What US state is the most insular?

[lucknow]

In my very wide experience of travelling in the USA I have found that the country as a whole is very insular. It seem the vast majority of Americans are not well travelled, do not know or care much about what's happening outside of their own backyard and are in fact extremely provincial in their lives and their outlooks.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by lucknow

In my very wide experience of travelling in the USA I have found that the country as a whole is very insular. It seem the vast majority of Americans are not well travelled, do not know or care much about what's happening outside of their own backyard and are in fact extremely provincial in their lives and their outlooks.

I think you are right, as people from other countries will know more about the USA than Americans will know about other countries.

As to the Interior Northeast comment, it depends on the people, as those areas have plenty of people with roots elsewhere or that are transient if they work in certain industries.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by lucknow

In my very wide experience of travelling in the USA I have found that the country as a whole is very insular. It seem the vast majority of Americans are not well travelled, do not know or care much about what's happening outside of their own backyard and are in fact extremely provincial in their lives and their outlooks.

I don't think that's fair -- there is definitely is fairly high degree of insularity in many countries. I will admit that for an affluent, Westernized country, Americans are not super well-traveled, but at least in the US you can find a lot more areas with a far more cosmopolitan population than almost every city around the world. Actually, I think a big part of the reason why many Americans are not necessarily inclined to travel abroad is trepidation -- America is not exactly popular in many countries; it carries a huge reputation -- either positive or negative -- much moreso than any other country.

I honestly do not get the common criticism of the US being insular when there is still so much mobility (approximate 12% of Americans move every year: About 36 Million Americans Moved in the Last Year, Census Bureau Reports - Mobility of the Population - Newsroom - U.S. Census Bureau) and immigration from every conceivable country -- there are very few other nations that can claim that type of worldwide influx.

[lucknow]

I guess this is kind of presumptuous but I used to test Americans I met along the way about basic facts regarding their own country. I was totally shocked at the ignorance that was so common. Many people did not even know all of the states that bordered their own. When it came to knowledge about the world in general it was just completely shocking the lack of it. Now, we are talking about insularity here and this lack of knowledge about other places, peoples or things in it's self is not insularity. The fact that these people did not care to know anything about anyone or anywhere else, now that's Insularity with a capital I!!!

[Arushan]

Originally Posted by lucknow

I guess this is kind of presumptuous but I used to test Americans I met along the way about basic facts regarding their own country. I was totally shocked at the ignorance that was so common. Many people did not even know all of the states that bordered their own. When it came to knowledge about the world in general it was just completely shocking the lack of it. Now, we are talking about insularity here and this lack of knowledge about other places, peoples or things in it's self is not insularity. The fact that these people did not care to know anything about anyone or anywhere else, now that's Insularity with a capital I!!!

I agree entirely. To illustrate this further: go to Youtube, type in Mark Dice Petition, and you'll cringe at what people were signing for...

[ccm123]

Alaska!