Running with Americans. Boring conversations due to lack of knowledge

America is very isolated because of its geography. Two large oceans do that. Therefore Americans feel less inclined to divulge in other cultures. In contrast, Europeans and Africans are often fluent in multiple languages. Therefore, they actually understand what is happening in multiple places around the world and can discuss it. America is very egocentric too. Which has some validity to it since America tends to dominate militarily and economically. Although this lack of humbleness causes America to be even more isolated.

Europeans don't really have much of a concept about the United States, either. I was talking to an EU guys scheduled to visit the US that planned on driving to NYC, Niagara Falls, Hollywood, CA, the Grand Canyon, Florida -- Disney + NASA in four days.

Moo Goo wrote:

Trapperkeeper wrote:

Because this is how we see the world.

https://interculturalmeanderings.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/map-of-the-world-according-to-americans.jpg

America first. Rest of the world should stop asking us handouts. Cut them all off.

Accurate photo

ebusika wrote:

Fi wrote:

I have been training with Americans at training camps, but the conversations stagnate at some point, so it is hard to get to know them. They don’t know much about geography or political institutions outside their own country. Is there any topics that I should bring up?

You could talk about letsrun. Or about how you made a post about Americans inability to keep a conversation going, yet you haven't replied once to this conversation.

Trust me, he has replied. Just using another name to do so

Uncle Rico wrote:

Europeans don't really have much of a concept about the United States, either. I was talking to an EU guys scheduled to visit the US that planned on driving to NYC, Niagara Falls, Hollywood, CA, the Grand Canyon, Florida -- Disney + NASA in four days.

Exactly the same when people tell me they are going to visit Australia.

The Barrier Reef (Great)

Sydney,

Ayers Rock

And all in two weeks

Fi wrote:

I have been training with Americans at training camps, but the conversations stagnate at some point, so it is hard to get to know them. They don’t know much about geography or political institutions outside their own country. Is there any topics that I should bring up?

Maybe they just don't like talking to you?

Truth giver wrote:

Americans, in my experience, know plenty. They just tend to be absolute sh*t conversationalists and don't know how to listen or ask leading questions. If you need to fill the silence, keep 'em talking. Otherwise...just run.

+1

Shut up and run.

omygoodnes wrote:

Uncle Rico wrote:

Europeans don't really have much of a concept about the United States, either. I was talking to an EU guys scheduled to visit the US that planned on driving to NYC, Niagara Falls, Hollywood, CA, the Grand Canyon, Florida -- Disney + NASA in four days.

Exactly the same when people tell me they are going to visit Australia.

The Barrier Reef (Great)

Sydney,

Ayers Rock

And all in two weeks

Haha, you could easily do that in two weeks, even one week.

omygoodnes wrote:

Exactly the same when people tell me they are going to visit Australia.

The Barrier Reef (Great)

Sydney,

Ayers Rock

And all in two weeks

Fair dinkum, I could do it in that time on my treadly.

And on the subject of sepo's lack of knowledge, it's Uluru not Ayers Rock and The Great Barrier Reef.

You guys realize that Don Pena is barely a millionaire, right? He's worth about $200M.

Tower Porklets wrote:

People are easier to control if they dont know any better.

It's not as extreme as North Korea, but the principle of "our country is the best in the world, you dont need to learn anything from them, everything that is the best in the world is right here" is amazingly effective.

Also in a country which is only 500 years old, and most of which time is tainted with the rape and murder of the original Americans, and then the slavery of the blacks.... I can see why they dont want to teach history.

Ignorant post

I just think people are very intense nowadays.

I'm sure there's a tonne of stuff you all could've talked about.

I can't believe this thread grew to this length considering how bait-worthy the OP is but I'll jump in anyways.

I can't speak for other cultures but in the US talking about film, art, geography, politics is not a good ice breaker topic to kick off interaction with somebody you just met at a training camp. I see politics all over the TV, newspaper, Facebook posts, conversations with people I already know, etc. It is not something I give a care to talk about with some random Joe I'm running with who I met twenty minutes ago. Same goes for the art/film discussion. I can wax lyrical about Eraserhead for an hour but I'm not going to bring it up with somebody I just met. When I meet someone for the first time I usually try to to bring up funny anecdotes about my life and coax some out of the other guy. It's low commitment, often universal (instead of banking on somebody having seen a film), and quickly breeds familiarity and comfort.

Assuming OP was sincere, he is putting the cart before the horse as far as talking during runs with Americans he just met goes.

I spent 10 days at Lornah Kiplagat's camp in Iten in 2006. At the camp with me were 2 Americans, an Englishman, a Scot, 2 Dutchmen, a South African, 2 Austrians, an Australian, and of course a bunch of Kenyans. Conversation during meals, runs, and hanging out in town or the Keirio View was usually lively.

Here is the list of topics I never heard anybody discuss - history, philosophy, or art. Music and movies got briefly mentioned in passing. Only 2 conversations were about politics - one with a Kenyan taxi driver when I corrected his delusion that the US government isn't corrupt, and the other with the Scottish Catholic who enlightened me about the religious prejudice that still exists in Scotland. 90% of all the conversations were about running and people's lives.

The premise of this thread isn't true. Americans aren't uniquely boring. People are the same all over the world. They are wrapped up in their own lives so that is what they are most likely to talk about.

Fun thread to read.

I've done a bit of traveling.

In other countries, especially those who are teenagers and up through 20s, people love to voice their opinions.

It gives them a sense that they matter to have others listen and respond, and it helps with their development.

One of the biggest topics is politics.

Depending on the area of the world, such as EU, art is also relevant.

US is not cultural, although there are people who are.

Its uniqueness is the wild west and cowboys.

I view the country as a corporate town, production and distribution center, with shopping for all.

People are cogs in the production machine, so their opinions are ignored or devalued.

This is not as true in some other countries.

The trade-off for the hurried (or skipped) lunches, the long overtime, the abusive 'chain of command', and the lack of quality time with family and friends is more money.

While some in other countries envy the money, many question the trade-off.

As for the OP from 1 year ago, he already commented about speaking or reading Russian.

I am not interested in talking much on a run.

Americans know a lot about attempted coups. And pandemics. That should take you beyond small talk.

A random American wrote:

[All right], then what should [we] Americans be reading up on? Give me some specific things to research, not broad topics like art, music, comedy, etc.

Try reading a book. On pretty much anything. Use the time that you'd ordinarily spend on reading echo-chamber blogs and discussion boards. Try finding out something that you don't already (think you ) know.

This is a very accurate statement.

But nowadays if you ad Trump into a conversation, it can spark it up quite a bit.