Cultural Differences

[mook jong man]

What I can't understand is in Britain and America how come you all have such different accents from region to region . Australia is a big place too , we have outback properties that are bigger than some countries .

But the only difference I can detect in our accent is that people in the state of Queensland talk a little bit slower than the rest of our states .

Even New Zealanders talk pretty much the same as us except for a couple of differences in the pronounciation of some words and if they have been here for awhile it may take me a little while to figure out they're are even Kiwi .

 

[jarrod]

Oh Im shure that the accuracy of the labeling is probably innacurate, but I think the general idea is a valid one. America is a large place. I think Europeans forget that at times. Within the same area of Europe you have various nations, languages and cultures. It makes sense to be more sensitive to other cultures. Here in the same area there is a more homogenous culture. Even out close neighbor Canada is more similar in culture than different. Most Americans dont have to deal with different languages or countries on a regular basis so its somewhat natural to be less aware.

i read a little bit of wisdom recently: "in britain, a hundred miles is a long way. in america, a hundred years is a long time." i think some of our worldview is shaped by our relatively short history & even our expansive geography. we tend to feel like the whole world is our backyard because we're so big. & because our history is so short, i think we sometimes lose sight of the big picture. most americans are required to learn very little world history, so we have a hard time understanding long-term effects. at least that's this american's immediate take.

jf

 

[Archangel M]

Every time I hear the "most Americans have never even visited another country..." thing I cant help but think, hell I havent even seen the Grand Canyon, Alaska, Pearl Harbor or even any of the mid-west states!

 

[jarrod]

you're really missing out on the midwestern states...

 

[Makalakumu]

When I was 16 years old, I bought my first vehicle for $50 dollars. I fixed it in autoshop and then proceeded to drive across country with a tool box, a sleeping bag, some food, and a pistol. Never had to touch the weapon except to squeeze off a few rounds in the desert at a few cactus.

Anyway, I zigged and zagged across this country and have seen so many different things.

When I went to college, I met people from other countries and told them what I did, how far I roamed, and they were dumbfounded. You can't make a six thousand mile circle in most places...unless you are in Siberia or China.

America is special in that way. We've got wide open spaces and only two borders. It changes everything about how you see the people around you.

 

[Sukerkin]

{This is an aside, somewhat, from the path we've been walking in this thread, so please feel free to pass it on by if international relations is not a topic of interest}.

Angel, that was actually quite an interesting blog I have to say. I wish there had been more of an interchange in the comments as some good points were being made.

As expected, I do disagree with the basic premis of the argument for using GDP as an indicator of world prominance, particularly when applied to non-sovereign subdivisions of a country. It's an intriguing comparison to try and make but it is really a bit of a red-herring when talking about global influence.

Where the basic thrust of the blogs OP falls down is that it fails to take account of the fact that the world is a 'system' of nations constantly in a flux of checks and balances.

At present, America's economic 'pile' seems overwhelming compared to the rest of the world (tho', as I've talked about before, much of that wealth is illusiory) but even so, in simple terms, she can still not just go anywhere and do anything she wishes. Money buys a wide freedom of action but the Great Game still has to be played if any country wants to get anything done.

To treat many other nations of the world as of 'no account', as the blogger seems to want to encourage people to do, is a major failure to comprehend how the strings of diplomacy tie everything together. Such a failure has consequences when it comes to effectiveness of foreign policy and, as has been seen for the past decade or so, leads to the necessity of the use of military force to obtain the country's goals.

Just like individuals, Nations have characters, likes and dislikes, rememberences of favours and slights. These characters have just as much of an influence on world affairs as economic muscle.

The relationships between Great Britain, France and Germany are, to me, a wonderful illustration of the quirky way this game plays. Little of those ties that matter are purely fiscal and some are, on the surface, counterintuitive.

For example, we get along much better with Germany than we do France, even tho' we expended our empire by twice pulling France out of the fire of Germany's expansionism. Why? It's not got a lot to do with money and an awful lot to do with history, particulary the lineages of certain important families. If you know and understand those 'blood ties' and some of the things that happened centuries ago, then it actually makes sense {to us :lol:}. If you just think in terms of economics, then it's nonsensical.

So, what I'm trying to burble towards a conclusion on here is that the blogger's world view is symptomatic of a lack of appreciation for how things really work and if he attempted to make policy decisions based upon economic relativism, without taking into account the other things I've been speaking about, then he would be 'riding for a fall', to use that marvelously evocative phrase.

 

[Hagakure]

Sukerkin,

Elder does have a point. Or do you want me to tell the Americans about this?

Right, no, sorry, that's it. I can't keep quiet any longer. I've been reading this thread with interest, and a calm manner, until I saw someone take the p*ss out of a "chip butty" (shown above). You have NO idea how amazingly gorgeously filling these things are, especially with lashings of Tommy K. Ok they're a coronary in a sandwich, but that's by the by. They are incredible. End of. As for the British V US cuisine thing, you guys gave us fast food (insert well known FF establishments, which, for the sake of the board, I'll not mention) for Petes sake. Bleuuurgh! While we gave the world, the roast dinner, with Yorkshire Pudding (note the word "Yorkshire", a county of England) Therefore, in this one small thing, we win.

Anyway. Back on track. Lots of similarities, plenty of differences. I like Yanks, served with 'em in the 2nd Gulf. My impression was that you "think big", which I admire. Most Americans I've met that have been abroad have, in the main been very decent, down to Earth folk, with barely a handful of exceptions, you must have not let them out that year. Do I think Americans are stereotyped? Utterly, are the Brits? Well, we all wear bowler hats, live in castles and the UK is exactly the way it was during the Middle Ages, it's not an over crowded council estate at all.

 

[Sukerkin]

You speak for yourself .

I wear a Cavalier hat, not a Bowler, actually am entitled to live in a castle (if a couple of hundred pesky relatives would conveniently die ) and whilst not from the Middle Ages exactly, my moral compass is firmly embedded in a previous century ...

... ah, wait ... I think I might have missed the point there :lol:.

Nonetheless, on the matter of the chip butty in all it's mighty glory, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder against a world brim-full of State-Sponsored-Health-Nannies .

 

[Hagakure]

You speak for yourself .

I wear a Cavalier hat, not a Bowler, actually am entitled to live in a castle (if a couple of hundred pesky relatives would conveniently die ) and whilst not from the Middle Ages exactly, my moral compass is firmly embedded in a previous century ...

... ah, wait ... I think I might have missed the point there :lol:.

Nonetheless, on the matter of the chip butty in all it's mighty glory, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder against a world brim-full of State-Sponsored-Health-Nannies .

Damn right mate. Bloody nanny-state. *rolls eyes*

Well, I live 45 mins from Warwick Castle, think that's the closest we get to ours. Although we do have a lovely Roman Villa 15 minutes drive from us. It's odd to drive past 1800 year old ruins, then into 1000 year old towns (Wolverhampton, supposedly founded by the Saxon queen Wulfruna) then to my 1950s house. Blooming history, it's everywhere!

That said, Native American history is old as time too, and fascinating. Took in some places on a trip to Montana/Wyoming/Idaho in my "yoof". Would love to do another tour of the US/Canada, maybe when the kids have flown the nest.

 

[Sukerkin]

I quite agree.

I would love to see some serious research done into what exactly happened to the Native American civilisations prior to 'our' arrival putting the 'lid on the pot' so to speak.

There is some tantalsing evidence that they had a 'light footed' (meaning they did not go in for monumental architecture) continent spanning civilisation that was ravaged by disease coming up from South America courtesy of the Spanish. The arrival of the first British settlers was the nail in the coffin.

That is actually one of the big cultural differences come to think of it. Our history is continuous and evolutionary whereas American history is disjunctured in two or three major fractures e.g. settlement and the Indian Wars, French sponsored revolution against the home country and, maybe, the Civil War between North and South.

 

[Ray]

Blooming history, it's everywhere!

And there seems to be more of it with every passing day.

 

[Hagakure]

And there seems to be more of it with every passing day.

Yep, pesky history!