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Dont even get me started on the kissing, i lived in USA and i know people dont kiss there everytime they enter a place. Here, everytime you get to a place you kiss people in the cheek. Yeah, everytime. Even if you go to a birthday reunion and there are 15 people there . You have to kiss each and everyone in the cheek cause thats how the culture is here.
Same here, sometimes I feel lazy for that haha, but if you don't kiss all of them is a lack of something. Part of politeness.
Well one thing that isn't so different; seems like men, regardless of the society are not able to see things from the female perspective.
Some years back in San Diego, I had an Argentine friend. When she would see me, should would often kiss me on the cheek. One day she told me that if I were ever uncomfortable with it, to let her know. A guy doing it to me would be a different matter. I know in many Latin cultures men to this to other men as well. Italians and I believe French do it. Anyone please correct me if I'm wrong. Mexicans don't seem to do this from what I can tell but, they are much more physically affectionate in other ways it seems. I think this is what makes to the USA a much more Germanic culture overall. Americans for the most part are affectionate only when in a romantic situation or drunk. OK, that's a broad brush stereotype but those of you smarter than a third grader get my point. Personally, I tend to be very reserved before I know a person but once comfortable with them, I can be every bit as affectionate. Probably explains why most of my friends have been Mexican.
Yeah, here men do the same, they kiss on the cheek.
I just got back from outside and a little kid that must not be older than 11 years old!!! came close to me and said something, i moved away cause i thought maybe he wanted to mug me (there are bands of little kids who mug here, and this poor kid was with others and seemed like they were that kind of band. Plus, i was in a shady neighbourhood) but NO! he said very dirty things to me, like all the things he would "do" to me, i mean the kid was no older than 11!!! It was horrible, i felt awful, for such a little kid to say things like that
Anyways, i also got piropos from older men, like i do every time im out. Its not as flattery as it sounds, sometimes it makes you feel awful and invaded. Men dont seem to get this, cause here if you are a woman it seems they think you have to "take" this things just for being a young somewhat attractive woman. Sad
It is expected, for a woman in BA, to get this looks or remarks EVERY TIME they are out. You probably dont see it cause you are a guy and you obviously dont get it.
Well, I understand that, you have a point there, but I still get the impression that this isn't as big an issue as you are portraying it to be. And though it may be because I'm a guy, I'd like to ask this of my female friends and acquaintances and find out how often they get these remarks. When I am with any of my female friends they almost never get these remarks, but I know it's because when girls are in the company of other men, men don't say all that piropo stuff so easily. And of course it never happened when I was out with a girlfriend (Something of this sort did happen to me when I was with my Colombian ex-girlfriend in Colombia, though).
Quote:
Originally Posted by SophieLL
I didnt mean to say that every men do it, i say that every girl gets it, wich is a completely different thing.
I get it. In fact, I wanted to make it clear that most men don't say these things. Only a very conspicuous and relatively large minority do so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SophieLL
we should ask girl this. Actually, there are even feminist movements to stop this and its a very popular topic of discussion in society. Would you say piropo is not something typical of our culture?
It depends, as always. It's typical of our society compared to USA society, for example. But if we compare it with Colombian society, it may not be as typical.
Again today had 3 men tell me piropos, this time nice ("you are very beautiful" kind of thing). I dont think i ever was out without someone telling me a piropo. Im gonna pay attention if theres a time when i go out when i DONT get a piropo from random men (and kids, apparently ), in the streets.
I'm pretty sure I posted in this thread but my post seems to have vanished...
I basically asked where in the US the OP had gone too, because NY has that Italian-Hispanic-Jewish culture which is more outgoing, expressive, direct in contrast to somewhere like the Upper Midwest.
Dont even get me started on the kissing, i lived in USA and i know people dont kiss there everytime they enter a place. Here, everytime you get to a place you kiss people in the cheek. Yeah, everytime. Even if you go to a birthday reunion and there are 15 people there . You have to kiss each and everyone in the cheek cause thats how the culture is here.
Some (female) Long Islanders do that. Might be a residual Italian-American influence. While, everytime would seem odd, kissing on the cheek wouldn't seem foreign.
The language, the dominant religion is protestantism, many "typical American" foods are still British, as well as the traditional American architectural styles are often Derived from Anglish styles.
For parts of the US, Catholicism is dominant*, and without traveling to other regions, it'd be hard to know otherwise. Some public schools (including the one my mom went to, and some in eastern Massachusetts) cafeterias followed Catholic dietary restrictions in the meals they served on Fridays. Still even if Catholicism influenced some customs, the general culture was probably still closer to Northern Europe than Southern. Assimilation is strong enough, that immigration patterns didn't change the underlying culture hugely.
For Long Island, it's probably Catholicism, then Judaism, then Protestantism. We got Jewish holidays off from school.
Maybe this thread can sound a bit stupid but I explain why I ask this question. It is more about personalities.
USA is supposed to have a "germanic culture" I write into commas because maybe cultures are mixed there, but I was thinking about the English heritage. I don't talk about features and people ethnics because I couldn't say "this person is American" just tooking at them lol.
Before travelling to USA for first time in 2011 I always expected that people (yeah, this thread is more about people) would be more like germanic Europe, I mean by personality, serious, colder, indoor people etc. I expected Americans to be more like British, Swedes, Irish etc.
But I was surprised that I found them more like latin european people: easygoing, warm, enjoying moments, and people who love enjoying moments without forgetting serious things of life of course, people like Italians, French, Spaniards Portuguese etc.
Later in 2011 I travelled to other State and I had the same feeling, yeah, people are more like us. I mean, I am from Spain and I find Americans to be more like me than British for example.
My question is for all these United Statians in the forum, especially the ones who have travelled to Europe or who know European people, Do you feel you have more similarities with North Europeans or with South Europeans??
European people who know Americans can vote of course.
I think I know what you are asking about, and in spite of some differences with Northern Europeans, American culture is indeed in its core a Northern European culture; to be more exact- heavily modified British culture. ( Heavily modified in order to be more inclusive that is.)
That's why some Europeans are questioning excessive ( in their point of view) American smiling and superficiality of certain traits in Americans.
I had a strange thought that entered my mind once, that American culture ( being a younger state) is an attempt to mimic Russia, because this combination of "Northern" and "Southern" traits is the essence of Russian culture, actually.
I think I know what you are asking about, and in spite of some differences with Northern Europeans, American culture is indeed in its core a Northern European culture; to be more exact- heavily modified British culture. ( Heavily modified in order to be more inclusive that is.)
That's why some Europeans are questioning excessive ( in their point of view) American smiling and superficiality of certain traits in Americans.
I had a strange thought that entered my mind once, that American culture ( being a younger state) is an attempt to mimic Russia, because this combination of "Northern" and "Southern" traits is the essence of Russian culture, actually.
British culture can be as polite, imo americans want to appear kind to everybody, sometimes it can appear forced and not natural.
I dont see much similarities between American and scandinavian cultures for example.
Germans are more direct people, I'd say the American culture is rather scpecifically of Anglospheric and British variation rather than general of "northern european" variation.
American culture is a British oriented culture but who goes away from its core due to much more flexibilily and inclusion due to being so much based/built by immigrants from different cultures who all the time dont only adapt (like in the case of european countries) but mold itself slowly, since american culture bases are not that old.
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. You have to kiss each and everyone in the cheek cause thats how the culture is here.
It was horrible, i felt awful, for such a little kid to say things like that 
