America is not one entity, but a collection of individual states

[imperfect.la]

This is more of a clarification to all those America haters out there, as well as people who do not understand how our government works in general.

America isn't exactly "one country" with a uniform, homogeneous culture, like the enlightened Europeans think. We live under a federal system, which essentially means that we live under two governments: a state and a federal government.

In America, states have their own rights, laws, demographics, etc. The federal government is designed to aid and support state governments, not to rule over all of the United States.

This also applies to how we elect our president. The electoral college is in place for a reason, because each state has an autonomy and decides based on their rules to which president its electoral votes go.

What is my point? Anti-Americanism is silly. Would you criticize the whole European Union based on just what French people were like? There are 50 states in the United States of America, and we do not have a uniform, homogeneous culture as some claim or think.

 

[@N1k1T0$]

Yuck America is not one entity, but a collection of individual states

I hope SOME of my American friends here understand it. They do act like they are all one homogeneous entity that is a lone cowboy/underdog against the world. In the 25% thread i did mention that the states that are more wasteful in energy consumption in the US are enjoying their growth at the expense of the others who are less wasteful in energy consumption.

(Costs and environmental damage).

 

[Phlegmak]

But it's mostly homogeneous.

 

[imperfect.la]

But it's mostly homogeneous.

I would say it is one of the least, if not the least homogeneous nation in the world.

Do you have any examples of nations more diverse than the United States?

 

[Bigfoot3814]

Maybe so but I can still identify with people from other states because we're all Americans.

 

[Bigfoot3814]

Maybe so but I can still identify with people from other states because we're all Americans.

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, the paucity of civil wars indicates that something is being done right. You'd think that then engaging in some type of world government would be intuitively beneficial.

 

[imperfect.la]

Maybe so but I can still identify with people from other states because we're all Americans.

What does identify mean? You can speak to them in the same language? You would probably have more in common with someone from America than with someone from another country as much as someone in a different region would have something in common with their neighbors.

 

[imperfect.la]

Well, the paucity of civil wars indicates that something is being done right. You'd think that then engaging in some type of world government would be intuitively beneficial.

The paucity of civil wars (we had quite a major one if you care to remember) is due to the fact that the U.S. government is so weak and non-intrusive that states have a sense of autonomy and have no reason to rebel. States also often do things that break the laws of the U.S. government and are punished, I'd call these political civil-wars.

And a world government is a horrible idea.

 

[J-man]

If I meet someone in my country who's from Los Angeles and I ask him what he is, he's probably gonna say: "I'm an American" and not "I'm a Californian". Or would he?

 

[Miles Teg]

Honestly, this approach to the United States, that is; looking at it as a union of states instead of a sovereign country, it perhaps the most dangerous viewpoint that aspires to be anything like mainstream in modern America.

 

[Bigfoot3814]

What does identify mean? You can speak to them in the same language? You would probably have more in common with someone from America than with someone from another country as much as someone in a different region would have something in common with their neighbors.

I'm from New York, and although me and a fellow from Georgia might have our differences of opinion, in all likelyhood we share some values and interests. We're all separate states, but we're united under common... thingies. I can't really describe it.

 

[imperfect.la]

If I meet someone in my country who's from Los Angeles and I ask him what he is, he's probably gonna say: "I'm an American" and not "I'm a California". Or would he?

He'd probably say he's from the United States or something, but that's only logical when you're traveling to a different country.

 

[warpus]

America isn't exactly "one country" with a uniform, homogeneous culture, like the enlightened Europeans think. We live under a federal system, which essentially means that we live under two governments: a state and a federal government.

You do realize that most places work in a similar fashion, right?

What is my point? Anti-Americanism is silly. Would you criticize the whole European Union based on just what French people were like? There are 50 states in the United States of America, and we do not have a uniform, homogeneous culture as some claim or think.

Of course anti-americanism is silly. Anti-any national group is silly, and bigoted.

Anti U.S. government is an entirely different proposition, though.

 

[LucyDuke]

The federal government is designed to aid and support state governments, not to rule over all of the United States.

Except that in many ways, it does rule over all of the United States. It's a hell of a lot more influential than any state government.

What is my point? Anti-Americanism is silly. Would you criticize the whole European Union based on just what French people were like? There are 50 states in the United States of America, and we do not have a uniform, homogeneous culture as some claim or think.

That's a terrible explanation.

 

[imperfect.la]

Honestly, this approach to the United States, that is; looking at it as a union of states instead of a sovereign country, it perhaps the most dangerous viewpoint that aspires to be anything like mainstream in modern America.

"We are the people we've been waiting for!"

The election is over bud. Uniting as a nation sounds great when you're trying to be elected president, but get real. States function so much as independent nations that they might as well be (though obviously shouldn't).

 

[Zelig]

Just like Mexico!

Mexico is not one entity, but a collection of individual states
This is more of a clarification to all those Mexico haters out there, as well as people who do not understand how their government works in general.

Mexico isn't exactly "one country" with a uniform, homogeneous culture. They live under a federal system, which essentially means that they live under two governments: a state and a federal government.

In Mexico, states have their own rights, laws, demographics, etc. The federal government is designed to aid and support state governments, not to rule over all of the United Mexican States.

What is my point? Anti-Mexicanism is silly. Would you criticize the whole European Union based on just what French people were like? There are 31 states in the United Mexican States, and they do not have a uniform, homogeneous culture as some claim or think.

 

[JerichoHill]

We much more apt to state, if asked where we are from, to answer with either our state of birth or the biggest major city to our birthplace that a non-US resident would know.

The US is also a pretty darn sociologically, demographically diverse group of folks. It is also very large geographically, which I think is the biggest point non-Americans miss. Governance can be very different when you have bigger or smaller units to deal with!

 

[LucyDuke]

States function so much as independent nations that they might as well be (though obviously shouldn't).

Then why are there soldiers from Vermont serving in Iraq?

 

[West 36]

No. I mean yeah we are separate states but we don't go starting our own wars, it's not as if there are ambassadors from every state in other countries, people move, travel, learn, whatever in other states and there's hardly any problem. It is a solid entity, for better or worse. I go to New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware because they are so close and it's never like entering a different country. I live in PA and I know what you're saying, but the US is definitely a country that should be viewed as 50 states united by foreign countries, because the government they deal with is the combination of them, not single states. There are differences, sure, but it's not the EU.