> I could make an almost identical argument about the usage of terms like "Americans".
I hear you and partly agree, but the comparison is a stretch.
In USA, how many hours by car do you need to find a local that doesn't speak your language?
The very same ad can easily be broadcast US-wide. Never do that in Europe (not that anyone has ever tried).
Trying to impose a law on all EU countries alone is usually unsuccessful [1].
Cultures are quite different. The feeling of being part of EU is far weaker than that of being part of your European nation. We don't say we are EU citizens. We don't watch the same thing on TV. We don't read the same newspapers. We don't have the same food habits.
My point: European countries are by far further apart than US states, and as a result, generalizations are more likely to fail.
But, sure, you do feel differently about death penalty, gun control, socialism and Mormons from state to state.
"In USA, how many hours by car do you need to find a local that doesn't speak your language?"
Zero. The janitors and the landscapers of the company don't speak much English. The baker at the ethnic grocery down the street doesn't speak English, but his daughter does.
Depends on your definition of "a local" - I may have lived in a particular city for 30 years, doesn't make me "a local". In fact, I can think of places (I grew up in one) where being "a local" required multiple generations.
A lot of Europeans would answer, "I'd have to take the train (or the plane)," because they would think about the nearest country, not the nearest janitor.
In USA, how many hours by car do you need to find a local that doesn't speak your language?
I don't have to drive. Last week, I walked to a local deli and heard the following languages on the street within a few minutes: english, spanish, russian, chinese, polish(maybe, not sure) and arabic.
I hear you and partly agree, but the comparison is a stretch.
In USA, how many hours by car do you need to find a local that doesn't speak your language?
The very same ad can easily be broadcast US-wide. Never do that in Europe (not that anyone has ever tried).
Trying to impose a law on all EU countries alone is usually unsuccessful [1]. Cultures are quite different. The feeling of being part of EU is far weaker than that of being part of your European nation. We don't say we are EU citizens. We don't watch the same thing on TV. We don't read the same newspapers. We don't have the same food habits.
My point: European countries are by far further apart than US states, and as a result, generalizations are more likely to fail.
But, sure, you do feel differently about death penalty, gun control, socialism and Mormons from state to state.