How connected are US territories with the mainland?
Posted by palep_hoot@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 148 comments
Is the relationship with the territories good? Does the average American know much about Puerto Rico,Guam etc ?
Ask_Aspie_@reddit
Puerto Rico is the most well known. A lot of people from there have moved to the states and spread their culture and traditions here. Every Puerto Rican I have met are very proud of their heritage and will usually have their flag on display (as a car bumper sticker or a flag or clothing). The US Virgin Islands are well known as a vacation spot. But most people know nothing about Guam, Samoa, etc.
dgmilo8085@reddit
Our legislators and executives don't even know that American Territories are American.
Tejanisima@reddit
This. I remember when then-Rep. Greene was complaining about us sending our money to foreign nations and listed GUAM among her examples: "We love our country, we believe our hard-earned tax dollars should just go for America, not for, what, China, Russia, the Middle East, Guam, whatever, wherever." The Guamanians were adorable about it, offered her cookies and geography education by way of their congressional delegate.
the_real_JFK_killer@reddit
The average anerican knows about Puerto rico, guam, the Virgin Islands and probably american Samoa. The more obscure, uninhabited territories are not well known.
ELMUNECODETACOMA@reddit
I think you're highly optimistic.
I think the average American has heard of Puerto Rico but doesn't realize Puerto Ricans are US citizens, can't distinguish American Samoa from the independent state of Samoa, doesn't realize the Virgin Islands are US territories, and only remembers Guam from the Military History Channel if that.
Tejanisima@reddit
Certainly the president of the United States doesn't remember the Virgin Islands are US territories since in his first term he claimed to have met with "the president of the [US] Virgin Islands," a claim that is often misquoted as his saying he met with "the president of Puerto Rico."
SAM5TER5@reddit
Extraordinarily little, in my experience. People often don’t know exactly where they are, what exactly their relationship is to the U.S., or how exactly they came to be territories in the first place.
Obviously members of the U.S. military (and their families) who were from the mainland but were stationed in bases in these territories will know a whole lot more, but many people from the mainland haven’t even visited or heard of certain territories. For instance — I only REALLY know about the Northern Mariana Islands because of a map quiz game on my phone, not because of any of my fellow Americans.
Tejanisima@reddit
Only time I ever read about the Northern Mariana Islands was the time there was an article on how household employers abuse the system to mistreat foreign workers. It has been decades, so I don't remember what was distinctive about the problem in NMI specifically. I just know that's the first I ever heard of them being part of the United States
sirdrumalot@reddit
I wish we would get rid of the Federated States of Micronesia. So sick of that popping up first when I want to select Florida as my state.
hx87@reddit
I hate it when dropdowns are listed by abbreviation but sorted by full name. Seeing MA listed after ME irritates me to no end
No_Walk_Town@reddit
FSM isn't a US territory and hasn't been for, like, 30 years? 40?
eyetracker@reddit
It's an independent country that voluntarily surrenders some sovereignty in exchange for concessions. So they don't get the same rights as the territories (at least 4 of them) but are given some by treaty. There are a few more like this and NZ has their own analog.
danhm@reddit
I've got the same problem with California
HappyCamper2121@reddit
Hey, I know some folks from there and they're really nice. So no, I vote we keep Micronesia. It's a beautiful strong of lush tropical islands in the Pacific.
spintool1995@reddit
Maybe get rid of Florida instead.
EV9110@reddit
And then there’s Guam, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
OperationThrax@reddit
The Pacific Territories often go unnoticed in the Mainland, Many people still don't know about Typhoon Sinlaku and the damage it did to Tinian and Saipan.
RespectablePapaya@reddit
Puerto Rico, yes. The others, not so much.
lemonprincess23@reddit
Guam might get some recognition because of the military base
Dazzling-Low8570@reddit
Unless it tips over, of course
damutecebu@reddit
I think the average American has heard of them, but doesn't know a lot about them. Many don't even realize they are American territories. Puerto Rico is the best known, mostly because it is close, people travel there for vacations occasionally, and statehood comes up once in a while.
ComprehensiveEar6001@reddit
And some parts of the country have a ton of Puerto Ricans in them.
elderly_millenial@reddit
Some parts of the country don’t understand that Puerto Rico is part of the US
ScatterTheReeds@reddit
I don’t think that’s true. On the other hand, one Puerto Rican guy that I talked to kept referring to PR as “my country “. Did he not know?
Dazzling-Low8570@reddit
Puerto Rico is a dependent possession of the United States, not part of the United States. It is a separate country and treated as such by many international organizations.
ScatterTheReeds@reddit
Puerto Rico officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a self-governing Caribbean archipelago and island organized as an unincorporated territory the United States under the designation of commonwealth.
Dazzling-Low8570@reddit
"Unincorporated" literally means "not part of the United States."
elderly_millenial@reddit
According to who? If Puerto Ricans are fully American citizens, then your statement isn’t correct either. It’s not a state, so it can’t be “united” with the 50 currently in existence, but your just skewing a definition to fit your needs
Dazzling-Low8570@reddit
The supreme Court, for one
Curmudgy@reddit
That's not exactly what it means. There's a surprisingly long discussion within the Wikipedia page on US territories. Currently Palmyra Atoll is the only incorporated territory, but that article cites one US district judge as suggesting Puerto Rico had become incorporated. In the past, Alaska and Hawaii were incorporated territories before they became states.
astrognash@reddit
There is a Puerto Rican independence movement which does not appear to enjoy majority support on the island, but is nonetheless a significant group both in Puerto Rico and among the Puerto Rican diaspora on the mainland. It is entirely possible that the Puerto Rican you spoke to sees Puerto Rico as his country rather than the United States.
elderly_millenial@reddit
Lots of people are idiots, and Puerto Ricans are people, but it’s also true that many want Puerto Rico to be an independent country
ScatterTheReeds@reddit
The issue of Statehood comes up every so many years. It’ll be in the news, so of course most people are aware of Puerto Rico.
Proof-Emergency-5441@reddit
Nobody knows in America Puerto Rico's in America
-West Side Story (1957) Things have not improved.
Weird_Squirrel_8382@reddit
I saw a BMV staff member get chastised after being really rude to a Puerto Rican person trying to get an Ohio license. "We have DISCUSSED this, Deb. Go take your lunch."
The_Jorj@reddit
Some of our presidents don’t know that either.
Individual_Agency703@reddit
All I know is their bunnies aren’t good.
thatisnotmyknob@reddit
Puerto Ricans are a big deal in NYC.
Fickle-Aardvark6907@reddit
All of NY state... They are also not shy about it. There's a guy on the corner of my block who loves Puerto Rico, the Bills, Batman and Halloween and he wants you to know about all four.
iWushock@reddit
Very random question. My kid was obsessed with Alma’s Way on PBS. She’s puerto rican. My kid loved the mofongo song (it’s just “go go, mo-fon-go!” Over and over) and asked about mofongo. We couldn’t find a restaurant that had it nearby and ingredients were hard to come by. If you know, would you be able to describe it? Taste, texture, etc?
llamadolly85@reddit
Mofongo is a mashed starch, so if your frame of reference is "white American food" the closest thing is like a chunky/dry/thick (not creamy or pureed) mashed potato. That's not to say that mofongo is really like mashed potatoes, just that that's the closest thing. If you look at pictures of mofongo and imagine it as potatoes instead, that'll give you the texture.
The flavor is starchy, savory, salty. Plantain is a banana, but that doesn't mean it tastes like "mashed banana" because mofongo is made with unripe plantain so it isn't sweet. Again, potato is the closest frame of reference but that's just because there isn't anything else like it.
I actually prefer bifongo made with unripe and ripe mixed together because I like the sweetness/caramelization from the ripe plantain but that comes down to personal preference.
I hope you get to try some soon!
thatisnotmyknob@reddit
Its garlicky mashed plantains. Its the tostone version of the plantain. Pork fat is involved.
The texture is very unique. Close to yucca
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mofongo
iWushock@reddit
It sounds so good. I may have to see if any new restaurants have popped up that would have it
thatisnotmyknob@reddit
Ive only seen Dominicans or Puerto Ricans do it.
iWushock@reddit
Just looked and there’s a PR grocery and cafe about 4 miles from me that wasn’t there before, and they have mofongo on their menu!
thatisnotmyknob@reddit
You lucky bastard! They will probably have good coconut drinks too.
Meowmeowmeow31@reddit
Most of the Northeast really.
Maxpowr9@reddit
Yep. JetBlue's operating bases are Boston (BOS), NYC (JFK), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), and San Juan (SJU). JetBlue uses SJU as a Caribbean hub for island hoppers. They are the most connected US airline to the Caribbean.
Western-Willow-9496@reddit
1.5% of New Hampshire population.
madogvelkor@reddit
Nearly half the Hispanic people in my state are Puerto Rican. About 8% of the state population.
Around the same number of Puerto Ricans in Connecticut as San Juan.
superhex12345@reddit
Over 30% of the population of Hartford is Puerto Rican.
Sal1160@reddit
Waterbury has a substantial population too
freeski919@reddit
I grew up in Massachusetts, and SOO many of my friends growing up were Puerto Rican (and Brazilian.. you can probably figure out the town i grew up in based on Mass and Brazilian).
I loved it. I was an Irish/French Canadian kid, but I ate chicken adobo and danced salsa with my boricua neighbors.
swake3@reddit
It also has by far the largest population. PR has 3.3 million people with 2.4 million in the San Juan metro area, making it a major US city. The next highest population territory is Guam with 150,000 people. Puerto Rico should be a state if they want to be one. The others are all far too small.
You could merge the US Virgin Islands with PR, they are only 50 miles apart and the VI have less than 100,000 people.
ExOhioGuy@reddit
There was a story circulating in the news a couple of years ago about a guy from Puerto Rico who was denied a rental car in New Orleans because the Hertz agent thought he needed a passport.
ImpatientMaker@reddit
Some folks don't even realize New Mexico is in the US.
ScatterTheReeds@reddit
Nah. Come on.
PokeCaptain@reddit
https://www.newmexicomagazine.org/culture/one-of-our-50-is-missing/
ImpatientMaker@reddit
Google it
Mr_Kittlesworth@reddit
Slightly disagree. Most people have heard of Puerto Rico. Then I’d bet a distinct minority have heard of American Samoa and Guam, and I’d bet very, very few are aware of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
ScatterTheReeds@reddit
I’m pretty sure most Americans know that they’re American territories. They probably just have only limited knowledge about them. I don’t know a whole lot about them.
Comedeorologist@reddit
I lived in a housing co-op that catered to international students and interns. There was a huge, perhaps 20 year old, map of the world in the living room.
A French student was scanning it one day and admitted she'd seen many territories across the globe that she didn't realize were French possessions.
So, it happens...
Ozone220@reddit
I will say that it's not rare to meet people of Puerto Rican descent though, so there's that contact
sneezhousing@reddit
Virgin islands is equally as clone. It's only 40 miles east of Puerto Rico It's a less than hr plane ride on parts of st. Thomas you can pick up radio stations feom. from Puerto rico
twowrist@reddit
All I can say is that I regret having missed my chance to visit the National Park of American Samoa on the cruise we took, because I had a cold that day. I don’t know if I’ll ever have another chance.
IthurielSpear@reddit
It depends a lot on the region of the US.
Mailman354@reddit
When your In the military youre more likely ro know about them. Either due to being stationed there are meeting people from there.
I was in the army. Met tons of dudes from American Samoa and Guam
And even two from Saipan. Which im very positive 90% of Americans dont even know we gained Saipan after WW2.(They'll probably know about the ww2 batitle of Saipan however)
RedLegGI@reddit
Most will knock w about them, and a good bit will think you need passports to go there. The territories aren’t really thought of in the same way that we’d think about Oregon or Arkansas on a daily basis. Do they exist? Yes. Do I know what’s going on there? No. So I really have a vested interest in? Not really.
WhatABeautifulMess@reddit
I don't think the average American knows much about PR or Guam but the average American also doesn't know a ton about many other states either.
Current_Poster@reddit
I think people think more about Puerto Rico than, say, the Pacific Territories.
TallCommission7139@reddit
Mate, they don't even like the hispanic people who live in the actual states.
CronosWorks@reddit
Anyone near a boat knows about Guam.
livelongprospurr@reddit
One instance: American Samoa. My university enjoyed having some of their football players. “American Samoa is a major wellspring of American football talent, with Samoan athletes being roughly 40 times more likely to play in the NFL than other US citizens. Despite its small population, the territory boasts high youth participation, with local high schools often acting as pipelines for U.S. college football, driven by cultural emphasis, physical stature, and opportunities for scholarships.” Wikipedia
swake3@reddit
A lot of people of Samoan decent in Utah, Hawaii and California.
Hamblin113@reddit
At least they know they are territories. Hard pressed to find a mainland American to name them.
Ryan_TX_85@reddit
The average American doesn't know much about any state they don't live in, let alone island territories that are only mentioned in geography class.
Proof-Ad3637@reddit
Not connected at all, really, because of water. (I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself)
Fun_Inspector_8633@reddit
Most Americans don't know Puerto Ricans are US citizens.
Sal1160@reddit
Puerto Ricans are a major demographic in the northeast and mid Atlantic region, and more live in the continental US than on the island IIRC. I’m actually shocked that most areas of the US don’t know that PR is a US territory
MetroBS@reddit
If you asked people to name territories they would probably get Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands
Some people might struggle remembering The Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa
fermentedradical@reddit
People buy clothes made in Saipan without every realizing it is in the Northern Marianas, a US colony ("territory")
ElijahNSRose@reddit
Most Americans know very little about the territories other than they are not states nor independent. I personally got confused about how it works in the past, but each little island has its own arrangement with Washington.
Completely-Lost9@reddit
We had a Puerto Rican play the Superbowl halftime show and half the country called it unamerican.
ChainWise6768@reddit
The average American does not know, or even disagrees, that Puerto Rico or Guam are actually part of the United States.
Sabertooth767@reddit
They aren't. They are possessions of the United States.
msabeln@reddit
Like parts of Antarctica, and the Moon, Mars, and other off-world territories. 😄😄😄
eyetracker@reddit
The US has claimed no territory in Antarctica, just the potential right to do so.
msabeln@reddit
U.S. owned bases controlled by the military. Yeah, the Antarctic Treaty, I know.
ChainWise6768@reddit
See, there you go
shammy_dammy@reddit
I know they exist. I know PR has some pretty bad hurricanes.
Forward_Tank8310@reddit
I lived on Maui for a few years & while I don’t know about the U.S. territories, the state of Hawaii is well interconnected with Las Vegas (the “9th island”) & other parts of the country. The 2020 U.S. Census reported that 53% of native Hawaiians live in the mainland now. 650,000 were reported to be living (in order of population) California, Washington, Nevada, Texas, & Oregon. Tourism from the islands to Las Vegas is also very high.
Dramatic-Blueberry98@reddit
The relationship with the territories is a bit mixed. There’s certain hurdles, from both the local side and federal side, that keep them at territory status.
As far as the average American goes, it varies on whether you paid attention in school or not. Though I have noticed that it’s mostly a good chunk of the older generation who aren’t military that tend to know the least for some reason.
naivesocialist@reddit
Well, there aren't any real hurdles, it's just racism. Keeping territories instead of integrating or giving them independence upholds the racist Insular Cases, basically saying that the people of the territories can't understand anglo-saxon principles and so parts of the constitution shouldn't apply to them.
masoleumofhope@reddit
Depends on the territory and depends on the current government leaders. It could be worse - it's not great imo - but it could be much better. We learn about them to varying degrees and in varying framing in school.
I find that the average mainlander's knowledge of US territories is directly relational to how many people from that territory are present in the local population.
eg: NYC folk are probably more familiar with Puerto Rico given the large population of Puerto Ricans in NYC. In parts of California there are big populations of American Samoans (and many folks from Polynesia more broadly) so that is much more familiar.
FemboyEngineer@reddit
I think the territories are very similar to the Dutch Caribbean territories. As in, they're pretty much entirely autonomous & most people don't think of them as integral parts of America. But of course, we're closer to them than to any other country.
jmilred@reddit
Puerto Rico is our half sibling. We care, but not as much as our other states. US Virgin and Guam and Samoa are the parents secret affair partner’s unknown kid. They exist because we can see them, but we don’t know why they exist, where they came from, or why we should care, but there is a distant connection and pride about them. We really don’t know much about them, but if you mess with them you will regret it
IsThisDecent@reddit
I don't think most Americans on the mainland ever think about the territories unless they have familial/business connections to them
jmilred@reddit
Vacations
WittyCombination6@reddit
Guam has a really big military base that takes up 1/3 of the island. So a lot of people from there who move to the mainland are soldiers. They're also known to be really patriotic.
jigokubi@reddit
My wife, who is Japanese, told me her dad had been to America twice: Hawaii and Guam.
I'm like, yeah, he hasn't been to America.
SabresBills69@reddit
most people are familiar with Puerto Rico. many think it’s a separate country. people here are somehow illegal accept they have birth right citizenship.
virgin islands some know because it gets hit by hurtucanes
guam many know but can’t locate. Thry know it has a military base.
American Samoa and northern Mariana’s not so much
other pacific USA Territories don’t have residents other than military/ fed govt stationed there , or scientists studying things ( wildlife, sealife, global warming/ water level rising)
after WW2 USA also had palau , micronesia, and Marshall islands. Marshall Islands was used for nuclear testing and they have military bases out there. many of the folks there are considered U.S. nationals. they serve in the U.S. military , USA is their defenders. us nations is a level below citizenship but citizenship is automatic if on main U.S. soil. with Marshall Islands sinking, many have moved to Hawaii and mainland USA.
CalmRip@reddit
Guam would literally be a day ahead of the rest of the country if the international dateline didn't take a jog to keep it on track with mainland USA. It is a small place, a very, very long way from the continental United States, so it doesn't exactly intrude itself into the consciousness of mainlanders..
As for Puerto Rico, probably more Americans are aware it's part of the general U. S. clump, but I wouldn't bet on that awareness carrying over to the U. S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa. That might vary somewhat by region: I guarantee there's a lot of folks in San Diego that know about American Samoa, NYC has a large Puerto Rican population, and folks in Florida may have more awareness about the USVI.
Kein-Deutsc@reddit
We know about Puerto Rico. I think many people generally support statehood but it’s not close to an issue that comes up regularly.
The other territory’s like Northern Mariana Islands most of us have never heard of. I personally don’t know a thing about it. I really don’t know much about Puerto Rico either beyond the fact that a few million us citizens cannot vote for the US president among other things.
fowmart@reddit
No one's talking about the typhoon that hit some of our smaller territories, so in most people's minds, not very
ApprehensiveSkill573@reddit
The average American thinks Puerto Rico is a foriegn country, and Guam is a fictional place like Narnia.
notacanuckskibum@reddit
And those are the 2 best known territories
madogvelkor@reddit
A good number of Puerto Ricans kinda act like it is a separate country. I've only seen Texans with similar pride for their state/territory separate from nationality.
Saltwater_Heart@reddit
You are making that up lol.
Zealousideal_Cod5214@reddit
I don't blame them for saying "average" tbh. Especially not after the backlash the Superbowl got from MAGA for putting Bad Bunny in the halftime show lol
HappyCamper2121@reddit
😭 Poor Guam! It's actually supposed to be very nice and tropical, somewhat like Hawaii.
AdrianArmbruster@reddit
Never personally been to Puerto Rico, but there’s plenty of Puerto Ricans in Florida and bits of the mid-Atlantic who maintain ties to the island.
Guam is much further afield. If someone has more than passing knowledge of its existence I’m going to assume they have some military connection.
The ‘average’ American is rather infamously unconcerned with matters of geography, mind. Still, they probably have encountered someone from Puerto Rico and probably have not encountered someone from Guam, generally.
notacanuckskibum@reddit
American Samoa?
ScatterTheReeds@reddit
It’s a myth that Americans don’t know geography. They’re no worse at geography that people of any other country.
msabeln@reddit
I dated two girls who were Puerto Rican, and live down the street from the sister of one of them. I’ve never knowingly met anyone from the other territories.
Chemical-Mix-6206@reddit
Let's face it, some Americans never think about any states that don't share a border with the one they live in, much less the territories. We hear about Puerto Rico a fair bit, but the others probably never get mentioned unless they have a natural disaster or something. I have one friend whose family is from Guam, but she grew up here and never talks about Guam. There's too much other stuff fighting for our attention. I only have so much bandwidth. I can barely keep up with the city council fighting with the sewer & water board to fix the broken pipes & sinkholes, y'know? And that stuff affects my day to day life.
No-Mouse4800@reddit
They are connected via water.
No_Walk_Town@reddit
Unironically and not joking, this is literally how traditional navigators on Guam saw the world. Like, what do you mean "isolated"? This water takes you to literally any place you want to go - just follow the right stars.
HappyCamper2121@reddit
And the land under the water connects as well
Waisted-Desert@reddit
Land under the water? What nonsense is this?
Prestigious-Comb4280@reddit
We know they exist but especially Guam is so far away
ParadoxicalFrog@reddit
Sometimes us mainlanders forget they exist, to be honest. Puerto Rico and the USVI are vacation spots, Guam is known for the military presence, and American Samoa is mostly remembered for exporting football players and pro wrestlers. Otherwise they don't come up very much. Other territories don't get talked about at all.
ActuaLogic@reddit
They're all islands: Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Master-Collection488@reddit
A surprising number of mainlanders think of them as foreign countries.
A surprising number of Americans don't know that Hawaii and New Mexico are states.
OrganizationSouth481@reddit
Admittedly I know plenty about Puerto Rico. It boils down to knowing a lot of people from there.
Outside of that, I know what our territories are and where they are. And that’s probably more than a lot of people. But I’m not familiar with them beyond that.
Blue387@reddit
We have so many Puerto Ricans here in the city who contribute greatly from sports to politics to food
NomadLexicon@reddit
The territories have strong connections with the US. Most people know friends or family who have lived in the mainland US for work or school. Residents tend to serve in the military at much higher rates than on the mainland. The federal government and US companies tend to be major local employers. They get US media and their local culture often feeds into the mainland (Samoans get recruited into the NFL, Bad Bunny played the Super Bowl halftime show, etc.).
The average American has limited awareness of the territories beyond Puerto Rico, but the territories have large diaspora communities (relative to their own populations) in the US that are strongly connected to them. In Florida and New York, the Puerto Rican community is large enough to have political power in state/local politics.
The relationship is complicated for lots of reasons (their political status, brain drain, federal funding levels, uneven economic development, etc.) but they aren’t forced to stay and there isn’t much popular support for becoming independent.
Waisted-Desert@reddit
We know all about Guam and the risk of it tipping over and capsizing if we station too many troops there, according to Congressman Johnson in 2010.
https://youtu.be/X5dkqUy7mUk?si=mKe5qfyedKkj9WBV
Forward-Wear7913@reddit
It really depends on where you live.
I grew up in New York City and was very familiar with Puerto Rico as there were many Puerto Ricans in the city. I have some good friends that still have family in Puerto Rico and regularly travel there.
In other areas I’ve lived, there are very few Puerto Ricans and most people are not that familiar with the territory.
pokematic@reddit
We generally don't give much thought to them. We know they exist, sometimes they come up in political contexts or tropical vacations, but they don't come up very often.
For that matter, states that we don't neighbor or aren't in the news don't get much thought either. Like, if you're living in Arkansas, you might think of Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri, or Mississippi regularly since they're neighbors, or when New York, California, Texas, or Florida is in the news (like they always seem to be) you'll think of them, but unless Idaho, Michigan, Main, Rhode Island, or South Dakota did something that made national news or one of their state schools is playing your favorite state school at the sports game, you're not going to think about them most of the time.
nowhereman136@reddit
There are a ton of Americans in New York, Florida, and other parts of the US with family from Puerto Rico. It is the most populous and most visited by American tourists. They still aren't the same level as any of the 50 states, but if they decided to become a state (and approved by congress) it would be a relatively smooth transition.
The other territories are more complicated. They are further away and have smaller populations. Samoa and Guam benefit from being very well connected to the US military. Not only are there mitary bases in those territories, they have the highest percentage of locals joining the military than any US state. Aside from that, Americans typically don't think of them much outside of vacation destinations or jeopardy categories
SavannahInChicago@reddit
My ex-bestie was half Puerto Rican. Her wedding was in PR and I was talking to her mom, who was born there. She told me that when Puerto Rican's come to the mainland they consider it immigrating. When I was there San Juan had signs calling us colonizers. To be fair, PR gets the short end of the stick when it comes to the government taking care of them. Sometimes they are all out ignored.
CommandAlternative10@reddit
There is a Bank of Guam branch in San Francisco! (That’s about all I know about Guam.)
seejaypee@reddit
The majority of Americans don’t know anything about the colonial territories and protectorates- neither their culture, nor their status with respeect to formal relationship with the US. To the point that during the big january football performance this winter, many mainstream media outlets, and even the fucking president, were so cluless and incensed that a Puerto Rican was performing, that they continually amplified statements along the lines of ‘why dont we have an american performing’, without realizing that puerto ricans are american citizens as well.
I would wager that more than 90% of Americans wouldnt know that Guamanians are also Americans by citizenship.
Saltwater_Heart@reddit
I can name all of the territories at the very least.
There are quite a few Guam that live here in my area in Florida. A few of them work with my husband so my husband knows a lot about Guam.
We have a lot of Puerto Ricans too.
7eregrine@reddit
I know a lot about PR. Went there for a week vacation. It's awesome. Love it there.
Been to the bigger Virgin Islands.
Klutzy-Comment6897@reddit
Puerto Rico is in Mexico right?
Youcants1tw1thus@reddit
Some people know the territories and have respect for the people. Others, like Tomi Lahren, don’t have a clue and don’t have any respect for the people.
_lisafrank@reddit
I think USians in the territories probably think positively about the mainlaind; I would think USians on the mainland never think about the territories.
The relationship is controversial (at least for Puerto Ricans, though I assume also for others), but there is an undoubted higher standard of living for those territories relative to surrounding countries/territories. The tradeoff being wages and access to products and services coming at the cost of sociopolitical sovereignty. There's also big diasporic communities from all those places in the mainland.
But it doesn't really work in the inverse. Though these places have a higher status than the places they're immediately near, they're still much lower and the quality worse than stateside. Most USians don't move there because the wages and services are worse, and there's fewer opportunities for them; many don't even visit there because tropical vacations can be gotten closer and more easily. The exception is when you really need to think about them, probably if you have family, maybe if there's a natural disaster or some other prominent news story.
chameleonsEverywhere@reddit
I'd wager a small majority of US Americans don't even know Guam or American Samoa or the Virgin Islands are US territories. Puerto Rico is really the only territory that gets much attention.
I consider myself decently knowledgeable about civics and geography, but I still just Googled it and learned that the 5th permanently inhabited US territory is Northern Mariana Islands, which I don't remember ever hearing of before just now.
Defiant_Network7916@reddit
They aren't territories they are colonies, start there. They don't have the right to self determination, autonomy, or self governance.
FrankDrebinOnReddit@reddit
Washington, DC: obviously very connected and has a lot of mind share due to being the national capital.
Puerto Rico: The only other one mainlanders ever think about, but rarely and distantly.
Guam: Maybe 50% of Americans know that it's a territory.
US Virgin Islands: People who vacation or take cruises in the Caribbean may be aware of it.
Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa: I've never heard them mentioned.
thelumpymattress@reddit
My measuring stick is if it's something my grandpa would know since he's about as close to average as I can find. The average American knows of Guam and Puerto Rico, but could tell you little beyond that they are American territories.
tsukiii@reddit
I know a lot of people who have temporarily lived in Guam. Mostly military folks, or people immigrating from Asia to the US.
NetwerkErrer@reddit
Guam is one of my favorite places on earth. Back when I worked in telecom, I got to go pretty often, and honestly I never got tired of it. The people are amazing, the culture is fascinating, and there's this cool feeling of things being familiar but totally different at the same time. Oh, and don't even get me started on the Kmart — that place is legendary. If I ever got the chance to go back, I'd say yes in a heartbeat.
MediumKoala8823@reddit
I don’t think the average American knows Guam is one of them
whatisakafka@reddit
A good portion of Americans probably don’t even know we have territories
TiFist@reddit
The territories are very different. The US Virgin Islands, for example, retain their tradition of driving on the left side of the road and of course Spanish is the overwhelmingly predominant language in Puerto Rico.
Combat__Crayon@reddit
I'm an American and I'd hazard the average one can barely name all 50 states let alone know what a territory is or how it functions.