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Asking "where are you from" to an american
- Thread starter Rafaelcsa
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All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
Having grown up in a city with a very large immigrant population that included people from places like Russia and the Ukraine, Mexico and Canada, and a myriad of southeast Asian countries, I disagree. The differences between America's subcultures and the cultures of the countries of the world are just as wide. Language and geography play a part in cultural interaction and co-mingling, but don't define it or limit changes.
No, North America is continent, America is a country.
I'm sure a better image could be found and it needs to be shifted vertically a bit, but this is essentially why it's often felt to be nearly on par with naming your country in Europe, right or wrong:
Images like this also don't really express how big Alaska is, it adds about another 25% or so, but you rarely see it overlapped.
TheKaeptain
Banned
I can tell because I've been watching Hockey for years.
That makes sense. The size of the country alone does not justify it (you can add Brazil and Australia to your list), but being in an insulated culture does.
samus i am
Member
I've never been mistaken for anything but American, so I am assuming they already know. It's funny because I always say DC and people look at me blankly until I say Washington DC.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
I'm sure a better image could be found and it needs to be shifted vertically a bit, but this is essentially why it's often felt to be nearly on par with naming your country in Europe, right or wrong:
that's just landmass, though. i doubt most care is a russian from moscow or omsk.
User 100115
Banned
Hell, sometimes it's hit or miss telling an American where I'm from.
"Where are you from?"
"New Mexico."
"Oh, wow, your English is so good!"
"..."
"Where are you from?"
"New Mexico."
"Oh, wow, your English is so good!"
"..."
Alabama vs. California
Kansas vs. Portland
Las Vegas vs. New York
They're all completely different.
Shit, you could even compare cities here and they would all be completely different as well.
Each Brazil's state is really different from each other as well but I don't go out saying that I'm from São Paulo or Bahia as I bet most wouldn't know those places. I'm sure it applies to many other countries as well.
In any case, I don't think any US state is as different from each other as Italy is from Spain. You're really reaching there.
You'd lose this bet.
I always imagined that driving through the Dakotas at night is the closes a person could feel to be the only human left on earth.
TheRedSnifit
Member
One of our states is larger than all but 18 countries. I don't see the issue here.
It may, in addition to everything else mentioned, be that US states have a lot more autonomy then a typical administrative district in a more... sanely organized federal system. The state you live in will have a far more direct impact on you then the federal government, which gets added to the already existing cultural differences. Being a New Yorker, for instance, will likely come before being American in many peoples minds.
lol. I've never heard of something that bad, but I did her someone ask in class if the Mississippi River was an ocean. Granted this was 9th grade, but still.
Rest
All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
Have you ever asked someone to find the state of New England on a map? You can really see the gears turning then.
A girl in my sixth grade class asked if the Boston Tea Party was why the ocean is salty. She later said she was joking, but I never believed it.
User 100115
Banned
Add -40 degree months and 9 feet of snow in one night, and you have hell on earth.
It's unsettling how fucking SILENT it is at night after a super heavy snow fall.
The saddest part is I've gotten it more than once from like, businesses back in the day.
"Where are we shipping to?"
"*rattles off address*"
"Oh, I'm sorry, we don't ship internationally."
"..."
I suspect now that Breaking Bad is a thing it'll happen less often, however.
Edit: It's enough of a thing that a 40 thousand strong facebook group exists: New Mexico is Not Part of Mexico You Dumbass
Adam_Roman
Member
I usually say I'm from Buffalo. Most people know approximately where it is. I can't say New York because people always think NYC, and I refuse to say Upstate NY.
Because every state is different. It's like if I ask someone from Germany where they're from and they answer "Europe." Hawaii is a totally different place compared to Alaska, which is totally different from Alabama, which is totally different from New York, etc.
I remember when I was in London a few years ago, people would ask us where we were from and my sister said "United States" and then they would ask "yes, but which state?" People there expected us to respond with the state we from from since it was pretty much a given that we were from the US based on accent alone. And they understand that the US states are incredibly diverse for the most part.
On the other hand though, when I was in Peru a couple years ago I said I was from Oregon, USA ... arriba de California. I didn't expect people from Peru to know where Oregon is since Peru doesn't have the close relationship with the US that the UK does.
I remember when I was in London a few years ago, people would ask us where we were from and my sister said "United States" and then they would ask "yes, but which state?" People there expected us to respond with the state we from from since it was pretty much a given that we were from the US based on accent alone. And they understand that the US states are incredibly diverse for the most part.
On the other hand though, when I was in Peru a couple years ago I said I was from Oregon, USA ... arriba de California. I didn't expect people from Peru to know where Oregon is since Peru doesn't have the close relationship with the US that the UK does.
Rest
All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
I never liked the term Upstate New York. What the hell does that even mean? Is it an area of the state? Is it any part of the state that isn't the city? It's so vague it may as well include Pennsylvania.
That shit's happened to me in California. Only once or twice, because I've just got a touch of yellow to me, but it was frustrating to find out that "New England" and "Scotland" were not acceptable answers. Really opened my eyes to the sorting that people do to each other, and how fucked up it must end up for some of the sorted.
TheKaeptain
Banned
ITT: People don't realize how culturally diverse the US is.
charlequin
Banned
Fundamentally the issue here is that there are really only about eight meaningful divisions inside the US, but only four states (New York, Florida, Texas, California) that stand in on their own for a full division. When an American is talking to another American, they just say the state because we all have a little mental dictionary to let us determine what that means (people might not know much about Colorado or Alabama or Rhode Island individually but they can pick them out as Mountain State, Deep South, New England respectively.)
It's not really likely for Europeans to have this information,
Well, there's your problem. You've been to three cities in the northeast, the capital (at the bottom end of the Northeast, with a mix of people from many parts of the country), and Florida, a state that's pretty distinct from those but still more similar than, say, another Southern state since so many Northeasterners retire there. It's not a good representative sample.
If you wanted to see bigger cultural distinctions, you'd want to hit up some subset of the Deep South, the Midwest, the Southwest, the Mountain States, California, and the Pacific Northwest.
It's not really likely for Europeans to have this information,
Well, there's your problem. You've been to three cities in the northeast, the capital (at the bottom end of the Northeast, with a mix of people from many parts of the country), and Florida, a state that's pretty distinct from those but still more similar than, say, another Southern state since so many Northeasterners retire there. It's not a good representative sample.
If you wanted to see bigger cultural distinctions, you'd want to hit up some subset of the Deep South, the Midwest, the Southwest, the Mountain States, California, and the Pacific Northwest.
A state is a nation. United States of America.
Over the last century there has been coalescing around the idea of a single country as opposed to individual states in a union, but some concepts persist ideologically for residents, more for certain states than others depending on the geographic, socioeconomic and cultural differences.
Speaking of which, the EU is loosely mirroring the evolution that lead to the formation of the US. I do enjoy the EU grapple with the intrinsic weakness that plagued the thirteen colonies under the Articles of Confederation, weakness which lead to the establishment of a unifying federal body and the United States as a single nation. The interesting question is if external pressures will be a catalyst to force a move to a more centralized governing body in the EU as in America, or if internal strife will cause it's stagnation or fracture. There are some commentaries that highlight a generalizing trend among the youth that identifies less with the historical nations and more with a general idea of European brotherhood. Monitoring that to see how much impact that has over the next few generations will also be of interest, politically and historically speaking. Though I should mention, I doubt such a move will happen in our lifetimes.
I am a little baffled by that myself. As a Canadian I wouldn't presume people abroad have any knowledge of Canada.
I've been told my English was amazing several times as a Canadian by other Canadians. Its awesome.
;_;
I've been told my English was amazing several times as a Canadian by other Canadians. Its awesome.
ConfusingJazz
Member
Dude, that issue was settled between in the Constitution, the Civil War, and in a final moment, Texas v White in 1869.
I mean, yeah, that's kinda what the founders wanted, but it didn't work out that way.
Corporations love to tell you they are from Delaware.
Do you expect people from Russia, Brazil, China, Canada, etc. to say which state they are from? Or people think that US is the only country with culturally diverse states?
Going to Canada is like traveling back in time to wherever the US was culturally 5-10 years ago.
I was pointing out the origin of the concept.
Rest
All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
Delaware is a state? I thought it was a dessert!
Brian Fellows
Pete Carroll Owns Me
I don't EXPECT them to do anything. But I sure as hell wouldn't be bothered if they did.
ConfusingJazz
Member
Say its the New York you see on lower budget TV shows and movies.
If you're from long Island or NYC Upstate is anything past Westchester. If you're from past Westchester Upstate is anything north of you.
If you're from Western NY then your a Myth or from PA.
True story. I lived in Delaware for many years. Their motto is "The First State". My buddies and I went to Las Vegas and at the card table they asked to see everyone's IDs. My friend showed his license and the dealer didn't believe him "What is this Delaware? Is this a state??"
My friend was beside himself and retorted "It's the FIRST state!!"
Why not? I would be happy to know more about the region they're from in whatever country they reside. Does it bother people when we're more specific about where we are from?
lol true.
No, that's Montana. Certain parts.... ugh. Never again.
Chicago has this too.
It's where large businesses tend to be incorporated.
It makes sense, because most people aren't going to be familiar where Troy, Michigan is. In those cases, its more efficient to simply name the closest most recognizable city.
That's not what was asked. Someone said that there the states in America were not as cultural different as the differences between Spain and Italy. Which is of course, a dumb thing to say.
crimzonflame
Member
I get this all the time.
Person: What are you?
Me: Canadian
Person:No. Where you from?
Me: Toronto
Person: I mean where were you born?
Me: Montreal
Person: Ok smart guy, where are your parents from?
I would give them the answer
Person: Oh so you're not really Canadian.
Brian Fellows
Pete Carroll Owns Me
And every other city with metro area.
ConfusingJazz
Member
Ok, I just looked at the wikipedia page for "People from Delaware"
They have a picture of Judge Reinhold.
Good job, Delaware.
They have a picture of Judge Reinhold.
Good job, Delaware.
This.
charlequin
Banned
An instructive anecdote on how subjective these distinctions can be.
So my wife was taking a child development class and she had a professor who was Iranian by birth. At one point in the class, there was a discussion about cultural differences across geographic regions and the professor decided to share her experience, which went something like this:
"I grew up in Iran before the revolution, when it was a very modern and open country, and my family fled afterwards to the UK. So when I came to live in London my experience was 'okay, this is a new culture, but it's pretty familiar, I know how to feel comfortable here, I can get used to it.'
Then after I was an adult, I came to the US to study, and I arrived in Kansas City. And there was some notable differences from being in England, but I felt that a lot of what I'd already experienced made it easy to adapt there.
Then later I went to grad school in Colorado. And it was different in some notable ways from KC, but a lot of what I was already familiar with in American culture still applied and it didn't take me long to feel comfortable.
Then I eventually moved to San Francisco with my family, and all I could think was: 'what the HELL is going on here?'"
So my wife was taking a child development class and she had a professor who was Iranian by birth. At one point in the class, there was a discussion about cultural differences across geographic regions and the professor decided to share her experience, which went something like this:
"I grew up in Iran before the revolution, when it was a very modern and open country, and my family fled afterwards to the UK. So when I came to live in London my experience was 'okay, this is a new culture, but it's pretty familiar, I know how to feel comfortable here, I can get used to it.'
Then after I was an adult, I came to the US to study, and I arrived in Kansas City. And there was some notable differences from being in England, but I felt that a lot of what I'd already experienced made it easy to adapt there.
Then later I went to grad school in Colorado. And it was different in some notable ways from KC, but a lot of what I was already familiar with in American culture still applied and it didn't take me long to feel comfortable.
Then I eventually moved to San Francisco with my family, and all I could think was: 'what the HELL is going on here?'"
Brian Fellows
Pete Carroll Owns Me
TheKaeptain
Banned
No I don't because they're not as popular as America is.
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