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I gotta agree with him on his comment on heritage.
Yes knowing where your ancestors came from is great, but unless your family has came over in the last 20 yrs. I could give two rips about it. I dont need to be reminded every week that your irish-french-german-african..lol.
When my wife and I were in Amsterdam we went to an Indian restaurant (Don't ask) and we were there for four hours and no, this was not a good thing.
From what I understand, going out to eat in Europe is seen differently than in America.
Here in America, going out to dinner is meant to be a PART of the night out. In Europe it IS the night out. Many European's like to drink and socialize for hours in restaurants, and will actually hold off courses until they're ready for them. I think that's what dude is complaning about.
I'm gonna actually make my way through the author's tripe, and break it down:
He says:
1. Americans are way too sensitive. As a person who has traveled all over the world, I've certainly run into some very touchy people in Europe - most markedly in Austria. I simply don't understand how he reaches the conclusion that we're more sensitive than other ethnicities. There's such a wide variety of emotions and reactions in Americans - individually and within regions - that I don't see how he could possibly make such a wide generalization and expect to be taken seriously.
Maybe he means that we often go out of our way to TRY TO BE ACCEPTING AND POLITE TO PEOPLE WE MAY PRIVATELY DISLIKE OR DISAPPROVE OF. In other words, we try not to offend others. He says this like it's a bad thing. Sheeze!
2. Everything is awesome. Hey, dude, guess what - most of us may REALLY LIKE where we live and REALLY BE GLAD TO BE ALIVE. Life is awesome in so many ways, especially American life. Sorry you're not as enthusiastic or grateful, but don't begrudge those traits in others.
3. Smiles mean absolutely nothing. This is another ridiculous generalization. GENERALLY SPEAKING, Americans are a friendly bunch. Why would this guy assume that when people smile, they don't mean it in a friendly way? Sheeze, who ate his sack lunch? He really seems to be unable to grasp the fact that many Americans do genuinely feel pleasant, happy, grateful to be alive, open, and/or friendly.
This tells me a lot more about HIM than it does about Americans, by the way. I'm just sayin'...
4. Tipping. Wow, what a surly, ornery traveler this guy seems to be. He is actually disdainful of courteous, helpful waitstaff - and the way we generously show our appreciation for their service, and expect him to do the same (much as I am sure he would expect us to respect HIS local customs). By the way, dude, tipping ISN'T mandatory. You will just look like a jerk if you don't tip for good service - and believe me, you probably already look like a jerk, so really - what do you have to lose? GO FOR IT. Don't do anything half way! LIVE LIFE FULLY AS THE JERK YOU ARE!
5. False prices on everything. I found this one to be particularly odd. He seems to hate to pay sales tax. Well, guess what - I don't particularly like paying the VAT taxes when I visit Europe - but it's a freaking hassle to figure out how NOT to pay these taxes that I don't really owe and can technically avoid in many cases. So I just pay their inflated prices, and taxes that I don't owe, and don't sweat it. I'm on vacation. I'm there to enjoy myself, not fret over a few insignificant taxes. By the way, don't even get me started on PETROL PRICES in Europe. My gosh. But I digress. Hey, if I want to toodle around in Europe in a car, then I know before going there that I'll be paying more for "petrol" than I do at home. It's part of the price of the vacation. See - I'm already over it!
6. Cheesy in your face marketing. Ok, cheesy marketing bothers me too - which is why I watch, for the most part, channels that don't have much marketing. I have Netflix, and Amazon.com, and XM/Sirius, and a DVR, and any other number of channels and stations and sources that don't bombard me with marketing. That being said, so far, this one - #6 - is the first of his many tiresome complaints that may have some validity to it.
That being said - have you ever watched European TV? There's a reason why American TV is so popular over there - so much of their stuff sucks SO badly. You really oughtta watch an Elvis movie in German - with plenty of German beer (iced, not at room temperature) it's even BETTER! You'll be BEGGING for a commercial break!
7. Wasteful consumerism. Let me tell you something. I think I KNOW why Europeans don't have as much stuff as we do: THEY HAVE NO CLOSET SPACE. And often, there is an added TAX for each closet or room! Hell, if I didn't have so much space in my house - and my garage - and my yard - I wouldn't have as much stuff! But let me assure you, if you haven't been to Europe - their houses and closets (or wardrobes since they often don't have closets) and tiny one car garages are just as full of junk as any Americans' house. They just have less individual space. So spare me the holier than thou attitude.
8. Idiotic American stereotypes of other countries Really? The irony of this statement has apparently escaped this guy.
By the way, when I tell Europeans that I'm from Texas, you ought to hear some of them cut loose with the ridiculous stereotypes. No, I don't own a horse. No, I don't live in a mansion. No, I don't have any cacti in my yard. No, I don't own a Confederate flag. No, I'm not Baptist. No, I don't have illegal aliens doing my yardwork or cleaning my house.
Yes, I do say "y'all." And yes, I do own some cowboy boots and I really do wear them on occasion. Yes, you can order them on Amazon and have them shipped to me and I'll mail them to you. No problem. Aren't us friendly, helpful Americans AWESOME?
9. Heritage. Get over it, is all I have to say. It's an American thing - you wouldn't understand. What I don't understand is why you're so touchy about it. Guess that hypersensitivity is an Irish thing - and I don't understand. But I'm prepared to be gracious about your touchy, judgmental attitude when I'm visiting your country. In fact, I will probably find it interesting - and in a strange way, endearing.
One thing for sure is this - if you're an example of an Irishman, well, I'm glad I'm only 1/8th Irish.
10. ID checks & stupid drinking laws. Guess what - we agree on this one!
11. Religious Americans. All I can say is that this is very ironic coming from someone from Ireland. You guys are STILL blowing each other up over religion. Before you correct me, I know that it's more complicated than all that - but come on - Europe's history of religious tolerance, or the lack thereof, is a pretty tattered and bloody one.
Unlike your country, ours was founded on the concept of FREEDOM OF RELIGION - that's right, our ancestors were trying to get the hell away from Europe's intolerance of religious differences, so please excuse us if we revel a bit in our hard earned freedoms.
Don't tell us to "tone it down." You have a whole lot to learn about tolerance.
12. Corporations win all the time, not small businesses. My father and my husband and myself, and my ancestors way back on down the line, have been successful small business owners. This country was founded on their success and the success of many others like them. In my little town in Texas, the most successful restaurants are the privately owned ones, not the chains.
Sorry that we have so much land that you have to drive a car to go to a restaurant. We like it that way.
13. A country designed for cars, not humans. SPEAKING OF CARS! American cars are affordable. Our gas (you know it as "petrol") is about half the cost of that in Europe. We have a lot of space, we own more land individually than Europeans. We have a less dense population. We have a lot of really great roads and highways. Rental cars are very inexpensive. Mass transit, public transportation simply isn't feasible in many of our communities. It would not be cost effective. In other words, it would be a STUPID WASTE OF TAX DOLLARS.
When I am in Europe, I nearly always choose to rent a car rather than rely on public transportation, which, for tourists anyway, is VERY EXPENSIVE. I can rent a car for a week for a lot less than I can buy a BritRail pass for a week.
To each his own. But no - we didn't build our towns and communities to cater to the needs of European tourists. Sorry if that bothers you.
14. Always in a hurry. I don't know what "posh sit down restaurants" you visited where you got your food in five minutes or less - PLEASE SHARE. That's really AWESOME. I have never experienced that!
As for punctuality - yes, we are a punctual people. We consider punctuality to be a sign of COURTESY.
You think we're stressed out because we're punctual and time-efficient. I think that YOU are projecting your own angst onto us. Most of us like our pace of life. We like that for the most part, we can rely on others to be thoughtful of our time by being punctual and efficient as well. This does NOT mean we don't know how to "stop and smell the roses." We just don't make others wait for us to do so.
15. Obsession with money. This is way too much of a generalization. Some people are obsessed with money, some aren't. I've met plenty of Europeans who have much the same mentality. By the way, how do you pay for your traveling? With coconuts? Beers? I think not. Traveling is a priority to you - and I doubt that you'd consider a job which didn't pay you enough to enjoy what you place a priority on. Just because someone has different priorities or desires in life, doesn't mean that their priorities are wrong and yours are right.
16. Unhealthy portions. Dude, I don't know what to tell you. You're overanalyzing this WAY too much. If you don't want all that food, just don't eat it all. I usually take my leftovers home and eat them for lunch the next day, or feed them to my very grateful dogs.
Honestly - this ranks up there as a serious reason why you don't want to live in the United States??????? Wow.
17. Thinking America is the best. Well, let's just be honest about this - the United States has been considered "the land of opportunity" by many Europeans (and others, of course) for hundreds of years. After all, most of our ancestors voluntarily dismantled their lives in other countries, and took great risks to move to a completely foreign country, to start over totally - to get OUT OF the land of their birth and to take advantage of what our country offered them. Most of us were raised by these very grateful people (or their children) and taught to be grateful ourselves. Our country has gone from fledgling colony to a world power in just a couple of hundred years or so. Honestly, the world has never seen a country grow and prosper as quickly as this one has, with power and influence as far reaching in such a short amount of time. Now - that doesn't mean that we're superior in all things, but damn - we ARE good at a lot of things, and in spite of our flaws, we still offer great opportunities to those who choose to live here. I hate to rub your nose in it, but we have had a lot more influence and offered more opportunity than Ireland ever has or could. That's just the way it is.
That doesn't mean we're "the best" at everything. You guys make some great wool sweaters - and beer. I really appreciate those things - hell, you do them better than we do! But...we really are a great country, in spite of our flaws. I hope we remain great and I will do all I can to keep my country strong.
Have an awesome day. Hope you come back again - in a better mood.
This whole thing seemed rather silly. I mean, he can think what he likes, so I don't really care.
That said, the thing I found most ridiculous was not even on his list, but the idea that Americans complain about other countries more than any other group. When I was living in Japan, I found the British and the Australians to be the ones who complained all the time. Likewise, I had a Canadian friend who worked in a tour guide agency (I don't know what you call them) in Paris and he says the Brits, Australians, and, yes, the Americans were all equally bad when it came to speaking French and not acting like a jerk. I've heard from others that Americans tend to be the best tourists--typically very polite and erring on the side of caution when ignorant about cultural norms (which many Americans admittedly are). For example, a typical American tourist is likely to tip in Italy because they don't know it's not required. Now Chinese tourists are probably the best because they'll give huge tips because they don't know the rules.
Contrast this with a friend of mine who was a waiter in New York City. He hated European tourists. There would be an Italian guy who would sit at the table on a busy day and say, "I will have a coffee. For the wife, she will have nothing," and then spend the next hour drinking coffee and order nothing else. If this Irish gentleman wanted the waitstaff to be less attentive, he could try that--I guarantee the servers will be less polite to you when they're trying to flip the table.
As for the portions, I agree they're on the large side, which is why I rarely eat out for dinner and prefer lunch (give me a normal-sized portion for half the price and I'll do it in a heartbeat). However, unlike Europe, you can always take your leftovers home with you in the U.S. I'm a college student, so I can't really afford to eat out much. If I'm eating out for dinner, I typically think of it as two meals (dinner and tomorrow's lunch), unless of course the portion sizes are modest. Restaurants typically offer such large portions as a way of providing value to their customers. The food you get in America is pound-for-pound just about the cheapest in the first world. You have to pay your server separately, which is part of the reason why it's so cheap, but even when you factor that in, it's still cheaper than Italy (and some Italian waiters will try to get tips out of you). Overall, I prefer Japan because the waiters are friendly, portions are reasonable, and there's no tipping, but I prefer America to Europe in terms of prices.
I'm gonna actually make my way through the author's tripe, and break it down:
He says:
1. Americans are way too sensitive. As a person who has traveled all over the world, I've certainly run into some very touchy people in Europe - most markedly in Austria. I simply don't understand how he reaches the conclusion that we're more sensitive than other ethnicities. There's such a wide variety of emotions and reactions in Americans - individually and within regions - that I don't see how he could possibly make such a wide generalization and expect to be taken seriously.
Maybe he means that we often go out of our way to TRY TO BE ACCEPTING AND POLITE TO PEOPLE WE MAY PRIVATELY DISLIKE OR DISAPPROVE OF. In other words, we try not to offend others. He says this like it's a bad thing. Sheeze!
2. Everything is awesome. Hey, dude, guess what - most of us may REALLY LIKE where we live and REALLY BE GLAD TO BE ALIVE. Life is awesome in so many ways, especially American life. Sorry you're not as enthusiastic or grateful, but don't begrudge those traits in others.
3. Smiles mean absolutely nothing. This is another ridiculous generalization. GENERALLY SPEAKING, Americans are a friendly bunch. Why would this guy assume that when people smile, they don't mean it in a friendly way? Sheeze, who ate his sack lunch? He really seems to be unable to grasp the fact that many Americans do genuinely feel pleasant, happy, grateful to be alive, open, and/or friendly.
This tells me a lot more about HIM than it does about Americans, by the way. I'm just sayin'...
4. Tipping. Wow, what a surly, ornery traveler this guy seems to be. He is actually disdainful of courteous, helpful waitstaff - and the way we generously show our appreciation for their service, and expect him to do the same (much as I am sure he would expect us to respect HIS local customs). By the way, dude, tipping ISN'T mandatory. You will just look like a jerk if you don't tip for good service - and believe me, you probably already look like a jerk, so really - what do you have to lose? GO FOR IT. Don't do anything half way! LIVE LIFE FULLY AS THE JERK YOU ARE!
5. False prices on everything. I found this one to be particularly odd. He seems to hate to pay sales tax. Well, guess what - I don't particularly like paying the VAT taxes when I visit Europe - but it's a freaking hassle to figure out how NOT to pay these taxes that I don't really owe and can technically avoid in many cases. So I just pay their inflated prices, and taxes that I don't owe, and don't sweat it. I'm on vacation. I'm there to enjoy myself, not fret over a few insignificant taxes. By the way, don't even get me started on PETROL PRICES in Europe. My gosh. But I digress. Hey, if I want to toodle around in Europe in a car, then I know before going there that I'll be paying more for "petrol" than I do at home. It's part of the price of the vacation. See - I'm already over it!
6. Cheesy in your face marketing. Ok, cheesy marketing bothers me too - which is why I watch, for the most part, channels that don't have much marketing. I have Netflix, and Amazon.com, and XM/Sirius, and a DVR, and any other number of channels and stations and sources that don't bombard me with marketing. That being said, so far, this one - #6 - is the first of his many tiresome complaints that may have some validity to it.
That being said - have you ever watched European TV? There's a reason why American TV is so popular over there - so much of their stuff sucks SO badly. You really oughtta watch an Elvis movie in German - with plenty of German beer (iced, not at room temperature) it's even BETTER! You'll be BEGGING for a commercial break!
7. Wasteful consumerism. Let me tell you something. I think I KNOW why Europeans don't have as much stuff as we do: THEY HAVE NO CLOSET SPACE. And often, there is an added TAX for each closet or room! Hell, if I didn't have so much space in my house - and my garage - and my yard - I wouldn't have as much stuff! But let me assure you, if you haven't been to Europe - their houses and closets (or wardrobes since they often don't have closets) and tiny one car garages are just as full of junk as any Americans' house. They just have less individual space. So spare me the holier than thou attitude.
8. Idiotic American stereotypes of other countries Really? The irony of this statement has apparently escaped this guy.
By the way, when I tell Europeans that I'm from Texas, you ought to hear some of them cut loose with the ridiculous stereotypes. No, I don't own a horse. No, I don't live in a mansion. No, I don't have any cacti in my yard. No, I don't own a Confederate flag. No, I'm not Baptist. No, I don't have illegal aliens doing my yardwork or cleaning my house.
Yes, I do say "y'all." And yes, I do own some cowboy boots and I really do wear them on occasion. Yes, you can order them on Amazon and have them shipped to me and I'll mail them to you. No problem. Aren't us friendly, helpful Americans AWESOME?
9. Heritage. Get over it, is all I have to say. It's an American thing - you wouldn't understand. What I don't understand is why you're so touchy about it. Guess that hypersensitivity is an Irish thing - and I don't understand. But I'm prepared to be gracious about your touchy, judgmental attitude when I'm visiting your country. In fact, I will probably find it interesting - and in a strange way, endearing.
One thing for sure is this - if you're an example of an Irishman, well, I'm glad I'm only 1/8th Irish.
10. ID checks & stupid drinking laws. Guess what - we agree on this one!
11. Religious Americans. All I can say is that this is very ironic coming from someone from Ireland. You guys are STILL blowing each other up over religion. Before you correct me, I know that it's more complicated than all that - but come on - Europe's history of religious tolerance, or the lack thereof, is a pretty tattered and bloody one.
Unlike your country, ours was founded on the concept of FREEDOM OF RELIGION - that's right, our ancestors were trying to get the hell away from Europe's intolerance of religious differences, so please excuse us if we revel a bit in our hard earned freedoms.
Don't tell us to "tone it down." You have a whole lot to learn about tolerance.
12. Corporations win all the time, not small businesses. My father and my husband and myself, and my ancestors way back on down the line, have been successful small business owners. This country was founded on their success and the success of many others like them. In my little town in Texas, the most successful restaurants are the privately owned ones, not the chains.
Sorry that we have so much land that you have to drive a car to go to a restaurant. We like it that way.
13. A country designed for cars, not humans. SPEAKING OF CARS! American cars are affordable. Our gas (you know it as "petrol") is about half the cost of that in Europe. We have a lot of space, we own more land individually than Europeans. We have a less dense population. We have a lot of really great roads and highways. Rental cars are very inexpensive. Mass transit, public transportation simply isn't feasible in many of our communities. It would not be cost effective. In other words, it would be a STUPID WASTE OF TAX DOLLARS.
When I am in Europe, I nearly always choose to rent a car rather than rely on public transportation, which, for tourists anyway, is VERY EXPENSIVE. I can rent a car for a week for a lot less than I can buy a BritRail pass for a week.
To each his own. But no - we didn't build our towns and communities to cater to the needs of European tourists. Sorry if that bothers you.
14. Always in a hurry. I don't know what "posh sit down restaurants" you visited where you got your food in five minutes or less - PLEASE SHARE. That's really AWESOME. I have never experienced that!
As for punctuality - yes, we are a punctual people. We consider punctuality to be a sign of COURTESY.
You think we're stressed out because we're punctual and time-efficient. I think that YOU are projecting your own angst onto us. Most of us like our pace of life. We like that for the most part, we can rely on others to be thoughtful of our time by being punctual and efficient as well. This does NOT mean we don't know how to "stop and smell the roses." We just don't make others wait for us to do so.
15. Obsession with money. This is way too much of a generalization. Some people are obsessed with money, some aren't. I've met plenty of Europeans who have much the same mentality. By the way, how do you pay for your traveling? With coconuts? Beers? I think not. Traveling is a priority to you - and I doubt that you'd consider a job which didn't pay you enough to enjoy what you place a priority on. Just because someone has different priorities or desires in life, doesn't mean that their priorities are wrong and yours are right.
16. Unhealthy portions. Dude, I don't know what to tell you. You're overanalyzing this WAY too much. If you don't want all that food, just don't eat it all. I usually take my leftovers home and eat them for lunch the next day, or feed them to my very grateful dogs.
Honestly - this ranks up there as a serious reason why you don't want to live in the United States??????? Wow.
17. Thinking America is the best. Well, let's just be honest about this - the United States has been considered "the land of opportunity" by many Europeans (and others, of course) for hundreds of years. After all, most of our ancestors voluntarily dismantled their lives in other countries, and took great risks to move to a completely foreign country, to start over totally - to get OUT OF the land of their birth and to take advantage of what our country offered them. Most of us were raised by these very grateful people (or their children) and taught to be grateful ourselves. Our country has gone from fledgling colony to a world power in just a couple of hundred years or so. Honestly, the world has never seen a country grow and prosper as quickly as this one has, with power and influence as far reaching in such a short amount of time. Now - that doesn't mean that we're superior in all things, but damn - we ARE good at a lot of things, and in spite of our flaws, we still offer great opportunities to those who choose to live here. I hate to rub your nose in it, but we have had a lot more influence and offered more opportunity than Ireland ever has or could. That's just the way it is.
That doesn't mean we're "the best" at everything. You guys make some great wool sweaters - and beer. I really appreciate those things - hell, you do them better than we do! But...we really are a great country, in spite of our flaws. I hope we remain great and I will do all I can to keep my country strong.
Have an awesome day. Hope you come back again - in a better mood.
Best post I've seen on here in awhile. I agree with everything you say though with the mass transit thing, I'm glad I live in an area where it's available if I need it.
Don't let what this bloke says 'skew' how you feel about your upcoming trip to the UK, you just make sure you have a good holiday - bring your camera, your smiles, make sure you chat to people in any queue's you encounter and wear whats comfortable for you it is your holiday after all! I am very confident that you will be made to feel very welcome wherever you go - eat drink be merry and have a great time!!
Oh, I plan on it! Whenever we travel overseas, my husband and I are met with grins and curious, friendly questions as soon as we say we are from Texas. Are some of the questions silly, or, as the complainer says, "stereotypical?" Yes. But so what? They're meant in a friendly manner, and I consider myself lucky to be an "ambassador" for Texas and the US. I am flattered by the questions and curiosity usually.
I guess it's all a matter of personal perspective.
I am sure that the UK will differ in many ways from the US - I sure hope so, or my money would be better spent staying home. But unlike the complainer, I enjoy the differences, even the ones that push me out of my comfort zone.
I don't agree with all of what the guy says, but he's travelled far more widely than me, and I'd imagine most of you, and also frequently states that these are just his opinions, and they're all based just on his experience. It's not 'tripe', it's not 'a bit silly', these are just his opinions based solely on what he's seen himself.
Everyone can get a bit sensitive about their country, or even another country they love, but when it's one guy's opinions, and they're based on experience, why does that seem to annoy you all so? I'm sure he wouldn't get nearly as bent out of shape if any of you wanted to make a blog titled '17 cultural reasons why this American never wants to live in Europe' if you actually had over a year's experience here.
Also, to those who assume he doesn't relish the differences of each country just because he has a few gripes about America, I suggest you rethink that. There are far more differences between Ireland and the US than just the 17 he mentioned, and you could conclude from that that he either has no problem with, or in fact does relish those differences. Why would someone spend over 8 years visiting numerous countries if all he wanted was to find Ireland waiting for him when he got off the plane?
I gotta agree with him on his comment on heritage.
Yes knowing where your ancestors came from is great, but unless your family has came over in the last 20 yrs. I could give two rips about it. I dont need to be reminded every week that your irish-french-german-african..lol.
You're not into it. Others are. I am sure you tend to go on and on sometimes about things that other polite people aren't all that interested in.
Some people talk about NASCAR or Duck Dynasty. I'm not into it. But it's polite to listen rather than shutting them down.
Now - warning. I am going to talk about heritage and ancestors, so you may want to stop reading so as not to become irritated.
The vast majority of Europeans have roots in their home country which go back hundreds, even THOUSANDS of years. Their ancient culture is an integral part of them. They grow up in the shadow of castle ruins and Roman walls. Their family records are easily accessible and stretch back many, many generations. These facts are simply a given - they've never taken a breath without their family's history permeating the air, whether they are "into it" or not.
Americans don't have that same experience. Not only that, our heritages are often mixed, muddled, etc. Names and identities were changed, ancestors moving here were often moving amidst great personal challenges, or even tragedies. This huge cultural shift in our family histories made different impressions, shaped values in fascinating ways that often differ markedly from those of Europeans - and yet shreds of "the home country" also are a part of that intricate tapestry. In some cases, LOTS of different traditions, unlike someone whose mom and dad are both Irish and whose family has lived in Ireland since St Patrick came ashore.
For instance, my ancestors are British, German, French, Scots Irish, Jewish, and Native American (two different tribes). My children's ancestry includes both slaves and slave owners. We have ancestors who fought for both the Union and the Confederacy, as well as ancestors who fought on both sides of the Revolutionary War. My brother and my grandson were both adopted from Korea, and my daughters married people from vastly different backgrounds - Czech/Jewish and Central American/Italian. We have ancestors who fought on both sides in the Indian Wars. We have ancestors who probably persecuted other Jewish ancestors of ours, who by the way were somehow convinced to convert to Christianity while living in Switzerland several hundred years ago. Bet there's an interesting story there.
Anyway, my family's story is typical for an American, but not so typical for a European. You may not find it interesting at all but if one is intrigued by international history (as many in my family are) it can be fascinating to learn how one's family played roles, both small and large, in that shared history.
You're not into it. Others are. I am sure you tend to go on and on sometimes about things that other polite people aren't all that interested in.
Some people talk about NASCAR or Duck Dynasty. I'm not into it. But it's polite to listen rather than shutting them down.
Now - warning. I am going to talk about heritage and ancestors, so you may want to stop reading so as not to become irritated.
The vast majority of Europeans have roots in their home country which go back hundreds, even THOUSANDS of years. Their ancient culture is an integral part of them. They grow up in the shadow of castle ruins and Roman walls. Their family records are easily accessible and stretch back many, many generations. These facts are simply a given - they've never taken a breath without their family's history permeating the air, whether they are "into it" or not.
Americans don't have that same experience. Not only that, our heritages are often mixed, muddled, etc. Names and identities were changed, ancestors moving here were often moving amidst great personal challenges, or even tragedies. This huge cultural shift in our family histories made different impressions, shaped values in fascinating ways that often differ markedly from those of Europeans - and yet shreds of "the home country" also are a part of that intricate tapestry. In some cases, LOTS of different traditions, unlike someone whose mom and dad are both Irish and whose family has lived in Ireland since St Patrick came ashore.
For instance, my ancestors are British, German, French, Scots Irish, Jewish, and Native American (two different tribes). My children's ancestry includes both slaves and slave owners. We have ancestors who fought for both the Union and the Confederacy, as well as ancestors who fought on both sides of the Revolutionary War. My brother and my grandson were both adopted from Korea, and my daughters married people from vastly different backgrounds - Czech/Jewish and Central American/Italian. We have ancestors who fought on both sides in the Indian Wars. We have ancestors who probably persecuted other Jewish ancestors of ours, who by the way were somehow convinced to convert to Christianity while living in Switzerland several hundred years ago. Bet there's an interesting story there.
Anyway, my family's story is typical for an American, but not so typical for a European. You may not find it interesting at all but if one is intrigued by international history (as many in my family are) it can be fascinating to learn how one's family played roles, both small and large, in that shared history.
Another excellent post. The writer comes off as very rude/self-centered being annoyed by something that is obviously very important on an individual level to most people in The World. I understand being annoyed by the "I'm 1/8th Irish so I can drink til there's no tomorrow" but most people have deeper connections with their heritage. Both sets of my Grandparents came to The US from Ireland and while I very much consider myself American, my ethnicity is also of great importance to me.
This point especially seems "trite" with him not understanding why an individual's ancestry is a more interesting topic in America over a European country with little to no diversity.
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