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The article is interesting even if bits and pieces are out of date. It's nice to see other's viewpoints. My one complaint about this article, and a lot of arti

The article is interesting even if bits and pieces are out of date. It's nice to see other's viewpoints. My one complaint about this article, and a lot of articles of the same ilk, is the part where Americans get criticized for not "traveling abroad" and not "seeing foreign countries". I suspect most american's will travel more MILES than the average european without ever seeing another country. It's far far more expensive for an American to visit other western countries than it is for the average European. We'd absolutely LOVE to be able to fly to France for the price of train ticket from London to Paris. Sadly, the price of oversees airfare is pretty damned high. I know visiting different states isn't the same as visiting countries but I think people living outside of the U.S. don't understand just how different various U.S. regions are from each other. Really, you might say it's a bit silly to go visiting foreign countries when you haven't even experienced all of the diversity in your own country yet.

maratd 14y ago
> It's far far more expensive for an American to visit other western countries than it is for the average European. Well, yes. Then there's the enjoyment factor. Personally, I've been to Europe multiple times. Hell, I was born there. And frankly, I enjoy going to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Mexico much more. > I know visiting different states isn't the same as visiting countries but I think people living outside of the U.S. don't understand just how different various U.S. regions are from each other. Also spot on. If you live in NYC, going to NOLA is plenty exotic. Vice versa as well. Air fare is almost nothing compared to going to other continents. The only people who might truly be able to relate would be from China and India. Both countries are large and diverse enough that traveling inside of their borders becomes a rewarding experience.
- soperj 14y ago
  really... just india and china? what about australia? canada? Russia?
  - maratd 14y ago
    I've never been to Australia, so I can't comment. In Canada, you have three choices. British Columbia/Vancouver, Ontario/Ottawa, and Quebec/Montreal. The rest is frozen tundra. Russia? Leningrad (or whatever they're calling it now), Moscow, and the Black Sea region (might as well go to Ukraine/Odessa for that). The rest is frozen tundra. So yeah, China and India. It's not about size. It's about the diversity of cultures and climates.
    - debacle 14y ago
      You could go to Toronto to see...Toronto.
      - maratd 14y ago
        Toronto is in Ontario. I did mention Ontario. Look, Canada is a wonderful place to visit. I'm going there at the end of August. But if you're a Canadian and you've already been to BC, QB, and ON ... there's not much else to see. Correct me if I'm wrong.
        debacle 14y ago
        I thought you were specifically mentioning Ottawa, and not Ontario as a whole.
        soperj 14y ago
        You're wrong. Also Ontario is huge, and Toronto is a miniscule part of it. The people outside of Toronto/Ottawa in Ontario are completely different from the people who live in those two areas. If you'd had been to any other parts of Canada aside from Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, you'd realise how much more there is to see, and how much more diverse the country really is. "It's not about size. It's about the diversity of cultures and climates." Give me a break. Canada, Australia and Russia are more diverse climate wise than China or India. How is China more culturally diverse answer me that? edit: From the cia world factbook(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/...) China Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5% (2000 census) Yep.. that's a real melting pot there.
- soperj 14y ago
  The more I think about it, the more out of touch you really seem. The people you label as plenty exotic from NOLA were actually deported from eastern Canada(your "tundra") and St.Petersburg(what they've been calling Leningrad for the last 20 years) is pretty well on the Arctic circle, and yet is not part of your "tundra". (and Yes I realise that St.Petersburg isn't tundra, neither is the vast majority of Russia or Canada)
  - wruce_billis 14y ago
    >The people you label as plenty exotic from NOLA were actually deported from eastern Canada(your "tundra")... Are we talking about New Orleans, Louisiana here?
    - soperj 14y ago
      Ya. The cajuns decendants of the acadians of Eastern Canada(present day Nova Scotia/New Brunswick). Deported by the British/Americans(who were one & the same at the time) to what is now the state of Louisana.
DirtyCalvinist 14y ago
I once had a conversation with a Frenchman (in France) about how he had berated some poor American girl (also in France) for not knowing that Zurich was in Switzerland. I promptly quizzed him on which states 5 American cities were in, all larger than Zurich. He failed miserably. The United States is geographically almost as large as the whole of Europe. The closest foreign border to me is Niagara Falls just over 400mi away, and even if I go there, they still speak my native tongue with pretty much the same accent. I don't think there exists any point in Germany that far from another country.
- tjoff 14y ago
  I promptly quizzed him on which states 5 American cities were in, all larger than Zurich. Who cares about states in a foreign country? In this context the size of the city or state is not of any interest.
  - sanderjd 14y ago
    The point is that knowing that Zurich is in Switzerland is more similar to knowing that Denver is in Colorado than it is to knowing that Denver is in the United States. Presumably the size of the city is interesting because the implicit assumption is that knowing where Zurich is important because Zurich is a big city.
    - tjoff 14y ago
      My point is that it isn't similar at all, on any level. A typical foreigner to the US probably knows where some large cities in US are without having the slightest clue about which state many of them reside in. That is my perception of it.
      - sanderjd 14y ago
        ...Which is why it's so similar to how a typical American probably knows where some large cities in Europe are without having the slightest clue about which country many of them reside in.

maratd 14y ago

> It's far far more expensive for an American to visit other western countries than it is for the average European. Well, yes. Then there's the enjoyment factor. Personally, I've been to Europe multiple times. Hell, I was born there. And frankly, I enjoy going to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Mexico much more. > I know visiting different states isn't the same as visiting countries but I think people living outside of the U.S. don't understand just how different various U.S. regions are from each other. Also spot on. If you live in NYC, going to NOLA is plenty exotic. Vice versa as well. Air fare is almost nothing compared to going to other continents. The only people who might truly be able to relate would be from China and India. Both countries are large and diverse enough that traveling inside of their borders becomes a rewarding experience.

soperj 14y ago
really... just india and china? what about australia? canada? Russia?
- maratd 14y ago
  I've never been to Australia, so I can't comment. In Canada, you have three choices. British Columbia/Vancouver, Ontario/Ottawa, and Quebec/Montreal. The rest is frozen tundra. Russia? Leningrad (or whatever they're calling it now), Moscow, and the Black Sea region (might as well go to Ukraine/Odessa for that). The rest is frozen tundra. So yeah, China and India. It's not about size. It's about the diversity of cultures and climates.
  - debacle 14y ago
    You could go to Toronto to see...Toronto.
    - maratd 14y ago
      Toronto is in Ontario. I did mention Ontario. Look, Canada is a wonderful place to visit. I'm going there at the end of August. But if you're a Canadian and you've already been to BC, QB, and ON ... there's not much else to see. Correct me if I'm wrong.
      - debacle 14y ago
        I thought you were specifically mentioning Ottawa, and not Ontario as a whole.
      - soperj 14y ago
        You're wrong. Also Ontario is huge, and Toronto is a miniscule part of it. The people outside of Toronto/Ottawa in Ontario are completely different from the people who live in those two areas. If you'd had been to any other parts of Canada aside from Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, you'd realise how much more there is to see, and how much more diverse the country really is. "It's not about size. It's about the diversity of cultures and climates." Give me a break. Canada, Australia and Russia are more diverse climate wise than China or India. How is China more culturally diverse answer me that? edit: From the cia world factbook(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/...) China Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5% (2000 census) Yep.. that's a real melting pot there.
soperj 14y ago
The more I think about it, the more out of touch you really seem. The people you label as plenty exotic from NOLA were actually deported from eastern Canada(your "tundra") and St.Petersburg(what they've been calling Leningrad for the last 20 years) is pretty well on the Arctic circle, and yet is not part of your "tundra". (and Yes I realise that St.Petersburg isn't tundra, neither is the vast majority of Russia or Canada)
- wruce_billis 14y ago
  >The people you label as plenty exotic from NOLA were actually deported from eastern Canada(your "tundra")... Are we talking about New Orleans, Louisiana here?
  - soperj 14y ago
    Ya. The cajuns decendants of the acadians of Eastern Canada(present day Nova Scotia/New Brunswick). Deported by the British/Americans(who were one & the same at the time) to what is now the state of Louisana.

DirtyCalvinist 14y ago

I once had a conversation with a Frenchman (in France) about how he had berated some poor American girl (also in France) for not knowing that Zurich was in Switzerland. I promptly quizzed him on which states 5 American cities were in, all larger than Zurich. He failed miserably. The United States is geographically almost as large as the whole of Europe. The closest foreign border to me is Niagara Falls just over 400mi away, and even if I go there, they still speak my native tongue with pretty much the same accent. I don't think there exists any point in Germany that far from another country.

tjoff 14y ago
I promptly quizzed him on which states 5 American cities were in, all larger than Zurich. Who cares about states in a foreign country? In this context the size of the city or state is not of any interest.
- sanderjd 14y ago
  The point is that knowing that Zurich is in Switzerland is more similar to knowing that Denver is in Colorado than it is to knowing that Denver is in the United States. Presumably the size of the city is interesting because the implicit assumption is that knowing where Zurich is important because Zurich is a big city.
  - tjoff 14y ago
    My point is that it isn't similar at all, on any level. A typical foreigner to the US probably knows where some large cities in US are without having the slightest clue about which state many of them reside in. That is my perception of it.
    - sanderjd 14y ago
      ...Which is why it's so similar to how a typical American probably knows where some large cities in Europe are without having the slightest clue about which country many of them reside in.