Be American

>Be American
>Parents talk about Europe while I'm in the room
>"What Europeans don't understand is that the difference between states is like the difference between their countries culturally"
The memes are true, I guess.

But it's true, Europe is very homogenous. They just don't like to hear it.

why is there a star on alabama

Honestly I would say that US regions/states are more culturally distinct from one another than Europeans would like to say but not as distinct as Americans like to say..

there's quite a cultural difference between regions, but to say each state has its own culture is a bit dramatic.

not even close to true.

Eh, I think there are too big differences between european countries than to equate with the states of us, if we're talking about culture I mean. But particularly when we talk about identity and nationalism. We identify with our country, and not at all with other countries. In US you identify with your state, sture, but also the country USA. Geographically speaking, it is true what your parents say. You may never have been to Chicago, and I have never been to Slovakia. USA is a big place, even bigger than Europe, so we can basically travel quick and easy to other countries here in Europe, and it would take much longer for Americans to travel from Cali to NY.

special snowflakes

this
the difference between two states is larger than say Belgium and the Netherlands, but not Ireland and Croatia

t. People who have never left their state

>t. People who have never left their state
I leave it all the time, you're just exaggerating. The USA is one of the most homogenous countries in the world in terms of everything but ancestry.

The difference between Bavaria and Niedersachsen is bigger than between Belgium and Netherlands.

what state do you live in nigger?

I live in Virginia

I go to West Virginia it's astoundingly different
Tennessee, extreme difference
Maryland, extreme difference
Kentucky, major difference
North Carolina is similar, but only near the border

It is true in some cases, but a lot of people work in corporate environments that are designed to be transplantable

It's a different kind of difference. Like Germany and France have different languages, food, etc, but the underlying cultural attitudes are really similar. That's not true of say Alabama and Oregon.

I agree
The USA are very huge so I expect great differences between people from a small town lost in Wyoming or a New-Yorker suburban. But it's still one country, united around common valors if not around the governement, with one language
So I guess the truth is somewhere in between "States are all the same" and "states are more diverse than European countries

>the difference between two states is larger than say Belgium and the Netherlands

Is this subtle trolling?

>the difference between two states is larger than say Belgium and the Netherlands

States are not more diverse than European countries. The biggest differences in culture would be between like NY and Texas and even then it's as close as Spain vs Portugal.

>the difference between two states is larger than say Belgium and the Netherlands

>It is true in some cases, but a lot of people work in corporate environments that are designed to be transplantable

Which brings up an important question. How can states retain and foster their own culture in this age? I know my own states culture has been almost completely gutted by corporatism.

It doesn't seem impossible to me.

A guy from Flanders, with a similar language, similar landscapes, similar climate to Noord-Brabant is close enough to the Dutchis from there, while an American from the sunny Florida city beaches is probably very different than another from a Rocky Mountain small town

I know we like to troll American with this matter but that's a reasonable opinion

>the difference between two states is larger than say Belgium and the Netherlands

>Arizona goes to California
I'd rather Texas or even Mexico, tbqh.

I think a major factor in American homogeneity is the small time frame we are looking at. It was not long ago that most of the US was settled by migrants from the east coast with an Anglo-Saxon protestant culture with all European migrants assimilating into the same mold. Additionally everyone had the same ideals stemming from the constitution and expected similar things from the government and how it should be run, with the exception of federal versus state power. People hadn't spent a long enough time in their regions to formulate their own culture/expectations of society or adjust to the climate/geography and just took WASP culture wherever they went.

Now, I am starting to see states acclimating to their own situations and environments, causing divergence. I'm using my home state as an example. California has been noted for having stricter environmental laws than most of america would like, but that is because we are surrounded by mountains so that all pollution stays here and stews. Our land is always one spark away from turning into burning armageddon and our semi-arid lands are always one fuckup away from being totally arid. We don't have the laws for no reason, it was just a different cultural conception of law and proper governance conforming to a landscape dealing with issues most other states don't have to deal with. This difference is far from irreconcilable but its a crack that can grow.

This type of thing will happen in different states in different ways, each making adjustments to the formula. In a few decades New England will evolve some minor practice that no one else has, then later Dixie will start celebrating a holiday everyone else thinks is strange, it will become difficult to understand the dialect from Texas or some shit and it will slowly chip away at American cultural unity. They aren't too distinct now but the next few years are going to be interesting in the way regions develop.

jesus christ hahaha
There's surely more cultural difference between my department and the one beside it than say minnesota and wisconsin

Is there anyone more in love with themselves for less good reason than Americans?

Someone make an ameribear please.
I would make one but i don't have the template

Isn't Russia a part of Europe?

there's already one for this

>The memes are true, I guess.
Yesterday I was reading through a Youtube comment chain under a video which used proper measurements and one of the Americans sperging out about "foreigner shit" (metric) actually broke out the "we could nuke your communist country" line. Should have screencapped it. Made me laugh. Didn't think these people existed outside of the cretins who leak out of Sup Forums.

homogeneous is stretching it pretty far.

>YouTube comments section

Well there's your problem.

This is probably true but it should be noted that when they talk about cultural differences in the states they mostly group the less distinguished states into groups so they don't necessarily mean that Wisconsin is actually different from Minnesota. Though they collectively may be different from Louisiana/Deep South.