Bluesky Post (this was also posted on twitter)
I was hoping to find a statement from the aggressor, but it seems to be too early.
this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2024
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Back when I opened my comic and game shop (I no longer do comics, just games) I tried to get an account with Funko directly. They did not believe me that New Mexico is in the United States. The response was along the lines of, "if you feel that you are in the United States, we can pursue this further. But I suggest you opening an account with one of our Latin American distributors."
I could understand that if they were an overseas company, but they are from the US. That had to be one of the most incompetent customers service reps ever.
It is not uncommon, I was almost arrested when I moved to PA because I did not have a passport, or visa, or green card to go with my NM ID that clearly says USA on it for this very reason. Our license plates also say USA on them.
Maryland also refused me a license twice saying that I needed proof I am a citizen, despite having my NM birth certificate.
I also had two other distributors tell me they do not sell to Mexico.
The president elect also has made the mistake. He said we need a border wall between Mexico and Colorado.
I always knew Americans in general were bad with global geography… but to not even know their own states? That sounds insane.
Heck, in our Dutch schools, we actually learn all the states in the United States. I definitely know New Mexico is a state. Same as Alaska and Hawaii (but not Puerto Rico, which is a territory but not a state)
How am I better at this than actual Americans? That should not be a thing.
I think people see/hear the Mexico part and they ignore the New bit. I have found that if I say NM vs New Mexico while working with a new distributor there is no confusion.
When I was in school I had to learn all 50 states and their capitals as well as be able to find them on a map.
I never get tired of Europeans being surprised at the average intelligence here, thank you for making me giggle. The average American is about as smart as a stick, and as we both know, sticks aren't good at geography
Less than as smart as*
Wouldn' it it be "less smart than"?
I mean sure. That one uses fewer words. If you're a non native speaker, both are correct with the right placement in the sentence and removal of other words.
A solid percentage of Americans are dumber than shit. Ive also encountered folks who thought that California is independent from the United States and also Muslim for some fucking reason. As a born, raised, and actively living in California I can garuntee neither of those facts are true. Seriously we are at worst nationalistic not independent.
Your English is also better than people in my family whose ancestors were 18th-century British colonists.
I once had a heated argument with a coworker about where the capital of the US is located. He was of the opinion that Washington state was the capital and Washington, DC was a US city located in Colombia (he also had difficulty understanding that Colombia and Columbia were spelled differently). He wasn’t trolling; when I finally got to a map (pre-smart phone days) and showed him where DC is located, he got really mad.
Thank you, we take pride in our language education.
We learn English, French and German in school, which really helps when dealing with the rest of Europe. Whenever you meet someone from another European country, chances are you can find at least one language you both speak. Makes trade and travel a lot easier.
I do occasionally slip up when talking to Americans. We’re generally taught UK and US English here simultaneously. Which means I sometimes have the UK spelling in my head, which can differ slightly. For example, flavour vs flavor. Online, I usually try to keep it ‘US English’.
Yeah, I can absolutely see that ‘District of Columbia’ argument in my head :D You’d assume people at least know that one considering how much important stuff happens there. I’d understand if someone not from the US didn’t know. But Americans really should.
I’ve experienced the language skills of Nederlanders first hand! What I found to be most striking was hearing people having trilingual conversations especially in restaurants where the waitstaff were actively communicating individually with dozens of people in two to three languages.
I’ve tried to keep up with language skills but starting a language in high school or college just didn’t work for me. Especially since the application of those skills prioritizes written communication. I always end up with an understanding of pronunciation, some grammar, and a handful of vocabulary that I can’t actively use.
I don’t think any Americans are judging you too harshly for UK spellings. I think keeping track of all the slang and colloquialisms would be the greater challenge. I was taught “grey” and “colour” as a kid and the only problem I have is with spellcheck. 😂
Ha, the slang and colloquialisms are actually the easy part, really!
We are subjected to an awful lot of US culture in general. We watch Hollywood movies and we get most US shows, which are shown with subtitles here. We also follow US news and events, we enjoy US music, we use a lot of the same services, etc. Basically, if I moved to the US, I’d fit right in.
We tend to enjoy US culture quite a bit. We might disagree on topics like politics, healthcare, gun issues or the metric system, but by and large we’re like… Canadians.
I learned all the states at a 4th grader. Perhaps earlier even. I generally believe this is not a case of people not being taught, but a case of people not paying attention or otherwise info-dumping information they don't think they need.
There was a point when i was in the military where I could literally write in the names of every country in the world on a blank map. It's been years since I had to do that and I wouldn't be able to do it now.
Well I’d certainly hope the people in the military get properly trained. You’d hate to confuse Austria and Australia or Georgia (state) and Georgia (country) if you ever needed to bomb or invade either one of them :D
It was not for the purposes of bombing. It was for the purposes of recognition of their military aircraft and weapons systems.
I had problems with TSA before because my real ID confused them and they didn’t believe it was a valid US ID. Granted, this was at a regional airport, but it’s literally the ID that complies with requirements set by Homeland Security for the specific purpose of use in airports by TSA.
Edit: and my ID isn’t even from New Mexico!
I am planning to get a passport to alleviate the issues of traveling with a NM ID.
That’s one way to do it!
Yeah, New Mexico IDs and license plates both say “New Mexico, USA” for exactly this reason. So many people have almost been illegally arrested and turned over to ICE by incompetent cops during traffic stops. Cops will pull New Mexico plates over, see the New Mexico ID, and demand to see visa paperwork because they think the person is from Mexico.
Good they are not sending people from New York back to England But you got to admit, some of the naming choices are ridiculous, what's with all those Paris-es and Pragues.
New Mexico was actually named before Mexico was named.
https://www.ncesc.com/geographic-faq/why-is-new-mexico-called-mexico/
Wow, that's an unexpected twist.
The customer service rep is also AI. And if it isn't, u can bet your ass in 5 years its just going to be AI all the way down for anything support related. Literally anything to not have to pay humans for work.
I would believe this, except it was in 2019.
You oughta make a tax on that AI stuff, Camacho
Come on now, Camacho was actually a great leader. He made the smart guy an advisor, stood back, and just let him work.
I did try to kill him that one time though, but we're cool now.
Nah, you rehabilitated him.
I feel like I'm crazy because I can't see our own leaders doing that due to sheer hubris
That's how Camachos are made.
This reminds of the story of some company not shipping to the Rhode Island because it's an island not a state. Maybe someone here remembers more details
Tbf, the Commonwealth of Rhode island and Providence Plantations don't even call themselves a state.
Did you send them a map?