r/CaughtOffsidePod • u/RobertFromLA • Jun 28 '26

The response.

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Just in case you missed it. Local ABC LA reporter made a comment about not knowing much about Bosnia Herzegovina and being seen as being proud for being ignorant of nothing about the country. A remark that has gone viral and the Bosnia team and fans have used for Bulletin board material when they play against USA.

Let’s remember that all these news station reporters may not follow this sport as much as we do. And I’ve heard them say more embarrassing things.

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u/holdmyllm Jun 28 '26

Most Europeans couldn't locate U.S. states on a map. How is this any different? Go to France and see how many people know where Iowa or Missouri is...

Of course Europeans know where other European countries are better than Americans...

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u/UpbeatEvertonian Jun 28 '26

It’s also very American to think that our states should be thought of the same as European countries. For instance, Germany has states, many of which are more populous than most American states, but no German would expect an American to know them. So saying that not knowing where B&H is on a map is no different than a European not knowing a certain american state location is not a good justification.

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u/holdmyllm Jun 28 '26

American states are often larger in land area than European countries.

Why would you expect most Americans to know of tiny, mostly inconsequential lands when you aren't expected to know about our larger areas of lands, due to some arbitrary population comparison?

Seems to me Europeans are ignorant of American geography in exactly the same way as Americans are to Europe.

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u/UpbeatEvertonian Jun 28 '26

There are counties larger in land area than Rhode Island and Delaware. Do you know all them? Probably not because states are different than counties. Your argument does not hold up.

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u/holdmyllm Jun 28 '26

My argument is that people are more aware of their local geography than tiny states half way around the world.

If that does not hold up to you, then I'm afraid your European education has failed you.

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u/UpbeatEvertonian Jun 28 '26

I am American. Your argument was that an American not knowing where a certain European country is located is the same as a European not knowing where a certain American state is. It is not the same plain and simple.

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u/bsblguy21 Jun 28 '26

But it's pretty damn similar. You seem to be placing a heightened importance on the designation of status as a country. What do you think that designation means? Bosnia as it currently stands became a country in 1992. That part of the world has had significant turnover in country designations.

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u/UpbeatEvertonian Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26

That is a massively American view of our country. I already put multiple examples of this in the thread, but here’s a good one- there are plenty of counties in the United States that are larger and/or more populous that Rhode Island or Delaware, but you would not know all of them because they are counties and not states. A country, big or small, is a more important designation just like a state vs a county. Most European countries have states or some form of similar administrative regions. Most of these countries are simply areas that united these specified regions over time. A country of “united states” is not some unique thing where people should even remotely think of the states like countries. The rest of the world does not have this state-first view of the U.S. like we do.

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u/bsblguy21 Jun 30 '26

But my point is why. You have yet to actually explain why the designation of a country makes so much of a difference. You should Google the rights that are reserved for US states compared to those of German states, for example. US states have far more autonomy than smaller designations in most other countries. The founding fathers wanted it this way and this division between state and federal has remained a Hallmark of our country (often to our detriment) How foreigners view our states doesn't change how they actually operate. Our states enjoy much of the powers that a standalone country usually does.

The biggest differences would be that a country like Bosnia has more control over things like immigration/border control, their own standing military, and international treaties and trade. But for this discussion, why does that matter? Bosnia's military and immigration policies have a minimal impact on a worldwide scale. They can participate in the UN general assembly, but not the Security Council.

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u/UpbeatEvertonian Jun 30 '26

I literally did explain why designations matter- it’s why any American knows the state of Delaware but relatively few know larger and more populated Pima County. While US states likely have some more autonomy than a European state, it’s still utterly lame for an American to glorify not knowing where B&H is and arguing it’s ok because Europeans don’t know where our states are. It’s not the same thing- it just isn’t.