# What do I need to know about the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 17, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576 "2002-05-17T16:21:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/41 "2002-05-20T19:45:33Z")
Let’s see. Some Americans are very parochial. The country is so big, and you have to cross an ocean to get to Europe, so a lot of people have never been outside the U.S. However, this does not prevent them from having STRONG opinions about other countries. Try to have a sense of humor about this. Girls love men with accents. You can get Clark’s shoes here, but god they are ugly no matter what continent you live on. Hiller’s supermarkets have foods from Great Britain. [http://www.hillersmarkets.com/BritishFoods.cfm](http://www.hillersmarkets.com/BritishFoods.cfm) People in Michigan drive fast. Good lord do they ever. The roads are also terrible. Go figure. Passenger trains are not widely used and don’t cover much of the country (although the Detroit-Chicago line is very busy and it’s a great train trip) There is some good rugby in Michigan if you’re a fan. Make plans in the future to see the different parts of the U.S. and be blown away by how much geography and immigration patterns from 100 years ago or more still influence local culture. It’s really cool. ---
**Author:** ![Doubting\_Robert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Doubting\_Robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubting_Robert)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/42 "2002-05-20T21:09:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Scrivener \* > \*\* > Most kids here attend public schools, unless their parents believe it’s worth it to spring for private (often parochial or otherwise special) schooling. > > . . . > > “Rubber” is the stuff that tires and pencil erasers are made of. > > \*\* Just to clarify . . … In America, public shools are tax-supported, more-or-less free (for the first 12 or 13 years) schools. (Above the 12th grade, they have tuition, but they are subsidised by taxes.) I don’t know what that’s called in the UK. We have “grades,” not “forms,” although I am not sure how those terms compare. I believe the UK uses the term “public schools” to refer to the tuition-supported schools that the US calls “private schools.” **The Scrivner** ’s remark regarding “Rubber” confuses me, since I believe that definition of rubber is what you are used to. I think it also means “any kind of eraser” in the UK, a meaning it does not have here. In the US, “a rubber” means a condom, not an eraser. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/43 "2002-05-20T21:48:27Z")
You can officially consider yourself a Michigander when the following words come out of your mouth: “Oh, its not THAT cold.” Michigan has the second-most days of cloud cover in the US (I believe Washington State has us beat). A condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder is fairly common in the winter – its when you get a sort of low grade depression (sometimes expressed as extreme grumpiness) from not having enough sunlight. Pay attention to your mood – for most people its easily treated with special (not very expensive) lightbulbs that mimic sunlight. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/44 "2002-05-20T22:17:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*ShibbOleth, I was lured here under false pretenses. I was told we had at least one good football team Although, being able to watch football on tv at a reasonable hour makes up for that \*\* Despite what **ShibbOleth** says, the U-M football team is not bad. (1. They’ve gone to post-season bowl games 26 years straight; 2. They’ve won 5 of their last 8 bowl games; 3. They’ve gone undefeated twice in the past 10 years; 4. They haven’t lost more than 4 games in one season since 1984; and 5. No where in the nation can you party with 110,000+ of your closest friends on a Saturday morning/ afternoon every fall. Ain’t nothing quite like cracking a beer and firing up the grill at 8 a.m. for a 12:30 game.) Granted last season was rather heartbreaking, but they still finished second in the Big 10. U-M’s got excellent recruiting, so even if you suffer through a couple of so-so seasons, a great one isn’t usually far behind. I highly advise getting tickets to a Michigan game this fall. 🙂 stv ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/45 "2002-05-21T20:53:09Z")
Don’t take what people have said about American cops to mean that they’re trigger-happy psychos. Just bear in mind that criminals over here sometimes think they can shoot their way out of a situation, and routine traffic stops are a very dangerous proposition for the cops sometimes. If you’re ever pulled over, you’ll notice that the police officer will probably rest his/her hand on his/her pistol. Just keep your hands in plain view and be polite, and the officer will probably be polite right back to you. I don’t know what the comment about making yourself scarce on the 4th of July was all about. Go out and enjoy the fireworks. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/46 "2002-05-21T21:10:46Z")
Last time I heard Americans rib a Brit on July 4th, she just laughed and said they celebrated on July 5th since that’s the day the Brits started shooting back. Hardee har har. Make Brynda take you to the Freedom Festival. It’s where the U.S & Canada celebrate their holidays together. Lotsa fireworks. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/47 "2002-05-22T03:39:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hello Again \* > \*\*Michigan has the second-most days of cloud cover in the US (I believe Washington State has us beat). A condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder is fairly common in the winter – its when you get a sort of low grade depression (sometimes expressed as extreme grumpiness) from not having enough sunlight. Pay attention to your mood – for most people its easily treated with special (not very expensive) lightbulbs that mimic sunlight. \*\* Ummmm… **RickQ** is from the UK. The weather there is a bit like that in Michigan, only worse. They are a lot closer to the Artic Circle therefore during the winter the days are shorter and the nights are longer than in Michigan. He’ll easily adjust to the weather. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/48 "2002-05-22T05:05:04Z")
In the US, a napkin is what you use to wipe your hands and mouth while eating a meal. A sanitary napkin is what a woman uses during her period. ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/49 "2002-05-22T06:53:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kilt-wearin’ man \* > \*\*Don’t take what people have said about American cops to mean that they’re trigger-happy psychos. Just bear in mind that criminals over here sometimes think they can shoot their way out of a situation, and routine traffic stops are a very dangerous proposition for the cops sometimes. If you’re ever pulled over, you’ll notice that the police officer will probably rest his/her hand on his/her pistol. Just keep your hands in plain view and be polite, and the officer will probably be polite right back to you. \*\* They’re trigger-happy psychos in Arizona. Phoenix police have 1) shot a man with a rock hiding behind a tree, 2) shot a man carrying a rolled-up newspaper, 3) killed a 17-year-old from a distance of over 10 feet away without yelling, “Halt!” “Alto!” or “Police” and let his body lay on the sidewalk of an apartment complex for seven hours without covering it (a few of their bullets missed my window by inches–and this was a nice, middle class apartment complex), 4) strangled a man and let him die in the back seat of a cop car, and 5) strangled a paraplegic. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/50 "2002-05-22T06:59:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kniz \* > \*\*Ummmm… **RickQ** is from the UK. The weather there is a bit like that in Michigan, only worse. They are a lot closer to the Artic Circle therefore during the winter the days are shorter and the nights are longer than in Michigan. He’ll easily adjust to the weather. \*\* Have you ever _been_ to the UK in the winter, kniz? The weather’s nowhere near as bad as Michigan! [sub]well except maybe in Scotland[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/51 "2002-05-22T13:50:24Z")
Even though American football is different from football in other countries, it’s probably best if you _don’t_ translate “football” to “soccer” when talking about the game back home. There are two important reasons for this: First, everyone here knows the difference and if they hear you say “football” in the context of England they know you don’t mean the game played at the Superbowl each year. Second, “soccer” over here connotes more of a suburban family oriented game played by young–and sometimes VERY young children. This can lead to absurdly humorous connotations, as when on TV last night I heard a character refer to a “soccer riot”. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/52 "2002-05-22T13:51:56Z")
Of course, I didn’t mean to imply that we don’t have adult competitive soccer here, we do. But it’s not nearly as prominent in the popular imagination as the children’s league game. ---
**Author:** ![RickQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@RickQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickQ)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/53 "2002-05-22T14:58:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hello Again \* > \*\*You can officially consider yourself a Michigander when the following words come out of your mouth: > > “Oh, its not THAT cold.” > > \*\* Wooohoooo!!! I’m officially a Michigander as I said this last night when we were waiting to get some ice cream and **Brynda** said it was cold 🙂 As for the weather, I was beginning to think I had disrupted the local weather patterns by coming over here cause it was so cloudy. England is the cloud capital of the world, I think. **CrankyAsAnOldMan** , thanks for the link to Hillers Markets, I might have to pop in and check it out. Thanks for the heads up about rugby too, one of **Brynda** ’s co-workers knows someone who runs a team. Driving here is an experience, but I don’t really think it is any worse than England. I do plan to visit other parts of the country at some point in the future as well. **stv** , thanks for giving me some hope of seeing good football 🙂 I might have to post another thread so someone can explain what all the bowls mean and how they decide who is the overall winner. **javaman** , I have got the football vs football thing down. I know that the women’s game is much bigger here than in the UK. I was never that into football in England anyway, I’m more of a rugby/American football fan. Thanks for all the hints and tips. Any more will be noted and added to my survival handbook 😃 Rick ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576/54 "2002-05-23T14:25:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Squish \* > \*\* > They’re trigger-happy psychos in Arizona. Phoenix police have 1) shot a man with a rock hiding behind a tree, 2) shot a man carrying a rolled-up newspaper, 3) killed a 17-year-old from a distance of over 10 feet away without yelling, “Halt!” “Alto!” or “Police” and let his body lay on the sidewalk of an apartment complex for seven hours without covering it (a few of their bullets missed my window by inches–and this was a nice, middle class apartment complex), 4) strangled a man and let him die in the back seat of a cop car, and 5) strangled a paraplegic. \*\* So the Phoenix Police are out of control. That doesn’t affect the cops in other cities, nor does it mean that all cops are trigger happy psychos. Hell, it doesn’t even mean that all Arizona cops are dangerous. It means that some serious cleaning up needs to happen in your city’s police department. I doubt if **RickQ** will ever have a run-in with a bad cop, even if he visits Phoenix. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-the-us/109576.md?page=2)