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I realize that most goons are US-based, so maybe this sounds like an extremely mundane topic, but a bunch of us are foreigners & the US is a weird, alien place, and both super interesting on its own, but also because your nation's cultural significance probably can't be overstated. I also imagine that, with the US being as large as it is, US-goons might also be interested in hearing about state-specific stuff, since I'm guessing most people aren't really familiar with all of the US states. Anyway, some of the stuff I'd be interesting in hearing about is personal takes on the following; Tiggum posted:I really love hearing about regional differences, but especially from people who experienced them as outsiders, so if anyone moved to or from America (or even moved to a different part of America) I would love to hear about the things you noticed that were different, things that you had no warning of and just assumed that what you grew up with was the same everywhere. Even just little things like what words mean (eg. grill/broiler) are interesting, but bigger stuff would be great. How is the political climate currently in the state and city that you live in? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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? Have you experienced any stereotypes against your nationality or state when travelling? If someone was to visit the US for the first time, or your state or city in particular, what sights would you recommend? Edited occasionally to add possible talking points and questions. Feel free to suggest any talking-points or questions that would fit the OP by PM or in the thread. Grandmother of Five fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Feb 10, 2017 |
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Jan 29, 2017 15:29
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dirby posted:I would recommend focusing the OP a bit more. Neat. I wasn't aware of the Your City Sucks subforum. I just seemed to remember the "Ask/Tell" me about Country threads being an Ask/Tell staple, but it'd make sense that kind of stuff got moved there. The catch-all Ask/Tell me about Country threads got shifted into more specific threads, like D&D about local politics and so on, I take it. The cooking forums is probably a better fit for cooking stuff, too, I guess. & yeah, the job question is super broad & vague. I didn't intend for anyone to just write about their jobs a whole bunch, but rather that, if answering other stuff, then also dropping a line about any areas or fields of work that someone might be especially knowledgeable in being neat, since it'd open up for follow-up questions. You're right, though, it is broad & vague. Anyway, I'll check out the Your City Sucks & the Tourism & Travel sub-forums. Thanks!
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Jan 29, 2017 17:55
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Thanks for the in-depth and interesting replies! As an outsider, it is easy to think of the US as a whole, and it is neat to learn a bit about the cultural differences that people experience between the different states. As an outsider, the North/South rivalry pops up all over the forums, and in all kind of discussions, but I never noticed a coastal/in-land dichotomy, though that could be because of my poor knowledge of US geography. I could be wrong, but on the forums it comes across as if goons are often either based in Northern states, or goons tend towards political beliefs that makes them view the south and mid-western US as backwards or regressive, to an extent that it is hard to gauge as an outsider whether is mostly fair or exaggerated.Neito posted:I live in Boston, so it's probably much closer to a European political climate. We're, um... Bothered by the Cheeto-in-Chief. I'm assuming that'd be like a northern / western European political climate, and not eastern or southern Europe :P I don't mean to make a talking point about Europe being oh-so-diverse, but I just figure it is sort of a mirror point on how there is significant difference between US states, too. When goons refer to Europe without specifying otherwise, I assume that it is mostly western Europe, and mostly Germany, France and the UK CaptainViolence posted:Hopefully something here is insightful for you! It was! The rural versus urban cultural differences that you mention is always really noticeable, I feel, no matter where you are at. I've never been to the US, but rural & small town mentality and culture versus urban culture have a lot of the same characteristic no matter where in the world you are, I think. Canine Blues Arooo posted:Comparing the two, I very much like the politics of CA a lot more. I feel safe and secure here way more than I do in ND, where I constantly had a cloud hanging over my head. I do however miss the sense of community and the attitude of 'we're all in this together' that defines rural ND. They really are vastly different places. Thanks for your reply as well. This quoted part stood out to me, because it seems like something that is vastly different depending on where in the US you are. Not feeling secure in the area you lived must have been massively unsettling. As an outsider, this seems like an area where the cultural difference between areas in the US is significant enough to have a major effect on people's daily lives, but as an outsider, it is hard to tell how much of this impression is simply derived from the vitriol of goons discussing politics on-line, so it is interesting to read a personal experience on it. You're making me hungry. I don't know if it is fair, but Louisiana comes across as sort of an odd-ball state, with pretty strong continental European roots and influence compared to other US states, with a strong bent towards civil law compared to other states that are more common law. I don't know how true that is, but despite being a southern states which I'd guess most people would think of as being less culturally similar to Europe, my largely unfounded stereotype is that Louisiana probably resembles continental Europe the most, or at least France and Germany. Tiggum posted:I really love hearing about regional differences, but especially from people who experienced them as outsiders, so if anyone moved to or from America (or even moved to a different part of America) I would love to hear about the things you noticed that were different, things that you had no warning of and just assumed that what you grew up with was the same everywhere. Even just little things like what words mean (eg. grill/broiler) are interesting, but bigger stuff would be great. Yeah, that stuff is interesting. All the big and tiny culture clashes is something it is interesting to hear about, both between states, but also between countries. I'm gonna add your remark to the OP as a suggested talking point. Feel free to suggest other questions or talking points, as the OP is perhaps a bit sparse.
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Jan 30, 2017 15:22
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CaptainViolence posted:I'm living in Montana (fourth largest state in the US by landmass, vaguely similar in size to Germany if I remember right, but we barely have a million people across the whole state). I meant to comment on this, too, because the vastness, and relative emptiness & wildness of the US is really something. Some dirty math puts Montana at nearly 10 times the size of Denmark, but with only about 1/6th of the population. Despite shared language, the sheer size of the US, and the distances between large metropolitan areas perhaps make some US states more isolated from each other culturally than some nation-states are here. Like, if I drove to Germany, there wouldn't be long between the residential areas on the way there, with gradual local cultural changes all the way, like more and more people being fluent in German as you near the border and more loan-words and slang that crosses over from Danish and German speakers. If there was like a 4 hour drive through an uninhabited area, the destination might feel more markedly different, if that makes sense. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang posted:Speaking of language (har). This is also a funny thing about our Italian speakers up here in NY. Most everyone who speaks Italian learned it from their Grandparents who came over in the early 1900's or so. So these guys will go back over to the village or city their family came from and people think they have the quaintest old person dialect. Or even funnier, they'll host high-schoolers from Italy for an exchange program and the kids won't understand a word they say and they have to resort to English. Yeah, this kind of stuff is interesting & pretty funny imo. As an outsider, it sort of looks like many European US immigrants attempt to hold on to an European heritage, but creates something that is both distinct from, but also part of the American culture and their heritage culture, and becomes something newly unique. It isn't better or worse, but it is sort of funny when an area, like Solvang in California, which is big on Danish heritage apparently, serves what are traditional Danish dishes to them, but are dishes that were never served here in Denmark, but are unique to Solvang. I mentioned this in another thread, but wanted to point out here, as well, that I thought your comments about the blue state racism were especially interesting. As an outsider who isn't familiar with domestic US issues, when blue versus red states stuff comes up in media, it often paints blue states in a very progressive light in that comparison, which is perhaps overly positive and worth being critical of. Grand Prize Winner posted:Been working 60 hour weeks recently, so I live on cheap burgers. Finally someone who can confirm my stereotype about the US
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Jan 30, 2017 21:24
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I'm curious about how much of a language barrier regional US dialects represents, and whether any US dialects come across as wholly or largely incomprehensible to you as native American English speakers. My perspective is coming from a small country that has local dialects that vary to such a degree that I can off-hand think of several that many native Danish speakers would find practically incomprehensible, but it is also sort of a running non-joke between Scandinavians that not even Danes understand Danish. Anyway, I'm wondering if I'm ignorant of heavy US dialects, or whether you can actually understand pretty much anyone that speaks American English regardless of dialect. I realize that there are many distinct dialects, but nothing springs to mind to me as being comparably difficulty to understand as something like the English scouse or cockney dialects. If people have examples of strong, regional dialects that they would think that other US citizens would have a hard time understanding, then I'd definitely like to hear clips and examples of those.
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Feb 8, 2017 01:51
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Thanks again to everyone taking the time to share in-depths replies! Your reasoning makes a lot of sense, and thanks for the links. I definitely had to pay attention when listening to those clips, but outside of some slang, the examples weren't too hard to follow, even as a non-native speaker, I feel. I looked up a couple of examples of the dialects, and Boontling is something else, though, and although it sounds like American English imo, it is practically unintelligible. I got the impression from a couple of videos that it is actually the purpose, though, that it was largely and deliberately made up for fun and to be confusing. I also get the impression that I should definitely watch The Wire. As an aside, people are of course free to discuss gun control, health care issues and such, but in the scope of this thread, I am hoping that the focus will largely be on showcasing how things are in the US, and as an example; how something like gun culture might differ in individual states and why there are these differences, but with little focus on a political debate about how things ought to be. edit: Fixing weird quote freak-out Grandmother of Five fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Feb 8, 2017 |
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Feb 8, 2017 14:07
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Debating political issues re; gun control, health care and whatever else is worthwhile, but there are several subforums dedicated to political discussions where having those discussions are more constructive and welcomed, I think. That said, cultural difference on those topics are interesting to hear about and examine in themselves, and I think that this post; is a great example of a post that is interesting and fits well within the context of an Ask/Tell thread imo. The example of breaking down the different uses of guns; that all guns doesn't serve the same purpose and are tools for different situations, and that you might buy, inherent or collect gun for different reasons makes a lot of sense, whatever your stance on gun control is, I think. Despite not being familiar with firearms, it is fairly easy to recognize that something like handguns, rifles and shotguns are markedly different tools, and that you might own several both as a hobbyist, collector, or for practical purposes. Perhaps that sounds mundane to some, but from the perspective of someone with relatively little experience with and knowledge of fire-arms, I find it interesting, as well as such reasoning as relatively large response times for law-enforcement being a motivating factor when it comes to personal home-defense. As far as takes on politically charged issues like gun controls, the kind of personal experience and reasoning like in the above quoted posts is interesting in the context of this thread, imo. Anyway, inspired by checking out the Ask/Tell thread on Christianity, and despite religion being a similarly volatile, politically-charged topic, as gun-control, it is one area I'd like to hear about, too, and hope that it will be possible for people to share their personal experience as practitioners and non-practitioners, without it becoming a debate of who is right and who is wrong. I've added religious practice as a possible talking-point to the OP, but figured I would post it in the thread as well, since I don't except anyone who has already participated to re-read the thread. So here is that; 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.
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Feb 9, 2017 16:50
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That is interesting imo. Did you experience a lot of bias or hostility as an American when travelling abroad? I'm assuming you have to some extent because of your passport comment, and it'd be interesting to hear about how that hostility and bias has been expressed concretely, if you've got personal anecdotes to share.
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Feb 9, 2017 17:14
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Just wanted to say that I've been enjoying the replies, so thanks to people for sharing such in-depth comments on US life and culture. There is one stereotype of Americans that exists here, that I don't remember anyone else mentioning as a "between-states" stereotype; that Americans are generous. I think it might come down to, how Scandinavian people are often reserved in contrast to many others, but also specifically about how tipping is handled differently. You are not supposed to tip for any service here; but most people are obviously happy to receive a tip all the same. When talk turns to tipping, American tourists are nearly always held up as the most generous tippers in general (and those drat Norwegians with their dirty oil money, but they are tipping to spite us), or it being an American party that gave someone the biggest tip that they've ever received. There is of course different reasons for why tipping is done, but I think it is sort of an interesting example of how a custom or a system can translate into something different when done out of context, like tipping anything at all, is going beyond the expected here, and perhaps rarely even thought as little vulgar, disruptive or exuberant, where in the US, I am under the impression that you are expected to tip for many services as a default, because of relatively low paying minimum wage jobs relying on tipping as a source of income.
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Feb 12, 2017 15:40
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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. 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"? 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.
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Feb 28, 2017 16:40
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Thanks again to people who have taken the time to answer questions btw. A new topic of interest have popped up, and I'd be curious to hear about what kind of sex ed people have received. Like, how much time was spent on sex-ed in your school, and were there any areas of omission or bias, thinking back? How strongly was pre-marriage abstinence advocated? Were LGBT issues openly discussed? In the context of sharing experience on what kind of sex ed you may have received, it'd be interesting to know of how long ago it was that you received sex ed, I think, and whether you went to a public school or not. I'd imagine that the content of sex ed might vary drastically depending on it.
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Mar 26, 2017 18:08
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Thanks again to people who have taken the time to answer questions! Sex Ed sounds like it ranges from way better to way worse than it is here, and that huge variance is just interesting to learn about imo.Nessa posted:Sorry for the derail there. I hope GrandmotherOfFive doesn't mind. I don't mind  For the longest time, I thought that Canada was a US state anyway! I mixed it up with California simply because of the beginning letters, I think, and also being a pretty dumb kid. I think you could make an interesting Canada Ask/Tell thread, but I already bugged you about it once. Feel free to post stuff here either way imo. I'd assume that the states bordering Canada would have a lot of stuff that is more in common with Canada, than with other US states.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. I hope Google taught you that before your mom did! I don't doubt she meant well, but 21 sure was late for that piece of info
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Apr 5, 2017 11:56
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Thanks again to everyone taking the time to answer questions so in-depth!Edgar Allen Ho posted:I got drunk, went on my ancient okcupid, and messaged my top "anywhere" match last night, and so suddenly I've been chatting with a girl from London. One thing that's already stood out about the US is how politically polarized we are. For the most part, your friend group is either very right-wing or very left-wing. Obviously you're forced to interact with your political counterparts thanks to family ties and work obligations, but in terms of who you chill with, chances are your group is either left or right. That even applies to your interests, your bars, your food, your activities, your clothes... I meant to ask a question about this! Is that an experience that the others of you living in the US recognize? That people are divided socially along political lines? How strict is that, like, do you have barely any, or no close friends at all who doesn't share your party affiliation? Do you pretty much know the political affiliation of all your friends and family members? If your social circles are largely divided this way, then how do you feel about people who abstain from voting? As I understand it, voter-turnout is relatively low.
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Apr 23, 2017 20:26
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Thanks again for the in-depth answers! My take-away is that the two-party and a relatively polarized system, makes socializing along fairly distinct political lines more natural. A couple of you speculated whether this is true elsewhere, and off-hand, it would be easy to say that people here don't place the same importance on politics in social settings, and don't wear their political conviction on their sleeves, but it would be missing that the mainstream political climate also isn't perceived as that polarized here. As an example, despite there being 10 parties in parliament at the moment, not a single one of them are against the right to have abortion. There are important political difference between the parties, of course, but the mainstream framework doesn't encompass such stark differences as something like "pro life" versus "pro choice", I feel; so in that context, of course people don't place the same importance on political affiliation in inter-personal relationships, because the same "deal breakers" doesn't exists within the (mainstream) political framework. From a US perspective, I imagine it might sound crazy, but I don't know the party affiliation of the majority of my close friends and family members, but the lack of a need to identify with and place importance on, at least party-based politics, is because the mainstream framework doesn't encompass quite as radical, fundamental difference. Incompatible stances exists here too, of course, but they are relatively fringe and unlikely to come up in conversation for most people, I'd think.
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Apr 24, 2017 13:16
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The comments re; some people idolizing Europe makes me curious about, to what extent, you might feel that Europeans harbor anti-US sentiments. Like, do you think that anti-US sentiments are mainstream, or largely reserved the political right or left, or the young or old, or is typical in academia or where does it reside, if you feel that it exists? Is it especially distinct for northern, western, eastern or southern Europe, would you think? Assuming the distinction is worthwhile.
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Apr 24, 2017 15:54
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