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WorldWeird: [Closed] NEWSTRANGE -- the Informus Thread (Closes 12th August)

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      CommentAuthornigredo
    • CommentTimeJul 30th 2012
     (10765.1)
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      CommentAuthordorkmuffin
    • CommentTimeJul 30th 2012
     (10765.2)
    @Trini/Vornaskotti, one of the thinks I think is absolutely fascinating about the US of A:

    There. Are. A lot of us. We all live really far apart.

    This means that making blanket statements about the US is not always accurate.

    That's how I felt about the "10 things you don't know about the US" or what-have-you article. Because of how varied this population is, morally, socially, politically, and geographically, saying "Americans think X" is rrrrrrrrrrrarely the whole picture. Extremely rarely.
    •  
      CommentAuthorVornaskotti
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012 edited
     (10765.3)
    @trini/dorkmuffin:

    Yeah, exactly and I'm aware of that, should have tagged that link with a disclaimer or two about what I think about it. Although US is more homogenous than Europe, I dare to say, there's still far more variety in that chunk'a'continent You People inhabit, and this is not always too obvious. Frankly I'd say the Europe-version would be utterly nonsensical, but it would be an interesting to see as a "a view from afar" type of thing.
    • CommentAuthorRenThing
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.4)
    @Vornaskotti

    The level of homogeneity is also varied on region. Deep South and rural communities? You betcha. Bay Area, New York, Chicago, Florida? Lot more variations of culture and people to be found. I mean, I'm pretty sure there are some towns in Britain or Germany that don't have a spot of color in them where as major metropolitan areas have a much greater level of diversity.
    • CommentAuthorRenThing
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.5)
    All that being said, I remember one girlfriend of mine expressing surprise when she met the group of guys I grew up with and how diverse it was (out of six three of them were minorities).
    • CommentAuthorKradlum
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.6)
    Lot more variations of culture and people to be found. I mean, I'm pretty sure there are some towns in Britain [...] that don't have a spot of color in them where as major metropolitan areas have a much greater level of diversity.


    I think you'd be wrong about that.
  7.  (10765.7)
    What was it Bruce Sterling said about the US being at least 17 different demographic areas?
  8.  (10765.8)
    @Kradlum When I started uni in the midlands 3 years ago I met a few people who could count the ammount of black people who had visitied their home towns/villages on one hand.

    My cousin from wales when she first saw a black person in the street said "Look mum a chocolatey person."
    And my exes mum from Cumbria when she first saw a black person in the street, screamed and ran in the opposite direction.
    There are quite a few towns in this country where the only non-white people are the family who run the chinese.
    I didn't believe it at first cause my hometown is hugely mixed, but then it's near London. It was always a shock to me when I'd go up north and there's be all-white people working in the cornershops/fastfoodshops/taxis etc
    •  
      CommentAuthordorkmuffin
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.9)
    I have to say, the one thing I like most about the US is how immensely diverse it is. People don't realize that until they live here or travel here for a while. Even Americans have difficulty grasping the full extent of how diverse—culturally, ethnically, and attitudinally—the United States is. Even within a single state you have people with dramatically different life experiences & beliefs. The only thing we have in common is a shared 240 year national history, and even then, we're a nation of immigrants who have been coming into the country in waves.

    I could really go on and on and on and on about this, and I'm not a terribly patriotic person. I just think it's one of the best parts of this country. It may mean that we have a lot of idiots who get air time on cable news networks, but those idiots don't often represent the opinions of the many.

    Land of the free and the home of the brave and all that.
    • CommentAuthorcardo
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.10)
    All in all, it is rare that we all live up to our respective stereotypical world image. Not all Londoners wear a bowler hat and have bad teeth. Indeed, I don't walk around the highlands in a kilt, eating porridge, hunting for haggis and tossing the caber (tossing the caber is not from Roger's profanisaurus, by the way!) I like that we can laugh at ourselves about our stereotypes, though. America is an extremely diverse, expansive country. I'm sure Vorn wasn't posting for any other reason than it is an interesting exercise in what SOME people think.
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      CommentAuthorarklight
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012 edited
     (10765.11)
    Co-sign what dorkmuffin said!

    I've said it in a post a long time ago about Stephen Fry where he did a documentary travelogue series
    going around America and visting every individual state, and it was incredible! The range of people,the
    lifestyles, and you had practically every kind of climate on the planet .

    But this was a BRITISH show, The thing is American media
    doesn't do itself any favours, we have a high selection of your programming and channels
    , even more if you have satellite TV over here, and that diversity just isn't represented in your programming.
    Even in factual programming or news.

    You got an amazing country,so lets see more of it. The real United States.

    In contrast I admire Danny Boyle for his great Olympic opening Ceremony representing the real
    UK. I was not confused or lost by any of it. I recognized it all.The UK is that diverse a Monarchy
    and Democracy at the same time. Drenched in history , but relentlessly looking for the new
    (Dubstep,Grime,higgs Bosen god particle etc).But Danny Boyles opening ceremony is
    already being slated by predicable parts of the political spectrum.

    But he showed the UK for what it really is over here, in a modern sense, people of many
    backgrounds, highly innovative(hello world wide web!), and the much loved NHS.
    It came across from world media that they didn't understand our obsession with the NHS
    and why put it in the opening ceremony.Well at the end of the millennium Britain was asked to vote
    what was the greatest thing they loved about Britain up until 1999. That's right the whole history of Britain!
    At number 1 was the National Health Service beating Shakespeare (in the top ten),
    the English language and lots of inventions and achievements.

    I think it's time for a US based and originated series highlighting and celebrating parts of the US
    most people don't know, and they should put some real money into it! because of the global recession
    we get adverts for individual American states on TV over here, Canada is doing something similar
    which have been eye opening.Lets go!


    Heri Mkocha
    https://www.youtube.com/thearklight
    • CommentAuthor256
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012 edited
     (10765.12)
    @arklight -
    I think it's time for a US based and originated series highlighting and celebrating parts of the US most people don't know


    You might be interested to listen to the public radio show This American Life. It's a sort of radio documentary series about... life in America. The closest thing I can say is it's a bit like (the late lamented) John Peel's Radio 4 programme Home Truths - but American and, I have to say, a lot better.

    All 18 years of the show are available online, for free. If you're interested, I recommend the atypical but brilliant episode #352, "The Ghost Of Bobby Dunbar".
    •  
      CommentAuthorD.J.
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.13)
    •  
      CommentAuthorFoamhead
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.14)
    With FIRE!

    Chinese army sent flame thrower to destroy huge wasp nest.

    •  
      CommentAuthoroldhat
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.15)
    What did we ever do without flame throwers? How did we get rid of a wasp nest back then?
    •  
      CommentAuthorcurb
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.16)
    FLAMING ARROWS.
    •  
      CommentAuthorcurb
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.17)
    Either that, or a guy with a broom and a stepladder.
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      CommentAuthoroldhat
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.18)
    Either that, or a guy with a broom and a stepladder.

    That's stupid. No, I think it was the flaming arrows.
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      CommentAuthorFoamhead
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.19)
    No, no, no. They set fire to the broom, stepladder and man, then flung them at the wasp nest with a trebuchet.
    • CommentAuthorArgos
    • CommentTimeJul 31st 2012
     (10765.20)
    Like This. If anyone plays/has played EVE, apparently this is where Goonswarm got the idea to use a bee as their logo.

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