American here.One thing I think many people misunderstand about America is just how BIG it actually is.
In many ways, it’s more appropriate to think of America as a continent (or a nation conglomerate like the EU) than it is to think of it as a single country.
For instance, here’s the US (minus Alaska and Hawaii) superimposed over Europe:
And this answers a lot of the most common questions I hear about Americans (and not just geographic ones).
For instance: Why do so few Americans travel internationally?
But take a look at that map again. It’s just as hard for, say, Kansans to travel outside the US as it is for Austrians to travel outside Europe.
In point of fact, I generally find Americans to be more well-traveled (or at least further traveled) than most other groups. It just gets swallowed in the vastness of the country because when I talk about going from Boston to San Francisco for a wedding, an Englishman (for instance) might be tempted to think “ah, Edinburgh to London” rather than “Kazakhstan to Ireland.”
Not to mention, there’s far less reason to travel. Centuries of immigration saw to that.
For example, at my Bible Study tonight, we had eight people, only two of whom were from New England. The rest were from Cuba, Sierra Leone, Britain, California, Wyoming, and Georgia.
This is unsurprising as America has more immigrants than any other country… by a factor of four. So even if you only count foreign nationals as a different culture, then most American’s best bet to meet one is still within the country. California alone is 27% immigrant.
Plus, pretty much any environment you could want!
Want mountains? We got mountains!
Beaches? We’ve got lots of beaches.
Deserts? Forests? Tropics? Islands? Yup to all.
To be sure, speaking multiple languages is a great thing, but before you start bashing Americans, let me just ask you: How many languages do you speak which are not the predominant language of a country within an eight-hundred mile radius?
Not nearly so common. In many places, learning another language is a necessity. When you can drive for days in any direction without encountering a soul who speaks a different language, not nearly so important.
Besides. This:
Another example: What do European think of American gun laws?
Yeah, one thing people don’t realize about America is that “United States of America” isn’t just a name. Our states never surrendered their sovereignty when they merged into one nation, just as how European countries did not surrender their rights to self-govern by joining the EU.
There is no such thing as American gun laws, because every state has the right to pass its own gun laws.
For instance, because of inter-state politics, my license to own and carry a firearm is invalid in every state other than my own (thanks Massachusetts).Or let’s look at another political example: Are Americans embarrassed that Trump is POTUS?
Regardless of my opinions on our current president, I live in Massachusetts. Asking me if I’m embarrassed by Trump’s victory is like asking a German if he’s embarrassed by Brexit.
Since, you know, both countries are in the EU.
Swing states are in grey, though this will change again for 2020.
Just because McDonald’s is American doesn’t mean all American is McDonald’s. The best word to describe American food is “regional.”
In fact, the food is varied enough so that pretty much every one of our 50 states has a recipe they can claim is uniquely theirs, and lists like this: The 50 Best American Foods From All 50 States are easy to find.
Everything from Gumbo to Grits, Cheesesteaks to Cheese curds, Barbeque to Reindeer sausage.
And, of course, what kind of Bostonian would I be if I didn’t recommend:
New England Clam Chowder
That isn’t just home-town pride either. I never realized how good it actually was until I started traveling. I’ve never found a clam chowder that did it quite as well as the folks back home (though the fish chowder I had in Ireland comes close).
But now I’ve made myself hungry AND sad because it’s impossible to get good Gumbo in New England, so it’s time to call it quits here.
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