Hi all!

I was watching a Guardian YouTube video called “Why One of the US’s Reddest Counties Is Losing Faith in Trump” (disclaimer: not here to discuss the politics!).

They interviewed people in parts of Virginia before moving to Alabama, which I understand is the South. I found myself relating to some of the people interviewed in Virginia, as aspects of their lives reminded me of where I grew up.

I've also heard about the Rust Belt, which I understand is a somewhat different region, although I'm not entirely sure where the boundaries lie. As someone from the UK, I've inevitably picked up bits and pieces about different parts of America through films, TV and documentaries.

I'm from the West Midlands of England, particularly the Black Country. Our region was shaped by the Industrial Revolution, and manufacturing remained central to our economy well into the 20th century. At one time, we made just about everything, with major industries including coal, iron, steel and metalworking, as well as car manufacturing.

From the latter part of the 20th century, we lost much of that industry. Large parts of the region have struggled economically ever since, and the speed and scale of that decline changed our communities and culture.

We're also known for our strong regional accents and distinctive dialects. Unfortunately, ours are often mocked, and people with Black Country or Birmingham accents are sometimes portrayed as stupid. There's a real sense of pride in our local speech, though, and the accents get stronger and the dialect more distinctive in some of the old industrial towns.

We're also a bit of an awkward fit geographically and culturally. We're not really Northern or Southern, and people from both areas seem happy to insist we belong to the other! We dont claim either of them!

I've sometimes felt a kind of kinship with people from parts of America I've seen portrayed in the media, particularly where industrial decline, regional identity and accent prejudice come into play. I realise the American South is diverse and that some areas are much more rural than where I'm from.

Id love to hear which Americans might relate?

yeah i realized i’ve become an american when my coworker bought donuts this morning and, this time, i was really excited to eat one as a sweet little treat with my coffee for breakfast.

now i'm thinking donuts for breakfast is not that bad. i should do this often.

Hi,

i recently saw a random post on male grooming subreddit where a fella had a GLORIUS mustache. I absolutly loved it. But a comments and there was lots of them (1k plus) were overhelming negative about it. Why? Mustaches without beard are very popular in my country (Poland) and in Europe in general as im aware but Americans (and I did a look for a more threads) hate them???? Why????