this post was submitted on 08 Apr 2025
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As someone you would call “European” there are massive cultural, behavioural and religious differences in Europe.
Not the differences you imagine like NJ vs California vs Texas, much more
And you know what? It’s a good thing and nobody wants to change that. After centuries we even stopped having fun at each other.
Diversity is scientifically and provably good for creativity that in turn is good for everything humans do
In the case of smoking, you can go to an extreme (Berlin) where people smoke in the clubs (even if it is forbidden) to another extreme (Dublin) that is pretty much like US
While I agree with most of what you said, I think you are underestimating the huge cultural differences between NJ, CA, and TX. They very much feel like entirely different countries. Very big differences in culture, linguistics, religion, etc.
USA -> States is very similar to EU -> member countries. I understand that within the EU, member countries have their own concept of "states" that are very similar to the US, but I don't believe most EU countries prioritize local regions over their country as much as the US does. Keep in mind, Europe as a whole is only slightly bigger than the USA (10m sq k vs 9m sq k)
For instance, someone from Texas self-identifies as a Texan first, and then an American second. It's why one of the first things an American asks when meeting a new American is "where are you from". The state they're from will (usually but not always) tell you a lot about them, their priorities, what their culture is, etc.
Personally I think it's stupid (I'm not a big fan of "states rights"), but I'm very much in the minority in that.
Dude, Texans fucking hate Californians and and East Coasters.
They share the same citizenship and language but they almost certainly hate each other more than a typical European country hates it's neighbors because of core value differences.
UK+EU members might hate each other for historical reasons but generally they all hold similar core values. Good ones BTW. Democracy is good.
I live in the midwestern US and if I could I'd have it's culture swallowed up by the east coast's culture (except maybe the food) because its pretty fucking boring and backwards in many respects anyway. The only reason I still live here is because I'm poor but I kind of hate midwestern culture.
Diversity is good, smoking is bad. So are Texas's anti-abortion and anti-trans bills, which is fueled by Texas's reactionary culture which diverges from Cali and NJ. Including unhealthy or even straight up death cult ideas as a form of "diversity" seems... ill advised.
My point is, sometimes things are just bad and serve no beneficial purpose and can't be justified on the basis of "diversity". Smoking culture is one.
Did I say all of Europe is the same? Or did I say Europeans have some common traits? Get a grip.