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

[Patroklos]

There are some significant cultural differences from state to state, but they have for a long time been overshadowed by a coherent national identity.

The idea that we have no nationional identity is as ridiculous as claiming someone from Manchester and London have nothing in common, or that someone from Bavaria and or Pommerania have nothing in common.

 

[warpus]

America is very large, geographically? WHAT??

 

[Miles Teg]

"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).

This has nothing to do with party politics. I'm just pointing out the obvious. States do not function as independent nations. They are unable to sign treaties, enter into trade compacts, and quite a few of them recieve heavy financial aid from the national government. They are highly homogeneous in language and culture, more so than any distinct national entities I've ever heard of, and the U.S government sets a far greater percentage of the law than any super national entity. They aren't sovereign nations, and should not be treated or discussed as such.

 

[Supr49er]

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?

Myself, I say I'm from California. Somehow they can always tell I'm from the US.

 

[Dachs]

America is very large, geographically? WHAT??

What, you don't think so? Is Russia the only country that qualifies?

 

[I'm Cleo!]

Federalism like this simply doesn't exist anymore. It's mostly an administrative conceit, and has been for 150 years. It's valuable in the "laboratories of democracy" sense, but things like dual citizenship are rightly never even considered by most people. The United States of America is a modern nation-state.

Edit: I have an experiment. To those who disagree with my above paragraph, read the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States and see which one better reflects your understanding of the United States.

Cleo

 

[uppi]

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.

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

Europe isn't exactly "one country" with a uniform, homogeneous culture, like the ignorant Americans think. The EU is a federation of coutries, and those states can have a federal system of states, and these states have further subdivisions and subsubdivisions. That essentially means that I live under six governments: EU, country, state, district, city, city district.

In Europe, countries and states have their own rights, laws, demographics, etc. The EU government is designed to obstruct country governments, not to rule over all of the Europe. The country government is designed to obstruct the state governments, not to rule over all of the country.

This also applies to how we elect our EU comission. All these complicated rules are there, because each state has an autonomy and decides based on their backroom dealing which comissar to send.

What is my point? American exceptionalism is silly. Would you criticize the whole American continent based on just what the Canadian people were like? There are 27 countries in the EU and I don't know how many states, and we do not have a uniform, homogeneous culture as some claim or think.

 

[Phlegmak]

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?

India.

Maybe the Soviet Union was, but I doubt Russia is.

Maybe China.

But the US is still mostly homogeneous. I guess I need to know your definition of homogeneous to continue this discussion.

 

[warpus]

You know, if this thread wasn't about America specifically, but about why it's not okay to be bigoted against ANY group of people, then it wouldn't be quite as silly.

 

[emzie]

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?

Canada. Brazil.

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?

If you're from Munich, would you tell an American 'Bavarian' or 'German' ? Same idea, in a way.

 

[Narz]

But it's mostly homogeneous.

That's not a good thing.

 

[Miles Teg]

That's not a good thing.

Why? We aren't saying our culture isn't vibrant, or even that it doesn't have a lot of different features to it. We're just saying there are no stark divides between states. It's a melting pot, not a buffet.

 

[oagersnap]

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?

India: >2000 ethnic groups, 1652 languages and dialects spoken.
Indonesia: >300 distinct native ethnicities, 742 different languages and dialects.

I could name many more.

 

[Phlegmak]

That's not a good thing.

I think it's neither good nor bad, personally.

 

[@N1k1T0$]

I think it's neither good nor bad, personally.

IMO it is good or a better term is advantageous actually for a nation ,state to be homogeneous.

 

[TheLastOne36]

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.

Wait, since when did most Europeans NOT know this? But you have to admit, the states are close togather culturally, then let's say Sweden and Italy in the EU, which is why there is a generalization there.

 

[Winner]

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.

Europeans mostly criticize US foreign policy, which is a pretty federal thing...

 

[Mirc]

Utter and complete BS.

Germany is also a federal state. Mexico is also one. Switzerland is also one. Spain is also one. Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Bosnia, Austria, Belgium, Venezuela, Ethiopia, are others. Need I go on?

 

[Narz]

Why? We aren't saying our culture isn't vibrant, or even that it doesn't have a lot of different features to it. We're just saying there are no stark divides between states. It's a melting pot, not a buffet.

Diversity in thought, ways of living, behavior is an asset. North America would be better off if it contained dozens of separate nations like Europe.

 

[Miles Teg]

Diversity in thought, ways of living, behavior is an asset. North America would be better off if it contained dozens of separate nations like Europe.

On the contrary, America has found a way to have it's cake and eat it too. Instead of having all of our diversity at the regional level, its a the local. We have Chinese takeouts right next to Italian buffets. It's a great level of diversity, but it's all packed into a smaller space, forcing people of different viewpoints to rub shoulders, instead of segregating them.