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That's strange. I never considered Maryland the South.
There's all sorts of never ending threads about this with people on both sides acting like total idiots.
To put it concisely:
MD was historically south, the 2nd southern state, went both ways in the civil war, and really started losing southern culture after WWII.
Here's a very simplified representation of MD culture.
Red: This is where Maryland is still truly southern. While it makes up 1/3 of the state in area, it's fairly depopulated and even in suburban counties like Prince George's, largely undeveloped.
Blue: This area is mostly like Deleware or South Jersey.
Black: Montgomery County, and part of Howard and Fredrick. Generic super-liberal suburbia that rules the state politically. Most of the population lives in this zone. Often seen to represent Maryland by outsiders, and seen as the most un-Marylandy part of Maryland by Marylanders.
Purple: Most like West Virginia. There are southern accents and appalachian culture. This was the abolitionist part of the state in the CW though so call it what you like.
Yellow. Most like Southern PA or South Jersey, but with a little southern culture mixed in there.
While you could call Red "Upper South", this would be your "Lower North". It's Northern, but not in a NY or New England sense.
Brown: Annapolis. Best described as a red/yellow mix with some added wealth.
Nationality is a very important social construct and having grew up in this country you have been greatly shaped as a person by its culture whether you believe it or not. In addition this country is responsible for the environment in which you grew up, including your education.
If you think you would rather live elsewhere that is certainly your right, and surely there are great places to live around the globe so go for it, but the US, as is anybody's home country, is a lot more responsible for you being who you are than you want to give it credit for. You can't not be shaped by the environment and culture you grow up in, it's just not possible.
Well I agree with you somewhat and disagree with you somewhat. Yes wherever a person grows up, they are of course going to be influenced by the culture at least a little bit, and of course I realize that. For the record I actually started college in Canada though, and I'm planning on doing grad school there. Well the country is responsible for your education, but you don't have to accept and believe what mainstream america and the mainstream american media feeds you. When I was 16, I started educating myself on the outside world instead of just what they were teaching me about america at school.
It's not that I "think" I would rather live elsewhere, I know that I do. I've lived in a few places overseas already. You said the u.s. is more responsible for me being who I am than I want to give it credit for. My first argument is that even if that's true, that's not a good thing in this case because america is not a good country or a good model to be shaped after. My second point is what I said before. Just because I'm from a country doesn't mean that I have to agree or support what it does and how it is politically or culturally. That's why I want to go live somewhere else, because other places are more congruent with my beliefs on how things should be.
Nearly my entire idea of GB is based on crime shows such as A Touch of Frost and silliness like Dr. Who and Blackadder.
Thus I don't believe I can make any accurate judgements about the UK.
I know what you mean about TV shows, it's only recently that I found out that Monty Python's Flying Circus was not a BBC Documentary to be taken quite literally and this left me feeling quite gutted.
1. Frendliness - USA. Having lived in both nations I feel that Americans (even though it's mostly fake) are still a tad more polite than the British. The British are more genuine but certainly less friendly and outgoing.
2. Safety - UK. No question. There is far less violent crime overall in the UK, though property crime levels are comparable.
3. Cultural contribution - Tie. I don't think I could value one country's massive contribution over the other's.
4. Politics - UK. If only for the merciful brevity of general election campagins vs our system where politicians seem to be constantly campaigning.
5. Economy - USA. Not by much.
6. Women - N/A. I'm a female so I can't really judge the 'quality' of American women vs British women.
7. Environment - UK. The air and water seemed to be much more clean there than here. Also, people there seemed to care more about the environment there than they do here.
8. Scenery - USA. We win because we're such a vast nation that we have any kind of scenery you can think of. That doesn't mean the scenery in the UK isn't beautiful sometimes.
9. Weather - USA. Only because we have any kind of climate you can think of here.
10. Location - Depends on what you like. If you like traveling to Europe frequently, then the UK wins.
11. Sports - USA. We have all the sports except cricket.
12. Cuisine - USA. We have every kind of cuisine on Earth. However, the food in the UK is very good.
13. Transportation - UK. No question. Next.
14. Infrastructure - UK. No question. When was the last time you heard of a major highway bridge collapsing there and killing dozens of people?
15. Healthcare - UK. The NHS is not without its faults, but it still beats what we have here.
16. Education - UK. For primary and secondary levels, I think they have a slight edge. Their sixth-formers seem to be ahead of our juniors/seniors in high school, but the fact that not everyone goes to a sixth form college probably helps.
17. Affordability - USA. The COL in the UK is high and salaries are low compared to here.
18. Pop culture - Tie. It's so subjective it's impossible to choose one over the other. Both have their good and bad points.
19. History - UK. The area that became the US has had people living here for thousands of years but unfortunately they either didn't write down their history or wrote it in a writing system that we've been unable to decipher. The UK has a much longer track record of settled populations and written history.
20. Architecture - Depends on what you like.
21. Colleges/Universities - USA. No question. The UK has many fine universities but I think our system is still better, at least for the time being.
[quote=ipod99;25433059]I don't like either country, but I think the u.s is the lesser of the two evils. But here goes.
1. Definitely the u.s. Brits are not friendly people. They're stuck up, snobbish, and racist. They accuse everyone else of not speaking proper english. They're rude to americans because they assume every american is a right-wing war supporter who is unenlightened and knows nothing about the outside world. There are brits who are like that too. Brits are also sarcastic, stubborn, and argumentative.
Hey thats a bit much! Im British and Im pretty sure Im neither stuck up, snobbish or racist! and neither are my friends!! If I was racist I dont think that as a white guy my black girlfriend would have anything to do with me! I dont believe all 'Americans' are right wing warmongers! Though perhaps by answering your post you could argue I'm being slightly argumentative I guess!! lol
I don't like either country, but I think the u.s is the lesser of the two evils. But here goes.
1. Definitely the u.s. Brits are not friendly people. They're stuck up, snobbish, and racist. They accuse everyone else of not speaking proper english. They're rude to americans because they assume every american is a right-wing war supporter who is unenlightened and knows nothing about the outside world. There are brits who are like that too. Brits are also sarcastic, stubborn, and argumentative.
Hey thats a bit much! Im British and Im pretty sure Im neither stuck up, snobbish or racist! and neither are my friends!! If I was racist I dont think that as a white guy my black girlfriend would have anything to do with me!
People like that just have hate in their hearts! They accuse us of being racist then make sweeping generalisations about a whole population of a country, oh the irony!
1. Frendliness - US--Outside of some cities like NYC, DC, & Miami, Americans are generally less reserved, more polite, welcoming, and eager to meet new people.
2. Safety - UK
3. Cultural contribution - UK--there is no contest in this area
4. Politics - US
5. Economy - US
6. Women - US--the huge number of ethnic groups and combinations thereof make for a wide variety of looks. Many combinations are stunning.
7. Environment - ? I'm not sure what you mean by this. If it's cleanliness, then it's the UK.
8. Scenery - US--more variety
9. Weather - US--US has a climate for every preference. The grey, misty weather in the UK is dreary and depressing.
10. Location - UK-- not too far away from lots of fantastic places
11. Sports - US. I find American athletes bigger, stronger and faster--and therefore, more exciting to watch.
12. Cuisine - US--a wide variety of foods; lots of wonderful fusion foods that create excellent regional cuisines; lots of ethnic cuisines; excellent restaurants from low-end to high
13. Transportation - UK--less car dependent; excellent train service
14. Infrastructure - US-- bridges, highways, streets, pipes, sewage system, heating systems, etc. are in better shape
15. Healthcare - I'm not sure which is better, so I'd say it's a tie. UK--healthcare is available to all--so this is good at the most basic level; however, long waits for specialists is a problem; US is excellent for high-level specialization that's immediately available (how you pay for it is another story).
16. Education - UK
17. Affordability - US--prices are lower for everything
18. Pop culture - US-- American pop culture is an influence all over the world (for better of for worse)
19. History - UK--once again, there is no contest
20. Architecture - UK--longer history, therefore, more variety
21. Colleges/Universities - tie--for the top US and UK universities
1. Frendliness -US. It's a cliche, but it's true, it's very easy to make a friend in America. Something to do with the frontier/settler heritage means Americans have no problems chatting away to strangers. However, it can be a little fake: I've heard that it's harder to make a true friend stateside, while Brits can be frosty at first and ease up once they know you.
2. Safety - UK. I just can't get my head round the fact when I'm there that anyone could have a gun, and violent crime levels are so much higher. HOWEVER I feel petty crime, harassment, drunkenness etc are far more a problem in the UK.
3. Cultural contribution - UK. While both have been the pre-eminent world powers (Britain from early C.19th to 1914, America 1918-present), I would say things like the global dominance of the English language and the common law are far more fundamentally influencial than Coke or Google. Plus Britain's done it all from a tiny, rainy island, whereas America does have the head start of possessing an entire continent!
4. Politics - Both are terrible at the moment, but the Tea party? Dubya? Sarah Palin? I think BoJo and the coalition are a lesser of two evils. Such a shame as America used to be the beacon of democracy and freedom...
5. Economy - US. While not perfect, Britain is an economic car crash at the moment.
6. Women - What? This is far too subjective. You get good and bad women, just like good and bad men, everywhere.
7. Environment - UK by a country mile. America's disregard for the Environment is scandelous.
8. Scenery - US. Again, a whole continent vs. small rainy island. You can't compete.
9. Weather - The US definately. The temperate, changeable maritime climate is the single worst thing about Britain and the whole of N.W Europe IMO, not so much for the rain but the general cloudyness and lack of sun. I love the long hot summers and distinctive seasons of much of the US - and the way that you can generally predict the weather in advance. Plus you've basically got every single climate somewhere - even the rubbish British type one can be found, I'm told, in some parts of the Pacific Northwest.
10. Location - UK - we're at the centre of the world - you can fly to so many varied and cool destinations in just a couple of hours. The US is actually more isolated.
11. Sports - UK - everyone in the world plays and loves our sports (football, rugby, cricket). Who plays American sports apart from Americans and a few Latinos who've picked up Baseball? Plus the Olympics were awesome :-)
12. Cuisine - UK - unless you're in a hipster neighbourhood of NYC or San Fran the food in the US is just gross IMO: fast food and the whole culture of eating (wallmart... drive thrus...) is awful. While our own national cuisine used to be a bit of a joke (cause: WW2 rationing) the food in Britain has improved so much in the last few decades.
13. Transportation - UK - better public transport system, though probably if I was a keen motorist, I'd say the US, as our road network is clogged and driving expensive.
14. Infrastructure - UK - was surprised at how run down some of it is in the States. Though continental Europe and East Asia beat both by far.
15. Healthcare - If you're rich & well insured, the healthcare in the US is the best in the world. But having so many people not covered is a scandal - so the UK clearly wins thanks to our beloved NHS (despite her faults).
16. Education - US - world class universities, and high schools (at least on TV) always seem so well equipped compared to their UK counterparts. Unless you're rich enough to afford private schools, education in the UK can be shockingly substandard.
17. Affordability - I'm going to say US as the cost of living and taxes are lower and salaries higher BUT don't forget all the "hidden" costs of living in a country with such a weak welfare state. Remember healthcare is completely free in Britain and university education a fraction of the cost of in the US - even after the Tories' latest "reforms".
18. Pop culture - Obviously the US is more influencial... whether it's of a better *quality* is another matter LOL (American vs. UK Office anyone?)
19. History - Obviously the UK, BUT don't say America does not have history. I personally find American history fascinating.
20. Architecture - Although nothing can beat the Manhattan skyline, the UK wins, as there is interesting architecture everywhere. Much of America is just bland late 20th century sprawl.
21. Colleges/Universities - The US. I would have said the UK a few years ago, but now they're getting really quite expensive, and unless you're at one of the top uni's like Oxbridge you don't receive anything like the level of education you get in the US's 20 schools.
Results: UK 12; US 8.
So I'm not about to pack my bags for the States just yet!
1. Frendliness- Americans tend to be a bit more outwardly friendly than Brits, but also more sensitive. Brits like to tease each other all the time in ways that some Americans find offensive and crass. All in all, I prefer to say there's nice and rude people everywhere.
2. Safety- I want to say the UK, but I know crime has gotten pretty out of hand there. However, the US has two of the world's most dangerous cities. Can't really say anything more.
3. Cultural contribution- The British Empire once encompassed roughly half the world, but now the US seems to be the one dominating the foreign culture markets of many countries now.
4. Politics- US politics are pretty screwed up, I'm sure it's similar in the UK. From what I know the UK tends to be less partisan than the US, but don't quote me on that.
5. Economy- When America falls, the whole world falls, enough said.
6. Women- Vastly subjective. Depends on social class, region, and various other factors. In my experience I've found British women to have much better taste in fashion and tend to present themselves more respectably. The chavvy one's though....ugh....
7. Environment- Tough one, the US is highly polluted and from what I know UK is one of the more polluted areas of Europe, so I guess it's subjective.
8. Scenery- US easily wins in that it has much more variety. I won't deny that the UK has some amazing spots though.
9. Weather- Much of the UK is cloudy and rainy for much of the year, while the US has a wide variety of climates. Growing up in Oregon, I'm used to UK style weather, but the fact that the US has so much more to choose from means it wins.
10. Location- UK easily, closer to a wide variety of cultures.
11. Sports- Although I prefer footie over American football, the fact that sport is so life or death in the UK turns me off. It's a big deal here in the US too, but we don't riot over sport nearly as much.
12. Cuisine- US mainly because of the wider variety and overall flavour. I found the traditional food in the UK to be quite boring, though the Indian food is fantastic. On that note, the US also has Indian food, along with many, many other ethnic foods being quite common.
13. Transportation- UK for public transport, US for private transport.
14. Infrastructure- I would say US, as UK roads are generally smaller and more difficult to navigate. However they seem to be maintained better, too bad some are made of brick or cobblestone which while charming, is also annoying.
15. Healthcare- UK hands down.
16. Education- Depends, the public schools in either are crap from what I know.
17. Affordability- Depends on where exactly. Of course London or New York are going to be outrageously expensive, whereas other areas aren't going to be as bad. The UK does have more taxes though.
18. Pop culture- Subjective to opinion. I personally like British pop culture much more, but that's mostly because of my anglophilia.
19. History- UK hands down.
20. Architecture- I would say UK because of all the historical architecture and what not. Not as many ugly, monolithic skyscrapers or boxxy tract homes.
21. Colleges/Universities- Also varies widely.
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