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Americans... are a bit strange aren't they?

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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 155
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    Oh gawd...you got middle americans it sounds like.

    People who are along the coasts and in urban environments tend to be more liberal. The US has alot of those super hardcore christian-y types. I try to avoid em like the plague.

    And most americans do not have passports. Myself included. Most americans have this idea that the United States is the center of the earth, and that tends to come out in our behavior and attitudes. And everywhere else is mainly a tourist place. It's ridiculous, but that's just somewhat how it is.
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    malaikahmalaikah Posts: 20,014
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    They made my husband and I laugh out loud by asking the waiter whether they had Champagne, adding "it's a sparkling wine that we have in America, do you have it here?"
    :D Classic!
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,939
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    Glowbot wrote: »
    I am sorry, but however you spin and explain that it's not a great figure...

    40% of 300 million is a lot of people. Plus 36% of people had NO OPINION on how life began on earth?

    I guess I don't sound very open to people's beliefs here, but you must be a bit dopey to not even wonder from time to time about how life came to be... how can you ignore all the evidence for evolution? even the catholics accept it.
    It's only 25% that don't believe in evolution--the 40% is the number that definitely does believe in evolution.

    BTW, 25% is also the number of Britons who believe the moon landing was faked--so I think the take away is that basically 1 in 4 people no matter the country are stupid:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/5851435/Apollo-11-hoax-one-in-four-people-do-not-believe-in-moon-landing.html

    As for the 36% with no opinion my guess is that many of them believe in God and think God may have had some hand in how things happened but my guess is at the same time most of them know the Earth isn't 7000 years old or whatever Creationists believe.
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    epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    Oh gawd...you got middle americans it sounds like.

    People who are along the coasts and in urban environments tend to be more liberal. The US has alot of those super hardcore christian-y types. I try to avoid em like the plague.

    And most americans do not have passports. Myself included. Most americans have this idea that the United States is the center of the earth, and that tends to come out in our behavior and attitudes. And everywhere else is mainly a tourist place. It's ridiculous, but that's just somewhat how it is.

    You really don't have to make any apologies and I really hate this sort of two Americas b.s. :(

    As an ex-pat who has lived in the UK for seven years, let me assure you that insularity and ethnocentrism are traits not exclusive to Americans, and as with most places around the world, the good outweigh the bad.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,518
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    epicurian wrote: »
    That's gotta be Berkley.

    it was Carnegie-Mellon University...
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,518
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    How many Americans are actually SURVEYED in those polls? Come on...some of you are making startling and utterly ridiculous generalizations and it makes me think....some of you don't travel much
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,939
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    And most americans do not have passports. Myself included. Most americans have this idea that the United States is the center of the earth, and that tends to come out in our behavior and attitudes. And everywhere else is mainly a tourist place. It's ridiculous, but that's just somewhat how it is.
    This piece from a couple years back does a pretty good job explaining why so many Americans don't have passports or travel abroad:
    http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/10/20/debunking-passport-myth/
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,243
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    luke75b wrote: »
    It's only 25% that don't believe in evolution--the 40% is the number that definitely does believe in evolution.

    BTW, 25% is also the number of Britons who believe the moon landing was faked--so I think the take away is that basically 1 in 4 people no matter the country are stupid:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/5851435/Apollo-11-hoax-one-in-four-people-do-not-believe-in-moon-landing.html

    As for the 36% with no opinion my guess is that many of them believe in God and think God may have had some hand in how things happened but my guess is at the same time most of them know the Earth isn't 7000 years old or whatever Creationists believe.

    But 25% is 37.5 million people! :eek:
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,481
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    Oh gawd...you got middle americans it sounds like.

    People who are along the coasts and in urban environments tend to be more liberal. The US has alot of those super hardcore christian-y types. I try to avoid em like the plague.

    And most americans do not have passports. Myself included. Most americans have this idea that the United States is the center of the earth, and that tends to come out in our behavior and attitudes. And everywhere else is mainly a tourist place. It's ridiculous, but that's just somewhat how it is.

    When I went to the US this summer we mainly stuck to campsites, cities and National Parks. But I've always had a strange desire to experience small town America and meet its God fearing locals. :o

    One of the few towns we visited was Roswell, and it was bizarre. It practically worships alien life to the extent that the street lights have Martian eyes painted on them!
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    irishguyirishguy Posts: 22,172
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    Mojorisin' wrote: »
    it was Carnegie-Mellon University...

    i knew that was going to be an east coast school.. although i was thinking more a new england one or maybe even CU although it usnt as liberal now
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    epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    When I went to the US this summer we mainly stuck to campsites, cities and National Parks. But I've always had a strange desire to experience small town America and meet its God fearing locals. :o

    One of the few towns we visited was Roswell, and it was bizarre. It practically worships alien life to the extent that the street lights have Martian eyes painted on them!


    I've been to Roswell, and I figured they were just playing up the alien autopsy thing and cashing in on the tourists. Do you really think they worship aliens?? :confused:
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    irishguyirishguy Posts: 22,172
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    epicurian wrote: »
    I've been to Roswell, and I figured they were just playing up the alien autopsy thing and cashing in on the tourists. Do you really think they worship aliens?? :confused:

    hahah maybe its full of Tom Cruises special friends
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    epicurianepicurian Posts: 19,291
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    irishguy wrote: »
    hahah maybe its full of Tom Cruises special friends

    Ha! I don't think the people of Roswell have that kind of dough!
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 72
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    epicurian wrote: »
    Well, this forum was over-due for one of these threads, it has to be said.

    Bring me over a giant bottle of green Tabasco, if you're coming over, will ya?

    Next trip, I promise. What, no peanut butter? My ex-pat cousin who lives in Oxford always wants me to bring some for him.
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    StudmuffinStudmuffin Posts: 4,377
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    None of the Americans I know have guns or are church-goers or believers. They're all educated, have passports and travel extensively here and abroad.

    The only Creationist I know was the RE teacher at my sons primary school in the UK and she was British.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,364
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    I am dual citizen and there is nothing strange about Americans. They vary, just as people do in the UK. I can hardly believe this is a thread on here, it's almost offensive.
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    marjanglesmarjangles Posts: 9,681
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    I've met, worked with and lived with Americans and am currently dating one too. Like all nations on Earth you get very different people and some of them are strange but I've met equally strange Brits, French etc etc.

    I think too many Brits expect Americans to be Brits with slightly different accents. They are from a vastly different culture to ours. My boyfriend is very socially liberal and down right left wing but he is also totally against gun control because he comes from a state in which hunting and gun ownership is not just traditional but almost a birth right.
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    AzagothAzagoth Posts: 10,169
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    One of the few towns we visited was Roswell, and it was bizarre. It practically worships alien life to the extent that the street lights have Martian eyes painted on them!

    Well, I've been to Roswell quite a few times and I've never once met anyone who worships aliens at all. What I have seen is a town whose main tourist industry is based around one the most famous UFO/Alien incident in our history, and due to that they play up to it.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 14,284
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    Sentenza wrote: »
    You must be joking.
    I had a American girlfriend from Philly for 3 years and on my numerous visits there they are very polite - I remember sneezing in a supermarket there and about 15 "Bless You" came from various aisles :D

    I worked in retail as one of my first jobs in the UK and me and the other American girl there clocked up sales thanks to our warmth and politeness. Like epicurian said, people tend to take our politeness for fakeness and that we "plaster on smiles." No, the majority of us are just that polite. My OH loves America and he always goes on about the great customer service and general friendliness of Americans.
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    MidnightFalconMidnightFalcon Posts: 15,016
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    All this stereotyping about a population of 308 million people doesn't exactly make us look like brain surgeons. I've worked with a few yanks in my time and none of them fit the descriptions on this thread.

    On the other hand I've met some seriously stupid Brits.
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    TombstoneTombstone Posts: 2,578
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    I married one so I have to say they are the friendliest and most polite people I have met. :) [they are actually].

    She is also in line to inherit a huge ranch in New Mexico so I am often to be heard saying how much I would love to live over there.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 25,310
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    All this stereotyping about a population of 308 million people doesn't exactly make us look like brain surgeons. I've worked with a few yanks in my time and none of them fit the descriptions on this thread.

    On the other hand I've met some seriously stupid Brits.

    There's a whole thread where people don't know the difference between BA and BAA.
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    AndrueAndrue Posts: 23,366
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    I am dual citizen and there is nothing strange about Americans. They vary, just as people do in the UK. I can hardly believe this is a thread on here, it's almost offensive.
    Ignorant, mostly. As others have written - the US is a big country with huge variations in culture and education. You cannot make sweeping statements about any country based on personal experience of two families.

    I work with US colleagues almost every day and from time to time we discuss things other than work. They have differing views and opinions but no more extreme than we get talking amongst ourselves over here. One or two of them display a lack of interest in the wider world but there's people here with the same attitude and that's even less excusable.

    I've also spent time in California (around San Jose) as well as Minneapolis where they are based. It looks different and people seem a bit more polite but otherwise it seems much like it is here.

    I'm sure they have their fair share of nutters and idiots (and one guy I chat with is a bit of a jerk) but that's human beings for you.
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    PlatinumStevePlatinumSteve Posts: 4,295
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    Well I wouldn't call us "strange" just different I guess. You have to think about the vastly different upbringing, education, and culture over here. We can be weird, we can be odd, a little strange, but I don't think it's a bad thing :-) Variety is the Spice of Life!
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 22,736
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    I think many Brits get their impressions of our friends over the pond from the imported TV Trash. America isnt all Jerry Springer, Sally and Rikki Lake, just like us brits aren't like the scum on the Kyle show.
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