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I think the traveling public from abroad would have a generally good opinion of California as a state and then certain cities around the country. Maybe Florida would stand out as a state. I've met a bunch of British tourists and a couple Danes doing the Route 66/Mother Road trip individually (renting a van or Harley). I don't think that they really consider states. Hawaii exists as a tropical island destination first and then a state. I've met a couple Australian families doing a huge Amtrak circuit of the country.
From my foreign friends. California is the best. Great cities like SF, LA and great scenery from the coastal drive, Sierras Nevadas and the desert and beaches Also theme parks. While Las Vegas is not California, it is part of many visitor's grand California road trip of tri-cities - LA, SF, LV.
I would think that Oklahoma would be far from the worst in other countries due to the musical Oklahoma! being well known across the world. Throw in Will Rogers being one of the most well known Americans representing Oklahoma in a favorable manner.
I would think most people in other countries wouldn't have an opinion one way or the other on the smaller states.
I would highly suspect that the most positive and negative state in the world might be the same state.
If you look at the US like we look at it, you'll never see the states (and country) the way other see them (and it).
Other countries don't dissect the US and focus on one state or another - like we do - but view the US as a whole. Guess what, due to the shenanigans in the capital (and many continuing issues) the one big piece of land is not looked at favorably.
I think most western ppl that live in say Europe.....think New York and California are the only "sane parts" of America, while the rest is mostly religious, gun toting crazies and loony tunes.
Granted, we in the US know this is not true, however most ppl in Europe would probably generalize us in this way.
They do. When I was still living in Australia, my friends and I used to joke about the Southern U.S states. No offense to them, but we were definitely aware of their shortcomings, even on the other side of the world.
Could you give some examples of those supposed shortcomings? The South is the most civilized part of America in my opinion.
My daughter played hostess to one of our neighbor's friend's girlfriend from France while the young men had a boy's night out. They ended up friends and my daughter introduced her to many parts of America. The French girl wanted to see an American Indian reservation so my daughter took her to Cherokee. French girl was so disappointed. She was expecting the same places she had seen in the movies. Judging from this, maybe most ideas about America come from the movies and we all know most of the movie makers have their heads on crooked. Most movies are too vile for me to even watch them.
If you look at the US like we look at it, you'll never see the states (and country) the way other see them (and it).
Other countries don't dissect the US and focus on one state or another - like we do - but view the US as a whole. Guess what, due to the shenanigans in the capital (and many continuing issues) the one big piece of land is not looked at favorably.
Good point, when a British person refers to a "yank" they are making a general remark for the whole US. A person from Texas traveling to Great Britain would still be referred to as a "yank". However, that is not to say regional stereotypes that exist here don't also, to a certain extent, exist around the world. The difference is a person in England or France might believe that Mississippi and Alabama are completely backwards and oppressive to other cultures and ethnicities, but there would not be the same hostility across the pond that people have here in America towards the South. Across the pond they might watch a film like Forrest Gump and just find it funny or bizarre, whereas here in the US some people outside of the South would watch a film like that and then use it to believe that they are superior to those people in those states.
Most internationals I met tend to have a good view of Hawaii, New York and Massachusetts while California and Florida are well liked they are polarizing as well.
Could you give some examples of those supposed shortcomings? The South is the most civilized part of America in my opinion.
My daughter played hostess to one of our neighbor's friend's girlfriend from France while the young men had a boy's night out. They ended up friends and my daughter introduced her to many parts of America. The French girl wanted to see an American Indian reservation so my daughter took her to Cherokee. French girl was so disappointed. She was expecting the same places she had seen in the movies. Judging from this, maybe most ideas about America come from the movies and we all know most of the movie makers have their heads on crooked. Most movies are too vile for me to even watch them.
Not saying these are true. But, by shortcomings, he probably mean: poor, backwards, racist, dumb, overly religious, gun toting, trailer parks everywhere and rednecks etc.
As you rightly pointed out people view of the US regions follows closely what is extremely simplistically portrayed in the US media: California: Babes, surfers, beaches, great weather, celebs, shallowness, valley girls. NYC: rude, cold, skyscrapers, urban elites, Mafia gangsters. South: above. And then the rest is mostly blank, except for some cowboys and barns somewhere.
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