Thursday, September 20, 2007
"Where ya from?"
It's a phenomenon I've observed: Americans who meet abroad are almost guaranteed, within the first two minutes of conversation, to ask: "Where ya from?"
But they never ask a Brit - perhaps the accent is too much of a giveaway. Mind you, Brits abroad never ask each other - it's of course almost always possible to tell a fellow countryman, even if years of living abroad has mangled their accent and way of speaking, there will still be clues. In fact it's usually possible to pinpoint where they're "from" to within a couple of hundred miles - which, in US terms, would be a bullseye.
Perhaps the "where ya from?" question is the reason why the check-in staff at hotels in Las Vegas wear badges with their name, and home town. I once asked, anyway - and was rewarded with a funny look...
But they never ask a Brit - perhaps the accent is too much of a giveaway. Mind you, Brits abroad never ask each other - it's of course almost always possible to tell a fellow countryman, even if years of living abroad has mangled their accent and way of speaking, there will still be clues. In fact it's usually possible to pinpoint where they're "from" to within a couple of hundred miles - which, in US terms, would be a bullseye.
Perhaps the "where ya from?" question is the reason why the check-in staff at hotels in Las Vegas wear badges with their name, and home town. I once asked, anyway - and was rewarded with a funny look...
Labels: odd
# posted by Nesjo : 09:49
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Despite our political and social differences at home, most all Americans do feel a very strong basis of kinship and have very strong underlying shared values. Americans are unique in this manner. We believe in:
- strong control over the environment (we do not believe in the power of fate)
- change is seen as natural and positive (change is good and leads to improvement)
- importance of time (time is something to be on, saved, used, spent, wasted, lost, planned, given, gained, and even killed). Americans are more concerned with getting things accomplished on time than they are with developing interpersonal relationships.
- equality/fairness (equality is almost has a religious basis to Americans; at least much more so than in other societies and cultures)
- Individualism/independence (Americans view themselves as being highly individualistic in thought and action)
- self-help / initiative (Americans take credit for what they accomplish as individuals; you get no credit for being born into a rich family, but all the credit for working your way up the ladder)
- competition: most Americans believe that competition brings out the best individual in any system.
- future orientation: AMericans value the future and the improvements that it will surely bring
- action / work orientation: Americans view any action as preferable to inaction.'
- Informality: Americans are even more informal and casual than our closest kin: the Western Europeans. We are uncomfortable and largely do not use titles such as "Mr." "Mrs." . We dress informally and this can be shocking to others.
- Practicality/efficiency: Americans have a reputation for being realistic, rational, practical and efficient. Practicality is often given highest priority in decisionmaking.
- Materialism/Acquisitiveness: Foreigners consider AMericans more materialistic than Americans like to consider ourselves. We believe our material objects are the result of hard work and serious intent, a reward that anyone could enjoy if they worked hard enough.
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- strong control over the environment (we do not believe in the power of fate)
- change is seen as natural and positive (change is good and leads to improvement)
- importance of time (time is something to be on, saved, used, spent, wasted, lost, planned, given, gained, and even killed). Americans are more concerned with getting things accomplished on time than they are with developing interpersonal relationships.
- equality/fairness (equality is almost has a religious basis to Americans; at least much more so than in other societies and cultures)
- Individualism/independence (Americans view themselves as being highly individualistic in thought and action)
- self-help / initiative (Americans take credit for what they accomplish as individuals; you get no credit for being born into a rich family, but all the credit for working your way up the ladder)
- competition: most Americans believe that competition brings out the best individual in any system.
- future orientation: AMericans value the future and the improvements that it will surely bring
- action / work orientation: Americans view any action as preferable to inaction.'
- Informality: Americans are even more informal and casual than our closest kin: the Western Europeans. We are uncomfortable and largely do not use titles such as "Mr." "Mrs." . We dress informally and this can be shocking to others.
- Practicality/efficiency: Americans have a reputation for being realistic, rational, practical and efficient. Practicality is often given highest priority in decisionmaking.
- Materialism/Acquisitiveness: Foreigners consider AMericans more materialistic than Americans like to consider ourselves. We believe our material objects are the result of hard work and serious intent, a reward that anyone could enjoy if they worked hard enough.
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