Zonie63
Posts: 2826
Joined: 4/25/2011
From: The Old Pueblo
Status: offline
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ORIGINAL: Sundowner
Unfortunately yes it is - it suggests you haven't got a basic grasp of geography; many dim-witted or lazy or poorly educated Americans really don't have much idea of geography (I suppose it's such a struggle for them trying to work out the difference between Texas and California, let alone think about other parts of the world) and so it suggests you're dim-witted.
There seems to be some difference of opinion on this, based on the answers I've seen thus far. Some have said that it's no big deal, while others say that it is.
As I said in my OP, I think most Americans do so out of habit than anything else. I won't deny that a lot of Americans have a poor knowledge of geography, although it doesn't seem applicable in this case. My sense, from the answers that I've gotten thus far, is that this is more a political/national issue internal to the UK than a geographical one.
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No; many Brits struggle with history and are not sure who came before Margaret Thatcher, let alone trying to work out who Mr Pitt was and whether he was elder or younger; they think (in spite of those beautiful words "we hold these truths to be self-evident ...") the American Revolution was the American Civil War.
I knew that there were a lot of Americans with a poor knowledge of history, but I didn't realize this was also the case with Brits. Of course, I would take it on a case by case basis, since I've also known many Americans and British who are quite knowledgeable of history, so there are always exceptions.
However, I do tend to notice that a lot of criticisms about America seem largely based on a very selective reading of history, while certain key facts are wantonly ignored.
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Sheesh - the one thing we do well is ceremonial, partly because we can trace bits of it back a few hundred years, and our ceremonial (the good bits) tends to float around the Monarch (did you spot that little wedding between William and a charming young lady recently?)
Yeah, I did notice that. There was a great deal of hype in the US media about that. There are a number of Americans who just adore royalty, but I usually just roll my eyes at that stuff.
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And I think many ppl felt it was better to have an elected head of state than one who just happened to be born into it and then along came your nice Mr Bush.
Yes, but the nice thing about the Presidency is that you know there will be a limited term. That makes a big difference.
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You're that funny place where the ppl are far more religious than in most European countries (Europe is that large bit to the right of the UK),
I wouldn't doubt that we're more religious. In my own family history, my ancestors left the Netherlands to come to America because they thought it was getting too permissive. On the other hand, because we've had Freedom of Religion, people don't fight over it near as much as they have over in Europe.
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where most of the population eats so much they're not fat, they're obese,
Yeah, that's a problem, too. But at least we're aware of it.
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where you call a garden a yard (how dreadfully common),
Huh?
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where your Wall Street banking community was so dishonest, greedy and corrupt,
And the City of London is not?
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where the people so often seem to be so very polite to strangers,
What's wrong with being polite to strangers?
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where many of the world's standards start first (I'm not sure I can forgive you for banning smoking),
Well, I'm a smoker, and I can assure you that smoking hasn't been banned. It's just more restricted and more heavily taxed, sometimes ridiculously so, but that would be another topic in and of itself.
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where the armed forces seem to think one can fight by shouting a lot and just don't get it that most of the civilised world's armies laugh at yours and where you get excited watching ppl play rounders. There's more of course but I think it's generally what one thinks about one's friends - there are good bits and silly bits but hey, they're friends aren't they? I don't think ppl think of you as colonists.
Well, sure, I guess there are things that Americans say about Brits (or anyone else in the world), so it's six of one, half a dozen of the other.
A lot of it is just plain silliness, but I get it. It's just like the old Polish jokes people used to tell but have now become politically incorrect. Now, it's American jokes, since we have such a great sense of humor and can take a joke. I only wish that other countries and nationalities were as light-hearted as we were. There'd be a lot more peace in this world.
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Yes; I don't think they rudely tipped any tea overboard or had a fight with us;
So, does this confirm that there is still lingering resentment over the American Revolution?
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I think most people think you arrived a bit late both times; it would be invidious to suggest that was because there wasn't much oil in Germany. (And what MadAxeMan said about the Russians).
I've addressed both of these points extensively in earlier posts.
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(And why oh why can't you chaps understand the British sense of humour?)
Well, I understand it most of the time, although there might be local references I may not have been initiated to, not having lived in the UK.
Apart from that, many of our favorite rock bands happen to be British, and British actors seem to be rather popular in Hollywood. I've met a number of Brits who live out here in the USA, and I find them to be very affable and likable. They seem to love America very much, too.
That's part of the reason why I first posted, since I can't seem to reconcile these nice, pleasant British people that I meet in real life and who seem to love America, as opposed to some of the internet personalities I've encountered who sound like they could be propagandists for the Iranian government. I was just trying to determine whether it represents the mainstream view or if it's just a very vocal minority.
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RE: Questions for those in the UK (and elsewhere in the... - 
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