# A question for non-American SDers? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591 "2008-01-07T13:55:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/1 "2008-01-07T13:55:53Z")
Do you ever resent the implied assumption by so many posters that all SDers are American? I’m prompted to ask this by a recent thread on a different board which was started by someone asking “Where have house values fallen the most in the past few years?” I was tempted to be a smart aleck and say “Bagdad” even though I knew he meant in the United States. This sort of American bias is quite common on all the boards. Do you resent it? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/2 "2008-01-07T13:58:28Z")
No I know where the boards are hosted. Sometimes I even spell words incorrectly so as not to seem a foreign smartass. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/3 "2008-01-07T13:59:08Z")
No resentment. It’s an American board, so it’s expected. Sometimes it is weird to see stuff argued in isolation - if a non-US doper chimes in with “but it can work - we do it like this over here” or words to that effect, I tend to expect a bit of exceptionalism in return, which can be a trifle frustrating, but then that seems to be reflective of US politics in general. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/4 "2008-01-07T13:59:26Z")
Not quite the answer to your question, but related. What does bug me is when people don’t put any location or put in some cutesy joke in its place. I don’t need your adress, but some vague idea of from where you are posting would be nice. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/5 "2008-01-07T14:06:58Z")
I agree with **brewha** , especially if you’re asking a question in GQ or IMHO. Etiquette/drinking age/public nudity laws aren’t consistent around the world (or across the US) so if you want a real answer, tell us where you’re from. That’s what frustrates me. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/6 "2008-01-07T14:15:55Z")
The last time I counted, I’ve posted from around 15 countries. Whadayagoonado? ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/7 "2008-01-07T14:16:08Z")
Resent, no (There are much more important things to resent.). It might be helpful in some cases if the geographical context of a question were stated up front (as a lot do not even apply to the whole of the US). It would be still more helpful if ‘location’ fields were used to for location rather tham whimsy. Sometimes it gives me pause when posters refer to foreign languages while writing in a foreign language themselves 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/8 "2008-01-07T14:19:08Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] The last time I counted, I’ve posted from around 15 countries. Whadayagoonado? [/QUOTE] So have I. I change my status, innit. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/9 "2008-01-07T14:20:29Z")
Nope. It’s their playground. (I am Canadian in America) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/10 "2008-01-07T14:25:48Z")
I don’t resent it. I sometimes chuckle if it happens to be amusingly insular or something. I’m quite happy to be an alien. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/11 "2008-01-07T14:37:09Z")
I resent it mildly. Very mildly, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t irk me slightly on occasion. Threads like, “Is it unconstitutional to…” are the sort of things I mean. I don’t mind the threads in and of themselves, but it wouldn’t kill people to start with “In the US,…” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/12 "2008-01-07T14:40:25Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] I resent it mildly. Very mildly, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t irk me slightly on occasion. Threads like, “Is it unconstitutional to…” are the sort of things I mean. I don’t mind the threads in and of themselves, but it wouldn’t kill people to start with “In the US,…” [/QUOTE] Actually, if any of them bothered me, it would be those the least - because talk of constitutions, amendments, etc is nearly exclusively American (I know other places also have constitutions, but we tend not to talk of them in that particular way). ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/13 "2008-01-07T14:42:28Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Actually, if any of them bothered me, it would be those the least - because talk of constitutions, amendments, etc is nearly exclusively American (I know other places also have constitutions, but we tend not to talk of them in that particular way). [/QUOTE] Australia has one 🙂 but yes, point taken. There are probably a zillion better examples. I think a lot of the current football threads might fall into that category - I keep meaning to mention the Parramatta Eels, but I decide better of it. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/14 "2008-01-07T14:47:08Z")
It’s an American board, not an international one. You have to accept that. In a way I am part of a group that is even more foreign than most. Even among the non-US posters a vast majority is in some way part of the English-speaking world. I have to admit that it’s sometimes a bit strange to see a question that would make at least as much sense in general being answered in a highly US-specific way. Often there are also harmless but very interesting biases. Sometimes these are just as interesting as the actual answers. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/15 "2008-01-07T14:50:47Z")
But doesn’t the US run Teh Internets? 😉 I’m pretty sure some guy called Dan Quayle invented it and all. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/16 "2008-01-07T17:10:50Z")
[QUOTE=kellner] It’s an American board, not an international one. [/quote] I don’t understand what is meant by this. So what if the server is sitting in America, and is owned by an American company. The membership is international, and what is ‘the board’ without the members? I have to say that sometimes I do get a bit miffed at parochialism in the phrasing of posts and thread titles. But what used to bug me _faaar_ more was when I had a clear unambiguous ‘location’ entry, and comments directed towards me or replying to things I had said treated me as just another Merkin. So I went for a compromise, because I do find meaningless location entries frustrating, and went for one which is easily googleable should anybody care. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/17 "2008-01-07T17:25:16Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] I don’t understand what is meant by this. So what if the server is sitting in America, and is owned by an American company. The membership is international, and what is ‘the board’ without the members? I have to say that sometimes I do get a bit miffed at parochialism in the phrasing of posts and thread titles. But what used to bug me _faaar_ more was when I had a clear unambiguous ‘location’ entry, and comments directed towards me or replying to things I had said treated me as just another Merkin. So I went for a compromise, because I do find meaningless location entries frustrating, and went for one which is easily googleable should anybody care. [/QUOTE] I always wondered about the location thing. As it happens, my current entry Googles correctly. But, well, how could I explain in that field “from Scotland, via London and Kent, currently living in West Virginia with a long stay in Harrisburg, PA”? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/18 "2008-01-07T17:40:56Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] I don’t understand what is meant by this. So what if the server is sitting in America, and is owned by an American company. The membership is international, and what is ‘the board’ without the members? [/QUOTE] So if I visited a message board that was hosted on a server in, say, France, and was owned by a French company, and whose membership primarily consists of French citizens, is it OK for me to be mildly annoyed when French-specific things are not prefaced by “In France…”? Because it seems to me that I have no leg to stand on in that scenario. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/19 "2008-01-07T18:42:48Z")
[QUOTE=Athena] So if I visited a message board that was hosted on a server in, say, France, and was owned by a French company, and whose membership primarily consists of French citizens, is it OK for me to be mildly annoyed when French-specific things are not prefaced by “In France…”? Because it seems to me that I have no leg to stand on in that scenario. [/QUOTE] Well, the first two aspects are an irrelevance, and while Americans may be in the majority here it’s not an overwhelming one. And is your hypothetical board using French or English? If the former, then it’s not an international, or indeed global, language in the way that English has become, and so puts up another barrier to this being a meaningful analogy. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591/20 "2008-01-07T18:48:42Z")
[QUOTE=Ronald C. Semone] Do you ever resent the implied assumption by so many posters that all SDers are American? I’m prompted to ask this by a recent thread on a different board which was started by someone asking “Where have house values fallen the most in the past few years?” I was tempted to be a smart aleck and say “Bagdad” even though I knew he meant in the United States. This sort of American bias is quite common on all the boards. Do you resent it? [/QUOTE] I never really _SEE_ the implied assumption. That leaves nothing to resent. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-non-american-sders/432591.md?page=2)