Ok, not football at all, but it matters, eventually.

[Monaco_Totty]

MT,

Great points

One concept that I have consistently seen with Brits and in some cases Europeans and the City dwellers in the US (who rule over most US states due to population density) is distance and space. It takes 7 hours going 65mph to cross Kentucky. It takes over 24 hours to cross Texas at 75 mph. You don?t call police or fire and expect response in minutes. Rural KY is an hour response time. You have to handle things on your own. I can only imagine what it?s like in Russia which make the US look small.

You also learn to plan ahead and prepare for the worst. You avoid fires and accidents as much as you can. In winter you can do die if not prepared for cold.

Crime is handled yourself since no immediate police response and communities filter who comes in as much as they can. People know neighbors and watch out for each other.

This is much,much different than big urban areas

I badly struggle in big congested urban areas. It?s so different from rural areas in all aspects

Living in less densely populated Western France we have noticed more Americans here this Spring to visit our raw coastline & our abundant choice of historic Chateau of the near Loire valley than last year, Spaldy.

But it appears the good folk of the USA are now avoiding the historic urban pull of Paris & the money drenched beaches of Southern France, presently, certainly in the hotel chain I work for.

The main vibe on the French national news channels & papers is stating that visiting Americans now fear French people might treat them differently in the dawn of the latest Trump era leaving many US tourists in Paris feeling shame in being American at this moment in time. 🙁 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kvqnx0dnno

Apparently my old home of historic York in England is hearing the same discord too from its American visitors this year as well.

Makes one wonder what actually creates this change of 'psyche' in rational folks in what should be a vacation of a life time, particularly now in 2025 as there will be upcoming celebrations commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2, specifically on May 8th, 2025, aka VE Day with nationwide events being held within all communities of all ages coming together to celebrate the end of World War 2, lest we forget.

Certainly in my experience USA tourists are usually happy to 'fly their flag' & really enjoy mixing with amicable locals & the French genuinely enjoy exchanging cultural differences particularly visitor stories of the states they all hail & work from & how they have adapted to change over the years living in their environments, etc.

As for rural & urban environ living observation, Spaldy ?
Totally with you regarding that people know neighbours & watch out for each other.

Raised in inner South London, then in a village near the historic city of Roman York & later slap bang in the middle of it before moving out to the seas of Brittany I fully agree in what you say & what you have experienced Spaldy, as community values do matter, as they shape how people interact, build relationships & contribute to the overall well-being of the group, imo, too.
Such shared values also influence policies, interactions & individual actions within the community, highlighting their importance in creating a positive environment, imo, too.

I can remember visiting my elder brother when he was in Belgrade & like many Eastern European cities it can present financial challenges for those living in it with limited incomes & many struggled to make ends meet, especially during winter without reliable employment in a city strewn with areas of outdated infrastructure & certainly I never felt safe there. A strange eerie place Serbia with areas still left bombed out by NATO in 1999 & military vehicles left on the streets like statues of remembrance to view .

As for the current BBC reporting scenario, WTF ?
I also do agree about the BBC, who appear currently to be neutral in presentation of the worlds news, whether that be news regarding North, East, West or South of the globe whatever the story or conflict with no distracting commercial breaks, too. 👍

Its news output currently is generally fair & balanced, especially when compared with the frothy partisanship in many UK outlets & newspapers, so not an organ of state propaganda in my eyes. That independence is maintained by regulation & internal rules, but neither of those mechanisms is sufficient without a wider political culture that values the BBC on its own terms and does not seek to undermine it, for sure.
But compared to TV news in Europe & beyond I for one cannot yet, knock it.

Amazing how many of my mates actually read this thread too but sadly still wont join Mad to offer their football views, as one said to me Mad can he like a soap-opera at times with its sporadic spats 😂, hopefully promotion might stir their grey matter for them now. 🤞

[spaldy]

I would like to visit rural France, Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain.

Paris, London, Madrid, Rome etc.... not so much.

Please keep in mind that many of the yanks that visit these countries are often not the norm. They are just as obnoxious, arrogant, elitist and narcissistic here stateside as they are when they visit you. Money does tend to change people and it does take money, but more importantly, time to travel overseas. Many yanks get very little vacation time on paper... much less actually being able to use it. In my 40 years I've never taken more than 3 weeks vacation and that was one week for a major surgery. Many private sector workers know they can be replaced at will as as you age you become more disposable. Much of the huge resentment festering the US is based on the fact that 1/2 your paycheck is taken and used up by people who work 9-10 months a year at most and provide incredibly poor service. The resentment is papable and the election outcome was vengence. There is almost a giddiness amongst many at the layoffs and the elimination of entire departments. The only bad thing is they are all on pensions so we will pay for them until they die. The private sector no longer has pensions so you work until you've saved enough money.

I am envious of the European countries workers to take time off and vacation. By the time I can do that I may not be physically or mentally capable of doing that. I will also do my very best to have no one know that I'm a yank. Not because I'm embarrased of the US but because I went to blend in and experience what life is like for the people in the country I'm visiting.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Spain is one of the most under appreciated countries in the EU and one of my favourite places. There is huge cultural history and diversity.

San Sebastian is a foodie Mecca.
Barcelona is just like very few places on earth and southern Spain is different again.

The food and wine is great, the people are great and it has huge history going back to Roman times where you can see the influence of the Romans and then the Moors in so many regions.

The area where people still live in caves in the side of mountains is interesting too.

Wouldn?t be embarrassed about being a yank as most that travel seem to embrace a wider world view especially when departing from the beaten track.

You could say similar things for many of the counties you list and then you have Eastern Europe which is different again and has many beautiful cities.

Do it Spaldy I?m sure you won?t regret it!!!

[spaldy]

Working on my Spanish. It?s really hard for me to learn a new language. Too old. My brother ( lives in Germany) is conversational in 8 languages so I know it?s not a matter of hard wiring! I definitely know how awesome rural Spain is

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Working on my Spanish. It?s really hard for me to learn a new language. Too old. My brother ( lives in Germany) is conversational in 8 languages so I know it?s not a matter of hard wiring! I definitely know how awesome rural Spain is

Duolingo is a great way to learn and most people in Spain speak pretty decent English anyway.

Hazlo amigo mio, agarra la ortiga firmamente con ambas manos!

[Oranje White]

Some people here know exactly what's going on. The others watch the BBC.

[WTF11]

Some people here know exactly what's going on. The others watch the BBC.

I suspect you have a mentality similar to that of those who were so brainwashed into so effectively collaborating with the Nazis during WWII that they managed to eradicate the highest percentage of the Jewish community in the Netherlands compared to the rest of occupied Europe. Gullible.

[spaldy]

You might be better served assuming everything you are told by media and journalists is a lie until proven otherwise. Especially n the case where they are paid by the people they are writing about. The conflict of interest and ethics is long gone

You might also wish to witness with your own eyes. In Indy we were told about peaceful protests. When during downtown 2 days later an entire block was burnt out. Obviously the journalist was told what to report. That’s not brainwashing. That’s seeing with your own eyes

It’s also common sense that news and media should not be funded by governments. You don’t bite th hand that feeds you

[WTF11]

You might be better served assuming everything you are told by media and journalists is a lie until proven otherwise. Especially n the case where they are paid by the people they are writing about. The conflict of interest and ethics is long gone

You might also wish to witness with your own eyes. In Indy we were told about peaceful protests. When during downtown 2 days later an entire block was burnt out. Obviously the journalist was told what to report. That’s not brainwashing. That’s seeing with your own eyes

It’s also common sense that news and media should not be funded by governments. You don’t bite th hand that feeds you

I'm a "healthy sceptic" when it comes to news broadcasters and printed media in particular, but at least there is a means of establishing the veracity by using various published sources, instead of the more "popular" approach which essentially boils down to anyone with a camera phone is able to post what they film without any oversight, fact-checking or verification, yet gullible fools swallow it all simply because the "author" isn't from Fox, or NBC, or CNN, or BBC (which by the way, just FYI, is NOT funded by the government, I and millions of others fund it via the license fee and it generates its own commercial income, all without advertising in the UK).

And you have the bare-faced cheek to suggest that folks "witness with your own eyes" having spouted the nonsensical drivel about life here in the UK, when you haven't even visited this place.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

And you have the bare-faced cheek to suggest that folks "witness with your own eyes" having spouted the nonsensical drivel about life here in the UK, when you haven't even visited this place.

and on it goes - do you not see the hypocrisy in what you are accusing Spaldy of having started a thread based around largely slagging of the US and its current administration?

You are never going to agrree on politics when the views are both so polarise and I suspect you have little interest in walking a mile in the other point of views shows.

The endless lecturing and hectoring of people makes this forum less fun than it should be.

Other than to wind people up or seek self gratification why do you actually post on here?