A question for our European friends?

Question

Why is it that whenever you want to try to prove that Americans are inferior, you always bring up the point that most Europeans have passports, while few Americans do? Have you ever taken the time to look at a map? Are you aware that travelling, as I did a few months back, from Maryland on the east coast, to Texas, just HALFWAY across the country, is the same distance as going from Spain to Russia?

And has it ever occurred to you that most of our states are larger than all of your countries? Yeah, if I lived in Belgium, I'd practically need a passport just to go to the grocery store, and vacation time is pretty boring if you are stuck in a country the size of our largest city. Americans, however, can travel freely across a nation larger than your entire continent. Plus, we can freely travel to the two countries that border us. Why do we need passports except to fly over there and put up with the insufferable snobbery from you arrogant twits?

Get over your false cosmopolitanism.

Of course you would, britsurfer. Whatever it takes to make you feel superior.

I am aware of the cultural differences. We have those here too, though not as pronounced. But to get the same experience, we'd have to travel much much further. And unless your governments want to start subsidizing our airfare, we are pretty much limited. You can experience different cultures travelling by car, especially now with your Chunnel. We can't. All we have is an mostly English-speaking northern continent and a mostly Spanish-speaking southern continent.

The Bricklayer: To you, seeing "The World" means travelling maybe 50 miles to the border on maybe a quarter of a tank of gas, in an SUV.

I tell you what, I'll give you my Paypal address so you can send me $2000 so I can travel to your country and "see the world." And I'll pay the 15 pounds or so for gas for you to travel to France.

One more time: How dare you call us lazy! Until you are willing to pay for us to fly to far off destinations then you have nothing to say. As I keep pointing out, for you to experience a different culture, all you need to so is travel 40 miles and spend maybe $5 on gas. For us, it is a far more expensive proposition.

November Girl: Is it a stereotype when every reply to this question, except yours of course, expressed the same sentiments I accuse them of in the question?

Answer 1

Why do you ask a question like this and then get angry when people give you an obvious answer. You just want to have your pre concieved ideas about Europe confirmed. I have no problem with Americans I dont consider Europe to be better, its just diffrent. You are angry that Europeans appear to steryotype Americans and then you do just the same the other way round!

Answer 2

The fact that you think staying in a huge country means you travel widely is the reason why so many Europeans see Americans as small-minded people with tunnel vision. You could say the same about Australia - the USA is tiny by comparison - but Australians in their droves travel the globe expanding their minds and souls.

All YOU are going to meet (unless you talk to tourists, which seems unlikely) is more Americans. Conversely, from London we can travel, within four hours, to countries that don't even use the same alphabet - Greece and the former Soviet countries. To an Islamic country, Turkey, to the ice of the Polar regions and the north of Africa.

Young people from the UK also, once they leave University, or indeed before they go, are increasingly taking a "gap year" and travelling extensively to better understand foreign cultures.

It is not a question of seeing citizens of the USA as "inferior". It is just that, internationally, you are incredibly poorly informed. You get international news in very small clips - most of your news is US-orientated. Also, ALL of your news is owned by private individuals who put their own slant on it. Murdoch is almost certainly one of the most influential men in the world. In the UK we have the non-commercial BBC which, although it clearly has a slant, is NOT owned by anyone other than US.

IF you travelled a bit more, of course, you might just understand why the USA is one of the most despised countries in the world. But they wouldn't tell you that in your papers or TV news would they ............

Answer 3

I don't think its so much how you've travelled, I think what they are talking about is that if America is going to police the world and meddle in everybody's affairs, then it would be nice if its citizens knew a little more about the people they were telling what to do.

The big problem is that because most Americans haven't left the states they don't fully comprehend what others are like, how they think, what they do, what they believe and why.

What motivates people in the middle east, India, China, Japan, Russia or Africa is actually quite different from what motivates the average American. As long as the American don't understand that they will continue to step on toes all over the world.

Now the common counter argument to that is 'well, this is our country and we get to run it as we wan't to'. There is some truth to that, but it would hold a lot more water for many people if it wasn't felt that America doesn't let anybody else run their country the way the want to either.

As long as America keeps deciding how other people should live, other people will criticise how the Americans live.

Answer 4

Well that is your problem. You don't understand questions which are not asked by Americans. They meant that many Americans don't leave USA and because of that Americans are not used to see different point of views, different culture...

It doesn't matter if you drove the whole America...You are so lazy and one-pointed that you can travel only around USA.

Answer 5

America may be enormous-but it is one country and culture.

Visiting Las Vegas is not the same as "seeing the World".

When you visit different countries you find that the "picture" that you have of different cultures is not very accurate.

All that people are trying to tell you is that unless you have seen the World,you are not in a position to judge.

Answer 6

of direction this question replaced into put in both stupidity or to generate a antagonistic reaction, so i will attempt no longer to chew. Your remark ought to nicely be construed as racist in this politically splendid day and age or maybe with the reality that united statesa. is the so referred to as great power, that does no longer mean that that is continuously splendid in what it does, and it really is acceptable to different countries also. Iraq replaced into mandatory perchance, yet ought to were dealt with and idea out so a lot more effective than it replaced into. an same with Afghanistan. my own own opinion, that perchance is somewhat akin for your view is that all and distinctive countries could artwork mutually the position plausible, yet on trivia etc different countries should be left to their own death and our own countries concentration on our own human beings and economies. united statesa. is as a lot a person and backstabber (if no more effective), than the different has historic previous can exhibit, yet to incite a conflict adversarial to Europe and its scum ( your words no longer mine), is a clean indication, that united statesa. ought to do without YOU, and Europe actually has sufficient of your kind already attempting to modify its direction, so could also take care of without you. no longer many places left for such - perchance the sahara barren region - ought to maintain you chuffed ( without water)

Answer 7

It's amazing (and actually dangerous in the long run) how Europeans want to establish a sense of identity by saying to Americans "we are not like you", but with little concept of what they really are.

Answer 8

Yes we know you travel distance and yes i know that the US is huge. But its all the same culture, if you have ever travelled from Spain to Russia you will notice a massive culture change. I would say you are simply an ignorant twit and you question is one of stupidity.

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In response to your additional comments. Why would that make me feel superior? Its true, Spainish and Russian culture is different, its a fact. I suspect you hate Europeans because of your own arrogance. Europe is smaller than America, but it has dozens of cultures, languages, beliefs etc. What do you have? ...McDonalds, congratulations.

Answer 9

If you travel from Maryland to Texas you will experience culture shock and a language barrier, but this is still a stupid "Ugly American" question.

Answer 10

So that's why Americans are so ignorant and don't know their geography. Its because they dwell in themselves.