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So You're an American?
- bovermyer 3y agoWell, it asks the question, at least. Sometimes I wonder how much the average human is prepared to answer questions about the culture of their birth region, though. The USA is huge and comprises at least 11 drastically different cultures. I know other countries also have similar "yeah, same country, different culture" circumstances. I'm not sure how many people realize this.
- permo-w 3y agoat least 11 drastically different cultures, but what percentage of the population is covered by the 3 largest?
- Zambyte 3y agoHonestly it's probably more evenly distributed than you may think. I grew up in one state in the North East, currently living in another, and I've been to two states in the South East, South mid, South west, North West, and every single time has been a very noticeable difference in culture.
- permo-w 3y agoI'm sure it's different, but is it as different as say, Italy is to Germany? or Portugal to England? or Estonia to France? I have no trouble believing that American states have noticeably different cultures, but drastically?
- Zambyte 3y agoWhat would you say is drastic? In each of these regions, I've noticed different architecture, different cuisine, different accents, different social expectations, different political values that are widely accepted, different popular activities for leisure, different distributions of spoken languages... I haven't actual been outside of the US myself so I don't have a frame of reference for that, but different regions in the US really are quite different from my limited perspective.
- elliotec 3y agoWhy did you pick the number 11? I don’t disagree but I could see it being a lot more. Just wondering if that’s some sort of agreed upon number or something.
- Armisael16 3y agoProbably from/related to https://colinwoodard.com/books/american-nations/ https://colinwoodard.com/books/american-nations/
- bovermyer 3y agoYes, I was referencing that book.
- jackcosgrove 3y agoIt's probably some variant of this argument https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Nations_of_North_America https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Nations_of_North_Am...
- waffletower 3y agoThere are well more than 11 different, geographically differentiable cultures in Los Angeles County alone.
- makeitdouble 3y ago> I know other countries also have similar "yeah, same country, different culture" circumstances I'd argue most countries fall into that description. It would need to be either extremely small (Luxembourg, Andora, Iceland ?), have a very strong drive towards unity (South Arabia, North Korea ?) or be so poor/inhabitable that not much people movement ever happens. Otherwise any viable country that's not trying to kill anyone different from them will see a vast number of drastically different cultures coming in and staying for the long run.
- verbify 3y agoOne thing that strikes me travelling in America is the homogeneity. I'm from the England and I've been to places in England where I genuinely couldn't understand the accents (I used to find the Geordie accent the hardest until I lived up north for awhile). But I took a road trip from Michigan down to Florida (through the 'deep south') and then back up to New York and although accents changed, I never had the same kind of communication problems. And that's without counting the places in the UK where they natively speak Welsh or Scottish. The dialects (which is a massive part of culture) are mutually intelligible without a huge struggle. I'm however broadly aware that there are many Spanish speakers in the US, and that in parts of Louisiana they speak Louisiana French...
- WoodenChair 3y ago> One thing that strikes me travelling in America is the homogeneity. The only thing your comment spoke to is the homogeneity of accents and language. There’s a lot more to culture than just that.
- candiddevmike 3y ago[flagged]
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- drewcoo 3y ago> The only thing your comment spoke to is the homogeneity of accents and language. There’s a lot more to culture than just that. There's Walmart. There's the universal decay of the small town. There's the stark difference between rural and (sub-)urban populations that's exactly the same across the country, south to north, west to east. Other than sports there is no more local culture. And the biggest teams are part of national organizations. There is the vast gap between the haves and have nots wherever you go. We're a consumer society, so consider how marketing defines us. That's US culture.
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- ape4 3y agoAmericans who travel internationally are already a step ahead.
- nonethewiser 3y agoGiven US geography, it is both very expensive and not very advantageous to travel abroad. Its worth it if you enjoy it a lot but its not fair to denigrate people who dont care to or cant take trips across the world.
- 1letterunixname 3y agoQualitatively, I rarely encounter Americans who have traveled outside the country. Quantitatively, only ~33% of Americans have a valid passport. Both are depressing and embarassing.
- xboxnolifes 3y agoI wonder how the numbers compare between countries when normalized for "distance/time required to reach another country".
- PrimeMcFly 3y agoFirst thing I did when becoming a US Citizen was apply for my passport. None of my US friends have one. It's so strange to me.
- nickthegreek 3y agoEmbarrassing that more Americans haven’t or that more Americans can’t afford it? International Travel can be prohibitively expensive for many Americans.
- waffletower 3y agoInteresting that the chickens have come home to roost long and loud enough for the government itself to assist with damage control. The political instability of the United States causes real anxiety in other countries. While both the major political parties are significantly ignorant of the impact of the United States upon other countries, some people are clearly more ignorant than others. A very timely and tragi-comical guide from the State Department indeed.
- tadfisher 3y agoIt's opinions like this that prompt me to tell others I'm Canadian when I'm a foreigner in their country. I'm not here to represent the U.S. government or enter debates about the shittiness of our culture, and in fact I very much enjoy leaving those subjects at home when I am abroad.
- sys_64738 3y agoI don't have any problem telling folk I'm an American now. I will never apologize for it and never apologize for actions that are not my doing.
- tadfisher 3y agoThat's perfectly fine. I just want to enjoy myself instead of engaging with the negativity of others. I try to hold my elected representatives accountable for what I can, and that's about all I can reasonably control.
- nonethewiser 3y ago[flagged]
- tadfisher 3y ago[flagged]
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- anotherhue 3y agoTIL that I'm not chronically late, I'm merely polychronic.
- anotherhue 3y ago> Americans love to own things. They value material wealth. The primary symbols of the American Dream are a home and a car, followed by electronics, clothing, sneakers, and other items. Downtown areas and shopping centers are filled with people browsing and walking away with their purchases. This consumption fuels the American economy, and the wide range of consumables, from clothing to toys and gourmet coffee to home décor, offers infinite variety. Consuming at this volume, however, has a profound impact on the environment and can be perceived as greedy and careless in other cultures.
- hunson_abadeer 3y agoPeople in Germany and France buy about as much cheap junk and have about as much attachment to material belongings. Which I don't blame them for, but it's remarkable that in both countries, it's fashionable to pooh-pooh the "dumb Americans" for that.
- PaulDavisThe1st 3y agoPer capita consumer spending, Germany 2021: $21,704 Per capita consumer spending, USA 2021: $47915
- anArbitraryOne 3y agoIt would be interesting to see the median values of such w/COLA
- Turing_Machine 3y agoPer capita GDP, Germany 2023: $51,383 Per capita GDP, United States 2023: $80,034 If Germany were a US state, it would rank somewhere between Mississippi and West Virginia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nomi... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_GDP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territ... (slight edit for formatting)
- IvyMike 3y agoI haven't travelled overseas for a half a decade, but I used to get ahead of some questions by introducing myself with "I'm from California" rather than "I'm from America".
- chrisco255 3y ago[flagged]
- tadfisher 3y ago[flagged]
- PaulDavisThe1st 3y agoWhen I tell people in the UK that I live in New Mexico, they ask me how life in Mexico is these days, what with the cartels and so forth.
- nonethewiser 3y ago[flagged]
- mixmastamyk 3y agoThe Salamancas and Hermanos are regrouping.
- 1letterunixname 3y agoBetter call Saul.
- bicx 3y ago… Well, how is life in Mexico these days, what with the cartels and so forth?
- dalke 3y agoI would say "I live in New Mexico, which is in the southwest US between Texas and Arizona." It helped that I lived in Santa Fe which, (unlike where your bio implies you live), is a pretty-well recognized US place name in Europe. One Swedish taxi driver was a fan of Louis L'Amour, and many others know about it through other westerns. An English hotel clerk, base on its reputation, guessed the population was 200K-300K (it was 65K then, 90K now).
- sys_64738 3y ago[flagged]
- nailer 3y ago> When you get asked "do you expect to get shot in the supermarket?" the simple response is that we see zero crime where I live. What if someone has a bad life or thinks you’re disrespecting them?
- krastanov 3y agoGeneralizing so much about Europeans is just as offensive of a fallacy as generalizing about US citizens.
- latency-guy2 3y agoAre you sure it's equally as offensive? By the response the flagged comment got, seems its far more offensive despite the mild jab.
- Tainnor 3y ago> But it's difficult to explain to Europeans how they're programmed as they take offence to it. So you pick your battles. Yes, if you tell a whole continent that "they've been programmed" (but the people in your continent miraculously have not), they're going to get offended. Big surprise.
- ajross 3y ago> the simple response is that we see zero crime where I live I can all but guarantee that's not true. No, statistically you're not going to get "shot in the supermarket", but violent crime in the US is, in fact, higher than western Europe basically everywhere, in essentially every community, including (in fact especially) in the ethnically uniform exurbs.
- rfrey 3y agoTo be fair, sys_64738 did not say that there WAS zero crime, just that they SEE zero crime. Which is probably true, and is true for many people in high crime areas too. Not too many muggings in an LA gated community.
- camdenlock 3y agoDoes this site just not work on mobile browsers? I’m seeing vast blank vertical spaces.
- simonbw 3y agoThis doesn't seem to load anything beyond the "Introduction" section for me on each page. Using an up-to-date iPhone.
- version_five 3y agoI don't know enough about the state department to be sure, but this just feels like politics to me, furtherance of a narrative that certain elements want to push about what they think is wrong with the US under the pretence of being "asked questions". It feels like just more partisan BS. And regardless of what country you're from, only an asshole starts asking you pointed questions like that, this isn't a realistic scenario obviously. Imagine asking a random chinese tourist harsh questions about their country's behavior, they would hopefully and rightly tell you to fuck off.
- maxbond 3y agoDo you find it objectionable on is face to create such a guide, or is there something in particular? I've only skimmed this page, but for what it's worth the state department creates educational material for travellers, issues travel advisories warning people not to travel to this or that place under exigent circumstances (eg natural disasters and rising geopolitical tensions), gets emergency passports to people who have lost theirs in a foreign country, etc. I don't know that there wasn't an agenda here, but on it's face it seems like it's part of their duties. I've never personally been in a situation where people asked me weird questions about my country, but I don't really talk to people much when I travel (my loss, perhaps). There's a cliche about telling people you're Canadian or putting a maple leaf on your backpack, so I imagine some people have had that experience. I did once ask some probing questions of a Chinese hostel-mate about the Great Firewall (which, fwiw, he said was to protect Chinese people from American spy agencies - not my position, just what I was told), so maybe I am "that guy."
- Kim_Bruning 3y agoPeople have definitely asked me all sorts of interesting questions about mine! Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's outright triggering. Part of talking with people from all over!
- chrisco255 3y agoThanks government for your patronizing instructions and unasked for commentary on navigating international culture differences. How do we answer the more relevant questions: "Why does your government meddle so much in the business of other governments? Why does invoke so much death and war in the middle east? Why did you invade Iraq, again?" etc etc Those ones I find truly difficult to navigate, since it seems like American citizens get little say in how much power is projected overseas. Wonder how the State Dept would advise?
- Kim_Bruning 3y agoThis is a pretty good resource for everyone, not just americans!
- nine_zeros 3y agoVery detailed and well researched site. I found the context-based vs direct communication fairly accurate. It also made me appreciate what American culture is all about. It has its pros and cons but it is very uniquely American. One thing to keep in mind for all travellers is that every single country is different. So even if you learn the norms in Vietnam, you will need to relearn everything next time you go to Brazil.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- WaitWaitWha 3y agoThis kind of feels like one of the Ministries in 1984, but in a very gentle, patronizing way.
- PaulDavisThe1st 3y agoThe hardest thing for me to wrap my head around from this well-produced site is the idea that the cited questions are somehow "difficult". Go ahead, ask me why there are so many violent gun deaths, why we use so much energy and carbon per capita, how someone like Trump could be elected, how many cowboys there are, do I have a gun, why are US houses so big ... happy to give my take, and it's not difficult. The section(s) on communication styles (particularly high and low context) are a bit brief but quite effective, I felt.
- gregjor 3y agoNo American has any obligation to answer those questions or try to explain their culture to someone intent on attacking America. If asked sincerely with curiosity, sure, but the questions listed are loaded and intended to create conflict or embarrassment.
- mentalfist 3y agoLooking at the other American replies here, this mindset of yours seems to be in the minority..
- PrimeMcFly 3y agoThe site assumes some of the Americans who travel may be gun or Trump supporters, which for them those questions maybe be difficult if they want to avoid a fight. But to generalize, supports of those things are not looking to avoid fights and also are less likely to travel anyway.
- HDThoreaun 3y ago“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.” Just because you've thought about these things doesn't mean the other half has
- pella 3y agorelated: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36190015 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36190015 ( 89 days ago ) "The Culture Map: How to Navigate Foreign Cultures in Busines"
- nonethewiser 3y agoUsually I tell people Im proud of being American without being an ass about it. Sometimes people are asses about it but usually there is some good natured prodding. Sometimes people from Europe even express some jealousy and lament that people arent proud of being English, German, etc. They’re usually surprised to hear its the same story in America but just look at this thread.
- scubbo 3y agoWere you born in America or did you immigrate there? That drastically affects how embarrassing that proclamation is.
- nonethewiser 3y agoWhat's embarrassing is choosing to reside in a country you are ashamed of.
- eesmith 3y ago"America, love it or leave it" was tired even in the 1970s. If you are ashamed of something, you should be free to fix it, not obliged to leave. According to one survey, French, Germans, and Brits are more proud and less embarrassed about their country than the US: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/05/05/5-national-pride-and-shame/ https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/05/05/5-national-pri... Bear in mind how England and Germany also have a history of national pride connected with imperialism and the killing and subjugation of other peoples. Unfortunately, in the present-day the ones who voice their national pride most loudly tend to connected it to historic supremacy, as with far-right English nationalists using the English flag. This makes it hard for people who do feel pride for the modern country to express that pride.
- nonethewiser 3y ago> "America, love it or leave it" was tired even in the 1970s. > If you are ashamed of something, you should be free to fix it, not obliged to leave. Should immigrants not come to America and instead fix their own country? I don’t think that way but that seems to follow from your suggestion. There are plenty of people embarrassed of America who aren’t trying to fix it or arent affecting any change. Wanting it to be different is neither of these things.
- zer8k 3y agoThe first rule of being an American overseas is you are not an American overseas. You are a high priority target for robbery, kidnapping, extortion, scamming, murder, and a host of other things from the lovely locals you're mingling amongst. Stay to well lit areas, don't stay out late, don't follow anyone around, dress in a way that does not draw attention to yourself (better if you can get into local garb), and assume every single person is there to kill you. Limit your drinking, and if you do drink do so amongst expatriates and travel friends, and guard your drink at all times. People do not like Americans. Many times their ill will has at least a logical foundation. While I certainly appreciate the state department attempting to manage image this isn't enough. Americans must be on the defense at all times. You must especially be defensive in non-western countries (where you are probably better off simply not going). While many people are easy going the mixture of zealous propaganda about Americans, and America's own negative image, will have you perceived as a target more often than a friend.
- jmye 3y agoThis reads as an absurdist take on travel, or one assuming the average American is blithely walking back and forth across the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. After extensive travel in many “non-Western” countries, I have essentially never felt like a target, or that I was in danger (except of perhaps being charged more than a local), and suggesting Americans avoid those countries reads, to me, as an absolutely mad-with-fear take on the world.
- freitasm 3y agoWhoa. That escalated quickly.
- 1letterunixname 3y agoColombia or Iraq, sure, but in most countries, this isn't the case. Although the tourist is a universally-reviled species, the best tip when traveling is don't become the clueless, reckless, *sshole cliché American tourist. You can go to a hidden neighborhood brasserie in Paris, have a good time with the locals, and not be outed as an American tourist if you don't look or act the part. Universal rule of life: be cool. (Many) problems solved.
- 3y ago
- satisfice 3y agoI have taught in 26 countries, over 20 years. I had a total of two conversations relating to someone who wanted to complain about America. Both were taxi drivers. I enjoyed both occasions. I’m always ready to tell folks that they can take their complaints to me and I will listen. If they make a good case, I’ll go home and fix the problem But such conversations are very rare.
- amadazia 3y ago[flagged]
- sershe 3y agoThe intent is good, but the govt doing it kinda gives me the Soviet vibe. Someone in my family told me that, before they were able to go abroad as a tourist (to a Warsaw pact country), as part of the exit visa process they were quizzed on all kinds of Soviet trivia and political stuff. Cause, like, what if someone in Slobodia asks you who the culture minister is or what the Soviet position on Cameroon is, and you don't know?!! You have to know the right government facts to talk to the locals.