Have people around the world posting about their countries or cities

Even though I tried to be clear that I was putting down my impressions, I found myself very worried about offending people.

Please note that we all see the world through our unique internal filters. That said, here are some general comments on the three regions in which I have lived. Yes, I know I’m extrapolating to regions based on limited exposure to all aspects of them. Just my impressions, folks.

Northern California: First of all, though it has more in common with Southern California than, say, Nebraska, the two are pretty distinct cultures. I loved Northern California for not enforcing an unbroachable boundary between emotion, psychology, somatics, sex and spirituality and other aspects of life such as business, politics and how you relate to the guy in the train or the gal serving you coffee or cleaning the bathroom at work. That’s the best of NoCal: the ideals of a living wage, the awareness that the area is gorgeous and rare and worth preserving, the openhearted, vehement response to larger issues. The worst of NoCal? That’s easy. The faux enlightenment that allows someone to step over you as you lie on the street with a broken bag of groceries or a broken leg, perhaps with a smug smile or a “May you absorb this lesson.” The superior attitude toward other areas not as cool or “important.” California really is its own empire. It makes it hard for Californians to believe those states in the middle actually exist.

New England (Boston, mostly): Oh, how I loved New England! All those years in CA thinking there was something wrong with me because I didn’t want to process my emotions every time the copier broke down and all I needed to do was move! The people there are sarcastic and can be rude in words. But if you’re there on the street with broken groceries or a broken leg, they’ll help you out. They might cuss you out the entire time and berate you for being an idiot, but they’ll call an ambulance or find a bag or something and you’ll feel honest concern under all that bluster. They’re problem solvers, fast and practical. It takes a long time for them to take you in fully, but once you’re in, you’re one of the family. I swear there are more natural comedians in New England than I could ever have imagined. Every time the T broke down, it was like a good night of improv in a comedy club.

South (North Carolina): The politeness is very interesting here. The hospitality is amazing and people will go out of their ways to take care of you…if you’re one of them. That can mean the same church, the same basketball team, the same employer, the same tattoo artist, the same group of friends or the same hangout. It seems like a tough place to not be affiliated with something, anything. The loyalty here is fierce and attached to people more than concepts. So if one of your people does something you find reprehensible, you might kick his/her ass and force them to make it right in private, but you’ll “have their back” in public. People will invite you onto the front porch of their lives fairly quickly but it takes time to get into the back parlor. They definitely like to feed you well here. Christianity is very pervasive and, to someone raised in ultra-PC Northern California, the fact that we get “Good Friday” off and that people will say to you, “Well, I’m a Christian” to convey “I’d like to talk even worse about this person” (after ripping them to shreds) and that asking someone what church they attend is about as common as asking what they do for a living is very disconcerting. But not nearly as annoying as everything being freakin’ closed on Sundays. I love it here but it is still a very foreign land to me and perhaps always will be. Because of that, my impressions here are more likely to be off.

I hope my affection and respect for these three U.S. cultures comes through here. Please educate but don’t flame me if I’ve made errors.

The US is several countries and territories and odd pockets of regional culture in one. Maybe I’ll come back and tackle this one region at a time. I’ve lived in only three of the fifty states and one of those (California) is larger than many countries! I’ll have to come back to this one. Any others in the U.S. who want to help me out here, come on in! Maybe we could each take the state or region we know best? Hmmmm…