So I had this American guy explain to me(Bulgarian) and my German roommate that we're the same because we're all in the European. So we said that a Serbian/Macedonian are different than German and Spanish people and he said "cuz they're not in the EU" I tried explaining that EU or not in terms of culture/language etc I feel closer to Macedonians than to Germans/Spanish/Swedish etc but he still doesn't believe me. he said that a German and Bulgarian person would be perceived the same in Europe???
Damn, the guy has a weird idea of what the EU, as well as culture is.
Contrary to popular belief (as I’ve seen plenty of times on this website), the countries in the European Union aren’t the equivalent of US states. The EU consists of 28 sovereign countries (with 24 languages), it’s an economical and political union.
Cultures don’t know borders, (even less so unions, wtf), the reason why a Serbian feels closer to a Macedonian than to a Spaniard is for the simple fact that the people live closer to each other, which results in more cultural exchange, whether it’s e.g. traditions, food or language. Cultures have developed upon centuries, borders have changed during that time. A northern German is in some ways culturally closer to a Danish than to a southern German, who in some ways feels closer to an Austrian. One can see that very well with the lederhosen traditional clothing, which is widespread in Alpine regions, from Bavaria, to Switzerland and Austria. The clothing is often perceived as an overall “German thing”, when in fact it’s a regional and transnational tradition and it’s not a custom in the remaining parts of Germany.
It’s pretty patronising of the guy to Americansplain you to whom you feel closer to and for what reason. A German and a Bulgarian person would be perceived the same IN THE USA, not in Europe. As immigrants they’d be regarded as “white people” over there, as tourists perhaps as “white people from Europe”.
In Europe, however, those categories don’t apply, we can’t be simply regarded as “white Europeans”, we share something that can be vaguely described as “European culture”, yes, but within our countries, and within regions and the environment we grow up in, we are made up of a mix of different cultural influences.
This kind of patronising and self-centred behaviour of Americans is really getting on my nerves.