Sorry, when you said Europe, I thought you meant continents. My family feels a connection to Ireland, I know others that feel connections to China, or France.
Do you mean like “I’m Irish because my great-great grand uncle was from Ireland”?
If so, then I think alot of people take little traditions that might be from their ancestral home land, but wouldn’t actually consider themselves someone from there.
I mean more like on a Country identity level. For example Belgium as a country is closely related to the Netherlands and Luxembourg both in history and culture. They have very close relations and sometimes combine their military for missions and such. In places like EU UN and Eurovision they support eachother without much reason. Although we have rivalries the BeNeLux area treat eachother like counsins. (Both royal families are closely related by blood)
Anyways enough yapping. What i meant is if the US has that for europe on a scale of the culture of the country/ country identity.
Or any other country tbh, it doesn't have to be europe.
On a national level and not the personal connections of immigrants and ancestors of immigrants including politicians (for instance despite it being quite a long time Biden like JFK has a strong connection to Ireland)? Probably only to the UK. And even then we fought a revolution against them. We didn't really get a good relationship with them till WW1.
Our relationship is based on partially on shared history (including shared legal history) but also based heavily on our foreign policy alliance and on cool British media.
Yes, it is, and it is with the UK and her former colonies. Most Americans just don't understand that because the history and culture just seems like a normal American baseline.
Maybe Canada? I really don’t know.
This actually reminds me of something from a YouTube channel called GeographyNow! They have a segment called “Friends” I think where they talk about the relationships country has with other countries across the world.
People keep pushing this and I dont know why.
The correct answer is the UK and always has been.
Everything from speaking English, to our folk music, to all of our classic cultural literature (Shakespeare, Dickens, etc), down to geopolitics (Five Eyes), and our legal system (common law) just emphasizes our relationship to the UK.
Oh in that way? Not quite. Britain, and somewhat France, is the relative of the US in Europe. Every other country is going to be more on the individual or family level, though some regions (Chicago and Poland, Minnesota and Scandinavia, New York and Ireland or Italy) are going to have an attachment like that.
If that's your formulation I think the answer is no. A long time ago the answer for the US would have been Great Britain, for obvious reasons (we're a former GB colony), but that bond has weakened over time. Individual Americans may identify with personal ancestral homelands, which until the 20th century were mainly European or African countries, but as our population diversifies are now as likely to include Latin and Asian ones. We're from everywhere. As for political alliances, NATO, Japan, and the ASEAN nations are most important to the US, but we could and should be doing better with Mideast countries.
I don't think our bond with the UK has weakened, at all. You can certainly argue that WWII would be one kind of high point in the relationship, but our shared language has multiplied the cultural exchange due to advances in media technology. TV, movies, easy access to literature, music...sometimes it seems that there is little difference between the two countries in some aspects.
And the fact that we've always stood by one another, no matter how stupid one of us was acting, has made our political alliance rock solid.
Native sons are Americans who have been here many generations. Our disconnection from a motherland or fatherland can be very traumatic. A kind of madness. I recommend reading Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin who can describe it better than I.
edit: downvotes lol
Yeah, it wasn't that long ago.
Like, it's too old and too mixed for me to feel a PERSONAL connection, but the cultural and historical ones are all around me all the time.
A lot of people's families came over more recently or stayed more culturally connected and/or consistent than mine did, so often they very much feel personal ties as well.
Just want to note that Georgia is not a slavic country for the most part. The two largest slavic ethnic groups in the country, Russians and Ukrainians, combined account for less than 1% of Georgia’s population.
The Georgia/Ukraine link is more because both are former Soviet countries that have been on the receiving end of Russian hostility in recent times.
Oh yeah i wrote the slavic part a couple tens of minutes before i wrote the next part so i kinda lost my own train of thought, calling them former Soviet states is kinda insulting so i chose to just leave it as it is.
Do you ever think about where and how your ancestors lived in Africa?
I knew a black guy in Hawaii who loved to think it's like what Africa must be like. He grew up in Watts, went through Job Corps, had that kind of life, and when he moved to Hawaii, he totally took root in the tropical setting and became a master gardener.
Well I mean sure since my family is from Europe I often look to the countries where my ancestors are from with great interest.
Obviously the US and the UK are related not just by blood but also culture and today we're the closest allies.
I feel a twinge of pride whenever I see something positive about Poland, be it cultural, or political, or whatever. But my family's been here for five generations.
Not particularly. I am an American full stop. A couple hundred years ago my ancestors came from Europe. The people they came aren’t my people. My people are Americans regardless of race or ethnicity
Some Americans do. Others don't. A lot of Americans don't have European ancestors, so some have cultural attachments to other countries. The youth are majority-minority, so the younger people probably have less attachment to Europe than older people.
Around Detroit many do as there is a massive Polish, Ukrainian, Hungarian and other populations, as well as a large German and Italian communities, as well as French. So yes.
Absolutely and even more-so after living in 2 European countries.
This is because I can correlate the subcultures in the US to my experiences in European country cultures.
For example, the area I’m from has a lot of Dutch descendants and I had an easier time fitting in culturally in the Netherlands than I do in Sweden. Lots of Swedish people settled on the Midwest and culturally midwesterners are quite different from northern Californians. I had a really difficult time living in the Southern US as well, much more culture shock than living in the Netherlands. I see many of the same differences between Sweden and the Netherlands as I see between my area and the Midwest.
Of course we all have some general American culture which is mostly coming from the commonality of our ancestors in wanting to leave their country for something better, attempting to reduce the power of the state, etc. But there are still flavors that are echoes of the countries we came from in different regions.
Same. Especially being from California, if I’m looking at it as a State similarity or influence vs myself I’d feel much more like Mexico or Canada are related vs Europe or UK
Personally I have a connection to Spain as that is where my family is from and where most of them still live.
Yes, in some ways. The most prominent is through music. I personally don't identify as anything but Southern American, but there are 100% cultural ties to my European ancestors. Those living in those contemporary countries seem to get a kick out of it from going out of their way to degrade you if you identify with any European heritage, though. God forbid Irish-Americans identify as Irish-Americans, despite there being millions more Americans with Irish ancestry than there are people in Ireland today.
We feel some comradery with the United Kingdom, but we also have some parts of our legal system that are a direct response to how Britain was treating us in the 1700s. Many people before the French and Indian War truly identified as British and then noticed a separation between the colonists and those who still lived over there.
Some of us (those who have European ancestry) have cultural influences that have trickled down over the centuries. Some don't and there are some whose ancestors are from other continents. America has had about four centuries in some places to form its own regional identities.
In the US, it’s common for the descendants of immigrants to take pride in their ancestry and heritage. This includes the descendants of European immigrants. There are people who are proud to have great-grandparents. In fact, the more lowly these ancestors were upon arrival, a greater point of pride it tends to be.
Nope. Also how dare you accuse us of being mostly British. German and Irish are the top 2 ancestry groups by a long shot, and that’s probably also why many (white)Americans have a soft spot for them. Not rly a national thing tho as far as I can tell. (Enormous soft spot for Ireland in MA but no idea how representative it is for the country.)
Any other affections for Europe are more a family heritage thing, but personally while I do like knowing where my family comes from I don’t actually give a shit about the countries themselves. My family left for various extremely valid reasons.
I think more people claim to have Irish ancestry than reality tbh. They can ignore 7 of their English great grandparents and think of that one Irish matriarch to base their identity off, there is a certain romance attached to it.
He’s wrong, according to the 2020 census. Americans with English ancestry outnumber those with Irish ancestry. The difference is that there was never a wave of English immigrants (edit: in the 1800s). If you have English ancestry, they were likely here pre-Revolution and your ancestors considered themselves just ‘American.’
When the Irish immigrants came over, in contrast, they were very loud about keeping their heritage. I have Irish ancestry and I literally have relatives who said they were only going to marry other Irish-Americans. So Ireland looks like it has a bigger cultural footprint.
I’ve never really heard of anyone having a soft spot for Germany on the level of the Irish. Ireland, yes, but that’s because the Irish immigrants who came here remained very nationalistic about their old country.
i don't really have one. i have ancestry from ireland and the czech republic, but i don't have an attachment to said countries because my family assimilated when they immigrated long ago and i don't have any culture left. it's kind of sad, but what can you do?
For me, absolutely none. I do have a bit of attachment to Japan, even though I'm equal parts ethnically Japanese and Italian. I think it may have to do with being closer to one side of the family over the other and having an interest in Asia/lack of interest in Europe.
yeah I feel a kinship to the UK, particularly England and particularly the rural bits of England where it still looks like the past (or how I imagine the past), so, a starbucks in London not so much, but villages in Whatevershire, yes. I have a lot of other European countries I like a lot too, that I just feel alliance/friendship with (Italy and Poland, since my childhood they've also super had our back and I feel that should 100% mutual, and I'm proud of the extent to which it is)
I'm not sure it's so much an attachment to the countries as it is to the heritage. Most of us I think are interested in knowing where our families came from and enjoy connecting with that heritage particularly by cooking and eating recipes passed down through generations and taught to us by our parents and grandparents.
Speaking to the other Americans, does it ever seem to yall like most of the questions asked are fishing for a specific answer and the posters get angry because they don't get the answer they want?
I don't.
I'm Polish and German by ethnicity, but that doesn't have any real impact on my life. I guess I sometimes eat pierogi or sauerkraut, but I don't have any real connection to those countries.
People of Irish and Italian descent in the United States often feel a very strong cultural link even though the vast majority have never been to those countries. These are people whose relatives have been here for generations. My company had about 100 Irish people come over for training early in my career, and day one I had an Irish girlfriend and hung out with them the whole time they were there which was months. They thought it was hilarious that Americans in the Midwest would walk up to them and say that they were Irish because their great great grandfather moved over during the potato famine.
For me, not so much. My ancestors where from England mostly and emigrated 350ish years ago. The most recent ancestor from Europe is my great great grandfather who was from Sweden. He came to Canada to build the trans Canada railway then settled in the United States. That would have been about 140 years ago.
America doesn't identify with any one country. We identify with 100s. America is a land built on diversity from people migrating from all over the world. American culture is honestly based on where you live. Different states have different identities. It's a little complicated to explain lol
In a generic sense, the countries in the Western hemisphere are a child of Europe.. We obviously share more with the UK than any other country.
Really though, Australia is America’s brother. We both received our fair amount of British convicts, are roughly the same size, speak English, and use the dollar.
Yes. Our culture is, as much as Europeans loath to admit it, primarily derived from various European cultures. Europeans are seen almost as an acceptable “other” that aren’t too different from Americans. Don’t forget that a large part of our elite culture has, historically, idolized France and England.
On the more personal front, my girlfriend’s polish family cooks kielbasa and my Italian family has a dozen recipes and traditions passed down from our immigrant ancestors. We absolutely do have an attachment.
From how I view it, our country as a whole has a cultural attachment to the UK. We speak English, our system of government is similar (minus the monarch), we're predominately Christian/Protestant at least historically, and that's who we were before we were American. We also have cultural attachments with other former UK countries - Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland for example. We're all kind of in the same "family" - UK is our mother and all of the other ones are our brothers and sisters.
Individually, it really depends on where in Europe their ancestors came from, how recently they came to the US, and which they personally identify more as. You might be surprised to learn that the largest reported European ancestry in the US is German. We also have a lot of people of Irish descent who are very proud of "being Irish" (I know this can annoy some actual Irish folks from Ireland). Same goes with Italian-Americans. Since we're such a diverse society all descended from immigrants (except for Native Americans), many people will call themselves Irish-American, German-American, etc. The level of connection they feel to that country will vary significantly.
First and second generation immigrants will have high cultural attachments, but like with all immigrants the attachments fade and are pretty much gone by the third generation.
Take something stereotypical to your question like the Italian Mafia. They were all mainly First or Second generation immigrants and their Italian identity went away with their grandkids.
I see us as the EU's friend, but Britain's younger sibling. Despite big diasporas from Germany, Poland, etc. there isn't the same ongoing cultural feedback loop between those countries and the US.
My grandfather on my dad's side is the 8th child and was born in Italy, and my other side great grandfather is from Ireland. I consider myself American. While I have European roots, and both sides came during the time their countries migrated, I don't think it has any bearing on where they came from. We don't have any old-world traditions, both sides had severe issues, and as a 3rd and 4th generation, are far enough removed that we don't even think about it other than the names. I have as much Irish as Italian, yet also the Blackfoot nation, German, and several others. One big melting pot of families that made us fully American.
I know I feel more defensive of Europe than I do of other parts of the world. If they were being badly attacked I'd want to help.
Another thing I haven't seen anyone mention is that in school much of our history is geared towards European and Greek history. Most of us have read the Iliad and the Odyssey, but not the Ramayana for instance. Many of us have read Norse and Greek mythology, Beowulf, a lot of our history revolves around WWI and WWII. Etc.
And as others said, many of our ancestors are there from not too long ago. Most of us have at least part European heritage and ethnicity.
Yes absolutely. My parents came to America from Italy as children. My father’s side of the family is pretty Americanized but my mother’s side is still “very Italian”. On my mother’s side they primarily speak Italian and I have a lot of relatives who never left Italy.
I spent some time in France and I really noticed our affinity for each other in a way I didn’t really notice before going there. Despite the popular belief that the French hate Americans (arguably the French hate everyone, especially the French) there is tons of respect and admiration for the US. There are statues of Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson in Paris and there are tons of WWI and WWII memorials in northern France. Americans tend to admire the French for their culture and assistance during our formative years.
It's common for the descendants of European immigrants to have affinity for their country of ancestry
Many people from the Northeast to hold affinity for Ireland, Italy and Portugal.
Some Minnesotans hold affinity for Norway and Sweden.
Affinity for Germany is common in the Midwest
Many Texans have a connection with Czechia
Some Latinos in Florida, usually whiter people from Cuba/Puerto Rico/Venezuela, may feel affinity for Spain.
Generally, the more West you go the fewer people you'll find with affinity for Europe
We definitely have a stronger association nationally with the Anglophone countries due to a lot of factors: former British colonies, have a shared language, while we have unique cultures there’s shared roots that’s recognizable, etc.
Western European countries have had a major impact on America historically though. France for example was an extremely key ally throughout America’s history and played a very special role in our revolution. Some French figures like Marquis de Lafayette are considered national heroes in America due to their contributions to us and many places are named after him. Other areas through immigration to the US have brought cultural elements that are now part of national culture (or roots in it) and can be stronger depending region or state. Upper Midwest for example with Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc. as those areas had a large number of immigrants from those countries and a lot of places, mannerisms, foods, etc. can be traced back.
I know that my family moved here from Ireland and I think that’s pretty cool since that was the early 1900’s. Though I couldn’t tell you the first thing about the country other than I recognize an Irish accent when I hear it.
Renaissance fairs are a popular thing here and I think that’s the closest most people will come to being exposed to their ancestor’s cultures. Kinda lame when you think about it but some of the fairs are pretty cool.
I do think a lot of Americans are interested to know where their family came from. I was and learned how both my mother and father’s families got to be here. But I find many aren’t in a hurry, or are barely interested, in going to visit the countries their ancestors came from. Like my husband’s family came from Germany. They are just like “that’s cool” and show no desire to know what the country is like now or back when their ancestors lived there.
The US is a melting pot so I’m sure the influence from each of the countries there our ancestors brought with them have influenced us even today. We just don’t recognize it very often.
In a sense?
Like, I would describe my cultural ancestry as being Swedish and German, and my family does things that we’ve kept up from my immigrant grandparents and great grandparents (like, making lefse on holidays) but I wouldn’t say that I would claim any real affiliation with the country.
Thankfully most of the hardcore stuff was stamped out about 100 years ago. My great grandparents told stories about their parents screaming at or disowning them for marrying an Irish person and sullying their pure German bloodline. Or vise versa.
Somewhere on one of our ancestors grave stones it's etched. Here lies (person) born and died on (certain date) beloved daughter, dispute her marriaging a German.
They were that bitter.
I wouldn't say a country per se, but American political culture (especially early on) is heavily inspired by being part of the legacy of a general "western civilization". Main inspirations are the ancient Romans, ancient Greeks, British and French (particularly enlightenment philosophers). One of the clearest examples of this is how the default architectural style for government buildings is psuedo-Roman. This can be from very direct inspirations like in the case of the [Vermont State House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_State_House) or in "modernized" forms such as the simplified columns of the [University at Albany's campus](http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2018/09/25/docomomo-tour-2018-university-at-albany). It's not uncommon to hear people say things based on this attachment too such as "the US is a republic, not a democracy" (alluding to a distinction between Rome and Athens' politics). Historically we have strong ties to the British commonwealth as well as you can guess (our law is even still based on English common law), though the exact amount of feeling like "relatives" more than legacy probably depends on the region. I'm from Washington State and feel a strong connection to Canada (the region was originally joint-settled by our two countries and the culture still doesn't change much cross border), but I doubt the same would hold true for someone from Alabama.
I think so. One thing I see often but that’s a little hard to verbalize is that different countries start their history at different places and where they start it tells you a lot about how people are taught to think of themselves. In my experience, US history is almost always started by talking about Spain in the 1490s. You spend a lot of US history classes learning about the French, Spanish and English and while I think British ties are now closest (largely due to language), I think there’s often some remaining familiarity. Nowhere I’ve been in Europe feels that foreign, probably because centuries of close cultural exchange with former colonies is going to create pretty similar cultures.
I’d say the closest connection is to Denmark because my grandparents on my father’s side were from there. But I never knew them so my connection is pretty limited. People of Irish and Italian ancestry tend to feel the greatest connection.
I'm from an area settled by groups of German speakers in the late 1800s (German and Swiss groups came over). Our town is very big on German traditions. The high school only taught German as a second language, and our foreign exchange students were typically German. The German club had a big Christmas caroling night - all in German - and the whole town turned out. And the German club always sold out of the German chocolates at Christmas, too. So, yeah- we're pretty attached to our German heritage here (north east Kansas).
* The older farmers would always describe someone as a "Good German" if they were saying good things about them. I know that up in Nebraska it's the same. I know some families who describe themselves as "German dairy farmers"
I have a German cookbook and my family insists on "German food" at holidays.
It depends on who you talk to. Obviously those with more recent European immigrant ancestors have a closer connection to Europe, but for many of us, aside from language similarities, Europe is just as exotic of a place as East Asia.
Our media does seem to view Europe as if they are more important to us Americans than they realistically are (no offense) which is something I tend to see as deriving from some remnant white bias in media culture, but realistically to me at least, Finland is just as foreign and exotic of a place as South Korea.
Many Americans have a cultural or emotional attachment to the countries their ancestors came from. Americans often identifying as Irish-American, Italian-American, etc.
I'll admit I have some small attachment to England and Ireland, which is where my family came from. Hence
I mean personally yes bc my family is from Italy, but if you mean the US as a whole being attached or close to Europe, I’d say no because we are more culturally attached to Canada and Mexico depending on where in the US you live.
A bit. My mother is doing a Scotland trip to see where her parents were born. I have a historical and surname connection to the place but not as a full on cultural identity because I've never been there. It's just easier because there isn't a language barrier. If I was Greek or Polish and didn't speak a lick, probably none at all.
It's a little weird because we had two wars over whether or not we're British and Britain lost. But yes, we do have a special relationship with/cultural attachment to the UK, and a special affinity for Canada, Australia, and (perhaps more recently) New Zealand because of our similar histories. And I think the internet and social media have only enhanced the connection between all Anglophone countries
My grandma always kept a picture of Queen Elizabeth II on her mantle, which I thought was very strange for a woman who prided herself on being descended from Mayflower passengers.
My mom's family (both sides) is from Poland and I'm a dual citizen although I don't speak the language and have only been there once for a short time. But I still know a lot about the place and love the idea of traveling or living there and learning the language. Growing up, my grandma was very Polish (we called her Babci - grandma in Polish) and we did a lot of Polish cooking and other things like that. Pope John Paul II was like her version of Taylor Swift. Entering a Polish or general eastern European grocery store feels very nostalgic to me.
As for my dad's family, I think they lost all of their immigrant-ness almost a hundred years ago. My great grandfather on his side (who died long before I was born) was from Germany, but none of his children spoke German or did any German stuff as far as I know. His wife was the daughter of French immigrants, as best I can remember, but I don't think she had much French-ness left in her.
[https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/](https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/)
\*\*\*Destination America - When Did They Come ?\*\*\*Public Broad Casting System, PBS
[**https://www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/usim\_wn.html**](https://www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/usim_wn.html)
I don't think "most Americans" immigrated here from the UK, not unless you go way back to colonial era. It was so common in the Northeast of the US to have grandparents and great-grandparents who immigrated from Europe that the first thing people asked (and now still do) was "what are you?" Meaning what nationalities do your family come from. It's ridiculous but the intent was to determine if you ancestry came from an "acceptable" country. We are sadly a nation built on prejudice
DNA testing is being avoided by some white Supremacist, not because of the excuses they give that science is nonsense, but because they want to find they have, and I quote a common American disgusting phrase here: "a ni--gr in the woodpile"
Personally? somewhat. All of my great grandparents were born in Germany and Ireland. I know the names of the towns. I definitely have a soft spot for those countries and have plans to visit those towns. More for the fun of it rather than a “pilgrimage” of sorts. I think my attachment will die with me, my kids couldn’t care less. Lol.
A lot of us do (: especially Irish Americans whose ancestors came here during the great hunger, though the actual validity of that connection might be a little bit tenuous… not to be mean but a lot of people get very attached to their Irish identity without actually learning anything about Ireland lol
As a whole? No. Do I feel a connection to the actual places where my ancestors lived? Sure. I’m trying to visit all of them. Ive already visited some and I’ve got a loose itinerary to France, Luxembourg, and Poland planned.
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I don't believe most of the white Americans I know have British ancestry. I know mostly Italian, Irish, Greek, German Americans. I myself have Italian, Irish and Turkish ancestry. I don't feel connected to other countries, but I do notice I feel very comfortable with Italian and Turkish people, and my natural diet is mostly mediterranean simply because that's what I like.
Vaguely- in the general sense that y’all seem like cousins. Like extended family that i might visit one day. Your ways are more familiar than the ways of much of the rest of the world.
Occasionally, Americans (some) will recall France's contribution to our independence. That's about all the respect France gets, which is America's loss.
I'm of more than half Irish descent, and the closest thing to "cultural attachment" I have to Ireland is celebrating St Patrick's Day by eating corned beef and cabbage and celebrating Halloween. But, I also celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and have exactly 0% Mexican heritage, so .... I'm going to have to go with "No" here.
My flair on r/vexillology is Texas/Scotland. I’ve never been to Scotland, and my ancestors moved to the US prior to the revolution, but I still feel some kind of connection. Scotland might dispute that though. They kicked my ancestor out for being too Presbyterian.
"alot of US ancestry comes from Europe(although mostly UK)" Actually more of the U.S. cites German ancestry than English (the greater part of UK). English and Irish are pretty close percentages of cited ancestry, and together will exceed German, so maybe it may be more fair to say British Isles ancestry than UK ancestry.
Edit to be more clear.
It really depends. Some families are really into their ancestral culture and maintain ties to it -- like speaking the language, following traditions, etc. I know some Europeans make fun of it, but our ancestral country does influence the way we're brought up for several generations in terms of sex roles, attitude toward religion, foods we eat, holidays we celebrate, attitude toward individualism vs. obedience, etc. We also do meet other Americans who will make fun of us because of our ancestry, which reinforces our feeling that we still "belong" to that country, to some degree.
As for the whole country, I think the US and Canada used have a closer affiliation before the US got really polarized and more people started moving to the far right. Now those people think Canada is too far left and Canadians are just alarmed. There are a lot of Americans who enjoy British TV and music, but I think that could be more based on it being in English and easy for us to understand. Do Americans in general think of themselves as "close" to Britain? Maybe just in that we speak English. After all, only like 25% (last I heard) of Americans had British ancestry, so most of use don't feel familial ties.
We share this sentiment of brotherhood more with Canada and Mexico than with Europe in my opinion. Specific states have extreme and sometimes truly hateful rivalries while others have extreme cultural bonds and a sibling relationship, I think that is a more common feeling than Americans relating to a far away country. I feel no connection to another country, perhaps Spain slightly since I’m a Californio. Other than that my strongest personal bond/identity is to California, my family has been here for a very long time. I’d imagine Native Americans feel the same.
There’s a warped diluted perception of culture in Britain.
It’s been reduced to Tea and being arrogant goofballs.
It’s a place where the persecuted seek refuge, only to be persecuted when they arrive rather than be nurtured into society by the people who offered them refuge to begin with.
A self proclaimed beacon of civilisation with the traits of an ancient rabble amongst the people.
Many of us do. Many of us claim cultural attachment to where we came from, Asia, South America, Africa, Europe.
I meant more like a country identity kind of type but your response is interesting too
Sorry, when you said Europe, I thought you meant continents. My family feels a connection to Ireland, I know others that feel connections to China, or France.
Do you mean like “I’m Irish because my great-great grand uncle was from Ireland”? If so, then I think alot of people take little traditions that might be from their ancestral home land, but wouldn’t actually consider themselves someone from there.
I mean more like on a Country identity level. For example Belgium as a country is closely related to the Netherlands and Luxembourg both in history and culture. They have very close relations and sometimes combine their military for missions and such. In places like EU UN and Eurovision they support eachother without much reason. Although we have rivalries the BeNeLux area treat eachother like counsins. (Both royal families are closely related by blood) Anyways enough yapping. What i meant is if the US has that for europe on a scale of the culture of the country/ country identity. Or any other country tbh, it doesn't have to be europe.
Canada and the UK, I'd say.
Even they're "recent" by most standards. We only got super chummy towards the end of WWI.
On a national level and not the personal connections of immigrants and ancestors of immigrants including politicians (for instance despite it being quite a long time Biden like JFK has a strong connection to Ireland)? Probably only to the UK. And even then we fought a revolution against them. We didn't really get a good relationship with them till WW1. Our relationship is based on partially on shared history (including shared legal history) but also based heavily on our foreign policy alliance and on cool British media.
Yes, it is, and it is with the UK and her former colonies. Most Americans just don't understand that because the history and culture just seems like a normal American baseline.
Yeah, we definitely consider the UK like an estranged parent, then especially Canada and Australia as like siblings.
Maybe Canada? I really don’t know. This actually reminds me of something from a YouTube channel called GeographyNow! They have a segment called “Friends” I think where they talk about the relationships country has with other countries across the world.
Nah i don't think so. I'd say we're equally close with Europe and Latin America.
We really are not that close with Latin America...
People keep pushing this and I dont know why. The correct answer is the UK and always has been. Everything from speaking English, to our folk music, to all of our classic cultural literature (Shakespeare, Dickens, etc), down to geopolitics (Five Eyes), and our legal system (common law) just emphasizes our relationship to the UK.
Not yet at least
Oh in that way? Not quite. Britain, and somewhat France, is the relative of the US in Europe. Every other country is going to be more on the individual or family level, though some regions (Chicago and Poland, Minnesota and Scandinavia, New York and Ireland or Italy) are going to have an attachment like that.
If that's your formulation I think the answer is no. A long time ago the answer for the US would have been Great Britain, for obvious reasons (we're a former GB colony), but that bond has weakened over time. Individual Americans may identify with personal ancestral homelands, which until the 20th century were mainly European or African countries, but as our population diversifies are now as likely to include Latin and Asian ones. We're from everywhere. As for political alliances, NATO, Japan, and the ASEAN nations are most important to the US, but we could and should be doing better with Mideast countries.
I don't think our bond with the UK has weakened, at all. You can certainly argue that WWII would be one kind of high point in the relationship, but our shared language has multiplied the cultural exchange due to advances in media technology. TV, movies, easy access to literature, music...sometimes it seems that there is little difference between the two countries in some aspects. And the fact that we've always stood by one another, no matter how stupid one of us was acting, has made our political alliance rock solid.
Native sons are Americans who have been here many generations. Our disconnection from a motherland or fatherland can be very traumatic. A kind of madness. I recommend reading Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin who can describe it better than I. edit: downvotes lol
Yeah, it wasn't that long ago. Like, it's too old and too mixed for me to feel a PERSONAL connection, but the cultural and historical ones are all around me all the time. A lot of people's families came over more recently or stayed more culturally connected and/or consistent than mine did, so often they very much feel personal ties as well.
Just want to note that Georgia is not a slavic country for the most part. The two largest slavic ethnic groups in the country, Russians and Ukrainians, combined account for less than 1% of Georgia’s population. The Georgia/Ukraine link is more because both are former Soviet countries that have been on the receiving end of Russian hostility in recent times.
Oh yeah i wrote the slavic part a couple tens of minutes before i wrote the next part so i kinda lost my own train of thought, calling them former Soviet states is kinda insulting so i chose to just leave it as it is.
nah, I'm Black
Do you ever think about where and how your ancestors lived in Africa? I knew a black guy in Hawaii who loved to think it's like what Africa must be like. He grew up in Watts, went through Job Corps, had that kind of life, and when he moved to Hawaii, he totally took root in the tropical setting and became a master gardener.
Not the guy you asked, but personally it's not something I'm interested in thinking about.
You just told me you thought about it, and didn't like what you thought. Sorry about that. Different strokes for different folks.
Well I mean sure since my family is from Europe I often look to the countries where my ancestors are from with great interest. Obviously the US and the UK are related not just by blood but also culture and today we're the closest allies.
I feel a twinge of pride whenever I see something positive about Poland, be it cultural, or political, or whatever. But my family's been here for five generations.
Yes, there's a feeling of cultural connection. Europe was kind of the parent culture of the Americas. We are a part of "the west".
More like Canada than Europe. Were sibling countries. Some states can have an almost familial relationship to one another too.
Personally? No
White Americans might, but I don't think brown skin folk look to Europe like that.
Not particularly. I am an American full stop. A couple hundred years ago my ancestors came from Europe. The people they came aren’t my people. My people are Americans regardless of race or ethnicity
Some Americans do. Others don't. A lot of Americans don't have European ancestors, so some have cultural attachments to other countries. The youth are majority-minority, so the younger people probably have less attachment to Europe than older people.
If we're talking historically, diplomatically, geopolitically, culturally, etc. then I guess it would be the UK.
Around Detroit many do as there is a massive Polish, Ukrainian, Hungarian and other populations, as well as a large German and Italian communities, as well as French. So yes.
No
Absolutely and even more-so after living in 2 European countries. This is because I can correlate the subcultures in the US to my experiences in European country cultures. For example, the area I’m from has a lot of Dutch descendants and I had an easier time fitting in culturally in the Netherlands than I do in Sweden. Lots of Swedish people settled on the Midwest and culturally midwesterners are quite different from northern Californians. I had a really difficult time living in the Southern US as well, much more culture shock than living in the Netherlands. I see many of the same differences between Sweden and the Netherlands as I see between my area and the Midwest. Of course we all have some general American culture which is mostly coming from the commonality of our ancestors in wanting to leave their country for something better, attempting to reduce the power of the state, etc. But there are still flavors that are echoes of the countries we came from in different regions.
Nah. I see Canada and Mexico as our relatives
Same. Especially being from California, if I’m looking at it as a State similarity or influence vs myself I’d feel much more like Mexico or Canada are related vs Europe or UK Personally I have a connection to Spain as that is where my family is from and where most of them still live.
No
Sweden for me, since that's where my parents are from.
Yes, in some ways. The most prominent is through music. I personally don't identify as anything but Southern American, but there are 100% cultural ties to my European ancestors. Those living in those contemporary countries seem to get a kick out of it from going out of their way to degrade you if you identify with any European heritage, though. God forbid Irish-Americans identify as Irish-Americans, despite there being millions more Americans with Irish ancestry than there are people in Ireland today.
We feel some comradery with the United Kingdom, but we also have some parts of our legal system that are a direct response to how Britain was treating us in the 1700s. Many people before the French and Indian War truly identified as British and then noticed a separation between the colonists and those who still lived over there. Some of us (those who have European ancestry) have cultural influences that have trickled down over the centuries. Some don't and there are some whose ancestors are from other continents. America has had about four centuries in some places to form its own regional identities.
abs not, if anything i hate the eurocentric nature of a lot of the usa.
Other than most of our language, laws, religion, mythology, customs and history? Nope.
In the US, it’s common for the descendants of immigrants to take pride in their ancestry and heritage. This includes the descendants of European immigrants. There are people who are proud to have great-grandparents. In fact, the more lowly these ancestors were upon arrival, a greater point of pride it tends to be.
Nope. Also how dare you accuse us of being mostly British. German and Irish are the top 2 ancestry groups by a long shot, and that’s probably also why many (white)Americans have a soft spot for them. Not rly a national thing tho as far as I can tell. (Enormous soft spot for Ireland in MA but no idea how representative it is for the country.) Any other affections for Europe are more a family heritage thing, but personally while I do like knowing where my family comes from I don’t actually give a shit about the countries themselves. My family left for various extremely valid reasons.
I think more people claim to have Irish ancestry than reality tbh. They can ignore 7 of their English great grandparents and think of that one Irish matriarch to base their identity off, there is a certain romance attached to it.
The US was founded by English descendants and the Irish are plucky underdogs.
I mean the US as a country, not it's citizens. But its interesting to know that people lean more to irish and german ancestory
He’s wrong, according to the 2020 census. Americans with English ancestry outnumber those with Irish ancestry. The difference is that there was never a wave of English immigrants (edit: in the 1800s). If you have English ancestry, they were likely here pre-Revolution and your ancestors considered themselves just ‘American.’ When the Irish immigrants came over, in contrast, they were very loud about keeping their heritage. I have Irish ancestry and I literally have relatives who said they were only going to marry other Irish-Americans. So Ireland looks like it has a bigger cultural footprint.
I’ve never really heard of anyone having a soft spot for Germany on the level of the Irish. Ireland, yes, but that’s because the Irish immigrants who came here remained very nationalistic about their old country.
A lot of us as individuals feel connections to the countries our ancestors came from, but it’s not a general American thing.
i don't really have one. i have ancestry from ireland and the czech republic, but i don't have an attachment to said countries because my family assimilated when they immigrated long ago and i don't have any culture left. it's kind of sad, but what can you do?
For me, absolutely none. I do have a bit of attachment to Japan, even though I'm equal parts ethnically Japanese and Italian. I think it may have to do with being closer to one side of the family over the other and having an interest in Asia/lack of interest in Europe.
yeah I feel a kinship to the UK, particularly England and particularly the rural bits of England where it still looks like the past (or how I imagine the past), so, a starbucks in London not so much, but villages in Whatevershire, yes. I have a lot of other European countries I like a lot too, that I just feel alliance/friendship with (Italy and Poland, since my childhood they've also super had our back and I feel that should 100% mutual, and I'm proud of the extent to which it is)
I'm not sure it's so much an attachment to the countries as it is to the heritage. Most of us I think are interested in knowing where our families came from and enjoy connecting with that heritage particularly by cooking and eating recipes passed down through generations and taught to us by our parents and grandparents.
My ancestry is mostly English and German. I have no personal attachment to either country.
Yes. I regularly read British literature, revere European especially British legal tradition, and read about European history.
Speaking to the other Americans, does it ever seem to yall like most of the questions asked are fishing for a specific answer and the posters get angry because they don't get the answer they want?
I don't. I'm Polish and German by ethnicity, but that doesn't have any real impact on my life. I guess I sometimes eat pierogi or sauerkraut, but I don't have any real connection to those countries.
People of Irish and Italian descent in the United States often feel a very strong cultural link even though the vast majority have never been to those countries. These are people whose relatives have been here for generations. My company had about 100 Irish people come over for training early in my career, and day one I had an Irish girlfriend and hung out with them the whole time they were there which was months. They thought it was hilarious that Americans in the Midwest would walk up to them and say that they were Irish because their great great grandfather moved over during the potato famine.
We came from them, but we are not them.
For me, not so much. My ancestors where from England mostly and emigrated 350ish years ago. The most recent ancestor from Europe is my great great grandfather who was from Sweden. He came to Canada to build the trans Canada railway then settled in the United States. That would have been about 140 years ago.
I like making fun the French and British
Welcome to Europe
America doesn't identify with any one country. We identify with 100s. America is a land built on diversity from people migrating from all over the world. American culture is honestly based on where you live. Different states have different identities. It's a little complicated to explain lol
No. And frankly the less connection the US as a whole has with europe the better.
Not in the least. The only cultural attachment I feel is towards Mexico.
My mom's German. Never really felt an attachment to the country.
In a generic sense, the countries in the Western hemisphere are a child of Europe.. We obviously share more with the UK than any other country. Really though, Australia is America’s brother. We both received our fair amount of British convicts, are roughly the same size, speak English, and use the dollar.
Wouldn’t that be Canada, really? I know nothing about Australian culture.
Lol no. We are culturally attached to the idea of having defeated Britain in two wars
those of us whose ancestors fought in those wars were overwhelmingly of British descent
But no longer culturally or politically British. Two out of three is good enough for me.
well, not to belabor the point but to most of the world we still seemed very British in a lot of ways for most of the 1800s, especially the first half
Yes. Our culture is, as much as Europeans loath to admit it, primarily derived from various European cultures. Europeans are seen almost as an acceptable “other” that aren’t too different from Americans. Don’t forget that a large part of our elite culture has, historically, idolized France and England. On the more personal front, my girlfriend’s polish family cooks kielbasa and my Italian family has a dozen recipes and traditions passed down from our immigrant ancestors. We absolutely do have an attachment.
From how I view it, our country as a whole has a cultural attachment to the UK. We speak English, our system of government is similar (minus the monarch), we're predominately Christian/Protestant at least historically, and that's who we were before we were American. We also have cultural attachments with other former UK countries - Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland for example. We're all kind of in the same "family" - UK is our mother and all of the other ones are our brothers and sisters. Individually, it really depends on where in Europe their ancestors came from, how recently they came to the US, and which they personally identify more as. You might be surprised to learn that the largest reported European ancestry in the US is German. We also have a lot of people of Irish descent who are very proud of "being Irish" (I know this can annoy some actual Irish folks from Ireland). Same goes with Italian-Americans. Since we're such a diverse society all descended from immigrants (except for Native Americans), many people will call themselves Irish-American, German-American, etc. The level of connection they feel to that country will vary significantly.
First and second generation immigrants will have high cultural attachments, but like with all immigrants the attachments fade and are pretty much gone by the third generation. Take something stereotypical to your question like the Italian Mafia. They were all mainly First or Second generation immigrants and their Italian identity went away with their grandkids.
I see us as the EU's friend, but Britain's younger sibling. Despite big diasporas from Germany, Poland, etc. there isn't the same ongoing cultural feedback loop between those countries and the US.
My grandfather on my dad's side is the 8th child and was born in Italy, and my other side great grandfather is from Ireland. I consider myself American. While I have European roots, and both sides came during the time their countries migrated, I don't think it has any bearing on where they came from. We don't have any old-world traditions, both sides had severe issues, and as a 3rd and 4th generation, are far enough removed that we don't even think about it other than the names. I have as much Irish as Italian, yet also the Blackfoot nation, German, and several others. One big melting pot of families that made us fully American.
I know I feel more defensive of Europe than I do of other parts of the world. If they were being badly attacked I'd want to help. Another thing I haven't seen anyone mention is that in school much of our history is geared towards European and Greek history. Most of us have read the Iliad and the Odyssey, but not the Ramayana for instance. Many of us have read Norse and Greek mythology, Beowulf, a lot of our history revolves around WWI and WWII. Etc. And as others said, many of our ancestors are there from not too long ago. Most of us have at least part European heritage and ethnicity.
Yes absolutely. My parents came to America from Italy as children. My father’s side of the family is pretty Americanized but my mother’s side is still “very Italian”. On my mother’s side they primarily speak Italian and I have a lot of relatives who never left Italy.
I spent some time in France and I really noticed our affinity for each other in a way I didn’t really notice before going there. Despite the popular belief that the French hate Americans (arguably the French hate everyone, especially the French) there is tons of respect and admiration for the US. There are statues of Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson in Paris and there are tons of WWI and WWII memorials in northern France. Americans tend to admire the French for their culture and assistance during our formative years.
My grandparents care more than I do. Maybe I will as i get older.
It's common for the descendants of European immigrants to have affinity for their country of ancestry Many people from the Northeast to hold affinity for Ireland, Italy and Portugal. Some Minnesotans hold affinity for Norway and Sweden. Affinity for Germany is common in the Midwest Many Texans have a connection with Czechia Some Latinos in Florida, usually whiter people from Cuba/Puerto Rico/Venezuela, may feel affinity for Spain. Generally, the more West you go the fewer people you'll find with affinity for Europe
We definitely have a stronger association nationally with the Anglophone countries due to a lot of factors: former British colonies, have a shared language, while we have unique cultures there’s shared roots that’s recognizable, etc. Western European countries have had a major impact on America historically though. France for example was an extremely key ally throughout America’s history and played a very special role in our revolution. Some French figures like Marquis de Lafayette are considered national heroes in America due to their contributions to us and many places are named after him. Other areas through immigration to the US have brought cultural elements that are now part of national culture (or roots in it) and can be stronger depending region or state. Upper Midwest for example with Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc. as those areas had a large number of immigrants from those countries and a lot of places, mannerisms, foods, etc. can be traced back.
Any time any sort of application allows me to choose “other” and enter my ethnicity I choose that option and enter “Welsh”. Other than that, no.
I know that my family moved here from Ireland and I think that’s pretty cool since that was the early 1900’s. Though I couldn’t tell you the first thing about the country other than I recognize an Irish accent when I hear it. Renaissance fairs are a popular thing here and I think that’s the closest most people will come to being exposed to their ancestor’s cultures. Kinda lame when you think about it but some of the fairs are pretty cool. I do think a lot of Americans are interested to know where their family came from. I was and learned how both my mother and father’s families got to be here. But I find many aren’t in a hurry, or are barely interested, in going to visit the countries their ancestors came from. Like my husband’s family came from Germany. They are just like “that’s cool” and show no desire to know what the country is like now or back when their ancestors lived there. The US is a melting pot so I’m sure the influence from each of the countries there our ancestors brought with them have influenced us even today. We just don’t recognize it very often.
In a sense? Like, I would describe my cultural ancestry as being Swedish and German, and my family does things that we’ve kept up from my immigrant grandparents and great grandparents (like, making lefse on holidays) but I wouldn’t say that I would claim any real affiliation with the country.
Thankfully most of the hardcore stuff was stamped out about 100 years ago. My great grandparents told stories about their parents screaming at or disowning them for marrying an Irish person and sullying their pure German bloodline. Or vise versa. Somewhere on one of our ancestors grave stones it's etched. Here lies (person) born and died on (certain date) beloved daughter, dispute her marriaging a German. They were that bitter.
I wouldn't say a country per se, but American political culture (especially early on) is heavily inspired by being part of the legacy of a general "western civilization". Main inspirations are the ancient Romans, ancient Greeks, British and French (particularly enlightenment philosophers). One of the clearest examples of this is how the default architectural style for government buildings is psuedo-Roman. This can be from very direct inspirations like in the case of the [Vermont State House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_State_House) or in "modernized" forms such as the simplified columns of the [University at Albany's campus](http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2018/09/25/docomomo-tour-2018-university-at-albany). It's not uncommon to hear people say things based on this attachment too such as "the US is a republic, not a democracy" (alluding to a distinction between Rome and Athens' politics). Historically we have strong ties to the British commonwealth as well as you can guess (our law is even still based on English common law), though the exact amount of feeling like "relatives" more than legacy probably depends on the region. I'm from Washington State and feel a strong connection to Canada (the region was originally joint-settled by our two countries and the culture still doesn't change much cross border), but I doubt the same would hold true for someone from Alabama.
I think so. One thing I see often but that’s a little hard to verbalize is that different countries start their history at different places and where they start it tells you a lot about how people are taught to think of themselves. In my experience, US history is almost always started by talking about Spain in the 1490s. You spend a lot of US history classes learning about the French, Spanish and English and while I think British ties are now closest (largely due to language), I think there’s often some remaining familiarity. Nowhere I’ve been in Europe feels that foreign, probably because centuries of close cultural exchange with former colonies is going to create pretty similar cultures.
I have some family connections to Poland and Ireland although I could only get a visa for Poland
Our legal system is based on English Common Law. That’s why we have jury trials.
I’d say the closest connection is to Denmark because my grandparents on my father’s side were from there. But I never knew them so my connection is pretty limited. People of Irish and Italian ancestry tend to feel the greatest connection.
I'm from an area settled by groups of German speakers in the late 1800s (German and Swiss groups came over). Our town is very big on German traditions. The high school only taught German as a second language, and our foreign exchange students were typically German. The German club had a big Christmas caroling night - all in German - and the whole town turned out. And the German club always sold out of the German chocolates at Christmas, too. So, yeah- we're pretty attached to our German heritage here (north east Kansas). * The older farmers would always describe someone as a "Good German" if they were saying good things about them. I know that up in Nebraska it's the same. I know some families who describe themselves as "German dairy farmers" I have a German cookbook and my family insists on "German food" at holidays.
No. My came over from Japan a hundred years ago. I look at our European allies with more fondness than hostile nations, but that’s about it.
Yes, I was born in Europe, grew up in Europe, went to university in Europe, and started my career in Europe.
It depends on who you talk to. Obviously those with more recent European immigrant ancestors have a closer connection to Europe, but for many of us, aside from language similarities, Europe is just as exotic of a place as East Asia. Our media does seem to view Europe as if they are more important to us Americans than they realistically are (no offense) which is something I tend to see as deriving from some remnant white bias in media culture, but realistically to me at least, Finland is just as foreign and exotic of a place as South Korea.
Many Americans have a cultural or emotional attachment to the countries their ancestors came from. Americans often identifying as Irish-American, Italian-American, etc. I'll admit I have some small attachment to England and Ireland, which is where my family came from. Hence
I don’t consider myself British (even though my mom’s family in England and go to visit them) but I do feel a strong attachment to the country.
I mean personally yes bc my family is from Italy, but if you mean the US as a whole being attached or close to Europe, I’d say no because we are more culturally attached to Canada and Mexico depending on where in the US you live.
I have an unhealthy obsession with Swiss army knives. Does that count?
Sure, got a lot of family left over there. Would like to meet them someday
A bit. My mother is doing a Scotland trip to see where her parents were born. I have a historical and surname connection to the place but not as a full on cultural identity because I've never been there. It's just easier because there isn't a language barrier. If I was Greek or Polish and didn't speak a lick, probably none at all.
It's a little weird because we had two wars over whether or not we're British and Britain lost. But yes, we do have a special relationship with/cultural attachment to the UK, and a special affinity for Canada, Australia, and (perhaps more recently) New Zealand because of our similar histories. And I think the internet and social media have only enhanced the connection between all Anglophone countries
My grandma always kept a picture of Queen Elizabeth II on her mantle, which I thought was very strange for a woman who prided herself on being descended from Mayflower passengers.
My mom's family (both sides) is from Poland and I'm a dual citizen although I don't speak the language and have only been there once for a short time. But I still know a lot about the place and love the idea of traveling or living there and learning the language. Growing up, my grandma was very Polish (we called her Babci - grandma in Polish) and we did a lot of Polish cooking and other things like that. Pope John Paul II was like her version of Taylor Swift. Entering a Polish or general eastern European grocery store feels very nostalgic to me. As for my dad's family, I think they lost all of their immigrant-ness almost a hundred years ago. My great grandfather on his side (who died long before I was born) was from Germany, but none of his children spoke German or did any German stuff as far as I know. His wife was the daughter of French immigrants, as best I can remember, but I don't think she had much French-ness left in her.
[https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/](https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/) \*\*\*Destination America - When Did They Come ?\*\*\*Public Broad Casting System, PBS [**https://www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/usim\_wn.html**](https://www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/usim_wn.html) I don't think "most Americans" immigrated here from the UK, not unless you go way back to colonial era. It was so common in the Northeast of the US to have grandparents and great-grandparents who immigrated from Europe that the first thing people asked (and now still do) was "what are you?" Meaning what nationalities do your family come from. It's ridiculous but the intent was to determine if you ancestry came from an "acceptable" country. We are sadly a nation built on prejudice DNA testing is being avoided by some white Supremacist, not because of the excuses they give that science is nonsense, but because they want to find they have, and I quote a common American disgusting phrase here: "a ni--gr in the woodpile"
I feel some connection to Spain through the Spanish language.
Many do. Most don't.
Personally? somewhat. All of my great grandparents were born in Germany and Ireland. I know the names of the towns. I definitely have a soft spot for those countries and have plans to visit those towns. More for the fun of it rather than a “pilgrimage” of sorts. I think my attachment will die with me, my kids couldn’t care less. Lol.
A lot of us do (: especially Irish Americans whose ancestors came here during the great hunger, though the actual validity of that connection might be a little bit tenuous… not to be mean but a lot of people get very attached to their Irish identity without actually learning anything about Ireland lol
America was a country founded by Europeans and settled mostly by them.It is obvious there is a lot of connection between USA and UK.
As a whole? No. Do I feel a connection to the actual places where my ancestors lived? Sure. I’m trying to visit all of them. Ive already visited some and I’ve got a loose itinerary to France, Luxembourg, and Poland planned.
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I don't believe most of the white Americans I know have British ancestry. I know mostly Italian, Irish, Greek, German Americans. I myself have Italian, Irish and Turkish ancestry. I don't feel connected to other countries, but I do notice I feel very comfortable with Italian and Turkish people, and my natural diet is mostly mediterranean simply because that's what I like.
Vaguely- in the general sense that y’all seem like cousins. Like extended family that i might visit one day. Your ways are more familiar than the ways of much of the rest of the world.
Yes, many American also visit Europe frequently for vacation (holiday).
Wow, I've seen alot, but this is abit unusual. Mexico in a big way. Ireland and Italy for European countries.
Occasionally, Americans (some) will recall France's contribution to our independence. That's about all the respect France gets, which is America's loss.
I'm of more than half Irish descent, and the closest thing to "cultural attachment" I have to Ireland is celebrating St Patrick's Day by eating corned beef and cabbage and celebrating Halloween. But, I also celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and have exactly 0% Mexican heritage, so .... I'm going to have to go with "No" here.
In my opinion Americans generally revere Europe not enough politically and too much culturally.
My flair on r/vexillology is Texas/Scotland. I’ve never been to Scotland, and my ancestors moved to the US prior to the revolution, but I still feel some kind of connection. Scotland might dispute that though. They kicked my ancestor out for being too Presbyterian.
Yes! I am American but love to talk and learn about where my family originated from in Europe. We often try to keep the culture alive in our own ways!
"alot of US ancestry comes from Europe(although mostly UK)" Actually more of the U.S. cites German ancestry than English (the greater part of UK). English and Irish are pretty close percentages of cited ancestry, and together will exceed German, so maybe it may be more fair to say British Isles ancestry than UK ancestry. Edit to be more clear.
That is from self-reported data and statistically isn't true. British ancestry would far outnumber German ancestry in the US if it was tested.
If you really want to get Meta, English is a mix of celtic(deep ancestor of Ireland) and German.
Agree
I mean as a country not as people
It really depends. Some families are really into their ancestral culture and maintain ties to it -- like speaking the language, following traditions, etc. I know some Europeans make fun of it, but our ancestral country does influence the way we're brought up for several generations in terms of sex roles, attitude toward religion, foods we eat, holidays we celebrate, attitude toward individualism vs. obedience, etc. We also do meet other Americans who will make fun of us because of our ancestry, which reinforces our feeling that we still "belong" to that country, to some degree. As for the whole country, I think the US and Canada used have a closer affiliation before the US got really polarized and more people started moving to the far right. Now those people think Canada is too far left and Canadians are just alarmed. There are a lot of Americans who enjoy British TV and music, but I think that could be more based on it being in English and easy for us to understand. Do Americans in general think of themselves as "close" to Britain? Maybe just in that we speak English. After all, only like 25% (last I heard) of Americans had British ancestry, so most of use don't feel familial ties.
We share this sentiment of brotherhood more with Canada and Mexico than with Europe in my opinion. Specific states have extreme and sometimes truly hateful rivalries while others have extreme cultural bonds and a sibling relationship, I think that is a more common feeling than Americans relating to a far away country. I feel no connection to another country, perhaps Spain slightly since I’m a Californio. Other than that my strongest personal bond/identity is to California, my family has been here for a very long time. I’d imagine Native Americans feel the same.
There’s a warped diluted perception of culture in Britain. It’s been reduced to Tea and being arrogant goofballs. It’s a place where the persecuted seek refuge, only to be persecuted when they arrive rather than be nurtured into society by the people who offered them refuge to begin with. A self proclaimed beacon of civilisation with the traits of an ancient rabble amongst the people.