Comment on [OC] My feeling as European reading news on Lemmy/Reddit
ParsnipWitch@feddit.de 2 years agoDifferent states are not like literally different countries.
Different states in the early 1800s might be like different European countries are today. But, today, states have a lot less power, and people generally think of themselves as American first.
In addition, European countries speak different languages. That severely limits the common ground you share with neighbouring countries.
They also have different cultures, traditions, history, etc.
Yeah, European countries have histories going back a thousand years or more. While there’s going to be some shared history in border regions (often they swapped back and forth between countries depending on who was strong and who was weak), there’s a lot of differences between them that are pretty deep seated.
If those countries shared a common language the cultures would tend to blend over time. When they speak different languages that process is a lot slower.
IMO the differences between major US cities are smaller than the differences between any given city and the rural areas surrounding that city.
Even then, different states in the early 1800s had more or less the same history/origins (colonists that arrived relatively recently)
nl_the_shadow@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Exactly, different states still have their country as common ground. Most Europeans identify with their nationality first, and as a European second.
halferect@lemmy.world 2 years ago
When asked where I’m from I say my state, I don’t say I’m American.
hibsen@lemmy.world 2 years ago
Yeah I don’t know any Americans that don’t do this. Like I get it, I don’t like us either, but going from Colorado to Texas is more jarring to me than going from France to Germany.
merc@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
Yes, going from “foreign place where I don’t speak the language” to “foreign place where I don’t speak the language” isn’t jarring because it’s all very foreign. But, the differences between France and Germany are objectively huge compared to the differences between Colorado and Texas.
rambaroo@lemmy.world 2 years ago
This is ridiculous. This is why Europeans think we’re so stupid and insular, and they’re right.
Siegfried@lemmy.world 2 years ago
If I remember correctly, most Europeans identifiy first with their city, then with their country and third with the EU…