Just came back from a 4 month stay in America(observations)

[kiwiol]

Petoskey, Boyne City, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. A couple of others as well but I may have been drunk during that trip( ) so my memory is a bit foggy.

Did you do any name dropping and tell the hot girls in the nightclubs that you know Onlyme who once sat next to Jonesy from Police Academy at a charity fundraiser?

[shootfighter1]

Nice to hear a visitor's views.  On thing about America is that it is pretty different depending on where you are at...mainly I mean city vs suburb vs rural area.  Most of the big cities are similar.

The PC stuff bothers me too, if politicians and leaders didn't keep putting us into categories and highlighting our differences, we'd be better off.  our political system sucks too, I hate being forced into a 2 party system.  
For as many hard working people there are, we have tons of lazy f-ckers too.

I think the stores are what's amazing in America compared to some of the other countries.  There's stores for everything and its pretty easy to get whatever you need.  
I loved European cities though, many were completely built before autos so they are much easier to walk and the architecture and history is very cool.

[MAXX]

Seems like a pretty harsh country to live in. Extremly elitistic climate. Huge gap between rich and poor and generally poor social security. But hey it's 'the land of oppertunity' right.

[Fury]

Seems like a pretty harsh country to live in. Extremly elitistic climate. Huge gap between rich and poor and generally poor social security. But hey it's 'the land of oppertunity' right.

Not for people who can't spell 'opportunity' or 'extremely' correctly. The gap in civilized European countries isn't any better.

[MAXX]

Not for people who can't spell 'opportunity' or 'extremely' correctly. The gap in civilized European countries isn't any better.

whateva what's you second language like?

[Emmortal]

http://www.break.com/index/fat-guy-screams-for-mcdonalds-chicken.html

[Parker]

Just a few quick general observations from a foreigner(some good, some bad):

-Walmart is a fucking hilarious experience, watching minorities and white trash with their dumb ass kids buying stupid shit. The employee's are even worse.

-Americans in general above the age of 25-30 look unhealthy which usually reflects their obsession with bad types of food. They are either very fat or look like they're full of toxins with their pale horrible skin.

-Girls are either bottom of the barrel or SMOKING hot. Such a diverse amount of ethnicity so there's no real "standard".

-Never knew that saggy old, washed out, unstylish jeans could be so in style. Almost everyone except for hot college students had the most bland and boring taste in fashion.

-Very unusual and interesting architecture. Everything has more color to it. You can tell that the country is still young since there is not a lot of old buildings around. Everything is built around vehicles. I knew I was in America when I saw a drive-through Dunkin Donuts. (I caught a NYPD officer in the act of buying donuts, made me smile)

-I love the college partying scene, explains a lot about blinky's popular thread.

-21 years drinking age and 16 years driving is off the scale retarded. I think a lot of americans agree on this.

-American people ALWAYS smile in front of the camera, never saw them taking a spontaneous photo... Everyone always had to pose pretending to be happy.

-Never seen so many disclaimers in my entire life. Half the commercials are devoted to disclaimers. Never knew it was so dangerous to take a simple cough medicine 

-All kinds of goverment info that I saw (signs, ads etc) presumed you were a retard. They always had to threat you with x amount of years in prison and fines if you broke this and that law etc. A lot of information or advises you got was to plant fear in you.

-People get fired a lot easier and quicker. Do your job properly or get kicked out.

-They ask you "wazzup" or "how's it going" not caring about the answer they get.

-Americans in general worry a lot about staying "PC" but behind closed doors I heard a lot of people saying "fucking n*ggers". Black people I met that didn't act "ghetto" could probably be counted on two hands. Nothing racist about it, just stating my experience. Everything jewish or holocaust is not to be joked about. 

-No one dared say they are American. It's always "I'm half Irish and quarter Italian blabla". The country has been around since the 18th century and most of the immigration happened a long time ago, time to say that you're american, no?

-They are usually very sociable and devote a lot of effort to make sure their guests have a pleasant stay.
 
-American traffic is very calm and even though I'm not aware of all the traffic rules there is, driving around was not a problem. Every sign and traffic information was worded out for you. I did see a lot of teenagers driving while texting and not paying attention. Michigan roads are fuckin terrible.




There's a lot more I could add, but that's the stuff that came out on top of my head. Of course it's easy to be very critical of another country when it's different from your own, but I've tried to stay pretty impartial and honest. Most of my stay was in the northern part of states... mainly Michigan, Ohio and New York. I thought it would be interesting for some of you people to hear a foreigners experience of america that is not based on what they see or hear on the television. I worked and lived there for 4 months. Successfully I might add.
In the end you realize we're all humans and whatever difference there might be in culture or political climate it's not what's important. I made a lot of good friends over there and had a blast for sure.

Pretty much spot on. America: We eat all we want and get fat, then expect everybody else to conform to our obesity.

[lovemonkey]

Did you do any name dropping and tell the hot girls in the nightclubs that you know Onlyme who once sat next to Jonesy from Police Academy at a charity fundraiser?

Hahaha

I did see Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg filming a new movie in NYC. I walked up to them and mentioned that I've talked to Keith Jones on a internet message board. All of the sudden I was the celebrity.

of course they are!  Holocaust was a success and so is every Jewish joke around bro, who did you hang out with?  They probably trying to seem not to hate jews, but most american's do...

jt

Where I live you can joke about Hitler, Auschwitz and what not. May not be the most appropriate jokes you could tell but you're not "that guy" if you do make them. I think that says a lot about moving forward and realizing that it happened over 60 years ago. Most of the people that were around then are dead. I even had a holocaust survivor(jewish I might add) holding a seminar in my school, openly joking about some of the stuff that happened.

Not saying that what happened to the jews during WWII was deserved or fun but I think jews in general harvest a little bit too much sympathy in america for what happened. Why should they get special treatment just because they happen to share the same faith as the ones that got killed 60 years ago? That's usually the only connection they've got with the victims if anything. You do know that gypsies had it even worse? Homosexuals, handicapped people etc all got the same treatment by the Nazi killing machine. People tend to forget that Stalin was even worse than Hitler when it came to killing people but it's OK to joke about him, no?

[ThaRealist]

And to think many Blacks in America still feel they are owed reparations

[disco_stu]

personally i think that that guy that did the movie "bowling for columbine" and other hard hitting movies has it pretty close.

i think that the US would be the greatest place on earth if people started to give a shit about their fellow citizens, weapons were banned completely, the health care system of european or commonwealth countries was adopted, and some constitution re-written. Part of the problem is that its so out of date and irrelevent now.

But i dont see it happening as the people who have it good outweigh those who struggle. Compulsory voting might help some.

Back your current leader and make yourself more secure and safer by reforming healthcare and getting rid of guns. Sure, some people are lazy, but the welfare payments are so miniscule that its a horrible life for those on it, and if people dont want to work, then there's more jobs for people who want them. But society must have a safety net in order for it to work, and the US doesnt have that. (people just have bad luck from time to time and a civilized country should look after them)

[Go 4 It]

What did you think about the gyms out here in the U.S. being a Getbigger I'm sure you trained twice a day regardless of whatever else you had going on

[disco_stu]

And to think many Blacks in America still feel they are owed reparations

let me say that if you look into the black story, it isnt as simple as it is portrayed these days.

africans themselves encouraged and propogated the stereotypes that have existed for centuries..for what?,..greed. they sold their own and enslaved their own in exchange for precious metals and spices..fact..

but considering that women didnt get many rights- and still dont, then we've come a long way. reparations?..not so sure...for discrimination TODAY, absolutely.

[disco_stu]

What did you think about the gyms out here in the U.S. being a Getbigger I'm sure you trained twice a day regardless of whatever else you had going on

same as my other comments. bigger, better, more expensive, fancy cars in the parking lot...right next to people living out of boxes and shopping trolleys.

[lovemonkey]

What did you think about the gyms out here in the U.S. being a Getbigger I'm sure you trained twice a day regardless of whatever else you had going on

Well the place I worked at only had a bench and some plates so I've been slacking when it comes to working out. But I did go to the Ann Arbor Uni gym once and I'd say it's pretty good. Even though I've seen all of the equipment back home they had a lot of it. I love the hammer strength machines.

[rccs]

Nice observations from "The burger land"...

[lovemonkey]

The gap in civilized European countries isn't any better.

Have to disagree with you there. Some parts of eastern europe still haven't quite recovered from the rule of the Soviet Union but they're getting there. The rest of europe is miles ahead of america in terms of welfare and maintaining a decently sized middle class. Not saying europe is perfect and I hate to sound like a anti-america "lib" but americans saying that their country is as good or better than europe in terms of living standards sound like propaganda robots out of touch with reality.

[Parker]

And to think many Blacks in America still feel they are owed reparations

I know those damn blacks how dare they demand  compensation for hundreds of yrs of free service. Their women were given free sperm injections anytime the management wanted. And they were kept working from 3am to 11pm, I mean it kept them busy. Without that they would be a sloth induced bunch.

[jtsunami]

Hahaha

I did see Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg filming a new movie in NYC. I walked up to them and mentioned that I've talked to Keith Jones on a internet message board. All of the sudden I was the celebrity.

Where I live you can joke about Hitler, Auschwitz and what not. May not be the most appropriate jokes you could tell but you're not "that guy" if you do make them. I think that says a lot about moving forward and realizing that it happened over 60 years ago. Most of the people that were around then are dead. I even had a holocaust survivor(jewish I might add) holding a seminar in my school, openly joking about some of the stuff that happened.

Not saying that what happened to the jews during WWII was deserved or fun but I think jews in general harvest a little bit too much sympathy in america for what happened. Why should they get special treatment just because they happen to share the same faith as the ones that got killed 60 years ago? That's usually the only connection they've got with the victims if anything. You do know that gypsies had it even worse? Homosexuals, handicapped people etc all got the same treatment by the Nazi killing machine. People tend to forget that Stalin was even worse than Hitler when it came to killing people but it's OK to joke about him, no?

Your a very smart man, and the Jews here are hated much for trying to get sympathy for something that happened 60 years ago. 

jt

[lovemonkey]

I know those damn blacks how dare they demand  compensation for hundres of yrs of free service. their women were given free sperm injections anytime the management wanted. And they were kept working from 3am to 11pm, I mean it kept them busy. Without that they would be a sloth induced bunch.

haha are you for real? My sarcasm radar has been a bit off lately.

[Parker]

haha are you for real? My sarcasm radar has been a bit off lately.

yes, thee was being a wee bit sarcastic.

[webcake]

I remember the last time i went to America we flew from Sydney to LA. We got in a shuttle from LAX and we were staying in Beverly Hills. The driver went the "backstreets" because the traffic was really bad on the freeway.

I found it pretty interesting (weird, sad, hard to say really) that we were driving through what could only be called the ghetto. Black people walking around everywhere, cars with smashed windows everywhere, tiny houses, cop cars everywhere. Just obviously a very poor, crime riddled area. About 20 mins later we are virtually in Beverly Hills......and the cop cars have been replaced with Rolls Royce's and the tiny houses are now these ostentatious mansions.

I know all countries have rich and poor.....but it was just weird seeing these two extremes living so close to each other.

Not really a criticism of America. I love America and if i couldn't live here in Australia i would be on the next plane to the states. But Australia suits me just fine.

[nicky.smth]

Great to see a different perspective...

[Eyeball Chambers]

Just a few quick general observations from a foreigner(some good, some bad):

-Walmart is a fucking hilarious experience, watching minorities and white trash with their dumb ass kids buying stupid shit. The employee's are even worse.

-Americans in general above the age of 25-30 look unhealthy which usually reflects their obsession with bad types of food. They are either very fat or look like they're full of toxins with their pale horrible skin.

-Girls are either bottom of the barrel or SMOKING hot. Such a diverse amount of ethnicity so there's no real "standard".

-Never knew that saggy old, washed out, unstylish jeans could be so in style. Almost everyone except for hot college students had the most bland and boring taste in fashion.

-Very unusual and interesting architecture. Everything has more color to it. You can tell that the country is still young since there is not a lot of old buildings around. Everything is built around vehicles. I knew I was in America when I saw a drive-through Dunkin Donuts. (I caught a NYPD officer in the act of buying donuts, made me smile)

-I love the college partying scene, explains a lot about blinky's popular thread.

-21 years drinking age and 16 years driving is off the scale retarded. I think a lot of americans agree on this.

-American people ALWAYS smile in front of the camera, never saw them taking a spontaneous photo... Everyone always had to pose pretending to be happy.

-Never seen so many disclaimers in my entire life. Half the commercials are devoted to disclaimers. Never knew it was so dangerous to take a simple cough medicine 

-All kinds of goverment info that I saw (signs, ads etc) presumed you were a retard. They always had to threat you with x amount of years in prison and fines if you broke this and that law etc. A lot of information or advises you got was to plant fear in you.

-People get fired a lot easier and quicker. Do your job properly or get kicked out.

-They ask you "wazzup" or "how's it going" not caring about the answer they get.

-Americans in general worry a lot about staying "PC" but behind closed doors I heard a lot of people saying "fucking n*ggers". Black people I met that didn't act "ghetto" could probably be counted on two hands. Nothing racist about it, just stating my experience. Everything jewish or holocaust is not to be joked about. 

-No one dared say they are American. It's always "I'm half Irish and quarter Italian blabla". The country has been around since the 18th century and most of the immigration happened a long time ago, time to say that you're american, no?

-They are usually very sociable and devote a lot of effort to make sure their guests have a pleasant stay.
 
-American traffic is very calm and even though I'm not aware of all the traffic rules there is, driving around was not a problem. Every sign and traffic information was worded out for you. I did see a lot of teenagers driving while texting and not paying attention. Michigan roads are fuckin terrible.




There's a lot more I could add, but that's the stuff that came out on top of my head. Of course it's easy to be very critical of another country when it's different from your own, but I've tried to stay pretty impartial and honest. Most of my stay was in the northern part of states... mainly Michigan, Ohio and New York. I thought it would be interesting for some of you people to hear a foreigners experience of america that is not based on what they see or hear on the television. I worked and lived there for 4 months. Successfully I might add.
In the end you realize we're all humans and whatever difference there might be in culture or political climate it's not what's important. I made a lot of good friends over there and had a blast for sure.

Cool thread, any specific observations concerning Ohio? 

[webcake]

Cool thread, any specific observations concerning Ohio?  

Not directed at me, but anyway.....

Ohio was cool. I have stayed in Dublin many times. My uncle was a professor at Ohio State Uni, so been to the uni a few times too.

The average house seemed pretty big and real estate prices seemed extremely cheap compared to Sydney. Where my uncle lived, their backyards were all open (no fences) which was kinda cool i guess. We were there in like april (i think) and there was some unseasonal snow falling. That was cool.

[Eyeball Chambers]

After reading through the thread I think it's apparent that the United States can be a great place to live if you have some brains, and can make some cash.  If you have a good sense of self responsibility.

If you're a person that needs taken care of, or protected Europe might be a better place to live.

No offense Europeans, am I about right though?