British thoughts on Americans

magneticgoop · Post by **magneticgoop** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:09 am

I am curious what you Brits think about us Americans? Our strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons. I don't want this to be a debate thread i just want to know peoples opinions.

Skittles! · Post by **Skittles!** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:21 am

What about the rest of the world :/

Iliad · Post by **Iliad** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:24 am

How about posting in my mafia game!

diddle · Post by **diddle** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:59 am

lets just say that theres a bad american stereotype going around my area, somewhat influenced by the simpsons i suspect

Norse · Post by **Norse** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:11 am

I do pity the majority of americans, they have been so severely brainwashed from an early age, that half of them don't know that they are just spewing out the subliminal messages that they have been brain-pounded with since they took the oath.

That's ok for them though, they are just being an obedient doggy when they do as their master wishes.

*pat on the head*

U.S.A!
U.S.A!
U.S.A!

(imprinted on the insides of their skulls)

Simonov · Post by **Simonov** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:25 am

let me present you few stereotypes about amjericans:

Typical American family

American talk loudly and have a big ego

Five feelings on an American face

happiness

sadness

love

hate

"You mean I can't carry a firearm ?"

DAZMCFC · Post by **DAZMCFC** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:27 am

like most places around the world you have your good and your bad.
i have never fancied visiting America, i know quite a few people who have
most of them enjoyed it and had a couple of scary incidents. it`s not a place where i would want to live(toooo many guns, but thats a different subject).

as america in whole, you are quite arrogant. like "we are the best place in the world so f*ck you" type of thing. "if it was not for us you would be speaking german" and "we won the war". if it was not for you lot, a few of our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq would still be alive.

Norse · Post by **Norse** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:39 am

I don't know if they'd be speaking german DAZ, but they would certainly be speaking spanish or French.

And plus, we wouldn't even be in afghanistan or Iraq if it weren't for them, so we wouldn't have lost any of our lads out there.

hulmey · Post by **hulmey** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:49 am

daz and norse you 2 should stop spewing shit and joined my tournament ( see my sig)....

The Queen and Empire is kicking yankee butt 3 to 1..God save the queen and all that bollocks!!

DAZMCFC · Post by **DAZMCFC** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:56 am

Norse wrote:I don't know if they'd be speaking german DAZ, but they would certainly be speaking spanish or French.

And plus, we wouldn't even be in afghanistan or Iraq if it weren't for them, so we wouldn't have lost any of our lads out there.

i did not mean they would be speaking german i meant us.

i will edit my other post. :lol:

Arbustos · Post by **Arbustos** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:03 am

The only Americans I see that act the stereotype are ones in the public eye. Don't fall for it, you inferior foreigners!

muy_thaiguy · Post by **muy_thaiguy** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:46 am

Simonov wrote:let me present you few stereotypes about amjericans:

Typical American family

American talk loudly and have a big ego

Five feelings on an American face

happiness

sadness

love

hate

"You mean I can't carry a firearm ?"

Those really are pretty far off. Well, maybe not for Texas, but other then that they are inaccurate.

nagerous · Post by **nagerous** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:50 am

Arbustos wrote:The only Americans I see that act the stereotype are ones in the public eye. Don't fall for it, you inferior foreigners!

Way to boost Americas reputation here! Most Brits just don't like Americans now. They just have a view a number of them are self-obsessed arrogant evangalist republicans but meh they are not all bad and the majority of them are generally nice people.

Pinkassassin · Post by **Pinkassassin** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:52 am

well, america is a big place so cant generalise. but ive watched Borat - and yes its only a small section of society, but the 'we can americanise him' wtf.

i hate the gu culture you have, and the big gangs causing trouble.

AlgyTaylor · Post by **AlgyTaylor** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:59 am

About America specifically ..
- I think it has a poor welfare system. Extremely poor. How many disadvantaged people in New Orleans were given assistance?
- The US also has a shocking "healthcare" system which leaves the poor with no financial security whatsoever, which IMO is very wrong.
- the US seems to be far more religiously influenced than the UK; the UK isn't perfect, of course, but considering there's no separation of church & state here the amount of influence that religious groups hold in US politics is pretty scary
- The US seems to not be that bothered about abusing human rights
- US history lessons are at most 300 years ago, whereas in the UK they go back somewhat further ... not necessarily better or worse, but definitely different
- The US has something of an 'I'll sue you for such and such' culture
- US comedy is, by and large, rubbish on truly German levels. With a few odd exceptions - the older Simpsons episodes & Family Guy are prime examples.
- Mainstream American beer is weak, tasteless lager.

Having been in both for a while, I can honestly say I'd much rather live in the UK than the US.

AtomicSlug · Post by **AtomicSlug** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:59 am

Never confuse the citizens of ANY nation with their representatives in Government.

Then again, more Americans voted for American Idol than they did for President, so for the world's second largest Democracy, that is quite sad.

Things will change and our image will improve. Europeans should never forget the sacrifices we Americans made in the World Wars. That doesn't excuse our government from current policies, but it proves that things can and (hopefully) will be better in the future.

vtmarik · Post by **vtmarik** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:59 am

I was raised on British television (hooray for PBS). I like their humor better than ours because theirs is intelligent.

Example? Compare the British version of Coupling to the short-lived American version.

Though The Office did make the transition really well.

Americans laugh at the dumbest things sometimes.

Balsiefen · Post by **Balsiefen** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:09 am

One thing i have noticed, especially on websites, is the huge difference of mindframe from the more urban arias like new england to the morerural areas. Its like two entirely seperate nations!

of course, this isn't anywhare near entire and its a huge generalisation, but it is very noticable in some people

Guiscard · Post by **Guiscard** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:40 am

AlgyTaylor wrote:About America specifically ..
- I think it has a poor welfare system. Extremely poor. How many disadvantaged people in New Orleans were given assistance?
- The US also has a shocking "healthcare" system which leaves the poor with no financial security whatsoever, which IMO is very wrong.
- the US seems to be far more religiously influenced than the UK; the UK isn't perfect, of course, but considering there's no separation of church & state here the amount of influence that religious groups hold in US politics is pretty scary
- The US seems to not be that bothered about abusing human rights
- US history lessons are at most 300 years ago, whereas in the UK they go back somewhat further ... not necessarily better or worse, but definitely different
- The US has something of an 'I'll sue you for such and such' culture
- US comedy is, by and large, rubbish on truly German levels. With a few odd exceptions - the older Simpsons episodes & Family Guy are prime examples.
- Mainstream American beer is weak, tasteless lager.

Having been in both for a while, I can honestly say I'd much rather live in the UK than the US.

These are all points I was going to make.

In general, the majority of Americans I've met, spoken to or worked with seem to be slightly too insular and blinkered in terms of their world view. I'm talking about both students, academics, your average joe met whilst travelling, ordinary forum goers, guys from bands etc. etc. For example, the American media and political system has a fairly tight definition of 'left' and 'right' and Americans seem fairly unable to think outside this box, especially when considering European politics. It seems unthinkable that anyone couldn't either be Liberal or Conservative, Democrat or Republican. I think that those in the 'west' outside of the US perhaps have a better idea of what America is like than Americans have about the outside world. Perhaps that's something to do with the invasive nature of American cultural imperialism (for good or bad), or their status within the world, but (and this is a massive generalisation

) Americans seem egotistical and self-centred in regards to their nation itself.

muy_thaiguy · Post by **muy_thaiguy** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:17 pm

I have one quick question for those of you that have commented so far. If you have been to the US, what part of it did you visit/live in? Because you will see it's a bit different in the mid West then the East Coast or the West Coast. And then there are the States themselves.

Arbustos · Post by **Arbustos** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:23 pm

nagerous wrote:
Arbustos wrote:The only Americans I see that act the stereotype are ones in the public eye. Don't fall for it, you inferior foreigners!

Way to boost Americas reputation here! Most Brits just don't like Americans now. They just have a view a number of them are self-obsessed arrogant evangalist republicans but meh they are not all bad and the majority of them are generally nice people.

Give me an S! Give me an A! Give me an RCASM! Anyways, once again foreign perception of the average American is way off here. It's true that quite a few do nothing but stereotype, both their leaders and political parties and the outside world, but I know even more that deride or bewail that type and the attention it gets compared to our more sensible citizens. I see that more often and I live in the SOUTH.

And notice how many United States citizens bash their own country. We're not all egotistical about the place :wink:

Also what MTG said. Going from even one corner of my state to the middle brings about a massive change in thought (and it's not even large).

McSnipe · Post by **McSnipe** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:40 pm

Well, having been born in UK, and now living in US, I think that some sterotypes are right.

American's can't take any critisism, and try to find ways to be nice (that's why simon cowell is like satan to them).

Americans do have more evangelical idiots out here. I keep having arguments witht hem, but their whole train of thought is flawwed. Zeal=Right?

American healthcare is privatized. If you don't have health insurnace, you're screwwed. $100,000 in bills isn't fun.

Unfortunatly, Americans do have a worse standard of education than the UK (excluding chavs), I should know, I am in it.

Arbustos · Post by **Arbustos** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:41 pm

McSnipe wrote:Well, having been born in UK, and now living in US, I think that some sterotypes are right.

American's can't take any critisism, and try to find ways to be nice (that's why simon cowell is like satan to them).

Americans do have more evangelical idiots out here. I keep having arguments witht hem, but their whole train of thought is flawwed. Zeal=Right?

American healthcare is privatized. If you don't have health insurnace, you're screwwed. $100,000 in bills isn't fun.

Unfortunatly, Americans do have a worse standard of education than the UK (excluding chavs), I should know, I am in it.

I don't

muy_thaiguy · Post by **muy_thaiguy** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:39 pm

muy_thaiguy wrote:I have one quick question for those of you that have commented so far. If you have been to the US, what part of it did you visit/live in? Because you will see it's a bit different in the mid West then the East Coast or the West Coast. And then there are the States themselves.

McSnipe · Post by **McSnipe** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:46 pm

I live in NJ, highest lawyer/person ratio in country. And as to my previous comments, I should have said the MAJORITY, not all, sorry Arbustos, I know how evil you are.