posted June 25, 2011 03:44 PM            

Another friend, from the US, said recently, when we were discussing the first day of summer, and I quoted the Temp in C first, then switched to F for his comfort, as I was aware, as a culture, that in school you are taught Fahrenheit. ( as are we, but as a culture, we use Celsius) He said
"We just stick with F. Because it makes more sense."
Who the 'we' is, well, I can only assume he means to speak for his entire country.

So I pose this, in the name of the equality that is spreading around so beautifully...

It is sort of recognized that North America is a continent that is pretty unified but each country has their own cultural significance and strengths. I know Canada is regarded as a sort of 'cousin' to America, very much the same- in that, if we were simply speaking the language here, on this board, and I didn't have the word 'Canada' under my name, you'd probably not see much of a difference in my communication style. (Other than my obvious 'liberal' bent- but that's simple communication and politics.)

If I said those two things that were said to me recently, and changed the words around to read 'U.S.' in place of Canada, or C in place of F....would you be a tad offended, or see it as strange that those distinctions had to be made? Just out of nowhere, with no point of reference, or relevance to the conversation?

In this global climate, in the community spirit, in politics, in wars and in trading.... would you consider that offensive? Would you think it would come from a place of condescension?

Does it make you think of your own 'patriotism' or neighbourliness (Canadianized spelling)and how you are perceived?

posted June 26, 2011 04:06 PM            

i experienced that in the US, but i brushed it off because i was the outsider there. i also felt that i didn't want to adhere to the typical cliché, so i always thought i should avoid judging people based on their nationalities. but it became saturated and obvious when i moved out of the US.

posted July 14, 2011 08:15 AM            

agreed Venus, to sterotype is to cheat ones self of the richness and diversity offered by every race, creed, religion and flower.

posted July 14, 2011 08:44 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by juniperb:

agreed Venus, to sterotype is to cheat ones self of the richness and diversity offered by every race, creed, religion and flower.

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posted July 14, 2011 08:58 AM            

race, creed, religion, flower and birth chart

posted July 14, 2011 01:24 PM            

i had forgot, once i was chopping garlic with this super technique (NO, it's not super, it was normal!), which i adopted from watching a cooking show in Germany. a French room mate of the time was amazed and said "wow! that's some crazy Asian technique!"

anything i do tend to be because i am a proud carrier of Asian tradition. well, because i'm Asian.

once we were going to Switzerland and sharing rides with strangers, and a new guy we picked up asked me where i was from. so i told him where i was born, (but left when i was still a teenager), and he blatantly said "ahhh, you do look a TYPICAL -insert a name of an Asian country-" now i really felt insulted by that, but the guy really meant it and not as a sarcasm.

but still, i feel there is a different back thoughts when Europeans say this, and when Americans say the similar stuff. Europe is divided into many different countries, while in the US everyone's everywhere mixed together. i cannot articulate it, but when the same sort of things come from Europeans i tend to brush it off as just their... either ignorance, or the habit to differentiate. when Americans say it, it kind of aggravates me because they (generally) are so "political-correct" and all.

posted July 15, 2011 08:32 AM            

I am aware that Fahrenheit is used in the US... I stated that in my first post..and when addressing my American friends, I use it in familiar terms, although in Canada, we use Celcius. I am vitally aware of the differences, as they keep being pointed out by my American friends, as I said in my first post.

It's like when my father in law tells about a man at work. He says details telling of his personal prejudices- simply because they don't matter one iota to the story, but he inserts them.... He will say "This guy, he is black, blah blah blah..." like- his race means nothing to the story, but he felt like pointing that out.
Especially involving women- as he has narcissist tendencies, and with that comes a major intolerance for women.....(p*sses me off like crazy- I am ALWAYS the first to straighten him out when he mentions a project we've done around the house in terms that my husband did it- I will quickly say *I* did it....to let him know I am capable and excellent in many things)

When something is pointed out that is unnecessary to the story or the context, it becomes patronizing.....don't you think?

posted June 03, 2012 02:07 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Aquacheeka:
America is an extremely heterogenous place with huge cultural disparities depending on the region. I recognize that, I acknowledge that, I appreciate that. An American from NYC is not the same as an American from Mississipi or an American from North Dakota. Having said that, I sincerely and honestly would not want to live anywhere in America as a black person. I don't mean to be harsh or too "un-PC," but I am just speaking from my heart. I'd skip right over them and move to Cayman or Barbados or somewhere else in the Caribb

With all of that said, pixelpixie I know what you mean about the typical American egocentricity around their culture. I've seen it and experienced it as well. They act like [i

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posted June 08, 2012 03:36 AM            

if you're a southerner (and this is just an example) who's lived all your life in a cozy small town with people whom you know and feel comfortable around (regardless of their race/religion etc..) and suddnly you run into someone different in any way, could be skin, hair color, education, social status etc.. it is completely natural to feel "awkward" or "weird" around them that would make some people come off as racists but it’s just a natural reaction if you ask me..

posted June 08, 2012 08:32 AM            

One of my friends was an adopted Far Eastern girl by whites and the town felt "she should be raised among her own people." Generally speaking there isn't a lot of racial violence anymore, it's a lot more subtle than that, but the races are expected not to mix too much (one night stands are often tolerated, at least for a man with a woman, but any more than that is discouraged), and by raising a Far East Asian child they were breaking an unspoken rule and that child was an outcast, though of course the town blamed the parents rather than themselves as they should've. They felt as long as they didn't burn crosses then they weren't racist.

Oddly enough West Texas is a lot less racist (and also doesn't consider itself part of the South as East Texas does) and the violence on the Mexican border hasn't changed that (at least not according to a Mexican friend I sometimes trade emails with who frequently crosses the border). And she says the same as me, East Texas is much more racist.

Still, there is a lot of racism in California, too, so the state has a lot less reason to be critical of Texas (especially as it shares many other unpleasant traits with Texas in its own way) than it likes to be (granted, Texas loves to be critical of California, too). Speaking in purely general terms (with specific areas not being included) I'd say California is noticeably less racist than East Texas but noticeably more racist than West Texas.

posted June 08, 2012 09:11 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by pixelpixie:
If I said those two things that were said to me recently, and changed the words around to read 'U.S.' in place of Canada, or C in place of F....would you be a tad offended, or see it as strange that those distinctions had to be made? Just out of nowhere, with no point of reference, or relevance to the conversation?

In this global climate, in the community spirit, in politics, in wars and in trading.... would you consider that offensive? Would you think it would come from a place of condescension?

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No. I tend to find statements like that rather amusing actually.

And I actually think the metric system makes more sense and given how global our world has become I don't get why America isn't doing more to catch up. But as I was raised to use American measurements it's difficult for me to think in metric terms, but if you've noticed then when I give American measurements I usually make an effort to give the measurements used in other countries put in parenthesis. For example, I have a story I share (not that I'm sharing it here) about a textbook and when I share it on the internet I'll generally describe it as 10 pounds (4.5 kg). When I mention the heat in Texas last summer I tend to say how it got 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3C).

Still, it's no big deal to me.

I also recall the first time I got on the internet, I think it was my first night trying out chat rooms and I got into one where I ended up chatting with someone from Finland. Asking what country I was from I said the United States and she said, "Oh, the land of the pee?" And I about fell out of my chair laughing so hard (for those of you who don't know America is really big on peeing in a cup for all kinds of petty reasons as part of the war on some drugs while at the same time claiming to have the most freedom, and I thought the snark clever and laughed).

Nationalism just isn't a big deal to me, however. Granted, Bieber did push my tolerance with, "Canada's the best country in the world. You guys are evil." But then I recognized he's just a kid (I'm actually more offended, or closer to it, like what he said about rape happening for a reason, but again I realize he's just a child...an obviously very sheltered child at that). (ETA: Just to be clear, Bieber meant this as in "everything happens for a reason" rather than "she deserved it" or holding ultra traditional Biblical values as he implied--very ignorantly from being a child who hasn't thought through the implications, I hope--God must've had a reason to let it happen.)

I'm glad to say the Canadian nurse I used to be friends with before she moved had a good sense of humor about movies like Operation Canadian Bacon and the South Park movie ("Blame Canada!"). And if she can have a sense of humor then so can I. She also said other Canadians found those movies funny, too.

posted June 09, 2012 12:54 PM            

quote:

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And as for things like Celsius vs. Fahrenheit seem like paper vs. plastic, just an irrelevant preference. I have mine but my ego isn't so high strung that I take offense or feel scandalized that others have a different preference.

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Except plastic is bad for the enviroment and paper is not.