• Hawk@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      29
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      2 days ago

      When I was about 16, I was traveling to the US. I still vividly remember immigration asking me if rollercoasters existed in Europe.

      Americans also love asking where you’re from, and there’s only 2 responses:

      1. Oh yes, I actually have far relatives in Belgium!
      2. Oh yes, I’ve been in Belgium! Amsterdam is such a nice city.
      • degen@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        9 hours ago

        It’s funny, l vividly remember being a kid, definitely less than 10, and wondering about the prevalence of amusement parks. In my mind, my state had a nationally known park, and then there was Disney.

        The people sorting out your papers saying that is wild.

      • IronBird@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        edit-2
        16 hours ago

        i like telling “irish”-americans how they’re legally not irish according to ireland

      • Drusas@fedia.io
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 day ago

        It is really ingrained into most of us to be outwardly friendly and inviting.

    • F/15/[email protected]@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      48
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      When I was in a remedial history class to make time for advanced Spanish, several kids were entirely unable to read. All of them very poor and black. I remember it frequently, any time I try to get my head around the state of the US and the reason education is so frequently under attack. Systemic racism has far reaching ramifications.

    • tomiant@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      They live out most of their lives in their cars, and exhaust fumes are clinically proven to be deeply harmful to cognitve ability. I don’t know why we don’t talk about that more. Wait, no, I know exactly why we don’t talk about that more.

      • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        1 day ago

        There was an interesting study done. A group was asked if smoking should be banned in outdoor cafes. Most said yes, it smells and forces everyone to inhale it.

        Then they were asked if high-polluting vehicles like trucks should be banned from streets with outdoor cafes. Most said no.

        The dots cannot be connected for some.

    • Drusas@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      19
      ·
      2 days ago

      The purpose of the American school system is to provide childcare while the parents work and to adjust children to life as workers, teaching them some of the absolute basic life skills required so that the children can someday take over their parents’ jobs.

      • Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        2 days ago

        And this is one of my primary foes, this design. It’s one of the least libre forms of life and I reject it. I can only hope many others do the same, otherwise America won’t be the only corporate slave-centric country.

    • evol@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      9
      ·
      2 days ago

      People are dumb, no need for any American Exceptionalism here