The state thing is because many Americans are used to interacting with other Americans, in America, and telling each other we're from the US is weird if nearly everyone you meet is also from the US. It's like saying "I have ears". If you lived in the UK, and met another person from the UK, you'd probably say "I'm from London/Midlands/York/Slough" rather than "I'm from the UK". Because they are also from the UK, and in the UK. And so are most of the people in the crowd around you. Likewise with the US: we don't go around saying "I'm from the US" and "I am also from the US". If the other person is from the US, we name the state. If they're from and we're in the same state, city or town is the default.
As a Brit. I remember being very confused when visiting a friend in Kentucky, and seeing number plates, and people wearing sweaters with 'UK' written on them. It was several days before I realised that the 'UK' stood for 'University of Kentucky'.😄
@@koschmx Lol. I confess, I probably don't know who's on most of our notes, least of all what they did to get there. I hope you have a great time in the UK when you visit again. (Don't miss York if you can manage it.)
I live in the US, in Utah (on the west side of the country), and have a friend who went to University of Kentucky. I still get confused for a second every time I see her UK gear. 😂
I was at a small tourist shop in Kenya (far from cities) and one of the employees asked where (I believe he specifically asked which US state) I was from. I answered Pennsylvania and he said "Ah, with the Amish people!" and I replied,"Why, yes!" So not everyone outside the US is completely unaware of its regions.
@@bricefleckenstein9666 Ah, yes, the Kenyan man should have then followed up with "Though there are also significant populations in Ohio (not Iowa) and Indiana!" How could he be so ignorant?
@@Grendelynden I said Iowa deliberately - I lived fairly close to the Amana Colonies there for years, and Amana the BRAND was named after that region of Iowa (as that's where it's original factory was at). I get more than a little irritated when someone is WRONG when "correcting" something I stated.
@@bricefleckenstein9666 Brands and tourist attractions don't equate to communities of people. There are certainly Amish in Iowa, but there is not a large group; there are more Amish in, say, Kentucky than in Iowa.
@@Grendelynden There are quite a few Amish in Iowa - they might center on the Amana Colonies but they've spread out over the years. Yes, the Amana BRAND eventually got sold off by it's Amish founders - but they still founded it. I seriously doubt there are more Amish in Kentucky - might be more in Indiana, definitely more in Penn, but the Amish in Indiana tend to be in the northern part of the state and have NOT migrated as far as Kentucky. Try LIVING in East-Central Iowa, instead of spewing ignorance.
I don't know about Mexico, but you can cross from the US to Canada and back without a passport if you have the super duper driver's license (I forget what the official name is). It's basically a driver's license but you have to supply all the same documents to get it that you would need to get a passport.
Expecting us Americans to say we're from America is like expecting a Scotsman to say he is from the UK instead of saying Scotland. US states are every bit as different as the various areas of the UK.
When people from the United Kingdom have told me where they're from, they often don't say "I'm from the UK." They might say Wales, or Great Britain, or Yorkshire, or Midlands, or even just a city name, London, or Bristol, etc. We're not so different after all.
you will be shocked to know that cake is pretty much just cake everywhere you go. American bread being as sweet as it is is an outlier among most bread you find worldwide.
@@Catherine.Dorian. as I understand it, when can farm subsidies started back in the 1930s, it was intended to support small farmers during the Great Depression. Those subsidies never went away, so corn syrup became a cheaper alternative to sugar.
Often residents of the United States are criticized for calling ourselves "Americans", when if fact it was the British who did that to make a distinction between someone from Britain or British America. In the past, "Americans" were more likely to identify with the state they were from, especially prior to the Civil War. But continued pressure from the outside has led us to call ourselves "Americans" when were are not in the U.S. Thankyou for touching on the fact that the US isn't a constant running gunfight, the British and Australians seem sure that we are armed to the teeth 24/7, and participate in gun-battles on a annual basis at minimum. Also thank you for pointing out that homicide statistics include suicides, I'm not sure most people are aware of that.
@@shamone10 Well 340 x 0 = 0, so no. Most Americans never see guns (besides police and military) AT ALL, and some people freak out when someone is open-carrying because it's so unusual.
When I was a child, I asked my father why we never visited any other countries. My father, who is an American immigrant, said “Why would I go explore other countries before I was done exploring my own?” I know many will not agree with this sentiment, however it illustrates the point made in the video. It’s a big country with a lot to see.
@@garryferrington811 Umm...150 miles isn't that far. I've driven farther just to pick a relative up from the airport, and then driven back the same day.
I thought I would add that I travelled to Europe in the 1970s and did not visit my first large National Park till 2013. There is a lot to see in the US.
when we were over there, last, we would say, "we're from Oregon, in the States" because we expected if we just said, "America" the next question would be "what part"
@@ronjones-6977 Haha... yeah, because when I go back to Arkansas to visit my family and tell people I'm from Oregon, they say, "Is that near New York?" Oy ve... So I don't expect Europeans to know where Oregon is.
I say I'm "From Rhode Island but originally born in Pennsylvania" because to other Americans that tells them that the smell of cow manure reminds me of my childhood and that I am no longer willing to drive more than 20 minutes unless it's really important. Saying I'm from the US would just feel like I'm being intentionally vague and obtuse, like if I met a tourist around here and they said "I'm from Europe" or "I'm from Asia" or "I'm from Africa."
Except that Europe, Asia, and Africa are all WAY, WAY, WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more diverse than the US. It's not even close, it's not even close to close to close, I can't even imagine thinking these things are comparable. Hawaii is basically culturally equivalent to Maine compared to Iceland vs Greece or Yemen vs Brunei. Ridiculous comparison, and I say this as an American.
@@HuckleberryHim You sound absolutely ridiculous. In my city I can walk 5 blocks and find completely different ethnic makeups and languages. I've moved half a dozen times and found nothing similar anywhere that I moved to, and the new locals are always in complete awe of me and unaware of anything I say that used to be normal. The fact that you compared Hawaii to Maine shows you don't know anything. Hawaii is insanely different to Maine. NY is insanely different to NC. Ridgewood is insanely different to LIC. The list goes on.
@@KonglomeratYT Yeah, I'm from NYC too, and it is by far the most diverse city on the planet, and in human history. That's not what anyone meant here by "diversity". There is still a common American culture and vibe that you get no matter where you are. There are Walmarts and pick-up trucks everywhere you go. If English isn't the main language in some place, then it's Spanish. These "recent immigrant" communities are a tiny fraction of the population compared to 60% plain jane white American (you couldn't make it more obvious this is the category you belong to), and about 30% are black or Hispanic. These are very "typical American" groups and their makeup of the population hardly varies wherever you go. This isn't the case in Europe or Asia or Africa. India alone has 500+ indigenous languages. You can go from town to town in Sweden and find practically mutually unintelligible dialects. There isn't even a single main indigenous language for almost any African country. Never in your wildest dreams will America be like that; if it is "diverse", it's diverse in a very clearly different way (recent immigration; which is great, by the way). Don't be obtuse. Just because you want to imagine that NC is "insanely different" from NY doesn't make it so. In what made-up yank fantasy are you living? They both have mega highways, the same trashy burger joints, redneck trump supporters. The finest of American culture gets exported throughout the land. The seeming contrast between Maine and Hawaii was obviously part of my intention, because simpleton American exceptionalists like you are astonished that anyone could compare them. You focus so much on these tiny minutiae of differences, while ignoring the glaringly obvious giant monolith of Americanisms that characterize them both. The only way the American states are truly diverse is in terms of ecology/geography/climate, which can't exactly be helped. Otherwise, you people are way, way, WAYY overfocused on all these supposed differences while missing the massive forest for the tiny trees.
@@KonglomeratYThis reply is just a copypaste i remember reading on a expat video a few months back. Don't waste you breath. Or it's possible that most "pickme" americans speak with simular disdain for the US and im just remembering what one of his friends parroted. 😂
When I talk to non-Americans about America and its states, I tell them to think of America as 50 different countries combined into one giant country. Each states has it's own history and culture. Many of them have their own dialects of language, and, crucially, every state has their own laws. Yes, there are laws that are universal in America, but each state also has their own unique laws that are only true for them. Living in Arizona is basically like living in a different country than Florida, or Idaho, or etc... So that's a big reason why Americans say their state.
That’s really true. During the settling of America, the country was not all inclusive from border to border and coast to coast as it is now. In fact, at the time of the original 13 colonies banded together for the revolution, Spain and France still had major settlements in America. Even when land was added later, it remained territorial until there was sufficient population and the residents voted to apply for statehood. With the acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase, the Federal Government was involved in partitioning the land into essentially what became several states.
There's also governors/judges that further determine whether those "universal" federal laws actually even get enforced in their state. There's been a lot of controversy lately from hyper-conservative judges making nonsensical rulings that are just designed to be appealed up to the currently conservative-stacked Supreme Court.
@@claregale9011because there are other countries? The United States borders Canada and Mexico. The three countries make the the majority of the continent of North America. There are many others besides those three just within the continent.
On bread: It is actually really easy to buy bread in the supermarket with comparable amounts of sugar as European brands. We have a lot of options with more sugar, but we have just as many options with similar or less sugar. Edit: For clarity, I mean even the prepackaged stuff, not just the stuff at the bakery counter.
I find it odd how they'll say things like American's bread is sweet or American's cheese is processed, etc. Those kind of statements seem to be based on us having a limited variety of things, when we have a vast number of choices.
@@RogCBrand yeah they take things from American movies as being just American, American cheese to me is colby jack and pepper jack whilst stuff like Kraft Slices (which many Europeans think is American cheese all Americans use) is cheese when you're struggling.
@@RogCBrandthis is something I’ve found in talking to Europeans. They only seem to have, maybe outside the capital cities at least, only one of each thing. One bread, one beer, one cheese in the particular region. It’s difficult to explain to them that in the US we have an extremely wide variety of choices, including the imports of the world. There really is no such thing as American bread, or American beer, etc. it’s sort of like what we do with some things, like say Swiss Cheese. Typically it’s just Emmentaler. But at the actual cheese counter we can get Gruyère, or Tête de Moine, or Bleuchâtel. All Swiss cheese but we don’t call them that. Most Europeans will never see or eat actual American food. It’s just our most stereotypical big business brands that they know us by: Hershey, Budweiser, Kraft, etc.
North American wheat (I.e. summer wheat) is faster frowning and more prolific than Northern European wheat. This difference in wheat strains also means a significantly higher percentage of glutinous proteins. These proteins produce a much harder and dryer bread. One common way to soften gluten and add back moisture is with higher sugar (sucrose is hydroscopic, it holds on to and locks in moisture). The reason rye based bread doesn’t need sugar is because rye naturally has less gluten… although its grows more slowly and thus costs more. Sourdough also is produced by longer bacterial breakdown flour, which actually chops up some of the longer tight spring-like proteins of gluten.
As someone from the US, I can say the reason that many of us don’t have a passport & don’t travel abroad isn’t because of lack of interest. It’s all about the costs. The majority of us just cannot afford it. I’d love to, but most of the time, even traveling within the US isn’t an option because it just costs too much. That’s a rich people thing.
YES!! I was just able to go out of the country for the first time last year at age 27 to Ireland, after years of saving and an off-season deal (November). Not only is it difficult for many to afford airfare/lodging on their wages, many employers can be abusive about allowing time off. When I was 20, my first employer revoked my vacation days requested months in advance (4 days off after 3 straight years of work) mere days prior because "you're on our time, we're not on yours" LOL
@@sonozaki0000 you need to get a better job. I've never had any of my time off revoked. I was asked once if I could change it, but they didn't revoke it. One time when I requested on short notice they didn't approve it, but that's different than revocation.
Even in the U.S. the news reported on the guy who broke into Buckingham Palace at night, went into her bedroom, and talked to the Queen. Apparently, at the moment, she assumed he was a drunk member of the staff. But since this was 1982, I don't think he was Laurence. Also, if you type the search term, "man who broke into," this is the suggested search. One would think a lot of men have broken into a lot of places.
@@HansDelbruck53I think they meant the original makers of the style not the original people. I could be wrong though. Also, North America as you know it today is far younger than Europe, but Mexicans and Native Americans had this country for thousands of years before that.
(looking at the loaf claiming to be hawai'ian bread next to me) (Franz is the brand) 18g carbs, only 2g of added sugars in those carbs. Only 1g of carbs is dietary fiber. The brand I prefer (kings) has more fiber, more sugar, and about the same total carbs, and tastes considerably sweeter.
@@WilliamHostman Your body breaks down carbs into sugar. So from a weight gain perspective, there's not much difference. It's just that sugar hits your blood soon after eating, while it takes your body a day or two to break down carbs into sugar.
Prior to Sept. 2001 US citizens didn't require a passport to take a day trip across either of its neighboring borders. I didn't need one (or afford it) prior to my trip to Japan when I was 27.
Much of the Caribbean was the same way. Additionally, before Europe designated the Schengen Area a passport was often need to visit relatives who lived ten minutes away across a country border. Possibly the same way passport ownership went up in the U.S., it probably went down in Europe. My first visit to Europe in 1998 was hit or miss what countries actually asked for a passport as we drove across borders. Our friends there who we were visiting explained the changes taking place at the time. Our visits over the last fifteen years, we produced passports only when going through airports.
@@philipmcniel4908 Or a birth certificate! My father had to take a group for work across the border to Niagara Falls the month prior to the passport rule taking effect. One person out of the 6 had his birth certificate because "this is the last time I'll be able to do this".
@user-li2yv5je5e trust me, we're not offended, bread nazis get our attention like the dwarf or bearded lady at a circus, or the drunk/drugged angry guy on a street corner.
@user-li2yv5je5e no, for some reason there are a ton of people who seem to make it their life mission to denounce "American" white bread. Over on Quora I found dozens of posts with hundreds of comments about bread and they all devolved into bashing American bread, even when the original bread question was not even about that. Bread Nazi was a good name to call them, what with the derogatory names and slander (and the purity and hating on people that weren't like them *cough cough*), put them on a pedestal and give them a comb mustache and cheering crowds and rows of SA brownshirts and it would have been perfect.
I've had people from the UK answer "where are you from" by saying "Kent" or "Aberdeen," while not referring to the city. How is that different from Americans naming their state?
@@ianz9916 Not true - the angles tried but failed to ever actually "take it over". The joining of the crowns and then the creation of the UK 100 years later was a way t end the constant wars and such. It was basically a business decision. 😄
@@Mike-xh8fl In business terms it would be economically disastrous for Scotland to leave the Union now. The SNP want the Scots to believe that this isn't the case and pro-independence media make lots of noise about the way accounting works but here are the facts. Scotland has about 5.4 million people living there, and England has about 57 million people. Broadly speaking there are 10 times as many people in England as in Scotland. The public annual grant to Scotland is about £41 billion compared to the public annual grant to England of £86 billion. Broadly speaking twice as much. It really doesn't take a maths genius to work out that, left to their own devices, this will no longer be sustainable. So you are basically right, but for how long?
@@ianz9916learn your history, man. Every time the English tried to subjugate the Scots, it lasted for a generation at most. The intensity with which the Scots ended occupations should make it very clear that they were never English subjects. They were periodically the greatest allies to each other or bitterest foes because the politics were so much more complicated than mere subjugation and overlordship. At many points, the Scottish kings were landholding peers WITHIN ENGLAND - the earldom of Huntingdon was theirs by both tradition and might of arms. And yet still, the nobility and royalty intermarried regularly. The English crown hoped to supplant the Scottish nobility with their own, but the opposite ended up happening. Scots royal blood sits the English throne to this day.
@@Levacque Get a sense of humour, it wasn't a serious comment. It was more a reaction to the 6th verse of the national anthem where it talks about crushing the rebellious Scots.
Many others have commented that they say their state name because the U.S. is so large. That’s part of it. Anyone who’s never been to the U.S. but only knows about it from movies might not realize that most of American culture is nothing like Hollywood portrays it. There are so many cultural differences, accents, habits, and variety, that it’s almost as if we’re made up of different countries rather than states. I’m middle-aged now, but when I was young I visited Nassau, Bahamas and New Orleans, Louisiana the same year. I felt more like I was in a foreign country in New Orleans than I did in the Bahamas. I live in Alabama, so it was just a few hours’ drive to get to New Orleans, but it felt SO foreign.
Euros will never understand that. On a funny note. I was stationed in New Orleans and my first day there the Boatswain Mate told me I was no longer in the United States. You are in New Orleans.
If you go abroad anywhere Americans are still clearly recognized as Americans. So there must be a common culture. I am German and couldn’t tell if a person is from Wisconsin or Louisiana or California or even Canada. I could only tell they are nor from the UK by the accent. But in return an American couldn’t say if a German is from Brandenburg or Bavaria although these are totally different regions and cultures within Germany. To an outsider both are clearly german although we think we have barely anything in common with each other 😅
As an American (also from Indiana!) we often say our state first because Americans often travel to other states (America is huge) and telling another American what state you’re from is much more useful information! So some of us have this habit deeply ingrained and forget how useless it might be to a non-American when we do leave the US.
It would be a little ridiculous and useless for people who are meeting for the first time just to say they're from the US. "I'm Sam, from the US." "I'm Mary, and I'm from the US." "I'm Tony, and I'm also from the US!" etc.
As an American I can't relate in the slightest. I barely even travel outside of a small area with many states close by, and if I do, it's not like everyone around me is asking me where I'm from. No one cares. I can't imagine how ignorant and stupid I would have to be to think that when I'm in a foreign country, people are asking me if I'm from Kentucky or Wyoming. Obviously freaking not.
@@HuckleberryHim I probably should have also mentioned that if you meet a lot of other Americans online as an American, mentioning what state you're from is pretty useful in that situation too, at least if you're actually trying to get to know people. In any case, it's ok not to relate to my comment, but I think it's going a bit too far when you call other people stupid for what may honestly be a slip-up. Besides that, some people outside of America actually do take interest in what state we're from. Obviously not everyone, but definitely some. Source: I've met many. Relax.
@@HuckleberryHim I get asked where I am from all the time, as an American. Cause I have a NYC accent, but I am in the south. Just because nobody cares about you doesn't mean that this situation doesn't exist lmao. Calm yourself, child.
@@KonglomeratYT Sheesh, somebody got triggered, lol. If you're actually in the south, you'd know that millions of American southerners speak with a "general American" accent. Just as they do in NYC. I spent most of my life in NYC, and I don't have a "New Yawk" accent at all, and have hardly ever met anyone who did. Get over yourself, lmao.
My husband and I grew up in the same city. It is (I believe) in the top 10 biggest cities in California, USA, and is pretty high up there as far as crime rate. However, I was raised solely in upper middle class neighborhoods and to this day have never witnessed gun violence first hand. My husband however did in his youth. In fact he was the lone white boy in a Mexican gang (which he joined simply to survive his neighborhood at the time), but was kicked out because he smoked meth and the gang didn't mess with hard drugs. As a young adult, he saw the road he was on (the child of addicts who abused him turned addict himself), quit drugs cold turkey, and went to truck driving school. He is now the #2 driver at his company. He hasn't done any drugs (except prescribed medication of course) in the decade we have been together. He has also quit smoking in that time and is currently even working on quitting alcohol, except for large celebrations. I am exceedingly proud of haw far he has come on willpower alone!
I say my city or state first because I identify first as a Philadelphian, Pennsylvanian, or even Marylander (where I spent the first 16 years of my life). Just saying I'm American doesn't really describe the "flavor" of my origins. I think it all comes down to how we think about our own identities.
I lead with my state rather than country simply because the country is so dang big, and I'd rather make it clear that I'm not from one of the interesting places they've seen in movies or TV, just somewhere with corn, roller-coasters, and haunted houses.
Nebraska then? :D I've lived in 3 states thus far, Illinois (grew up in Chicago), Missouri, and now South Carolina. Wild to see the differences in each place.
Even telling people from other nearby states where you're from, they'll ask where that is in relation to the biggest/most well-known city. I then have to tell them, "I'm about X miles/minutes from there." They'll usually still be confused, but at least they know I'm not from the big city they're aware of.
I can't speak for all Americans, obviously, but for myself, while i absolutely love to travel and have always wanted to visit Europe, I have never been able to afford it. Now I have 4 children whom I would have to bring with me since childcare is ungodly expensive and i don't have family nearby that could watch them for an extended period. Then there's the matter of time. My husband and I would have to give up pay to take vacation, and either pull the kids out of school or wait until summer break (since the only other school breaks are for holidays that we celebrate with family and friends locally). Its a big headache and financial burden we just haven't taken the time to plan out. My sister and her husband, on the other hand, make a LOT more money than us, and have the ability to work remotely. They also only have 2 children and her husband's family lives near them (across the country from us) and seem to be frequently available to house their kids if they travel without them, so they travel, and travel abroad, fairly frequently.
@thorstenjaspert9394 I haven't had the opportunity or means to do a lot of traveling. However, my grandparents lived in Southern California and I live in Northern California, and we would drive 6-8 hours each way to visit a few times each year throughout my childhood. I did get to see more of the country when my father was a truck driver. I spent a summer with him on the truck and we drove as far away as new york and back.
@@thorstenjaspert9394 From where I am in the northeast a plane ticket to Iceland is about the same price as one to California, so going to Europe is comparatively affordable. And since the Pacific is so huge, Californians are also paying more to get to Asia than I'd pay to get to Europe, traveling outside North America is more expensive there all around. So mentalities about travel at least are definitely affected by state.
It's easy to find bread without added sugar in American supermarkets. In addition to sourdough and rye, which you mentioned, there are usually whole-grain breads with no sugar. Trader Joe's Organic 5-Seed Multigrain Bread has no added sugar, and 0 grams of sugar per slice. Also, a lot of supermarkets have bread from local bakeries on their shelves, and many of these breads are not sweet at all. Before 9/11, Americans didn't need passports to travel to visit Canada or Mexico. Now we do. Also, you can't get on even a domestic flight these days without either a passport or a Real ID driver's license. These are big reasons that the number of American passports has increased in recent years.
The thing I wish I could find is non-chunky 100% whole wheat added-sugar-free bread, so if anyone has any national (or Oregon-accessible) brand/product recommendations I would be grateful. All the ones I can find have large seeds, rolled oats, etc. (such as the one mentioned), and sometimes I just want something softer. Just a smooooth, whole wheat bread that *isn't sweet* for sandwiches. (Rye is delicious but not for every purpose. Sourdough is *divine* but white bread is a sometimes-food, as Cookie Monster would say.) But the American bread I'm used to was not nearly as sweet as the Japanese bread I had recently!
@@RKHageman My store brand whole wheat bread also only has 1 g of sugar, which made the comment about loads of added sugar in bread kind of strange to me.
As a Canadian I can tell you, we tend to say what Province we're from as well, as culture varies quite a bit from region to region. In Alberta, there's even a north/south and city to city difference to a degree
Why is bread sweet? Because there was a "fat" crazy a few decades ago tso they cut back from "added fats" like butter, so to make it taste remotely edible they replaced the "fat" with sugar. Which is worse.
Erm, follow-up question: (aside from brioche) why TF were you putting BUTTER in your bread dough, and why would you think bread is inedible without it??
@@tarrynlea It makes the bread softer and more moist. Doesn't dry out as easily. Tastes better. I think this is particularly important in breads meant to be shelf stable for weeks.
You forgot about the Little League World Series. This has youngsters from all over the world competing for the best young baseball team in the world. This competition truly is a World Series.
We don't have Little League baseball here in Ireland. Let alone World Series. We have our own sports such as Hurling (3,000+yrs old). Gaelic Football also around the same age.
@@thaisstone5192 No, they think the southern hemisphere is part of the world. The world series has young players from all over the world, and some of them could be but aparrently aren't likely from Ireland. Inclusion of Ireland isn't a required part of "from all over the world".
So does the MLB World Series. The MLB is where professional baseball players can make the most money, so the best players from all over the world come to the US to play there.
Yep, I finally got to go to Greece last year after being on this earth for over 70 years, and was only able to do that because someone else paid for most of it. I've always had a looooong list of countries I'd love to visit, but all of them involve very long flights and many thousands of dollars. China and Australia, would you please move closeer?
I've been around the world and visited over 130 countries, cost is as much as you want to spend. I can travel and spend less than $15 a night. If you know what to do. You can also do house swaps for free. Japan last month, Korea next month. I've been to 8 countries this year alone. I'm far from rich, I'm just a savvy traveller. You can spend your whole life making excuses and lie on your deathbed wishing you'd done this or gone there. Just get on with it. LAZY IF YOU ASK ME
@@markylon $15 a day on top of plane tickets is still way too expensive for some (most) people. Not to mention how are you getting more money while away for so long? You don't work? So are you just traveling on daddy's money?
@@world_eater1315 I work hard, don't waste my money on unnecessary items or fashion. My money goes on travel, experiences and memories. How many people buy branded clothes, every gadget going and TV streaming service. How much do they spend in Starbucks? Stop buying crap and live for travel.
very similar to what i was starting to write, then happen to look down.. and partially that we are assuming everyone in the world know us and the States( or similar reason why most of us say we are from America, which actually is confusing sometimes, because our entire continent is the Americas.)
I’m with you. It’s kind of like if you did say “the US” they probably guessed that already, and the next question might be “which part” anyway. Or maybe Americans don’t realize that when British people ask, you don’t really care. :)
@@jerzeyguy71 But we are the only country with America in our name. We aren't United Staters, we're Americans, while there are Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians, etc., and people from those countries will call us Americans too...
I think the reason people mention the state they’re from is because saying you’re from the US is like someone saying they’re from Europe. It doesn’t narrow it down a lot, and as Laurence mentioned, people probably have already guessed you’re from the US anyway. And even if someone doesn’t know all the states and where they are, I’m guessing they know it’s a state when they hear it.
I find mentioning regions to be easier. I tell people I'm from the U.S. west coast, and that narrows it down to about 2-3 possible cultural regions. If they need more than that the state and/or nearest major city narrows it down further. Though in our state's case (WA) it's easier to give the city first than explain we're not anywhere near D.C.
@@pgrmdave If I were from a country whose alphabet was made up of squiggles, I'd think it would be obvious.. also, buttcheeks; many, many buttcheeks... (seriously; google it...)
My mother was from England and she complained about bread all the time being too sweet and no texture...well, that's because she bough grocery store bread like Wonder. There are loads of good bread out there and most stores sell it. My suggestion to travelers is to stop purchasing Wonder and like breads when you come to the US that way you won't have a complaint.
When my kids were little, we used to call Wonder Bread "air bread", still do. We never bought it anyway because it was ridiculously expensive. Of course all store bought bread is ridiculously expensive.
@@lizlee6290 I was referring to the idea that people that CHOOSE to buy the cheapest bread are then trying to say ALL American bread is the same, based on that...
8:23 "Not all Americans know all the 50 states." True. There was an incident a couple years ago in Washington, DC, where a couple were applying for a marriage license. The fellow had a DC license for identification. The woman had her New Mexico drivers license for identification, but the clerk demanded to see her passport instead. It took TWO levels of supervisors before somebody convinced the clerk that New Mexico was a U.S. state.
I was visiting South Carolina once, stopped in at a gas station to grab some smokes for my wife, and when the girl was looking at my I.D. she threatened to call the cops on me because it just said "Virginia" on it, and not East Virginia or West Virginia, so obviously I was using a counterfeit license.... I live near the WV border and have a few friends from WV, so I've heard plenty of stories of the inverse, where some ignorant clerk somewhere acts like they're lying because obviously West Virginia isn't a state, considering that there's already regular Virginia.
I had a friend who lived in New Mexico for several years and was always having people tell her that they couldn't ship things she'd ordered online "out of the country." Sheesh.
We barely get vacation time here either - it's kind of a miracle to even get two weeks off of work. When you only get 14 days to travel, a lot of people will spend that time seeing family and friends in other states.
I use the state instead of the country, because 9 times out of 10, people are usually able to figure out what country I'm from just by the name of the my home state. So I usually don't waste breath on explaining that I'm from this state in the US.
I have to specify where I'm from because of Washington. State not DC. But so many people outside and a lot even in think I'm talking DC. So when ever it comes up I just say from near Seattle even though I live over 200 miles from there and only live in Seattle a few days every month for work
I just say I'm from NY. (Actually, upstate... WAY upstate) Even though there are other cities in NY, everyone assumes I'm from New York City, so I just smile and go with it....
I think Americans say what state they come from out of habit. Like you said in the passport question, America is a big place. That said, its fairly common for us to move and end up going to living in a different state then where we grow up. As a result, when Americans meet each other "Where are you from?" is a common question used to spark a conversation with each other. I've spent a lot of time in the Philippines (my wife's home country) and when I go there I always answer "Kansas" for the first week or two out of habit because that is how I usually answer the question when asked at home. After I've been there a while I switch to saying "The United States" because I know its what they are looking for.
It’s not only American bread that is sweet. Some packaged and freshly made breads are sweet in Central America, South America, parts of Africa, Japan, and South Korea. I was surprised to recently learn the latter two had sweet breads.
Think the reason most people identify with the state they are from by default rather than the country is two fold. Most people they will likely interact with will also be from the US, so it kind of becomes an automatic response. Second would be scope. Functionally, the states just about serve the role of a country in their own right, often to the point of having more affect on day to day life then the the country as a whole.
To be completely fair, it's the same presumption to think you know where a state is that a European makes when they assume someone knows where one of the countries they're from is, considering many US states are the same size as an entire or even multiple European countries.
On the "Americans introduce themselves by the state they are from" thing - Part of it is pride in your home region, but part of it is also because the US is the size of a continent, and different parts are very different from each other. If I just said "I'm from the US", I've told you almost nothing. Being more specific helps you, in my mind, understand me better.
yea it's basically like someone from Ireland saying, "I'm from Europe" and someone from Czechia saying, "I'm from Europe". Both are correct, but couldn't be further apart lol.
To answer why we don't have passports: It comes down to cost and ease of traveling. I had a friend in college who spent a year studying in Italy (she wen't on a scholarship) and she and her friends would take weekend trips all over the place for cheap. They wen't up to Scotland for a weekend, did a day trip to London to see Ewan Mcgreggor in Guys and Dolls (I was so envious at the time), even wen't to the olympics. Here, I had to scrounge and save for months just to go on a road trip to Virginia to visit George Washington's Mount Vernon. It was a 9 hr drive and ended up being a 4 day trip since we stoped by Monticello and Montpelier as well. The trip took us across 3 states and was a luxury for us. A trip, to say NYC to see a show or Chicago is not within our means, never mind a trip to Europe. Paid vacation here is also very rare. So it's not like we don't WANT to go abroad, it just that most of us can't even leave our state without breaking the bank.
I know, we're saving up to go see my nephew's graduation next year. They live 2 states & 600 miles away. My sister wants the party in another state 800 miles from here, because reasons. sigh. I don't know if we can afford a hotel room, and few feel up to handling my kid with adhd & autism
I find it difficult to comprehend how Americans do not want to change the laws on paid holidays (vacations) and sick leave and accept that they will never have decent time off for recreation. If they did that in Europe, there would be a revolution on the streets!!!! If Americans are happy with the status quo, so be it!
@@pepita46 The majority of Americans, including the majority of conservative white women, want abortion to be legal, but here we are, going back to the good old days of diy terminations
I am far from rich, I have a normal job but I have still been to over 130 countries, 8 this year alone. Off to Korea next month. You can do house swaps for free. You can spend your whole life making excuses then lie on your deathbed regretting all those things you didn't do. You only get one life. SO GET OUT THERE AND DO IT. STOP MAKING EXCUSES
what @spaceshiplewis said. The US is huge and each state has it's own identity and culture. Someone from Texas and someone from New York are likely to have different tastes in everything from food to music. It is a succinct way to offer a nugget about our identity and background which we americans love having for the sake of making conversation.
I believe we say what state we're from because the nation is so big that each state is roughly the size of an average nation, also, our federal system makes it so our states have their own House of Representatives, Senate, and leader. So in that way, each state runs itself like an independent nation
I would think people say what state they're from because the US is so big and culturally diverse, it feels like just saying "I'm from the US" doesn't give enough information. And while it is true that people from other countries don't necessarily know all the states, they probably do realize that "I'm from New York" is a very different answer than "I'm from Texas".
Because they haven't added any sugar, but the natural sugars found in fruit are necessarily reported on the label to give the correct information for diabetics
@@kramermccabe8601 The sugar isn't there to make it sweet, the sugar is there to preserve the fruit, the sweetness is an added bonus. If you replace the sugar with artificial sweetener you also have to use ingredients to make it gel and preserve it. If you ever look at the label of "jam" with artificial sweetener you will notice it's labelled at "Fruit Spread" rather than jam.
From the USFDA: Added sugars include sugars that are added during the processing of foods (such as sucrose or dextrose), foods packaged as sweeteners (such as table sugar), sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices. They do not include naturally occurring sugars that are found in milk, fruits, and vegetables.
As a first generation American, I have been to Europe multiple times, but to be honest, I am more interested in traveling in the United States. I think there's a little more suspense in the United States travel. When you travel Europe, you know it's going to look nice. It's nice but a little predictable. In the US, you kind of never know what you're going to get. Whether it's going to be nice, terrible, somewhere in between. Road trips in the US are so addictive, you just want to go on more.
Utter nonsense. What an ignorant American thing to say. I have been to every Country in Europe and it's anything but predictable, how can you compare Venice to Istanbul or Iceland to Paris. I've been to over 130 countries and America is probably the least cultured, the worst food and the rudest people.
@@saratemp790 Europe predictable? What the AF are you on about? Have you been to Turkey, Luxembourg, Venice, Madrid, Wales, Gran Canria? Only an ignorant American would say Europe is predictable
@@saratemp790 America is predictable every store the same, everyone speaking the same language. God awful food. Over priced, over sugared, over salted, it's the pits. I've been to so many countries and the US has to be bottom of the list
Practically NO American wouldn’t jump at the chance to travel abroad if simply given the means and opportunity!!! It’s because most of us can’t afford it!!!
Many Americans get limited time off work. I've actually had two jobs without sick pay or any vacation time. One was union, that did nothing for the $20 monthly dues extracted from my meager paycheck.
It would take me years and years to save up and afford a vacation overseas, and in order for it to be worth it I'd have to quit my job and take my trip between that job and the next one, because you can't take a long vacation in the US... I can hardly afford to take a vacation within the US, but under these conditions, I could afford multiple US vacations before I could afford one overseas, so of course that is usually what happens
Don't tell that to an arrogant Brit or German (they're not all arrogant, I just mean the douchey ones!), they get very offended when their prejudices are challenged
The stat of only 42% of Americans have a passport is misleading. For one thing, that means more Americans own passports than there are people in the UK. Also, we only need a passport card, and not a passport, to go to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands (and not just the US territories Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands). I can't go to Europe but I can still go to those places mentioned (and probably some more) without actually having a passport. Before 9/11 we didn't even need the passport card. I had gone to Jamaica, Mexico, and Canada with just my driver's license before I ever got a passport to go to Europe and I don't need one now. I was going to go somewhere this winter where I would need a passport but political questions/situations have me deciding maybe not this winter - so I have no reason to go get a passport before I need it.
I think the best analogy for the state thing would ironically be the national components of the UK. Would a Scottish or Welsh or Northern Irish person say they were from the UK if asked by an American, or would their natural reaction be Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland? Excluding the English because I've found English coworkers and friends interestingly more likely to reference "the UK" as home than Scottish or Welsh acquaintances. All of those countries have the same formal leader of government and speak the same primary language, but are certainly culturally distinct enough to have their own identities. Quick googling says Scotland would be the 23rd largest state by population, Wales 33rd, and North Ireland 39th, but they obviously still think of themselves as a distinct group of people more culturally representative of who they are than the entire UK of 67 million when you include England.
On the travel part. Something to add is our (american) labor laws do not Include any mandatory paid holiday, or even sick leave. So many Americans have to sacrifice going unpaid during their time away from work on top of saving money for said trip.
I'm an American in a job for about 4 years now. I'll get a max of 12 paid days off a year to cover sick leave and vacations and 2 unpaid days off a quarter. If I want to use it, I have to find someone to cover for me. And I try to keep a week of PTO ready in case of emergencies. Going abroad means taking additional time off for immunizations, passport photos, converting currency, talking to travel agents... It is just a lot easier to stay in the USA where I have a lot of options and family to visit.
@@andylaugel4241 Poor Europeans don't come to the US either, regardless of how much vacation time they get - they still can't afford it. But when a completely different country is only 20 miles away across the English Channel, it's a tad easier to manage. Or on the continent, you can literally walk across the street and be in a different country... Ultimately, you just have to want it enough. Out of college, I only got two weeks' vacation and had no money for a long time. I still managed to go to the UK and Europe a number of times in those days. Save up both money and vacation time and go. Also, you are way behind the times if you think that crossing the Atlantic requires immunizations, currency conversions (assuming you have a credit or debit card anyway), and talking to a travel agent (they barely even exist anymore). You will have to go through the hassle of getting a passport, of course, but that really isn't a big deal. A passport photo is free at your local AAA office if you are a member, and like $10 if you aren't and takes 5 minutes.
Yeah I def think non-Americans over estimate the amount of sugary white sandwich bread we eat lol. Half of the brands in the bread aisle are wheat and multi grain bread. Most grocery stores also bake their own sourdough, baguettes, sandwich rolls etc
@@kc9scott hmm maybe it's the groceries stories I go to. Usually I go to HEB. Sometimes I may go to Target. Tbh they're are a little bougier than Walmart or Kroger
I say I'm from Seattle because if I say I'm from the US, 100% of the time the follow up question is where, and if I say I'm from Washington, 95% of the time they think the wrong Washington.
"Not everyone in America knows that." I learned that after moving to New Mexico. I had friends ask me why I moved to Mexico. I have been told by companies that they only ship to the United States and Canada, and trying to convince them that I am indeed in the United States is futile. We are the only state that has to have USA on our license plates. It astounds me.
@@HappyBeezerStudiosIf I had to guess, it’s probably because Georgia isn’t a super well known country. I never heard of Georgia (the country) growing up, but I knew about Mexico. I’ve never experienced this in real life, but I have heard that some people think that my state of Maine is part of Canada, so it isn’t just New Mexico.
@@ohauss The states have a higher level of sovereignty than most subunits of European countries. They frequently have different legal standards... -When the question of whether Derek Chauvin should be charged with second-degree or third-degree murder came up, the distinction was foreign to most Americans because most states don't have third-degree murder as a charge. -The state of Nevada successfully challenged the federal government about whether it had the right to create a national speed limit. Now, basically all speed limits are set by the states. -Marriage requirements and limitations often vary from state to state; these differences can affect things like whether first-cousins are allowed to marry, and whether a couple under the age of 18 can get a marriage license with a parental signature (and if so, at what age). -Age-of-consent laws can vary from state to state, meaning that something that's 100% legal in one state can be a felony just on the other side of the state line.
So why do the athletes in the Olympics compete as USA and not Texas or Oklahoma or Ohio? Because it's not the same as Germany or France not using Europe.
@@ohauss Well here's what Europeans don't quite grasp: Other Europeans will identify themselves based off of their country or major division. Will they say they are Berkshirian? Most likely not, they'll say "I'm English". Each state's residents have a fierce identity that they identify with their home state. You wont hear anyone from the US say "I'm from DeKalb County" because that's as pointless as saying "I'm from Berkshire".
I kinda doubt the passport thing has anything to do with a lack of curiosity. I think it mostly boils down to the difficulty of traveling internationally compared to domestically
Yeah being from Texas is universally known ussaly the follow up question is if you still ride horses especially if like me your from El Paso which is almost always depicted as “the Wild West” in movies
Ditto California. Hell, I usually just say los angeles, cuz it's only a few hours away and it's one of the few cities non-americans might, MIGHT be able to find on a map---like how I know where Paris and London are, but not merseyside or the massif central
I tell people the state I am from instead of the country because I think people already assume I'm American when they meet me. It also feels too generic to say I'm from the USA because America is nearly the size of a continent and has a population of nearly 350 million people. As a Ohioan, I don't want people thinking I'm from the west coast lol. I also say the state because I think if I say I am from the United States, I'll get the question of which state I am from and would rather just get to that answer within one question instead of two. I traveled to California recently and much of it feels like another country compared to Ohio in the Midwest.
If you look up the definition of "state" things get immediately confusing in that you're told that the words "state" and "country" are synonyms, but since the US states aren't independent, they're "states" rather than "States"...which probably just gave you a headache, but 'gives me a headache' pretty much sums up the way the US states work. The end result, however, is that we're similar to the UK, only if Scotland, N. Ireland, Wales, and England were not actual Countries but instead were countries. The Scots, Welsh, and N. Irish would still probably identify very strongly with their country (as opposed to Country) and say things like "I'm from Scotland" rather than "I'm from the UK" because We Are Not English Thank You Very Much. I think a lot of us here actually identify with our state more than our State, especially since certain states have weird rivalries, and our politics vary so much from state to state that...well. You might as well be in a different State.
International travel: factor in that it’s mostly accessible from the US coasts. 90% of the country would require multiple legs (drive or flights) to get international. A family of 4 would be thousands just in flights. So you compromise… want beaches? Travel to a lake area or the nearest US beach. Want mountains? Warmer weather? Cooler weather? One flight or long drive away.
Yes, how dare they assume I am from the richest state in America. Also arguably the most beautiful (Yosemite anyone?) with the best weather, producer of most of the nations vegetables, most high tech companies, Disneyland, home of the film industry, and need I go on?
@@jaengen It's not the landscape that people are distancing themselves from. It's the simple fact that "Woke" culture originated there and most of the world is getting *very* tired of it!
Up until 911 there was less requirement for passports for travel in North America if you could show that you were a citizen of Canada, the USA, (and sometimes Mexico.)
Iirc that changed quite a few years after 9/11. You used to be able to have a certain kind of drivers license that worked to get you into Canada, but they ended that program several years ago.
Because sugar is a cheap and legal substance that has mildly addictive properties… and if you can get the public addicted to your product, you can rake in the cash.
Honestly, with the state thing- it's cause the state I'm from says a lot more about how I was raised and my culture to another american than just sayin I'm an american. It's more about steriotype associations. People from California are presumed to act in a diffrent way from people from Washington even if they're right next to each other, for example. When I say "I'm from Maryland" I assume people would mostly think "crab, flag, catholic, lacross, balimore" which narrows down the possibilities massively.
@@whateverwhenever8170 I do, but my associations with Baltimore are primarily the song "Good Morning, Baltimore" and, courtesy of RU-vid accent videos, the phrase "Aaron earned an iron urn."
Most of these I'd answer with "Because America is really big". I remember the first time I heard a British person that they had a vacation in Spain, and thinking "wow, you got to go all the way to Spain??" well, yeah, it's like right over there. Meanwhile, Canada doesn't have much big tourist attractions to Americans other than "The better side of Niagara Falls", and Northern Mexico doesn't have much tourist attractions beyond the experience of visiting a border-town (which gets old quick), so yeah, we either splurge and go to another continent, we take a Caribbean cruise, or we stay in the US. If I could afford it, I'd go to Europe like every other year.
@@screamingseal4805 Heh, cartels don't mess with tourists unless they go to the wrong parts. Keep the yankees happy so Uncle Sam doesn't drop the hammer on their operations any more than he already does.
@@Vaeldarg Oh to be sure, that's my point. You can spend decades touring the US and not even make a dent in the things to see here. Our National Park system alone is pretty much without equal, and the state parks are excellent too.
The question of why Americans don't travel abroad much is indeed multi-faceted and difficult to pin down. I've lived in both the US and Canada and I've anecdotally found far more Canadians travel overseas than do Americans, so the vast geography is not the whole story (though it's definitely part of it). Certainly one thing is that many Americans don't get much time off work, and are in debt to their car and lifestyle payments. That means road trips to see family or nearby attractions may be all they can afford in terms of both money and time. Canadians on the other hand get more time off and tend to live in hub cities. More Canadians don't need to own a car and can more easily use the extra money to board a plane and fly out of the city rather than drive from their home. You'll notice that often the Americans who do travel abroad live in hub cities. I imagine this is also true of Europeans. I've found that most Americans would love to travel abroad. There's not much chauvinism or disinterest at play here. They just can't fit it into their lives.
You get one life, stop making excuses and get out there. I've been to over 130 countries, 8 this year alone. Off to Korea next month. You can do house swaps for free. You just need to go and do it and not make excuses. When you're lying on your death bed you'll regret all those things you didn't do.
I follow English crime. People are murdered there. England has knives and machetes. How does England explain their gun deaths like Jill Dando? Then what about Lee Rigby daylight murder. And mass murderers. Size for size I bet same. I started watching Crimewatch in 1980s.
For those of us whose families have lived in a single state for generations we strongly identify with our state. Seriously some states even declared war on one another... looking at you OH and MI :) And as others have said Europeans lead with their country and it is not actually that different just that we have been bound by our federal government since our inception and Europe has only recently created their union.
At least for most Texans, it also has a lot to do with the fact that Texas was an independent country for just under a decade (before joining the United States by treaty).
The United States is made up of 50 states. Each state is different. I am from Kentucky (which is a Commonwealth). I am not a Hillbilly; because, I come from the Foothills of Kentucky. We are sometimes called Brier-Hoppers. I have never been out of the U.S.A.; and, I have no plans of ever leaving my Country at my age. I don't need a Passport.
I remember the last time I visited the UK to go to the Eisteddfod in Cardiff in 2008, when people asked me where I was from on the maes, I just said, "LA," because I figured that was well-known enough to be sufficient. I was stupid pleased with myself though when the conversation happened in Welsh and they immediately spat out, "BLOOD-dy hell, you're an American?!"
I'm not surprised if you spoke to them in Welsh - hardly any Welsh people actually speak the language fluently and Cardiff has very few Welsh people in the first place and the ones who do speak Welsh, don't consider anyone from Cardiff Welsh either ;)
@@alisonflaxman1566depends how you define country. England is not a member of the UN. It would be accurate to call England a nation, but it’s not a fully sovereign state, though it does have some sovereignty. If England could be considered a country, so could all 50 states.
@@zacharywranovskythere are different kinds of state, though. As you mentioned. England is a nation state, because the United Kingdom was made up of three (and then four) nations. Imo, the reservations of the First Nations would be more fit to be considered countries before the states of America. But the likelihood of that ever happening is another conversation…
@@justcomments a country requires that it be an independent sovereign state though. It cannot be under the complete authority of a larger government, and must have the ability to set independent diplomatic relations with other independent countries. Native American recognized tribes do have a bit more autonomy than states, but not much, and they are still under the purview of the federal government. Legally, they are domestic dependent nations. A country does not have to have a completely unique culture to be a state either, as in the cases of North and South Korea, and China and Taiwan. It is important to note the difference between a nation and a state in this matter. England is a nation, but its not an independent state
So many foods are overly sweet in the USA mostly because the lobbyists and marketing folks for the corn producers are EXCELLENT at their jobs. High-fructose corn syrup is crammed into every food possible. They even got the government to mandate ethanol in gasoline (petrol) for cars. We literally have to burn corn because they produce so much of it. So it's very difficult to live in the US without consuming corn products in one form or another.
That is true, however people in the U.S. have horrible eating habits, which food companies pander to. It is the people who determine what they like and the fast food chains and food suppliers will give them what they want.
@@lindacotton4045 I don't know anyone who was asking for corn alcohol in their gas tank or HFCS instead of sugar in their food and drink. The average US diet notwithstanding, the corn lobby is extremely powerful.
As a fellow Chicagoan who just spent three weeks in Europe, I can say that I always answered the question of where I’m from with “from The States”, with my answer to the follow up question being “a ways outside of Chicago”. Illinois never really came up. But if I had still been living in Texas, you can bet it would have. ;)
Saying "I'm from America" or "I'm from the US" could be compared to saying "I'm from the British Isles" or "I'm from the EU." It's not enough information to get much meaningful information from because it's too broad. Telling someone your state is more comparable to saying which European country you're from. The states can vary wildly in cultures, customs, climates, laws, slang, and such.
I'm a Gen Xer, have lived in the north east, mid-west, and south, and have visited every state except Alaska, and have never personally witnessed a gun being used in the commission of a crime ever in my entire life. I've barely ever even saw guns at all, actually, and then only the south. I did have a friend who said he was robbed at gun-point when we were college, but I wasn't present when it happened, and that's the closest I've ever gotten to a criminal use of a gun. Which is to say, there is a LOT to say about WHERE in the US you are as to whether or not you will ever see a gun, much less a gun being used to commit a crime, much less having such a crime being committed against you personally.
I live in rural PA. There's at least one gun-based robbery every year, though usually multiple in a year, where I live. Where the hell were you visiting that had no guns? I want to go to there lol. Every single person I know owns at least two guns. Most of them are, admittedly, shotguns....but so are the guns that are used for the robberies. Maybe the high rate of meth use in my area is a big contributing factor in that, though.
I've driven clean through PA from east to west many times, when visiting family in Ohio from the east coast. But I've specifically visited places like Philly, King of Prussia, Annville (Lebanon Valley College, specifically, not to attend as a student but for other reasons), Hershey, and a few other places on the east side of the state. You might think how could I visit Philly and not see a gun? Well, during the daylight hours, in areas that aren't the rough parts of town, you aren't likely to see any. Again, it all goes back to where exactly you are.
@@Raven17729rural might be the key part of your comment there. I grew up in suburban PA and didn't so much as lay eyes on a gun until I was 18. I was in college my roommate invited us to his town to go shooting at the range - and he lived in rural PA, lol.
Americans tell you which state they are from because it is a large country. Each state has different customs, dialects, and oddities. Some are subtle, and others are not. It is very much like someone from the European Union being asked where they are from and then being expected to say they are from Europe first, thennnn saying which country. I already know you are from Europe by your accent. Why waste time pointing out the obvious? If you think of each state as its own "country" things get easier to understand.
I say I'm from "Washington DC" if outside the US because saying I'm from "The United States" is about as meaningful as someone saying they're from "Europe", or "West Africa". The US is a large enough and diverse enough place that it's significantly different to be from Texas, Illinois, California, Colorado, Maine, or Georgia. Maybe in Europe they don't know those distinctions the same way most Americans probably don't know the distinction between Belgium and the Netherlands, but does that mean people from there should just say "Europe"?
I'd say the simple answer to why Americans lead with their state rather than the country is that this country is _big_ so saying "I'm from the USA" is about as geographically meaningful as "I'm from Europe". Culturally, as has been noted on this here channel, there are a _lot_ of regional differences. My state (California) is larger than most countries; last I checked, it would be the 7th or 8th largest economy in the world if it were its own country. (And yet entire states that have fewer people in them than my city, which isn't even the largest in its immediate area, have the same number of Senators as my state.) Even saying "I'm from California" is insufficiently specific, since Northern California (centered around the San Francisco Bay Area) and Southern California (centered around the greater Los Angeles area) are quite different, and when you leave those two metro areas you're somewhere else entirely - generally either desert or mountains - and the people there hate all of us.
Senators represent the entire state, Congresspeople represent the people. 6th grade civics. If you want to compare congressional representation California has 34 Congresspeople while the 17 least populous states combined have 33.
@@robo5013 thank you for the entirely unnecessary "6th grade civics" lesson, repeating what I said. You seem to think it's self-evidently _right_ that this is the case - that tens of millions of people get the same representation as tens of thousands - while I contend that it is not. Your argument boils down to "but that's how it _is_ ."
@@dwc1964 Not only do you not understand basic elementary civics you can't read at that level either. I came no where close to repeating what you said. The Senate does not represent the people but each State as an individual governing entity. Congress represents the people which is why your State gets 30 times the representatives than 7 other States. To any intelligent person it IS right that the Senate is set up as it is because it treats each STATE government equally. Your notion that the States should have as many representatives in the Senate as they do in Congress would make it so that most States shouldn't even bother having any at all nor would they, or their citizens, have any real voice in the Federal government. Here is another 6th grade civics lesson that you obviously didn't learn: we don't live in a democracy we live in a republic. A republic protects the rights of the minorities, such as those States whose populations are smaller than others, so that the majority cannot remove their rights as citizens such as having some form of equal representation in the government. Your example of people from northern California having different cultural values than the people from the south is the exact reason that Congress represents the people and Congressional representatives are apportioned according to population not by State. That is how a republic protects the voice of the minority because it does give voice to those who would otherwise not get one if each State received an equal number of representatives in a democracy, say two as in the Senate, as those who's values were in the minority of each State would never have their voice heard by the Federal government.
@@robo5013 unlike you, I've gone past 6th grade civics and have studied (and participated in) the history of this country. The idea that States deserve representation regardless of how many People live in them has nothing to do with protecting "minorities" - in fact, it was put in place precisely to allow the rulers of certain States to _oppress and subjugate_ minorities (specifically, enslaved Africans) without interference from those who objected to such practices, and was later used to uphold the system of Jim Crow apartheid that was put in place to maintain that hierarchy. To any intelligent person, it makes no sense for a STATE that has tens of thousands of people in it to have equal (or greater!) weight in government to a state with tens of millions, because STATES are not PEOPLE. Here's another thing you and your ilk get wrong: A democracy and a republic are not mutually exclusive. The former refers to _who_ rules; the latter refers to _how_ they rule; you can have a democracy that is not a republic (such as a constitutional monarchy) and a republic that is not a democracy (such as the ancient Greek and Roman republics), but you can also have a democratic republic, which is what the United States is (meant to be) - a republican form of government ruled by the people. Your use of my example of California having large regional variations as a reason why states with tiny populations should have the same representation as huge ones is, to put it charitably, counterintuitive. If anything, it's an argument for why California should be split into several different states, each with its own couple of Senators, so that each section can be properly represented - because it's such a huge state that it makes no sense for all those different people to have the same representation as a few tens of thousands somewhere else.
@@dwc1964 Keep continuing to show your ignorance. If you had studied civics as you claim you would know that a republic is designed to protect the rights of POLITICAL minorities, not RACIAL minorities. Also if you had any knowledge of history you would know that the ancient Greeks were democracies as opposed to the Roman republic. The US is not a democratic republic but a federal republic. You are confusing the right to vote for representatives as being a democracy but the very fact that we elect representatives is what makes us a republic, not a democracy. Maybe you should read the Constitution and discover that nowhere does the word democracy occur but it does state that the federal government will guarantee the states a REPUBLICAN form of government. Also read the Federalist Papers and you will also see that there never is a mention of a democracy but a republic. Once again the Senate represents the interests of the state as a whole while Congress represents the people. That is why California has 34 congressional representatives vs the only one that seven other states get. Your argument that CA should be split into different states is precisely what it being broken down into 34 congressional districts accomplishes. So keep arguing and displaying how ignorant you are if you want.
Saying "I'm from the United States" is like saying "I'm from Europe" ... it doesn't happen very much. There is a certain pride in where you are from whether a (US) state or a (European) country. It might also have to do with precision. Many US states are the size of a European country ... both in population and land area. If your city is large / well known, that's the default on both continents: New York, London, LA, Paris, Miami,
Greetings from a Brit who did live next door to the Queen (her second home, Sandringham). Never saw her, but Anne drove past in her Landrover on the scenic drive. The place has been ruined since charles inherited it. Harry held a door open for my wife in the King's Lynn multi storey car park, so he is a gentleman, despite the hatchet jobs of the press. Luckily, Prince Phillip isn't driving in the area any more- his last crash was the excuse for speed cameras on the main road. Decent bread can be found in US supermarkets (Publix is our favourite), but you have to search for it, especially if you want a smaller loaf. Not all the bread is kept in the same store aisle.
@HerzogVonMartian alot do, but it tends come as wves, for instance no kneed bread was a fad for a while back in the 2010s, and sourdough was a big fad during covid. and hell bread makes where also a huge fad for a while too back in like the 90s.
@@HerzogVonMartian We do make bread occasionally, but our consumption is so low that a commercial loaf with preservatives to make it stay fresher is often our best option.
As an American it's a little surprising seeing someone refer to the press doing hatchet jobs on Harry, cause I don't think I've seen anyone but raging nazis have a problem with him over here. Like hell yeah dude, fuck monarchies, pursue happiness.
I'm convinced that Non-Americans are OBSESSED with American guns. It's almost as if they think we live in a cross between an episode of Friends & the John Wick movies.
Yeah, it's really annoying as someone who advocates 2A causes. Such an air of pompousness in many foreigners' minds when it comes to it, as if firearm crime or any crime doesn't happen in their country, too.
I think that we say the state because the country is the size of a continent and saying the US is like saying that you're from Europe in terms of lack of specificity. I sometimes find it seems rude or evasive Europeans assume that all Americans don't know regions within at least some foreign countries and give only a country when asked where they are from. I find this particularly annoying with Brits because many Americans consume a lot of UK media and can easily identify the country within the UK that someone is from by just hearing them. Certainly, many Americans can easily identify a Scot without being told. I personally am a dialect nerd and sight anglophile, so if I ask an English person where they are from, I'm normally wanting to know even as specifically as are you from Birmingham or Bedford, Edinburgh or Glasgow, Norfolk or Suffolk, Kent or Essex, Dorset or Devon, etc. So, I sometimes get mildly annoyed when someone says, "I'm from the UK." in my head I always am like, "Yes, obviously. But WHERE?" Now if someone is from a very small country, say Belgium or Luxembourg, that seems like a specific enough answer. But Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Poland, and other large countries are big enough that I normally end up asking more specifically. I also feel like many South Americans and Canadians might respond with their city of origin more than Europeans and those from other continents, but that's a very subjective observation.
I never had a passport. In my young and wandering days Americans could visit Mexico and/or Canada with just their driver's license. It was all very relaxed unless they suspected you were smuggling weed or poutine. At this point in my life I am done traveling. I have always hated flying, so I don't anymore, and there is nothing I need to see that's more than a day's drive away.
Sadly passenger ships aren't much of a thing anymore, it seems. Cruises yes, ships for actually getting from A - B not so much. There are trips I'd much rather take by ship than plane if it were realistic.
Actually, more than 16. It’s 67 per the US Geological Survey, but Springfield, Missouri, my hometown is the largest one (Springfield, Massachusetts has the largest metro population btw)
US Folks say the state too because saying "the US" is way too ambiguous. That could be anywhere in the US! Imagine if you asked someone across the pond and they just said "Europe" ... like.. WHERE in Europe? Just bc the US is one country doesn't mean it's all the same (but you know that).
