Question for Americans?

Question

I'm Dutch, my girlfriend is Romanian. In a few months we will move to the USA, because we wanna raise our kids in a language we both speak, English.

I have visited the US a few times, and actually liked it, a lot. But my last visit is years ago.

Being here on Y!A in the R+S section continues to give me the impression that the US these days is like a society filled with religious fundamentalists who attack any different opinion on life. And that was far from the impression I had from visiting the country.

Has the US changed a lot? Or is Y!A nothing more than a schoolyard filled with shouted craziness, and has nothing to do with the actual society?

Answer 1

Any part of the United States has its fair share of religious people, but the fundamentalists are mostly from the South. You'll be fine on the coasts and/or the big cities.

Oh, also the college towns are usually more enlightened. I live in Boulder Colorado and you very seldom meet a highly religious person here.

ONE MORE THING: When we say South, we actually mean Southeast. Otherwise known as the Bible Belt -- Virginia through Oklahoma.

Answer 2

I understand how you feel. It's unfortunate and frankly embarrassing that the U.S. has earned a terrible reputation abroad that all Americans are racist, narrow-minded, xenophobic religious wackos. I feel the same way about some of my fellow Americans. You will encounter these crazies anywhere you live, but these terrible attitudes are more openly accepted and tolerated in some parts of the country over others. For example, you will encounter openly ignorant attitudes in the deep South as well as the rural Midwest. If you are looking for a decent community to live where people's attitudes are pretty balanced I would suggest living in New Mexico (but not in the southeastern section of the state...all rednecks there!!). My beautiful state is very diverse. We are majority Native American and Spanish or Mexican-American. Our state has an an history of Native Americans dating back 1,000 years and a blended history of Hispanics and Native Americans going back since before the Pilgrims and the Mayflower. Spanish and Indian alike here have a wide tolerance of religious acceptance that was hard-fought over mistakes made by the Spaniard conquistadores in the 1600's. Nowadays, most New Mexicans accept that religious celebrations are a cultural mixture of Catholic, Protestant, Spanish and Native American traditions. Quite beautiful, really.

Answer 3

YA is not a very good representation of the United States. Most of us are just every day people who go to work, raise our families, live life and do our best. Yes there are some who are bad eggs - even people who are down right evil. But most of the people I have met are good, kind people who will help out their neighbors and give you the shirt off their own backs if you need it. We are a very diverse nation - we live together with many different cultures, religions, ethnicity's, and for the most part get along together very well. There are some bigoted people here - but they are in the minority. It also depends on where you want to settle. The coasts seem to be more liberal and the interior of the nation more conservative. We have just about any climate you could want. We have just about any type of natural beauty - mountains, deserts, plains, oceans and tropical paradises. Some places are very expensive, while others are more reasonable. The coasts tend to be more pricey, but wages are higher there.

Answer 4

I'm a "religious fundamentalist" but I don't know any "crazy" ones. All the Christians I know pretty much behave like everyone else. There may be a few crazy ones that like to get on venues like this so they can shout at people but I'd say they are the exception and not the rule.
In spite of what "popular culture" says Christians are not freaks, morons, or glassy eyed mindless robots. They are just normal people who have had their sins forgiven by Jesus Christ. Since God is not out to harm the human race that means he doesn't turn his forgiven children into zombies.
You can find any kind of person you want to find in the US. People are people. Most of the people in the US are friendly, generous, and open but, of course, there are always bad guys that you have to look out for.
Hope you enjoy your stay in the US!

Answer 5

Y!A IS nothing more than a schoolyard filled with shouted craziness, and has nothing to do with the actual society.

You will come across people who are firm in their faiths or lack of belief, but most of them are not armed and will not come after you if you disagree.

The younger generation generally is much more open and liberal. Given the background you've given, I guess you are late 20's, possibly early 30's. You'll be comfortable with the people you meet.

Immigrate legally and we'll all help you find friends.

Answer 6

Don't judge the U.S. by what you read on here. Most of the people here on YA are kids and a occasionally old person like myself that doesn't have a life. The U.S. is a mix of people. Depends on where you end up. The East coast are fast talking, in a hurry folks. Midwest is laid back, nicer. South tends to be more Fundamentalist. California anything goes. How long ago where you here?

Answer 7

I wouldn't consider the people on Yahoo! Answers to be an accurate portrayal of American society. There are many idiots that have nothing better to do than waste cyber space. Sure, there are some "religious fundamentalists" in America, but the number of tolerant people in America outnumber them.
I'm from Texas by the way. I hate that stupid stereotype that Texans are intolerant and are hicks. Every place has closed minded people. And yes, many of us do say "ya'll" but I don't ride a horse to school! lol.

Answer 8

Y!A is basically nothing more than a schoolyard filled with shouted craziness, and has nothing to do with the actual society.

Most people wouldn't dare to say even half of the stuff they post here to someone's face. The anonymity of the internet makes them brave.

Answer 9

The US has indeed changed, especially if you visited before Bush took office. However, you will find that the average person here is probably not that bad; it is the very vocal minority (policticinans, fundamentalists, et cetera) that make us look bad. Y!A doesn't help... it tends to attract trolls. I hope that if you decide to come live here in the US that you have a very good experience with it. Good luck.

Answer 10

Stick to the west coast. I LOVE Washington. Tons of Californians relocate to Oregon so that might be a good choice. Californians tend to be very tolerant of each other since we are such a diverse community. In CA steer clear of the Inland Empire. Keep toward the coast.