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Everytime someone says something good about my country there is always some butthurt foreigner saying crap like "OMG NO USA IS NOT THE BEST!!" when no one even said we are the best.
Well I think you need to stop getting offensive when someone says something remotely bad about the United States, it has its faults like any other country and people are allowed to their opinion as long as its not "bashing" I like many aspects of the USA, out of all countries in the world I'd feel most comfortable to live in your country and would love too especially New England.
I thought that the OP in general is a bit obsessed with the USA not just from this thread in particular. I recall him putting LA on the same level of "uniqueness" has Paris and other European cities.
Well I think you need to stop getting offensive when someone says something remotely bad about the United States, it has its faults like any other country and people are allowed to their opinion as long as its not "bashing" I like many aspects of the USA, out of all countries in the world I'd feel most comfortable to live in your country and would love too especially New England.
I thought that the OP in general is a bit obsessed with the USA not just from this thread in particular. I recall him putting LA on the same level of "uniqueness" has Paris and other European cities.
I defend my country if i want to, i let your fellow British posters defend your country without complaining to them. You however made a random assumption that Postman thinks USA is superior to every other country when he just simply complimenting the country.
Just don't understand how when someone makes a compliment = USA is superior to everywhere else in the world. lol.
Last edited by iNviNciBL3; 01-28-2014 at 04:01 PM..
The underlining issue is that USA is cut off from the rest of the world. Usually something as simple as a summer trip to Europe, is an awakening. Unfortunately most Americans never leave North America. Brits can accurately compare their nation to others because they are constantly comparing & contrasting their society with their neighbors. I lived in San Diego and was outraged at the amount of citizens that never stepped into Mexico. The ignorance.
Everytime someone says something good about my country there is always some butthurt foreigner saying crap like "OMG NO USA IS NOT THE BEST!!" when no one even said we are the best.
But we've already heard about how "good you're country" is. We don't care, stop bringing it up.
I can relate to what you're saying, OP, because I felt sort of that way when I FINALLY got to visit England. I mean, my entire life I've been intrigued by England - I love the history, the literature, BBC, music, you name it. Every single night, I watch BBC programming. I grew up reading CS Lewis and GK Chesterton. I have read just about every book that Peter Ackroyd has written about England. I've watched The Tudors several times. I've always been fascinated with the era of the Tall Ships, with the Reformation, and with Victorian England and have read every book I can lay my hands on about those topics. I probably spend an average of 2 hours A DAY, every day, "in England" in my mind.
So when I arrived in London, it was odd, but it felt completely familiar to me. I felt totally at home! I "recognized" places. Then when I went to Yorkshire, I felt exactly the same way. I could just start living there, I think, and never miss a beat. I am so familiar with the language and slang, the terrain, music, media, etc. that it felt like I just fit there.
Of course, I know there would be adjustments, and of course, I was very excited about actually experiencing everything first hand. But I get what you're saying COMPLETELY about how you felt on your trip to the US. The parallel universe feeling!
The underlining issue is that USA is cut off from the rest of the world. Usually something as simple as a summer trip to Europe, is an awakening. Unfortunately most Americans never leave North America. Brits can accurately compare their nation to others because they are constantly comparing & contrasting their society with their neighbors. I lived in San Diego and was outraged at the amount of citizens that never stepped into Mexico. The ignorance.
Take Europe for example, it's roughly the size of the United States, so of course Europeans will have traveled to more countries on average. However, most only know about America through television, movies and music which doesn't really paint an accurate picture.
I find it hard to believe most of the people you met in San Diego never been to Mexico. I don't know who you surrounded yourself with, but in all honesty I don't believe you have lived in San diego with comments like that.
There is a lot of hate in you, which just tells me you are trolling for reactions lol.
I can understand that, especially regarding LA. I'm an Angelino, but I lived abroad for years in a few places and have traveled pretty extensively. Whenever I had "foreign" friends come visit me in LA, they always noted how "different" it was than what they imagined it to be. I think a lot of you hit it on the head with stating that a lot of it does have to do with globalization and the fact that LA is so projected and portrayed across the globe due to Hollywood and the like. The city is very sensationalized in the media, and in pop culture with the ocean, the weather, celebs, Hollywood, etc. I think it's a place that a lot of people feel they "know" to a certain extent due to it being kinda "shoved" in their face a lot, even if they've never been here.
I think this is true for a lot of the US too, for the same reasons mentioned above for LA, but it's just not as focused or as specific I guess as it can be with LaLaLand. I also think that many "foreigners" underestimate just how large and extremely diverse the US is. As another poster pointed out, in people, geography, climate, culture, etc. etc. etc.
Going back to LA, I also think that it is not a very "tourist friendly" city. It's no little known secret that LA is VERY car-oriented and that not having a car can make one feel that you're at a real disadvantage. I'm not saying that you absolutely MUST have a car to visit LA (thousands of people live and visit here without one each year after all), but I think that it makes it a heck of a lot easier. In regards to my friends who have come to visit, I think a lot of them were relieved that they had me to show them around and show them the ropes and take them to all the different places. It's nice to get away from the tourist traps with locals I think.
I wonder, however, if the same is true for NYC. It's the most visited city in the USA (by far), but almost universally loved. I've never met a European who's been and did not like NYC. Not saying there weren't some complaints, but overall, I think most Europeans who have been seem to have positive sentiments towards the city, and those who haven't often express that as the first place that they'd like to visit in the US. With LA, I think tourists are very hit or miss. They either love it or they hate it. I find that there are very few who are in between. Some people can argue (as I have above) that part of this is because LA is so glamorized on TV and in movies, but then again, so is NY. NY is in just as many, or close to it, movies as LA is. It too is glamorized by the media, and celebs, and pop culture. I wonder then why it seems (at least in my experiences) to be almost universally loved by tourists, while LA is almost the opposite. I think a lot of it is the fact that, at least for European tourists, that LA is basically the complete antithesis of a European city. It is the very definition of sprawl, and suburbia, and strip malls, and car culture,etc. It's not like NY or European or Asian cities that tend to be more dense, more walkable, more public transit, etc. etc. LA is not really like anywhere in Europe or Asia. If there was any place that reminded me the most of CA while traveling abroad, it was definitely Australia (but here too, as with any place, there were many differences of course).
On another side note, I don't think this "phenomenon" is unique to America, however. I've visited Paris many times (and lived there for a bit too), and I specifically remember the first time going there and being so beyond excited and expecting everything and everyone to be drop-dead gorgeous, and all the people to be uber chic and stylish, and the food, and the romance, etc. etc. When I finally got there I was sooo disappointed lol (sorry, Parisians). Don't get me wrong, Paris is still a great city, but I think I had glamorized it so much in my mind that it would be nearly impossible for it to live up to my expectations. I think we forget that these places are just like other places everywhere in the world too. Filled with a lot of people just going about their everyday lives, going to work, and trying to get on with it all. There's actually a term for this called "Paris Syndrome" and it seems to be especially prevalent among the Japanese lol. There's even a Wiki page on it
Anyways, found this to be an interesting thread. Just thought I'd post my $0.02.
Well on one hand LA and NY felt very familiar, since I felt I'd already been there having seen it countless times, yet it was interesting to see the reality, the homeless, the dull, boring parts which are seldom shown, except in gangster movies. I even took the train through Compton/South Central, and I appreciate the multifaceted nature of LA. I think SoCal and LA fascinates me, but I have a love/hate relationship with it. It's history with the film industry, movie industry, TV - entertainment in general, it's mythic portrayal in song and on the screen, makes it seem like a sort of wonderland. It's also a TREMENDOUSLY diverse metropolitan area both in terms of landscape but also built form, the cultures etc. Go to Koreatown, and then Inglewood, Malibu, East LA and you'll notice the differences. You go up to Burbank and the Valley and since is where modern suburban culture was kind of invented.
Before I visited New York was already my favourite city in the world. It may sound cheesy, but I was fascinated by it and already had read up a lot about it. I knew all the major sights, neighbourhoods.etc. When I visited, I felt it was all very familiar, EXACTLY as I had imagined. I was pleased at how gritty it felt, as Billy Joel sung there really is a 'New York state of mind.' Some complain NY has lost it's edge, but I didn't visit before so I don't know, but compared to how Times Square looked before the 90s I think it looks better now. I went to Harlem and still felt like I was in 'Shaft.' I even got excited walking down Bleeker Street in Soho or was in Greenwich village, mentioned in the Simon and Garfunkel Song 'Bleeker Street.' It's little things like this.
It's funny I've heard so many people say that about Paris. Sure, it has it's negatives, but did that really detract from it's amazing architecture and beauty? Or was it the whole vibe in general?
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