When I went to England, people who knew I was from the US asked me what part I was from. I said, “Manhattan, Kansas,” because, at the time, that’s where I was attending university. I never met anyone who knew where that was. The closest I got was, “Oh! Kansas City! I’ve heard of that.” Or, “Is that west of New York City?” It does no good to try to explain that the state of Kansas - just one of 50+ portions of our country, is the size of the Country of England, and it isn’t just all bare land. It’s like thinking you could go on a day trip to New York City from Miami, or to San Francisco from Miami, because you could do a day trip to anywhere in England. People from Europe have no idea how large this country is unless they’ve been here and explored a bit.

If you were asked where you’re from, would it be sufficient to say that you’re from the European Union? Wouldn’t you want to specify which country? That’s all we’re doing. EACH state is the size of a small country. Some are the size of two countries. My “country” of Kansas has several medium-sized cities in it, Many small towns, and one or two good-sized cities. Yes, there’s a lot of farmland, too. Even that - it’s not the small nicely bordered patchwork fields north of London, it’s vast lands that have mini forests and wild borders and huge sections that lie fallow. That’s EVERY state. And, the cultural differences within a single state can be breathtaking, but go across country and you might as well be on another continent, somewhere else in the world. Often, we don’t even have a language in common - even if they claim to be speaking English.

So, yes, count me as another Amerisplainer, but think about this. If you said you were from Spain and I said, “Oh, I’ve heard of Madrid!” would you feel satisfied? Wouldn’t you want to at least tell me which direction from Madrid your home actually is (unless it really is Madrid, of course)?