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It's not about impressing someone but about respecting those around you. Going undressed in any public place is disrespectful ...at least that was the case in all the countries where I lived.
Sorry... my English is quite bad...by undressed I wanted to say poorly dressed.
I think a few generations ago in the US it was more like that, but some people have become more aware that it is wrong to judge people based on their clothing. Not to say Americans don't do that--many do--but many others try to avoid that sort of snobbery.
Interesting threat, I just wished there where more people from Europe with their opinion. So here is my "shocking" view of the US
I am from Germany, grew up in The Netherlands (part of my family is Dutch) and I lived also in Great Britain for a couple of years.
I was 50 years old when I came to the US. I met my husband on the internet (funny enough on irishpenpals.com, because I was looking for someone to speak English. Its my favorite language, since I was in summer school in England when I was 16 years old. Anyway, I never thought I would call America my home, I didn't had a very good opinion about it - we get quite a bit of news about America in Germany.
Anyway, when I came to Southern California for a visit to meet my penpal in person, we were riding our bikes and I saw a big hole on the sidewalk - you drive your bike mostly on the sidewalk, it is to dangerous on the street - and I ask my friend why nobody is fixing it, and who was responsible for it. He didn't really know, but he said maybe the city. And I was wondering that nobody hurt him/herself and would sue the responsible party for it. In Germany we think that everybody is suing everybody (LOL), and get millions, like the smoker who sued the tobacco industry or the one who was burned due to hot coffee at McDonald. Duh???
We went to Disneyworld in Anaheim and everything was so clean, even the restrooms. I avoid public restrooms as much as possible in Europe. And they are free in the USA, in Germany, The Netherlands and Britain you have to pay or "donate" around 50 cents.
O.k. that's getting to long, here a list. Here are my thought about what shocks me the most when I came to live here:
The USA is incredible big and diverse with a lot of "empty" space. You can drive for hours and don't see anybody else. Amazing.
The friendliness of cashier, greeter (I didn't knew that a job like that exists LOL) or even the security gard. I was speechless the first time a security gard at Target in Santa Ana said: Hello, how are you? And I lived in Great Britain! Germans and Dutch could learn a lot here from Americans.
And the ursury (or profiteering) that banks or loan companies are allowed here. Customers are getting very little protection. No bank would be allowed to charge $35 dollars for an overdraft. Or credit companies would be allowed to take around 30% interest. Our laws are much stricter in protecting the "normal" people.
Religious fanaticism is far more spread here than in Northern Europe. Scary, that some kids are been taught that evolution isn't real. I saw a program about things like that, some bible school.
No smoking law in California - wasn't when I left in Germany, is no there too.
Lot of "big" people, thought I wasn't to big myself LOL
You only pay once for your soda (pop) or other soft drink and they fill it up as much as you want. Wow. In Europe you pay by the glass!
Lots off all you can eat buffet!
Bad infrastructure, very bad freeways in LA county, and I never saw dirt roads like I have see here in Germany or The Netherlands in big cities. As far as I know, all streets are paved.
Low taxes, but everybody is complaining what a bad job the government is doing.
Hire and fire! That is common knowledge in Germany though, we get a lot of American movies there LOL And hardly any paid vacation days.
Very bad social security and medical health insurance.
Guns and violence, and they (the American) don't get it. More guns, more violence. Less guns, less violence! Fact!
Lots and lots of bad news.
Racism, I didn't believe it would be as bad as it really is. Germany is bad too and I thought, because in America people from all over the world do live here, it would be different. But it isn't.
Education seems to get worse and worse, here in Oregon more and more schools are closing (budget cuts) and more and more teachers getting fired (budget cuts), but you don't have less students.
Very expensive education system.
Cheap houses, and cheap build. They are not build for hundreds of years. American call a house old, when it is 20 years old. That is nothing for a European. You find easy houses in Great Britain from the 1800s or older.
Mobile homes - they are typical American I think.
Apartment complexes - I think they are also typical American, and they have often quiet a bad reputation. I lived in 2 different once, one in Huntington Beach (o.k.) and one in Las Vegas (bad). I lived all my live in apartments, but they are usual well kept and as good as owned ones. Houses in big German cities are very, very expensive. Most people rent.
Huge malls - I love them!
Credit scores. You don't have this crap in Germany. But Germany is also much smaller and you have to be registered in the city, town, village, etc. That is the law. And that datas are not protected. I can - for a price - get nearly any information of a person on the internet. Scary.
Identification theft and very little protection from the law. Unthinkable in Germany, The Netherlands or Great Britain. And when someone steals your identity, you get little help from the law it seems.
I have never felt so insecure in my life before. I have a small pension from Germany (thank God) due to early retirement because of fibromyalgia. Without that money we would have ended up on the street (in our old RV) when my husband was unemployed for 10 month and got only 200 dollars per week, but our rent alone was 700 dollars per month + utilities. And we need to feed ourself and our dog too. That is scary, plus we don't have health insurance, can't afford it. Unthinkable in Germany, The Netherlands or Great Britain. As far as I know, most European countries have "forced" health insurance. That said, it means that everybody who works, pays a percentage of their gross income, so everybody can have health insurance, also when you are unemployed or ill. You normally don't loose your house due to illness or unemployment, like it can happen here.
I love America, it has so much to offer, but it also can be a pretty scary place, when you come from a pretty save place, like Europe. Of course we have murders, and all this crap, but at least not everybody can just go into a shop and buy a gun.
Like I said before, I love my new country, but sometimes it scares the s..... out of me.
Interesting threat, I just wished there where more people from Europe with their opinion. So here is my "shocking" view of the US
I am from Germany, grew up in The Netherlands (part of my family is Dutch) and I lived also in Great Britain for a couple of years.
I was 50 years old when I came to the US. I met my husband on the internet (funny enough on irishpenpals.com, because I was looking for someone to speak English. Its my favorite language, since I was in summer school in England when I was 16 years old. Anyway, I never thought I would call America my home, I didn't had a very good opinion about it - we get quite a bit of news about America in Germany.
Anyway, when I came to Southern California for a visit to meet my penpal in person, we were riding our bikes and I saw a big hole on the sidewalk - you drive your bike mostly on the sidewalk, it is to dangerous on the street - and I ask my friend why nobody is fixing it, and who was responsible for it. He didn't really know, but he said maybe the city. And I was wondering that nobody hurt him/herself and would sue the responsible party for it. In Germany we think that everybody is suing everybody (LOL), and get millions, like the smoker who sued the tobacco industry or the one who was burned due to hot coffee at McDonald. Duh???
We went to Disneyworld in Anaheim and everything was so clean, even the restrooms. I avoid public restrooms as much as possible in Europe. And they are free in the USA, in Germany, The Netherlands and Britain you have to pay or "donate" around 50 cents.
O.k. that's getting to long, here a list. Here are my thought about what shocks me the most when I came to live here:
The USA is incredible big and diverse with a lot of "empty" space. You can drive for hours and don't see anybody else. Amazing.
The friendliness of cashier, greeter (I didn't knew that a job like that exists LOL) or even the security gard. I was speechless the first time a security gard at Target in Santa Ana said: Hello, how are you? And I lived in Great Britain! Germans and Dutch could learn a lot here from Americans.
And the ursury (or profiteering) that banks or loan companies are allowed here. Customers are getting very little protection. No bank would be allowed to charge $35 dollars for an overdraft. Or credit companies would be allowed to take around 30% interest. Our laws are much stricter in protecting the "normal" people.
Religious fanaticism is far more spread here than in Northern Europe. Scary, that some kids are been taught that evolution isn't real. I saw a program about things like that, some bible school.
No smoking law in California - wasn't when I left in Germany, is no there too.
Lot of "big" people, thought I wasn't to big myself LOL
You only pay once for your soda (pop) or other soft drink and they fill it up as much as you want. Wow. In Europe you pay by the glass!
Lots off all you can eat buffet!
Bad infrastructure, very bad freeways in LA county, and I never saw dirt roads like I have see here in Germany or The Netherlands in big cities. As far as I know, all streets are paved.
Low taxes, but everybody is complaining what a bad job the government is doing.
Hire and fire! That is common knowledge in Germany though, we get a lot of American movies there LOL And hardly any paid vacation days.
Very bad social security and medical health insurance.
Guns and violence, and they (the American) don't get it. More guns, more violence. Less guns, less violence! Fact!
Lots and lots of bad news.
Racism, I didn't believe it would be as bad as it really is. Germany is bad too and I thought, because in America people from all over the world do live here, it would be different. But it isn't.
Education seems to get worse and worse, here in Oregon more and more schools are closing (budget cuts) and more and more teachers getting fired (budget cuts), but you don't have less students.
Very expensive education system.
Cheap houses, and cheap build. They are not build for hundreds of years. American call a house old, when it is 20 years old. That is nothing for a European. You find easy houses in Great Britain from the 1800s or older.
Mobile homes - they are typical American I think.
Apartment complexes - I think they are also typical American, and they have often quiet a bad reputation. I lived in 2 different once, one in Huntington Beach (o.k.) and one in Las Vegas (bad). I lived all my live in apartments, but they are usual well kept and as good as owned ones. Houses in big German cities are very, very expensive. Most people rent.
Huge malls - I love them!
Credit scores. You don't have this crap in Germany. But Germany is also much smaller and you have to be registered in the city, town, village, etc. That is the law. And that datas are not protected. I can - for a price - get nearly any information of a person on the internet. Scary.
Identification theft and very little protection from the law. Unthinkable in Germany, The Netherlands or Great Britain. And when someone steals your identity, you get little help from the law it seems.
I have never felt so insecure in my life before. I have a small pension from Germany (thank God) due to early retirement because of fibromyalgia. Without that money we would have ended up on the street (in our old RV) when my husband was unemployed for 10 month and got only 200 dollars per week, but our rent alone was 700 dollars per month + utilities. And we need to feed ourself and our dog too. That is scary, plus we don't have health insurance, can't afford it. Unthinkable in Germany, The Netherlands or Great Britain. As far as I know, most European countries have "forced" health insurance. That said, it means that everybody who works, pays a percentage of their gross income, so everybody can have health insurance, also when you are unemployed or ill. You normally don't loose your house due to illness or unemployment, like it can happen here.
I love America, it has so much to offer, but it also can be a pretty scary place, when you come from a pretty save place, like Europe. Of course we have murders, and all this crap, but at least not everybody can just go into a shop and buy a gun.
Like I said before, I love my new country, but sometimes it scares the s..... out of me.
Less guns means less violence? That is not fact! The cities in the US with the strictest gun laws have the highest violence rates. Why are Europeans so scared of guns? They didn't have a problem using them during World Wars 1 and 2.
Interesting threat, I just wished there where more people from Europe with their opinion. So here is my "shocking" view of the US
I am from Germany, grew up in The Netherlands (part of my family is Dutch) and I lived also in Great Britain for a couple of years.
I was 50 years old when I came to the US. I met my husband on the internet (funny enough on irishpenpals.com, because I was looking for someone to speak English. Its my favorite language, since I was in summer school in England when I was 16 years old. Anyway, I never thought I would call America my home, I didn't had a very good opinion about it - we get quite a bit of news about America in Germany.
Anyway, when I came to Southern California for a visit to meet my penpal in person, we were riding our bikes and I saw a big hole on the sidewalk - you drive your bike mostly on the sidewalk, it is to dangerous on the street - and I ask my friend why nobody is fixing it, and who was responsible for it. He didn't really know, but he said maybe the city. And I was wondering that nobody hurt him/herself and would sue the responsible party for it. In Germany we think that everybody is suing everybody (LOL), and get millions, like the smoker who sued the tobacco industry or the one who was burned due to hot coffee at McDonald. Duh???
We went to Disneyworld in Anaheim and everything was so clean, even the restrooms. I avoid public restrooms as much as possible in Europe. And they are free in the USA, in Germany, The Netherlands and Britain you have to pay or "donate" around 50 cents.
O.k. that's getting to long, here a list. Here are my thought about what shocks me the most when I came to live here:
The USA is incredible big and diverse with a lot of "empty" space. You can drive for hours and don't see anybody else. Amazing.
The friendliness of cashier, greeter (I didn't knew that a job like that exists LOL) or even the security gard. I was speechless the first time a security gard at Target in Santa Ana said: Hello, how are you? And I lived in Great Britain! Germans and Dutch could learn a lot here from Americans.
And the ursury (or profiteering) that banks or loan companies are allowed here. Customers are getting very little protection. No bank would be allowed to charge $35 dollars for an overdraft. Or credit companies would be allowed to take around 30% interest. Our laws are much stricter in protecting the "normal" people.
Religious fanaticism is far more spread here than in Northern Europe. Scary, that some kids are been taught that evolution isn't real. I saw a program about things like that, some bible school.
No smoking law in California - wasn't when I left in Germany, is no there too.
Lot of "big" people, thought I wasn't to big myself LOL
You only pay once for your soda (pop) or other soft drink and they fill it up as much as you want. Wow. In Europe you pay by the glass!
Lots off all you can eat buffet!
Bad infrastructure, very bad freeways in LA county, and I never saw dirt roads like I have see here in Germany or The Netherlands in big cities. As far as I know, all streets are paved.
Low taxes, but everybody is complaining what a bad job the government is doing.
Hire and fire! That is common knowledge in Germany though, we get a lot of American movies there LOL And hardly any paid vacation days.
Very bad social security and medical health insurance.
Guns and violence, and they (the American) don't get it. More guns, more violence. Less guns, less violence! Fact!
Lots and lots of bad news.
Racism, I didn't believe it would be as bad as it really is. Germany is bad too and I thought, because in America people from all over the world do live here, it would be different. But it isn't.
Education seems to get worse and worse, here in Oregon more and more schools are closing (budget cuts) and more and more teachers getting fired (budget cuts), but you don't have less students.
Very expensive education system.
Cheap houses, and cheap build. They are not build for hundreds of years. American call a house old, when it is 20 years old. That is nothing for a European. You find easy houses in Great Britain from the 1800s or older.
Mobile homes - they are typical American I think.
Apartment complexes - I think they are also typical American, and they have often quiet a bad reputation. I lived in 2 different once, one in Huntington Beach (o.k.) and one in Las Vegas (bad). I lived all my live in apartments, but they are usual well kept and as good as owned ones. Houses in big German cities are very, very expensive. Most people rent.
Huge malls - I love them!
Credit scores. You don't have this crap in Germany. But Germany is also much smaller and you have to be registered in the city, town, village, etc. That is the law. And that datas are not protected. I can - for a price - get nearly any information of a person on the internet. Scary.
Identification theft and very little protection from the law. Unthinkable in Germany, The Netherlands or Great Britain. And when someone steals your identity, you get little help from the law it seems.
I have never felt so insecure in my life before. I have a small pension from Germany (thank God) due to early retirement because of fibromyalgia. Without that money we would have ended up on the street (in our old RV) when my husband was unemployed for 10 month and got only 200 dollars per week, but our rent alone was 700 dollars per month + utilities. And we need to feed ourself and our dog too. That is scary, plus we don't have health insurance, can't afford it. Unthinkable in Germany, The Netherlands or Great Britain. As far as I know, most European countries have "forced" health insurance. That said, it means that everybody who works, pays a percentage of their gross income, so everybody can have health insurance, also when you are unemployed or ill. You normally don't loose your house due to illness or unemployment, like it can happen here.
I love America, it has so much to offer, but it also can be a pretty scary place, when you come from a pretty save place, like Europe. Of course we have murders, and all this crap, but at least not everybody can just go into a shop and buy a gun.
Like I said before, I love my new country, but sometimes it scares the s..... out of me.
I agree with some of your points but some are just ridiculous... but it's your opinion.
You say that there's more racism in US than in Germany. I disagree... I lived in Germany for a short period (training) and for a longer period in Austria. My parents are Austrian but I was raised in Romania because my father had some business there. Ok... I was in Austria and I met a girl... we went in restaurant and talked all sorts of things and then she asked me where I'm from (she believed I'm Austrian because I look German/Austrian and I speak the language as a native). I said that I'm from Romania... she got up quickly, left me 10 euros on the table and without saying anything she left. That's just one case but there were many other. The minorities in Germany are more than dispraised. In Germany no matter how good you speak the language, how white you are and how successful you are you'll always be consider an ausländer and be treated differently (ie lower pay, not too many friends and so on). In the US I already feel integrated inspite my bad English. I already have friends here... I'm payed as the locals or even more. It's great.
And the roads are far from great in Germany too... I've seen plenty of potholes there too.
There's no more violence because of the guns... who needs a gun in Germany can easily procure it if he want... The "bad guys" don't buy their guns from the shops anyway...
You say that there's more racism in US than in Germany. I disagree... I lived in Germany for a short period (training) and for a longer period in Austria. My parents are Austrian but I was raised in Romania because my father had some business there. Ok... I was in Austria and I met a girl... we went in restaurant and talked all sorts of things and then she asked me where I'm from (she believed I'm Austrian because I look German/Austrian and I speak the language as a native). .
I highlighted the relevant part. To my knowledge Austria is WAY more racist and right-wing than Germany. I agree though that there is racism in Germany as well, same in the U.S.
Less guns means less violence? That is not fact! The cities in the US with the strictest gun laws have the highest violence rates. Why are Europeans so scared of guns? They didn't have a problem using them during World Wars 1 and 2.
They used guns in the Wars the same as Americans did, because their govt's decided to wage war. What else can you do in that situation. There are and were many Europeans including Germans that wanted no part of Wars. It was forced on them or they would be shot for refusing. There isn't the need or love for guns by everyday European citizens as in this country. Some have them but not like in this country. Thankfully that's how it is in Europe for the most part anyway.
Less guns means less violence? That is not fact! The cities in the US with the strictest gun laws have the highest violence rates. Why are Europeans so scared of guns? They didn't have a problem using them during World Wars 1 and 2.
Don't you think you're overreaching a bit with the world war references? And were those guns for civilian use? Wouldn't the devastation of the world wars fought in their own homes cause people to be more hesitant about violence? Are you just throwing whatever you can against the wall and hoping something sticks?
Also, you might be mistaking cause and effect here. Don't you think it's possible that these cities passed the gun laws in a rush because violence had escalated out of control due to lax gun laws at first (and continued lax gun laws elsewhere nearby where violence already set into motion would make people feel it's necessary to go out of their way to attain guns outside of their city)? Also, where are your statistics about strictest gun laws and highest violence rates? New York City has fairly tough gun laws and it's probably the US's safest big city at this point. However, I wouldn't cite the tough gun laws on their own as the reason for it. This is a broad issue, and that doesn't mean you can answer it by chucking stuff at the broad side of a barn--it's broad as in it requires a lot more nuanced thought than what you're allowing.
Don't you think you're overreaching a bit with the world war references? And were those guns for civilian use? Wouldn't the devastation of the world wars fought in their own homes cause people to be more hesitant about violence? Are you just throwing whatever you can against the wall and hoping something sticks?
Also, you might be mistaking cause and effect here. Don't you think it's possible that these cities passed the gun laws in a rush because violence had escalated out of control due to lax gun laws at first (and continued lax gun laws elsewhere nearby where violence already set into motion would make people feel it's necessary to go out of their way to attain guns outside of their city)? Also, where are your statistics about strictest gun laws and highest violence rates? New York City has fairly tough gun laws and it's probably the US's safest big city at this point. However, I wouldn't cite the tough gun laws on their own as the reason for it. This is a broad issue, and that doesn't mean you can answer it by chucking stuff at the broad side of a barn--it's broad as in it requires a lot more nuanced thought than what you're allowing.
West Virginia has "lax" gun laws. Are people in WV being shot on a daily basis there?
Last time myself and the US Supreme Court checked, Americans have a Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
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