America versus......

[MichelleCarmen]

OK, so here are my random questions:

Are others as celebrity obsessed as we seem to be in America? How closely do others follow or even care about what goes on in Hollywood or with celebrities? It seems that you can't even get the news here without having to be reminded of some celebrity in some way, shape or form.

Please feel free to question back, add questions, etc. I know this may be stupid to some, but I'm just curious.

i know very little about celebrities,infact the first time i ever heard the name "Lady Gaga" was here on PS... ops:

Same. I didn't even know about the Royal engagment until the ring was posted here on PS. lol I just don't keep up with celebrities except when I'm reading junk magazines while my kids are getting hair cuts. A few years back, I did follow the trends more and read up on celebrities I liked, but now, I just watch for when a movie comes out with someone I like. I think most of the stories in mags are BS and I just want to go to a movie and enjoy it.

Sadly, some of the gossip about my favorite actors/actresses has ruined my liking of them, even though, as I said, the talk is generally bs.

 

[Prana]

Anchor, good call with the oversized EVERYTHING.

Another question for everyone---what about stores like Walmart and wholesale stores like costco, Sam's club and BJ's? Do these exist elsewhere?

What about fast food joints and eating out? What type of restaurants are most commonly frequented? How available/marketed are fast food places such as McDonalds?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Anchor, good call with the oversized EVERYTHING.

Another question for everyone---what about stores like Walmart and wholesale stores like costco, Sam's club and BJ's? Do these exist elsewhere?

What about fast food joints and eating out? What type of restaurants are most commonly frequented? How available/marketed are fast food places such as McDonalds?

There is at least one Costco in Canada...DH and I bought a camera during a vacation in BC.

 

[dinamit]

Hello again

Jennifer W, yes you guessed right, I am in the South East - London to be precise. From everything I heard, living in Scotland and generally up north, is quite different. After all, London isn't really a fair representation of life in the UK as it's so multicultural.

Prana, to answer your new questions: there is a McDonald's on every main road of every suburb, and all over the city centre. Yes, sadly, it's still very popular. Sorry if I've offended anyone. We have a supermarket called Asda that is owned by Walmart. I think some regions of the country have Costco, but I haven't seen one.

I don't know if the celebrity thing is more exagerated in the SE, but I find it very hard to ignore. It's so 'in-your-face' and everywhere you turn, that even if you aren't interested it's hard to avoid.

I don't know if anyone would find this interesting, but I could offer a view for a very different European country - Serbia. Life there is still quite different, although the rise of the turbo folk culture has made plastic surgery, outward appearances and celebrities more popular.

Girls do dress skimpily but have high morals; many a Western man has been puzzled by this! Teenage pregnancy is a taboo and a big 'no-no'. If it did happen, it would result in an abortion.

There are no school unifoms in Serbia, it would never pass.

As with regard to televsion, they are buying more and more rights to all the big reality shows like "Who wants to be a millionaire" and "Pop Idol". It's inevitable.

Sadly, many of the things that I mentioned above are seen as progress for a country that has been isolated by sanctions for more than a decade. I think the same goes for developing countries, but that is a whole other discussion.

On the other hand, certain things are different. Cultural life is 'de rigour'. Theatre, ballet, concerts etc. are all easily accessible and affordable to most. I grew up playing the piano and the violin. Education is free and very important. Most of the population have at least un undergrad degree and speak at least one foreign language. Sadly, the prospect of getting a job despite all that isn't that great. It's your classic story of an East European intellectual sweeping floors in the States. This is why my brother, who is literally a rocket scientist, now lives in the US (luckily not sweeping floors ).

The view America isn't that great but that is largely due to the NATO bombing of Serbia. But as we all know, Americans and American politics are not one and the same. I think that a lot of conflict-ridden countries that experienced interference from the UK and America, tend to view them unfavourably.

Sorry if I've gone on for too long. Hope some of you have found this interesting.

dinamit

 

[anchor31]

Anchor, good call with the oversized EVERYTHING.

Another question for everyone---what about stores like Walmart and wholesale stores like costco, Sam's club and BJ's? Do these exist elsewhere?

What about fast food joints and eating out? What type of restaurants are most commonly frequented? How available/marketed are fast food places such as McDonalds?

There is at least one Costco in Canada...DH and I bought a camera during a vacation in BC.

Haha... There are Costco's all over the country! We also have Walmart, but not Sam's club or BJ's (maybe just a different name). Let's see... We don't have Target or Macy's; our equivalents would be Zeller's and The Bay (formerly The Hudson's Bay Company, the oldest retail stores in the country). We have a lot of fastfood franchises (McDonald's, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, you name it) and some of our own (La Belle Province, but I warn you, do not eat there), and of course, Tim Hortons. I think there are some franchises in the US, am I right? Oh, and we have a pretty neat amusement park in Montréal called "La Ronde", but it's now owned by Red Flag.

Fact that some people may find interesting... A recent survey (2010) indicates that the 2nd greatest fear among Quebecers is... assimilation. No, not from the Borg, from the big bad English-speakers. Yes, my province lives 250 years in the past.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Anchor, good call with the oversized EVERYTHING.

Another question for everyone---what about stores like Walmart and wholesale stores like costco, Sam's club and BJ's? Do these exist elsewhere?

What about fast food joints and eating out? What type of restaurants are most commonly frequented? How available/marketed are fast food places such as McDonalds?

There is at least one Costco in Canada...DH and I bought a camera during a vacation in BC.

Haha... There are Costco's all over the country! We also have Walmart, but not Sam's club or BJ's (maybe just a different name). Let's see... We don't have Target or Macy's; our equivalents would be Zeller's and The Bay (formerly The Hudson's Bay Company, the oldest retail stores in the country). We have a lot of fastfood franchises (McDonald's, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, you name it) and some of our own (La Belle Province, but I warn you, do not eat there), and of course, Tim Hortons. I think there are some franchises in the US, am I right? Oh, and we have a pretty neat amusement park in Montréal called "La Ronde", but it's now owned by Red Flag.

Fact that some people may find interesting... A recent survey (2010) indicates that the 2nd greatest fear among Quebecers is... assimilation. No, not from the Borg, from the big bad English-speakers. Yes, my province lives 250 years in the past.

My husband and I have always dreamed of moving to Canada, but not until Target is established up there! lol Oh, and Trader Joes!

 

[Nomsdeplume]

I live in South Africa.

1) It depends. What is considered inappropriate? Girls do wear short skirts and tight tops here. It is quite a hot country so it's not unusual to flash some flesh here.

2) Shows like Jersey Shore, The Hills etc do not have a big following here. Our own reality shows are South African versions of American Idols, Sharp Shooter etc and are followed quite closely by the general population.

3) I would say maybe not quite as obsessed, but we have our own tabloids etc filled with celeb gossip.

4) 99% of kids here wear uniforms.

5) Breast implants are quite common, as is botox etc, but not as gifts.

6) Well we tend to joke that Americans are very sheltered and have warped perceptions of the rest of the world. I know it's a generalisation but I have been asked stupid questions like whether we have air travel or whether there are wild animals in my neighbourhood etc.

7) Not really. It will be mentioned occasionally but hardly anyone cares.

8. It happens. Backstreet abortion is a problem here. I don't see very many pregnant youngsters.

 

[MishB]

Anchor, good call with the oversized EVERYTHING.

Another question for everyone---what about stores like Walmart and wholesale stores like costco, Sam's club and BJ's? Do these exist elsewhere?

What about fast food joints and eating out? What type of restaurants are most commonly frequented? How available/marketed are fast food places such as McDonalds?

I can answer for Australia, no Walmart, we have a Costco that recently opened in Melbourne (where I live) in the last couple of years, I think it's the only one in Australia. We have Target, but it's not as good as US Target, and doesn't sell groceries.

We just had a Gap open here in the last few months, but the stock doesn't seem to be as good as US Gap.

I don't want all of these stores in Australia actually, because I love to shop at places like Banana Republic and J Crew when I am in the US and not see people here in the same thing.

Melbourne is a very culturally diverse city, we have a lot of ethnic restaurants - Asian, European etc, Melbourne has a very large Asian and Italian/Greek population.

We love Mexican restaurants too, but they are not nearly as good as in the US so while we are over there we always eat Mexican.

We have McDonalds (a lot of them), Burger King (known as Hungry Jacks), KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, but that's about all the major fast food chains, and we don't need any more! Fish and chips is a popular takeout meal, but from individual shops, not chains.

We have Starbucks, but no one I know would drink the coffee from there, Melbournians are obsessed with coffee so we are super fussy.

 

[Prana]

Dinamit, thanks for filling us in about Serbia. Do you think the moral views of young girls have anything to do with religious beliefs?

Anchor We USED to have Tim Horton's...they all closed down in our state. I believe there are still some in Rhode Island, and possible VT??? Not sure though.

Kribbie, How do the kids feel about wearing uniforms? Do they care? In America, I think many schools would like to have the students wear uniforms, but kids and parents alike feel like that will 'infringe upon their individuality'. Uniforms are mainly worn in private schools here.

MishB- can I just say that I'm not a huge Target fan? I don't find thier quality of merchandise to be anything spectacular, and I really don't have any within 30 minutes of where I am anyways. I don't know where the nearest one is that sells food, either. Same with Walmart. I have several within 15 minutes of my house, but the one's with the grocery sections are farther away.

What are your go-to stores for clothing? I personally don't shop at the Gap or Banana Republic, but do frequent J Crew from time to time.

I don't like Starbuck's either. I don't drink coffee, but I LOVE tea....I really don't understand the Starbuck's hype.

Thanks everyone for contributing!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I don't like Starbuck's either. I don't drink coffee, but I LOVE tea....I really don't understand the Starbuck's hype.

quote]

Well, I live in the birth place of Starbucks and can say there are INSANE amounts of them around here. We also have numerous privately owned espresso stands on nearly every block in every town/city. It's nuts. I cannot comprehend how they all stay in business or how a person can justify spending $5 a day on coffee. Dh and I did that for a while and then finally realized it made more sense to buy a high-end espresso machine since our habit was running us $300 a month!

I only go to starbucks if meeting up with friends. Or tullys. More of a social thing. And I order tea rather than espresso.

 

[Prana]

I don't like Starbuck's either. I don't drink coffee, but I LOVE tea....I really don't understand the Starbuck's hype.

quote]

Well, I live in the birth place of Starbucks and can say there are INSANE amounts of them around here. We also have numerous privately owned espresso stands on nearly every block in every town/city. It's nuts. I cannot comprehend how they all stay in business or how a person can justify spending $5 a day on coffee. Dh and I did that for a while and then finally realized it made more sense to buy a high-end espresso machine since our habit was running us $300 a month!

I only go to starbucks if meeting up with friends. Or tullys. More of a social thing. And I order tea rather than espresso.

We have a ton of them here too, but our big thing is Dunkin' Donuts. I swear you can't drive a mile on a main road without seeing at least 2. We did have one starbucks in a nearby town go out of business.

DH likes espresso as well, and he ended up buying a machine plus a stove top espresso maker.

 

[dinamit]

Prana,

I don't think it is religion that fuels the young girls' morality, but the accepted norms of society. It is a Christian Orthodox country (like Russia, Greece and Bulgaria), but even though 'orthodox' might imply and strict code of conduct, this is not necessarily the case.

The focus is on education, and a teenage pregnancy would seriously interfere with that. I don't know one teenage mum in Belgrade. There are some, I am sure, but they would be a minority. It is similar to what Diva Rose explained about Asia; teenage pregnancy is considered as something shameful. There aren't too many unmarried women having children either. It is a very family focused society.

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Prana,

I think in most cases they prefer uniforms. It prevents having to keep up with the Joneses fashion wise, which I think can be stressful in an environment where it's already hard to fit in. Especially when some parents just don't have the money to afford the clothes their kids feel the need to wear.
On one day about once a month kids are allowed to wear whatever they want. I think this allows them to express individuality through fashion, without the pressure of having to do it daily.

It works really well.

 

[Trekkie]

This is so interesting! I currently live in a small, rural town in South Africa, but I have lived all over the country and also in parts of Europe (England, Germany and Greece). I will answer from my experience in small town South Africa and draw on what I have observed elsewhere in the country.

Many young girls in America feel it necessary to dress inappropriately, to the extent where my husband and other men feel like they can be arrested just for being in the general vicinity. Is this common in other countries as well?

This doesn’t really happen in my little town but I see this all the time when I go to bigger cities! In Johannesburg and Cape Town I often see teenagers and even tweens dressed in knee high boots with supershort shorts and waaaaaaaaay too much make-up! I always wonder how their parents can let them out in public dressed like that! Saying the parents are unaware isn’t really an excuse, in my opinion… After all, who buys these clothes?! I recently had a conversation with an acquaintance who bought her 13 year old daughter a thong bikini because “it makes her look like a mermaid” and “she has the perfect body for it”. WTF?! A THONG BIKINI AT THIRTEEN?!

I'm wondering how prevalent these types of shows are in other countries?

We don’t really have reality shows here. I think the closest we have is our version of Survivor (SA also bought into the franchise) and I have absolutely no idea who the contenders are. We also have two versions of Pop Idol – one in English and one in Afrikaans. They’re good for a laugh but not much else. Apart from that we get most of our TV from the US and some from the UK. I rarely watch TV but when I do, it's usually British TV.

Are others as celebrity obsessed as we seem to be in America? How closely do others follow or even care about what goes on in Hollywood or with celebrities? It seems that you can't even get the news here without having to be reminded of some celebrity in some way, shape or form.

Here in SA our celebrities are sports stars and models. Our rugby players are invariably tall and muscular and some seem to think this means they should be in magazines, pictured with their model girlfriends. I don’t really consider them to be celebrities though – I mean, how can I perve over someone I regularly see at the Wimpy (local fast food place)? For this reason, South African magazines are filled with pictures of American celebrities like Paris Hilton, Brangelina etc. Also, the American soap operas Days of our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful are very popular with certain sub-groups of our population, so if you have Brooke Logan or Bo Brady on the cover of your magazine it is sure to sell! Oh, and we love Oprah. O Magazine is available here and Oprah has built (or contributed to the building of) several schools for the underprivileged.

Are uniforms commonly worn to school, or are kids allowed to dress in what they want?

Uniforms are compulsory at most schools, state and private. Some schools have introduced a “multiform” (shorts, golf shirts, school tracksuit and sneakers) as an alternative, and children are allowed to mix and match from this to suit the weather or their moods. Most private schools and several public schools have a summer uniform (grey pants and short sleeved shirt with blazer for boys and skirt or gymslip for girls with short white socks for girls) and a winter uniform (grey pants and long sleeved shirt with tie and blazer, optional jersey for boys and skirt or gymslip with knee high socks or stockings for girls). Sensible black or brown (according to school regulation) school shoes must be worn and sometimes even hats. I attended private school where the uniform was strictly enforced. Demerits were awarded for simple things, like your hat not being straight or your hair not being tied up neatly. Jewellery, make-up, nail polish etc were absolutely not allowed!

Plastic surgery. How common are breast implants for weddings, nose jobs for highschool graduation gifts, massive lipo and the works for Moms trying to stay young, etc? I feel like many in the States feel that self worth lies in outward appearances and the cost of the purse you carry.

I know of a few women who have had “work done” but it’s way out of reach for the general population. I may be biased, but I do think that South African women are naturally beautiful – and usually quite busty too! – so while things like botox are fairly popular, boob jobs are quite rare. In fact, I think breast reduction is more common. However, we do have world class surgeons and many Europeans and Americans have plastic surgery holidays – they book a package tour that includes nips, tucks, boobs, nose jobs or labiaplasty(!!!) and then stay in SA for a couple of weeks to convalesce while enjoying the scenery. The fact that our currency is relatively weak definitely helps!

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask this, but what are your perceptions of America/Americans in general? I live here, and I think that there's a lot of things to be proud of, but a lot of work that needs to be done.

I know many Americans who are perfectly nice, normal people. I honestly don’t know where they find your politicians or the guests for the Jerry Springer show!

Is everyone else obsessed with the upcoming royal wedding ? Seems to be that America certainly is...don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for William and Kate, but there just seems to be a lot of nonsense coverage regarding the two of them, and I feel bad for her with all the comparison's to Diana and speculation rubbish.

Well, personally, I’m absolutely crushed that he chose that upstart daughter of a flight attendant over me, so I’m probably not the best person to speak to about this. I was devastated when I heard the news and will probably be in mourning for a good many years to come. I console myself with the knowledge that he was so devastated when he heard of my engagement that he just turned to the nearest bit of rough – anything to help with the pain of losing me.

Yes, yes, I know. He doesn’t even know I exist. But a girl can dream, can’t she? I mean, Chelsea Davy lived just up the road from me (Zimbabwe) and she landed Harry. Why can’t I have Wills?

Is teen pregnancy an epidemic?

Yes, and no. South Africa is a very stratified country – there is a very clear divide between the haves and the have nots. It’s not really racial anymore but the divide is definitely there. Among the better off, educated South Africans it is rare to hear of teen pregnancy but it does happen. When it does, abortion is usually the answer.

In my work I frequently see the other, hidden part of South Africa, and here, yes, I do see teen pregnancy. A lot. Despite relative ease of access, abortions are not very common here. Many teen mothers abandon their babies soon after birth – in my town alone, six babies were abandoned over the Christmas-New Year period. It is heart-breaking. There are a number of free, state run clinics in our town that provide excellent, non-judgmental service and free condoms, free birth control pills, free birth control injections, but teenagers are still falling pregnant.

What is particularly worrisome is that in our region, one in three pregnant women is HIV positive. We are often told “abortion is not my culture” yet many healthy and HIV+ babies are abandoned at birth, or soon after. HIV+ women are taught how to prevent mother to child transmission and the state helps by providing milk formula, but too many women return home unable to use this because they are told that in Xhosa culture you are not a mother if you don’t breastfeed. We are working hard to change this, but it will take time.
Oh dear. This all sounds quite grim. This is just what I experience where I live and work, not a reflection of South Africa as a whole. It’s a beautiful country and the people are warm and friendly. But I returned to work today and walked straight into a s***storm, so this has probably clouded my answer. If you are interested, feel free to ask me more direct questions – I will probably do a lot better at answering those!

 

[Trekkie]

I live in South Africa.

1) It depends. What is considered inappropriate? Girls do wear short skirts and tight tops here. It is quite a hot country so it's not unusual to flash some flesh here.

2) Shows like Jersey Shore, The Hills etc do not have a big following here. Our own reality shows are South African versions of American Idols, Sharp Shooter etc and are followed quite closely by the general population.

3) I would say maybe not quite as obsessed, but we have our own tabloids etc filled with celeb gossip.

4) 99% of kids here wear uniforms.

5) Breast implants are quite common, as is botox etc, but not as gifts.

6) Well we tend to joke that Americans are very sheltered and have warped perceptions of the rest of the world. I know it's a generalisation but I have been asked stupid questions like whether we have air travel or whether there are wild animals in my neighbourhood etc.

7) Not really. It will be mentioned occasionally but hardly anyone cares.

8. It happens. Backstreet abortion is a problem here. I don't see very many pregnant youngsters.

Oops! I see someone has already answered on behalf of South Africa – and far more concisely than I ever could.

Hello Kribbie – dis mooi om ‘n landgenoot hier te sien!

Isn't it interesting how different our answers are? I assume you live in Jo'burg?

 

[bee*]

Anchor, good call with the oversized EVERYTHING.

Another question for everyone---what about stores like Walmart and wholesale stores like costco, Sam's club and BJ's? Do these exist elsewhere?

What about fast food joints and eating out? What type of restaurants are most commonly frequented? How available/marketed are fast food places such as McDonalds?

We don't have any Walmarts or Costco's. Our biggest Irish store would be Superquinn but that would be teeny tiny compared to most of your big stores over in the US. We also have a lot of Tescos which are an English chain.

We have quite a few fast food chains. We also have "chippers" which sell fish and chips, burgers, etc. They're mainly run by Italian families and they're delicious but very fatty! We have all types of restaurants and amongst the younger crowd, I think that the Asian restaurants are very popular. We have a couple of Japanese restaurants that are always busy. We also have many McDonalds. Subway is also popping up everywhere here now.


Just to comment on Abortion after reading about it in earlier posts, it's illegal over here. If a woman needs one here they have to go to the UK. I think we're having a referendum on this later in the year so that might all change.

 

[Nomsdeplume]

I live in South Africa.

1) It depends. What is considered inappropriate? Girls do wear short skirts and tight tops here. It is quite a hot country so it's not unusual to flash some flesh here.

2) Shows like Jersey Shore, The Hills etc do not have a big following here. Our own reality shows are South African versions of American Idols, Sharp Shooter etc and are followed quite closely by the general population.

3) I would say maybe not quite as obsessed, but we have our own tabloids etc filled with celeb gossip.

4) 99% of kids here wear uniforms.

5) Breast implants are quite common, as is botox etc, but not as gifts.

6) Well we tend to joke that Americans are very sheltered and have warped perceptions of the rest of the world. I know it's a generalisation but I have been asked stupid questions like whether we have air travel or whether there are wild animals in my neighbourhood etc.

7) Not really. It will be mentioned occasionally but hardly anyone cares.

8. It happens. Backstreet abortion is a problem here. I don't see very many pregnant youngsters.

Oops! I see someone has already answered on behalf of South Africa – and far more concisely than I ever could.

Hello Kribbie – dis mooi om ‘n landgenoot hier te sien!

Isn't it interesting how different our answers are? I assume you live in Jo'burg?

Yes I do.
It is quite interesting to have different perspectives from the same country. I'm glad there are two of us.
I think Joburg and Cape Town are more affected by trends in America etc. For example, I notice that my family members in smaller towns read a lot more "YOU magazine", and watch soap operas. I don't know many people in Joburg who do either. I think up here the international tabloids sell better and people watch E entertainment as their guilty pleasure.

My friends regularly get coffee at Starbucks and I think McDonalds is the most popular fast food outlet. Other than that health food at chains like Red Mango and Kauai are popular.

I rarely see a woman dressed so scantily that it would shock my sense of morality. I actually think women in Joburg dress quite fashionably. I see mostly designer jeans, heels, and pretty shirts on women here. I think we "dress up" a bit more here than in Cape Town. I wear mini-skirts or shorts on holiday, but not in my everyday life (I live in suits though, so I can't speak for everyone). I think flashing too much flesh (legs and breasts and maybe a bit of midriff) is something far more commonly seen in teenagers.
I have NEVER seen a woman in Joburg (let alone a 13 year old) wear a thong bikini. That is quite gross for such a young child.

Uniforms vary vastly here, both in colour and style. I think most schools want to be instantly recognised by their particular uniform.

Every woman in my circle of friends (besides me) has had a boob job, and quite a few have had botox. They are all under 30.

I think it's quite similar to any country, where a bigger city and a smaller town will be vastly different.

 

[Prana]

Prana,

I think in most cases they prefer uniforms. It prevents having to keep up with the Joneses fashion wise, which I think can be stressful in an environment where it's already hard to fit in. Especially when some parents just don't have the money to afford the clothes their kids feel the need to wear.
On one day about once a month kids are allowed to wear whatever they want. I think this allows them to express individuality through fashion, without the pressure of having to do it daily.

It works really well.

I think that's a great idea. I personally am not against uniforms worn to school, I think it's a good idea for many reasons. Then having that one day once a month is great for them to wear what they want.

 

[Prana]

This is so interesting! I currently live in a small, rural town in South Africa, but I have lived all over the country and also in parts of Europe (England, Germany and Greece). I will answer from my experience in small town South Africa and draw on what I have observed elsewhere in the country.

Many young girls in America feel it necessary to dress inappropriately, to the extent where my husband and other men feel like they can be arrested just for being in the general vicinity. Is this common in other countries as well?

This doesn’t really happen in my little town but I see this all the time when I go to bigger cities! In Johannesburg and Cape Town I often see teenagers and even tweens dressed in knee high boots with supershort shorts and waaaaaaaaay too much make-up! I always wonder how their parents can let them out in public dressed like that! Saying the parents are unaware isn’t really an excuse, in my opinion… After all, who buys these clothes?! I recently had a conversation with an acquaintance who bought her 13 year old daughter a thong bikini because “it makes her look like a mermaid” and “she has the perfect body for it”. WTF?! A THONG BIKINI AT THIRTEEN?!

I'm wondering how prevalent these types of shows are in other countries?

We don’t really have reality shows here. I think the closest we have is our version of Survivor (SA also bought into the franchise) and I have absolutely no idea who the contenders are. We also have two versions of Pop Idol – one in English and one in Afrikaans. They’re good for a laugh but not much else. Apart from that we get most of our TV from the US and some from the UK. I rarely watch TV but when I do, it's usually British TV.

Are others as celebrity obsessed as we seem to be in America? How closely do others follow or even care about what goes on in Hollywood or with celebrities? It seems that you can't even get the news here without having to be reminded of some celebrity in some way, shape or form.

Here in SA our celebrities are sports stars and models. Our rugby players are invariably tall and muscular and some seem to think this means they should be in magazines, pictured with their model girlfriends. I don’t really consider them to be celebrities though – I mean, how can I perve over someone I regularly see at the Wimpy (local fast food place)? For this reason, South African magazines are filled with pictures of American celebrities like Paris Hilton, Brangelina etc. Also, the American soap operas Days of our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful are very popular with certain sub-groups of our population, so if you have Brooke Logan or Bo Brady on the cover of your magazine it is sure to sell! Oh, and we love Oprah. O Magazine is available here and Oprah has built (or contributed to the building of) several schools for the underprivileged.

Are uniforms commonly worn to school, or are kids allowed to dress in what they want?

Uniforms are compulsory at most schools, state and private. Some schools have introduced a “multiform” (shorts, golf shirts, school tracksuit and sneakers) as an alternative, and children are allowed to mix and match from this to suit the weather or their moods. Most private schools and several public schools have a summer uniform (grey pants and short sleeved shirt with blazer for boys and skirt or gymslip for girls with short white socks for girls) and a winter uniform (grey pants and long sleeved shirt with tie and blazer, optional jersey for boys and skirt or gymslip with knee high socks or stockings for girls). Sensible black or brown (according to school regulation) school shoes must be worn and sometimes even hats. I attended private school where the uniform was strictly enforced. Demerits were awarded for simple things, like your hat not being straight or your hair not being tied up neatly. Jewellery, make-up, nail polish etc were absolutely not allowed!

Plastic surgery. How common are breast implants for weddings, nose jobs for highschool graduation gifts, massive lipo and the works for Moms trying to stay young, etc? I feel like many in the States feel that self worth lies in outward appearances and the cost of the purse you carry.

I know of a few women who have had “work done” but it’s way out of reach for the general population. I may be biased, but I do think that South African women are naturally beautiful – and usually quite busty too! – so while things like botox are fairly popular, boob jobs are quite rare. In fact, I think breast reduction is more common. However, we do have world class surgeons and many Europeans and Americans have plastic surgery holidays – they book a package tour that includes nips, tucks, boobs, nose jobs or labiaplasty(!!!) and then stay in SA for a couple of weeks to convalesce while enjoying the scenery. The fact that our currency is relatively weak definitely helps!

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask this, but what are your perceptions of America/Americans in general? I live here, and I think that there's a lot of things to be proud of, but a lot of work that needs to be done.

I know many Americans who are perfectly nice, normal people. I honestly don’t know where they find your politicians or the guests for the Jerry Springer show!

Is everyone else obsessed with the upcoming royal wedding ? Seems to be that America certainly is...don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for William and Kate, but there just seems to be a lot of nonsense coverage regarding the two of them, and I feel bad for her with all the comparison's to Diana and speculation rubbish.

Well, personally, I’m absolutely crushed that he chose that upstart daughter of a flight attendant over me, so I’m probably not the best person to speak to about this. I was devastated when I heard the news and will probably be in mourning for a good many years to come. I console myself with the knowledge that he was so devastated when he heard of my engagement that he just turned to the nearest bit of rough – anything to help with the pain of losing me.

Yes, yes, I know. He doesn’t even know I exist. But a girl can dream, can’t she? I mean, Chelsea Davy lived just up the road from me (Zimbabwe) and she landed Harry. Why can’t I have Wills?

Is teen pregnancy an epidemic?

Yes, and no. South Africa is a very stratified country – there is a very clear divide between the haves and the have nots. It’s not really racial anymore but the divide is definitely there. Among the better off, educated South Africans it is rare to hear of teen pregnancy but it does happen. When it does, abortion is usually the answer.

In my work I frequently see the other, hidden part of South Africa, and here, yes, I do see teen pregnancy. A lot. Despite relative ease of access, abortions are not very common here. Many teen mothers abandon their babies soon after birth – in my town alone, six babies were abandoned over the Christmas-New Year period. It is heart-breaking. There are a number of free, state run clinics in our town that provide excellent, non-judgmental service and free condoms, free birth control pills, free birth control injections, but teenagers are still falling pregnant.

What is particularly worrisome is that in our region, one in three pregnant women is HIV positive. We are often told “abortion is not my culture” yet many healthy and HIV+ babies are abandoned at birth, or soon after. HIV+ women are taught how to prevent mother to child transmission and the state helps by providing milk formula, but too many women return home unable to use this because they are told that in Xhosa culture you are not a mother if you don’t breastfeed. We are working hard to change this, but it will take time.
Oh dear. This all sounds quite grim. This is just what I experience where I live and work, not a reflection of South Africa as a whole. It’s a beautiful country and the people are warm and friendly. But I returned to work today and walked straight into a s***storm, so this has probably clouded my answer. If you are interested, feel free to ask me more direct questions – I will probably do a lot better at answering those!

Trekkie thank you for your wonderful reply! I'm glad that you took the time to tell us about the problems surrounding pregnancy, the cultural issues regarding breastfeeding, HIV and the high rate of baby abandonment despite BC options being FREE AND AVAILABLE...It seems like the news in America is always reporting a baby being found in a trash bin or left somewhere to die or be found. Some states have even opened up safe havens where mothers can drop off there babies to hospitals or fire departments without being questioned or harassed.

Your comment about the 13 year old and her thong bikini hit home...we have a show over here called 'Toddlers in Tiara's'..it's supposed to chronicle little kids in beauty pageants. I haven't watched, but have seen commercials. And I've had some real life exposure to these beauty pageant's as well. It's a little gross to say the least. In our own town, if you drive by the 4th and 5th grade middle school (9-11 year olds), many of the young girls can be seen entering the school in high heel, knee high boots, short skirts, coach purses and makeup. The vast majority still look like innocent, sweatpants/t-shirt jelly faced kids, but there are a handful that just make me I think this school had an episode of a couple of students caught in the bathroom having oral sex. I didn't even know what sex was at that age!

I like the idea of the uniforms you talked about--being able to mix and match. I wouldn't like to wear a stuffy uniform, and be yelled at if my hat wasn't perfect

Your comment about South African women being naturally beautiful-- that's how I feel about many of the women here who choose to go under the knife. If it ain't broken, don't fix it???

about your Prince William comment! I have a thing for prince Harry...I've mentioned it before, but I sort of have a 'thing' for good looking ginger men

 

[Prana]

Anchor, good call with the oversized EVERYTHING.

Another question for everyone---what about stores like Walmart and wholesale stores like costco, Sam's club and BJ's? Do these exist elsewhere?

What about fast food joints and eating out? What type of restaurants are most commonly frequented? How available/marketed are fast food places such as McDonalds?

We don't have any Walmarts or Costco's. Our biggest Irish store would be Superquinn but that would be teeny tiny compared to most of your big stores over in the US. We also have a lot of Tescos which are an English chain.

We have quite a few fast food chains. We also have "chippers" which sell fish and chips, burgers, etc. They're mainly run by Italian families and they're delicious but very fatty! We have all types of restaurants and amongst the younger crowd, I think that the Asian restaurants are very popular. We have a couple of Japanese restaurants that are always busy. We also have many McDonalds. Subway is also popping up everywhere here now.


Just to comment on Abortion after reading about it in earlier posts, it's illegal over here. If a woman needs one here they have to go to the UK. I think we're having a referendum on this later in the year so that might all change.

Wow, abortion is illegal? Do you have a lot of problems with back alley abortions? What is the view on birth control, and how easy is it to access different types of BC?

 

[Porridge]

Anchor, good call with the oversized EVERYTHING.

Another question for everyone---what about stores like Walmart and wholesale stores like costco, Sam's club and BJ's? Do these exist elsewhere?

What about fast food joints and eating out? What type of restaurants are most commonly frequented? How available/marketed are fast food places such as McDonalds?

We don't have any Walmarts or Costco's. Our biggest Irish store would be Superquinn but that would be teeny tiny compared to most of your big stores over in the US. We also have a lot of Tescos which are an English chain.

We have quite a few fast food chains. We also have "chippers" which sell fish and chips, burgers, etc. They're mainly run by Italian families and they're delicious but very fatty! We have all types of restaurants and amongst the younger crowd, I think that the Asian restaurants are very popular. We have a couple of Japanese restaurants that are always busy. We also have many McDonalds. Subway is also popping up everywhere here now.


Just to comment on Abortion after reading about it in earlier posts, it's illegal over here. If a woman needs one here they have to go to the UK. I think we're having a referendum on this later in the year so that might all change.

Wow, abortion is illegal? Do you have a lot of problems with back alley abortions? What is the view on birth control, and how easy is it to access different types of BC?

I'm not bee* but I'll answer anyway! No I don't know of problems with backalley abortions, although they may exist. I work in a health centre with 3 GP's and have not heard of issues relating to this. Birth control is readily available and accepted. You get it from your GP. Also the morning after pill is available, but only on prescription.

At the moment, it is only legal to get an abortion here if you can prove that the life of the mother is in danger. We are a common law country, and to the best of my knowledge, permission is very rarely granted. However, there was a landmark ruling in the EU court of human rights recently, stating that the way we enforce our abortion laws are in conflict with human rights. So hopefully our laws will be updated soon!

 

[Delster]

Drive by posting from me on the abortion in Ireland issue!

Abortion is NOT illegal in Ireland. The Supreme Court in 1992 held that there is a constitutional right to an abortion where the mother's life is at risk. A risk to the mother's health is not enough. However, there has never been any legislation enacted to regulate the provision of abortions in circumstances that meet the constitutional 'risk to the life, but not the health, of the mother' test. Without legislation to protect medical practitioners, the medical professional bodies err on the side of extreme caution. As I understand it, the only procedures that are performed here are D&C procedures when a woman suffers a miscarriage. For any other procedure, it is necessary to travel to the UK.

The European Court of Human Rights (which is a human rights court, it has nothing to do with the European Union) decision Porridge refers to concerned three women, in three different sets of circumstances, who all had to travel to the UK for an abortion as they could not obtain one here. The media reporting on this decision within Ireland was very disappointing, with headlines even in the broadsheets proclaiming that the Court held that our law on abortion violated women's human rights and so on. That's inaccurate. The ruling actually fell into three parts:
1. The first woman sought an abortion for neither risk to health nor risk to life reasons (she sought the abortion due to very difficult personal circumstances that meant she felt she could not have the child). As she didn't meet the constitutional test for an abortion in Ireland ('risk to life'), she had to travel to the UK. The Court held that her human rights were not violated.
2. The second woman sought an abortion for risk to health reasons. Again, she didn't meet the constitutional test for an abortion in Ireland and had to travel to the UK. Again, the Court held that her human rights were not violated.
3. The third woman sought an abortion for risk to life reasons. The hospital she was being treated at convened its medical ethics committee, which decided that in the absence of legislative protection for doctors performing abortions, even within the constitutionally permitted circumstances, it could not permit the procedure to be performed. She had to travel to the UK for the procedure. This time the Court held that the woman's rights were violated, by the failure of the government to legislate for the provision of abortions in the circumstances permitted under the 1992 Supreme Court ruling.

The media went mad reporting about how we're going to have yet another hugely controversial abortion referendum, possibly in the midst of both parliamentary and presidential elections next year. There's actually no need for a referendum, as all the Strasbourg Court has asked us to do is introduce legislation to regulate the circumstances in which constitutionally permissible abortions are performed...

Abortion is certainly a hot topic and still very controversial over here, however, it doesn't factor into our general politics in the same way as it does in the States I think. I'm not aware of any profiling of political candidates for the stand on the right to life / right to choose in the way it happens in the States. All of the parties here present themselves as right to life parties (with the possible exception of Sinn Féin, who support abortion on demand in cases of abuse/rape).

 

[Delster]

And here are my 0.02c on your questions Prana!

1. I don't notice too much inappropriate dressing. I interact a lot with young people in the 18-20 age group for work, and for the most part they are respectably enough dressed. They are certainly a lot more dressed 'up' than the young women I see when I go to the States though. I remember when I was in uni we used to wonder did the American exchange students own anything but baggy jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies - Irish girls are a lot more 'dressy' I think!

2. We have some excellent indigenous TV shows over here, and we also have easy access to the BBC. There's plenty of rubbishy stuff (indigenous, from the UK, and from the States) but you can avoid it if you want to. We have excellent political programmes and panel shows, and our news service is fantastic.

3. As bee* said, you can read as much celebrity gossip or as little as you like! I read some celebrity gossip online when I'm taking a break from studying (it's a guilty pleasure!), and I read the covers of the trashy magazines in the queue in the supermarket. DH, on the other hand, wouldn't interact with celebrity culture at all and anything the poor man knows is because he's heard me wittering on about it!

4. Virtually all schools require uniforms. At primary level it's frequently a tracksuit with a collared polo shirt of a specified colour underneath. At high school level it's usually a blouse/shirt and tie, woollen sweater, and slacks/skirt. Socks and shoes are usually regulated by colour. Sneakers are generally not permitted unless for sports classes or medical reasons. Some schools require students to wear a school tracksuit for sports classes.

5. I have only ever met one person in real life that has had botox. I know one person who had breast surgery for medical reasons. That's it. I can see the botox on certain TV personalities and I don't think it looks good, but still our newsreaders etc. don't look as plastic as the newsreaders/presenters I see on the American TV shows.

6. 99% of the Americans I've met personally have been intelligent, interesting and amazingly warm-hearted people. I've found Americans to be amazingly generous with their time and their friendship, and I think that's a common perception over here. 'America' as a separate entity is a bit different. America the country I think is perceived as insulated, inward-looking, oblivious to others' views and convinced that the American way is best and there is no need to consider any other way.

7. Royal wedding is a very tiny blip on the radar. We get the British celebrity magazines like Hello - you can engage as much or as little as you like. I do remember as a child making scrapbooks of the Diana and Fergie weddings - but then what little girl isn't obsessed with princesses?

8. Teen pregnancy isn't an 'epidemic', neither is it unheard of. The teen pregnancy rate has actually been stable for the last 30 years. Average age to lose virginity is 17 (which is also the age of consent) and the average age of first time Mums is 28. 75% of all teenage pregnancies are to girls aged 18 or 19.

Hope that's interesting!

 

[mrscushion]

I grew up in Germany, so I'll try to answer for that country.

Everywhere else!

I know this topic was started once before, but I'm curious about the general culture of other countries. And my questions are pretty stupid, feel free to laugh, or even think less of me I've been to Ireland a few times, but not enough to really get a grasp about what the culture is actually like. Canada seems to be pretty comparable to America in certain ways, from what I've gathered.

OK, so here are my random questions:

Many young girls in America feel it necessary to dress inappropriately, to the extent where my husband and other men feel like they can be arrested just for being in the general vicinity. Is this common in other countries as well?

Yes and no. It depends on socioeconomic circumstances, I think. The lower the socioeconomic stratum, the more you'll get girls who dress like that. In general, there isn't as much of it as in the States.

TV shows and reality TV figures are pretty bad. Think Jersey Shore, and what is that new one on MTV? The commercial is a highschool girl in a short dress telling her mom she's going out to study, then ending up going to some rager party? I find this stuff unbearably stupid, and plan to teach my kids that behavior like that is just dumb, but I'm wondering how prevalent these types of shows are in other countries?

We get most cable TV from the U.S., either dubbed or as a German copy of the U.S. TV show. Shows like Jersey Shore will start out with subtitles and eventually get dubbed, so kids do see it here and it is popular. That said, I can never tell how it really translates when it's dubbed. I know I can't watched dubbed content at all because I find it so extremely horrible. Generally, though, cable TV programming is for the most part horrendously dumb and in a way it's worse than in the U.S. because you have less choice (smaller market = less money to be made from niche audiences who might actually want to watch high quality content -- so everything converges to the (really dumb) norm.

Are others as celebrity obsessed as we seem to be in America? How closely do others follow or even care about what goes on in Hollywood or with celebrities? It seems that you can't even get the news here without having to be reminded of some celebrity in some way, shape or form.

Germany is similarly celebrity obsessed. Royals and aristocrats that no one will ever have heard of outside of Europe still play a much bigger role because there aren't as many home-grown movie or music stars. That said, I think it's much more acceptable to talk about celebrity gossip with your co-workers in the U.S. In Germany you'd still run the risk of not being taken seriously.

Are uniforms commonly worn to school, or are kids allowed to dress in what they want?

No uniforms. Also much fewer private schools. Nearly everyone attends public school.

Plastic surgery. How common are breast implants for weddings, nose jobs for highschool graduation gifts, massive lipo and the works for Moms trying to stay young, etc? I feel like many in the States feel that self worth lies in outward appearances and the cost of the purse you carry.

Far less common.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask this, but what are your perceptions of America/Americans in general? I live here, and I think that there's a lot of things to be proud of, but a lot of work that needs to be done.

I love living in the States and consider myself quasi-American now even though right now I am back living in Germany. I think the country has pretty significant issues (budget issues, social security imbalances, economic divide, etc.), but most countries do. I still believe in the States as a land of opportunity for people who work hard and have good ideas, much more so than any country in Europe. That said, I think I am more pro-America than most Germans.

Is everyone else obsessed with the upcoming royal wedding ? Seems to be that America certainly is...don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for William and Kate, but there just seems to be a lot of nonsense coverage regarding the two of them, and I feel bad for her with all the comparison's to Diana and speculation rubbish.

Yes, people here are obsessed with that wedding and much more interested in royals in general, not just the British royalty but also the Dutch, the Swedish, etc.

Is teen pregnancy an epidemic?

No.

Please feel free to question back, add questions, etc. I know this may be stupid to some, but I'm just curious.

 

[mrscushion]

Anchor, good call with the oversized EVERYTHING.

Another question for everyone---what about stores like Walmart and wholesale stores like costco, Sam's club and BJ's? Do these exist elsewhere?

Walmart tried to enter the German market, but had to leave again. They were not able to undercut retailers as much as they do elsewhere, because German retail is very cut-throat to begin with. Germans like to save! There are some homegrown extreme discount food retailers (e.g. Aldi).

What about fast food joints and eating out? What type of restaurants are most commonly frequented? How available/marketed are fast food places such as McDonalds?

There are lots of McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Pizza Huts, but that's it, no Wendy's, Applebees or what have you. I believe fast food consumption is still less widespread than in the U.S., but probably not by much. People also frequently consume doner kebab from no-name food stands when they need to eat on the go.

 

[Prana]

And here are my 0.02c on your questions Prana!

1. I don't notice too much inappropriate dressing. I interact a lot with young people in the 18-20 age group for work, and for the most part they are respectably enough dressed. They are certainly a lot more dressed 'up' than the young women I see when I go to the States though. I remember when I was in uni we used to wonder did the American exchange students own anything but baggy jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies - Irish girls are a lot more 'dressy' I think!

2. We have some excellent indigenous TV shows over here, and we also have easy access to the BBC. There's plenty of rubbishy stuff (indigenous, from the UK, and from the States) but you can avoid it if you want to. We have excellent political programmes and panel shows, and our news service is fantastic.

3. As bee* said, you can read as much celebrity gossip or as little as you like! I read some celebrity gossip online when I'm taking a break from studying (it's a guilty pleasure!), and I read the covers of the trashy magazines in the queue in the supermarket. DH, on the other hand, wouldn't interact with celebrity culture at all and anything the poor man knows is because he's heard me wittering on about it!

4. Virtually all schools require uniforms. At primary level it's frequently a tracksuit with a collared polo shirt of a specified colour underneath. At high school level it's usually a blouse/shirt and tie, woollen sweater, and slacks/skirt. Socks and shoes are usually regulated by colour. Sneakers are generally not permitted unless for sports classes or medical reasons. Some schools require students to wear a school tracksuit for sports classes.

5. I have only ever met one person in real life that has had botox. I know one person who had breast surgery for medical reasons. That's it. I can see the botox on certain TV personalities and I don't think it looks good, but still our newsreaders etc. don't look as plastic as the newsreaders/presenters I see on the American TV shows.

6. 99% of the Americans I've met personally have been intelligent, interesting and amazingly warm-hearted people. I've found Americans to be amazingly generous with their time and their friendship, and I think that's a common perception over here. 'America' as a separate entity is a bit different. America the country I think is perceived as insulated, inward-looking, oblivious to others' views and convinced that the American way is best and there is no need to consider any other way.

7. Royal wedding is a very tiny blip on the radar. We get the British celebrity magazines like Hello - you can engage as much or as little as you like. I do remember as a child making scrapbooks of the Diana and Fergie weddings - but then what little girl isn't obsessed with princesses?

8. Teen pregnancy isn't an 'epidemic', neither is it unheard of. The teen pregnancy rate has actually been stable for the last 30 years. Average age to lose virginity is 17 (which is also the age of consent) and the average age of first time Mums is 28. 75% of all teenage pregnancies are to girls aged 18 or 19.

Hope that's interesting!

Thanks for your post regarding abortion laws! I found it very intersting...

And to comment on your other comments:
I often wonder if some American girls own anything but pajamas and UGG boots. To each their own, but I never leave my house wearing sweatpants, let alone pajamas. I feel so sloppy when I'm not appropriately dressed.

Our local news anchors look like **** stars!! I don't know if ratings are down, but there is one particularly busty news anchor (not a problem), but the put her in the most low cut, tight shirts I've ever seen! Another anchor who is absolutely gorgeous seems to undergo the same wardrobe treatment, on top of massive amounts of makeup and fake eyelashes. It's just so distracting and utterly bizarre!

Your view on America is how I tend to see America as a whole, as well. Individual people/families are mostly great, but I feel that the country as a whole (and I'm doing the stereotype thing here) feels like we are the best, and that we could never possibly be second rate at anything. Again, many individuals that I know don't feel that way, nor do I.

Thanks!!

 

[Prana]

I grew up in Germany, so I'll try to answer for that country.

Everywhere else!

I know this topic was started once before, but I'm curious about the general culture of other countries. And my questions are pretty stupid, feel free to laugh, or even think less of me I've been to Ireland a few times, but not enough to really get a grasp about what the culture is actually like. Canada seems to be pretty comparable to America in certain ways, from what I've gathered.

OK, so here are my random questions:

Many young girls in America feel it necessary to dress inappropriately, to the extent where my husband and other men feel like they can be arrested just for being in the general vicinity. Is this common in other countries as well?

Yes and no. It depends on socioeconomic circumstances, I think. The lower the socioeconomic stratum, the more you'll get girls who dress like that. In general, there isn't as much of it as in the States.

TV shows and reality TV figures are pretty bad. Think Jersey Shore, and what is that new one on MTV? The commercial is a highschool girl in a short dress telling her mom she's going out to study, then ending up going to some rager party? I find this stuff unbearably stupid, and plan to teach my kids that behavior like that is just dumb, but I'm wondering how prevalent these types of shows are in other countries?

We get most cable TV from the U.S., either dubbed or as a German copy of the U.S. TV show. Shows like Jersey Shore will start out with subtitles and eventually get dubbed, so kids do see it here and it is popular. That said, I can never tell how it really translates when it's dubbed. I know I can't watched dubbed content at all because I find it so extremely horrible. Generally, though, cable TV programming is for the most part horrendously dumb and in a way it's worse than in the U.S. because you have less choice (smaller market = less money to be made from niche audiences who might actually want to watch high quality content -- so everything converges to the (really dumb) norm.

Are others as celebrity obsessed as we seem to be in America? How closely do others follow or even care about what goes on in Hollywood or with celebrities? It seems that you can't even get the news here without having to be reminded of some celebrity in some way, shape or form.

Germany is similarly celebrity obsessed. Royals and aristocrats that no one will ever have heard of outside of Europe still play a much bigger role because there aren't as many home-grown movie or music stars. That said, I think it's much more acceptable to talk about celebrity gossip with your co-workers in the U.S. In Germany you'd still run the risk of not being taken seriously.

Are uniforms commonly worn to school, or are kids allowed to dress in what they want?

No uniforms. Also much fewer private schools. Nearly everyone attends public school.

Plastic surgery. How common are breast implants for weddings, nose jobs for highschool graduation gifts, massive lipo and the works for Moms trying to stay young, etc? I feel like many in the States feel that self worth lies in outward appearances and the cost of the purse you carry.

Far less common.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask this, but what are your perceptions of America/Americans in general? I live here, and I think that there's a lot of things to be proud of, but a lot of work that needs to be done.

I love living in the States and consider myself quasi-American now even though right now I am back living in Germany. I think the country has pretty significant issues (budget issues, social security imbalances, economic divide, etc.), but most countries do. I still believe in the States as a land of opportunity for people who work hard and have good ideas, much more so than any country in Europe. That said, I think I am more pro-America than most Germans.

Is everyone else obsessed with the upcoming royal wedding ? Seems to be that America certainly is...don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for William and Kate, but there just seems to be a lot of nonsense coverage regarding the two of them, and I feel bad for her with all the comparison's to Diana and speculation rubbish.

Yes, people here are obsessed with that wedding and much more interested in royals in general, not just the British royalty but also the Dutch, the Swedish, etc.

Is teen pregnancy an epidemic?

No.

Please feel free to question back, add questions, etc. I know this may be stupid to some, but I'm just curious.

Thanks mscushion! It makes me happy that other countries may still see as as a land of opportunity. Right now, I don't think our country is so much of a land of opportunity because of the economy being the way it is...there just aren't any jobs anywhere, for anyone.

I'm glad that you like living here!

 

[Pandora II]

To preface: I'm 38, live in London and while I am British I grew up in one of the colonies (Kiribati) and have lived in Northern Ireland (3 years) and Italy (8 years).

Many young girls in America feel it necessary to dress inappropriately, to the extent where my husband and other men feel like they can be arrested just for being in the general vicinity. Is this common in other countries as well?

Yes - I find it very sad how quickly little girls are turned into sexualized beings. I have a 20 month-old daughter and the shops I buy her clothes from have lovely things for ages 0-2 and then suddenly it's all mini-skirts, high heels and hot-pants. I have beautiful hand-smocked dresses put away for age 5-6 and I have a horrible feeling that she will want skin-tight lycra and crop-tops at that age. This Christmas I asked my BIL what to get his 4 year-old daughter and he asked for a make-up set. I really didn't feel totally comfortable buying cosmetics for a 4 year-old.

Teenagers are even worse - I do agree it is a bit of a class thing though. I went to private school and we tended to wear jeans and rugby tops or nice dresses (okay they were often an inch or so shorter than they should have been) and looking at kids at these schools today they are wearing the same kind of stuff.

TV shows and reality TV figures are pretty bad. Think Jersey Shore, and what is that new one on MTV? The commercial is a highschool girl in a short dress telling her mom she's going out to study, then ending up going to some rager party? I find this stuff unbearably stupid, and plan to teach my kids that behavior like that is just dumb, but I'm wondering how prevalent these types of shows are in other countries?

TV in the UK ranges from excellent to ghastly and there is more of the latter than the former. I confess to watching things like The Apprentice but otherwise I avoid reality TV shows. I'm more of a documentary/drama/film watcher. I also watch a lot of news and political programmes.

Are others as celebrity obsessed as we seem to be in America? How closely do others follow or even care about what goes on in Hollywood or with celebrities? It seems that you can't even get the news here without having to be reminded of some celebrity in some way, shape or form.

There are lots of magazines on celebrities - I don't read them and have no interest and can easily avoid ever knowing anything about them at all. Plenty of people do follow them and I find the fact that many kids ambition in life is to be a celebrity - preferably through some pop-act show like x-factor or being on Big Brother - to be really sad. I hope my daughter has other interests in her life when she is their age.

Are uniforms commonly worn to school, or are kids allowed to dress in what they want?

Yes. I like school uniform and would want my daughter to wear it. I think it is a great leveller and means that there is no competition to have the latest brand-names or more expensive this or that. Most private schools are stricter about things like no jewellery, no make-up, no high-heels than state schools - and much stricter on uniform being worn properly, ie no shirts hanging out, ties undone etc.

Often it is allowed to wear your own clothes in the 6th form (final 2 years of high-school) but again with restrictions - ie no jeans, no torn clothes, skirts to be no more than 2 inches above the knees, hair to be 'uniform' and coventional in colour etc

Plastic surgery. How common are breast implants for weddings, nose jobs for highschool graduation gifts, massive lipo and the works for Moms trying to stay young, etc? I feel like many in the States feel that self worth lies in outward appearances and the cost of the purse you carry.

Very unusual - I don't know anyone who has had a cosmetic procedure unless it was for medical reasons (ie breast reduction).

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask this, but what are your perceptions of America/Americans in general? I live here, and I think that there's a lot of things to be proud of, but a lot of work that needs to be done.

Hope I don't offend anyone here as there are good and bad things about all countries (I could write a novel on Italy and the UK!)...
- Your maternity leave sucks - we get 12 months plus all the holiday you accrue while you are on maternity leave (the jobs I have worked in gave 6 weeks plus all statutory days a year so a total of around 38 days)
- Even though I think there is plenty wrong with our health service, it's nice to know that everything is covered for free. Care for chronic and non-life threatening conditions is very slow, but urgent care is excellent.
- I find it weird how obsessed your politicians are with being religious. Our Prime-Minister probably believes in a very liberal Church of England kind of way and goes to Church for xmas, easter etc; our Deputy Prime-Minister is an atheist and the Leader of the Opposition is an atheist. Anyone who is overtly religious in public life is regarded as a bit odd by most Brits - Tony Blair praying did not go down well at all.
- All war films seem to have to have an American 'hero' even if historically there were no Americans involved. Also films often have words changed that aren't used in the UK even when the characters are British - ie using 'candy' instead of 'sweets'.
- There is a big perception that al lot of Americans have little idea that there is a world that exists beyond the USA and that many believe that everyone would really like to be American if only they could.

I visited in 2007 and liked it way more than I expected to. I would be loathe to move to the USA though because of your health service, labour laws, vacation time and maternity leave. On the other hand you have really cheap sushi!

Just to add, 99% of Americans I have met I have found to be very warm, intelligent and incredibly generous people. My SIL here in London is American and we get on great. I have noticed though that she and many of the others are a lot more sensitive to criticism of the USA than people I know of other cultures are about criticism of theirs - I am wondering if there is a very strong emphasis put on being patriotic in the USA compared with other countries?

Is everyone else obsessed with the upcoming royal wedding ? Seems to be that America certainly is...don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for William and Kate, but there just seems to be a lot of nonsense coverage regarding the two of them, and I feel bad for her with all the comparison's to Diana and speculation rubbish.

Nope. There are magazines on it in the supermarkets, but very little on TV. I am a staunch monarchist but not a royal watcher in the sense of buying commemorative tea-towels etc. I will watch the wedding (oh, the bling that will be on display!) and enjoy the day off!

Is teen pregnancy an epidemic?

Where I live specifically we have the highest teen pregnancy rate in Britain and the rate in the UK is higher than in other European countries. It is a disgrace when you consider that we have free contraceptives (including condoms), specialist youth clinics and abortion is extremely easy to obtain (and free). However our generous welfare system means that having the baby is an option and it seems that when one girl gets pregnant, all her friends follow suit.

Please feel free to question back, add questions, etc. I know this may be stupid to some, but I'm just curious.

 

[Porridge]

My bad, thanks for clarifying Delster!

 

[AGBF]

My husband e-mailed me this article from, "The Wall Street Journal".

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html?KEYWORDS=chinese+mothers

I might not have gotten around to reading it if my 18 year-old daughter hadn't read it immediately and had such a strong response to it. Her response made me dig into my pile of e-mail and read it and I was glad that I did because I found it very thought provoking. I think that the title is, "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior". It appear to be written about Chinese mothers in the United States. I really recommend it!

Deb/AGBF