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

No, I'm sorry, Empty. I shouldn't have called you shallow and pitiful - that was small of me.

It certainly seems as though you have a big chip on your shoulder. Whether it's prejudice/xenophobia, or just waking up on the wrong side of the bed, I don't know.

Or maybe you're just trying to be funny, but I didn't find it humorous.

To put things in perspective for you:

New Zealand is approximately the same size as Colorado.
Texas is 267,277 square miles, and has 21.8 million residents.
Los Angeles, California, and Dallas, Texas are 1251 miles apart.
Distance between Adelaide, Australia and Dunedin, New Zealand, as the crow flies: 1825 miles (2936 km)

So you can see that for a Texan, California is almost another country. The average American thinks of Californians as a strange group of people. It takes a certain kind of person to live in California. What with the earthquakes, forest fires, drought, electrical outages, and the imminent prospect of it falling into the ocean, nobody in their right mind would want to live in California. And none of us are surprised that another actor has been elected to be California's mayor. After all, the whole state is full of actors, or wannabe actors.

You have to have your car inspected for "foreign" flora & fauna when crossing the border into california...

cl zoomer nailed the electric car thing on its head.

From what I've heard (mainly from Car Talk/NPR) the hybrid cars recharge their batteries while braking. There's even a little gauge on the console that shows how much you're recharging when you brake.

I like the wave action too. The only consequence I can think of is reduced errosion. I'm sure in some cases that might upset a delicate ecosystem, but is the coastline already has houses, reduced errosion would be a good thing.

dave

"So you can see that for a Texan, California is almost another country"



You don't really believe that do you, Lentilla?
The cultural diversity between people has little or nothing to do with physical distance. No-one's disputing that the United States is physically vast, but you're deluded if you think there's a significant difference between the kind of people you find in the different states, no matter how far apart.

Australia is huge, it's something like 4100km between Sydney and Perth, but Sydney people don't delude themselves that they're going to meet aliens when they get there. Physical distance is irrelevant.

Yet, go to Europe, Asia or Africa and you'll see that it really is possible to meet people of an entirely different mind, by travelling a tiny fraction of the distance between Texas and California.

I know you believe what you say but, being so insular, Americans really have little basis for comparing themselves to the rest of the world. You think that people in a neighbouring state are aliens from another world, purely because they drink tap water and only receive five TV channels.

The vast majority of Americans don't have a passport and really seem to believe that because the USA is so physically large, travelling inside it is the only travelling a person needs to do. Well, you might as well visit your next door neighbour for all the diversity you're going to see.

For you to say that Californians are different people, seems ludicrous to anyone in any other country.

Believe me, Americans anywhere are entirely capable of electing an over-paid tree stump like Arnold Schwarzenneger as Governor.

Oh, and he's Governor, not Mayor.

Get real!

I'm a dozen kilometers from the US border, and when I cross it it is like no other crossing I have ever made. I've been to England, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain, Mexico, Brasil, and Peru. Nothing, *nothing* is like entering the US. And positively, absolutely *nothing* is like southern California. If I was to say that aliens roam the earth today, I would say they could without hiding in LA.

Michigan, Louisiana, Georgia, Idaho, Tennesee, Oregon, Texas, Arizona, Washington State, Nevada, *nothing* is like SoCal that I have experienced. OK, maybe Vegas, but they are both the same adult Disneyland with guns in the shadows or else the biggest lie put to avaricious Capitalism ever.

It's a great ride temporarily, but unfortunately it seems to be a blueprint for the good ol' US way of life. Welcome to coke for breakfast, fast food, and nothing more meaningful in your life than the newest sitcom.

Sky, I never thought I'd agree with Capt. Obvious but ease off on the venom. The fact that Lentilla hasn't started an armed revolt in the U.S. means she is a modernate progressive as opposed to a nut, it does not make her a traitor to the human race.
Having travelled across the US I can say categorically that there are regional cultural differences that extend to politics and social mores. Howard Dean (presidential candidate and Governor of Vermont) could never have been elected in Texas, just as Schwarzenneggar could never have been elected in say, New York or Maine. Yes there are things across the nation have in common but they do not all think the same. The biggest split is urban/rural and rural districts are overrepresented in the House of Representatives. The Senate ignores population altogether with each state getting two senators, meaning tiny Rhode Island has the same amount of political clout there as states with ten times the population like Texas California and Florida.

"you're deluded if you think there's a significant difference between the kind of people you find in the different states, no matter how far apart."

The states take great pride in being different.
There are many states I would never live because of the prevailing attitudes are adverse to my thinking. I could visit but not live in many areas.

I would not live in southeastern US because of what I percieve as racism and the good ole boys.(Texas also)
I would not live in the dry states even though I do not drink.
I would not live in the Bible-states even though I have read the bible more than once.
I would not live in California.

I am at home where I am and probably be ok with the prevailing attitude in about 15-20 states. We have vastly different state laws, environment and the philosophy of what is "right-minded".

Some are known for friendliness and some for clanishness and privacy. Some are overwhelming more young and fit. Some have a lot of survivalist types. All states make fun of the one next to them. The taxes and cost of living vary widely. What you do for fun,work,humor, education to name a few topics vary greatly with the area.

My God! What incredible stereotyping!

Lifestyle choices.

oh I get it sky、when we say that all americans are not exactly the same it's stereotyping, but when you say they are all dog filth, that's okay is it?

Differences from state to state are far less than they used to be, thanks to modern television, and the fact that 1 in 7 Americans move annually (many to completely different states and regions of the country). Still, there are very real differences. There are often wide disparities even within states.

Hey, we've got a province that wants to be a separate country, but not everyone in it agrees. The title of this thread is not about every single resident of the USA, it is about perceived generalisations that are evident to the majority of the rest of the world. And only those generalisations that have a direct affect on all of us. Canadians are overly polite, the French are arrogant, Brits are sexually uptight, the Japanese live by a rigid social code, all these statements are true and false- just like the title.

Even in relatively small European countries like Britain or Italy there are still strong regional differences and sterotypes obvious to natives if not outsiders so its hardly surprising that continent-spanning countries like Canada and U.S.A. have them.

"oh I get it sky; when we say that all americans are not exactly the same it's stereotyping, but when you say they are all dog filth, that's okay is it?"

Actually I was replying to abbi normal, who was indeed generalising about the people in different states. I was pointing out the irony of it.

But, yes, everything I've said about Americans is quite accurate. The fact that Americans are deluded about themselves is no surprise. They're so insular that they lack the perspective to see themselves accurately.

Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota, GW Bush was elected Governor of Texas, GW Bush was allowed to to cheat his way into the presidency. Americans EVERYWHERE are entirely capable of electing the likes of Arnold Schwarzenneger.

Divorcing onesself from Californians as a means of excusing their behaviour, simply won't work.

Only a minority of Americans voted for George Bush. In fact it was a minority of the minority that actually bothered to vote. Almost every democratic country has elected some people it should be ashamed of at some time or another.

Blackberry, you might notice I didn't actually say they elected Bush. But they did allow him to steal his way into power. For this, Lentilla is more culpable than anyone else.

I'd say the Supreme Court was most culpable. Mind you I'd have to admit that since WW2 its hard to think of anyone they should actually be proud of electing, but the same applies to the UK so I can't be too critical.

"I'd say the Supreme Court was most culpable."

I see, so:

The supreme court rules the nation.

The people are impotent.

'Government of the people, by the people and for the people' is a myth.

Hmmm, an interesting perspective.

The Supreme Court rejected the legal challanges to Bushes election. Their job is to uphold the constitution so I'd say they failed. I didn't say the Supreme Court rules the nation nor did I say they were the only culpable party, just the most.

Empty, how many armed government overthrows have you led? Are you volunterring to lead one in the US? If so, come on over so I can have you arrested. If not, then lay off.

dave