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

Well, since I live in the States.......I rarely if ever say America......I am surprised at the way people from other countries are surprised when they meet us. Last year my youngest daughter and I went by train from the Mississippi coast (where I live) to Michigan, near Detroit (where my oldest daughter lives). In the dining car we shared a table with a young couple from England. I believe they were Geordies. Anyway, they told us that they had discovered that what they had been told about us and things their guidebook said, were so wrong. They were surprised that we were so open and willing to talk about anything. Of course, as I live in the south this is typical for us. They were charming and enjoying their trip around the US.

I do know that there are the 'ugly americans' out there. I have met them here.

Yay, someone changed the subject...

I think the southern Americans have a different culture from the fast-talking, fast-moving northern Americans. The attitudes are definitely different - Yankees are brash, abrupt, and to the point, while Southerners can take all day to say 'howdy.' Yankees eat quick meals on the go, while Southerners sit down to eat big, hearty meals. There's a lot more invasion of privacy with Yankees, I expect because they live in close quarters up there. People down South like their personal space.

It hasn't been all that long since America was colonized, and it makes a lot of sense when you look at the attitudes across the U.S. and think about the history of colonization. All the loners and adventuresome types went west - all the crazy gold miners went to California.

The abiding stereotype of the southerner is the less than halwitted, aggressive rascist.

For which Hollywood must take much of the blame
It seems to be a stereotype found in the US as well as outside it

True...........but so wrong. I have seen more racism in the north and yankees who move south. Of course, racism is still alive and well in the south......as it is in the world.

One thing though. Southern people, women mostly, will ask a total stranger about their family, job, where they got the great haircut...........etc. It is not nosiness, not sure what I would say it is..And, they will tell strangers the most outrageous things.

I go to Michigan ofter. When I am out and about I usually smile and say hello to whoever I am passing. No response usually, although I sometimes get an odd look.

But, imagine how boring it would be if everyone was exactly the way we think they should be.

Ya, here, we say howdy to everyone and wave to everyone when we are on cars... unless they cut us off, then we flip them off, well some of us anyway...
cheers
dead abused to the limit and PROUD! ford

a bit like the south/everywhere else divide in the UK except here its the southerners especially Londoners who live rushed cramped lives and are less friendly and curious about other people

Hello Ford,

I will admit to a flip or two in my life.

cheers
dead abused to the limit and PROUD ford

Let's put our small country hang-ups aside here.

I love America and the Americans. Read the Inscription at the base of the statue of Liberty "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

What we old-world nations hate is that they don't need us much, and owe us even less. This a nation founded by people who couldn't wait to escape from oppressive feudal regimes in Europe. They were smarter and more ambitious than the ones who stayed and it's no coincidence that the huge growth of America's economic power parallels the growth of it's population. They can be patriotic to their country but see it almost as a duty to limit the power of their government over them. Considering what they left behind who could blame them?

And that whole "pursuit of happiness" thing is just genius.

We seem to hate them for entirely stupid reasons 'they're selfish and insular'. Like Britain or France aren't? And let's not go on about Germany before the war. In Britain we even hate them calling football 'soccer' and that's really something because we coined that word, it's a shortened form of 'association football'

Their sport is so crap but thanks for the movies and the rock and roll.

You're Welcome. I find it surprising that Britain coined the word "Soccer", as it seems entirely like us to change the name of a centures-old sport just for the sake of it.

~*~This a nation founded by people who couldn't wait to escape from oppressive feudal regimes in Europe.~*~

Actually-much as I hate to admit it-that isn't very accurate. The only Founding Father who "coudn't wait" was John Adams. Almost all the rest would have been in favour of reconciling with England, but felt that war was inevitable. Even the vote to leave England was left to a single person, and it never would have got that far if it hadn't been for John Adams.

Point taken.
Perhaps 'founded' was the wrong word but this is what I meant. The revolution needed the fuel of wide spread discontent. Just because a few well-off gents get miffed with the king doesn't mean much unless it resonates with the common folk, those smarter and more ambitious people i mentioned before.

You shouldn't underplay the role of properganda used to stir up and generate the discontent... As you seem to know already it was the rich slave owner types such as Washington that wanted independance simply because they didn't like paying taxes like the rich of today... As rich people they had stautus and influence within their communities, the power to change minds and reward their supporters... The wider population would have been happy with dominion status or even the status quo.

The real reason that John Adams et al were miffed is that they wanted to expand westwards in to territory held by the native population, territory that was guaranteed to the Indians by treaty. They were turned down by the British Government who insisted on observing treaty obligations. So the only way to achieve the expansion they wanted was Independence. The rest, as they say, is history.

There had been two previous attempts to impose taxes on the colonists and it had been resolved with the help of the diplomatic skills of a gentleman by the name of Benjamin Franklin. Why couldn’t the same thing have been done again? Why did it require a war to achieve something that had already been achieved twice before by peaceful means?

Donald

A valid point... I admit to willfully over simplifying things in my last post...
It's the properganda used to stir up tension and unrest by those with bias that gets me, I don't like manipulation.

> You shouldn't underplay the role of properganda used to stir up and generate the discontent.

Propaganda gets a lot of things done - some good, some bad. In this case it took propaganda to make people dissatisfied with the status quo, and want a change. Personally, I'm glad they did.

Apathetic voter turnout and the status quo is got us in this mess in the first place.

As Will Rogers used to say "Stupidity got us in this mess. Why can't it get us out?"

You are proud that you nation is founded upon lies and slander?

It was not.