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Just back from a holiday in the good old USA, and I'm happy to say I had a great time (apart from jet lag and obnoxious airport staff)
Everybody was really friendly and helpful, and the scenary was almost as good as bonnie Scotland, but... and it's a big BUT of Jennifer Lopez proportions, some things shocked me.
Casual violence: The same people that would happily drive you 10 miles for free to the next town, wouldn't blink an eyelid at shooting down some crook or villian who had stolen from them. Indeed the level of conversations, and the things discussed left me a bit uneasy. As well as the fire power on display from some people - guns and stuff. The patriotism seemed a bit OTT
Religion: Sundays are for hangovers, but that message hasn't filtered across the atlantic yet
The gap between rich and poor - I though we had it bad in the UK, but over there it seems to be a crime to be poor.
Food and epic proportions: I love crisps (chips) and what you were getting for your cash was too much even for my tastes. Plus, you guys aren't into breads and cheeses in the European sense, which is a shame.
Overall, It was a worthwhile experience, it's a great country, but paradoxically, the land of the free didn't feel that free (if it ever was)
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
Where in America did you visit? You have to be more specific. The culture between states can vary almost as much (barring language) as that between European counries.
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
My blog
New Hampshire - Live free or die, took in Boston as well. I was on a mini Revolutionary war tour.
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
I went to Europe. It was annoying because everyone spoke Italian.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:New Hampshire - Live free or die, took in Boston as well. I was on a mini Revolutionary war tour.
Being from New Hampshire, I can't help but wonder where you witnessed all of this casual violence and abject poverty. Also, if you couldn't find good cheese in NH I don't think you could have been looking very hard. Summertime in that state brings around a lot of farmer's markets where you can buy all kinds of awesome breads and cheeses.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2011/08/23 17:29:49
Drink deeply and lustily from the foamy draught of evil.
W: 1.756 Quadrillion L: 0 D: 2
Haters gon' hate.
Heck, just visiting rural Texas versus Urban Texas you'll find the accents are different enough to be from different countries. Most people around here don't have the southern drawl people associate with Texas. It's primarily a Rural thing.
Though we do talk far slower than most New Yorkers or Bostonians, we're kinda laid back compared to them, even in our metroplexes.
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
My blog
Everybody was really friendly and helpful, and the scenary was almost as good as bonnie Scotland
***You kind of missed where all the scenery is at (barring fall in New England, but its not fall).
Casual violence: The same people that would happily drive you 10 miles for free to the next town, wouldn't blink an eyelid at shooting down some crook or villian who had stolen from them. Indeed the level of conversations, and the things discussed left me a bit uneasy. As well as the fire power on display from some people - guns and stuff. The patriotism seemed a bit OTT ***And don’t forget it foreign devil!
Religion: Sundays are for hangovers, but that message hasn't filtered across the atlantic yet
***Sundays are to atone for what you did on Saturday.
The gap between rich and poor - I though we had it bad in the UK, but over there it seems to be a crime to be poor.
***Ok, sorry but that’s ironical coming from a Brit. You missed all those palaces and castles…
Food and epic proportions: I love crisps (chips) and what you were getting for your cash was too much even for my tastes. Plus, you guys aren't into breads and cheeses in the European sense, which is a shame.
***See you’re in Yankeeland. You need to come South.
Overall, It was a worthwhile experience, it's a great country, but paradoxically, the land of the free didn't feel that free (if it ever was)
***Live free or eat cheese in a can!
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:Just back from a holiday in the good old USA, and I'm happy to say I had a great time (apart from jet lag and obnoxious airport staff)
I've done the transatlantic thing for a few years before moving over to the US to live with my American wife in December. I can assure you the staff at Heathrow were far ruder and crappier than anyone at the other end (other than the security in Newark, who were spankers frankly).
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Casual violence: The same people that would happily drive you 10 miles for free to the next town, wouldn't blink an eyelid at shooting down some crook or villian who had stolen from them. Indeed the level of conversations, and the things discussed left me a bit uneasy. As well as the fire power on display from some people - guns and stuff. The patriotism seemed a bit OTT
The casual violence is far far less than in the UK, due to the underlying threat of being shot and killed by anyone you might fall out with in a bar. Go drinking in inner city Bristol and inner city Philly, I've done both on many occasions and the risk of getting into a fight about nothing is very likely in the UK. In the US the risk is that it will be 'final'.
Americans talk a big talk but rarely actually get down to it. Person to person violence seems a rarity over here and I'm living in a town full to overflowing with roughnecks due to the gas fracking atm.
Regarding the patriotism... I actually like that and I think that it's a shame the UK has lost that. In the US, one in three houses I pass has the Stars and Stripes flying above it, if you put the Union Jack up in the UK, then it's likely you'd be identified as a fascist or hardline nationalist. I don't see anything wrong with being patriotic and think we Brits have just become too cynical about it.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Religion: Sundays are for hangovers, but that message hasn't filtered across the atlantic yet
Indeed, church attendance here is still fairly widespread like the UK in the 30s or somewhere around that and just like that, few of the folks seem to actually live much of a Christian life. I am wary of who I tell that I am not religious as it draws suspicious looks and disapproval from a large percent of the population.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
The gap between rich and poor - I though we had it bad in the UK, but over there it seems to be a crime to be poor.
It's staggering, the US ranks lower than many African 3rd world countries on that scale. It really is a nation divided in that regard. Sadly so as well.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Food and epic proportions: I love crisps (chips) and what you were getting for your cash was too much even for my tastes. Plus, you guys aren't into breads and cheeses in the European sense, which is a shame.
The Americans are very very much into bread and cheese, I'm wheat allergic and I am stumped for something to eat that isn't in a bun or on a pizza base or in a sub or not wrapped in a bread item. As for cheese, they put it on everything.
Yes portions are large. That's not a bad thing if you're hungry but the amount they throw away is terrible (but I think you will find that the UK is similar in that regard).
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
Overall, It was a worthwhile experience, it's a great country, but paradoxically, the land of the free didn't feel that free (if it ever was)
Now that bit was interesting, I keep getting told that I'm from a 'liberal' or 'socialist' country (both words used as insults...) but I don't see those same detractors enjoying any more personal freedoms than I did back home, other than the right to pay more in insurance than I did back in the UK for their healthcare and then still having to pay a hospital fee on being ill.
As an employee, I can assure you I have far fewer rights here than I did back in the UK.
You do have the right to speak hatred as the Westboro guys have proven, but I hardly consider that worth the price of exchange for what's back in The Peoples Liberal Socialist Republic of Britain...
I can tell you the folks here are more genuinely friendly and welcoming than the Brits 'in general' (obviously inner city NY is less friendly than my hometown of Penzance in Cornwall). There is more space, property is cheaper, there is less 'grime' than the UK.
Also my accent has a mysterious power over women here. Given that I have a face like a robber's dog, that's really novel and enjoyable.
Also my accent has a mysterious power over women here. Given that I have a face like a robber's dog, that's really novel and enjoyable.
Careful boyo. Wives here have learned from their Latin American sisters. FLy right or wear a steel cup...
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
I wouldn't judge the entire US off of what goes on in Philly, MGS.
It's widely regarded as a pretty horrible place.
Frazzled wrote:The gap between rich and poor - I though we had it bad in the UK, but over there it seems to be a crime to be poor.
***Ok, sorry but that’s ironical coming from a Brit. You missed all those palaces and castles…
/sigh
You ever read something so wonderful that you're annoyed that you didn't think of it?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/08/23 18:00:46
Drink deeply and lustily from the foamy draught of evil.
W: 1.756 Quadrillion L: 0 D: 2
Haters gon' hate.
Monster Rain wrote:I wouldn't judge the entire US off of what goes on in Philly, MGS.
It's widely regarded as a pretty horrible place.
Yep, but as I said, you're far more likely to get into fisticuffs in an inner city (or small town) pub in the UK than in inner city Philly IMO. Casual violence is far more common in the UK from my observations. The gun ownership thing perhaps acting like a psychological deterrent?
That could be the case in some places, but I can tell you that personally I don't suspect everyone that I bump into of carrying a gun. At least not that I'm conscious of...
Drink deeply and lustily from the foamy draught of evil.
W: 1.756 Quadrillion L: 0 D: 2
Haters gon' hate.
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:Just back from a holiday in the good old USA, and I'm happy to say I had a great time (apart from jet lag and obnoxious airport staff)
Everybody was really friendly and helpful, and the scenary was almost as good as bonnie Scotland, but... and it's a big BUT of Jennifer Lopez proportions, some things shocked me.
New Hampshire is different, and Boston is well, Boston. I visited it once and found it lacking in qualities I enjoy.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote: Casual violence: The same people that would happily drive you 10 miles for free to the next town, wouldn't blink an eyelid at shooting down some crook or villian who had stolen from them. Indeed the level of conversations, and the things discussed left me a bit uneasy. As well as the fire power on display from some people - guns and stuff. The patriotism seemed a bit OTT
We believe in being nice to those who are nice to us and have a strong sense in doing things that keep honest people honest.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote: Religion: Sundays are for hangovers, but that message hasn't filtered across the atlantic yet
We party on Friday nights usually, saturdays are used for parties sometimes but they don't last as long as Friday night parties.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote: The gap between rich and poor - I though we had it bad in the UK, but over there it seems to be a crime to be poor.
Depends on where you go, but it has to do with our succeed or fail type of lifestyle.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote: Food and epic proportions: I love crisps (chips) and what you were getting for your cash was too much even for my tastes. Plus, you guys aren't into breads and cheeses in the European sense, which is a shame.
Again, you should visit the south, its a lot better than the north food wise.
As far as your Revolutionary War trip, you need to visit Virginia for Colonial Williamsburg (which has the same exact roller coasters the founding fathers rode on), Jamestown, and Yorktown. That's where the real history is at, hell there's even a lot of Civil War history too.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/08/23 19:41:33
halonachos wrote:As far as your Revolutionary War trip, you need to visit Virginia for Colonial Williamsburg (which has the same exact roller coasters the founding fathers rode on), Jamestown, and Yorktown. That's where the real history is at
I think you'll find that there is plenty of Revolutionary War-related historical significance in New England.
Drink deeply and lustily from the foamy draught of evil.
W: 1.756 Quadrillion L: 0 D: 2
Haters gon' hate.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
The gap between rich and poor - I though we had it bad in the UK, but over there it seems to be a crime to be poor.
It's staggering, the US ranks lower than many African 3rd world countries on that scale. It really is a nation divided in that regard. Sadly so as well.
And yet...it's still better to be poor in the US than to be poor in any of those countries. Probably better to be poor here than to be middle-class in a lot of places too. Income inequality is a silly way to measure the worth of a society.
When I visited England, I was amazed at the poor air quality (could have just been London) and the extravagent displays of wealth (again...London) that you really don't see in the U.S., even in big cities like New York.
I also noticed that many of the English lasses were especially ah...well endowed. Unfortunately, said English lasses don't appreciate an American accent the way the American wimmenz appreciate a British one.
biccat wrote:And yet...it's still better to be poor in the US than to be poor in any of those countries. Probably better to be poor here than to be middle-class in a lot of places too. Income inequality is a silly way to measure the worth of a society.
Perhaps, but it is a pretty good way to determine when the riots are going to begin, especially when coupled with the economic mobility being just as stifled.
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
halonachos wrote:As far as your Revolutionary War trip, you need to visit Virginia for Colonial Williamsburg (which has the same exact roller coasters the founding fathers rode on), Jamestown, and Yorktown. That's where the real history is at
I think you'll find that there is plenty of Revolutionary War-related historical significance in New England.
Boston sure, but Williamsburg is better and has more history. The there's always Busch Gardens for when you don't want to look at history all day, and of course Yorktown was where the war ended. Jamestown was where the colonies started too. Also, the queen visited Jamestown once, I think that makes it mandatory for other Englanders.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/08/23 19:59:52
The same people that would happily drive you 10 miles for free to the next town, wouldn't blink an eyelid at shooting down some crook or villian who had stolen from them.
biccat wrote:And yet...it's still better to be poor in the US than to be poor in any of those countries. Probably better to be poor here than to be middle-class in a lot of places too. Income inequality is a silly way to measure the worth of a society.
Perhaps, but it is a pretty good way to determine when the riots are going to begin, especially when coupled with the economic mobility being just as stifled.
I suppose this explains why there have been riots in the last few years in the United States but not in places such as Egypt, Syria, Libya, Greece, France and England.
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
