n/m
On a tablet and too dumb to link but I saw a configuration of 13 equally populated states that actually made pretty good sense (the point of the exercise was to “go back” to the nation’s original number of states). We’d have to revise our thinking about the Senate - 26 senators probably isn’t enough - and have to incorporate a plan for adjusting borders when populations become badly imbalanced but it was balanced geographically, politically and demographically.
Of course that doesn’t take into account the feelings of those who are emotionally loyal to their current home states, feelings I don’t share and in fact are always surprised to encounter. But they must be acknowledged as genuine.
To the extent that America can be described as having more than one culture—whichbin general an overstatement, we share more culture than not—they aren’t regional as these kinds of exercises always represent.
You mean aside from the map implying that the US has annexed Canada and Mexico?
The book is just a gimmick, and (as Exapno Mapcase points out), a derivative rip-off. Woodward is conveniently ignoring two obvious things which make this an idle conceit: Americans move a lot, and about 80 years ago they invented this thing called "television."
The map does not imply that in the least.
It’s not a political map. It’s a map of “North American Nations”. It’s depicting some portions of the United States as being part of the same cultural group as some parts of Mexico and Canada. It’s not showing Mexico and Canada as having lost their state sovereignty.
The map is clearly labeled “The 11 nations of North America.” Not “11 regions of the United States.”
Is it the use of the word “nation” to mean a group of people sharing a common culture that is confusing you?
Yes–this alone shows that it indeed was NOT well though out.
By whom (among Europeans) and how various regions of the US or ‘North America’ were settled does have some relevance. For example how the NY area, the former New Netherlands, is still influenced by the Dutch is an interesting thing, part of ‘NY-ness’ is really New Netherlands-ness. But it’s pretty subtle influence at this point…which is why plenty of people who live here, or are even from here, don’t realize that’s part of what’s different about NY. Calling it ‘an entirely different culture’ across all people who live in this area now v all people who live elsewhere in the US now would be a gigantic exaggeration. Likewise it would be a gross oversimplification to attribute the unique aspects of NY-area culture just to Dutch roots, and ignore all the distinct influences from later groups over-represented in this area compared to the rest of the US (Jews are as heavily represented nowhere else in the US, and Irish and Italians as heavily represented only a limited number of other places, plus now the ongoing evolution in NY culture from the diverse mix of recent immigrants accounting for nearly 40% foreign born in the City).
Regions would properly be divided if we went by which Pokémon Gym operates in the area.
Heh, I was amused that they gave the name “Firelands” to Northern Ohio. Firelands is a local name of historical meaning known only to people in central Northern Ohio.
During the Revolutionary War, the British burnt down several Connecticut towns. The western end of the Connecticut Western Reserve was set aside to be given to Nutmeggers who’d had their homes arsoned, thus “Firelands.” Several town names in that region are named after the torched places in Connecticut. The land wasn’t opened for settlement until many years had passed and there were ultimately a few arson survivors who eventually came out for the land offered them.
This. With few exceptions, my sense of how close I feel to the culture of a particular place can be determined by where it is in the blending of rural, small town, suburbs, city, and metropolises (as a place can have characteristics of multiple types of these) and how much the inhabitants speak English (no pun intended.) As much as the boonies and the Big City are exciting, I feel closest to non-suburban small cities, but it doesn’t usually matter in the English-speaking world those large towns are (of the places I’ve visited, I’d make an exception for the Deep South.)
Because I grew up in a college town in Upstate New York, I’d probably feel more at home in a college town in Virginia than I do here in Florida in endless suburbia. I’d also probably feel more at home in a college town in Virginia than I would in the Albany area which also has endless suburbs.
Yeah, I lived my life in big city burbs, DC, Philly, New York, Boston, and for a while LA. That’s my state.
At my very first glance, I’d assume a person in rural midstate Illinois has more in common with a person from rural Wisconsin than a person from Chicago does, yet Chicago and all of WI are part of “Yankeedom” and the guy in Lacon, IL is in a different “nation”.
They put DC in Tidewater. Maryland suburbs split between Tidewater and Midlands. Northern Virginia suburbs split between Tidewater and Appalachia.
What are you guys talking about?
I like to think that we, along with parts of Canada, are united by our Maple syrup production in a region called Sapland.
So, Fredericton is more like Detroit than Windsor?
The fact that of the 11 nations of North America, none of them is based on African-Americans’ culture?
while I’m happy “Detroit” doesn’t share anything with present-day Ohio, I’ll be damned if I ever stand by while the UP goes to those Wisconsin bastards.
In terms of tree vampires, certainly.