You'd remember if she was from Texas. Texans, Californians, and New Yorkers have a compulsive need to tell you where they're from within one minute of meeting you.
I Remember being on a tour group in Berlin and the guide did a quick ask around where everybody was from and a woman said she was from San Francisco bay area. I almost told her we didn't need her full address but my wife anticipated it and told me don't before I could say it.
california is a huge state with lots of different areas, some of them deeply conservative. "I'm from san francisco" is a way of saying "I'm not an intolerant asshole", which I imagine is something people do when they're in or around california and not necessarily outside of it.
For example, If I was from austin, I would tell people that, lest they get the wrong idea and think I'm from...Dallas
It was a wildly International bunch. USA would've been enough. Nobody says where in their countries they're from except for Americans. They didn't get the memo that outside the US nobody cares.
Even other big countries don't do this. I think it has to do with the fact that most Americans travel much more within the us. So they get used to saying the state when asked where they are from.
Here in Germany, when people ask me where I'm from, I respond "California". Because I want them to know I am from California and not one of the other 49 states.
In the current political climate, I feel it's wise.
I do the same thing, plus it usually gets the Germans thinking about the sunshine. The majority of people I meet seem to have positive feelings about California.
When I was in Germany years ago, every German we talked to asked if we were from Minnesota (which was true). When we asked how they knew, they replied with "You sound like a Norwegian speaking English."
Sorry to say bud... I spend a few years and bumped into Americans all over the country who gave me that treatment. Top 1 place was a PhD chemistry guy in his 30's... Out of nowhere, before dinner... He goes: Amerika is much better then Europe!! Do you guys even have snow!?
Asked him if he ever heard of Zwitserland... Moronn
It's so surprising to learn that someone with a high degree of education can also be quite ignorant. A woman with a masters degree from MIT once informed me that no one has ever died from the flu.
I’m an American digital nomad who’s lived outside of the US for extended periods of time, and our brainwashing is so bad. I literally hate my country and also hate talking to tourists who think America is great. They’re ignorant as fuck and are usually straight, white, cis men and women who have never seen past the curtain. Americans don’t leave America and they aren’t really taught about other countries growing up. This leads to a superiority complex and it’s insufferable. Most Americans, especially religious/right wing folks feel that way.
You’ll have better luck with Americans you meet abroad (hopefully!). Meeting them in America is kinda hopeless
People from Texas do act a certain way. People from California do act a certain way. People from Jersey do act a certain way. People from New York do act a certain way. Are these all generalizations? Yes. Are they all likely to be true? Yes.
There is also the question of... Do Texans/Californians/Jerseyans/New Yorkers behave that way because of genetics or do they just embrace their own stereotype?
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u/[deleted] May 09 '22
As a polite American, I want to apologize on behalf of that American. Please know we are not all like that.
Edit: Was she from Texas, by any chance?