andthebeatgoeson
Junior Member
OK, I hate this word: creeper. But it seems relevant. It's like this guy wants a French kiss or missionary position on the first greeting. What's wrong with a simple hug? On first meet, I wouldn't expect that.
16 peoples on things they couldn't believe until they moved to America
- Thread starter Boom Boom Pow
- Start date
- Status
OK, I hate this word: creeper. But it seems relevant. It's like this guy wants a French kiss or missionary position on the first greeting. What's wrong with a simple hug? On first meet, I wouldn't expect that.
Arjen
Member
Greeting woman with kisses is pretty normal here.
shanshan310
Member
It was more a shocked laugh than anything. I can't imagine anyone fearing for their life because of their race in a first world country. Like someone else mentioned, it's kind of like being a afraid to go to the United States because you're worried you'll get shot or attacked by a grisly bear. On another level it's also a little insulting that he thinks so little of foreign countries.
Race to be King
Banned
I went stargazing in Yosemite, lying on a tarp in a field while a guide pointed out constellations, and being pwned by a bear seemed like a genuine possibility.
Napoleonthechimp
Member
Have you?
Winterfang
Banned
Yeah, unless you are some creepy that leaves a wet kiss in the cheek, is not a big deal. Of course, if you are meeting someone for the first time is kind of rude to be kissing them.
Cloud Strife
Member
Lol, not true at all.
CornBurrito
Member
Don't most studies place it at roughly 40% of Americans believing that evolution is a lie and that Creationism is an objective fact?
zero shift
Banned
Makes sense. Also just realized that they were talking about Canada which has significantly higher lower wages than America.
Shin Johnpv
Member
That number is going to depend on where a survey is done. Do it in a Southern state, or some of the midwest states, possibly. Do it on a coastal state and no fucking way.
equippedwithtowel
Member
Don't bother reading through the thread, then.
But yeah, seeing traffic in the large developing Asian nations (mine was China, but it is very similar to how India is described in that quote) will make you marvel at how well it is run in the first world. (I assume that EU, Australia, Japan are the same.)
That observation isn't coming from a negative or prejudiced space, mind - I quite loved the place and even enjoyed the national pedestrian sport of dodging traffic, and admired the slightly anarchic spirit of doing exactly what HAD to be done to get around and no more.
It is funny because I met a person who had no trouble driving in China but was scare to drive in the US. Her explanation is that people rarely drive above 50mph, while in the US is normal to go over 65. Even if is more chaotic, driving slowly to her is easier.
CornBurrito
Member
The number is the national average I am pretty sure.
Spaniard here, sorry to hear about your bad experiences
That being said, the cultural shock here can be truthly something. We Spaniards have two things that might get people getting that impression:
We love staring at people (everyone, mind you, not just one race or another)
+
We have no sense of political correction or whatsoever (we have taboos of our own, though)
=
Racism?
I dunno. I work with Equatoreans and Cubans every day with no problem, and a big chunk of my political family and friends are Peruvians. If anything, our intra-racial discourse is characterized by its non-existance, as inmigration has been quite recent, and never a politic topic. Other than our long convulted story with gipsies, no minority has been demonized nor pandered by our politicians, and that's a good thing which puts everything into a "tabula rasa" kind of state.
Indeed. When my brother and I were Young kids and my parents went to live in Arizona, their US friends scared them shitless by talking about all the children kidnappings that were suppousedly happening left and right. Once they arrived there they were like "dude, what?". I think that the worst American social illnesses can be traced back to this huge fear of their neighbours. Enter "gun culture" in order to protect theirselves from the menaces that lurks in the shadows, and racial oversensitivity because the evil White men is there to get you and the minority teenager gangster is going to kill you in our sleep. Fear really brings the worst of the Americans, and it is sad to see such a great nation be brought to its knees by it.
LordMuffin
Member
Gonna quote this, I'm still astonished when I see "would of" instead of "would have" or "then" used in place of "than", but then I realize when I see words I link them to abstract concepts, whereas native speaker silently sound them in their mind. Another reason it took me a whole lot to get on the puns and funny stories, english language is very simple but when people speak it gets all kind of fickle
Cute Dragon Here
Member
Is it normal to want to live in the United States after reading the thread?
In some colonies, at some points. Depending on the individuals governing the colonies. But it was illegal according to the laws of the countries owning the colonies, so it isn't the same thing at all. It wasn't legalized and state sanctioned.
Semantics. It isn't called marriage, but the rights are fundamentally the same.
Not really true. Canada has a larger foreign-born population, but the US is far more racially diverse.
zero shift
Banned
The context of racism in America I feel is much different than in Europe. In Europe most immigrants tend to be closer aligned with Canadian immigrants, in which they are ambitious, skilled, and well informed (whether from experience or culture) in how to succeed. IIRC most of the European immigrants have been very socially mobile. The Chinese, Indians, and Africans (starting to) have all been climbing the ladder into prosperity. This is in stark contrast to America and their minorities. With the exception of most Asians and the small Arab population minorities in America (blacks, Latinos, and native americans) have remained stagnate in poverty. Unfortunately there are also segments of these communities that engage in constant crime. Whites have the homicide rate of Belgium while Hispanics and Native Americans have that of Moldova, while Blacks have the homicide rate of Ecuador. This leads to some people seeing these groups as a "stain"to the culture and all of these people are no good. Many won't right out admit it but when it comes to their private opinions they pretty much do. Arizona has draconian laws for Latinos. They literally practice making lives so bad for "illegals" as a method to make them leave, despite America having net zero immigration. I have already brushed upon the Trayvon Martin case in which you heard about so much, but again a man (who had a criminal record of abuse and overreacting) confront a teenager (who had a clean record) and shoots and kills him. A majority of Americans blame the teenager because he is black (despite the shooter being Latino).
I haven't really seen anything like this in Europe GAF. Most racism there seems to mirror something of say "anti-semitism" in America in which there is a bunch of stereotypes against a group but there is no vile or action against them. I guess Arabs but its not like America doesn't do such things.
I don't really see America as being "over-sensitive" to racism. I more so see America as confronting race issues head on instead of sweeping them under the rug.
Funky Functionality
Member
You are completely proving his point.
Not at all. By that logic, even more of the United States allows for gay marriage. Civil unions are inherently homophobic, because they say that marriage must on be for straight couples.
DanteFox
Member
Not true.
as a percentage of the total population.
Again: Semantics. In Western countries, "marriage" is primarily a Christian sacrament, and therefore something gay couples can not and will not receive. Ever. There's no such thing as "gay marriage", because that would be a sin and shit. That has fuck all to do with homophobia and it's completely irrelevant what the union is called in my opinion (and yes, I'm an atheist). The only thing important is that they have the equal rights.
You don't need the church to get married...
You don't - not anymore. That's why is said "primarily". It's still a sacrament, just one that got secularized to a certain degree. Kinda like baptism.
That does make sense. I've met a few spaniards some good some bad, but the bad ones almost all seemed to have a superiority complex against Latin Americans.
Race to be King
Banned
I've been to loads of civil wedding ceremonies (my wedding was conducted in a converted barn), but I've never heard of a secular baptism. Is that really a thing?
NekoFever
Member
There are a few kind of equivalents, like baby naming ceremonies. I don't know anyone who's done one, though. I don't think they're particularly common.
Race to be King
Banned
The more you know! You and I both in the UK, so it must just be something I've not come across yet.
Not as an event, but as a word. That's what I mean. Culture is often about semantics. Every kid here is "baptized" even if it isn't. Because "baptized" usually just means "given a name" - religious baggage is optional. Just like people get "married". Both events used to be mainly religious sacraments a long time ago. In Germany, giving a child - or anything else, really - a name is usually called "Taufe" (baptism) regardless of any religious context, just like any union, gay or otherwise, is called "Ehe" (marriage). Legally, things are a bit different and more complex in both cases.
Vigilant Walrus
Member
what do you mean you people?
I'm French and this is just not true.
I definitely don't agree with this one, is not bad but is not outstanding, the japanese service is outstanding and the french one is the worst.
Rhomega Beta
Member
That would require a police chase. People who say "Communism will rule America" have a way of suddenly disappearing.
So I just met this girl that moved from Atlanta to Melbourne,Australia about 9 years ago. She explained to me how she eventually got her parents to emigrate down here as well because of the more fairer health care system. Later on in the conversation she goes on a tangent about how she hates Obama and what he is doing to the healthcare system and socialism and how the new mayor of New York is a socialist too.
Secular baptism is like tofurkey or tofu ribs.
Boom Boom Pow
Banned
I dunno dude...that seems to follow under what the definition of racism is..
criticism of other culture + fear of losing one own's culture = believing your own race is superior to others.
unless you're arguing say, for France, there are many different culture of France that can still be considered French?
yours wording only makes sense of the country is immgirant, meaning many people make up that culture. but to say French culture, it implies white French culture
shadyspace
Banned
Dat delusion
Culture =/= Race. White people have different cultures too. And some can and have clashed as well. That isn't racist though.
Boom Boom Pow
Banned
I dont think you understood me. Of course white people can have culture. My point was, are you asying, let's saying in a country like France, there are different white French gruops who have competing culture with one another, and that is afraid the other will eliminate them?
Or are both groups still have a common ground to unite against other, invading culture?
In Europe, your culture IS your ethnic background. Dutch to dutch, french to french. it's not like, in France, there is a culture that some mix of white and black french ppl adhere to, and then there's a different culture that other white and black french agree to
On the traffic tip:
I've never really had an issue with traffic in America. In Indiana, FUCKING NO ONE uses a turn signal, but other than that, traffic is pretty mellow even on multi-lane interstates. It wasn't until I rode in a taxi in Rome that I really appreciated how non-crazy traffic is at home. Jesus. I thought I was going to die every time I was in a taxi, bus, or walking down the street in Rome. Zero regard for traffic laws, speed laws, common courtesy, whatever you can think. Just people fucking zooming in and out of lanes like it's a god damn video game race at all times. Even buses.
I've never really had an issue with traffic in America. In Indiana, FUCKING NO ONE uses a turn signal, but other than that, traffic is pretty mellow even on multi-lane interstates. It wasn't until I rode in a taxi in Rome that I really appreciated how non-crazy traffic is at home. Jesus. I thought I was going to die every time I was in a taxi, bus, or walking down the street in Rome. Zero regard for traffic laws, speed laws, common courtesy, whatever you can think. Just people fucking zooming in and out of lanes like it's a god damn video game race at all times. Even buses.
ahh yes, it's well known that immigrants to European countries from their former colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Americas may have different skin colors but are culturally homogeneous. Therefore, Europeans aren't racist because they only discriminate against different cultures.
jim-jam bongs
Member
Driving in Florida makes you understand why it's full of religious nuts; you may die at any moment. Nobody uses their indicators, nearly everyone tailgates and there's zero lane discipline. Combined with the fact that every second person is talking on the phone and driving a car the size of an elephant, it's a terrifying experience. As far as recklessness is concerned, New York city is pretty close to Rome especially during rush hour.
In broader terms though, US drivers are somewhere in the middle in terms of skill and safety. It's old info, but: http://abcnews.go.com/International/t/story?id=82530&page=1&ref=https://www.google.com/
If it's not called marriage than they don't have equal rights. I think the majority of gay couples would certainly prefer marriage than being in a civil union. Even the name sounds unfriendly and formal.
To which India did you go to? I lived there for 3 1/2 years and the traffic is one of the things I disliked the most, is just super dangerous to be on the street where no one follows traffic laws and that goes for pedestrians too.
jim-jam bongs
Member
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked