Americans, do you get along with people from the UK?

Oops. I mean don't mix well.

I think Brits are hilarious, clever and quirky. Most Americans love Brits has been my experience

I'm a Brit; I married an American. In DL, the Home of the Extrapolation, that means ALL Brits love ALL Americans, and vice versa.

No. Perfidious Albion applies.

I think Brits who move to the US mix well. They like our culture, want to be part of it, and I have some solid friendships based on this scenario. On the flip side, living in London for grad school, I did not find it as easy to mix. I found it hard to be direct with people and I found there were a lot of rules for everything. There is also this way of using polite manners in a way that's like yielding a weapon. Also in the UK, "no means no" vs. an American "no" which can sometimes be changed or persuaded. I love the UK and always will, but it's not the life I was meant for. I think Americans, maybe even certain royals, are under the impression that the UK is the US with an accent. It's not, clearly, nor should it be. Ambition is not really applauded or use of the word "aggressive" which here implies, going after what you want. It was a really interesting experience.

The shared language means a natural affinity.

If they are nice, working class people, I love them. If they're upper crust and hold that over your head I find them insufferable.

I had a roommate from the UK for a year, and I got along with him and other Brits that I've known just fine. In my limited experience, I do get the sense that they get easily peeved, but it would take a whole lot for them to really blow up.

Americans are optimistic and Brits naturally pessimistic. I think this is why the humour and comedy is so different. I remember years ago watching that program 'The Real World' with 5 bounce fresh faced Americans and one sallow, cynical English girl. it really encapsulated the difference for me.

On another note, r5 we call them (the British) 'the managers.' There has been a massive recent influx of middle-class brits escaping from Brexit to here (New Zealand) and Australia. They tend take on middle management roles and it suits them perfectly. Rules, regulations and knowing your place. We hate them.

^^^^ 'bouncy' obviously.

I seem to get along with Brits (I'm American), but I'm also pretty sensitive to cultural differences and expectations. I'm not particularly assertive in general, but I'm especially careful not to be 'pushy' when dealing with a Brit. When I was much younger, and wasn't aware, I found that being friendly in a typical American way was rewarded with that freeze-out from someone making a face like a cat's arsehole.

I love Brits, & they love me too. Prefer them to many Americans, actually.

Living in the South, as of late, I can attest to why Brits and Europeans have stereotypes regarding the “boorish Americans”. While I have recently met some really awesome peeps down here, I can honestly say that I’ve NEVER seen anything like what I’ve seen down here. I’m a city girl (NYC-LA), & the American South is almost like living in a different country. The people here are just... I dunno, DIFFERENT. LOTS of incels, the women are ill mannered or ridiculously pretentious in a pageant queen kind of way. LOTS of emotional immaturity. Zero interests in exploring subjects outside of themselves, & very little to zero exposure to the arts, just for the sake of enjoying the beauty of something created by someone else. Everyone’s kinda primal, and pursuing primitive instincts is valued much more than education or personal evolution and mental health. SO, SO MANY are addicted to opiates, with lots of alcoholism, and some meth, thrown in the mix.

The Southerners whom have the means to travel to Europe, are either transplants from liberal enclaves, or are staunchly conservative, and have a sort of American supremacy or imperialism about them in their attitudes and manners. Mixed in are all of the denouncements of actual science, philosophy, usually in favor of bible thumping and black and white thinking. There’s also no line of reason which can be offered as a talking point in conversation, being that they’re convinced that it’s always their way, or the highway.

Is most of America like this? I’m starting to wonder. Because our reputation abroad as putzy and bumbling tourists, exist for a reason.

Anyhow; how sad is it that I get along better with most foreigners, UKers included, than my fellow Americans, in my current domicile? It’s been a learning experience that I’m grateful for, however. It had to be seen and lived, in order to be believed, by me, anyhow.

Waiting for the angry, know it all Southerners or conservatives to jump on the thread & advise me to GTFOH, if I don’t like it. Lol! It’s all they’ve got.

Not a single Brit in sight around here, btw. LA & NY are riddled with Brits, and the ones I’ve befriended and/or met, are awesome people.

R5, I've gotten to know an American Expat who says the same things you write. She continues to live there, will probably get her Ph.D. there, but she has found it more difficult in this age of Brexit. People have been insulting about her accent (she's from Seattle) and her part-time job helping long-time residents from the EU apply for settled status has given her some pretty ugly tales of verbal assault. She does have friends there, which helps, and she is a very kind person who is respectful of others.

I like the British so I'm very interested in what you have to say.

R5, just read your post. Interesting.

Post Brexit UK sounds a lot like the American South, coincidentally enough. The parallels were probably always there, but definitely more exposed or pushed to the surface, due to mass immigration, xenophobia, and ultimately, Brexit.

Not surprising. After all, while Brexit isn’t fundamentally motivated by xenophobia, it has definitely gained popularity and traction because of it. Brexit is, analogous to the rise of Trump, and the spread of “Nationalism”, all over the EU. Unfortunately, some seem to be missing the point here, which is: the HK and Europe of yesteryear is OVER. It’s NEVER coming back, and the Muslims everyone hates, aren’t going anywhere. Perhaps they should keep that in mind, before voting for leadership who sells their country and its interests to the Saudis who are buying up cities that they can no longer afford to live in.

Unbelievably thick racists live everywhere, & will always be easily manipulated, due to their ignorance & fear, which they cannot seem to work through, in rational ways, because racism and xenophobia, are inherently, irrational in their nature.

I like most brits that I have met because they don't seem to be drama queens in the way that many Americans are. And having met too many pushy type A fuckwads, I enjoy that they don't mind taking them down a peg rather than cowtowing to them the way that so many Americans are prone to. And I like that they confront shitty politicians more aggressively than Americans do.

Judging by the 2000 threads on data lounge I'm one of the few who is mostly indifferent to Markle. She doesn't particularly interest or excite me but I don't believe that she is the monster that some of her more hysterical detractors claim. I do think Markle has the bright eyed ,sunny and individualistic disposition more common in Americans and that the UK was a very bad fit for her personality type.

I like most brits that I have met because they don't seem to be drama queens in the way that many Americans are. And having met too many pushy type A fuckwads, I enjoy that they don't mind taking them down a peg rather than cowtowing to them the way that so many Americans are prone to. And I like that they confront shitty politicians more aggressively than Americans do.

Judging by the 2000 threads on data lounge I'm one of the few who is mostly indifferent to Markle. She doesn't particularly interest or excite me but I don't believe that she is the monster that some of her more hysterical detractors claim. I do think Markle has the bright eyed ,sunny and individualistic disposition more common in Americans and that the UK was a very bad fit for her personality type.

I'm a Brit and find a lot of Americans underestimate just how different our two countries are.

Don’t like Brits. Never have, never will. They’re insufferable and elevate passive-aggressive cuntishness to an art form.

They’re convinced if you don’t like them, you have intellectual deficits and don’t “understand” them. Racist and jingoistic. Cling to the Victorian era because their power and influence was at its zenith and most of them secretly long for the days of colonialism.

Do very well with people from this part of the world.

One of my close friends is British, he just got citizenship here. My whole family is British or Scottish, my mother was born in Britain. My relatives in Britain are a tad bit uptight, compared to the Australian branch that moved there years ago.

I think they are swell, I have no issues with them on a whole, but they do not like the SNL skits that make fun of them, the main one they thought horrible was "Simon" oddly.

Why wouldn't I? I only don't get along with disgusting white trash MAGA types, so as long as they're not that - then fine.

I’m American and if my British partner doesn’t stop calling Kansas City “Kansas,” there’ll be a murder.

I'm a Brit and have been to New York and Los Angeles. I found the New Yorkers fun but brash and the Los Angeles residents calmer but irritatingly nosy. They seemed to have less awareness of my personal space and absolutely no subject was off limits for them. In both locations my accent went down a storm. I'd like to go to Seattle, too, as I loved Frasier, and the deep South would be interesting, I'm sure.

R23, I'm curious what you mean when you type "my accent went down a storm". On conference calls at my Agency, the robotic operator at the initial part of the call has a British accent. Of course, that is absurd for a US Agency, but I know it was selected, because someone thought it sounded posh. It is the BBC accent.

R7, when I travel to London (frequently) I always have a nice time chatting with "regular people"-taxi drivers, Underground workers, and people on the bus. (I don't know why but people who take buses are always very helpful.) The only thing I don't like about many people is those who insult "you Americans" in a way that they think you won't notice or understand as meant to be insulting. Generally though, people are very nice when you approach them as equals. I will say that I've made a few British friends while on cruises. Maybe have a neutral playing field makes them more amenable.

Or even worse, R25, "you seem smart for an American". Like WTF has your little repressed themepark done of note in the last 50 years?

[quote]I'm a Brit and find a lot of Americans underestimate just how different our two countries are.

The assimilation by the British to be more American will take time. It's still in progress. Keeping out the European contagion with Brexit will help.

R27 Never gonna happen, my friend. Despite Brexit, we still have more in common with mainland Europe than we do the US, even with the common language.

British people have a great sense of humor, don't take themselves too seriously and are fun to party with. They can drink you under the table, especially the women.

Americans can be super nice to your face but will backstab you in a heartbeat. If an American says "we should hang out sometime," he means "I never want to see you again. " It took me a while to understand that, it can be all very superficial. Also American expats are rarely interested in hanging out with the locals, they just stick with their kind.

[quote]we still have more in common with mainland Europe

The U.S. also has much in common with mainland Europe. That won't stop America and the UK from aligning more closely, as we both go forward on a different path than the Europeans.

R30 Nah. Nothing you've said is true at all.

Yes if we can trade Vanderpump for Prince Harry, please.

Take back Milo Yiannopoulos and Milky Loads Andrew Sullivan and we will call it even.

I think I so, if you're bright, outspoken and way on the sarcastic/snarky side. A good friend is a Brot married to an American. Loves to party, travel, socialize and have people over. Her Boxing Day parties are epic and fun. The ones I can remember, at least. The sarcasm can get tedious, though, if I am in a serious mood and want to confide something.

^Brit. Not Brot. Carry on!!!!

Why are so many from the UK moving to LA? Living her for almost 30 years it was rare to hear a British accent. Now it seem common place. Especially the last 10 years. I dont mind, just curious what the draw is? Not cheap to live in Los Angeles, its kind of dirty, not much in terms of cultural landmarks going back any more than 200 years or so. Is the the Hollywood thing? The Weather? The Weed?

[quote] I'm a Brit and find a lot of Americans underestimate just how different our two countries are.

You can see that in this thread even. Americans are projecting onto Brits all the things they believe about Britain. My experience is that Brits in the US are not easy to get along with. Dutch people are the most tolerant of American culture and don't take themselves seriously.

I don't know any Brits currently. There was this one friend of a college roommate who came to stay with us a few times. He didn't flush after he took a shit.

There was another one I dated. I hated the way he said "paaaasta."

R38 Wtf? No British person has ever said "paaaasta". I think you may have been duped.

I've never met a Scot I didn't like. Weird to me that they appear to have a bad reputation in Britain. Actual English people are just... alien. I'm lost and I don't know how to take them. I don't believe the stereotype that English people have good senses.of humor, I haven't seen it in real life.

Also, Brits, we could have told you Meghan Markle was a money-grubbing fame whore. So is Harry 😒

[quote]Americans, do you get along with people from the UK?

Why would we bother? They don't matter to anyone important.

Brits are prone to a special kind of snobbery that risks making them deeply unlikable if they don't compensate for it somehow, which many do, but it seems less common than it was. Without exception snobbery is just insecurity masquerading as superiority, and that's why the middle class is much more prone to it, the upper class doesn't *need* it in the same way. The chav class in Britain, though, are some of the lowest, worst human beings on this planet. They are seriously, deeply horrible and should be exterminated.

Lived in Oxfordshire for two years, liked the people a lot. Damn near all the English people I've met in the Middle East have been arrogant, full of sneering contempt for all non-English folks, unprofessional, had serious drinking problems.

Oh!! When I worked in Saudi, one of the high-level Saudis had a Scottish exec. assistant. She could -- and would -- go from nice to vile in the blink of an eye. Long, crazy story, but a couple friends and I came to learn that she was banging a younger Saudi guy. Through pure chance we saw them looking very lovey dovey from a distance and they didnt see us. Of course i secretly got a decent pic. with a 5x optical zoom pocket camera, printed the pic at home, left it on her desk when nobody could see who put it there.

No. Either they're the upper class snots that R18 describes and that one typically encounters in the US in work or school, or they're the soccer hoodlums that have barely been civilized.

There's a reason we fought for independence. Good ol' George III was given multiple opportunities to make things right and decided to threaten and insult instead. "He was suffering from a debilitating illness that contributed to his mental decline" was the excuse. Those who followed that kind of person merely because he was annointed a king have no excuse.

I know a few really wonderful people from that country and guess what? They agree with me.

The grasping conniving Markle and the gormless Harry Mountbatten-Windsor is a wonderful example of US-Brit cooperation.

I went to a Canadian boarding school that had a thing for hiring British teachers, I think mostly for marketing reasons (soccer moms with money buy into the myth that Brits are better at things, or something). I remember one teacher in particular was just a classic Brit asshole, the complete beady-eyed, pointlessly snarky, high handed Limey package. He was truly awful. From a middle class family from London area, I think. But we also had a couple of teachers from northern England, with working class backgrounds, and they were just great, to this day some of the best people I've known. A few of them were truly exceptional teachers, but the Canadian teachers had an edge on that score.

r36, they're moving in and colonizing. It's what they do. If you need proof, look at who's been winning all the awards at the Oscars, Emmys etc. By the time people notice, it's too late. They're running away from Brexit at the speed of sound.

R36 - The Brits that have moved to LA usually make the move for the weather, are in entertainment or trust fund kids. There is a whole group called Brits in LA that meet every Tuesday at Cecconis on Melrose for an English breakfast and to socialize. Totally disagree with the poster that said Brits in the US are the worst. They are usually very cool. It's the ones in the UK that aren't as friendly.

To R29's point, I have heard many times that our American "friendliness" might be more immediately pleasant than the British demeanor but it is typically empty in terms of anything beyond the superficial, which is a fair counter. It's hard now to judge the UK experience based on living in London. When I was in grad school there, there actually weren't any Brits in my class. It was all Europeans and Arabs/muslims. It was so annoying b/c it felt like nobody spoke English both in the university nor on the streets. I think to get a real feel of proper British culture, you need to get out of London and go elsewhere. London is awesome but it feels the tower of babel. Everyone is speaking a completely different language.

Yep, they say Americans are superficially nice to everyone, probably just to grease the wheel and get things done. Europeans and Brits are more austere but when you know them, they become solid friends.

Watch how many Americans end a conversation by turning away.

The famous American friendliness is more of a regional thing. Go to Boston or DC and you will find more of an indifferent coldness. I think a happy medium is the most pleasant.

Brits mistake American friendliness as friendship. Then they get upset and call us fake or shallow. The thing to keep in mind is that most Americans share things with total strangers as a form of hello. I tell you something personal, you tell me something personal, is a wink and a nod we both want to engage in a conversation further. I could lead to friendship one day but it's not instant friendship just because it's something you would only share back in the UK with real close friends.

Brits are more polite and reserve, but to Americans, that reads as snobby, cold and distant. I cant get into their humor, too dry, and mundane for me.

No, can’t say that I do OP

I love the Brits. My ancestry is 75% British and 10% Irish. I also inherited the morbid sense of humor they have.

Brits scare me, they drink way too much compared to the average American and we binge drink a lot more than most of the world! I get it, they think its normal and we are prudes for not hitting the sauce every day after work but the thing is, we moved past that behavior in the 50's. With thousands of DUI's related deaths, American had a makeup call decades ago, Brits seem to have never go the memo. Getting that drunk especially on a routine basis is proven to be very damaging to the body and seen as a addiction/alcoholism issues by most people including well educated medical professional.

The same way Brits see Americans as crude and brash, their drinking looks the same way to us. You guys are out of control.

^wake-up call^^

They always bring up the 'Americans are so fake asking how you are and inviting you to lunch when they really don't mean it'.

No, you cynical bastards, it's not an act. Many of us actually do want to know how you are, and we do want to invite you to our home or to a meal or whatever because openness and optimism can be a good thing. We were raised to be generous in sentiment even if we can be a bit culturally naive and clumsy. We really meant it.

But now that you've gone all cunty about it, never mind.

I heard the major difference between Brits and Americans is that typically Brits don't take themselves and life in general too seriously.

I think you have that backwards R58. That's why Brits are known for having an attitude of being superior. I think Brits take themselves very seriously. Average Americans, middle calls, not Hollywood types or CEO's can be very down to earth and self deprecating. Deplorables on the other hand are clueless.

OP no I fucking hate them. They tried to tax us. And if we didn’t kick em out we’d be driving on the wrong side of the road

As for the teeth....

[quote]Brits mistake American friendliness as friendship.

True. Brits and very many other Europeans are unaccustomed to big, effusive displays of "friendliness" at meeting or interacting with a stranger. Americans have a somewhat evangelical attitude when meeting people from outside their borders: "Oh, my goodness. Come over here next to me. We're going to be the best of friends. Now I want you to tell me about your country...Portugal, that's near Finland, right, I have a niece who is going to Finland..." There's no real counterpart to this sort of thing and non-Americans sometimes don't know what to make of it at first.

Americans want to compare and contrast absolutely everything, all with a subconscious eye toward "but isn't everything better in America?" Observation about differences between people and places is natural, of course, but for Americans the "we're #1" thing is ingrained and it's always a competition somehow.

[quote]Americans want to compare and contrast absolutely everything, all with a subconscious eye toward "but isn't everything better in America?"

That's only half true, you have been watching too much American TV. Yes, most of us are curious about other people since our country is so big, even when you travel thousands of miles you still see the same ting. Minor regional differences. I would not say though I think America is better than other countries, just different. I actually envy a lot of other things different countries have that we do not. Like a good healthcare system for example.

By the same token, growing up in a country that is considered a super power with enough weapons to blow up the world a thousand times over is not the same as growing up on a small island in the Pacific. A country with an entertainment industry that reaches global appeal and influences society across the glob is not something you can pretend is not a part of you. A country that invented the light bulb and airplanes, the internet, computers, email, lasers, and lading on the moon and rovers on Mars are things that are a part of us. So its not a stretch to fell like you live in one of the best countries in the world when it has achieves all of that in less than a couple hundred years. Doesn't mean we are better than everyone else, its more that we have done a lot we are proud of.

I think the American 'friendliness' is where the idea of Americans being stupid comes from. For Brits and most Europeans, such friendliness is only ever seen in people with Down Syndrome or some other disorder.

Well, then Brits are quite uninformed, since most people know that someone with Down Syndrome act out on true emotion and honesty.

Criminals, grifters, charlatans, people who are just evil all know how to control and hide their true emotions to manipulate people. If you are truly living a clean honest, happy life, you shouldn't need to worry what others think about you or hold back emotions or feel threatened if they know too much about you.

I'm from the US and get along well with people from the UK, better, in fact, than in the US. I can start and hold an enjoy a conversation more easily with people from the UK than from the US, and I rarely have to explain myself or some reference I've made. Brits are more pleasant, more fun, more revealing, and more engaging in a conversation. My own countrymen they seem less open, more unswerving in sticking to their expectation of me before I ever said a word; outward appearances and impressions and expectations are more important than what a person turns out to be; and if they don't catch on to humor or irony or subtlety, they can turn quickly dismissive. Brits, though, will often rise to the occasion and see it as more of a challenge to understand when someone has a different perspective or sense of humor; understanding them will become a part of the conversation so that it can advance. In the UK and Europe, the start of a communication between strangers is a bit slower, or more guarded, or more polite in an ordered way, but the advance beyond that initial stage is more accelerated, or more substantive, or more funny; it's switches from formal structured social interaction to curiosity and a desire to form a basis for a conversation that escalates, and that doesn't end, as R50 notes, by one party turning away awkwardly to signal "we're done here."

Obviously there are differences of personality and communications and perspective and more, but for me conversation and relationships with Brits are easier and more rewarding than with Americans.

Behold Britannia:

R66 That's not in the UK.

Might as well be. I've seen Manchester, Edinburgh, and Belfast on a Friday night. Actually, any night, really.

This thread is so very amusing. Do keep going!

Are Brits still all snaggle-toothed? Do they have braces and oral hygiene over there yet?

R70 is triggered!

The English people I've known are, as advertised, reserved. I'm not an over-the-top American by any means, but I do feel a bit stifled around some of not all Londoners. I know a few fancy ones, and they're good at putdowns. Whenever I spend time there, I enjoy it but am eventually always glad to get back to the good ol' U S of A, where people are more down-to-earth and I feel like I can let down my guard. So I guess I can understand Meghan Markle's feelings, even though I feel she did sort of embarrass Americans, who should probably stay out of the British royal family.

I have family in Australia as well, and I find them reserved, too - that annoying passive way of going "mmm" to what you're saying.

Apologies, I do love the UK in general. Me mum was Scottish, and those people are warm.

R55 It is striking, the hoards of people in business attire spilling out of bars in London at 4 pm....

I'm a lawyer. Most of my colleagues and I hate interacting with British lawyers from big firms. They think we are supposed to agree with everything they say due to their perceived social superiority. But they usually fold like a house of cards when you make it clear you're not impressed with their bullshit.

[quote] Post Brexit UK sounds a lot like the American South, coincidentally enough.

[quote] Brexit is, analogous to the rise of Trump, and the spread of “Nationalism”, ALL OVER the EU.

You’re contradicting yourself, R14. You comparing Britain to the American South is disingenuous. Because the American South was comparatively MORE racist than the rest of the union. However, Britain (West) is LESS racist (and LESS homophobic) than the East (the right-wing, nationalist member-states that joined the EU recently and now make up half of the EU).

So, no, Britain is not “a lot like the American South” - the East and South of the EU are far MORE like “the American South”.

Brits are stupid, surly drunks, and they drink every day.

No I can't stand those rotten teeth and bad breath.

How many times are you going to post in this thread R76, R70, R68, etc?

Actually, Americans have worse teeth than the British. The Brits do pretty well on oral hygiene according to this international survey which covered both knowing WHAT to do to maintain your teeth and actually DOING it - the U.S.A. trails the U.K. on both counts but the U.K. trails Canada. The NHS heavily subsidises all dental work no matter your age, income or situation. And if you're under 18, or under 19 and in full-time education, pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months, being treated in an NHS hospital, on low income benefits, or you're under 20 and a dependant of someone receiving low income benefits, you get everything for free anyway! It's no wonder the Brits have good teeth.

R79 Yes they may have fewer cavities but the brown missing and snaggle teeth are horrible to look at. Oh that's right, WE have to look at that, not you. Why not fix that? Quit all the drinking and get your fucking teeth fixed.

r78 until I've made it perfectly clear just how awful the British are, of course.

But really, they're fucking terrible.

Do they still eat all those sweets?

What do they see in that "Fleabag" woman?

They think the woman with the shittiest hair in creation's "hair is everything" speech is groundbreaking and brave.

[quote]Do they still eat all those sweets?

Yes. And now we know they boil some of their sweets.

I love the Brits! I am American, but most of my family ancestry is British.

And I dispute that "everyone likes the affable Irish." They're belligerent drunks.

In my experience, Brits, and more broadly citizens of other countries that comprise the Anglosphere tend to get along with each other fairly well. Not to say English-speaking peoples don't criticize or anger each other, but shared-sensibilities and history. seems to help weather these storms.

[quote]In my experience, Brits, and more broadly citizens of other countries that comprise the Anglosphere tend to get along with each other fairly well.

We have to stick together. Our mutual eternal enemies France and Germany are always working against the United States and United Kingdom and our interests.

Oh God Australians have dickmatized me.

The land of Harry Potter has never, ever had me going like an Australian. Why? I don't know.

R87’s post a perfect example of Brit jingoism.

R12 is the epitome of L.A. "culture", ignorant, shallow and embarrassing to decent people everywhere. Please don't assume most Americans are like this cretin. People in the south are lovely. Very friendly and polite. Its beautiful there too. Unlike the shit infested cities like NY and LA. I'm a Midwesterner and love the Brits! I would move to the UK if I could in a heartbeat. I'll take a brit over a liberal snob any day. Much less whining.

Brits, the next time you complain about American portions and attribute it to why all Americans are fat, please just have a look in the mirror and then a good look around you. A coastal American 5 on the fitness scale is like a British 8.

Americans are known for many things around the world, brash, rude, uneducated, nationalistic etc. I accept that as a generalization although many, millions are not like that. Equally so, Brits are known for having a superiority complex, bad teeth, drunks, dry humor and smell because most don't take a shower every day. Yes, I know, you have better dental records but that is vastly outweighed by the lack of attention do detail of alignment and appearance, that actually does affect how long you will keep your teeth as well. Yes, I know, you like to side step your dirty hygiene by pointing out Americans are hung up on puritanical history. Except for the fact that we just WANT to feel clean every day. People in the UK shower or bath less that Mexico, a third world country. Think about that.

I SLAP THEIR FACES VICIOUSLY!!

R93, Very friendly and polite= Racist, passive-aggressive, judgmental, MAGA'ts, that will say "excuse me ma'am" while they take away your right to your own body and to marry the person you love. Also- God bless America, and no one else.

That's why I love the UK, Atheists. Even people who don't have an excellent education can see the value of critical thinking. Americans like to brag about their ignorance.

Also I love; Gloomy weather, walking, Helen Mirren, small, dark flats, Birmingham, warm beer and cocktails with one ice cube.

Can anyone explain to me the difference between a scally and a chav?

Ron Regan is an atheist, and last time I checked he is doing fine in the US. Bernie Sanders is an atheist. Doesn't seem to be an issue at all.

[quote] I know, you have better dental records but that is vastly outweighed by the lack of attention to DETAIL of alignment and appearance, that actually does affect how long you will keep your teeth as well.

MARY!

"I don't think Meghan's done anything that egregious for that matter, either. They treat her like she's a murderer! I think all the problems stem from cultural values."

That cultural value is called racism.

But you knew that.

Brits have the worst teeth in the world. So says your own paper.

I don’t know any presently. One of my friends is married to a British guy whom I’ve met and he is very funny and grew up working class, and so he is happy and grateful to live in the US, where he can have so much more than he could in England. So that’s been an interesting thing to hear about.

I’ve met English people here and there. I spent a summer abroad at Cambridge in college and I left that experience as an anglophile but I’d say I met more people who I’d describe as obnoxious or grating than those who were generally pleasant. Some of that was their dry wit and sarcasm, I know. Some of it was English people telling we American visitors what’s so wrong with the US, which was alienating even though I agree with many criticisms. Some was (my Puritan-influenced opinion?) that the public binge drinking, pissing and vomiting in the streets every single night was just a huge turnoff. Even in college, I had never been immersed in a culture where people function as civilized adults during the fay and then become rowdy wild animals every night. Some was just language differences, really, such as really using the same brilliant adjectives and adverbs so gratuitously that it became really frustrating to hear. And of course at Cambridge University, many of the professors were a little bit condescending. Overall, the experience left me feeling British people are cool to cold...and at the time, that was so different that I found it appealing. Over time, I’ve changed my mind a bit.

I really (really!) think some of the differences are just differences that are neither good nor bad, just cultural differences in how people interact and speak. Watching British parliament makes it clear that we truly are two very different nations of people connected by a common written language (shared aspects of our spoken language are variable).

When I worked in the international division at my company I was always greatly relieved to find out that my new client was a U.K. based operation. Brits are generally wonderful people with whom I readily bond and get along with quite well. The cultural connections between the US and U.K. are clear and undeniable, like it or not.

R99, no, that stems from her being a fake-eco warrior, fake-feminist, fake-liberal, fake-activist hypocrite. Brits can see right through her fake-assery act. "But you knew that".

F&F.

I find it hard to believe that it's racism when she looks like Lacey Chambert! Heck, she looks like Pippa Middleton! I see her and think Jennifer Live Hewitt.

I think it's racism for maybe 10% of her haters but mostly anti-Americanism and misogyny. I hope she does use the racism grenade however, because if tabloids are playing dirty then she should too. Again, remodeling Frog house was not worse than underage sex with trafficked teen hookers (and Lord knows whatever else the men did that's not publicized).

How the fuck has this interesting, civilised and funny thread turned into one about Meghan fucking Markle?

R106 Everyone is a robot.

It's either a racist or a "RACIST!" shrieker, r106. Between the two of them, they ruin everything.

yes I get along just fine with Brittunculi

Brits are great fun, except in the kitchen.

R88 Can you remind me what area of the history have the French been the enemies of America please? Because as far back as I can remember, France is the United States' first and oldest ally, and precisely because they came to rid us of the English who wanted to make us a member of the Commonwealth. without France and precisely the Kingdom of France who sent as far as going bankrupt, we would be part of the UK.

If it is true that England and France fought for a millennium, dominating each other in turn, it is completely wrong to say that France is the enemy of America. Lafayette is even a major key to the independence of the United States. You are either an Englishman or a Trump supporter to assert such nonsense.

* who sent (not sent)

*Went (damnit autorrect)

[quote] British people are cool to cold...and at the time, that was so different that I found it appealing. Over time, I’ve changed my mind.

R111 True! And some people tend to forget that Louisiana whose name comes from the king of France (Louis) iana, was a French state. The streets over there all have French names. New Orleans took its name after Orleans a city in France. I never had any problems with the Brits but I must say that I found them extremely cold in London. That said i love the British accents and their hilarious sense of humor.

I used to watch My Family on BBC. It was entertaining.

comme ci, comme ça

R111. The Quasi War of 1798 and tensions around that time, for example. John Adams had to fire his staunchly pro-England/anti-French Secretary of State. This did not go down easily and paved the way for an extended period of foreign relations difficulties in Europe and aggravated internal politics, sowing fundamental conflict between Democratic Republic's and Federalists for years over a host of issues, especially touching on France.

All British people seem to be run-down, drunk and past their prime.

R111, and they gave us the Statue of Liberty. The French mainly admired the USA through the 1950s. Since the Vietnam War and other misadventures the US was involved in since, not so much. “Ugly American” tourists and stupid-head Republican administrations in modern times have also sullied our international reputation.

R119 Really? Kare Winslet, Kate Beckinsale, Thandie Newton, Emilia Clarke, Emily Blunt, Helen Mirren, Ben Barnes, Henry Cavill, Orlando Bloom, Nicholas Hoult, Ricky Whittle, Josh Bowman...et al.

R120 That reminded me of an Ugly Americans hidden camera experiment in France.

R118 R120 Absolutely right. I lived in France for 6 years. The admiration you're talking about is more like gratitude to America for the WWII. French people since the 70s consume American products (tv shows, movies, sportwears etc), much more than the US consume French products or brands. There are many more KFCs, McDonalds, Burking King in France than there are French restaurants in America. I've also noticed they know more about American culture than Americans do French culture. Relations between the two countries were excellent up until Bush and his false evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq and the refusal of French president Jacques Chirac who vetoed the American invasion of Iraq. It is clear that this war brought us to Afghanistan and Syria where the French followed us and for which they paid a high price on their own soil (Paris attacks). The french bashing from the US and the British back then was absolutely hateful and totally unfair. We were wrong and never apologized to our oldest ally.

Trump has treated French people like shit for 4 years, insulting them and threatening them on twitter while he protects Russia and the world's worst dictatorial regimes, and apparently the country's biggest assholes are influenced by this waste of humanity, not to mention the Brexiters who feed, as always this free hatred. French people aren't perfect and we disagreed on some subjects but France was never the US enemy. Ever.

[quote] the country's biggest assholes are influenced by this waste of humanity, not to mention the Brexiters who feed, as always this free hatred

R123, the French need to learn to stop blaming all the “assholes” in their country on the US and Britain. Guess what - if the US and UK never existed, Paris would STILL have literal dumpsters set on fire by lots of ethnic, unassimilated, under-privileged youth (from impoverished former French colonies) clashing with police. It’s France’s own doing - because they themselves created literal ghettos - so they need to take responsibility for their own decisions and France’s own (looong) racist, colonial history.

The clashes in France are far more severe and violent than in Britain. So it’s actually violent France negatively influencing Britain. The fact that France couldn’t control it’s own situation in French Calais (and this prompted worry & security concerns in Britain) is a prime example:

[quote] On 1 February 2018, fighting broke out between two groups of migrants in the French port city of Calais. The fighting left 5 people with GUNSHOT wounds and another 17 with other injuries, including STAB wounds

So the French need to learn to clean up their own mess and quit blaming others for their own systematic failures.

R90, I’m American and I agree with R87. So does history.

In the struggle between France and the U.S./UK, people can side with the French if they like.

R116 no, love. I’m afraid it wasn’t.

Robert Lindsay was very good in CITIZEN SMITH & the irreverent NIGHTINGALES, however. Have you seen his Lear?

I've been able to get on with any of the Americans I've spent any significant amounts of time with, but I have often felt like they are the exception, and they have pretty much confirmed that they tend to think more like a British person than their fellow Americans.

There is a lot of truth to the 'two countries divided by a common language' thing - obviously there are a lot of words that are different or pronounced/spelled differently but also down to just general manner of speaking. I think to some extent there is quite a lot of difference in values in certain things.

One thing I have NEVER understood is this idea from Americans that Brits are reserved - American seems way more backward and puritanical than the UK, there are a lot more restrictions on what you can and can't say and what would be considered explicit in the US. I also think the US has way more of a racism problem than we do here.

I wonder too if some Americans have a chip on their shoulder about the British because they came from us? Like a surly teen rebelling against their parent.

R128 During my summer in England two decades ago, countless Brits told me that the US is a puritanical country [as opposed to the UK]. It makes sense that that would be your national view since many Puritans fled Britain for North America, and it is part of our founding. (The other major part of our founding, entirely separate from the Puritans, was the commerce of the tobacco, and later cotton, trades in the south that had no relation to Puritanism.) But the statement was made so often by so many different people that it seems clear that that is a British stereotype that has taken on a life of its own—even though it is true in many ways.

Regarding Brits’ reputation for being ‘reserved,’ my experience was that they are not reserved at all—which perhaps is why I was SO put off by the drunken rowdiness and pissing in the streets every night. I saw this a few years ago in Amsterdam, as well. I sat at an outdoor cafe and occasionally a boat full of screaming, rowdy and clearly drunk guys would come along and inevitably, in every case, it was British guys who were behaving like frat boys do in the US. And then in the airport on the way back, a small group of British people were disturbing the whole security area with their rowdiness. So ‘reserved’ certainly doesn’t fit.

But it seems to me that British people promote the stereotype of being mannered and overly polite. Netflix has a British show about true British stereotypes, linked here, and among the things British people make fun of themselves for is politeness. They themselves frequently joke about how supposedly passive and deferential and self-blaming they are. I’ve seen this in YouTube video commentaries, as well, and hosts of Guardian podcasts regularly joke about how overly mannered and apologetic Brits are, as well as how much they talk about the weather. These seem to be exported stereotypes to a degree. I think the difference is that British people may be culturally apologetic and culturally deferential in a way—probably in part due to the accepted class system that puts some people socially beneath others, which we have but refuse to acknowledge, and so lower-class people are perhaps bolder here—and we may equate that with reserved, but Brits especially when drunk are not reserved.

We in the US are Puritanical about sex compared with many Europeans to be sure. That seems to be changing since the most conservative Americans now embrace a cheating, porn star fucking president who is married to a nude model/mail-order bride. And we do probably assign greater stigma to drug and alcohol use.

But we’re less Puritanical in some ways, too: Puritans believed, for example, that your lot in life is assigned by God and if you are successful, that is part of the natural order and it demonstrates inherent goodness, and if you’re poor, then that means you’re not favored. That idea is contrary to the ‘American dream’ of working your way up, and it’s more compatible with British hierarchy. We’re also a violent culture, and part of the cultural violence is predicated on inherent distrust of our own governors, and that’s also the opposite of a Puritanical view, whereas the British hold onto the notion of royals as demigods with special blood as decreed by God, even if their power has been stripped and handed to the people.

I think the US and the UK both hold onto aspects of Puritan ideals, just different ones. You retain hierarchy and orderliness and an assigned lot in life, which is very Puritanlike, and we reject that; however, we retain prohibition of sensual pleasures, or at least we condemn those who engage in them. We seem to have greater religious extremes, more extreme violent crimes, and more extreme chemical drug use, and we lock away people for some of these things, which could theoretically include whipping out a dick while drunk and pissing in the street in front of people, and over there, that’s just a typical Tuesday night activity.

[quote] One thing I have NEVER understood is this idea from Americans that Brits are reserved. American seems way more backward and puritanical than the UK

Oh come now, R128. Brits are obviously generally more "reserved" than Americans - just like Scandinavians are generally more reserved than the Italians. Religion has nothing to do with it - Italians are more religious than the mostly atheist Scandinavians, so what.

It's the social-interaction culture - if you walk into a house-party, many Brits are "CLIQUE-ish" (tend to stay in their tight cliques and not mix much), painfully socially shy/awkward and might just ignore you.

Americans, OTOH, are far more chatty, energetic and open to talking to new people.

[quote] Regarding Brits’ reputation for being ‘reserved,’ my experience was that they are not reserved at all—which perhaps is why I was SO put off by the drunken rowdiness and pissing in the streets every night.

R129, you're confusing Britain's epidemic BINGE ALCOHOLISM culture with "non-reservedness". Those are not the same. When a Brit is SOBER - on average quite reserved. Obviously when people are PASS-OUT DRUNK, they'll be "unreserved" and piss on the streets.

Do you know why Brits drink so much? Because they're generally so socially shy that without it many wouldn't have the courage to do wild things or come up to people and invite someone for sex. Binge drinking culture is the only thing saving Britain's sex rates.

R130 On the street, in an office, American people are more outgoing. In a pub and in the street after leaving a pub, Brits are as rowdy as a drunk frat or bachelorette party.

R131 But the British accept their culture of binge drinking and that is therefore part of their culture. Explaining it away by saying they have to poison themselves regularly because they are otherwise too reserved to interact is assigning an excuse to that binge drinking, suggesting that it is necessary for social interaction. It’s not. Most other cultures throughout the world demonstrate that. It’s a crutch and an excuse.

The US is overly violent and fetishizes guns. Half the population uses the excuse of the second amendment to our constitution as their justification for allowing mass murders of kids to happen regularly. IMO, that’s similar to saying that British people absolutely have to be drunk to overcome their reserved natures. It’s not true. What’s true is that Americans want to fuck and marry their guns and Brits want to fuck and marry their ales. Both guns and alcohol are inherently destructive to individuals but collectively are protected by US and UK cultures on the grounds that they are necessary.

We drink because we’re repressed, and we’re repressed because we’re too proud to express our anger. There, happy?

R132 - comparing a Sober person with an Alcoholic or Drunk is disingenuous.

Most of the planet's population is "rowdy" when drunk. You think Germans aren't "rowdy" when they get pissed? You think Italians aren't "rowdy" when they get sloshed?

Excessive Alcohol makes EVERYONE "rowdy" and "chatty" and "wild" and blah blah. We're comparing normal SOBER people here.

[quote] saying that British people absolutely have to be drunk to overcome their reserved natures. It’s not true.

Yes, it is, R133. It's especially true for British straight guys. Many are painfully shy when sober. Can't even proposition a fish in a bar without getting sloshed first. I've seen it in bars way too many times - it's hilarious.

An American woman who marries a Brit will never, ever be accepted by British society. They'll be friendly to her face but with few exceptions despise her as an interloper (with the subtext that America stole Britain's rightful sovereignty over the world economy and politics).

It's becoming very clear the majority of you have never been to Britain nor met a Brit in your entire lives.

“Most of the planet's population is "rowdy" when drunk.”

They’re not all drunk as often as British culture encourages British people to be. That’s the difference. That it is so common and regular and slotted into cultural norms makes binge drinking as much a part of British culture as Britain’s class system and as being deferential. I only discussed the drunken aspect after someone above said that Brits are only not reserved when they are binge drinking. I agree that binge drinking makes many people rowdy, but binge drinking is not so regular an occurrence in many other cultures that a person would admit it’s a defining aspect of the culture at large.

[quote] I only discussed the drunken aspect after someone above said that Brits are only not reserved when they are binge drinking.

So? That's the truth. Without the miracle of alcohol - Brits are generally mostly shy, reserved and cliquey.

[quote] Nov 11, 2019: "Old stereotypes about the British being introverted appear to have been borne out by a new study showing more than half would apply the tags “reserved” and “shy” to themselves. A survey by data analytics team YouGov showed 60% of respondents described themselves as “reserved”, compared with only 31% who called themselves “outgoing”. Men were more likely to say they were reserved, at 63% compared with 56% of women respondents.

R139 They might call themselves reserved, but the ones I saw partying loudly all over Amsterdam—I would not call them reserved.

From The Guardian (UK). Is all the bad and unreserved behavior due to alcohol? If so, then the UK really does have an epidemic on its hands. Or do Brits just drop their reservedness when they travel abroad?

“This week, Barcelona became the latest tourist destination to hit back at British holidaymakers, blaming them for adding to a rise in complaints to police of almost a fifth last year, according to news reports.

Offences included drinking in the streets, all-night parties and getting naked in public – and totalled 113,707 between July and September. UK visitors avoiding countries targeted by terrorists created a tourist boom in Spain. But money can’t buy you friends, it seems – with Brits regularly topping surveys of the nationality that locals least want to see propping up their bars.”

"We Can Do Without Rowdy British Tourists"

—mayor of Amsterdam

“Reserved.”

Not the posh types, but otherwise sure.

Now the French are another story entirely.

I met quite a few in prep school (Episcopalian, so Anglicans came over) and at Yale (semester at Yale's building in London, other undergrads and graduate students). They're so similar to us that it's fine: zero difficulty getting along.

R143, British Parliament is one big show (they know they're being filmed, so they play it up for the audience like showmen). The truth is many British Parliamentarians either went to SCHOOL with each other or have known each other for YEARS - so of course they're not "reserved" with people whom they've know for YEARS.

And British Parliament is quite reserved and well-behaved compared to OTHER Parliaments.

Compare that to this:

I’m pretty passive in person, and I don’t like trouble or drama as a rule. I can think of only one exception in my life. I was young, working in LA, and I was sent to get breakfast sandwiches for my bosses. I ordered and the lady I ordered from was French and very chatty. She asked where I am from, I told her just outside of DC in Virginia. She said, oh, I have a relative in McLean, it’s so beautiful, she lives in a mansion, she has six cars, etc. And I was like, yeah, there’s a lot of wealth and materialism...that’s very American, I guess, haha.

She lost her shit. She started berating me about taking my incredible country for granted. She told me that here, we can have anything we want and we SHOULD want as much as we can get, that’s what life is for, living and earning and amassing wealth, etc. So I tell her that life isn’t all about wealth for me and then she said something like, “Oh! I bet you hate George Bush, too, don’t you!” Confirmed.

She really lost her shit then. She was literally yelling at me, telling me George W. Bush is the greatest man alive, the most moral, he saved us all from Muslim terrorists, and on and on and on.

I asked how much longer I would have to wait for the sandwiches and she told me to leave.

So THAT was interesting.

I went to Paris for the first time in 2012. And every single person was friendly and gracious, so I figure maybe the rotten ones emigrate to the U.S...

[quote] They might call themselves reserved, but the ones I saw partying loudly all over Amsterdam—I would not call them reserved.

Gee, what next, I saw some Norwegian tourists partying like crazy & dancing on tables in Vegas and now I think Norwegians are the life of the party?

Similar to LA, Amsterdam is a party city. People come there from all over the world to party, drink, take drugs, buy prostitutes and go wild. What a "surprise" that tourists are "unreserved" there.

R147 She sounds a tad unstable. But it's a bit amusing to picture a French person raging over an insult to American materialism and George Bush. I agree that there is definitely a difference in personality and temperament between those who emigrate and those who do not. So it can be very hard to judge if on a nations general character if you're just looking at expats. She should probably go to McLean to live by her relative with the five cars. She would fit well with the materialistic money grubbers of the DC area.

All this talk of Amsterdam reminds me..

R148 Maybe it was the time of year I was there (early May), but the *only* loud, partying people I saw anywhere were British. It seemed odd. I did rationalize it by telling myself Amsterdam may be to the UK what Cancun is to American college kids. But my Dutch friend who hosted me over there told me that British tourists are particularly irritating to people who live in Amsterdam and he is the one who told me that the mayor of Amsterdam said they don’t need British tourists because they’re disruptive.

Tangential, but I asked my Dutch friend how they get away with having open canals everywhere—in the US, everything is surrounded by guardrails for fear of kids falling in and drowning. He told me that people do fall in and drown, but it’s rarely children, who know to be careful; he said it’s usually drunk British men who fall into the canal while pissing into it at night.

I’m just repeating what he told me. And it was only one person—but I did see/hear many groups of loudly partying British people. I also saw two teen girls get chased away from an outdoor café for annoying people (they were high), and when they were walking away they were yelling insults at the waiter—in British accents.

R147's story seems to me typical of the more conservative French person. In the Reagan years I knew some who were aghast that I would have any criticism of Reagan, while they were suffering under Mitterand. Look at the strength of the dollar! They were fixated on basic, short-term economic issues. I brought up the religious fanaticism of the Republican party, including Reagan's cabinet, which I knew would tamp down their sympathies.

R151, I think (apart from Scots) Brits just can't handle their drink. Brits get black-out wasted even from 5% beer. Scandinavians can drink 40%-proof spirits by the bottle - and still manage not to fall into Dutch canals.

I have never heard anyone discuss this, but I feel like Game of Thrones singularly reset a whole lot of Americans’ notions of what Britain is, despite it not really being about Britain. As I grew up in the 80s and 90s, mostly all I ever saw of British people was Upstairs, Downstairs-like snootery, Shakespeare and other high-society-type entertainment, plus the BBC news, etc. Game of Thrones showcased savage, brutal people speaking with a variety of dialects but mostly with some sort of British accent.

My sister used to tell me she thought all Englishmen are gay. Her whole stereotypical notion of Brits hinged on “fancy”—tea time, cucumber sandwiches with no crust, tennis, parlors, Elizabethan Renaissance and embroidered Victorian repressiveness, Disney princesses and charming princesses, Shakespeare, etc.

Now I think young people, with the influence of hypersexual and violent Game of Thrones and all the Brexit nonsense, probably live in a world with an entirely different Britain in mind than the one my sister and I always had.

R154 Upstairs, Downstairs and Shakespeare are about as realistic a reflection of modern British society as Game of Thrones. You and your sister sound retarded.

[quote] Game of Thrones … not really being about Britain

Well, old England obviously didn’t have fire-breathing dragons, BUT George Martin’s books were directly inspired by the War of the Roses (15th-century England), R154. Even the names of the warring families were lifted from that War: “Lannister” clan = Lancaster clan vs. “Stark” clan = York clan.

E.g. “Sansa Stark” was loosely based on Elizabeth of York. “Joffrey Baratheon-Lannister” was loosely based on a real-life prince, Edward of Lancaster.

Even the Dothraki “Khals” were likewise based on 15th-century events (roughly same period as the War of the Roses) in eastern Europe: the invasion by similar-sounding nomadic Tatar “Khans”.

Basically, Martin used real 15th-century war history as a rough blueprint and then added fantasy & fiction to the story.

[quote] My sister … Her whole stereotypical notion of Brits hinged […] Shakespeare

If your sister read Shakespeare in school, she’d actually be roughly familiar with GoT’s story themes and the culture of Medieval England. Because Shakespeare based much of his famous historical tetralogy (Henry VI; Henry VI; Henry VI and Richard III) on the very bloody and very convoluted conflict between the House of Lancaster (a.k.a. GoT’s Lannister) and the House of York (a.k.a. GoT’s Stark) over the “iron throne” of England.

R147 Not a single French person likes Bush after the way he treated them. Your story is pure fantasy!

R157 It’s not fantasy. She ran a little café adjacent to a Disney office building.

R158 Your story is all the more false since when Jacques Chirac died a few weeks ago, in Paris people spontaneously rushed into the streets to pay homage to him for hours and even the Yellow Vests went home. The French loved Chirac so much that French diplomacy had to insist that neither Trump nor any Republican should come to his funeral because the French would not have handled it. Bill Clinton had to go there to represent America in the presence of numerous heads of state and kings from around the world. I was in Paris at the same time and the contempt and anger against Bush was everywhere across the country. You are a liar and don't think that no one is seeing your pervert game. Next time do your research. It's obvious what you're trying so hard to spread about French people. But you don't the power to change history, no matter what.

R157 I totally agree with you, this was an obvious made up story. Reps are desperates

[quote]You think Italians aren't "rowdy" when they get sloshed?

Actually, until very recently, it's been considered very bad personal behavior to exhibit any form of being drunk in public there. Even though the legal age of drinking is 16, most people only drink with food and then it's only a glass of wine or two. Alcoholism is super frowned upon in Italy. And yet they have some of the best cocktail inventions. It's about appreciating the food and wine not getting wasted.

R161: Similar in Spain. Enormous numbers of bars, bars everywhere, but most serve tapas or have food as a significant aspect of business. People drink but it's social drinking and keeping up with conversation is important, not distracting from it or hijacking it. Drunkenness is not the desired goal of drinking and indeed it's rarely witnessed (the exceptions usually not Spanish).

Very different to the UK where keeping up with drinks and rounds is important, where there's a lot more booze sloshing onto floors, and where someone will tell a story the next day, "Sorry I'm a mess. We went for drinks after work yesterday and I shagged our boss and - I think - blew the blind guy from the mail room. Too many points!". In the UK drunkeness is a cloak of forgiveness for things that would not happen otherwise.

[quote] In the UK drunkeness is a cloak of forgiveness for things that would not happen otherwise.

It rains all the fucking time, and all there is to do other than drink is watch the patronising overpaid luvvie chuffers on the BBC. The choice is obvious.

[quote]It rains all the fucking time, and all there is to do other than drink is watch the patronising overpaid luvvie chuffers on the BBC. The choice is obvious.

But I thought you guys LOVED the weather there. That's what people were saying in this thread. Besides, there are a lot worse places to live in terms of weather and they don't come near to the alcoholic abuse as in the UK.

Psychologist = So we established your drinking has caused you to lose your job, lose your friends, interfered with your personal relationships and destructive to your health. So tell me, what do you think is the root cause of your drinking?

Patient = Well dock, it's dreary outside.

^^Doctor^^

“Very different to the UK where keeping up with drinks and rounds is important, where there's a lot more booze sloshing onto floors, and where someone will tell a story the next day, "Sorry I'm a mess. We went for drinks after work yesterday and I shagged our boss and - I think - blew the blind guy from the mail room. Too many points!".”

Reserved Brits...

R164 They don’t love the weather there; they’re addicted to complaining about the bad weather.

Or, more realistically in my experience, they’re addicted to joking that they’re addicted to complaining about the bad weather. Which they don’t do as much as they joke about doing it.

There are a lot of British people in Spain, aren't there? Not just Gibraltar either.

I remember reading quite some time ago a theory that American culture is more of a reflection of German culture than British. I'm a bit undecided on that but it's an interesting thought.

R169 our police sure are. German immigrants were one of the biggest groups to immigrate here, but not anymore! We're warming up!

Well R169, surprisingly, Germans were the largest number of immigrants into the US. Not Irish, Italian, Spanish, or Asian. But Germans are white and speak English so they are assumed to be British decent. There are a lot of German characteristics I think in American culture although I think it goes totally unrecognized.

I've dealt with many of them. Most of them are lovely, but I have met some very nasty snobs who will try to make fun of you to your face, and laugh it off as pretending to be ironic. The trick is always to call them out on it and to hold them accountable for what they say--they hate that.

Like what?

[quote] But Germans are white and speak English so they are assumed to be British decent.

My point exactly

I think German influence is most evident (and obviously so) from Pennsylvania westward through the Midwest. Midwestern people I’ve met through work are rather different culturally than we are on the East Coast, but also just distinct in some ways from others generally. They have a rigid, rigorous, unbending work ethic generally speaking. I think that this Midwestern attitude is usually attributed to agricultural and factory work, but I the South’s and California’s histories are agricultural and there were a lot of factories in the Northeast, but people from those areas are less uptight (generally, not as an absolute rule!) about productivity and precision in my experience. That’s German. They are community oriented and in some cases practically communal. They are individualistic in their expectations but collectivistic in their enterprises. Scandinavian influence in the northern Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin) makes them a little more liberal than German descendants are, say, in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

R175 I’ve always thought that a large contingent of the white native Cincy guys look really conspicuously Germanic.

They have what I call a Schwarzwald look about them; strapping & virile in a distinctive broad-featured fugly way. They’re usually plain-dealing and secretly filthy-minded too, at least in my experience.

But like, Angles, Jutes, and Saxons all came from that German region anyway. At this point, for most Americans, it's just some place where people were white.

"He told me that people do fall in and drown, but it’s rarely children, who know to be careful; he said it’s usually drunk British men who fall into the canal while pissing into it at night."

I can confirm this. Happens in my city a lot. I don't understand how they can be all so drunk they don't even notice when their friend is wandering off or missing. That's insane to me.

I think the big difference between Americans and Brits is tipping. Americans do it pretty much all the time, Brits almost never. Ask any bartender in a big European city.

OP, this American loves people from the UK. They are delicious!

There are a lot of German descendants in the northern midwest states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, the Dakotas, all the way over to Idaho and down to Texas.

I came to this conclusion when researching my German grandpa. His Germanic last name is rare on the East cost, but there’s a slew of them in those states I listed.