# Other > Off Topic >  You foreigners is strange peoples

## curious aardvark

strictly paypal. 
No comeback in that respect

Paypal only has to refund for 180 days in the uk and 30 days most other countries -  Anyone not waited that long for a product from a startup 3d printing company ? 
Exactly.

And on the sidetracked issue. 

The really interesting thing about americans versus australians is this: 

Ask an american what nationality he/she is and they will answer german, polish, italian, irish, hungarian - basically anything other than american_ (or english for that matter - I'm sure a lot of the settlers were english - but they're descendant refuse to ever mention it - that kinda makes me proud :-)_ . 

The rule seems to be: nationaliy of ancestors first, state of origin second and American dead last. 
I test this theory with every new american I communicate with - and it has never yet failed.  

Ask an aussie where they're from and they will answer - emphatically - Australia first and foremost. Only reluctantly, if pushed,  will they mention any nationality of ancestors. 

I personally Am english first and british second. I am not -  under any circumstances whatsoever - a europaen.

People went to australia - often involuntarily - to start new lives. And so happily abandoned their ethnic past. 

People went to america to maintain their way of life and as a consequence only reluctantly admit that they're no longer italians, or dutch or german - but actually born and bred in america. 

there are other anthropological reasons - but essentially, america is a young country whose inhabitants seem to believe they live somewhere else.
And australia is an equally young country who's inhabitants wouldn't live anywhere else and they'll fight you for suggesting otherwise. 

I suspect that's one reason the average brit gets on better with australians than with americans.  

Me, personally I like americans, and australians _(well i say 'like', there's a strong element of national competition in there somewhere. As an englishman I value sporting victories over australia much much higher than over the us :-) And I'd hazard a guess aussies feel the same :-)_

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## Feign

I swear, money has gotten disgustingly complicated of late...




> Ask an american what nationality he/she is and they will answer german, polish, italian, irish, hungarian - basically anything other than american_ (or english for that matter - I'm sure a lot of the settlers were english - but they're descendant refuse to ever mention it - that kinda makes me proud :-)_ .


If you had asked in the 1960s you'd have gotten a whole different impression.  People tend to lean on ancestry to other places when it feels appropriate to do so, after the war backlash of the 70s and the globalization campaigns of the 80s through today, and it's not as "cool" to be American (at least in pop culture) as it used to be.

Personally, I say I'm from Georgia first not because I dislike America, but because there's not really a way to get an impression of one's environment by just saying "America" any more than there is for someone just saying "Europe"...  If someone says they're from America, it gives a much different impression than them being from New York or Utah, for instance.

As for people who identify with ancestral cultures, you tend to find that in either very urban areas on the coasts or very rural farming areas.  Industrial towns and military towns tend to have people in them that care less about their family culture and more readily integrate into "the melting pot" of society.  I have my own theories on this but I'm off topic enough already.  Long story short, if you want to find proud Americans, you have to go to parts of America that aren't tourist destinations.

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## Marm

Sidetrack:

It's because of our origins.   The country itself is not even 250 years old. We don't have a lot of history to lean on, and so we know, mostly, our roots and still tend to clign to them  

Now When I'm asked that question (what nationality), it depends on who's asking.  A fellow American, I'll list of my heritage, which is German, French, and Welsh about 200 years back on my Father's side (Both of my grandparents' grnadparents fought on oppposite sides of the Civil War).  My mother's side can be traced back to the Mayflower.   To a non-American (and that includes Canadians! :P), I'm an American.  But due to the nature of the America's history there is almost always a traceable lineage back to some mother country that our families have emigrated from.  

Most Europeans cannot trace their lineage back to a 'parent' country.  Yes, quite a few can, but they know their family emigrated from somewhere else.  Those original locations run out of traceable lineage at some point.  Either nobody wrote stuff down, or the records were lost to the sands of time.  I'm talking thousands of years.  Eventually you just run out of data.  Therefore, you're German, or English, or French, or wherever you're from.  

We also associate with our lineage because it used to show what neighborhood you're from.  When people moved here, they usually ended up in areas that were around their own native nationality.  I can name the various, Polish, Croat, Slovakian, Puerto Rican, Etc neighborhoods here in town.  "I'm from the East side of Cleveland".   That alone puts you, usually, into a handful of nationalities.  

The US is BIG.   Very big.  I dated a girl years ago who's father was English (Welsh to be  specific), and while visiting with their family, I learned something.   Europeans think 200 miles is a long drive and Americans think 200 years  is a long time.  While at dinner one night, in Cleveland, Ohio, her  cousin asked if we could go see the grand canyon the next day.

  Each region has their own accents and other customs.  Ask a Virginian for a Pop, and they look at you funny.  Up here in the Great Lakes region, if they say "soda" we all laugh at them.  Out west, it's Coke apparently, even if you want a Pepsi.  That's why we identify by state.  Most states in the US are the size of most European countries.   Hell, we went and BOUGHT a state that is 1/4 the size of Europe.  And we have 49 others to go with it.  Each state is so territorial, that when they made the nation's capital, it had to be NOT in a state in order to not upset another state.    If the US splintered into 50 separate countries right now, at least a few of the new Nations would have economies big enough to join the G20 on their own.  We had a Civil War completely on the right for states to govern themselves.  

So yes, We do associate with our state.  But part of that may be the naivety of the typical American who assumes that everybody else in the world knows where Ohio, Kentucky, or Idaho is.  

And as to that naive American, I would assume that your answer to your nationality is from the fact you, historically, were forced there.  Why associate with the mother country who tossed you out?  Nope, you're Australian.  

How Naive are we as Americans?  Had a foreign exchange student live with us years ago that was from Austria.  He hated, HATED, being asked repeatedly if he's seen a Kangaroo.

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## Roxy

> Most states in the US are the size of most European countries.   Hell, we went and BOUGHT a state that is 1/4 the size of Europe.  And we have 49 others to go with it.


Putin says we only leased Alaska.  He says the lease is almost up and we have to give it back.

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## curious aardvark

> I dated a girl years ago who's father was English (Welsh to be  specific),


lmao - that right there shows a MASSIVE misunderstanding of the uk. 
the welsh pretty much hate the english. The english still have statutes on the books that allow welsmen to be shot with longbows in certain cities. 

It's like calling a canadian an american - they get extremely upset !
I've seen canadians practically start fights with people who accuse them of being american.   

You could get away with saying her father was british - that covers just about everyone. But under no circumstances accuse a welshman of being english or an englishman of being welsh :-) 

The other thing I've found - and is illustrated in the preceeding posts, is that americans are extremely defensive of their choice to not be an american first and foremost.

At the end of the day you're actually NOT scots or irish or whatever nationality you claim. 
Had a guy join the food forum I'm on. said he was a scot. So I asked, 'are you american scots or actually scottish ? '
He got quite snippy - but it's a genuine question. 

The difference is that if he were actually scottish there's 2000 years of cultural enmity he and I shared, with any amount of in-jokes and banter, none of which exists between an englishman and an american who wants to be scottish. 

So while it makes perfect sense for an american to claim a seperate nationality to another americcan - to the rest of us (you know everyone, not an american) it's just weird :-)

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## Marm

You're absolutely right, that was a typo on my part.  I know Wales is not part of England.  My apologies to the Welshmen of the world.  He was British, not English.  It's that UK vs England thing that most Americans don't understand.  

I don't know if it's defensive, at least on my part, because I agree with the notion we don't have a national heritage or culture.  We're still a teenager in world history.  

On the flip side, we kinda think it's weird that you think you're scottish or Welsh or Irish or English, when to us "It's all the same country".  

And what the heck is with the monarchy?  Does it even serve a purpose any more?  


Yup, them's fighting words, I know, but Legit questions from us American's.

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## old man emu

We are an international community on this forum, aren't we? We've all got lots to learn about each other's Societies, and sometimes lack of knowledge leads to fights. I've started this thread to provide a place for some to ask questions and make comments and for others to defend a society they feel has been maligned by the comments. 

Now, I'm perfectly aware that some posts here could be taken to heart and raise the ire of people about whose society is criticised, but please accept that all comments are intended to be part of a free and frank discussion amongst friends. So, if you post something that is potentially inflammatory, tack an emoticon onto the end so show that you aren't looking for a fight.

Be nice, and let's see how this pans out.

Old Man Emu

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## old man emu

> Me, personally I like americans, and australians._ As an englishman I value sporting victories over australia much much higher than over the us :-) And I'd hazard a guess aussies feel the same :-)_


Funny you should say that. The first of this summer's One Day International Cricket matches is being played today. Australia -v- South Africa, and its is on TV. Just got my 2-year-old grandson up from his afternoon nap and plonked him in front of the TV. Got him practising his "Owzat!!!" 

Practising during a game with the South Africans is a bit like being in the nets preparing for a Test against the Poms - you don't want to get bowled, but it's not the real thing.

(The sound you hear is all the Yanks scratching their heads trying to figure out what I just said.  :Smile:  

Old Man Emu

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## Geoff

> Ask an aussie where they're from and they will answer - emphatically - Australia first and foremost. Only reluctantly, if pushed, will they mention any nationality of ancestors.


My family came here by choice, on a boat (we still have the boat tickets from the 1800's) and I am an 8th generation Australian.. so I've never thought of myself by anything but Australian. No one really needs to push me to mention British ancestry because I thought that was something that was just generally known about Australia ( :Confused:   :Smile: ) I am not opposed to the monarchy because let's be honest, it's all just a formality now really isnt it? we could become a republic tomorrow and very little would change here in terms of the country running.

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## Marm

I hope none of my comments were taken as inflammatory, it was not intended.   :Big Grin: 

Spent a month in England and Wales in the late 90's, loved it there, great country.  Got sick on a Tuesday, dozed off in bed, watching cricket for background noise.  Woke up on Thursday, and the same damn match was on, that was really messing with my head.  Went to an engineering college, looked out my dorm window one day and all the Indians at school had a cricket game going in the quad, with lots of confused Americans watching on.    I feel most non-americans feel the same way about Hand-Egg (American Football?).

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## Mjolinor

From what I've seen the "United" in USA is a myth so I would expect people to identify by state.

I have worked a lot in the US so a few quips to think about.

In 2000 I was in Cebit, immediately prior to that I was in Miami and one of the guys I was working with came to see us at Cebit, he was almost 60 years old and had never left The States. This guy was as Southern as anyone I have ever met. He flew into Berlin and had to hire a car to drive to Hanover. I met him about half way and we ate and stayed in a hotel for a night. The first thing he said to me when I asked how he found things was "they have flushing toilets".

1993 in Missouri and was a witness to a car accident. This was exactly on the Kansas City / not Kansas City border so police from the city and police from "not the city" attended ( I don't know what you call them, state troopers or something? Anyway the open hostility between these two different departments of police was something I found quite startling. If they are so hostile to each other how the hell do they solve inter-state crimes.

In South Africa the people of Dutch descent call themselves Dutch (Boers) but everyone else calls themselves South African.

My wife's uncle used to be a salesman for a company that make dummies (pacifiers?) and the ones that went to America were bigger than those for the rest of the world so that is just the proof that Americans have big mouths.  :Smile:   << A fact but please don't be upset by it, hopefully it will make someone smile.

Of all the people in the world the US speaks more correct English than any other place including England. It's a goddam crime that Webster made a dictionary with incorrect spelling just so that he would be remembered.

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## bford903

One thing I worry about when traveling to a different country is committing a social faux pas. As it has been stated above, Americans have big mouths  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  and we tend to stick our foot in there when the occasion arises.

If I'm traveling to your country, I'm from Texas, what are some things that would be unacceptable to do or say socially? (I'm talking slang terms, hand gestures, dinner table etiquette)

If you have one, give an example of a faux pas you committed while traveling.

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## Mjolinor

Don't be offended if someone asks you for a fag.  :Smile:

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## Geoff

> Don't be offended if someone asks you for a fag.


We pretty much used that for as long as I can remember, and then around the 90's it sort of got changed to "durry" 

So,  if someone is asking you in Australia for a Durry, it means they want a fag.

oh...

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## JohnA136

> Funny you should say that. The first of this summer's One Day International Cricket matches is being played today. Australia -v- South Africa, and its is on TV. Just got my 2-year-old grandson up from his afternoon nap and plonked him in front of the TV. Got him practising his "Owzat!!!" 
> 
> Practising during a game with the South Africans is a bit like being in the nets preparing for a Test against the Poms - you don't want to get bowled, but it's not the real thing.
> 
> (The sound you hear is all the Yanks scratching their heads trying to figure out what I just said.  
> 
> Old Man Emu


I have no idea what you are saying?  :Confused:

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## Mjolinor

An explanation of Cricket: You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.
Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.
There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!

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## Geoff

Love playing cricket, cannot stand to watch it.

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## bford903

New faux pas for us Americans...

Lebron James has demonstrated that apparently hugging a royal is bad form. So if you go to across the pond, don't touch the royals.

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## Marm

Thought a King > Prince........

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## Marm

> An explanation of Cricket: You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.
> Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.
> There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!


Sounds like the explanation of Omaha Hold'em:




> What you do is get four cards. Doesn't matter much what they are because  nobody really looks at them anyway. Next, they put three cards on the  board. It doesn't matter what they are because nobody really pays any  attention to the flop either. Then one more card for the turn and  another one for the river. Same betting scenario as before. Doesn't  really matter much what they are, except, for a few of the players that  may have "cheated" and looked at their hole cards. These players may now  fold if they have absolutely no outs. (Mostly bad sports.) Now, at the  showdown, everybody turns over their cards and helps the dealer figure  out who has the best hand. You MUST play two cards out of your hand so  this usually takes a while and and the winning hand is usually found out  after a little bit of searching by all of the players and a partially  confused dealer. The dealer now pushes the pot to the wrong player and  everybody yells at him and he smiles glibly and says, "Oh yeah,,,sorry"  and then sends it in the right direction. Then, after all of that  excitement dies down, everybody lets out a collective sigh of relief and  gets ready to wind up and do it all over again. Fun game

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## Matthew

I've never been to Australia but have a hankering after visiting it. Your geographical location is brilliant and you are near New Zealand which has one of the best climates in the world (as I heared).

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## Pooper

I've never been to Australia either, mostly because of my fear of spiders. Arachnophobia makes me stay quiet at home.

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