstory. As for your friends and family, I'm sure they have the impression that Americans are friendly because Americans LOVE meeting foreigners. Well, most foreigners anyway (definitely Euros). This is pretty universal for everywhere I've visited/lived in the US.
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Feb 28, 2017 19:58
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Grandmother of Five posted:Thanks again to people who have taken the time to answer questions btw. I went to public school and it was usually a unit in your PE (physical education) classes that lasted, I dunno, maybe 3-4 weeks each year? It wasn't a one day lesson. Your parents could opt you out but almost no one ever did. I think sex education started around grade 4 (so age 9 or 10) and mostly covered the basic biology parts, but they touched on the concept of sexuality a bit. Middle school (age 12-14) introduced stuff like sexually transmitted diseases, consent, birth control, etc. We learned a lot about birth control at this age but ultimately they stressed that abstinence was the only way to ensure you don't get pregnant or a STD. In high school we still got sex ed through gym class freshman and sophomore year, and through social studies classes after that since you weren't required to take gym starting your junior year. I don't remember a lot of what we learned in high school beyond reviewing what we'd already learned for over the past few years and building further on those concepts. They still stressed that abstinence was the only guarantee, I think that's technically the state's position that they have to teach, but our teachers weren't stupid and they did explain proper condom/birth control use. I also remember that starting in high school they stressed that people deserve to be treated with respect regardless of identity or orientation. I think they broke it into four groups (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender) which seems a little bit simplistic now, but at the time (maybe 2007 or 2008) it was probably way ahead of the curve in terms of what kids learn nationwide. There were also individual lessons about internet predators, substance abuse and how it can affect decision making in sexual encounters, and I think issues related to sexual abuse and violence like human trafficking. This was late 90s-2008 in Northern Virginia. I'm sure it's changed in the past decade but I think they did a good job overall. Jamwad Hilder fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Mar 27, 2017 |
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Mar 27, 2017 16:00
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Grandmother of Five posted:I realize this comparison may not make a whole lot of sense, but I imagine that the US and Canada would have a sort of friendly rivalry that Denmark and Sweden has. Canada is the hoity-toity politically correct overlords, like the Swedes. And the US is basically really strong and smart, and have the best numbers system ever that is easy to use, like the Danes. There isn't really a rivalry. Maybe in sports I guess, but hockey is the only one we really play each other in and most Americans don't care about hockey. Americans like to make jokes about Canadians but it's more like friendly teasing than coming from a place of malice. I'd say probably 90-95% of the population has a positive impression of Canada/Canadians. There are a lot more cultural similarities/shared values between our two countries than there are differences.
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Apr 5, 2017 19:46
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There's parts of Virginia, some of the more remote islands on the coast, where people still speak in a dialect/accent that's basically 17th century British English.
Jamwad Hilder fucked around with this message at 15:00 on May 9, 2017 |
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May 9, 2017 14:58
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 00:52 |
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married but discreet posted:Perhaps a stupid question, but I recently got my PhD and am moving to Austin to work as an evolutionary biologist at UTA. Is my occupation something I should better not mention to potential landlords and generic americans if asked what I do? What about outside of Austin? Will I be Hills Have Eyed there? Austin is an educated, liberal, city. Out in the sticks I'd imagine the worst that would happen is people might make a snarky comment about evolution or god or whatever. Honestly if you have a non-American accent people are going to be more interested in where you're from than what you do.
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May 18, 2017 14:16
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