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

Love and knowledge! We know very little about other peoples' and with this 'war on terror', I find I just do not know what to believe! From our (non-American) point of view, it seems Americans know little or nothing about the world outside the U.S.A., and that may be true of many Americans, (though not the ones on h2g2, of course..) In my short story (which is sadly, getting longer, 9 and a half pp so far) about the woman who became a soldier and has now been captured - (it's all a not-very-well hidden analogy about Afghanistan etc)in that story, I have my captured woman talking to the enemy leader (representing OBL) and discovering how little both sides know about the other! Or - the 'casus belli'!

Hmmmm...I'm loud, and fat, and I'm not aware of world issues...
And you say this is bad? Well sheesh! I'm going to have to change my whole lifestyle! Actually, being an American myself, and having tripped over this conversation thread I think I can shed some light on the subject...

1. We're really big. (NO, no no! I don't mean as in obese! I mean in geographical size!) We cover a huge amount of land mass! And have you tried keeping up with what's going on in 50 states? (or is it 51 now??? I forget) Heck, most of the time I'm lucky if I can list all of them, much less keep track of them!

2. Due to #1 above, we drive alot. It's a necessity. Only the very large or the very small cities have areas that are really compact and walkable. So we do tend not to get as much exercise. I know here in Kansas City (which is a fairly good-sized city) we have very poor mass transit options. You basically must have a car.

3. Also due to #1 above, we have several different types of climates to grow food in. This pretty much gives us a lot of food year-round that we grow ourselves. Face it - we probably have a larger variety than most other land masses.

4. We're just babies (compared to other countries). We don't really have anything old (except for the Indian ruins) of our own. So we have to come and see your old stuff. And your old stuff is our history too.

5. We only have 2 neighbors (Canada and Mexico), ok, three if you count Cuba. We have to yell really loudly for them to hear us.

6. We all come from somewhere else, or at least our grandparents or great-grandparents did. So yes, we may be unaware of world issues, but we are very aware of our roots. (My grandparents on my moms side were French coal-miners who came here to mine coal. I don't think they were fat, nor loud. It must have been something in the water!) My dad's side of the family came over from Wales in the late 1500's.
Somewhere along the line I acquired some American Indian. We're mostly all mongrels.

7. Most of us go to public schools. (Need I say more really?)

8. I don't know about anyone else, but I work. I come home, raise my daughter, clean house, watch a little tv, do laundry, go to bed, then repeat the whole process again the next day. (Oh yeah, and obviously I eat!) Did I mention that I work? And then there's vacuuming, and the cat litter box. Oh, and we can't forget about yard work, and taking out the trash. Shopping. I probably have to eat again sometime soon. What more laundry? Who's wearing all of these clothes? So you can see - that doesn't leave a lot of time for discussion of world issues, National issues, State issues, County issues, City issues, neighborhood issues, etc.

Of course, I can only speak for myself...(and I'm hungry now, so I have to go eat again) What? You didn't hear that? Here, let me say it LOUDER!

Good on yer (non-American lingo) Michele!
You sure told `em

I hope it doesn't offend anyone (non-American or American). I was trying to be humorous. I am sure we Americans do "come accross" like bulls in a china cabinet sometimes. But doesn't every country's citizens have their own little annoying idiosyncrasies? (And we should know by now not to judge a nation's people by it's government! Even if we are a democracy, money talks!)

However, thank you for the feedback!



L
Michele

You mentioned American's multi-national ancestry. This reminds me of something I've often wanted to know the answer to:

Why do no American's claim English ancestry? Is it something to do with the Revolution?

Heavens no! Most people I know that are of English descent claim English ancestry, the others that don't aren't really interested in where their ancestors came from. (I find it rather odd, but some people don't even know their grandparents last name...strange!)

I hadn't ever really thought about it. When I used to care about it, I used to say that I was mostly German with a bit of everything from the British Isles, (some french) and possibly Cherokee. Although now the speculation about the ancient family shame is that it was black rather than Cherokee. (By shame, I mean there's a secret several generations back that no one seems to know anything about.)

I would speculate that if someone has a principally English heritage, it probably goes so far back that they really don't know or it's been combined with several other more recent lines.

The people who actually know their heritage, are probably mostly recent immigrants, from this century.

My mother's line is made up of German immigrants from around the turn of the century. Although there's some French and British Isles mix from my maternal grandmother.

My father's side is somewhat convoluted. It's supposed to be mostly German, although my surname (which I almost typed out) is a definitely English. My paternal grandfather's family appeared mysteriously out of Alabama sometime back. That's where the speculation about the Cherokee or black stuff comes from.

It doesn't take long for everything to get kind of confusing.

Hello, Michelle, you make a really good point with your #1, about the geographical size of the USA..I hadn't really thought of that. But even so, there's a lot of world out there...

I suppose NZ has more in common with Nth America than I had realised. We too are 'babies' in an historical sense - even Maori, who are NOT indigenous came here comparatively recently in historical terms. (NZers may correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think it's been established *exactly* when.)Also, we are also descended from people who originated elsewhere, in my case very recently, and in no NZer's case any longer than 162 years in thirteen days!

BTW, Michelle, I do recognise that you're being humourous, it's just that I must be Vulcan, because the concept of humour largely baffles me. (What am I doing here, I ask myself? - answer, trying to learn to mellow out.)

It's because they know they're not worthy!

Very interesting, TBTPM! Nice to see you again, btw... I am just English/Scots but one of my sons is French/Maori/Irish added to the English Scots, the other is just more English, less Scots. My mother's Scots line included (probably) Mediterranean-Spanish, which everyone knows incorporated black ancestry from the 15th century. I think.

Two Bits mention of "secrets and few generations back" is interesting. In the UK colour prejudice is a pretty new thing, being good capitalists what we hate here, traditionally, is the poor. So upon the abolition of slavery africans were just other poor people and they integrated into working class comunities, married into English failies, and faded into the background. So if you are English, and come from the lower classes, you've probibly got a bit of ex-slave in the gene pool.

Michele, full marks for amusement. Tho 'public schools'; do you mean as opposed to private, fee-paying type ones? which in the UK are 'public' schools. Which is bizarre.

minor point: one thing that winds me up rotten is someone claiming that they're '' when they are not, i.e. they were born in a certain country and legally they are of that nationality, yet because they have a grandparent/distant shadowy relative/pet rat from somewhere else, they think that gives them a right to be from there also, and lay claim to every stereotypical trait associated with it. I have no problem with someone pointing out their 'Irish descent' or that they are half-Spanish etc. because they are correct, but if they are like 'I'm Scottish... my mum's from there', they're being a tad daft. Specially if they think it defines them, where in fact everyone is painfully aware they're faking to sound more interesting.
eg. my (maternal) grandfather is Austrian, my mother is not. I am English (I prefer to think of Britain as its constituent countries, unless I'm referring to it collectively- obv.), and I don't care.

-Mandragora (sorry to be ranty but my Horlicks just reached critical mass in the microwave.)

ps I'm 'working class' too, (based on job stratification), tho I only believe in such distinctions as a way of categorising employment. Anyone who uses the class system as a way of making themself feel superior should be made to work for those they despise most.

Dear Mandraga - I agree whole-heartedly with you about people being descendent from a nationality claiming that nationality. I am of French descent, however I definitely am not French! (Not that I would mind being French, but seeing as how I have never been to France it would be rather difficult!) Nor am I Welch. And I wish I were a Scot, because Scotland keeps calling to me... (havn't had the money to travel to Europe yet - but will hopefully here in the next couple of years!) Maybe I was a Scot in a past life! (ha ha!)

Anyway, everyone brings up excellent points. We all (nationalities) have a few skeletons in the closet, things our countries have done that we are or are not proud of, but hopefully the internet is helping us come together as a planet, and not as a bunch of people from different countrie. (Gee - do I sound like an idealist or what?)

Thanks for letting me put my 2 cents worth in everyone! And thanks for your responses!


Michele

Since I live in the South now, I sometimes refer to myself as being half-Texan on my father's side. Americans are so mobile that they're more likely to be able to identify states where they have roots than foriegn nations.

Extended families tend to disappear too. I didn't know my grandmother had died for several months. My Dad mentioned it to me in passing duirng a telephone conversation. It took me nearly two minutes to think of her first name.

The extended family thing is a bit odd. I am sad about yr grandmother, not so much that she died, but that you didn't really know her... All my grandparents died before I was born, and it's a pity, as I know people with great-grands around them!

I think people can lay claim to 'being' a type of 'foreigner', if they knew the ancestor; such as Mandragora's Austrian forebear, or my Scottish ggm, who lived with my mother in an extended family when my mum was a child... therefore the person was influenced by that person's culture. (My mother certainly was.)

My mum was Scots, because of the family she grew up, where her ggms and grandparents all lived in the same house, and despite being right here in NZ, spoke what my brother calls jokingly, 'Garlic'. I am not, because none of this influenced me.

just had alook at one of the family trees,can only claim american ancestery back to around 1700,english,the year 900,scandinaian,500 or 600,would need more research to get back to 0 and beyond

Gee - if we went back far enough I think we would find out that we are all related!

That reminds me of the lovely quote in Terry Pratchett's "The lost continent" (I think it's that one)

Where the Bursar of the Unseen University says he can't possibly be related to apes and gorillas. "I mean, I'd know, wouldn't I? I'd get invited to their weddings and christenings and that sort of thing........"

oh oh... I think I have been invited to a few...