HomeFront: how familair is America to Non-Americans?

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

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i will agree to this, i haven't been to every state, but i've been to quite a few places around america (i live in nebraska) and its almost like moving to a whole different country sometimes with the people who live there =\ the stereotypes and fails involved exceed my limit sometimes and i end up staying in the hotel to avoid going insane from people.

but like you said, you love it here as much as everyone else and it is a bit bi-polar in a sense, we have too many people with too many different cultural views, the anger switch flips on and off between stereotypes (as you can see in the house and senate all too often)


OT: watching tv is the worst way to know this country, im sorry, but it truly is, some of the shows on tv are absolute facepalm to anything that our cities and states are actually like.

 

[Jroo wuz heer]

TBH a better question is: who really cares? There are a lot of Americans who can't even pick out America on a map...

What?

its a stupid stereotype by, for, and supposedly about the stupid
ignore this guy, he couldnt pick out earth on a map

 

[JackRyan64]

britian is the only country where we use the word "glass" as a verb.

Actually, no, glassing is a popular event at pubs in all sorts of places. Mind you, if you do it wrong, you end up with a fistful of broken glass, so perhaps it should be left to the British.

Also, the Covenant.

Anyways, the world has become so globalized to the point that I don't think non-Americans will have a problem with it at all.

 

[Jewrean]

These games are 'Fuck yeah, America!' based.

To be honest I think it would be more interesting to see a country like Australia invaded. We're tiny and we don't need excuses as to why our defence for couldn't fend off a third-world nation.

1+ This. Americans wouldn't buy it though. Hey better yet I would love to play a game were America gets invaded by Russia or Korea or something AND YOU PLAY AS THE INVADING ARMY! Hell yeah! You have the option to hunt down civilians and celebrities and kill them. Now THAT would be different and fun. A foreign studio should make it and if Americans complain then we can call them hypocrites for doing exactly the same thing to the rest of the world. WIN!

 

[Musiclly enhanced]

NB: revenge for Non-Americans, drop as many obscure local references as you can, I know Americans don't know ANYTHING that has happened on ITV, so that's Ant & Dec, Parky and Corry, and Police Camera Action I know about and they don't know crap about! HA!

dont wanna sound like a ***** but parky isnt on anymore
but i dont like american remakes like Wipeout USA and Americas got talent it just makes people think that americans are fake-tan wearing idiots that tell bad jokes (not hating but the guy in total wipeout is like that)

 

[shootthebandit]

britian is the only country where we use the word "glass" as a verb.

Actually, no, glassing is a popular event at pubs in all sorts of places. Mind you, if you do it wrong, you end up with a fistful of broken glass, so perhaps it should be left to the British.

they now have plastic cups in most british nightclubs because its so common

for us brits a fistful of broken glass is nothing as long as the other guy who said "excuse me" to your girlfriend has a faceful of glass then you win

 

[Tdc2182]

There are a lot of Americans who can't even pick out America on a map.

That's actually was an more or less an urban legend.

Its the same thing they do with videos where people can't answer simple questions. They go out and interview up to half a thousand people in a day and pick the four or five people that got the question wrong.

A few people don't know where America is on a map? maybe.

A bunch of Americans is an over exageration.

OT: I have no idea. Its hard to point out something unusual when it is the norm for us.

I guess... show a bunch of McDonalds? Stupid blatant idiots not caring enough to learn about politics, yet spouting out bullshit anyways?

 

[AngryFrenchCanadian]

Here we're pretty familiar about the U.S. seeing our whole country resides above it. I mean, almost 50% of our international news is about you guys. You do so many wacky/interesting things! I mean, come on, who isn't fascinated about what kind of shenanigans the Tea Party is doing?

 

[northeast rower]

There are a lot of Americans who can't even pick out America on a map

Cool generalization, bro.

In America, those individuals inhabit most of our Southern states.

I thought that was a better and more accurate generalization.

Yeah, that makes some more sense. It depends, however, on how you qualify "Americans". Are we counting legal/ illegal immigrants?

 

[Treblaine]

Here we're pretty familiar about the U.S. seeing our whole country resides above it. I mean, almost 50% of our international news is about you guys. You do so many wacky/interesting things! I mean, come on, who isn't fascinated about what kind of shenanigans the Tea Party is doing?

Yeah, what the hell is going on there with the Tea Party. It's like US politics discovered trolling.

 

[Vault101]

These games are 'Fuck yeah, America!' based.

To be honest I think it would be more interesting to see a country like Australia invaded. We're tiny and we don't need excuses as to why our defence for couldn't fend off a third-world nation.

like "tomorrow when the war began" god that movie was awful...home and away meets pearl harbour

anyway Im not american but the trailer really got me interested in this game,Like you know what would actually happen if a country like america got invaded thease days? the trailer is actually quite scary

oh and calim that half of americans cant point out america on the map/are stupid kinda makes you look stupid since thats not really using common sense, its a country with like what? 350 million and there arnt going to be a few stupid/iliterate people?,(not you personally Just people who are all on the "america is stupid!" bandwagon)

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Yeah, what the hell is going on there with the Tea Party. It's like US politics discovered trolling.

Its basically lost steam. They got a bunch of their people elected, who then realized that half the stuff they were saying was completely ridiculous and have distanced themselves from the community. Basically, its been more or less revealed that the GOP created it just to whip up a strong, outspoken, guaranteed voter base, without any real intention of catering to their craziness once they got in office. Unfortunately, you still have people like Sarah Palin floating around, who despite having no sort of power or any chance of getting any, still speak loudly enough to make a stir.

 

[Iron Mal]

I don't think it's a problem with the US not being represented truthfully so much as it's just one single part of the US that get's seen everywhere (just like how a lot of OXFAM adverts show starving children in countres like India and around Africa, that is the truth, but not the whole truth, there are places which actually aren't so bad).

As a general rule, representations tend to stick to a few general 'archtypes' of America depending on when the situation warrants it:

Most commonly is a alternate version of New York, L.A. or any other major city (Grand Theft Auto series, Saints Row, Left 4 Dead, Predator 2, SWAT and many others).

Small, backwards hillbilly community, usually deep in the woods (I'm sure you could find a few horror films that have done this).

Small, sleepy town nestled down in either the woods or mountains (too many horror films to count, Silent Hill, Left 4 Dead had this in the Death Toll campaign, AVPR, South Park and most generic zombie/monster films/games).

Huge, barren desert with the ocasional oasis-like city or town (again, horror films here are common, Fallout as a general rule has elements of this).

We see these a lot because (for films especially) it's very easy to make a place like this look natural and familiar (seeing as most film makers and game devs come from or work in the US it makes sense, 'you write what you know'), it probably also has something to do with not wanting to alienate American audiences (I know American people who hated Shaun of the Dead because they simply couldn't understand some of what they were seeing and hearing, and fair enough, I will admit it is a very 'English' film).

 

[Treblaine]

We see these a lot because (for films especially) it's very easy to make a place like this look natural and familiar (seeing as most film makers and game devs come from or work in the US it makes sense, 'you write what you know'), it probably also has something to do with not wanting to alienate American audiences (I know American people who hated Shaun of the Dead because they simply couldn't understand some of what they were seeing and hearing, and fair enough, I will admit it is a very 'English' film).

Aww, that's a shame. But Americans like James Bond right? That seems to be the one part of Britannia we can export to the colonies. Shaun was FULL of references that you'd only get if you'd lived in the UK, or were familiar with how things worked.

John McClain has done much the same in reverse, very "American" films that seem to have gone down very well in the UK, it just seems to make sense to us. Probably because McClain is so out of his element (New York cop, in hostage situation in California).

Bond also doesn't spend much time in familiar UK surroundings, he spends as much time doing his Britishness in foreign countries. Maybe that's why he's able to appeal to American audiences.

The Pegg/Frost team that did Sahun of the Dead are doing another movie soon, they play Brits but IN the American South-West, maybe that will have transatlantic appeal. Something to do with Roswell aliens.

 

[Blind Sight]

Just to deal with any 'Americans R stoopid' comments:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/AverageIQ-Map-World.png

Of course the average IQ of a nation can be seen as a questionable way to rate intelligence, but that's really they only thing that is collected in statistics besides education. Anyway, apparantly China and North Korea are some of that most intelligent nations in the world. And the majority of nations are in the medium, just like America.

(I actually question this map's findings, but it's still an interesting piece to look at)

Not to mention today's xkcd:

http://xkcd.com/850_large/

 

[Easton Dark]

britian is the only country where we use the word "glass" as a verb.

I laughed quite heartily at thank. Thank you sir.

Just to deal with any 'Americans R stoopid' comments:

I'm gonna hijack the rest of this sentence:

Our TV personalities are stupid. Generally most Americans can be counted on to find the U.S. on a map. Most can find their own state. And a select few (million) can name each state's Football team.

 

[jigilojoe]

Just to deal with any 'Americans R stoopid' comments:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/AverageIQ-Map-World.png

Of course the average IQ of a nation can be seen as a questionable way to rate intelligence, but that's really they only thing that is collected in statistics besides education. Anyway, apparantly China and North Korea are some of that most intelligent nations in the world. And the majority of nations are in the medium, just like America.

(I actually question this map's findings, but it's still an interesting piece to look at)

Looks like bull, though I have the general hatred for the surfin' criminals, they surely have better education than a hell of a lot of places in Africa. Hell, I've got friends who are going to Uni in Sydney, yet none studying in Cape Town.

Though I find it brilliant how this is all about Homefront, and you bring that map out as proof that the far East a good deal smarter than America. Good luck if it ever does happen, chums from across the pond

 

[Blind Sight]

Just to deal with any 'Americans R stoopid' comments:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/AverageIQ-Map-World.png

Of course the average IQ of a nation can be seen as a questionable way to rate intelligence, but that's really they only thing that is collected in statistics besides education. Anyway, apparantly China and North Korea are some of that most intelligent nations in the world. And the majority of nations are in the medium, just like America.

(I actually question this map's findings, but it's still an interesting piece to look at)

Looks like bull, though I have the general hatred for the surfin' criminals, they surely have better education than a hell of a lot of places in Africa. Hell, I've got friends who are going to Uni in Sydney, yet none studying in Cape Town.

Though I find it brilliant how this is all about Homefront, and you bring that map out as proof that the far East a good deal smarter than America. Good luck if it ever does happen, chums from across the pond

You're not looking at intelligence in the proper context. Going to university doesn't naturally dictate that you're more intelligent then someone who doesn't (I don't think you mean to say that, but it's inferred).

As Jared Diamond points out in Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies, our concept of intelligence in the Western world often focuses too much on education and academic knowledge. However, during a research mission in Papua New Guinea, he ran multiple IQ and other tests in order to determine the average intelligence of local tribesmen who live throughout the jungles. Guess what? On average the tribesmen had higher scores and showed signs of higher intelligence then most Westerners. They just use it for different things, such as hunting or survival techniques. There's been a couple comments here about how some Americans can't even find their country on a map. Well, those tribesmen wouldn't be able to either, but if you stuck them out in a jungle with nothing, they'd survive, unlike most Westerners.

This is why I think it's really difficult to accurately determine whether a nation is 'dumb' or 'smart'.