What does England think of America?

Non-3DO related chat here please.

Moderators: Devin, Bas, 3DOKid

Post Reply
User avatar
3DO Experience
3DO ZONE ADMIN
Posts: 3686
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:47 am
Location: U.S.A.

What does England think of America?

Post by 3DO Experience » Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:53 am

Honestly what does England think of the United States of America?

I'm not talking about publicly oh-we-love-you-now-trade-with-us crap.
Are we seen as traitors to the crown? Are we rebellious young teen-agers that need to be put in our place? Are we a real independent nation worthy of sovereignty?
"Wait. You don't have a bag of charcoal in your gaming room???"

User avatar
3DOKid
3DO ZONE ADMIN
Posts: 4683
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 4:21 pm
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK
Contact:

Post by 3DOKid » Sat Jun 19, 2010 8:33 am

MEGA RANT TO BE TAKEN WITH A PINCH OF SALT!

Having now worked for two American companies over the past 4 years and having been to Boston, Texas and California, I'll give you my view, and what I believe.

We (British) see America as America-shire. Like Lincolnshire or Yorkshire but further away. The majority of British don't see American as foreigners, because you speak English, only with a weird accent, like people from Liverpool or Birmingham or London. So, we sort of expect you to be like us (Yorkshire people, Liverpudlians, Scots, etc) but you aren't.

Americans, whether visiting here or in your own country seem amazingly polite. Not just in conversation but on the roads. I watch you on your motorways and the number of speeders or people tail-gating is microscopic compared to Europe and Japan. I mean I see the giant Freeways opening up before me and I would hit light-speed but no, you leave massive gaps in the traffic, no meaningful speeding, no traffic weaving, even though it's legal. In Boston a woman in a car stopped to let me randomly cross the road. That was weird.

(Turn right on Red freaks my mind out)

Americans often appear to be over cautious, which makes Europeans / South East Asian seem almost feral in comparison, and many Americans never seem to relaxed around foreigners. (With some notable exceptions I work for. Namely one of the Trainers who is the funniest guy on Earth, but a chronic womanizer) It's like we want to trust you guys, but you've been beaten up by your own media so much that you can't trust us. We think, that you think, that we hate you. We don't, many of us love you.

Americans can appear to be insular. The whole most Americans don't have a passport thing, and never leave the US, does have an affect. That affect is you have beaten yourselves up, and become full of self doubt around foreigners, or that's what it appears to be. Very few Americans seem to relax around foreigners, unlike pretty much every other race I have met.

In mixed groups, the French, Germans, Swedish, Dutch, Chinese, South Koreans, Japanese, Israeli's and the Turks are more than happy to bicker, get drunk, talk rubbish, letch over women, argue and induce massive hangovers. Except Americans. Despite having been to America many times, you guys don't do that sort of thing. Which is very weird. It's like you isolate yourselves, which makes the rest of us feel you are either aloof or nervous or don't trust us. This comes out in other ways too, so it's a cultural thing. Americans are foreigners too :)

We expect you guys to be brash and loud: USA! USA! USA! We're #1, and from my point of view, you more often than not are quite the opposite. Which is disappointing.

Irritatingly you all seem to believe the entire none-American world hates you, and you constantly and quite irritatingly apologizing for it. Something you could have learned from the British Empire - never apologize for anything.

A majority of Americans constantly and irritatingly beat yourselves up over a lack of culture and history despite defining the entire worlds for the past 50 years. Which is sodding irritating too, a bit more pride in your own countries achievements wouldn't go a miss.

You do however seem very proud of your cars, which is misguided. ;) (Viper and Corvette excluded)

I learned to never get in a lift or a train with Texans. They absolutely psychologically cannot help themselves from talking to you. And we (British) don't talk to each other in lifts and trains. (that's the proper word for elevators by the way ;) )

Americans are the best presenters in business meetings.

You make the best breakfasts in the world. After the British. And is way, way, way, better than Japan that makes a breakfast with soup and rice and seaweed (madness!) or Europe with whole over-sold Continental Breakfast thing.

You guys do make the best coffee. And the best Eggs Benedict. And the best English Muffins.

Americans are chatty and easy to communicate with, and you guys often express emotions and feelings much better than British. We get some American versions of British shows, like Wife-Swap. The Americans are politely and comprehensibly talking their issues through and the British are clamming up, then trying to kill each other.

All American girls, with a proper American accents are cute. This is fact. There was a woman in our tech support department who was dressed like an American. Denim Jeans, jacket, white sneakers (trainers) and a NASA baseball cap. I was dribbling, just the way she spoke and acted, she wasn't hugely pretty but I just wanted to sit and listen to her.

Don't take anything I have said the wrong way. I love America, I love Americans. I love your shopping Malls. I'm in Las Vegas in August and I am so looking forward too it. I never think badly of Americans (as a nation) I've just learned to appreciate that you aren't British, and because of the proximity of your culture (MTV, Hollywood, Coke-Cola, The A-Team, NASA, IBM) that's pretty hard to do.

I hope I haven't offended anyone.

User avatar
3DO Experience
3DO ZONE ADMIN
Posts: 3686
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:47 am
Location: U.S.A.

Post by 3DO Experience » Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:55 pm

3DOKid wrote:MEGA RANT TO BE TAKEN WITH A PINCH OF SALT!

Americans, whether visiting here or in your own country seem amazingly polite. Not just in conversation but on the roads. I watch you on your motorways and the number of speeders or people tail-gating is microscopic compared to Europe and Japan. I mean I see the giant Freeways opening up before me and I would hit light-speed but no, you leave massive gaps in the traffic, no meaningful speeding, no traffic weaving, even though it's legal. In Boston a woman in a car stopped to let me randomly cross the road. That was weird.

(Turn right on Red freaks my mind out)
WOW! Really? I thought we were menaces on the road! I can't imagine bumper to bumper at freeway speeds!
3DOKid wrote:Americans can appear to be insular. The whole most Americans don't have a passport thing, and never leave the US, does have an affect. That affect is you have beaten yourselves up, and become full of self doubt around foreigners, or that's what it appears to be. Very few Americans seem to relax around foreigners, unlike pretty much every other race I have met.
We are always told that everyone thinks we are pigs that are full of ourselves. (It didn't help that we've always been told how horrible life is for other countries in grade school.) And it seems that most of us believe this, I mean I made a post didn't I? :?
3DOKid wrote:You do however seem very proud of your cars, which is misguided. ;)
Well we started it and everybody kinda seems to do it better.
3DOKid wrote:Americans are the best presenters in business meetings.
Bull-shitting is a specialty of ours. ;)
3DOKid wrote:You guys do make the best coffee.
Blatant lie detected.
3DOKid wrote:All American girls, with a proper American accents are cute. This is fact. There was a woman in our tech support department who was dressed like an American. Denim Jeans, jacket, white sneakers (trainers) and a NASA baseball cap. I was dribbling, just the way she spoke and acted, she wasn't hugely pretty but I just wanted to sit and listen to her.
That's just because she is different. Put a nicely dressed woman with an English accent (any) and she will be the talk of the office. Same goes for any foreign accent.


Sounds like you enjoy our country, I'm glad. Oh and the passport thing... I really think that's because our states are like little countries rather than provinces. Where many foreigners come here to vacation they think nothing of it because going to some other country on their own continent is a hop-skip-and-a-jump and no big deal. It's like that with our states except they have a set of rules from the head government so no need for passport. Actually leaving the country you have to travel North or South since we go from coast to coast. Depending on where you are it sounds so far compared to hopping the boarder to another state.

I however do have a passport and I grew up on the border of Canada and we kind of see them as a next door neighbor. They are a lot like us but have their own life to live, and they def are more British LOL (and cleaner). I'm sure people who didn't live next to them for so long would find it odder. Oh and milk in a bag, no one can get over that, not that having it in a cardboard box doesn't sound equally silly.

Don't forget to stock up on peanut butter while in Vegas.

I'd like to hear other people's opinions as well.
"Wait. You don't have a bag of charcoal in your gaming room???"

User avatar
3DOKid
3DO ZONE ADMIN
Posts: 4683
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 4:21 pm
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK
Contact:

Post by 3DOKid » Sun Jun 20, 2010 11:31 am

We don't think you are pigs. Maybe your politicians aren't always flavour of the month but in general most people are excited to meet Americans. We hear such a lot about you, from TV and things, it's a treat to finally meet one :) but then people love meeting foreigners. I have a semi international job and I once i figured out 'foreigner love' things went really well.

In business Americans from our point of view, are bit weird, but essentially honest and reliable and trust worthy. Europeans and Asian get ranty when, say, the US management division, doesn't appreciate that things are done differently outside the US. but, the rest of us wouldn't do much better going the other way right so...

Americans drive like saints. We have US airforce bases near here and I think they are sent on special driving courses not just because we drive on the right, but we drive on average faster and much less politely.

I realised that there are massive difference between east and west and mid America and Americans.

When I was kid, I wanted to live in America. I want a house like they had in E.T. and I wanted a automatic lawn sprinklers and a kitchen where the light is really close to the table and I wanted poker nights and to smoke cigars :) I'm an American Fanboy but to be honest, I have never met anyone who says they hate Americans or hate America. We do poke fun at your culture but then so does everyone but there is a big difference in British terms, of poking fun and hating.

I'm not a big fan of over rich coffee. I like those coffee peculators you get in American hotels. It is the best coffee.

English women: I never liked them. First girl I kissed was French. First girl friend was Indian, dated Chinese girls, married Japanese. Anything but English. I'm sure if I was born elsewhere the results would have been different.

Bullshitting is a specialty. And it's not until you watch Americans present you realize what naturals they often are. I'd rather watch a good bullshitter than a bad bullshitter. Also, having done many many many corporate presentations myself, there are things you can say in an American accent that sounds amazing, that sound simply ridiculous said in an English accent. "Laser focus" was once such phrase recently. ;)

User avatar
Austin
Master Poster & Pricing Expert
Posts: 1839
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2009 11:30 am
Location: Fairfax, VA
Contact:

Post by Austin » Sun Jun 20, 2010 2:05 pm

Wow, I never thought I would hear kind words about our country! Thanks for taking the time to write that, it really puts things into perspective.. I mean, not everyone is like this, but some people (possibly myself :roll:) are ashamed of our modern-day country. It's great to get a view of ourselfs that's outside the box, you know? Everybody needs that every now and then, IMO.

On the another hand though, you are right--I think many people tend to see other nationalities/countries/lifestyles they were not raised in to be more mysterious and interesting than their own. And, yes, 3DOexperience is dead on the money--The second a cute English woman starts talking, I stop dead in my tracks. The accent and the way their words are roll off the tongue is almost soothing, haha. They seem much more confident, polite, yet warm at the same time versus American women. It may be hard for you to believe, but that's how it is for some of us see it! :D


oldskool
3DO ZERO USER
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:45 pm
Location: Las Vegas

Post by oldskool » Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:46 pm

Are you speaking for everyone in Germany, or just yourself?
Image

User avatar
mattyg
3DO ZERO USER
Posts: 890
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:23 am
Location: Australia

Post by mattyg » Thu Jun 24, 2010 2:54 pm

I'd like to know what you all think of us Australians?
"purge with fire Bretheren"

3DO is dead , long live 3DO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K2kuP_anAc

"The greatest games in the world take seconds to learn but months to master. The worst take months to learn and minutes to finish."...MattyG

User avatar
Devin
3DO ZONE ADMIN
Posts: 330
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:04 pm

Post by Devin » Thu Jun 24, 2010 7:08 pm

Surprised how drinking isn't really a social thing from what I saw in California. Speak your mind which is odd to a Brit as the kid pointed out, although that would get you in plenty of trouble in England! :wink:

Oz folk are okay! :D

User avatar
Trev
3DO ZONE MOD
Posts: 4036
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:19 pm
Location: States
Contact:

Post by Trev » Fri Jun 25, 2010 1:04 am

mattyg wrote:I'd like to know what you all think of us Australians?
2 words ... Crocodile Dundee! :P
Most wanted - Eye of Typhoon, 3DO Magazines issues #14 & #15, Pro Stadium, Defcon 5

User avatar
3DO Experience
3DO ZONE ADMIN
Posts: 3686
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:47 am
Location: U.S.A.

Post by 3DO Experience » Fri Jun 25, 2010 3:40 am

Devin wrote:Surprised how drinking isn't really a social thing from what I saw in California. Speak your mind which is odd to a Brit as the kid pointed out, although that would get you in plenty of trouble in England! :wink:

Oz folk are okay! :D
All depends on the crowd. You get people who drink alone and people who go out and drink together.
"Wait. You don't have a bag of charcoal in your gaming room???"

User avatar
NikeX
3DO ZERO USER
Posts: 505
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:38 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Post by NikeX » Fri Jun 25, 2010 9:45 am

oldskool wrote:Are you speaking for everyone in Germany, or just yourself?
Topic question was placed in Plural form
und so was my answer.
mattyg wrote: I'd like to know what you all think of us Australians?
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/1093 ... 175173.jpg

http://icru.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/ ... 829818.jpg

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/962/ ... 2kopie.jpg

User avatar
mattyg
3DO ZERO USER
Posts: 890
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:23 am
Location: Australia

Post by mattyg » Sat Jun 26, 2010 3:16 pm

Firstly - Trev , sadly we are not all Croc Dundees :lol:

funnily enough Steve Irwin was far more popular in the States than he was here and dare I say an embarrassment as an example.
However we are so used to living with deadly animals even in suburbia we kinda become complacent. We do not have crocs in our back yard mind you but to give my place as an example I do have the odd shark in the lake that fronts my yard and out front is an infestation of deadly spiders ................
Australians have a reputation for being straight shooters - a good example of this is some of the names we give our deadly neighbours. For example : Two of the deadliest spiders in the world live in general suburbia - one is similar to a black widow in appearance black with red markings on its back and the other spins webs in the shape of a funnel. We call them red backs and funnel web spiders - these are their official common names. Also two of the most aggressive and poisonous snakes also live close to housing - one is black with a red belly the other is brown in colour. Their official common names are "red bellied black snakes" and "brown snakes".......get the picture :lol:

Foreigners are often perplexed by the fact that close to ninety percen of the population of a continent almost the size of the US live on the coast - there are two distinct answers to this:

1 - der why wouldn't you?...........and

2- there's no bloody water anywhere else!

Until World War 2 we were very British - now we are somewhere between the English and American cultures - where else in the world can you walk off a beach in the middle of summer in a pair of board shorts , Tee and flip flops and straight into a traditional English style pub for a cold beer?
or after tending your 1/4 acre block of land with your large 6 cylinder family sedan in the driveway you sit down and watch a cricket match on the TV?
We are a connundrum - but not as bad as the poor Canadians - North American French speaking subjects of the British Commonwealth :lol: what the hell is that all about? :wink:
"purge with fire Bretheren"

3DO is dead , long live 3DO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K2kuP_anAc

"The greatest games in the world take seconds to learn but months to master. The worst take months to learn and minutes to finish."...MattyG

User avatar
3DO Experience
3DO ZONE ADMIN
Posts: 3686
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:47 am
Location: U.S.A.

Post by 3DO Experience » Sat Jun 26, 2010 4:11 pm

Woa I think it would be scary living with all those deadly animals right next to the house. Then again I probably would choose to live with them rather than all the CENSORED that seem to be invading my neighborhood. And only the "French-Canadians" have an identity crisis.
"Wait. You don't have a bag of charcoal in your gaming room???"

oldskool
3DO ZERO USER
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:45 pm
Location: Las Vegas

Post by oldskool » Sun Jun 27, 2010 12:03 pm

I would think that there is no way, and near impossible to speak for everyone.

I personally don't know what to think of Germans.

Of course I could say that we all think Germans are Nazi's but we know better than that.

I was born there, but I was an US Army brat, so it was not by choice. And I have not met enough people nor been there enough to base an opinion.

A few things that I do know I love from Germany - Their cars, techno music, candy, and beer.
NikeX wrote:
oldskool wrote:Are you speaking for everyone in Germany, or just yourself?
Topic question was placed in Plural form
und so was my answer.
mattyg wrote: I'd like to know what you all think of us Australians?
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/1093 ... 175173.jpg

http://icru.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/ ... 829818.jpg

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/962/ ... 2kopie.jpg
Image

User avatar
NikeX
3DO ZERO USER
Posts: 505
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:38 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Post by NikeX » Mon Jun 28, 2010 4:52 pm

don't forget our cool games:
http://racer.sputnic.tv/?page_id=139

oldskool
3DO ZERO USER
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:45 pm
Location: Las Vegas

Post by oldskool » Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:13 am

That's pretty cool. I wouldn't really call it a video game, but at least you can race your remote control cars into areas of the tracks that you'd normally not be able to see otherwise.
Image

User avatar
3DOKid
3DO ZONE ADMIN
Posts: 4683
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 4:21 pm
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK
Contact:

Post by 3DOKid » Thu Jul 08, 2010 10:29 pm

Austin wrote:Wow, I never thought I would hear kind words about our country! Thanks for taking the time to write that, it really puts things into perspective.. I mean, not everyone is like this, but some people (possibly myself :roll:) are ashamed of our modern-day country. It's great to get a view of ourselfs that's outside the box, you know? Everybody needs that every now and then, IMO.

On the another hand though, you are right--I think many people tend to see other nationalities/countries/lifestyles they were not raised in to be more mysterious and interesting than their own. And, yes, 3DOexperience is dead on the money--The second a cute English woman starts talking, I stop dead in my tracks. The accent and the way their words are roll off the tongue is almost soothing, haha. They seem much more confident, polite, yet warm at the same time versus American women. It may be hard for you to believe, but that's how it is for some of us see it! :D
I am biased. When i was a kid, (born in '73 growing up in the '80s) america and japan were #1. There was a resentment, sure, but not from us wanting to be Ferris Bueller or Gatchaman. And that doesn't go away with age. I travel to America and Japan a lot these days, and to me, a guy from a part of the UK that doesn't travel, that doesn't have foriegners, it still seems special. In grained into me, I have integral trust, not of American politics necessarily (but your foriegn policy doesn't really upset me that much) but of American people. Americans are a bit dumb, a bit weird, but basically honest. Same for the Japanese. And Germans, French, Scandinavians and so on.

The biggest bomb the Yanks ever dropped wasn't a Daisy Cutter or a Nuclear one, it was the MTV bomb -- and I have sharpnel wounds :) (Thankfully)

Mobius

Post by Mobius » Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:16 am

Interesting thread -- I'm going to be traveling Europe for a month starting late August. I'm looking forward to meeting people and finding out their opinions of the US. :)

Oh, and part of this trip is two nights in Cardiff and two nights in London. Any tips on what to check out there, Kid?

User avatar
3DO Experience
3DO ZONE ADMIN
Posts: 3686
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:47 am
Location: U.S.A.

Post by 3DO Experience » Fri Jul 09, 2010 2:57 am

*in a wench's voice* "I know a song about Cardiff !"
Sorry I'll be going to a renaissance festival this summer and that is one of the lines I heard multiple times a day, everyday on a three day trip last year.
"Wait. You don't have a bag of charcoal in your gaming room???"

User avatar
Vance
3DO ZERO USER
Posts: 727
Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:58 pm
Location: Cal-e-for-nie-ay

Post by Vance » Sat Jul 24, 2010 5:05 am

I mostly just yell a lot and then pass out.

I guess I'm a bit traveled and that helps. I love French people ever since visiting because I sent an inquiry off to a nice bed and breakfast and the response was so warm and kind I felt somebody hugging me through my e-mail. It was unexpected, to say the least.

Seriously though, let me address something in what approximates a rational manner, keeping in mind that this is me; I have noticed that people from the UK don't like Americans having history at all. I can trace a very strong Irish-American line in my family, with most of the men and some of the women having made regular excursions to visit family still in the old country. Irish-Americans are definitely one of the most strongly identified white heritage groups in this country... probably mostly because of the signs.

But yes, there have been two occasions where a European person corrects me and says "Nooo, you're just American." (Of course it's the type of person who strings out their vowels.)

I don't know, it's weird that we can't have an ancestral modifier.

User avatar
Vance
3DO ZERO USER
Posts: 727
Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:58 pm
Location: Cal-e-for-nie-ay

Post by Vance » Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:51 pm


Post Reply