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Like to many Europeans America is the continent to me (just one, we don't use the plural like in English). So Canada is America just like Brazil is and Mexico etc. Canadians and Brazilians are also Americans to me, not US Americans, though.
Ok Neuling, but the context you said it was clearly implied that Canadians are Americans. It's absolutely ridiculous to argue otherwise. When Germans call someone an American or Amerikaner it virtually always means a person from the United States:
Notice the part where it says rare? We are called Americans because we are from the United States of America. Mexicans are from Los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, and for much of it's history Venezeula was called Los Estados Unidos de Venezeula, and Brazil was República dos Estados Unidos do Brasil.
Like to many Europeans America is the continent to me (just one, we don't use the plural like in English). So Canada is America just like Brazil is and Mexico etc. Canadians and Brazilians are also Americans to me, not US Americans, though.
What happened since Obama was elected? Not much, unfortunately. I guess for most people who had thought the US would become a better country he has been quite a disappointment.
American-made products play hardly any role outside the US. When I look around me, there is nothing that was made in the US. All kinds of Asian stuff from Taiwan, Korea, China, Japan, but also European stuff from Portugal, Spain, Germany etc. But not a single American product. My computer is the only thing where there is some American stuff inside, the AMD CPU (though made in Germany) and the hard drive (might as well have been an Asian one, though) and Windows. CPU's is basically the only area where the US is still leading, although the development takes place around the world, often in development centers in Bangalore etc.
Medical devices, pharmaceuticals, etc. is all European here, there is no need for American alternatives.
The stock market does not mean much because in other countries even big companies are not traded at the stock exchange, but family-run, for instance Miele.
3 or 4 decades ago things were different, there were products that were still made in the US. Since I am into music-making, for instance synthesizers (Moog, Oberheim, etc.), but that market is dominated by Japan now. Music software is dominated by Germany. Hardly anyone wants to drive American cars here. I could go on and on.
Development in the US is also often done by Chinese and Indian immigrants, Silicon Valley would collapse immediately if only Americans were allowed to work there.
I thought it very rude and after that politely excused myself. I can honestly say I would never, ever treat a visitor to the US like that if they asked me if I had any interest in visiting their hometown or country. Is that typical of Europeans? Is it somehow okay to respond like that to us, but not to any other nationality? I doubt he would ever say that to a Kiwi or Australian or just about anyone else on the planet. There just seems to be a different standard when it comes to interacting with Americans.
Me too. That was indeed really rude. I know there's a lot of bad pref considering the US, more specifically the foreign policy, but I both claim and hope that those attitudes don't extend on a personal level. You as a person are not responsible to the actions of the Bush jr government even if you voted for him, and would never hold you personally accountable for the past events. And I know and also hope that most Europeans won't judge you by your nationality.
What you said from your experiences is outright rude and I would never say such a thing like that. And would gladly visit Philadelphia anytime.
Talking smack about each other's countries is pretty much the only pan-European pastime there is. Americans are sometimes slightly hurt when they're invited to partake...
I agree for the most part that in Europe you don't get ill treatment. In Canada you don't face outright hostility but a more sneering type of superiority or arrogance that I can't stand.
I will say though that I never brag on about the US or how great it is when visiting another country. That is just rude. I will relate though an incident that happend in a British pub on my first visit to the UK in the 90's during Clinton era. A middle aged British guy engaged me in converation about his travels. He mentioned going to Canada and all these other countries. I asked question about what he liked and didn't like about these different countries.
It was a great converstion. I then asked an obvious question since I am American (harmless question I thought). I asked if he was ever planning on visiting my hometown of Philly or the US. He replied in a very negative way that he had no desire to ever set foot in the US and had no interest in it. He much preferred Canada (as if Canada is a version of the US that he liked).
I thought it very rude and after that politely excused myself. I can honestly say I would never, ever treat a visitor to the US like that if they asked me if I had any interest in visiting their hometown or country. Is that typical of Europeans? Is it somehow okay to respond like that to us, but not to any other nationality? I doubt he would ever say that to a Kiwi or Australian or just about anyone else on the planet. There just seems to be a different standard when it comes to interacting with Americans.
It is not cool at all but it almost seems that there is a different filter for some nationalities when a person thinks that your country is "guilty" of certain things.
I suppose that white South Africans (especially Afrikaners) probably got this as well. As did Serbs and a number of other peoples.
Ok Neuling, but the context you said it was clearly implied that Canadians are Americans. It's absolutely ridiculous to argue otherwise. When Germans call someone an American or Amerikaner it virtually always means a person from the United States:
Notice the part where it says rare? We are called Americans because we are from the United States of America. Mexicans are from Los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, and for much of it's history Venezeula was called Los Estados Unidos de Venezeula, and Brazil was República dos Estados Unidos do Brasil.
I am not Danish...
Anyway, if I remember correctly, the context was that someone said I had opened a certain thread in the past because I wanted to move to America. And I replied that while I do not want to emigrate to the US, I still might emigrate to America, namely Canada or Brazil.
Again, to me as a European America has a different meaning than to US Americans, simply because I grew up in a country where America meant the continent. To emigrate to America meant to move to the New World, i.e. anywhere from Canada to Argentina.
As number1curmudgeon said him or herself, America is a nickname for the US, not the official name. I am an educated person, I use the official terms, i.e. US or USA. I have probably not written America for the USA a single time in those five years I have been on this board.
With people it is a bit different, there I usually say US Americans if that is whom I mean. That is also the official term used in German, US-Amerikaner. On German news etc. you will seldom ever hear Amerika or Amerikaner just like that as it is colloquial speech.
Anyway, if I remember correctly, the context was that someone said I had opened a certain thread in the past because I wanted to move to America. And I replied that while I do not want to emigrate to the US, I still might emigrate to America, namely Canada or Brazil.
Again, to me as a European America has a different meaning than to US Americans, simply because I grew up in a country where America meant the continent. To emigrate to America meant to move to the New World, i.e. anywhere from Canada to Argentina.
As number1curmudgeon said him or herself, America is a nickname for the US, not the official name. I am an educated person, I use the official terms, i.e. US or USA. I have probably not written America for the USA a single time in those five years I have been on this board.
With people it is a bit different, there I usually say US Americans if that is whom I mean.
Educated people should be educated enough to relate to people and understand what they mean. Starting a debate over something like that only comes across as being arrogant or trying to sound smart. Like a person trying too hard to put big words where they are unnecessary.
I'm from the United States and even I don't say America. However, I'm perfectly capable of having a conversation with someone who says that without sounding like an *******.
Educated people should be educated enough to relate to people and understand what they mean. Starting a debate over something like that only comes across as being arrogant or trying to sound smart. Like a person trying too hard to put big words where they are unnecessary.
I'm from the United States and even I don't say America. However, I'm perfectly capable of having a conversation with someone who says that without sounding like an *******.
I didn't start that debate. I made a humorous statement, namely that despite not going to the US I might still go to America, namely Canada:
"But since American includes Canada, I might go there, if only it weren't so cold and there were more colored people " (There was a typo, though, I thought I had written America, not American, but since neither the property nor the person can include a country, my typo should have been obvious to native speakers.)
Talking smack about each other's countries is pretty much the only pan-European pastime there is. Americans are sometimes slightly hurt when they're invited to partake...
Yep, you may have hit something. I meet a lot of Europeans and Africans in Paris, and we really like to joke about each other's country or nationality.. We maybe act unconsciously the same way with Americans, but because they are not used to meet other nationalities as much as we are (for obvious geographical reasons), they maybe take offence easily.
It could explain why many find the countryside people more polite, because they are not used to do this either.
I didn't start that debate. I made a humorous statement, namely that despite not going to the US I might still go to America, namely Canada:
"But since American includes Canada, I might go there, if only it weren't so cold and there were more colored people " (There was a typo, though, I thought I had written America, not American, but since neither the property nor the person can include a country, my typo should have been obvious to native speakers.)
There was nothing arrogant about it...
In your defense Canada is pretty much our 51st state...
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" (There was a typo, though, I thought I had written America, not American, but since neither the property nor the person can include a country, my typo should have been obvious to native speakers.)
