Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 17 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 11 months ago by
.
- Posts
- What do Americans think of Britain/England and the British/ English? Do Americans all think of us as having posh accents and going around saying 'pip-pip' and 'cheerio' ? And do they think of the other numerous cultures (e.g. Indian, Pakistani, Afro-Caribbean) living in Britain? I'd like to hear views from other nations, too. Just so you know, I have never met anyone who says 'cheerio!'
User Detail :
Name : Nehal P., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Hindu, Age : 16, City : Leicester, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class,I lived in England for a time back in the 80s. I love England and its clever, upstanding people. I think British society is admirable. The U.S. can thank Britain for, among other things, its rule of law. Britain is one of the greatest nations on Earth. I think most Americans have gotten past the idea that Brits all say things like 'I say, old chap,' but many Americans do like English accents. Most Americans probably don't think about Britain's minority cultures.User Detail :
Name : Rick29795, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Springfield, State : OH Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I've personally known more Brits than I can count, and at my old job I used to work with and around quite a few of them; including my boss. I would have to say that Brits are quite diverse, much like Americans. Some are strictly blue collar, who have a very sharp, biting wit and use the F-word in every form of casual conversation, though a soft side will emerge on occasion. Others fit the refined stereotype, and go to great lengths to remain proper. Many are quite polite at all times; others will rip you with a zinging yet subtle insult the first time they meet you, and will expect you to think it's normal (because it's normal back in their part of the UK). I guess those are the two extremes I've known. Also, the accent covers a vast array. From the refined southern English accents everyone's used to, on to certain parts of North England where they're very hard to follow (for instance, Ozzy Osbourne would sound normal back in Birmingham, drugs or not). I've also noticed that British people seem more articulate and well-read than most of my American contemporaries; I suspect it's because of the better public school system. I also try to pick up on the slang, which can be quite interesting. As for non-Anglo Brits... I've known only one, who was of Indian derivation. She was quite polite and somewhat introverted (yet vocal at times), and the Indian accent was mixed heavily with the British accent.User Detail :
Name : Dan27382, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 23, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Here's one American's opinion. When you say the word 'British', what immediately comes to my mind is the stereotype of a man who is white-skinned, fair-haired, exceedingly polite and has a plummy accent. When you mention a specific location in England- London, for example- the picture is more complicated. When I think of London I think of a greater range of ethnicities, besides Anglo-Saxon. I get the feeling that Indians and Pakistanis occupy a similar place in British society as blacks do in ours- discriminated against, but gaining in equality. Didn't Eastern culture and religion get 'hip' in England in the 60's, while black culture in the US was going maintstream? Some more stereotypes about the British people- they're all a bunch of bleeding hearts who are more politically aware than most Americans and care about the community, which is nice. Nonetheless, they're still classist. They have a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor. They're patriotic. If they live in the city, they're fashionable. If they live in the country, they're quaint. They're the only people in the world that can do rock music right, other than the Americans. I think that's about all.User Detail :
Name : Hallie, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 18, City : Columbus, State : OH Country : United States,I'm going to be exceptional, since I've spent much time in the UK and have an english/scots girlfriend. I know how diverse it is, though I've not spent time in the midlands, only Scotland and London. I am fascinated by several things - the 3rd world crossroads aspect of Shepards Bush, the incredible consciousness of class and background - less money than accent education and behavior. To an american, it looks very micro since we're so big, having accent differences btw 40 miles from one place to another is something we don't do. We've been so mobile for so long that differences only exist on a vast scale - and of course we don't have class differences.... I'm also aware of just how expensive life in the UK is compared to the US, most of us don't know how easy/comfortable we have it. Except when it comes to medicine. Also, there's a feeling there that life is like it was in the US a few decades ago - in good ways, too. More of a sense of society, more of a sense of people not being so splintered into individuals by mobility, technology, and self-interest.User Detail :
Name : Chris32185, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College,I adore the British. They are very classy and so nice and hilarious. This may have something to do with the fact that I have watched British comedies with my mom since I was small (Are you being served?, Faulty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous). My opinion of Brits is that they all speak with posh accents, are extremely polite and love the Queen.:>)User Detail :
Name : Monika, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Software Developer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Well, I've never heard an American say, 'Back in the good ole U.S. of A.,' but I've read lots of books by non-Americans where Americans talk like that. I have visited England once and fell in love with the place. I suppose not all the accents I heard would be considered 'posh,' but I found them enchanting. Beth, who lives in Texas but not on a ranch, does not have an oil well or own a six-shooterUser Detail :
Name : Beth, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 54, City : San Antonio, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Public Relations, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I am not an American, but I have American friends and relatives, and unfortunately, the stereotype you've described is pretty accurate in their case. They do see British citizens as 'Cheerio' and 'Five-o-clock tea' people with ridiculous accents. But there is a simple explanation for it: None of them has ever been to the United Kingdom, and their opinion is formed on the basis of TV and prejudice. But this refers only to my friends, not to Americans in general. I'm not considering myself any better than they are, though. There are countries and cultures I don't have the faintest idea about, apart from what I've seen in mass media.There is no better way to break silly (and a bit dangerous) general opinions like 'The Germans are reserved and square, while the French are overperfumed and fashionable' than to meet and talk with the actual people from those countries.
User Detail :
Name : Ana, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 22, City : Zagreb, State : NA Country : Croatia, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,unfortunately yes. of course it is typical of american culture to mock foriegners in movies, tv shows, etc. i also live in a rather isolated small town who think europe is another planet and in general are ignorant of worldly cultures and many are just plain not interested. i myself am not this sheltered and am aware of Britian's various ethnic groups (of course only through reading, tv, news, and other research; never been there, or met an actual Briton). i read somewhere that the UK's non-Brit population is about %30, does that sound accurate Nehal? i could ask you one question: Do many Brits curse constantly? In the documentaries about UK punk rock groups ive seen they cant finish a sentence without swearing.User Detail :
Name : Andres, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 25, City : Chambersburg, State : PA Country : United States,I agree, generalizations can be unfair. I am in the U.S. and have mostly seen a perception that British people are reserved, polite, perhaps too cool. I disagree, being from English-speaking Canada and of some British descent. I see British people also as being reserved and appreciate politeness greatly!! I did work for a British surgeon and felt he was hard to get to know, though I see it more of his personality. My family have known British people who were very down to earth, considerate, jovial and outrageously funny at times... My own personal comparison of U.S. and British culture would be that U.S. culture is generally rougher and more appreciative of aggressiveness and competition. Manners and watching out for others' boundaries are more likely to get pushed to the side, unless it is someone you know and care about pretty well. I appreciate the British culture's value of manners and politeness. And I know, these are generalizations... thank you!User Detail :
Name : Eva25273, City : Plainville, State : CT Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I think I can safely say that the majority of Americans understand that '5 o'clock tea' and 'cheerio' stereotypes are simply not true for the average Brit. However, there may be a lingering feeling that those stereotypes DO apply to someone in the upper classes. As far as the immigration mix of Britain/England, I do not think that most Americans are aware of this.User Detail :
Name : Mike20436, City : Greendale, State : WI Country : United States,Hello...an American here. Actually people in American love the British. Our favorite peope in the world are the British and Australians. We do think you guys have an accent, but we think it's a cool accent and often times, for fun, we carry ourselves with British accents. Also, when we think of the British, the words 'cheerio' and 'pip-pop' never come to mind. Now that all of that is out of the way...keep doing what you do because you do it well and we love you guys over here.User Detail :
Name : Nathan S, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 18, City : Council Bluffs, State : IA Country : United States, Occupation : College Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper class,I am a American, and though the 'pip pip cheerio' thing is known, we don't think you guys ACTUALLY say that. We think of your accents as funny, yes but you probably think ours are as well, its just a matter of your point of view. I know of the indian culture in Britian, because of the recent movies like 'east is east' but most others don't. It seems like it's all white people in britian, except for the occasional famous singer, since that's all we see in nearly all your films and TV shows. One prevailing stereotype is that you guys are uptight, which from what i've experienced appears to be at least partially true.User Detail :
Name : Christina32051, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Other Pacific Islander, Religion : Baptist, City : Long Beach, State : CA Country : United States, Social class : Middle class,I have known many British people and I never have heard them talk like this. With as many British people living in the U.S. as there are i find it hard to believe that anyone would think this way. However when I think of England I don't think of it as a culturally diverse country like America.User Detail :
Name : Sean, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Italian American, Age : 19, City : Indianapolis, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Customer Service, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class,I am a college student at the University of Iowa and I have never been to England or any other country besides the U.S. I don't think that the British sit around drinking tea and saying 'cheerio'. I think of them as just like us but a little more easy going. I also feel that they have great music. All of the best music has come from England. Could bands like Pink Floyd, Queen, Led Zepplin, Radiohead, and the Beatles come from a country where they sit around and drink tea all day. I think people get these ideas from movies that were set in Engand around the turn of the century.User Detail :
Name : Newbrough A., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 19, City : Iowa City, State : IA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.