so whats America really like?

Hi all,

in the UK we get a stereotype of America via friends, will and grace, 24, and most of the hollywood stuff, however my wife has been to NY twice in the past year and assures me that its a great place and ive a friend in in california who loves being there.

now i know London isnt filled with charming cocknies or the fact that its actually not most of England, so bearing in mind the 'where are you from' thread and with full respect of who we are as people what is America really like to live in and be a part of?

btw it does rain a lot where i live.

I think that the most qualified people to answer this thread are those from the midwest and south as they are a large part of our population but are somewhat under-represented in our mass media. They live in what we Californians refer to as the "fly over states." (as in all we know about them is that we fly over them when traveling from Cali to NY) j/k I live the in the San Fransisco area, so much of what I see is very similar to what you may think of America from the movies. My parents live in La Jolla (an upper class suburb of San Diego) so what I deal with when I visit them is EXACTLY like the TV shows and movies with the beautiful women, fancy cars, and palmtree lined roads. But as I originally stated, what I experience here in the SF bay/ Silicon Valley and in La Jolla/SD is vastly different than what I'm sure some Americans consider to be the "true" america. For example I detest oval Stock Car Racing, country music, big pickup trucks, SUVs and George Bush but I love World Rallye, F1, bands like Modest Mouse and the Darkness, european cars, and politicians such as Clinton. But I can promise that is pretty far from the true 'norm' here in the States.

-Chris

New York City is an international zone. You will find so many immigrants from other countries that it's not *really* like the other parts of America (I've only been there once, but that was my impression of the place.)

I'm from Tucson, Arizona - a politically and religiously conservative Christian state. Think Missouri with a desert. Arizona ranks last in education and near the top for violent crime. It's not a pleasant place to be, in my opinion.

I have travelled all over the world and I would say that pretty much everywhere you go.. you'll find something like it in America.. you want rain forest, you'll find it.. you want desert.. you'll find it, you want.. well you get the idea As for people liking it or hating it.. you'll find all types, just like in your own country. As for american's being like the movies.. well there are those people that are like that, but I would say majority are not.. and then again it depends on which movies We're just people like everyone else, we're all different. I have met people when I was out travelling in our countries that I liked and disliked.. and who liked or disliked me, same with people here in my own country. Visit.. you'll see for yourself

Visit.. you'll see for yourself [/QUOTE]

yes i want to, i think that sometimes that asking from an outsiders perspective you get more of a feel for a place, ive worked and lived in Papua New Guinea, Australia and Germany, spent my early years in the 60's in Canada, graduating this year and want to do postgraduate study and America is an option, but through forums like this i would hope that it is possible to get a better understanding of a country beyond the spin of politics and tv.

280+ million people. Over nine million square kilometers of land. (All the Amercans are saying, "What's a kilometer?") Not the biggest country by any measure, but fairly close.

Which makes it tough to generalize about it all.

BTW, I live in "the South" at the moment. ("The South" is what US residents call the southeastern quarter of the country.) Around here, many people tend to take the Bible absolutely literally. Will and Grace isn't exactly popular.

People here look on New York and California as if they were in a different country.

But, definitely, come over and visit. America has good and bad sides, but it's definitely something to see.

And the dollar is weak right now, so it'll be cheap. :mac:

America, again depending on where you go.. is a lot like Australia (depending on where you are at) and Canada (again depending on where you are at)

technologist hit it on the head, it's just tough to generalize, when we're as big as we are, same with Australia as you know, and Canada as you know.. give us an area of America, for example a state, and we'll be able to do better for you

I live in the midwest in northwest Ohio. I live in the urban area, so our city is really a democrat area and not a lot of conservatives. If you want to live an average normal life, you live in midwest. You won't have an accent (in most cases), you'll dress normal, you won't think, Man, I got to lose weight to look amazing on the beach. Growing up as an American, I never knew that America was always under the spotlight as much as I know now. Any television shows that you see from America that takes place in New York or California just is not reality in most states, Ohio in particular. For example, I watched interviews of German students from their experiences in America. Everyone of them judged America by what they watched in the movies or on the television, and when they came over, they knew what they watched was just not the case, where they were staying. For example, in most movies, you always see families living in mansions with beautiful lawns and white picket fences; in most cases that is not your average american family.

If you're ever in America don't be afraid to just go crazy with saying "Hello. How ya doin?'" to whom ever you will have close contact with, like strangers. Americans will tend to get personal by accident in some conversations, so just let it go and relax. We love to use first names and sometimes in business, but would not recommend it unless instructed. Americans like to laugh and enjoy being with people who have a sense of humor. I think I can say for all Americans that we aren't comfortable around the subject of foreigners talking about our government or the war. It's a very touchy subject between us Americans even. In my opinion, no matter what country you are from, you represent that country 24/7; your attitude towards Americans will be reflected, how we view your country in the future. So be careful what is said.

tbh, i dont want generalisation, im interested to know where any of you are from and what your perception is of which state, county your from.

each of the UK's counties are unique and are quite proud of their heritage and diversity but as whole make up the UK.

i understand though the complexity of the nation, just very interested and wanting to know more.

although time for bed as its gone midnight here.

I heard that most Americans don't really 'get' the British sense of humour, any truth in that?

what exactly is the british sense of humor?

ps iWhat: i live in dayton, i little down from toledo.

edgefusion said:

I heard that most Americans don't really 'get' the British sense of humour, any truth in that?

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Most don't, but those who do (myself included) find some of it quite funny.

Some of my friends can quote/re-enact the entirety of Life of Brian, the Meaning of Life, Holy Grail, *and* the Flying Circus skits.

I never had a problem cracking up watching reruns of "So Graham Norton" on BBC America. Dame Edna is also really funny, I understand his, oops, I mean her jokes.

CaptainMack,

Ah, yes, Dayton, my family and I always pass through Dayton on vacation. Hey, doesn't it seem that Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati get all the attention in Ohio, and Toledo and Dayton get left behind?

ravenstor said:

friends, will and grace, 24

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I don't think my life has ever been close to anything that was in any of those shows. I live in Indiana, right outsite of Indianapolis, which is one of the more populated cities in the US even though people commonly forget that. Downtown Indianpolis is where my college is located, I drive there everyday. Indiana is a fairly conservative state. Even though I live pretty close to Indiapolis, if I drive just a little bit south I'll be out 'in the country', surrounded by corn fields. It rains all the time here, except in the winter months, then it snows.

I understand the metric system.

When Americans think of British humor they usually think of men dressing up like women, which they don't find particularly funny. I used to watch a lot of the Monty Python stuff when I was younger, that is really all I know of British comedy.

Do other countries think of fat people when they think of America?

Speaking of British humour, you guys haven't lived until you've seen Bo' Selecta!

....

I have also been all around the world. If you want to see america: come over and rent a nice minivan or something and just drive. I am always amazed at how absolutely breathtaking America is. Colorado, arizona, Oregon, Washington state are all great spots to see. The mountainous states are very homey feeling and most of the people are very down to earth and love foreigners (especially the chicks ). I live in Texas and it's really pretty here as well. There is a small area of Texas that has a desert and cactus but it's far west in Texas so the common stereotype of desert and cowboys is really untrue. When I was in Liverpool, all the brittish loved to talk to me about America and were very friendly. The only bad experience I had during the whole trip I asked for by trying to buy some hash from some guy on the subway in Picadilly. Ripped me off but in the end, I scored the goods from some guy in a pub in Crawley for 5 pounds! Bear in mind this was a few years back in my teens and I dont do that kind of thing anymore. You should definately stay away from big cities like NYC and Chicago etc. Very crowded and America hasnt adapted a usable mass transit system so traffic is like the center of London at noon on a Tuesday.

I never heard of Bo' Selecta. Would it happen to be on BBC America? Or do you watch it directly from channel4. Is there anyway I can watch some video clips of the show online. We should also not forget Ali G.; he's a funny character.

i heard some one say the south.. thats mel. I live in shreveport, louisiana. It is actaully one of the most populated cities in america i think in 2000 we were 17th butn swince then we have grown even closer to the top. Down here i actaully a different world as apose to Even OHIo..I have some friends in dayton and when we all meet up there is a culture shock. My metropolitan area which is one of the biggest. is like the 7th most dangerous one on america. Down here we have our own food. our own langueage (creole)