I'm off to North America, bai

[JechtShotMK9]

Note that you're also here during an election year, which is hardly indicative of the general attitude that the United States has towards tourists. Especially this election year.

Also, I agree with the state-by-state thing, or, more specifically, the urban vs rural divide. As long as you fit in with their model of what's "appropriate," the rural areas are, in general, much more open and friendly as a whole towards strangers.

As for the driving stuff, my experience with European driving is limited to southern Italy and the greater Athens area of Greece, so I feel much more comfortable with the driving here. I still have nightmares of walking around in Rome, where our Italian guide told us the safest way to cross the street was to "act like you own the place and don't show weakness."

 

[Lex]

Hahaha yeah driving in Italy is a bit of a nightmare, so many small things on the road and people just zooming around!

Listen I've stated a few times now that I'm not making a blanket judgement on all American people based on a couple of day's experience in northern New York State, because that would be dumb. All I'm actually saying is that my expectations (some good, some bad) were met. I wouldn't call it a negative experience because it's what I expected. I still want to see some places that have real people who might be a bit more receptive to a Scotsman. And maybe I'll visit that gay nature reserve (I seriously can't believe that actually exists).

Have a bit of a hangover today. Just going to chill in the garden in the sunshine

I fly home on Friday and I'll be pretty sad to leave. Might be going to the Native American reservation some time before then, and heading into Toronto tomorrow.

 

[JechtShotMK9]

Hahaha yeah driving in Italy is a bit of a nightmare, so many small things on the road and people just zooming around!

Listen I've stated a few times now that I'm not making a blanket judgement on all American people based on a couple of day's experience in northern New York State, because that would be dumb. All I'm actually saying is that my expectations (some good, some bad) were met. I wouldn't call it a negative experience because it's what I expected. I still want to see some places that have real people who might be a bit more receptive to a Scotsman. And maybe I'll visit that gay nature reserve (I seriously can't believe that actually exists).

Have a bit of a hangover today. Just going to chill in the garden in the sunshine

I fly home on Friday and I'll be pretty sad to leave. Might be going to the Native American reservation some time before then, and heading into Toronto tomorrow.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that you were making a blanket generalization, I was just trying to contextualize that you are in what, if I recall correctly, is a very conservative part of the country in a nasty election year where everybody seems to have turned off any decency filters they might have.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

This shit is drilled into our heads as youths. Our education system is all about "AMERICA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY WITH FREEDOM, WE ARE THE BEST COUNTRY, WE NEVER LOSE ANY WARS AND OTHER COUNTRIES ARE JEALOUS, IF YOU LEAVE AMERICA YOU MIGHT HAVE YOUR FREEDOM STOLEN AWAY BY THE EVIL FREEDOM THIEVES AND COMMIES"

This really, really depends on where you go to school and probably depends on where your state government is in the Conservative/Liberal spectrum.

In my public high school in Los Angels, it was more along the lines of: AMERICA IS A PLACE FOUNDED ON BIGOTRY AND RACISM, WE WIN WARS BY COMMITTING GENOCIDE, WE SHOULD BE MORE LIKE OTHER COUNTRIES AND LEAVING AMERICA TO GET A TASTE OF OTHER BETTER COUNTRIES SO WE CAN MAKE AMERICA MORE LIKE THEM IS A GOOD THING. AND THE FREEDOM THING? IT'S A BIG LIE ANYWAY; IT'S NOT WORTH PRESERVING.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Canadians have a lot of unexamined bigotry towards Americans. It's almost a knee-jerk reaction for many Canadians. My three American students in my otherwise Canadian high school were three of my best-educated, hard-working, academically skillful, most open-minded students; they put some of the Canadians to shame.

 

[Lex]

Hahaha yeah driving in Italy is a bit of a nightmare, so many small things on the road and people just zooming around!

Listen I've stated a few times now that I'm not making a blanket judgement on all American people based on a couple of day's experience in northern New York State, because that would be dumb. All I'm actually saying is that my expectations (some good, some bad) were met. I wouldn't call it a negative experience because it's what I expected. I still want to see some places that have real people who might be a bit more receptive to a Scotsman. And maybe I'll visit that gay nature reserve (I seriously can't believe that actually exists).

Have a bit of a hangover today. Just going to chill in the garden in the sunshine

I fly home on Friday and I'll be pretty sad to leave. Might be going to the Native American reservation some time before then, and heading into Toronto tomorrow.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that you were making a blanket generalization, I was just trying to contextualize that you are in what, if I recall correctly, is a very conservative part of the country in a nasty election year where everybody seems to have turned off any decency filters they might have.

Hey no need to apologise! I wasn't talking at you specifically, just making my feelings publicly known. I tend to give off this vibe that I despise America and even when I preface an experience or opinion with a qualifier, people tend to get a little bit defensive (see this thread).

But yeah I've definitely seen some of that bigotry here Lic. It's not quite English people talking about Scotland bad but the general feeling re: American people isn't too positive. Maybe it's an aloofness? Idk. It's fascinating being around it all anyway.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I have to say this, Lex - I have never heard English people talking about Scotland in a scornful or contemptuous way. (If anything, it's the other way round. I don't meet many Scots who have much good to say about the English). Most English people I know have a romantic and rather envious view of Scotland. But I don't doubt you are speaking from experience, so I don't mean to deny your knowledge, just - I don't know, represent, I guess. I've heard Canadians say much, much harsher things about the USA than anything any English person has said about Scotland in my hearing.

 

[Cthulhu]

On that note, how er, worldly are the Canadians? I mean they have no borders except with the US, and only a small percentage of its landmass is actually populated, which kinda implies it's not as culturally diverse internally as the US is.

Which OTOH may cause them to become nicer people or a better people (depending on your definition of better, off course). Maybe a bit like the Scandinavians, who also live in not-densely populated countries and rather separated from the rest.

 

[Octo]

Gay Nature reseve

Wait.. like gay...swans and bears and racoons and stuff? Whatever it is you have to take pics!

 

[JechtShotMK9]

Gay Nature reseve

Wait.. like gay...swans and bears and racoons and stuff? Whatever it is you have to take pics!

http://sliptalk.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/21211958/angry-beavers-adult-humor-.gif

Don't forget beavers.

 

[Lex]

@Lic You might need to be an actual Scottish person in England to experience what I'm talking about. It doesn't apply to the whole place (obviously most English people are generally nice/accepting) but I've been verbally abused down there more times than I care to talk about. You're not wrong that there's an anti-English sentiment in Scotland either, but that's pretty much somethig borne from a response to centuries of malice rather than a flat dislike of all the people. The Scottish don't have a bad word for the English. The English have quite a few derogatory terms for us (Jock etc.)

@Yop, you're probably better asking Lic. One thing I do know is that Canada actively recruits skilled foreign workers and I've encountered all sorts of non-Canadians just in this small city.

 

[ForceStealer]

Huh, I never knew that about "jock." Over here that's just a stereotypically stupid sports-obsessed athlete. It's of course interesting when I learn about different words the US and UK have for the same thing (elevator/lift, trunk/boot, etc.), I'm always particularly surprised when we have the same word for two totally different meanings. I don't know why, there are a ton of them, but it's just extra interesting for some reason.

Anyway I obviously haven't directly experienced English animosity for the Scottish myself. I only know of the whole sheep stereotype thing. And I always took that to be basically the British equivalent of the idea of a redneck. Although it would seem the political affiliations are reversed in this case.

 

[Joe]

Huh, I never knew that about "jock." Over here that's just a stereotypically stupid sports-obsessed athlete. It's of course interesting when I learn about different words the US and UK have for the same thing (elevator/lift, trunk/boot, etc.), I'm always particularly surprised when we have the same word for two totally different meanings. I don't know why, there are a ton of them, but it's just extra interesting for some reason.

I love this. I've just spent the last 11 days discussing word differences and stuff with Flare. I particularly liked an ongoing discussion we have on what is and isn't a 'truck'

 

[Channy]

@Mog

Canada's just better



Also, @Yop, we're worldly as shit.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Canada is pretty cool!

It's cold tho

 

[Lex]

Yeah but in the properly habituated parts it's only cold in the winter

I'm not kidding, it's been hot as fuck (it would never get this hot in the UK) the whole time I've been here. Mercifully it's a little cooler today.

 

[Lex]

Oh I forgot to tell you all, I made an actual Canadian friend last night. Her name is Courtney and she's fucking hilarious. She's actually coming to Scotland in the next few weeks so we're going to meet up and I'm taking her to gay bars XD

 

[Carlie]

Huh, I never knew that about "jock." Over here that's just a stereotypically stupid sports-obsessed athlete. It's of course interesting when I learn about different words the US and UK have for the same thing (elevator/lift, trunk/boot, etc.), I'm always particularly surprised when we have the same word for two totally different meanings. I don't know why, there are a ton of them, but it's just extra interesting for some reason.

I love this. I've just spent the last 11 days discussing word differences and stuff with Flare. I particularly liked an ongoing discussion we have on what is and isn't a 'truck'

Did you have the mobile/cellphone discussion?

Spoiler

They're both correct.

 

[Flare]

Huh, I never knew that about "jock." Over here that's just a stereotypically stupid sports-obsessed athlete. It's of course interesting when I learn about different words the US and UK have for the same thing (elevator/lift, trunk/boot, etc.), I'm always particularly surprised when we have the same word for two totally different meanings. I don't know why, there are a ton of them, but it's just extra interesting for some reason.

I love this. I've just spent the last 11 days discussing word differences and stuff with Flare. I particularly liked an ongoing discussion we have on what is and isn't a 'truck'

Yeah, I was pointing out all the vehicles to you and saying what I called them. Was hilarious.
"That's a van, not a truck. That's a truck, not a van. That's a semi truck." but caravan for an RV is awesome. <3

Also, word pronunciations are fun too. Love me some accents.

 

[Fangu]

Completely unrelated to discussion, but still --

You know what's stupid?
Donald Trump - fucking Donald Trump - is about to be elected as the President of the United States - and we're still now allowed, in thishere modern days of TLS, to talk about how the average American is placed a bit further back on the line of Homo Sapiens than the rest of the world. But I can't blame you. You're our leftovers

Yeah I went there Fight me

 

[Lex]

The Canadians seem to be pretty confident that if he manages to get in he'll be assassinated super quick anyway

 

[Octo]

Yeah, I was pointing out all the vehicles to you and saying what I called them. Was hilarious.
"That's a van, not a truck. That's a truck, not a van. That's a semi truck." but caravan for an RV is awesome. <3

Also, word pronunciations are fun too. Love me some accents.

No, Joe is spreading lies and misinformation! A caravan is what you guys would call a trailer I think - you can sleep in it but it has to be towed about. An RV here would be called a motorhome.

I've just had a 30 minute conversation about this (in which I forgot to put dinner in the oven)

But I reckon:

Lorry - anything where it has to be articulated cos it would be too big to turn corners. (and yeah they say 'Articulated Lorry' implying that there is non-articulated lorries but they are wrong whoever they are!)

Truck - anything that is not completely covered in the back eg dumper trucks and pickup trucks.

Van - anything that is completely covered in the back.

This is basically my only belief system.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Donald Trump - fucking Donald Trump - is about to be elected as the President of the United States - and we're still now allowed, in thishere modern days of TLS, to talk about how the average American is placed a bit further back on the line of Homo Sapiens than the rest of the world.

You got me there, for now. Especially if he wins.

 

[Cthulhu]

Did you have the mobile/cellphone discussion?

Spoiler

They're both correct.

I like the German "handy", pronounced in the German way. So corny

Yeah I went there Fight me

Part of me is afraid, the other part thinks that if he does get elected (and given how it's, I believe, still the party that needs to make a final decision but idk), it'll be a trainwreck and the whole US will be dragged along with it. Hopefully leading to a political revolution / restructuring, but I'll be okay if he gets voted out of office in an embarrassing way.

 

[ForceStealer]

A caravan in American English refers to a series of vehicles. So a whole bunch of trucks...lorries, or even just several of your friends in several cars would travel in "a caravan."
I would say one of the more nuisance differences are the series/seasons for TV shows. Because it super doesn't matter, neither are something people feel strongly enough to declare themselves right about it, and it just gives Americans mini-heart attacks when a British show they like is advertising a "series finale"

Also, I seriously don't think Trump has ANY chance. Sorry. Yeah, people don't like Hillary, but it doesn't matter. The number of people angry enough at the status quo to try and elect Trump are hugely outnumbered by everyone he's pissed off/terrified. Not even the majority of republicans want anything to do with him, all the other candidates were simply too weak to unite them all. Also, as we all talk about what the corruption with American elections and how Wall Street runs everything? Well Wall Street will absolutely pull strings for Hillary. No doubt about it. He's got no shot. And then Europe will have to fall back onto one of their other mainstays for talkin shit on us all the time