10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America

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  • tybird
    tybird Posts: 17,388
    Jeanwah wrote:
    tybird wrote:
    ...And the majority of us here in the U.S. have to have a car....period. No car, in most cases, equal no job. Walking or riding a bike to work in our urban/suburban sprawl tends not to be doable. Public transit....yeah, right.

    Ever been to New York City? The majority living there do not own a car.
    Yup, been there, done that....love the option of public transit...but outside of the major cities such as New York, Chicago and the like....it's just a pipe dream

    And yes, polaris_x, my fellow countrymen and myself don't always make the most efficient choice when it comes to cars....I won't argue that point.
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    tybird wrote:
    Yup, been there, done that....love the option of public transit...but outside of the major cities such as New York, Chicago and the like....it's just a pipe dream

    And yes, polaris_x, my fellow countrymen and myself don't always make the most efficient choice when it comes to cars....I won't argue that point.

    it's more than that ... it's the same thing here ... people have no problems spending $150 on a pair of jeans and $200 for some sneakers but won't put $1,000 into a trip to peru or something ... it's priorities ... those that wish to travel can and will make it happen ... i just don't think it's a priority for americans ...
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,882
    polaris_x wrote:
    tybird wrote:
    Yup, been there, done that....love the option of public transit...but outside of the major cities such as New York, Chicago and the like....it's just a pipe dream

    And yes, polaris_x, my fellow countrymen and myself don't always make the most efficient choice when it comes to cars....I won't argue that point.

    it's more than that ... it's the same thing here ... people have no problems spending $150 on a pair of jeans and $200 for some sneakers but won't put $1,000 into a trip to peru or something ... it's priorities ... those that wish to travel can and will make it happen ... i just don't think it's a priority for americans ...

    A $1000 trip to Peru? Flight from ORD to Lima, Peru are over $1000 alone. :lol:

    I agree that I don't think it is a priority for a decent % of americans, but for lots of reasons. And I woudl say those dropping $200 on sneakers are more likely to travel to another country at some point.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • fife
    fife Posts: 3,327
    I don't think it has just to do with spending habits. I really do think that it is about people wanting to go. I don't make a lot of money in my job but I try to save some money to go on a trip a year. it might not be some far off place but something new.

    Last year I went to Italy for 3 weeks and it was great experience. I think the key to a great country is for its citizens to see other countries and experience other ways of living.
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    cincybearcat wrote:
    A $1000 trip to Peru? Flight from ORD to Lima, Peru are over $1000 alone. :lol:

    I agree that I don't think it is a priority for a decent % of americans, but for lots of reasons. And I woudl say those dropping $200 on sneakers are more likely to travel to another country at some point.

    i said "into a trip" to peru ... yeah ... the flight can be pricey but if you look for a seat sale - you can get down there for under $850 I am pretty sure ... once your there ... it's pretty cheap ...
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,882
    polaris_x wrote:
    cincybearcat wrote:
    A $1000 trip to Peru? Flight from ORD to Lima, Peru are over $1000 alone. :lol:

    I agree that I don't think it is a priority for a decent % of americans, but for lots of reasons. And I woudl say those dropping $200 on sneakers are more likely to travel to another country at some point.

    i said "into a trip" to peru ... yeah ... the flight can be pricey but if you look for a seat sale - you can get down there for under $850 I am pretty sure ... once your there ... it's pretty cheap ...


    Ironically, my uncle and his family are there right now. I'll ask 'em when they return. ;)
    hippiemom = goodness
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,882
    fife wrote:
    I don't think it has just to do with spending habits. I really do think that it is about people wanting to go. I don't make a lot of money in my job but I try to save some money to go on a trip a year. it might not be some far off place but something new.

    Last year I went to Italy for 3 weeks and it was great experience. I think the key to a great country is for its citizens to see other countries and experience other ways of living.


    You can get away from your job for 3 straight weeks? Nice! :P
    hippiemom = goodness
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    cincybearcat wrote:
    You can get away from your job for 3 straight weeks? Nice! :P

    i take 10-12 weeks off a year ... but i don't get paid ...

    priorities
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,882
    polaris_x wrote:
    cincybearcat wrote:
    You can get away from your job for 3 straight weeks? Nice! :P

    i take 10-12 weeks off a year ... but i don't get paid ...

    priorities

    Remind me again, do you have to save for college for anyone?

    Yeah I guess so, still not an option. I could take up to ...3 months I think, off once every 5 years if I wanted to. But no way to take that much time off each year, paid or unpaid. They would find someone else to do my job while I was gone. ;)

    But still, I'm hoping to retire at 55 and then travel a lot then.
    hippiemom = goodness
  • DS1119
    DS1119 Posts: 33,497
    satansbed wrote:
    DS1119 wrote:

    Everything you get in this World is paid for. Unless the doctors, nurses, hospitals, medical companies, etc. all work for free in those two countries. Their money comes from somewhere. :lol:

    I completely agree, they pay for it in higher taxes but what is different is that it is viewed as a social good(and by good i mean item for consumption) rather than in america it is viewed as an individual good.

    the thing that struck me while i was in america is that in general it was more individualistic than where i come from. and ireland isn't a bastion of collectivism or anything but america seems to be much further down the path of individualisation while europe seems to be somewhere in between, in that yes we reward people for success etc but there is a far greater sense of community here than what i witnessed over in America. and this doesn't come down to the government or anything like that, i think it comes down to society in general


    It's neither right or wrong then. Just different than what you may have thought you witnessed or what you're used to in your own country. If people in a certain country want to pay higher taxes so they have a better sense of community when it realtes to health care, etc...go for it. Doesn't make the way in the US worse. Just different.
  • tybird
    tybird Posts: 17,388
    ...And it's not like we don't many or diverse choices of places to visit here in the U.S. I have a decent travel record but, I have never seen Seattle, Boston or Cincinnati beyond the airport or traveled to Oregon, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Vermont, Missouri, Virginia or the Dakotas. We have Alpine-style mountains, deserts, swamps, prairies, huge cities, thousands of miles of beaches, sleepy little towns and ancient forests.
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    tybird wrote:
    ...And it's not like we don't many or diverse choices of places to visit here in the U.S. I have a decent travel record but, I have never seen Seattle, Boston or Cincinnati beyond the airport or traveled to Oregon, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Vermont, Missouri, Virginia or the Dakotas. We have Alpine-style mountains, deserts, swamps, prairies, huge cities, thousands of miles of beaches, sleepy little towns and ancient forests.

    you do ... but travel also involves meeting people of other cultures ...
  • redrock
    redrock Posts: 18,341
    True tybird. Just like the UK has such diversity from the top of Scotland to the tip of Cornwall passing by Wales, Norfolk, the Midlands down to the south coast. And France from the North to Brittany to the Cote D'azur and the Pyrenees and alpes. Only to name a couple of countries. But, whatever this diversity, the 'regional' differences - accents, food, habits, etc., it's still the same country - the same 'essence' in a way, the familiarity. Whilst any travel enhances one's spirit (even from city to country or vice versa), experiencing 'foreign' cultures can open up one's mind completely, open one's eyes, gain understanding, even change one's perspective on things. And not just opening one's eyes to the foreign country but to the 'home' country as well.
  • Go Beavers
    Go Beavers Posts: 9,621
    tybird wrote:
    ...And the majority of us here in the U.S. have to have a car....period. No car, in most cases, equal no job. Walking or riding a bike to work in our urban/suburban sprawl tends not to be doable. Public transit....yeah, right.

    You pointed out another thing that American's don't know about America, that you don't "have to" have a car. Once people can acknowledge it's a choice, they aren't beholden to their car. Many more people could easily bike or walk to work than are at the moment. When people search for a place to live in relation to work, having a car allows them to live 30 miles away, but check in a year later and they "have to" have a car to get to work because they live 30 miles away. I say, if you decided to live 4 miles from work, you wouldn't have to have a car. That being said, I also understand some areas of the country facilitate alternative modes of transportation better than others. Also, not driving runs counter to out culture of convenience that we're accustomed to.
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,882
    Fitting. ;)

    http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/travel/tr ... pt=hp_bn10
    hippiemom = goodness
  • tybird
    tybird Posts: 17,388
    Go Beavers wrote:
    tybird wrote:
    ...And the majority of us here in the U.S. have to have a car....period. No car, in most cases, equal no job. Walking or riding a bike to work in our urban/suburban sprawl tends not to be doable. Public transit....yeah, right.

    You pointed out another thing that American's don't know about America, that you don't "have to" have a car. Once people can acknowledge it's a choice, they aren't beholden to their car. Many more people could easily bike or walk to work than are at the moment. When people search for a place to live in relation to work, having a car allows them to live 30 miles away, but check in a year later and they "have to" have a car to get to work because they live 30 miles away. I say, if you decided to live 4 miles from work, you wouldn't have to have a car. That being said, I also understand some areas of the country facilitate alternative modes of transportation better than others. Also, not driving runs counter to out culture of convenience that we're accustomed to.
    Many cities and towns don't have sidewalks that extend beyond "downtown"....many cities and towns don't have bike lanes....four miles??? Do you seriously think that the majority of Americans could (or would) walk four miles a day? Does the topography and climate of every town and city in America make walking up to four miles feasible? I would love the convenience of walking or biking to work or the store, but under our current circumstances it is not happening.
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • tybird
    tybird Posts: 17,388
    polaris_x wrote:
    tybird wrote:
    ...And it's not like we don't many or diverse choices of places to visit here in the U.S. I have a decent travel record but, I have never seen Seattle, Boston or Cincinnati beyond the airport or traveled to Oregon, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Vermont, Missouri, Virginia or the Dakotas. We have Alpine-style mountains, deserts, swamps, prairies, huge cities, thousands of miles of beaches, sleepy little towns and ancient forests.

    you do ... but travel also involves meeting people of other cultures ...
    It can, yes....but does it must it??
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,327
    On my visits to Canada, I have learned that the natives like to put mayonnaise on everything and that they have ketchup flavored potato chips. I was enlightened to experience a culture so different, yet somehow familiar. :geek:
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • polaris_x
    polaris_x Posts: 13,559
    cincybearcat wrote:
    Fitting. ;)

    http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/travel/tr ... pt=hp_bn10

    Monica has another tip for Americans traveling in groups: If your companions start embarrassing you, pretend to be Canadian or Australian. "Our family can be pretty loud," says Monica. "We don't want America to look bad."

    :lol::lol:
  • Go Beavers
    Go Beavers Posts: 9,621
    tybird wrote:
    Go Beavers wrote:

    You pointed out another thing that American's don't know about America, that you don't "have to" have a car. Once people can acknowledge it's a choice, they aren't beholden to their car. Many more people could easily bike or walk to work than are at the moment. When people search for a place to live in relation to work, having a car allows them to live 30 miles away, but check in a year later and they "have to" have a car to get to work because they live 30 miles away. I say, if you decided to live 4 miles from work, you wouldn't have to have a car. That being said, I also understand some areas of the country facilitate alternative modes of transportation better than others. Also, not driving runs counter to out culture of convenience that we're accustomed to.
    Many cities and towns don't have sidewalks that extend beyond "downtown"....many cities and towns don't have bike lanes....four miles??? Do you seriously think that the majority of Americans could (or would) walk four miles a day? Does the topography and climate of every town and city in America make walking up to four miles feasible? I would love the convenience of walking or biking to work or the store, but under our current circumstances it is not happening.

    I'm not sure about a "majority". While it could happen, I only set my sights on "more" people getting to work other than by car. My guess is, based on earlier posts, that you live in the Southeast, which is usually considered pretty abysmal overall for cyclists and pedestrians. Here's a list of the first 15 friendliest cycling cities from bicycling magazine (might be 2011's list):
    1 Minneapolis
    2 Portland, OR
    3 Boulder, CO
    4 Seattle
    5 Eugene, OR
    6 San Francisco
    7 Madison, WI
    8 New York City
    9 Tucson, AZ
    10 Chicago
    11 Austin, TX
    12 Denver
    13 Washington, DC
    14 Ann Arbor, MI
    15 Phoenix/Tempe, AZ

    Certainly there's a significant chunk of the U.S. population in these cities where people could make changes where they're less dependent on cars.

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