Multicultural thread

[moody]

Because someone had to do it. I feel like a lot of threads end up bringing it up, to some extent. @Marbles and @Inexorable Username in particular have doubled the size of one thread XD

What stereotypes does your country have about other countries?

What stereotypes do you find true or untrue about your own?

Have you even wondered what something’s like in another country? If so, what? Maybe someone will answer you.

I’ll kick off with a short article that compares dating process is like in various different countries:

Here's what dating is like in 20 countries around the world

If you're fed up with your local dating scene, you're not the only one — and you may be happy to know that dating looks different depending on which part of the world you're in. Check out what dating is like in different countries around the world, from Sweden to Japan to Nigeria.

www.insider.com

 

[Inexorable Username]

What Americans think about other countries:
These are impressions I've gathered from discussions with other Americans in the USA. Not necessarily a reflection of my own thoughts.

(1) There's only one British Accent
(2) Germans aren't funny
(3) The French hate us because we go to their country and don't speak French
(4) Everyone wants to feed you in Italy
(5) Everyone in Europe speaks English
(6) Australians are all tan, buff, and laid-back
(7) The English (England) are fussy, sticklers for rules, and they all drink tea
(8) Everyone in Spain speaks the same Spanish they speak in Mexico
(9) The Irish are drunk all the time and have horrible tempers
(10) Scandanavians are tall, blonde, and pretty. (That's literally all people seem to have to say about you guys, sorry!)

What surprised me the most about my time in Europe (Germany, Spain):
I don't remember where I went in Germany (2 weeks). In Spain, I went to Barcelona (4ish months I think).

(1) They listened to a lot of American music...and it was very outdated!
(2) People don't smile at strangers
(3) In Germany, adults had meetups where they would recreationally play things like volleyball, without being part of "teams" and having to "compete"
(4) In Germany, kids took the train to get to school
(5) In Germany, all of the rules of the house were very precise, and you got the feeling that they were obeyed without question
(6) In Spain, you don't drink coffee for breakfast, but espresso. It comes in tiny, tiny little espresso cups that make you skeptical. Then you take far too big of a sip and it tastes like coffee acid burning crackhead-level energy into your soul through the vector of your tongue. Drink tiny Spanish coffee with great caution.
(7) In Barcelona, everyone spoke Catalan, and they're proud of the language. They can understand Castiliano but they don't want to speak it.
(8) People were a lot colder than I expected. Everyone was pretty aloof to an almost "unfriendly" degree by American standards. People definitely looked down on Americans there. I had one American roommate, and he was slightly more accepted, but I had the feeling that American girls, in particular, were not very well respected oversees. (Later I think I learned that it was because there's an opinion in Europe that we're 'easy')


(USA) American Stereotypes that are true:
Hopefully this won't upset my fellow Americans!

(1) They are rude
(2) They are emotional
(3) They overshare - information about love lives, their personal health, what they're doing that weekend, etc.
(4) They are naive
(5) They are idealistic
(6) They know next to NOTHING about other countries
(7) They tend to think that our country is superior to every other country
(8) They are weak, childish, and/or lazy (compared to other nations, this is actually pretty accurate)
(9) They eat a lot of fast-food
(10) They have high rates of obesity
(11) They have a sense of entitlement
(12) USA American women have large chests
(13) USA American men are usually more well-muscled than in other countries, and work out in gyms
(14) They are incredibly open and accepting of other cultures and ethnicities
(15) They are very creative and free-spirited
(16) USA American women are stubborn, independent, and obstinate

There's also a stereotype I feel that I might as well clear up about USA American women while I'm on a role....That is the stereotype that we're "easy". Overseas, there seems to be a perspective that American women will sleep with any guy at the drop of a hat.

Here's the reality, from what I have seen:
Yes, when the average woman makes up her mind about a guy in this country, she'll often sleep with him fairly quickly, but....Women in the USA are extremely choosey compared to the apparent perception of them.
From conversations I've had with women and men friends, I've found that European men have an expectation that when they come to the USA, they will quickly, easily find a woman, and they often fail to do so.
I have my own philosophies on that if anyone cares to hear them.


(USA) American Stereotypes that are not true:
(1) USA Americans all run around wearing or waving American flags...This only happens in the South and the Midwest so far as I've seen, and even in the Midwest...it's weird. To be honest, in most of the bigger cities and populated places in the south, you don't see this behavior. In this country, we tend to call flag-happy people "Rednecks". The exception, of course, is when elections are drawing near.
(2) USA Americans are proud of their government. In this day and age with Trump in office, there's a lot of division on that. However, generally speaking, most USA Americans are appalled by our government, and we don't trust it. Even people who are particularly patriotic don't trust the government here.
(3) USA Americans are gun nuts. No, I would say that most people in the US probably don't own a gun.
(4) USA Americans are bigots that hate other countries. Absolutely not. Most Americans I know seem to love other countries.

About USA American Stereotypes:
We usually get "branded" by a very small subset of the USA - the south. Most foreigners think that the stereotypes of Southern Americans (Cowboys, gun-fans, rednecks, and people who speak with a thick, slow accent), reflect America as a whole. These Americans reflect a very, very small portion of America, and they're old-fashion ways have been decreasing for quite some time now.

In My Country's Defense:
I do love my country! Unfortunately, a lot of the bad stereotypes people say about us are absolutely true! Sometimes, our politics horrifies me. I don't participate politically because I think our government, on the whole, is corrupt, violent, domineering, manipulative, and subsists by feeding the public a pack of lies and capitalizing on the poor and the weak in this country.
However, you can really be yourself in the USA - a lot mores than in other countries, I find. People will be friendly to you, smile at you, and you're sure to find a community of others just like you. It's a great place to be an artist or a musician! You can really make your dreams come true. You can be born poor here, and become wealthy. You can really voice your opinions and express yourself. I love how creative we are. I love that we're constantly inventing new things. I love how we're really exploring marketing, because even though it has its evil downsides, we've tapped into almost a whole new type of science and we've gathered a massive amount of data to describe the human species with. I love our scientific discoveries.
The people in the USA...I think they tend to be good people, and I think they're getting better, too. Our new generation in this country, Generation Z, is looking very hopeful!

What I would like to know about other countries:
(1) What do you typically eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
(2) What is your biggest holiday, and how do you celebrate it?
(3) What are the most common spices in your kitchen cupboard?
(4) Do people in your country think that "being an artist" is a respectable job? Why, or why not?
(5) Does your country listen to American music or watch American shows?
(6) What stereotypes does your country have about America?

 

[moody]

@Inexorable Username What part of the country are you from??? You don't have to be specific. I'm from the west, and few of the perceptions you mentioned aren't the same where I'm from. I list the differences.

Australians are all tan, buff, and laid-back

They're violent, get mad if you confuse them with the English, and they're red necks.

Everyone in Spain speaks the same Spanish they speak in Mexico

This was never a stereotype in my parts, probably due to the high Latino population in the area. Everyone was very well aware that Spain Spanish is much different than Central American Spanish.

They are weak, childish, and/or lazy (compared to other nations, this is actually pretty accurate)

Really? Most stereotypes about Americans I've heard center around on how they're workaholics. Being shallow is another big stereotype that I've heard several times from Europeans. We're super "nice" but because we just act that way, it's looked at as being fake.

They are incredibly open and accepting of other cultures and ethnicities

Where did you hear this XD

They are very creative and free-spirited
(16) USA American women are stubborn, independent, and obstinate

I've never heard of these as stereotypes.

There's also a stereotype I feel that I might as well clear up about USA American women while I'm on a role....That is the stereotype that we're "easy". Overseas, there seems to be a perspective that American women will sleep with any guy at the drop of a hat.

This one I do share with you! It's because girls who go to Europe are almost looking for the "summer romance" with an Italian or Spanish guy. Then they go home. That's where the stereotype of being "easy" comes from, when in reality, it's the guys who are "easy." Those American girls had them right where they wanted, not even having to life a finger.

When sister was in college, there was a French exchange student who she discribed as "sexist and entitled." He always tried to flirt with her and her roommates, and she described him acting like they had to drop everything because he was talking to them. If American girls have the stereotype for being easy, it makes sense why he would've acted like that. He almost got slapped so many times. Its kind of funny; within their own counties, American girls picture French, Italian and Spanish as romantic, but as soon as they're taken out of their country, they have the stereotype of being creepy and sleazy.

USA Americans are gun nuts. No, I would say that most people in the US probably don't own a gun.

You'd be surprised. It depends on the area you live in. The States where you can carry around a concealed weapon are knarly.

We usually get "branded" by a very small subset of the USA - the south.

YUUUUUUP.

I don't participate politically because I think our government, on the whole, is corrupt, violent, domineering, manipulative, and subsists by feeding the public a pack of lies and capitalizing on the poor and the weak in this country.

Abstaining is only perpetuating the problem. Being neutral makes it worse. How do you think Trump was elected?

You can really make your dreams come true. You can be born poor here, and become wealthy

Again, what part of America are you from? Because my part considers this to be mostly false. Most of the time, you can be in two difference classes: rich, or dirt poor. We're segregated based on wealth, so many people are trapped inside their situations purely because of their geographical location. Just take a look at the massive food deserts and food swamps we have. Why do the poor have higher rates of obesity? Because all that's available to them is processed junk. Sure, there are some ways to move up the later, but no outreach to help those people learn to help themselves. There are some individuals that move up the later, but most die in the same economic brackets they were born into. It is a nightmare problem, and the downfall of things being so far apart here.

 

[Inexorable Username]

So, these are stereotypes I’ve collected over quite a long period of time. I couldn’t really nail down where they come from precisely. I spent 2 weeks in Germany and I think about 4 months in Spain (I would have to double-check). My brother and my sister went backpacking through France, and I enjoy watching vlogs about what life is like in other nations. How other nations view Americans is particularly interesting.
The whole free-spirited, creative, expressionist, childish perspective comes from Japanese stereotypes. Oh, also that we’re accepting of other nations/cultures. That actually came from both a Japanese person and a couple of people from a bar in Norway (word of mouth, I’ve not been). The Germans apparently think we parade around in flags, stuff our faces with fast food, are very obese, and that we’re all gun nuts. It’s just kind of a mixture of perspectives that, when collected, give the impression of what America is potentially viewed as by others countries. It’s not the most flattering image, which I think is why our arrogance is even less easy for other nations to tolerate.

I’ve lived in California, South Carolina, New York, and Indiana. I’ve been to most states, but in most cases, just driving through really...those are the places I’ve lived for time periods longer than 2 years.

So, I have heard the superficial stereotype from someone from India. (That was a weird date.) However, I’ve never heard the workaholic stereotype before. I have heard “Lazy” from a Norwegian I shared an apartment with in Spain, and from a couple of Germans. Although...I think German women think everyone is lazy. Oh, a Russian woman as well. She was cool.

Lets see..The “you can be born poor and..” - well that’s essentially true. At least, compared to other areas in the world it is. One of the things that makes this especially true in this country is the prevalence of media and marketing. We enjoy a vast array of work possibilities when it comes to creating art, music, or doing remote jobs. In most places in Europe, the marketing is SO minimal compared to what it is here.
When it comes to cost of living and finding a job, we’re extremely lucky compared to many countries. In Japan and France, for instance, I’ve learned from people who live there (vlogs) that you essentially are signing your soul away when you get a job. They take the business relationship very, very seriously. It isn’t like here where you can hop from job to job, and people will still hire you. Some people in Japan have faked their own deaths to get out of jobs (according to some article. It may not be true).
Young people in certain parts of Europe like Spain may not move out of their parent’s house until 30 or so due to the cost of living (need to cite a source here but I’m on my iPhone. I’ll try to remember to do an edit). In France, it can be highly competitive to get an apartment.
Many places in the world will not allow upward mobility. If you’re born low class, you stay low class, and that is the way the system is designed. Many more places in the world theoretically allow for upward mobility, but definitely don’t nudge it along.
(More sources needed. Making a mental note)
The fact that the US is a place where people can actually start poor and become wealthy is a pretty well-known thing. Americans may feel disenchanted at the moment, but I believe that if we look at the stats, we’ll find that there have never been more opportunities for Americans to do just this.
In fact, one of the major changes has come about in the entertainment industry. The fact that artists can now earn a living without be capitalized upon by managers and producers and such - that is monumental.
Due to the VAST number of wealthy investors we have in this massive country, there is also an insane potential for building startup companies.
America’s materialism also makes it feasible to do things like make a living off of EBay, Etsy, Amazon, and our massive marketing demands are what fuels the online contracting industry for websites like Upwork.
Apps like Uber and websites like Doggy Vacay also make it possible for people to earn unconventional livings.
Due to our materialism, we also have a phenomenal amount of jobs for our lower classes - something that’s actually really advantageous for our economy. Fast-food jobs, jobs at the mall, all such things are consequences of our materialistic society, and they help to sustain lower classes and keep them from becoming homeless.

When it comes to wealth per individual and quality of life, we also do quite well.

What we DO see is something where you really hit the nail on the head. In America there are a lot of instances where the wealthy and the competitively poor live elbow-to-elbow. In these circumstances, there’s a psychological phenomenon (source needed) whereby people with less money will essentially report being poorer, when they are forced to live near people with more money. It happens a lot when you get gentrification. There was a similar instance of this in Carmel in NYC.

We also have an issue in our country at the moment, in my own personal opinion, with the speed at which technology has taken over the nation. Older generations just simply can’t keep up, and it’s tough for their families to get a foothold in this new technological market without the means or the money to do so. We have ABYSMAL schools in many poorer areas of the states as well. We have a conflict with outdated jobs still being necessary, like factory work.

I don’t pretend that it isn’t a struggle to be poor, and I don’t blame poverty on the poor. I work with a sociology student who is going for her masters, and we have a lot of conversations about how this nation could up its game when it comes to helping the poor, as well as what works, and what doesn’t.

Any nation must make this a priority. Always. Now more than ever, because our world is rapidly changing at the moment.

But what my comment concerns is the overall perspective of the USA in comparison to the world as a whole. We still have enormous possibilities in this country. You can absolutely be poor and die rich, and people do it all of the time. That doesn’t mean it’s EASY, and that we shouldn’t try to make it easier! That just means that it can be done, and it is routinely done.

I don’t know about most of Europe, but try comparing this kind of upward mobility to your potential in almost anywhere else in the world, Europe excluded. We’re lucky to be here in this country.

——————-
Okay, so insofar as politics goes...I don’t follow politics because I don’t want to be brainwashed. When I do learn about political stances, I don’t learn about them from politicians. I prefer to do my own research via studies and such.

I believe that a person needs to operate under the assumption that all politicians lie, none of them have your best interests at heart, and that none of them are even “real people” in the fact that what they feel, think, and say is determined by marketing. I also think it is the nature of the presidential office that anyone who runs for this office is either immoral, or will become immoral if they are elected. I know that sounds really extreme, but that is the conclusion I drew.

I didn’t support Hillary or Trump. I thought that they were both corrupt and essentially so immoral that they are not people I could trust or identify with. I did watch a few speeches, but I don’t want to share my thoughts because I know people will get offended and judge me for them.

In any case, I believe our entire system of politics is broken to the core. I’ve seen nothing to suggest that it isn’t insanely corrupt and I don’t see that my vote really matters. What I DO feel though, is that Americans feel very passionately that I should join in the sensationalism, and I strongly disagree. Ever since I was in gradeschool, I mistrusted news and the media. Political campaigning is a media outlet for spreading inaccurate, biased information that skews the beliefs of the public.

So...I’m politically agnostic. I genuinely don’t believe in any of it. Nobody has ever given me any valid, logical argument as to why I should feel otherwise. I’ve only received emotional arguments as to why I should jump on the bandwagon.

I think I’m far more useful to my country as an intellectually independent individual who can research these topics with a hopefully less biased and less impassioned viewpoint, so as to hold constructive conversations with voters, and hopefully help them make more accurate decisions. Or at least, show them the media marketing techniques that are being actively used to brainwash them.

I will say this though! You should be happy I don’t vote. If somebody had put thumb screws to me and forced me to vote, I would not have voted for Hillary.
In any case...didn’t she get the popular vote?

 

[Inexorable Username]

@moody

I hope you don’t take offense to my comment! I really thought it was mice of you to go through each little bit of my last comment and provide a response.
I know sometimes I get a little carried away with the way that I write, but I hope you know that I’m not the kind of person to think myself superior to other people in any way. Quite the opposite. I second guess myself constantly and I welcome other people to do third and forth guesses because my ideas are always in flux! I’m wrong all the time and I know it! I can be stubborn about some of my ideas though, just because I’ve put a lot of thought into them. So in my mind, I need an equal or greater amount of evidence to the contrary to reform my more stationary beliefs.

 

[Perfectly Normal Beast]

the french have no sense of humour while wearing berets and being competitive about regional cheeses

germans are obsessed with efficiency and sausages

the polish are stoic and enjoy beetroots and depression

scandinavians host daily swinging parties in their saunas or hot tubs and eat nothing but weird pickled fish

italians gesticulate wildly while riding vespas

americans deep fry inappropriate things and enjoy brawling on television talk shows

australians spend many hours each day checking their shoes and beds for deadly spiders and getting eaten by sharks so they have very little time to attend their beloved opera

 

[washti]

hold on this sause.

Or better. bring it back!

Germans steal Polish sacred sausage from the church and consider it a national symbol. While other nations didn't even lift a finger.

There is no stereotype that Poles are thieves.

I heard that the Portuguese unexpectedly lie down on the street to stay healthy, worship elevators and eat grapes instead of potatoes.

Americans are crazy about white teeth.

there are no other nations.

 

[peoplesuck]

Americans think their country is the best and will not tolerate reasons or proof that it is not. America is the best in all regards no exceptions. If you even try to say well x country does x better, they will get pissed and not even consider what you said. Also Americans believe in all the stupid bullshit that doesn't exist. I don't care for Americans, hopefully the Norwegians are better. In America guns are considered more important than everything else. Even people who dont have guns cant stand the thought of not being able to have a combat shotgun. I may be bitter, but this is true from my experience. Also everyone is overweight, not unusual to see someone in an electric wheelchair simply because they are so fat. I never felt patriotic, or like I belonged to my country, I dont really want to live here.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

russians are all either spies, hackers, or alcoholics.

 

[peoplesuck]

russians are all either spies, hackers, or alcoholics.

most of the ones i know are alcoholic hacker spies

 

[washti]

you forgot hookers

 

[Inexorable Username]

Wow...I’ve not been on this forum long but I really have to say that my culturally correct instincts are really conflicting with my desire to laugh. This thread took a comedically cryptic turn for the better...

 

[moody]

@Inexorable Username
Yo, I'm gonna fast forward and message you a PDF of an annotative bibliography I made about poverty in America. I don't want to junk up a thread by getting into American semantics XD
My intention was not to discredit your claims, and even if I was meaning to, you backed yourself up well. I tend to get triggered when an argument isn't multi-faced, and is defending one point. I've lived around some extreme poverty, so I can also get defensive about similar demographics in America. I do realize that I was taking your comments somewhat out of context, so I apologize for that!

 

[Inexorable Username]

@Inexorable Username
Yo, I'm gonna fast forward and message you a PDF of an annotative bibliography I made about poverty in America. I don't want to junk up a thread by getting into American semantics XD
My intention was not to discredit your claims, and even if I was meaning to, you backed yourself up well. I tend to get triggered when an argument isn't multi-faced, and is defending one point. I've lived around some extreme poverty, so I can also get defensive about similar demographics in America. I do realize that I was taking your comments somewhat out of context, so I apologize for that!

Aww - there's never any need to apologize! I'm impossible to offend, more or less. I seriously doubt there's anything you would ever say that would offend me. The only viewpoint that will sometimes get under my skin is when I encounter people online who are woman-haters, convinced that I'm a feminist because I disagree with a point they made, and flatly refuse to engage in a discussion because they would rather be willfully ignorant! That's the only example I can think of that's made me a bit annoyed in the past. Even then, though, I get it.

So yeah, I wouldn't worry! We should both worry about me potentially offending people. It happens quite a bit!

 

[Cognisant]

Americans are very similar to Australians but your pride makes us wary of fragile egos and quick tempers, but then again we don't see starting fights and making friends as being mutually exclusive.

The Japanese are polite to absurdity and we worry about them keeping bad opinions to themselves but we like them and they seem to like us?

Australia is still technically an English colony so we are technically English ourselves, sort of, but like the white South Africans we're not English-English anymore.

White South Africans are basically Australians if we were racist, whereas we don't discriminate, we like to shit-stir everyone.

Europe may as well be on the Moon for all the interactions we have with them although there's a growing interest in Russia and Slav culture in particular.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

We usually get "branded" by a very small subset of the USA - the south.

Eh....
This is more of a rural/urban divide. Supposed liberal bastion Oregon has rural areas that are more or less culturally identical to rural Texas. The hicks control a lot of territory throughout every state, save some small sections of heavily urbanized Yankee territory. Economic opportunity in the United States is also closely tied to where you live. If you're in a podunk nothing 1950s town and don't have the money to leave; you're screwed.

 

[moody]

If you're in a podunk nothing 1950s town and don't have the money to leave; you're screwed.

So, so true

 

[Inexorable Username]

For people in the USA - when did you learn Alaska is connected to Canada?

Recently had a conversation with someone in which we realized Gradeschool
failed us. If foreigners are confused why people in the US are geographically ignorant, this is perhaps a clue...

I only recently realized (embarrassing to admit) that Alaska isn’t floating in the ocean “somewhere out there”, but is actually connected to Canada, and it isn’t the exclusive dominion of polar bears....yeah. I know. It’s REALLY embarrassing I just figured this out a couple of years ago.

However, in conversation with someone I know, she had just discovered a few years ago that Alaska wasn’t in the ocean South-ish of Texas!

We realized we had both been deceived by the “somewhere out there” square that represents Alaska on US maps, as children, and because we’d learned this as children, it never really came to the forefront of our knowledge.

We went to the same gradeschool. It’s very well funded... -.-

 

[Rebis]

I don't think the irish are that alcohol compared to scotland and northern ireland, even england to a degree. The irish may drink more often but less of it seems to be binge drinking, just my observation.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Well Inexorable....

I don't remember the first time I saw a world map, so I'm just gonna say I always knew? I'm kinda confused that you could miss it. All the worlds maps are US centric, but we still have them.

Anyway, your comment caused me to peruse the world map looking for something surprising. Did you know there's a city called 'Batman' in Turkey? It amused me, so thank you.

As for other geographical subversions that I should've known, but didn't..... well I guess I didn't understand that Tijuana and San Diego are basically the same city until I went there.

 

[Inexorable Username]

Well Inexorable....

I don't remember the first time I saw a world map, so I'm just gonna say I always knew? I'm kinda confused that you could miss it. All the worlds maps are US centric, but we still have them.

Anyway, your comment caused me to peruse the world map looking for something surprising. Did you know there's a city called 'Batman' in Turkey? It amused me, so thank you.

As for other geographical subversions that I should've known, but didn't..... well I guess I didn't understand that Tijuana and San Diego are basically the same city until I went there.

You might have gotten a better education that my friend and I did then. We barely saw world maps growing up, and if we ever did, it was to label continents and oceans.

When it came to labelling the states, we got that standard USA map with the “somewhere out there square” for Alaska and Hawaii.

I DID actually know about Batman, Turkey, because I believe that’s where the Batman house is located! Gorgeous architecture. Why do we have such pitiful architecture in the states? Anyways it’s a tourist attraction and the reviews aren’t as good as they used to be, but...it’s an amazing design. I would love to live in the Batman house.

Uhhhh....What do you mean that Tijuana and San Diego are the same city? I hope I’m not about to get schooled in geography again but I have a suspicion that I am!

 

[moody]

For people in the USA - when did you learn Alaska is connected to Canada?

Um. Sorry, but I can't remember not knowing this...don't be too hard on yourself, if a teacher never specified and Alaska was never a pressing thing on your mind, it would be an easy mistake to make.

All I can recall as a little kid was that the boxes around Alaska and Hawaii meant they were not really located where the map showed them, and so I looked at a bigger map to see where it really was. At my elementary school, the teacher's usually had two pull-down maps above the white board. One was a world map, and one was a map of the US. It must of been there where I saw where Alaska was, but I was really young. It way Hawaii and Alaska were plopped on the map also never made sense to me, so if there was a time I didn't know where Alaska was, I still didn't think it was off the coast of California or Mexico.

If it makes you feel better, I learned in high school that Hawaii is a lot further away from California's coast than I'd realized. I'd though it was relative near. I also thought Guatamala was an island near the Caribbean, for some reason. The worse I've heard is some girl who thought Ireland was in Northern California.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

If you look on a map you'll see what I mean. Tijuana and San Diego are sister cities split by the border, with the San Diego side in California and the Tijuana side in Mexico. I was born in California, and spent the largest chunk of my childhood in another border town that's similar, but much smaller in scale to the San Diego/Tijuana pair. Hence why I should've known, but I wouldn't expect the same of people from the heartlands. Although as consequence 90% of my peers were ESL learners so my education was actually pretty shitty too. Hilariously shitty in fact.

Education is a big problem in States and it's only getting worse... Idk I always knew it was bad, so I never had the expectation that I was actually being educated. Can't trust what's being taught either. I had to unlearn quite a bit of Texan curriculum. It's outrageous what they get away with. Remember kids, evolution is just a theory by weird scientists who think people are monkeys! Are you a monkey? Of course not. Ergo it's wacky nonsense. Just like believing the Earth is billions of years old!

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Ohhh, you really want to take a trip on misconceptions, just think about maps for second. How can you accurately map a sphere onto a flat surface? Not with with a rectangle, that's for damn sure. So with most traditional maps you end up with wild distortions just.... fucking.... everywhere....

So if you want a much more accurate (to size, if not orientation) map, you either model a sphere (like google earth) or you use a dymaxion map.

It's like imperial units right? Just fucking embarrassing.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Also what Batman house were you talking about? Batman, Turkey was named as such from a Turkish unit of measurement, not the caped crusader. It's all happy coincidence.

Amusingly enough apparently Batman the Town tried to sue Warner Brother's for using their name, even though Batman the character dates further back than the name of the town. World sure is funny sometimes.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

I feel like world maps are scandinavia-centered. Common map projections like Mercantor make scandinavia look like it almost covers whole of north Africa, whereas in reality it's about the size of Egypt.

Basically everyone along the equator gets screwed over by map projections.

 

[Inexorable Username]

Also what Batman house were you talking about? Batman, Turkey was named as such from a Turkish unit of measurement, not the caped crusader. It's all happy coincidence.

Amusingly enough apparently Batman the Town tried to sue Warner Brother's for using their name, even though Batman the character dates further back than the name of the town. World sure is funny sometimes.

I can’t find it now. I was trying to find the link for you after I sent my first message. I was almost positive it was made in Batman. Maybe it wasn’t...?
Anyways, I stumbled upon it on accident when I was looking at Gaudi-inspired architecture.
It was made to be a rental & tourist attraction...

 

[moody]

I feel like world maps are scandinavia-centered. Common map projections like Mercantor make scandinavia look like it almost covers whole of north Africa, whereas in reality it's about the size of Egypt.

Basically everyone along the equator gets screwed over by map projections.

Not any maps that I've seen. Scandinavia looks about the size of Nigeria on those. Maybe we all have biases within our own countries maps'.