Quote:
Originally Posted by nekokami
Very true. For those interested in regional and cultural differences in the US, I highly recommend The Nine Nations of North America, by Joel Garreau.
Summary:
Reading this book (years ago) helped me understand why my views, as a New England citizen, differ so much from those of someone like Ralph, from a completely different part of the country with its own values. Both of us are surrounded by people with similar backgrounds to our own, and it is easy to fall into the assumption that the rest of the country is the same, but this is an illusion, I believe. When Ralph speaks of what "Americans" believe or "American culture," he does not and cannot speak for all of the US. Different parts of the US were settled by different groups with different reasons for being here, and our culture is no more homogeneous than that of the EU.
Edit: Another interesting reference is The 10 Regions of US Politics. |
Wow! Being gone for a while and trying to catch up on all the posts around here is giving me a headache I feel like I'm back in university and having to "critical think" through every post.
I think that the title of this thread is a slight misnomer as it should probably be called "The Various US Cultural Divides/The Various EU Cultural Divides--Musings
Neko's post with map is a very good example of what a variety of cultural divides we have in such a large land mass of the USA. I've lived for over 10 years in each of 3 different areas and felt like an alien each time I moved in. I've found that there is a comfort zone derived from all my experiences.
Setting the US up as just one entity with just one belief is not technically correct as there is such a wide divide among ourselves (as I've noted even among the EU posts). Our beliefs and strong opinions as formed through our separate cultural upbringings and outside influences. Even amongst those of us living in the same area and / or family.
I've learned that you will not change anyone's beliefs through discussion unless they are open to change.
O.K., that was my two little, bitty cents worth. All I wanted to really say was thanks Neko
for mentioning something that kept going through my head as I read through the posts.