h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You appear to be very well read and informed by both the mass media and our literature. My point is that the view given by those sources is inherently incomplete. This is why I said maybe you are. I do not believe that you represent the average European in this respect.

After Having read and watched all those books and films do you personally believe that we are culturally less diverse than you? The only reason I belabor this point is that this seems to be a chief criticism of American culture.

Actually, I belive the accusation to be slightly different- that *because* the US is diverse internally, Americans fall into the trap of believing that because there's so much to see inside your borders, you don't see any need to look outside. Note, that's not *my* opinion, just one I believe people may form.

Ok, put that way I think that there may be some truth to it but that is not the way it has been put to me in the past.

Although we have done a lot abroad, I maintain that the United States is at its heart an isolationist nation. We've been dragged into the rest of the world kicking and screaming for Wold Wars I & II, and now we're entagled in it. My guess is that is where our insular nature comes from.

I would caution against using the popular American media as a way to gauge what America is like. Most of that comes out of Los Angeles or New York. Some more serious shows try to portray local things seriously, but most shows portray people from areas outside LA as the same as them or as charactures of what they think locals would be like.

I don't know about real literature. I tend to read science fiction or fantasy. Realistic literature bores me. If I wanted to know about real people and there problems, I can go to work and meet them.

Actually, taking in mind what two-bit has been saying about the diversity of the United States, I've noticed that a lot of Americans have been lumping "Europeans" together (something that also happens over here, believe it or not) even though there are barely two European nations where the people are similar.

Actually, I have been worried about that but my fear is that if I say you Brits or similar then I will get flamed with I AM From Norway!
I tend to say European as away of saying Non-Americans with out setting myself up for a reversal of my point.

Digital Redneck, your name and postings suggested an American Are you "from" Norway or were you just born there? You seem to identify youself as an American.

Actually, when I refer to Europeans, I generally mean people who are on the Guide. I haven't really had any other European contacts.

So not only do I lump people together; I don't do it very accurately.

The view from one of America's truly great cultural exports, which seems more true every day;

No one likes us-I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens

We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them

Randy Newman-Political Science

Oh, and Kerr Avon has it spot on, by the way.
I haved no problem with being called European-I'd rather be one of thirteen stars than one of fifty-one.

I think DR meant that he's worried that if he says 'Brits', someone else on the thread will pipe up and say they're from somewhere in mainland Europe.

I think he's saying he'll get flamed by people saying, "I'm not a European, I'm from Norway &^*%(!" He told me he's from Ohio.

Does that strike you Europeans as odd when we refer to oursleves by our state rather than as Americans? Do you have any deeling for what an Ohioan is and how they're different from Oregonians or Georgians?

Eh... Norway isn't one of the 13 stars, by the way...

Maybe it's time we try to focus on Canada again? We've been focusing a lot on the US here (and I've contributed to it myself) but could we return to the original question?

I myself know too little of Canada to have any opinion, prejudiced or not, misinformed or not, whatever - I wonder why we never hear anything about Canada - is the news reporting there different from the US one?

I guess they're different in the same way someone from Derbyshire is different from someone from London.

Two-bit,

I think over here, we have the idea that some American states have their own character: eg. Texans wear stetson hats and like country and western, Californians are overbearingly politically-correct and raise their voices at the end of every sentence. I have no idea how true these generalisations are. Certainly our idea of Americans on the whole is pretty general. "Americans" are often portrayed as stetson-wearing cowboys, even though that is only relevant for some states. Much in the same way "The British" are often portrayed as Bowler-hatted businessmen/civil servants, even though this characerture, when it existed (the bowler is, sadly, now rare) was pretty-much restricted to the South-East of England.

Sorry, Digital Redneck, didn't read your posting properly

Yes I am an American. I am actually a Hoosier but i have been living in Buckeye land for about six years. Was a Lone star resident for ten horrible months.

got al that?

I'm going to start out by confessing that I haven't read much of the backlog ...

But I had a really startling revelation not long ago.

I took a sudden road trip to Canada at the end of May - very spur of the moment type deal... Had never been to Canada before, and as an American, I have to admit I just always kinda regarded Canada as the other United States.

When I drove into Quebec... I got the culture shock of a lifetime. Well, ok, I admit that I've never really been culture-shocked before, so that's not saying much but... By the time I got into Montreal - all the road signs were in French. Suddenly, I had to figure out which words meant North, South, East, West (luckily, not too terribly difficult). I stopped for directions and got a very friendly non-English speaking person to point me in the right direction (literally - I had not a clue what he was saying aside from the name of the bridge I needed to cross). The whole metric system REALLY threw me for a loop - I had a moment of giddiness where I thought gas was 61cents a gallon (hee hee, make that liters).

I tried to put a 2 dollar coin (toony - I just love the Canadian names for some of their money) into a payphone as a quarter. I could not, for the life of me, find an English speaking radio station that wasn't country (and I don't much like country).

It really opened my eyes. I found myself sitting in my car (cursing Montreal's drivers, the loons ) and saying... OMG - I'm in another country!

It just really never occurred to me before. I have to say, I was a little embarassed. How does that happen?

Silly Europeans! Your flag has TWELVE stars!

Two Bit you mentioned LA and New York. I watched an American show last night on the American film and television industry in Toronto (however it's spelt) and how it's the 3rd largest behind LA and New York.

I remember having to read 'Catcher in the Rye' for seventh form English and for one actually liking a book I *had* to read in school.

Apparition - not even close to europe

I some times think I am the only person to ever read Catcher In The Rye as a teen and not be moved by it. That book never did anything for me. It makes me feel a bit left out and wondering whats wrong with me. Vitamin defecency I guess.