shanshan310
Member
It's not just gaf, it's most of the internet. Plus we have a lot of media exposure here (probably 50-60% of programming), but I'll admit I may be mistaken.
16 peoples on things they couldn't believe until they moved to America
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It's not just gaf, it's most of the internet. Plus we have a lot of media exposure here (probably 50-60% of programming), but I'll admit I may be mistaken.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I agree with your response here.
Sometimes I perceive that some Americans haven't gotten the memo that they aren't the only multi-race/culture nation on earth.
Same goes for "freedom" and democracy stuff.
TAJ
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
There were billboards here about how the Rapture was going to happen on May 21st, 2011... in SoCal. There's a creation museum in San Diego County. Seriously.
Very interesting list, it seems to be much in line with my own experiences in the US. A couple of things that they got very, very right. I would like to comment in what I view as both the best and worst things I saw there:
My favourite thing of the US, people in my country doesn't really beging to grasp the sheer variety of the USA. Even if it looks very similar and homogeneous on the outside (Simpson-esque houses), the sheer multicultural variety is incredible. It is not only a question of having lots of inmigrants. My own country have them too. But rather the... intensity of it all. The combination of prosperity, emigration tradition (with several generations in the country rather than being a recent phenomena) and the more public type of religious expression has made it possible for the American minorities to rettain a far stronger level of their original "high culture" than their European counterparts, and it shows.
And now for my least favourite thing in the US. Seriously, race relationships and its conversation in America are fucked up beyond belief, and the suppousedly anti-racist stance of "everything is racist" just makes said conversation even more difficult. You would hardly have a "Zwarte piett" type of "polemic" in countries with a far more laid back race relationships like say, Brazil, and not because lack of minorities, mind you. Both left and right wing parties have played identity politics with almost every racial group under the Sun, and it has lead to a really toxic racial enviroment.
My favourite thing of the US, people in my country doesn't really beging to grasp the sheer variety of the USA. Even if it looks very similar and homogeneous on the outside (Simpson-esque houses), the sheer multicultural variety is incredible. It is not only a question of having lots of inmigrants. My own country have them too. But rather the... intensity of it all. The combination of prosperity, emigration tradition (with several generations in the country rather than being a recent phenomena) and the more public type of religious expression has made it possible for the American minorities to rettain a far stronger level of their original "high culture" than their European counterparts, and it shows.
And now for my least favourite thing in the US. Seriously, race relationships and its conversation in America are fucked up beyond belief, and the suppousedly anti-racist stance of "everything is racist" just makes said conversation even more difficult. You would hardly have a "Zwarte piett" type of "polemic" in countries with a far more laid back race relationships like say, Brazil, and not because lack of minorities, mind you. Both left and right wing parties have played identity politics with almost every racial group under the Sun, and it has lead to a really toxic racial enviroment.
nephilimdj
Member
made me laugh
I think this one is really underrated:
It leads to both better customer service and better treatment of service industry workers, because the class divide in the US isn't as rigid.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
The short answer is that our country is a lot more diverse than you may be imagining. Its very easy to claim America is too sensitive when you live in a country where everyone looks like you.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I don't think there's a popular perception that we're the only diverse country. I don't think people think through it to that level.
Really, the sheer level of diversity in the US is unlike any other country I've ever seen. I don't really know what country you're comparing it to.
Race to be King
Banned
And which countries have you seen that you're comparing it to? If you've never been to London, you might be in for a surprise. A pleasant one!
BladeoftheImmortal
Member
on an interstate in Alabama there's a sign that say, go to the chirch or the devil will get you. with a satan caricature.
shanshan310
Member
Well, that certainly seems to be what you're implying:
Probably 1% of people on neogaf live in a county like that.
Prime crotch
Banned
That's hella rude, when I want the check I'll ask for it
Race to be King
Banned
It's a bit awkward that they bring it to the table without asking if you want to order coffee or dessert first.
Also, no chip and PIN in shops and restaurants, and no signature needed for transactions under a certain value. It would be so easy for someone to skim your card, and you'd be screwed if you lost it.
The fresh fruit in California was gorgeous though, and the tour of the Napa Valley was one of the best days of my life. In fact, you can keep my card - just leave the petit sirah.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
It's like you contradict your first paragraph with your second. "I don't really know what country you're comparing it to" really proves my point. There are so many countries to compare to.
Consider all the other official multicultures: Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, etc. And then consider most of Europe which has active immigration policies.
The city with the largest amount of citizens born outside the country is Toronto. And check out this list of the most culturally diverse countries in the world: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...st-culturally-diverse-countries-in-the-world/
I think the diversity topic really comes down to intensity and where you are. Major cities are so dense with other cultures that many nations end up having their own little culturally isolated district. Living in San Francisco you got Japan Town, the ever present China town, The Mission (latin district), Little italy, and others. Though many other cities have these (New York I believe has the most), since the US is so huge we have so many of our own extremely different cultures. San Francisco hippies, left coast hipsters, street culture, conservative east coasters and so on. Now blend these cultures with the other major foreign presence we have and you get an endless list of passionate subcultures.
As for racial sensitivity... well... We've been working on toning that down along with with toning down racial aggression for a long time now. What you have to remember is we have a very large and tragic history of racial violence that culminated in one of the largest civil wars of all time. Then you add the conflicts throughout history with mexico and native americans and you are left with a whooooole lot of bad blood.
As for racial sensitivity... well... We've been working on toning that down along with with toning down racial aggression for a long time now. What you have to remember is we have a very large and tragic history of racial violence that culminated in one of the largest civil wars of all time. Then you add the conflicts throughout history with mexico and native americans and you are left with a whooooole lot of bad blood.
My own experiences visiting Hawaii:
- Americans have so big heads, it's like american bodies are made differently than european.
- So much fat, I've never seen so many absurdly fat people as when I visited Hawaii, even though I knew about it, it was still a shock to me.
- Americans are very good at expressing themselves and at least to me doesn't seem to care as much what other people think about them compared to swedes for example.
- Americans have so big heads, it's like american bodies are made differently than european.
- So much fat, I've never seen so many absurdly fat people as when I visited Hawaii, even though I knew about it, it was still a shock to me.
- Americans are very good at expressing themselves and at least to me doesn't seem to care as much what other people think about them compared to swedes for example.
shadyspace
Banned
You can't judge a nation by its nerds who spend all their time on the internet. Do you think 99 percent of the US is atheist because that's the conclusion its forum posters should lead you to
FreeMufasa
Junior Member
I was in Georgia in 2007 shopping. Got my shopping and said "cheers" to the cashier.
"......are you British???"
"........yea"
"Omg they have black people in Britain???"
Not the first time I've had comments like that when in the states.
shanshan310
Member
^ ahahaha for real?
I literally just said in that post you quoted that that wasn't the case.
I literally just said in that post you quoted that that wasn't the case.
What a bizarely ignorant post. I'm always surprised by this strange mixture of liberalism and jingoism by some young americans. You honestly believe european nations waited for americans to promote equality? The least you could do is read some Tocqueville or something.
About your other queston here is an example from france that I posted in another thread : this man, a cuban-born "mulatto", was mayor of Paris, member of congress and finally minister under the third republic in France (in the 1880's!) :
Diprosalic
Banned
damn straight. mainstream american chocolate is just awful in the states.
iamaustrian
Member
ЯAW;89758520 said:
Most of the time the "secret" in their marinade is pure glutamate (white powder) you can buy in most BBQ shops and in every asian food store.
Hence the "sercret". They are just too embarassed to admit it's glutamate.
Nothing wrong with it when used in low doses
You would hate the south.
Arjen
Member
Haha damn.
Funniest i got.
Where are you from?
The Netherlands.
Oh cool, i got a cousin in Denmark, maybe you know him.
....
I'm pretty surprised you thought of this as something to be proud of. To me the added thing at the end makes it very negative. Like glutton is highly encouraged.
NekoFever
Member
I always get mistaken for Australian by my accent when I'm in the US. It's happened all over as well.
Race to be King
Banned
Well, in Germany, there's a female chancellor, a gay foreign minister and the the former vice chancellor who was born in Vietnam. The president of Brazil is female as well. I think you could make an argument if there'd be a long history of diversity when it comes to presidents of the US, but there's literally one person who is not a white male and he's only been there for a couple of years. And many people still think he's a Muslim from Kenya... implying that this would somehow make him a bad leader of the country.
Some of those are the norm in most 1st world countries, that children have to work for some money isn't really a positive thing Imo, some regulations is better than none.
thesoapster
Member
It's just the next county over in the country of Europe, right? Maybe you do know him!
They don't mean "children", like...little kids. They mean teenagers (15-16 and up). They also don't "have" to work, as the quote even said "from well to do families".
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
pretty fascinating thread, I'll share some of my experiences from living the US for several years as a kid, along with multiple visits during later years:
- Americans seem generally very verbal, and very good at verbalising what they feel in many situations related to interpersonal affairs and social interaction.
- American systems seem very well organised and formally structured, and people actually follow and respect the rules which leads to some pretty great results - this is something I've noticed most in education, but it's also true for museums, shopping malls, parks etc.
These are both qualities I admire about America (at least the parts of it I experienced, the U.S is probably too big to generalise), and wish my country was better at.
On the other hand of the spectrum:
- Americans seem to be surprisingly ignorant about international affairs and foreign nationalities, to the point where many intelligent people honestly believe English is the primary spoken language across half the world, for example.
- Americans seem to be highly knowledgeable when it comes to matters of entertainment and commercialism, to the extent where I feel they pay for it with a lack of general knowledge in more important areas.
BaronLundi
Member
I was asked these :
- do you have TVs in Europe ?
- do you have cars in Europe ?
- do you have THE MOON in Europe ?
Yes.
shadyspace
Banned
That's a valid question. Have any of you ever landed on it?
Common in most deeply reactionary states- I saw them all over Indiana when I drove through that state- you don't see that many in the Carolinas unless you go to the rural parts.
Liberty4all
Banned
the "hi" at every shop is true. I really notice it when shopping in the States. In Canada we are more likely to ignore you unless you ask for help. Americans in general tend to be eager to find a problem to solve. Part of the national psyche I think.
Angelus Errare
Banned
Things I couldn't believe
- Jesus Christ you people love jesus to some irrational levels.
- You people are deathly afraid of sex anywhere outside the bedroom.
- But violence in copious amounts is okay.
- You don't want to teach sex education in school nor provide contraception but are constantly shocked at teen pregnancy rates.
- Still have horrible racial relations.
- You people love the fuck outta guns.
- Healthcare is a crippling debt here.
- Jesus higher education in this country is nuts.
- Medical/Drug advertisement on TV...like every 3 adverts is about some new drug 2/3 of American people can't even afford due to the crazy costs of healthcare here.
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
some more I agree with from the article:
- Bureaucracy really is kafkaesque at times. But most of the time, its just that there are over 300 million people and the manning for a certain department is limited to two guys in Kentucky who have to answer every request by snail mail. This is probably the real reason people say government is evil.
- Bank checks are still used and mailed in envelopes. I thought this was only in a few cases but a lot of companies seem to prefer this method by default.
- Drive-thru ATMs and stores. It left me speechless. And then to think that most purchases in the U.S. are on credit
. You can even do drive-thru shopping, drive-thru oil-change, drive-thru massage(?). Everything is drive-thru!
- Immediate check and taking away empty plates. For me this was incredibly rude as back home you never take the empty plates before everyone whos dining has finished their meals. Also, back home one asks for the check, so when waiters bring you the check here without you asking can feel very much like youre being rushed. This has lead me to leave several food places without paying, when I go home, only to have to return to pay after realizing that no, the check had not been given to me and I had not paid yet.
- Infantile and convenient food (and Im not talking about the fast food). No bones, no spines, hardly ever find an entire fish, its mostly filets, very little diversity (little lamb, or duck, hardly ever rabbit, and for fish its almost always tuna, salmon, haddock and bass), seedless everything. A lot of things (not desserts) are sweetened, like honey smoked, glazed, etc. Even desserts sometimes look like 5-y.o. were left alone in the kitchen: cookie dough ice cream, oreo cheese cake
- Credit Score WTF The credit system in America will create a numerical value (credit score) to assess everyones financial fitness. No one know how the score is calculated but you need that to get a loan or two or three and beyond.
- Wall-to-wall carpeting. The absolutely needless luxury is both profoundly wasteful and absurd. Not to mention hard to clean. I couldn't agree more.
- That our showers are hot water. Always. Boggles the minds.
- Return policies and free refill.
- Majority of high and middle schools have sport facilities of very high, almost professional quality.
- There is almost no public transportation except in a few large cities. People actually have to have cars to get places. Cars are necessity, not luxury.
- Patriotism The flag was everywhere. Literally. I came to know students are supposed to pledge allegiance to their flag since Kindergarten.! (I cant fathom how they pronounce allegiance). On the other hand, they are blissfully unaware of the rest of the world (A high school kid thought Taj Mahal is in Washington DC). But I loved how all students were involved in some sort of extra curricular activities or the other.
Rhomega Beta
Member
From my experience in grocery stores, customer service is heavily emphasized, with entire training segments devoted to customer interaction. When the customer comes to the register, make eye contact, smile, and greet them. Engage the customer (i.e., make conversation). Friendly people matter just as much as high selection and low prices. People will be more likely to return to a friendly and extroverted store than a store that doesn't engage them at all.
"you people"
Chezzymann
Member
It seems like he is basing his findings heavily on the diversity of languages spoken, which is silly because many second or third generation immigrants here in the US don't speak their native language anymore, but still retain much of their cultural values.
BaronLundi
Member
When I worked customer care for a US company I had this exchange once.
-So, where are you located?
-In Buenos Aires, Argentina, sir.
-Oh, so you're probably just a kid, right? They have a lot of underage workers in there.
-I don't think that's correct sir, also I'm 21.
-Oh, come on, you're probably in a small sweatshop right now or something.
-No sir, I work on a building.
-Well, you probably got a bunch o' kids making shoes in the basement, right? Heheh.
It was especially cringeworthy because the guy said this in a way that you KNEW he was just trying to be funny, that was his idea of 'breaking the ice'.
GunslingerVit
Banned
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