BS: What is America really like??

Subject: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,divilthebit
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:29 AM

Just thinkin that we in Ireland often ridicule the 'yanks' and their Quiet Man version of all things Irish. However on futher reflection I realised my ideas of America are equally as dodgy. I've never been nad have programmes like Dallas or the McDonald's Burger crowd to base judgements on. Can anyone answer this nearly impossible question??

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: jeffp
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:41 AM

I've lived here all of my nearly 51 years and I can't give you a full answer to that question. Basically, anything you've heard that the US is like, it is. And it isn't.

That pretty much sums it up in my experience.

jeffp

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:42 AM

Of course. America is multifarious.

America is huge, populous, and multi-ethnic. There is great diversity as to terrain, climate, and wealth in various parts of the country. People may be wearing sneakers, gym shoes, running shoes or tennies, all of which are the same shoes. Come over and see for yourself.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:42 AM

well -= first - I'm assuming you mean the US -

What portion? NorthEast - Midwest? East Coast? West Coast? North coast/ Great Lakes? Gulf coast? Plains states? Rocky Mountain states? Pacifc Northwest? etc etc etc

and then within those urban, suburban, rural or "The middle of nowhere"? Because even if you specify a specific state the urban/suburban rural and REALLY rural splits probably still apply - though they vary from state to state.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Wesley S
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:43 AM

It's a huge country with an enormous amount of people. Any attempt to describe it will be like a blind man describing the elephant. You'll only know what you come in contact with. Louisana is not like New York - and rural North Dakota is nothing like Santa Fe.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: John Hardly
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:45 AM

No, we're not like Dallas. We're like The Simpsons.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Ebbie
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:45 AM

You're right. It is impossible.

The New York City denizen and the family in the Florida panhandle and the shrimper in the Lousiana bayou and the Kansas farmer and the Montana rancher and the New Mexico artisan and the California redwood treehugger and the Oregon bull rider and the Alaska dog musher have scarcely even a language in common.

Painting with a B R O A D brush...

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Amos
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:45 AM

But on the whole it is a cross between "Dallas" and "Baywatch" plus eBay.

A

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:46 AM

The US is like Canada, but with weaker beer and guns.

I hope that helps


Brian

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Tinker
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:51 AM

Amos, perhaps that is a crosscut of American Dreams ??? Money/Power, Sex, and unlimited consumer goods.....

But seriously even unlimited exposure to the same music, movies and television hasn't created a homogeneous America (except maybe at Suburban shopping centers) It's still too big with too many diverse influences.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:56 AM

heck - the town I grew up in had a population of about 2000 and there were at least three or four distinct sub-cultures THERE

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,Bill the Collie
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 12:09 PM

Difficult to describe in a few words because of the diversity already mentioned.
I have been several times to USofA and have visited a large number of places there but perhaps the nearest I can come to something of a generalisation is that the majority of people are polite as a default.

BtC

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Ebbie
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 12:31 PM

You wanna make something of that? *G*

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: jimmyt
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 12:32 PM

I have lived In Ohio (Midwest ) Kentucky and WestVirginia(Appalachia) Maryland (Urban Washington DC) California (Need I say more?) Wisconsin (Upper Midwest, ya betcha) and Georgia (deep south) I find that people are nice everywhere here, (but then again, I suspect I would say that wherever I was).

There is a great deal of diversity here, but folks are folks. Here in the south where the stereotype is beer drinkin' Baptist, prejudiced, Nascar loving, not too bright, I will say that there are some of those folks here. But then again, I have found as many rednecks in California, as many prejudiced folks in Wisconsin, wonderfully helpful people in New York City, and I guess the answer is there are no real common grounds except to say that sometimes Americans tend to not really understand the diversity that the rest of the world does and it makes us seem ethnocentric. I have been pondering this as I wrote it, and I guess the point is that because we are so darn big, it is a very difficult question to answer.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 12:49 PM

One problem for those of us who stay home is that the only folks from the other side of the ocean that we ever see are those who cross the pond to visit our countries. Those who can afford world travel are not generally typical of their countrymen ~ and neither are those so determined to travel that they do so when they really can't afford it.

The stereotypical "Ugly American" tourist is not the only kind of person you'll encounter if you come here. (I would hope that, even when observed abroad, not all American travelers conform to that awful model.)

As others have already noted, the US population extremely diverse, and the society as a whole is quite democratic and open to upward mobility. Anyone can become anything, or at least can daydream about bettering themselves. There is probably less class consciousness and greater informality in daily life here than on the other side of the Atlantic.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 12:54 PM

When you ask what America is like, I figure that you're not asking about geography. For all the diversity rightfully commented on in the previous answers, I find a lot of common qualities in most Americans, as people. I think most Americans, like people in other countries, don't want the government in their face, but expect certain safeguards in the culture to fall back on. Most Americans don't hyperventilate about politics (Mudcat is very unrepresentative of most Americans.) In an average week, I'm not likely to talk about politics more than twenty or thirty minutes, and 90% of the time, I'm the one who starts the conversation. Americans don't talk nearly as much about religion as it might seem (although there probably should be a lot more conversation about how religion is being used in a grab for power and wealth.)

If you sat down and had a beer with most Americans, you'd probably find a lot more similarities with people where you live than differences. Most folks want a decent job that pays well, a boss who isn't a pain in the ass, enough security so that they can sleep nights, and a decent place to live. Amenities would include a full refrigerator, gas in the car, a back yard to barbeque hamburgers over a grill in the summer, and a fool-proof cure for crabgrass.

Now, as has been pointed out, you can find Americans that don't fit a single one of these descriptions, and they too are a part of what America is.

The one thing you can probably count on, is being surprised at how often people don't fit their stereotypes. For example, I know a lot of black folks who LOVE Kenny Rodgers and Barry Manilow (and the Grand Ole' Opry.) I've known a lot of Italian Americans who love country music and cowboy movies.

People usually aren't as advertised. The media is made to exagerate differences, not similarities.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 12:57 PM

on the other hand - having grown up in an area that derives most of it's income from the tourist business - I can see where the "Ugly American" stereotype comes from.    And that's a MAJOR reason that when my family traveled my parents were VERY strict about the way we kids behaved.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 01:04 PM

Try to imagine traveling around a place like Europe... really, all over Europe. Think about how much diversity there is there in culture, appearance, topography, nature (plant life, etc), attitudes, and language, and how much area you would have to cover to see all of it. You woud have a very similar experience traveling around the US except that there would be fewer language differences (although there would still be differences, both in languages as well as in dialects), and also, while the amount of diversity would be similar, the actual attributes, themselves, would be different.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Amos
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 01:32 PM

I have seen "Ugly Americans" in all sorts of venues from England to Morocco to Sardinia and Rhodes, and in general they strike me as being out of place, unsure, disoriented, and as a result compensating by being loud and assertive. But the funny thing is, in their home turfs they melt into the background and while they might be just as dumb, they tend to be more comfortable; while still olud, often in a less nervous fashion, because they are among the familiar left-overs of a civilization.

This of course does not include politicians, especially those of neocon persuasion, who seem to be always on the make and always fabricating spin no matter whether at home or abroad.

A

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,WYS
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 01:49 PM

You could ask foreign exchange students who have lived here. I think you might get a good snapshot of normal daily life and culture here, from their experience.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: DougR
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 02:04 PM

Amos: couldn't resist bringing politics into it could you? Particularly your brand of one-sided politics.

Whatever America (U. S.) is, there are an awful lot of folks that are busting their butts to move here, legally or illegally.

I've been to Ireland a couple of times and loved it. The country is beautiful and the people are friendly. I think you would find a visit to the U. S. very similar. I don't think you will find a green, though, that is as green as Ireland is.

DougR

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 02:16 PM

What about those people on the jerry Springer Show, where do you have to go to meet them?

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 02:32 PM

In a word, America is diverse. We have been in nearly every county in Ireland, both north and south, and there are differences in geography, climate, language and people, but those differences are tiny compared to the U.S. The area of Ireland is comparable to one of the fifty states and we have incredible differences from place to place. In Los Angeles alone you can drive through neighborhoods where all the signs are in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and other languages.

The beer is way better in Ireland and so are the craic and the music.

An American thinks that one hundred years is a long time while an Irishman thinks that one hundred miles is a long way.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,Mrr
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 02:32 PM

Too big to answer. If you don't like it, move a little...

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 02:49 PM

What about those people on the jerry Springer Show, where do you have to go to meet them?

You can meet them at the studio where they make the Jerry Springer Show.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 02:56 PM

An American thinks that one hundred years is a long time - well some people in the US do - I am constantly amazed here in Upstate NY how many places are celebrating their first centennials - having grown up in a town settled in 1629.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: gnomad
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 04:04 PM

Come on, guys, don't spoil my illusion of choice,

It really IS just like Garrison Keillor describes it?





Guys...?

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 04:38 PM

The U.S. is a country where most of us think 50% of the people are pretty good folks while the other 50% are idiots. Problem is that when we actually take the time to meet and get to know someone, there's a 95% chance they'll turn out to be one of the pretty good folks. So, where'd all the idiots go?

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: John Hardly
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 04:42 PM

Garrison Keillor
The Waltons
Little House On The Prairie
The Woodwright's Shop
The Foxfire Series
Eric Sloane's "A Reverence For Wood"
Mother Earth News


...and The Simpsons.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: jimmyt
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 04:50 PM

welittledrummer asks where those Jerry Springer types? Well, at about 10:30 to 11 PM around Piccadilly Circus, I have encountered them more thane once, and normally they have football colours on!

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Deckman
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 05:03 PM

I think you've asked a very good question here. And it's a thoughtful one that requires a thoughtful answer. I agree with everything that's been posted to this thread to this point.

My neighborhood is also full of a very diverse crowd of ... well ... neighbors. Let's see: Our most closest neighbors are: rentors who are a married couple, he is a mexican immigrant/citizen and she is native to this town; across the street is a single man of about 40 who works in construction (just like me); then next is a married couple ... she works and supports him while he suffers from bi-polar; next to them are struggling renters who appear to be totally dissfunctional, after them come a young family of two little girls, she's being a busy mother and he's serving in the Coast Guard ... on and on.

One of the thoughts your good question raised in my mind is this: I strongly suspect that how we "Americans" are perceived in greater Europe surely must be influenced by President george bushe's (I refuse to capitalize his name) personal war in Iraq.

It's very important to EVERY neighbor I talk with daily, that you people "over there" realize that to a person, at least in my neighborhood, we do NOT support this war and the damage it has caused.

So, what are we like? We're largely just like you. We go to church, we don't go to church. We have jobs and we sometimes struggle finding jobs. We have dreams, some are fullfilled, some are not, just like you.

If you were at my home tonight, You'd meet my "Bride Judy" and my son Chris, we'd share our dinner with you (I think tonight it's meatloaf) and you'd also meet our two cats ... probably just like where you live.

I do hope that this gives you a little glimpse into my neighborhood! CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: heric
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 05:36 PM

My Neighborhood: To my left are two young Naval officers. She just called the cops yeterday to send him packing (he won't be back.) She has a young son who visits in summer. Across from them: A retired Naval officer and his wife. Directly across: A Naval officer and his wife. Next to them, a 48 year old trust fund baby who smokes pot all day long. On my left, two young Naval officers, one of whom has spent 18 months in Iraq.

Our unanimous position on Iraq: No talking. It's don't ask don't tell.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,Peter Woodruff
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 05:52 PM

Dear divilthebit,
   I have lived in America for 57 years. I grew up with pro-American propaganda all my life. But it is getting really wierd here with the media being totally controlled by the right wing neo-con nazi fasciest propaganda machine. Thank goodness for Air America Radio! If you would like to listen to it, just go on airamericaradio.com . Sorry I can't do the blue clicky thing yet. Talk about Radio Free Europe! How about Radio Free America!

Peter

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Amos
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 05:55 PM

How about Radio Free America!


I believe this merits the same response Gandhi gave (I think it was) when he was asked, "What is your opinion of Western civilization?"

He said, "I think it is a very good idea!"

A

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 07:26 PM

Surely that should be "would be".

But it overlooks many evils of non-western civilisations, and of course Gandhi's training as a lawyer.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 08:07 PM

America is really like absolutely everything you can imagine. Just depends which part you go to, and at which time. It has its ugly side and its beautiful side.

In a general sense, people tend to see about what they want to see most of the time.

It is a country with a bit of a fixation on war and firearms, but that doesn't reflect on all its citizens by any means.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 08:32 PM

Right now, with 350 local folks in Iraq, this community does fixate on the shooting there. We want them back, in one piece. But that doesn't mean that everyone here agrees that the US should be there, either (and this is a VERY "red" state).

With 1,200,000 people on 59,000,000+ acres, Idaho is pretty thinly populated: this city of 50,000 is classed as "rural" for some things, but two Celtic groups flourish here. 86.4% of the people in Idaho do active outdoorsy stuff, from active birding to free climbing to hunting black bear with a bow. However, PETA did a demonstration here just last week.

The US is a country of contrasts, a country with lots of flavor. You can find just about anything you want here and the people are, mostly, pretty friendly and helpful. I've been in every state EXCEPT Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Hawaii and that's pretty much been the same everywhere. (So Canadians won't feel left out, I've also been in British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon, the NW Territories, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.)

Don't judge the US by television. As my niece said about the TV show "90210", "Well, maybe they live like that in LA, but certainly not here!"

That statement covers the US. (Oh, yeah: English, Greek, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Shoshone are not uncommon languages here.)

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 08:34 PM

To judge the USA by television would be to consign it to the infernal regions, beyond any hope or redemption.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: jaze
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 09:06 PM

Weelittledrummer, Why would you want to??:>) I'm reminded of when Phil Donahue had a show with his counterpart in the USSR. The audiences talked with each other and I was amazed that despite all the propaganda of both our governments, people were the same. Just ordinary folks. With innate curiosity about each other. Now if the govt's would butt out, I think "people" really would all get along pretty well.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 09:09 PM

THAT is the TRUTH!!! It ought to happen worldwide that way. Get the governments and special interest groups out of the loop, and things would improve tremendously.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: frogprince
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 10:38 PM

So many good answers, I don't have the heart to contribute any half-baked "serious content" right now; but I can't resist my own answer to weelittles question on "Jerry's people". Ask if there is any part of town you really should avoid; go there; look for a really decrepit looking bar; stick your nose inside, and take a deep breath. If the smell isn't too bad, try a different bar instead...

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Boab
Date: 12 Apr 05 - 11:26 PM

Perhaps, jeffp, you are IRISH American???:-)

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: mg
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 12:40 AM

I like the neighbors question..on one side of are a young Coast Guard man and his lady friend who works at the grocery store.and their dalmation. Across are some students who seem to play football in the street a lot. On the other side of the street are some vacation rentals..one just burned down. Next door is a beautiful young woman who works in the local fish packing place. Then there are a couple of young Mexican American men who work at McDonalds..the landlords are from Eastern Washington, photogenic and hard-working, fixing up these old cottages. Down the street are the Golden Arches of America, which is beloved by the elderly of the town and also the clam diggers. mg

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: mg
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 12:41 AM

I should say we are all squatters on Chinook Indian lands. mg

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: jacqui.c
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 08:47 AM

I've only been living in America since last October so can only speak for the little corner of Maine that I live in.

One of Kendall's friends asked me what was the main difference I had noticed between the USA and the UK. I had to stop and think, because, when it comes right down to it, most of the differences are of a very superficial nature.

I go to a gym on a regular basis and the sound system is set fairly high, meaning that it it difficult to hear other people talking. Looking around at the other women working out, from a visual point of view I could easily be back in the UK. When I get to talking to people here the concerns and interests are very much the same as in the UK.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 11:38 AM

Enough about the differences. What things are ubiquitous?

1. You drive on the right side of the road and walk on the right side of the sidewalk or hallway.

2. Ask for a rest room, not the toilet.

3. There are many, many places to get a free drink of water.

4. Except for in the wilderness, there is a copy machine every few blocks.

5. It is easier to buy an illegal substance than to hear pretty music.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,jeffp
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 11:48 AM

Boab asked:

Perhaps, jeffp, you are IRISH American???:-)

Right you are. Also Scottish-American, German-American, and a host of other hyphenations. I do, however, identify most with my Irish forbears.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: John Hardly
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 12:21 PM

"Enough about the differences. What things are ubiquitous?"

ubiquitous

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 12:34 PM

What things are ubiquitous?

1a. You drive on the right side of the road and
b)walk on the right side of the sidewalk or hallway.

1a in theory would be correct - but have you ever noticed on the freeways and toll roads it is frequently the left lane that is the busiest. and as far as the "b" portion - I think it depends on where you are.


2. Ask for a rest room, not the toilet.

this really varies from place to place in the US.

3. There are many, many places to get a free drink of water.

less and less available all the time.

4. Except for in the wilderness, there is a copy machine every few blocks.

Excuse me? I don't think I've ever lived in a place like that. Of course, some people would claim I've never lived anywhere EXCEPT the wilderness.

5. It is easier to buy an illegal substance than to hear pretty music.

I'd quibble on that - but not much.

Subject: RE: BS: What is America really like??
From: Once Famous
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 12:38 PM

And of course, here in America women thankfully shave their legs and pits.