uk/usa

[Kerne]

I'm not dissing the USA/Canada as ourdoorsy destinations - been to both and love 'em. It's just that Europe is more accessible for trips (not talking about emigrating, though I wouldn't mind living in many parts of Europe - our own included). OK, we have a common language (up to a point...) but culture? Not so sure, I feel more in tune with what might be termed "european" values that I do with many american ones. (Canada is a different kettle of poisson - not "american" (USish) at all!")

 

[rik_uk3]

I've lived abroad in the past Kerne, if you don't speak the language then getting 'in tune' with local values is not at all easy. Simple things like getting a phone for your house, finding a good plumber etc, things that take minutes when you speak the language take an age when you don't. I've been all over Europe and love many parts of it, but if I was younger then I'd be off to Canada or NZ in a flash. Hopefully if my daughter listens to her dad she will take her Nursing skills off to Canada. Her partner is a teacher and I'd miss them and the grandson with all my heart but they have room to grow over there; this country has become stifling plus dad would have nice holidays

 

[Kerne]

I agree - if I were a younger man I'd be off to NZ (but, possibly, not Oz) or other places that I fancy - Chile, Argentina, Canada. I have lived in France and Spain and understand reservations about language but they are not insurmountable. Also, everyone in the world wants to speak English and therefore it is easy to pick up work teaching English.

 

[Toddy]

I think at heart most folks have a village type mentality. That means connection with others, either as Tengu and I live, countryside on the doorstep but a five minute walk to the post office and the corner shop or as British Red does, five minute walk from his neighbour

Cities breed a peculiar kind of 'ignore the other' mindset since it is physically impossible to acknowledge every single person one meets. Villages don't work that way; to not acknowledge someone is an offence. Even if it's just an nod or an "aye", as we pass by.
Civilization was really just the behaviour of people who had to learn to live in very close quarters in the urbs. 'Manners' grew out of the fashions of acceptable behaviour.
Courtesy, originally the behaviour associated with the acceptable respects of the court, is really an appreciation and regard for others, respect without losing ones own, not a selfish or hide bound set of behaviours. Icy British politeness can actually be very cutting, while courtesy is a quiet smile that everybody feels.

I suspect the biggest difference UK/USA is the way that driving is used to shorten the distances. Basically the mentality is the same but in the USA they remove the distance objections by using fossil fuels. The British aim in the same situation is to be self sufficient enough that there is rarely need to travel the distance.......though if petrol were £2 a gallon here, maybe we might


My grandparents and parents walked to school, I walked to school, my children walked to school, but many of the children of their friends are driven the mile and a bit to school.
People don't want to spend the time walking for trivial things now it seems, it's about quality time for walking, or children, or entertainment.
There is no real appreciation of time to move at a natural pace in the frantic race to get to work, to get to the shops, to get to the nights out, to get on holiday.

I work from one end of the country to the other, and I'm glad I've had the opportunity, but I am conscious that the fuel burden that doing so consumes, is not doing our environment, or indeed our international political long term peace, any favours.
But that's a discussion for round the campfire

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Mountainwalker]

I feel lucky that I was born in OZ, it has about every type of wilderness you could want, and if you need alps, jump on a plane and in a few hours your in NZ. Currently live in Sydney and in an hour I can be in the World heritage listed blue mountains, which is truly mind blowing.

But I must confess that I often think how great it would be to live in the UK and have Europe on your door step, or Canada and have Alaska up above, the US and SA below.

The grass is always greener else where...always worth the trip to find out

 

[Kerne]

The grass is always greener else where...always worth the trip to find out

I'll drink to that!

 

[Tadpole]

Cities don’t breed an “ignore the neighbour” kind of people, it’s the people.
I live in a city (three miles from the centre, and two miles from the edge) I know my neighbours and their kids, and their kids friends, I speak to them and they speak to me. Ok we’re a small park where we meet, or in our local shop/post office. When the snow was on the ground, the pavements were cleared, by people, No one organised it, it happened, when my car didn’t start, I didn’t have to go knock a door, as one of my neighbours heard the problem and came and helped unasked. I know the local postman by name and the local coppers by sight. We had a street party for the world cup, and a fun day for the kids in the school holiday. We’re not the only city street like this; there are tens of hundreds of them, up and down the country.
If you don’t see this happening in you city streets, then maybe the problem is not the city street you live in, but the people who live in it
If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

 

[Tengu]

Ive never had the opportunity to travel

But Id like to see Asia

So many people who I know are hardened globe trotters have never seen Asia

 

[Toddy]

Cities don’t breed an “ignore the neighbour” kind of people, it’s the people.
I live in a city (three miles from the centre, and two miles from the edge) I know my neighbours and their kids, and their kids friends, I speak to them and they speak to me. Ok we’re a small park where we meet, or in our local shop/post office. When the snow was on the ground, the pavements were cleared, by people, No one organised it, it happened, when my car didn’t start, I didn’t have to go knock a door, as one of my neighbours heard the problem and came and helped unasked. I know the local postman by name and the local coppers by sight. We had a street party for the world cup, and a fun day for the kids in the school holiday. We’re not the only city street like this; there are tens of hundreds of them, up and down the country.
If you don’t see this happening in you city streets, then maybe the problem is not the city street you live in, but the people who live in it
If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

That's such a very good point and I apologise for my generalisation, but, my comment kind of stands. Your street, your locality, is your urban village These people aren't strangers to you, but the city as a whole ?

cheers,
M

 

[British Red]

I think its great your street is like that Tadpole, but I agree with Mary, its about "scale". I've livd all over the country - in cities for periods (due to work) and in many blocks of flats, next door neighbours never met, or even spoke. Very sad, but I think, personally, that environment does have an effect. Being "noisy" and intruding on other peoples space is anti social in a city. Round here, I can't hear my neighbour when he fires up an angle grinder at 6am. Its also okay to yell a few hundred yards "want a cuppa Dave?". Him leaning on my gate and waiting for the rotovator to stop is a pleasant interlude - not an invasion of my precious privacy (because its a rarity).

When people have space and room to breathe, and people are fewer and more spread out, contact is a pleasure, not an interruption - because its not a constant thing.

Red

 

[Opal]

Cities don’t breed an “ignore the neighbour” kind of people, it’s the people.
I live in a city (three miles from the centre, and two miles from the edge) I know my neighbours and their kids, and their kids friends, I speak to them and they speak to me. Ok we’re a small park where we meet, or in our local shop/post office. When the snow was on the ground, the pavements were cleared, by people, No one organised it, it happened, when my car didn’t start, I didn’t have to go knock a door, as one of my neighbours heard the problem and came and helped unasked. I know the local postman by name and the local coppers by sight. We had a street party for the world cup, and a fun day for the kids in the school holiday. We’re not the only city street like this; there are tens of hundreds of them, up and down the country.
If you don’t see this happening in you city streets, then maybe the problem is not the city street you live in, but the people who live in it
If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

were they walking police? never seen a policeman on the beat where I live and I've moved back here over five years ago.

Seen the odd police car pass when they've been late for lunch.

We have a park three minute walk away where there is a police station, a hundred yards from them, youngsters would run amok, getting drunk and throwing bottles at anglers and passers by.

The windows of the station overlook the area, sad innit?

 

[Tadpole]

were they walking police? never seen a policeman on the beat where I live and I've moved back here over five years ago.

Seen the odd police car pass when they've been late for lunch.

We have a park three minute walk away where there is a police station, a hundred yards from them, youngsters would run amok, getting drunk and throwing bottles at anglers and passers by.

The windows of the station overlook the area, sad innit?

Yes they are and were on foot, we/I must be lucky or I'm just ace at spotting them, as I see coppers (both CSO and PC) most of the time when I'm out and about.
Just so you know, I don't live in some bucolic idyll, I live in a place where the people are packed in 4000 to the Km2, where street gangs burn cars and break in house, my street had it's very own drug den/ knocking shop, ( till the police raided it and put away the owners,) We had to put gates each end of the back alleys to stop the bike mules (drug pushers use push bikes and really young kids to carry drugs to the buyers) from using back garden to dump their drugs as they ran from the vice cars.

The middle of the Park is a no-go area after dark as there is no lighting away from the paths. It does not stop anyone in any of the houses from getting to know their neighbours, it did not stop the park bench repairing cleaning and repainting that happened last year, or the collective neighbourhood dredging of the lake for burnt out cars and shopping trolleys a couple of years ago.
This year there will be a week of "fun days" some time during the school holidays for kids of all ages; all the neighbourhood that surround the park will be there, all doing their bit.
It may be just an "urban take on the village", and to be honest sometimes I'd like to have the time, just like some of you seem to have, just to be left alone to peek out through the parlour window blinds/curtains, at the outside world, as it rushes by. I'd have a whole lot more time to read the "red tops" and join in the grousing on how “ this precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, or as a moat defensive to a house, against the envy of less happier lands, this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England” , has well and truly gone to the dogs.

 

[rik_uk3]

"I suspect the biggest difference UK/USA is the way that driving is used to shorten the distances. Basically the mentality is the same but in the USA they remove the distance objections by using fossil fuels. The British aim in the same situation is to be self sufficient enough that there is rarely need to travel the distance.......though if petrol were £2 a gallon here, maybe we might"

Not sure I understand what your saying, anyway, people in this country burn enough fossil fuels. I live in whats classed as a village, its nice, but people drive everywhere, same as everywhere else in the UK. In reality most people don't give a t*** about using fuel, they may say they do but in reality they don't. How many folk drive blooming great 4X4's that never see mud? bet there are one or two on this forum who's 'essential' off roader only does the School or Tesco run. At least most Americans need to drive where many of us don't but choose to.

Petrol is pretty much $4 a gallon now by the way, so well over £2.

 

[santaman2000]

"I suspect the biggest difference UK/USA is the way that driving is used to shorten the distances. Basically the mentality is the same but in the USA they remove the distance objections by using fossil fuels. The British aim in the same situation is to be self sufficient enough that there is rarely need to travel the distance.......though if petrol were £2 a gallon here, maybe we might"

Not sure I understand what your saying, anyway, people in this country burn enough fossil fuels. I live in whats classed as a village, its nice, but people drive everywhere, same as everywhere else in the UK. In reality most people don't give a t*** about using fuel, they may say they do but in reality they don't. How many folk drive blooming great 4X4's that never see mud? bet there are one or two on this forum who's 'essential' off roader only does the School or Tesco run. At least most Americans need to drive where many of us don't but choose to.

Petrol is pretty much $4 a gallon now by the way, so well over £2.

I think most of us (US & UK) care about the pollution aspect but you're quite right about not caring enough to stop driving. What most of us subconciously want is for our engines to suddenly not be polluting (and petrol go back to the cheap 25 cents per gallon it was when I was learning to drive in the late 1960s) yet be the same old types we know how to work on and brag on.

 

[santaman2000]

Interesting commentary on the social differences between cities, villages and rural farmland. I agree about what was said about cities being divided into neighborhoods where the social contact is closer and more interconnected with one's neighbors.

I believe more of the disconnect we have today is due to our more mobile lives. I'm not talking about mobile in the sense of driving across town or farther to work or shop. Rather I'm talking about how common it is for us today to actually move every few years due to a new job, promotion or whatever other reason. It makes it more difficult to form long term bonds to our communities and neighbors than it was in the past.

 

[retired member need4wilderness]

i agree with british red all the way ! Also theirs the stress factor in cities & towns where as scientists now say country life is good for your health . Also a 30 min walk in clean country air can have lots off benefits to ones self.
ALSO to be part off a whole community is a great way tto socialise organising events for the benefit off the village & community.

 

[santaman2000]

The only knife laws in Texas are no switchblades butterfly knives or
carrying a fixed blade over 5in blade unless you are hunting camping
fishing or just walking in the woods then the blade length is not a problem.

Oddly enough, Bowie Knives are also illegal in Texas.

 

[Toddy]

That's a long breath Santaman and we've been complaining about the site's search engine too, yet you seem to have sussed it

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Steffen]

Oddly enough, Bowie Knives are also illegal in Texas.

the gun laws make up for it, imo

 

[santaman2000]

That's a long breath Santaman and we've been complaining about the site's search engine too, yet you seem to have sussed it

cheers,
Toddy

LOL. Not quite. I ran across this thread while searching for another.