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My personal theory: Americans feel less and less as if there is a common American culture/identity, such that culture shock becomes a serious hindrance.
by QuarterReptile 2y ago
My personal theory: Americans feel less and less as if there is a common American culture/identity, such that culture shock becomes a serious hindrance.
- shiroiushi 2y agoWhile I agree that many Americans feel this way, I don't think this has anything to do with hindering relocation. The culture in various American metro areas is basically the same, if you stay within the same profession and demographic group, perhaps differing if you go from a blue place to a red place or vice-versa. The lack of common culture or identity is real, I think, but it's always been there: black people have always had a very different culture and identity than white Americans, most notably. What's different is the proportions: 60 years ago, racial minorities were small minorities, numerically, so white people could basically ignore their cultures and issues. (Of course, many times this involved "white flight": moving to the suburbs to get away from the problems in inner cities, thanks to the rise of the automobile.) But these days, white people are no longer a huge majority, in fact they're almost a minority (but the largest one of many), and a lot of different people from very different cultures have moved in, and white flight no longer works (all the minorities have followed them to the suburbs), so it's understandable that many don't feel like there is a common American culture/identity any more. But I really don't see how this is keeping anyone from moving around; I think it's entirely economic.