I wonder if anyone else has had my experience with Americans encountered in the UK, on the Continent and in the USA? Whenever I try to strike up conversations I get worried looks and prissy brush-offs. I get the impression they think Brits are out to con them in some way. They seem to dislike us and the baddies in American movies are often Brits.
This is topical for me since a Californian couple, who have been friends for decades, must be winging it back to L.A. as I write. We get on well, although they are inclined to snipe about British colonialism. (Well, there were those 600,000 Filipinos killed when America collared Spain’s colony and recent imperialist-style ventures in the East, but let those pass.)
They were overwhelmed by the friendliness and helpfulness they had during their visit here, especially for the husband, who is semi-disabled and has to keep his shoes off as long as possible. On a train to Leeds they got talking with a friendly stranger. Approaching their destination the wife went to the toilet and returned to find this man had helped put her husband’s shoes back on. As they parted on the platform the man introduced himself as the leader of Leeds City Council.
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It's always difficult to be certain you are really communicating with people who speak a different language.
Eavesdrop on a conversation betwen two English people and you can detect that every single sentence has a slightly different undercurrent of meaning from the words ostensibly spoken.
We speak and interpret this because we are born to it, but I have read that Americans have more literal minds, and often cannot grasp the subtleties.
One particular English characteristic they find baffling is the way we can assert agreement with a statement or viewpoint when in fact we mean the exact opposite. Lots of sitcom humour depends on this.
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You always have to be carefull with different nationalities.What is for some a joke is for another a insult.I had some good laughs with hillbillies whilst on holiday.They didn't understand me and vice versa>:)
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Interpreters can be disconcerting too, doubly so where
(eg Chinese or Korean groups) the whole working paradigm is different.
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I can see why the couple were overwhelmed by the support for the disabled guy.
One of the first things I discovered when volunteering at the Paralympics was that American public would prefer that disability of any kind should be buried and not seen. For a leading edge country the tanks are backwards in so many ways
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>> public would prefer that disability of any kind should be buried and not seen. For a leading edge country the tanks are backwards in so many ways
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Tanks eh! Zeddo. You're wrong. It was Italian Tanks that went backwards.
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>> Tanks eh! Zeddo.
either surrey rhyming slang or closeness of T and Y on the keyboard one assumes & I agree with Z they do like to hide disability even ex servicemen, weird for a country that honours its forces personnel .
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>> Tanks eh! Zeddo. You're wrong. It was Italian Tanks that went backwards.
>>
Of course it was. I thought that was the point of Zero's witty allusion. I haven't seen the expression before in general use, but it's a good one.
"The tanks go backwards" - I must slip it into conversation some time and see if anyone picks it up.
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septic TANKS = yanks
Usually referred to as septics.
Or my preference: 'merkins.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin
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>> American public would prefer that disability of any kind should be buried and not seen.
Not so much backward though as naively forward-looking, in denial about anything that might seem to taint the American dream.
Am I alone in thinking that since the Paralympics, more power to their elbow, the media here have been rather wallowing in all this disabled stuff? One would think sometimes from watching TV that we were a nation of cripples and droolers. Perhaps I am over-sensitive to this as early middle age, a disability in itself, settles about me like a shroud...
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Thu 25 Oct 12 at 15:41
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Sire, pray tell how one can be middle aged, at your age??
:-))
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And speaking of the American dream, did anyone spot the saintly Donald Trumpet on Youtube putting in a good word for his captain, the latter-day saint Romney? Trumpet has a new, heavily-pomaded, darker-coloured but tidier rug, and his discourse is more barking than ever.
Just what the shifty-eyed lying braggart Romney needs to boost his standing with the US electorate as he spouts foreign policy rubbish and wild meaningless economic claims through his mean, twisted, I-enjoy-firing-people smirk.
It's a shoo-in for Obama thank goodness.
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I don't like god-botherers like Romney, but I dislike "Omaha Beach" and his lefty policies, more!
If Ron Paul was standing, I'd vote for HIM if I was an American.
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What if Mitt Rommey wins? No change in policies, in their third debate everything Obama said Mitt agreed.Ron Paul listening to his speeches sounds honest but the Replubicans make sure he would never be nominated.Lefty policies by Obama you mean healthcare.>:)
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I like most Americans I have met both in the US and elsewhere in the World. Always greeted with genuine warmth - especially when on the bike. Some readers may recall a trip I did to stay in Harrogate a few years ago. I rode down to the town one day to get a paper and a coffee, bumped into an American sitting on a bench where I parked the bike. Got talking to him. Turned out that he wasn't sure where he was York or Harrogate - delightful chap. Much the same experience elsewhere, especially on the bike - guaranteed ice breaker. Never had a negative experience in the States (apart from with a "panhandler" in Albany NY).
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I agree with RP, all the times I've been to the US or met and worked with them in other countries I've found them very helpful and friendly. Very chatty and warm, never had a problem with any of them. A bit too much of sticklers for the rules but that's it.
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I have usually found the Americans helpful, particularly with local knowledge. Not like the UK west country residents who liked to keep some of their beaches a local secret until the days of google maps and satnav.
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Was crossing the street in Boston once, somewhat daunted by 4 lanes of rushing traffic, this old lady came up to us and shouted "Come on you guys, cross the street like Bostonians" with that she strode into the traffic waving her stick...they all stopped...
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They're alright by and large. if a little intense, and as mentioned above, literal in their interpretations.
They are though confused and wrong-footed by having long-term convinced themselves as a nation of their great importance only to find that some others don't always share that view of them. Bit like the English in that respect if truth be told.
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>> They're alright by and large. if a little intense, and as mentioned above, literal in
>> their interpretations.
>>
We own a flat here in Austria that we rent out via various international websites. We've only had one set of American guests, but we were a little surprised when they arrived on foot as we knew they were driving from Vienna. When questioned, they explained that our directions said that the flat was in a no-through road, which they thought meant they weren't allowed to drive "through" it, in the sense of "along" it......
Nuff said.
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Absolutely, what's not to like about Americans? Nothing wrong with most of them. Thy are much like other people.
That's why I think they will vote for the one in whose company you could spend say thirty seconds without having the urge to give him a bloody nose.
Last edited by: Webmaster on Thu 1 Nov 12 at 09:16
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I hope you're right (in a way)
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OK hands up, who would spend time on a cruise ship full of them?
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About as much as would like a cruise ship full of Brits....
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Think of it as a hotel that moves to places you want to visit. The only reason I would use one.
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>> Think of it as a hotel that moves to places you want to visit. The
>> only reason I would use one.
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I have and after the first trip (which I sort of enjoyed) I now don't get it. Mrs. enjoys, but I think not as much as she makes out. Standards have dropped and the entertainment is not 1st class, in fact a long way from it. The food is marvellous if you only ever eat crap at home and contrary to Erin's opinion, we have never been served anything that she couldn't concoct stood on one leg with a blindfold on. In fairness I am spoilt rotten in the catering department.
Where of course it does score is for example you arrive at Sarf'ampton. Depart your carriage and a man collects your cases and deposits them in a hole in the wall, you check in and go to your box, room, suite etc. and miraculously said cases appear, by which time you (me) are on the lash somewhere. No ruddy queues to speak of. I guess like everything else it's what you make it. To be frank the back of the van with a stove and the dogs etc., would do me. That's life...
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Never been that taken with idea of Med etc cruise just as a holiday.
Were I to win lottery a trip on the Hebridean Princess is on my itinerary. Also quite like one of those round Britain ornithology trip.
Australia by sea as pax on a container ship would be interesting too.
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>> Australia by sea as pax on a container ship would be interesting too.
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Weeks of empty horizon interesting? No thanks. 24 hours at sea is my maximum these days.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 25 Oct 12 at 21:58
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>> Think of it as a hotel that ( doesn't let you out of the door ) moves to places you want to visit. The
>> only reason I would use one.
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>> >> Think of it as a hotel that ( doesn't let you out of the
>> door ) moves to places you want to visit. The
>> >> only reason I would use one.
Floating (an occasionally sinking) prisons we call them. Never on your nelly.
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But America is such a diverse place and so are Americans. I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity to live and work across the world (including America) and I have many American colleagues and a few American friends.
I found the OP's post to be based on experience (or expectation) of a common US stereotype - maybe it's just my interpretation of the text and it is I who has the preconception though.
Anyhow, back to Americans - I find the people of Boston to be very 'British' in their outlook, they certainly understand and use language and humour in a similar manner to the British I'd contend. Generally, those form the East Coast are more outward looking and better informed than we would typically give them credit for in my experienced.
In-land then I have to admit I have found people to be more insular and 'literal' as discussed in other posts - although the one Mormon I know (from Utah) is both well traveled and well educated so challenges this stereotype.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that identifying all Americans with the OP's stereotype is as inaccurate as saying all people from the NE of England conform to the stereotypes depicted in Viz magazine - which patently isn't the case.
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Odd, I've always found the Yanks to be rather gregarious.
Many, many years ago I was sat on the tube and the bloke opposite me was wearing a rather nice sweatshirt with the "eye in the pyramid" bit off a dollar bill on it. Conversation as follows:
"Sorry to bother you, but where did you get that excellent sweatshirt from?"
Yank accent: "Ah, this came from XYZ store in Atlanta."
"Oh. No chance of getting one over here then I suppose?"
"Doubt it. Hey, can you answer a question for me?"
"Sure, I'll try."
"I've been riding this tube thing while I've been over here for two weeks now and you're the first person that's spoken to me. Why is that?"
I laughed and explained that the British way of doing things is to stare out of the window, read the adverts, study one's shoes or indeed anything else to avoid eye-contact with other travellers, let alone actually talking to them.
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>> I laughed and explained that the British way of doing things is to stare out
>> of the window, read the adverts, study one's shoes or indeed anything else to avoid
>> eye-contact with other travellers, let alone actually talking to them.
I would have Said " Oh American! of course you have no idea of what happens on public transport "
The thing about America is, that its a vast country, with a huge scope of climate, weather, geography" It goes from extreme to extreme. The same applies to the people, they vary from the homicidal, religious nutter through the ignorant (far worse than you would find here) to the gregarious, high achievers, wide thinking geniuses.
Such scope makes the very worse or best of the brits seem average by comparison.
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>>The same applies to the people, they vary from the homicidal, religious nutter through the ignorant (far worse than you would find here)
By coincidence, last night there was a TV program on events in Le Roy, New York State.
About 20+ years ago on our way back fro Niagra to NY city we diverted of the highway to get a bite to eat and drifted into Le Roy ( such a name is always remembered). Current population 7K. it really was an experience for us all.
The bank had never seen a travellers cheque but the overawed manager took the kids into the bank vault with one of those film set big round doors etc.
I went to by a pack of biscuits in a little tiny store run by a 90 year old and the place looked 100 years old. my change frommy bill was extracted from a drawer full of brown envelopes that were assembled to bay the suppliers.
The McDonalds staff felt honoured that foreign folks had visted them. We gave all our small UK change to the staff there as souveniers - we the visitors.
I have been to the states many many times on holiday and on business.
I have had Americans working with me in the UK and found them all good to work with.
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>> I wonder if anyone else has had my experience with Americans encountered in the UK,
>> on the Continent and in the USA? Whenever I try to strike up conversations I
>> get worried looks and prissy brush-offs.
Sounds like you've only ever met New Yorkers.
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>> Sounds like you've only ever met New Yorkers.
>>
So they are the Parisians of America? I had never heard this but the only "New Yorkers" I really engaged with during a ten-day stay in the city were in fact Chinese.
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The Americans I've met both here, and over there have been among the warmest, friendliest people I've met anywhere in the world.
What I've never quite got my head around is how that squares with their incredibly selfish, and self-obsessed society. How can so many of these individually lovely people literally want to lynch their president for having the sheer gall to suggest that healthcare shouldn't be a privilege for the rich or insurable only (among other ridiculous commie idealistic nonsense). Imagine that!
Much as I enjoy visiting the States, and I've liked most of the Americans I've met as individuals, I wouldn't live there or raise my children there if you paid me.
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some people on here have a chip ( crisp) on their shoulders
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What is it with Americans? - Cliff Pope
