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30% of Americans have passports [1]. And : "Despite the climbing number of American passports in circulation, 30% is still low compared to Canada's 60% and th

by mdda 15y ago

30% of Americans have passports [1]. And : "Despite the climbing number of American passports in circulation, 30% is still low compared to Canada's 60% and the United Kingdom's 75%." [1] : http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-04/travel/americans.travel.domestically_1_western-hemisphere-travel-initiative-passports-tourism-industries http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-04/travel/americans.travel.d...

evgen 15y ago
While I hate to defend American parochialism, it is worth noting that Americans can see a far greater diversity of cultures and geographies without leaving their country than is possible in most other places. A Londoner would cross six or seven national boundaries by covering less distance than it takes me to actually leave this country. There are a great mass of Americans who have no interest in travel and I can only pit them, but there are also a large group who travel quite extensively and never need a passport.
- bh42222 15y ago
  ... it is worth noting that Americans can see a far greater diversity of cultures and geographies without leaving their country than is possible in most other places. This is plainly false. Just two quick examples: No difference within the states is as big as the difference between French and English speaking parts of Canada. And a tiny country like Switzerland encompasses French, German and Italian speaking populations. A Londoner would cross six or seven national boundaries by covering less distance than it takes me to actually leave this country. This contradicts your first sentence. Also a Londoner will meet several nationalities, I don't know what you mean by "boundaries." Also a New Yorker should be right up there with Londoners.
  - bane 15y ago
    You've obviously never gone from NYC to coastal Alabama in a single trip, or Hawaii to Southern Texas, or hell Washington D.C. to rural West Virginia. Sure there are plenty of accents, but some are almost outright dialects. I'd argue that English and French Canada are about as different as any of these pairs.
    - bh42222 15y ago
      I'd argue that English and French Canada are about as different as any of these pairs. Really? You speak English, you can go to any shop in Hawaii, NYC, Alabama or Texas and buy what ever you want. I am sure you can do the same in Toronto. Could you do the same in Montreal if you don't speak French and the clerk doesn't speak English? If you don't speak French, are red-green color blind and have never noticed the hexagonal shape of a certain street sign, do you know what you should do in your car when you see "Arrest" on a street sign? I guess what I'm trying to say is that the difference between Montreal and Toronto is plainly, objectively and obviously greater than that between any two places in the US. Even in the French heavy parts of Maine and Louisiana at least the street signs are still in English.
      - bane 15y ago
        It's funny that you specifically call out Montreal. I've spent quite a bit of time in Quebec over the years and I don't recall having much trouble getting what I wanted from shop keepers. Or put another way, I had about as much trouble as I did in France and about as much as some really Cajun parts of Louisiana -- and I don't speak French. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BRXcpBIteEM#t=24s http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v... I'm from the mid-Atlantic, but have had significant issues in parts of Alabama/Arkansas both with being understood and understanding them, parts of Miami, and even parts of Washington D.C.! In Alabama and Arkansas I also found that I ate very different foods, parts of animals and plants prepared in ways I wouldn't normally eat - lizards, organs and frogs oh my! On the contrary the food in Quebec seemed pretty familiar except for the Poutine. In Hawaii there are more East Asians and Pacific Islanders than Caucasians. There are parts of the Islands where you might not be intelligible unless you speak Tagalog or Japanese, it has an economy built around tourism and they eat more spam than the rest of the U.S. it has royal palaces. It's about as comparable to New York City as Zurich is. In fact I've felt more at home in Florence than I did in Greenville, Alabama. In Texas, my friends thought nothing of pulling off to the side of the road at a BBQ pit and eating beef off of Styrofoam plates in a rickety shack where we brought our own beer. I couldn't imagine doing that anywhere north of D.C. Yes my friend, America really has very different cultures.

by mdda 15y ago

evgen 15y ago

While I hate to defend American parochialism, it is worth noting that Americans can see a far greater diversity of cultures and geographies without leaving their country than is possible in most other places. A Londoner would cross six or seven national boundaries by covering less distance than it takes me to actually leave this country. There are a great mass of Americans who have no interest in travel and I can only pit them, but there are also a large group who travel quite extensively and never need a passport.

bh42222 15y ago
... it is worth noting that Americans can see a far greater diversity of cultures and geographies without leaving their country than is possible in most other places. This is plainly false. Just two quick examples: No difference within the states is as big as the difference between French and English speaking parts of Canada. And a tiny country like Switzerland encompasses French, German and Italian speaking populations. A Londoner would cross six or seven national boundaries by covering less distance than it takes me to actually leave this country. This contradicts your first sentence. Also a Londoner will meet several nationalities, I don't know what you mean by "boundaries." Also a New Yorker should be right up there with Londoners.
- bane 15y ago
  You've obviously never gone from NYC to coastal Alabama in a single trip, or Hawaii to Southern Texas, or hell Washington D.C. to rural West Virginia. Sure there are plenty of accents, but some are almost outright dialects. I'd argue that English and French Canada are about as different as any of these pairs.
  - bh42222 15y ago
    I'd argue that English and French Canada are about as different as any of these pairs. Really? You speak English, you can go to any shop in Hawaii, NYC, Alabama or Texas and buy what ever you want. I am sure you can do the same in Toronto. Could you do the same in Montreal if you don't speak French and the clerk doesn't speak English? If you don't speak French, are red-green color blind and have never noticed the hexagonal shape of a certain street sign, do you know what you should do in your car when you see "Arrest" on a street sign? I guess what I'm trying to say is that the difference between Montreal and Toronto is plainly, objectively and obviously greater than that between any two places in the US. Even in the French heavy parts of Maine and Louisiana at least the street signs are still in English.
    - bane 15y ago
      It's funny that you specifically call out Montreal. I've spent quite a bit of time in Quebec over the years and I don't recall having much trouble getting what I wanted from shop keepers. Or put another way, I had about as much trouble as I did in France and about as much as some really Cajun parts of Louisiana -- and I don't speak French. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BRXcpBIteEM#t=24s http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v... I'm from the mid-Atlantic, but have had significant issues in parts of Alabama/Arkansas both with being understood and understanding them, parts of Miami, and even parts of Washington D.C.! In Alabama and Arkansas I also found that I ate very different foods, parts of animals and plants prepared in ways I wouldn't normally eat - lizards, organs and frogs oh my! On the contrary the food in Quebec seemed pretty familiar except for the Poutine. In Hawaii there are more East Asians and Pacific Islanders than Caucasians. There are parts of the Islands where you might not be intelligible unless you speak Tagalog or Japanese, it has an economy built around tourism and they eat more spam than the rest of the U.S. it has royal palaces. It's about as comparable to New York City as Zurich is. In fact I've felt more at home in Florence than I did in Greenville, Alabama. In Texas, my friends thought nothing of pulling off to the side of the road at a BBQ pit and eating beef off of Styrofoam plates in a rickety shack where we brought our own beer. I couldn't imagine doing that anywhere north of D.C. Yes my friend, America really has very different cultures.