How non-americans view America

[5thHorseman]

Proper etiquette. HA.

That can't even use a knife and fork correctly. The cut it all first like a parent does for a kid. Gotta love it.

[Phaedra]

Wow, you are quite...Diverse, as I see. But that's how it goes for America I guess, not many people who are ethnically solitary, and generally tend to stick to a single ethnic identity...So how exactly do you live out your ethnic heritage?

Well, I personally do not view my ethnic heritage as an important factor when defining who I am. I did not choose it, I did nothing to accomplish it. But I do participate in certain traditions and ceremonies. Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is tomorrow and Wednesday, and I will take part in it. Traditions are handed down. You can discard them, or integrate them into your life.

So it's nothing related to proper etiquette or something?

No, it does. But many breaches of etiquette are considered unfriendly.

[Jackalope]

Well, here, Turks themselves have different regional cultures, however, they do not differ from eachother the way it would if we would have large populations of immigrants within our borders...

I imagine that is true. In my city we have large populations of recent immigrant Russians, Ukrainians, southeast Asians (Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand), Koreans and Latinos. Also a smattering of many other nationalities / cultures. Most of us are immigrants, though many have been here for many generations. I myself am 4th generation, with my maternal family originally from the UK immigrated via Canada, and my paternal family from Poland and Lithuania.

[kılıç_mehmet]

Well, I personally do not view my ethnic heritage as an important factor when defining who I am. I did not choose it, I did nothing to accomplish it. But I do participate in certain traditions and ceremonies. Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is tomorrow and Wednesday, and I will take part in it. Traditions are handed down. You can discard them, or integrate them into your life.

Well, I can understand that it doesn't really matter much when you're in America, however America is a non-ethnicity based country. Like you kind of embrace your mexican heritage which is much closer(and there are mexicans in America, who define themselves as an ethnic group first), however you leave out the rest, which are far away from you, like the russians, for example.

No, it does. But many breaches of etiquette are considered unfriendly.

Well, here you have to stick to etiquette even if you are enemies with someone.

I imagine that is true. In my city we have large populations of recent immigrant Russians, Ukrainians, southeast Asians (Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand), Koreans and Latinos. Also a smattering of many other nationalities / cultures. Most of us are immigrants, though many have been here for many generations. I myself am 4th generation, with my maternal family originally from the UK immigrated via Canada, and my paternal family from Poland and Lithuania.

Polish/lithuanian? I think there are many poles in America, and most are in the military, I think.

[Phaedra]

Well, I can understand that it doesn't really matter much when you're in America, however America is a non-ethnicity based country. Like you kind of embrace your mexican heritage which is much closer(and there are mexicans in America, who define themselves as an ethnic group first), however you leave out the rest, which are far away from you, like the russians, for example.

I don't leave out the rest. I just used that example because it's coming up

Well, here you have to stick to etiquette even if you are enemies with someone.

I see. Here, we don't "have to" do anything.

[kılıç_mehmet]

Well, I can understand that it doesn't really matter much when you're in America, however America is a non-ethnicity based country. Like you kind of embrace your mexican heritage which is much closer(and there are mexicans in America, who define themselves as an ethnic group first), however you leave out the rest, which are far away from you, like the russians, for example.

I don't leave out the rest. I just used that example because it's coming up

Well, here you have to stick to etiquette even if you are enemies with someone.

I see. Here, we don't "have to" do anything.

You don't have any social boundaries?

[Phaedra]

You don't have any social boundaries?

Of course we do. But no one "has to" do anything. If you want to go outside and spit in someone's face, you can. However, most people choose not to.

[kılıç_mehmet]

You don't have any social boundaries?

Of course we do. But no one "has to" do anything. If you want to go outside and spit in someone's face, you can. However, most people choose not to.

Well, you can do that here aswell, but you would probably face consequences, in the forms of punches, or even serious injury in the form of a shank/knife.

[Phaedra]

Well, you can do that here aswell, but you would probably face consequences, in the forms of punches, or even serious injury in the form of a shank/knife.

Same here. When you said that people have to obey etiquette, I thought you meant that breaches of etiquette are punishable by law.

[Minimalist]

We bring much of our problems on ourselves with our arrogance.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/2011103...HGVO0.html

Palestine becomes member of UNESCO, US cuts funds

Yes...we believe in democracy...unless you don't vote the way we like. Then, fuck you.