What betrays that Martin is an American

[Faint]

I have never found "American" as a category very useful. The country is so large and diverse that I find it remiss to label it as having a common culture. This becomes ever more the case with each passing year, as entertainment branches out into endless niches, the world becomes more globalized and the population continues to diversify.

And the few characteristics that I do think are shared across the country and that are unique in the developed world, say, the prevalence of guns and violence or the high level of customer care, have almost nothing to do with A Song of Ice and Fire.

[JonSnow4President]

I have never found "American" as a category very useful. The country is so large and diverse that I find it remiss to label it as having a common culture. This becomes ever more the case with each passing year, as entertainment branches out into endless niches, the world becomes more globalized and the population continues to diversify.

And the few characteristics that I do think are shared across the country and that are unique in the developed world, say, the prevalence of guns and violence or the high level of customer care, have almost nothing to do with A Song of Ice and Fire.

That's sarcasm, right? I spent all afternoon trying to contact a business I did 30,000 in business with this year. No answer more often than not, despite them being open, and they never called back once I finally got someone to take my request. It's a good microcosm of most of the customer service here.

[Faint]

That's sarcasm, right? I spent all afternoon trying to contact a business I did 30,000 in business with this year. No answer more often than not, despite them being open, and they never called back once I finally got someone to take my request. It's a good microcosm of most of the customer service here.

Travel to Mexico sometime, or Italy, or anywhere else for that matter.

[JonSnow4President]

Travel to Mexico sometime, or Italy, or anywhere else for that matter.

Ireland, and Canada were about the same. Mexico was just a tourist town for an afternoon while the cruise ship docked, so I can't judge on that, but it was the best so far. Still have so much of my own country to see, it'll be awhile before I splurge for further international travel.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

Also, American is also a continent... #justsaying.

(fun fact, we call americans "unitedstatians")

[Konradsmith]

Though he tries to pepper in a lot of British saying, slangs and idioms, it is very evident in reading the books that he's American. I found the same to be the case with Robert Jordan. Since Tolkien defined the genre and made high fantasy seem so very English, it can be somewhat jarring to see Americanisms cropping up in it BUT then since these are fantasy worlds and England or English doesn't exist in them, I guess it shouldn't really matter.

Or maybe it's because Americanisms seem particularly out of place in a faux-medieval society, but then once again, since it's all made up anyways and the English spoken in the medieval times didn't resemble Tolkien's English to begin with, it's probably not worth fretting over.

[James Arryn]

I have never found "American" as a category very useful. The country is so large and diverse that I find it remiss to label it as having a common culture. This becomes ever more the case with each passing year, as entertainment branches out into endless niches, the world becomes more globalized and the population continues to diversify.

And the few characteristics that I do think are shared across the country and that are unique in the developed world, say, the prevalence of guns and violence or the high level of customer care, have almost nothing to do with A Song of Ice and Fire.

I've never thought of customer care as being all that identified with America. Japan or Switzerland/Germany, maybe. Consumerism in general, sure...but not emphasized by care.

But then imo reps don't live up like that. I got amazing service in France for months on end, completely contrary to what you're lead to expect.

[James Arryn]

Also, American is also a continent... #justsaying.(fun fact, we call americans "unitedstatians")

As a Canadian, we just learn to roll with it, savouring our 2 World Series Championships.

(If you are from the rest of the world, you may not even know we trounced you once, let alone twice.)

[SeanF]

Using "roach" rather than cockroach.

[James Arryn]

Though he tries to pepper in a lot of British saying, slangs and idioms, it is very evident in reading the books that he's American. I found the same to be the case with Robert Jordan. Since Tolkien defined the genre and made high fantasy seem so very English, it can be somewhat jarring to see Americanisms cropping up, but then since these are fantasy worlds and England or English doesn't REALLY exist in them, I guess it doesn't really matter.

Yeah, my sense is an American who has read a lot about Europe/Britain. Where he misses is in things so big and assumed he doesn't even realize it's a thing or things so small no one even cares. I mean, within England itself you get a huge range of idioms/accents/customs, so as long as it sounds vaguely right...

Closest I see to specific examples are his occasional overt nod to Native Americans with the Dothraki, the beyond fantasy volume of people both fat and poor (almost impossible to pull off historically) and some of his role models, but imo he is very very Brit-influenced.

[JRose1989]

Weirdly enough, how he described the climate.

North being cold and South being warm, that messed me up for ages.

Being Australian it's the opposite, everyone wants to go to tropical sunny North (Queensland, Cairns), and nobody wants to go to the miserable cold south (Melbourne, Tassy)

That kinda tipped me off that he was a yank before even noticing the words like honour and colour where 'wrong'. :-P

[Bryanfury]

Using "roach" rather than cockroach.

As a kiwi this had me wondering why he was writting about weed

[ummester]

Weirdly enough, how he described the climate.

North being cold and South being warm, that messed me up for ages.

Being Australian it's the opposite, everyone wants to go to tropical sunny North (Queensland, Cairns), and nobody wants to go to the miserable cold south (Melbourne, Tassy)

That kinda tipped me off that he was a yank before even noticing the words like honour and colour where 'wrong'. :-P

Yea, those damn North-Earthians (of which there are so many) forget the world is all opposite down under :D

[Faint]

There is nowhere in Canada that I have ever visited where I felt more foreign than I did when I traveled to Mississippi.

[James Arryn]

Yea, those damn North-Earthians (of which there are so many) forget the world is all opposite down under :D

I personally never forget, as I live in constant fear of being dropped off in Australia, where it seems spiders, snakes, ice cream, sunshine and freshly mowed grass are most likely poisonous.

Also I have been educated (by other Australians) to have a vague disdain for Bogans.

[JRose1989]

Yea, those damn North-Earthians (of which there are so many) forget the world is all opposite down under :D

Tell me about it!

In the first few chapters they kept referring to everyone wearing furs in the north and I was all 'Take them off you mongas, it must be like 38 degrees up there!!'

[James Arryn]

There is nowhere in Canada that I have ever visited where I felt more foreign than I did when I traveled to Mississippi.

Only place in the States that felt all that unique to me was New Orleans. Then again I lived in Florida/NYC for a while, and never hit up Texas.

Did you know Cajuns are of Canadian descent?

[JRose1989]

I personally never forget, as I live in constant fear of being dropped off in Australia, where it seems spiders, snakes, ice cream, sunshine and freshly mowed grass are most likely poisonous.

Don't forget the poisonous platypus.

Yep, that adorable little critter has a stinger that can poison you, well the males do anyway.

But you know....we have other cute non-life threatening wildlife...somewhere...

[Civility Reigns]

Tell me about it!

In the first few chapters they kept referring to everyone wearing furs in the north and I was all 'Take them off you mongas, it must be like 38 degrees up there!!'

It is 38 degrees. Fahrenheit.

[James Arryn]

Don't forget the poisonous platypus.

Yep, that adorable little critter has a stinger that can poison you, well the males do anyway.

But you know....we have other cute non-life threatening wildlife...somewhere...

You are rare! All my Australian friends protest, at first. Conversation:

Me: poison everywhere.

aus: laugh. No, not that bad. Only in the bush.

Me: What about red backs?

Aus: oh, well yeah, red backs, but...

Conversation goes on from there.