American-British Q&A

[Deadjim]

For the Metal Heads in England, overall do you listen to more American Metal Bands or Engish Metal Bands. Also hows the metal scene? Do you take pride in knowing that England poineered the genre of Heavy Metal? Do you get bands from other European Nations touring in England often?

I'd say its about the same really on amount maybe little more english metal i'd personally and do we take pride we love it lol the metal scene here is insanlly big bigger then people seem to think it is.
Yes we do quite often get other European bands touring here.

Lucky.
In the US there is still the metal scene but its getting smaller and smaller. Most fans are above the age of 30. Infact its so sad that at a Motorhead concert i went with two friends a lady asked us if we were there because we liked metal or if it was the "cool" thing to do because most of our peers dont like that kind of music. Basically we were asked if we were there because we were metalheads or hipsters/non-conformists. And other than english bands most European bands, espically those that dont sing songs in english, seem to have limited touring in the US

I think in england its actually getting bigger ive started to notice alot more now adays could be just my area but alot more are appearing in england from what i can tell and most of here are actually really accepting and wouldn't asking something like that like I stick out at a metal concert because i'm black and have an afro so i get ahell of alot attention because most metal heads here are white with long hair, so i guess its because im something different but they don't care they just know im there to enjoy the music and mosh.

It's pretty cool in England like Megajon said they are very accepting. I mean I love goin to metal clubs and metal nights but you don't have to look like a metal head to be there most people are just there for a good time. plenty of time I've been out with mate going to clubs that have a shirt and shoes dress code...the music ends up being rubbish and we high tail it to the metal bar for some good old fashioned moshin in our shirts and shoes no one cares.

 

[JDKJ]

Do you Southerners believe that you have a different culture compared to the rest of the United States? Always wondered.

There are multiple cultures in the US. Texas is different from other parts of the south. The Deep South is different than the Piedmont area, different that Appalachia. New England is different than the mid-Atlantic. Midwest is different than the Pacific Northwest, which is different than the Southwest...which is different than California. Heck, I'm from California and Northern California is different than Southern California...with slightly different accents.

I think it is important for our European brothers and sisters to remember that the US is very, very big. It is a continent wide. We have a great deal of culinary, dialect, political, religious, and cultural diversity.

I'm from California where soccer is very popular. Other parts of the country less so. But ice hockey is not that big in my home state.

I tried to tell 'em that if you go to East Los Angeles or San Diego, "futbol" is more popular than hockey. Tune into the local Univision or Telemundo channel on the weekends and that's all you'll see: one football match after another, all weekend long. Everything from Premier League to Liga Mexicana.

 

[open trap]

For the Metal Heads in England, overall do you listen to more American Metal Bands or Engish Metal Bands. Also hows the metal scene? Do you take pride in knowing that England poineered the genre of Heavy Metal? Do you get bands from other European Nations touring in England often?

I'd say its about the same really on amount maybe little more english metal i'd personally and do we take pride we love it lol the metal scene here is insanlly big bigger then people seem to think it is.
Yes we do quite often get other European bands touring here.

Lucky.
In the US there is still the metal scene but its getting smaller and smaller. Most fans are above the age of 30. Infact its so sad that at a Motorhead concert i went with two friends a lady asked us if we were there because we liked metal or if it was the "cool" thing to do because most of our peers dont like that kind of music. Basically we were asked if we were there because we were metalheads or hipsters/non-conformists. And other than english bands most European bands, espically those that dont sing songs in english, seem to have limited touring in the US

I think in england its actually getting bigger ive started to notice alot more now adays could be just my area but alot more are appearing in england from what i can tell and most of here are actually really accepting and wouldn't asking something like that like I stick out at a metal concert because i'm black and have an afro so i get ahell of alot attention because most metal heads here are white with long hair, so i guess its because im something different but they don't care they just know im there to enjoy the music and mosh.

I think the worst part of the US scene is that im not hearing about alot of new American bands. Just looking at my Playlist i have maby two or three bands that are fairly new. Mastodon, Dethklok (which isnt even a real band) and possably system of a down. It sadens me. Im 15 and im one of only a handful of people who embrace and accept Metal culture. Strangly enough the more into metal these people are the more politacly active they seem. As i far as i know there are only three four core metalheads where i live (long hair, listen mostly to metal, black band shirts etc) and all of use are well versed in economics and polatics for our age.

 

[BoredDragon]

What's the deal with Americans and circumcision?

Srsly. I'm American and I still don't get it. I think it's starting to fall out of fashion but really, penis fashion?

*cringes at the thought of circumcision*

I think it just has to do with tradition of Christian beliefs.

 

[JDKJ]

What's the deal with Americans and circumcision?

Srsly. I'm American and I still don't get it. I think it's starting to fall out of fashion but really, penis fashion?

*cringes at the thought of circumcision*

I think it just has to do with tradition of Christian beliefs.

Not Christian. Jewish.

 

[Dags90]

*cringes at the thought of circumcision*

I think it just has to do with tradition of Christian beliefs.

Nope. It was actually a pretty modern phenomenon and a lot of Christian groups are opposed to circumcision as altering God's creations.

 

[BoredDragon]

Ok heres a question for t=you Americans.

Why are you so crazy for guns? and why are you so resistant to gun control reforms that might help prevent repeats of the Arizona senetor gettin shot, Virginia tech shootings, or Colombine. I realise that not everyone over there is a gun nut or a member of the NRA (I also know these guys have some serious lobbying muscle). Its just strange to see so much gun crime and such a Laize fair reaction to it

I have been to America and fired a gun, it was great fun! but still just wondered is all.

Ok, I think that's a southern stereotype that has been around for a while. I should know, I'm a Texan. The thing is, the NRA is a very large organization and has a lot of influence which shows with gun control policy. The other thing is I guess it's just a part of our culture.

I actually would like more gun control and believed that it would help cut down violence. However, I did a paper on it and the data shows less is more

 

[drisky]

What's the deal with Americans and circumcision?

Srsly. I'm American and I still don't get it. I think it's starting to fall out of fashion but really, penis fashion?

Tradition is tradition, It has just had a sense of normalcy over generations. Kind of like, "Thats how mine is, I don't see anything wrong with it".

 

[Dags90]

Tradition is tradition, It has just had a sense of normalcy generations. Kind of like, "Thats how mine is, I don't see anything wrong with it".

Except as I said later, it's a pretty recent "tradition", only a 2-3 generations old at most. And is in decline. So it's not much of a "tradition" as it really was an extended fad which is falling out of vogue.

 

[JDKJ]

What's the deal with Americans and circumcision?

Srsly. I'm American and I still don't get it. I think it's starting to fall out of fashion but really, penis fashion?

Tradition is tradition, It has just had a sense of normalcy generations. Kind of like, "Thats how mine is, I don't see anything wrong with it".

Actually, a lot of the medical justification for circumcision lies in the thinking that it's more hygienic. All that "frumunda cheese" can't build up if you don't have a foreskin.

And for those of the Jewish faith, it's required. Nothing recent about that, at all. They've been doing circumcisions since the time of Abraham.

 

[ailorn]

I'm from north east America and I like the Canadians just fine. I find i have more in common with them than southerners. It may be stereotyped but the schools down south are just not as good as those up north. The fellow from Texas is right about regional accents. New York City has many different accents based on what part of the city you are from, and is different from the rest of the state, something similar for Boston and the rest of Massachusetts. People in Wisconsin drink more per capita than any other state (moved there with hubby). One town, La Crosse Wisconsin has 375 bars for 51,818 people. A bar for every 12 people with things like double or triple bubble, buy one get 2 or 3 drinks. Drinking is so popular since winters are cold and long and all we have is American football.

My question is how much is a quid? The money over there confuses me. I love many UK accents.

 

[Agayek]

Here is a question as a British Scottish person how would an average American (if such a thing exists which I doubt) differentiate me from an English person?

I understand the whole English accent = snarky comic relief/villain thing but that is used so commonly in conjunction with "British" it leaves me curious.

Especially since I think Scotland has quite a strong and recognisable national identity for our size.

In America, there's 3 accents from the UK: British (mostly London, occasionally cockney), Irish (ie, the main characters in the Boondock Saints), and Scottish (ie, Sean Connery). We completely disregard everything else, especially Welsh accents. They don't exist for most Americans.

If you sound like Sean Connery, we'll assume your Scottish, otherwise we'll default to English.

 

[JDKJ]

I'm from north east America and I like the Canadians just fine. I find i have more in common with them than southerners. It may be stereotyped but the schools down south are just not as good as those up north. The fellow from Texas is right about regional accents. New York City has many different accents based on what part of the city you are from, and is different from the rest of the state, something similar for Boston and the rest of Massachusetts. People in Wisconsin drink more per than any other state (moved there with hubby). One town, La Crosse Wisconsin has 375 bars for 51,818 people. A bar for every 12 people with things like double or triple bubble, buy one get 2 or 3 drinks. Drinking is so popular since winters are cold and long and all we have is American football.

My question is how much is a quid? The money over there confuses me. I love many UK accents.

A pound.

 

[liquidangry]

OH SNAPS MY ANSWERS ARE TEH LONGZ!

I have a question for American's, how many of you have visited the UK?

Lived there for 3 years. Cool place, I have no bad memories to speak of. Too bad I was too young to experience the "pub culture" while there though.

Spoiler: LMFAO, chavs

Classic pic.

Again, that depends on where you're doing the asking. If you ask in East Los Angeles (where there's a huge Mexican and Central American population) they'll know more about "futbol" than they do hockey.

Oh come on now JDKJ, immigrants aren't Americans. *note to the mods and dense people so I dont get put on probation again, THIS IS SARCASM... I AM POINTING OUT THE ETHNOCENTRISM [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentrism] OF SOME OF THE POSTERS THROUGH SARCASM.
Also, Soccer BLOWS LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Why do some American (90% of those I've met) either assume I'm either extreamly posh or some kind of anti-social, chavish dick? Is it how us Brits are depicted on Tv or is it just something Americans tend to assume unless they get to know someone from England?

Eh? Considering I've met many brits in my youth and then during my college years working at an international company when half the staff were from the UK, I've never assumed that, or felt like I gave the impression that I assumed that. Maybe you shouldn't judge a country by it's lowest common denominator? Try talking to people you would normally blow off. Birds of a feather...

To americans: Why are you letting your government throw in the towel for manned space missions, instead now relying on the russians for transport?

Because we need to spend over 700 billion a year on military costs, but can only allocate 10 for space based endeavors. Also, this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo]
You have less say in a democracy than you think.

to be honest, I'm not sure why we even need to keep exploring space when our problems on earth are pretty big

And people who use this argument.

Not getting roped further into the pedantry Olympics with you.

But that's the whole reason why I come to forums!

Ok heres a question for t=you Americans.

Why are you so crazy for guns? and why are you so resistant to gun control reforms that might help prevent repeats of the Arizona senetor gettin shot, Virginia tech shootings, or Colombine. I realise that not everyone over there is a gun nut or a member of the NRA (I also know these guys have some serious lobbying muscle). Its just strange to see so much gun crime and such a Laize fair reaction to it

I have been to America and fired a gun, it was great fun! but still just wondered is all.

It's in the constitution. It made sense before tanks and airplanes, but it has extremely little relevance today. Other than that, It's EXTREMELY hard to change something in the constitution. You need virtually unanimous support which they're not even close to. Gun lovers have nothing to worry about.

The drinking age in Britain is 18 But my friends and I began drinking when we were around 14/15.

My question is to Americans: At what age do you lot (in general- or atleast in your friendship groups) start to drink?

AND

To Southern Americans: Do you get annoyed by the steriotyping? (as in hillbilly) and are there people that actually fit the bill that you know?

AND AND!!

Do you Southerners believe that you have a different culture compared to the rest of the United States? Always wondered.

Yes, there is a distinct southern culture, but it isn't like the rest of the States are all homogeneous and we're outliers. There's an overall American culture, and each region has its own flavor to add to that. For example, here in Texas we've got a curious blend of your basic American plus Southern and Western subcultures, with significant Mexican influence.

Texas isn't even what comes to my mind when I think of the South. That's more South-West. The South to me is Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia, the Carolinas, etc. The "Deep South."

This pretty much. Having lived in both, it's a night and day difference imho. The people act different, they talk different, they value different things. For instance, the gun control thing, that's a southern thing. Most people in the north would rather them gone. Differneces are between north and south, and even east and west. Californians are much different than Virginians culturally.
Also, you consider Virginia the "deep" south? Where the hell is the regular southern middle then lol? I take it you're from New England/Great Lakes region since your profile just says you're American.

 

[Deadjim]

My question is how much is a quid? The money over there confuses me. I love many UK accents.

A quid is just a pound and its all decimilised like the US currency is.

 

[aashell13]

Ok heres a question for t=you Americans.

Why are you so crazy for guns? and why are you so resistant to gun control reforms that might help prevent repeats of the Arizona senetor gettin shot, Virginia tech shootings, or Colombine. I realise that not everyone over there is a gun nut or a member of the NRA (I also know these guys have some serious lobbying muscle). Its just strange to see so much gun crime and such a Laize fair reaction to it

I have been to America and fired a gun, it was great fun! but still just wondered is all.

Well, it's explicitly in our constitution that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Exact interpretations differ, but this clause makes any gun control measure open to challenge unless it is very very carefully constructed.

Specifically most of the objection to gun control centers on its ineffectiveness. without opening a new debate on the topic, suffice to say that large percentages of the population, especially in certain regions, believe that tight regulation of guns would only serve to keep them out of the hands of law-abiding citizens, while doing little or nothing to curtail the criminal use of weapons.

 

[trooper6]

Ok heres a question for t=you Americans.

Why are you so crazy for guns? and why are you so resistant to gun control reforms that might help prevent repeats of the Arizona senetor gettin shot, Virginia tech shootings, or Colombine. I realise that not everyone over there is a gun nut or a member of the NRA (I also know these guys have some serious lobbying muscle). Its just strange to see so much gun crime and such a Laize fair reaction to it

I have been to America and fired a gun, it was great fun! but still just wondered is all.

You have to think of some context.

When I was a small kid, I lived with my hippy god-parents in the mountains of California. Hippy god-parents are not the type that you'd think of as being gun nuts...but they had guns. Why? Because there are wild and dangerous animals in the mountains of California. There were coyotes that tried and did kill our livestock. There were rattlesnakes, and sometimes we needed to kill squirrels for dinner.

While the UK and Europe are basically devoid of dangerous predators, great parts of the US still have bunches of dangerous animals. Heck even in an urban place like Los Angeles, in the Hollywood Hills, sometimes mountain lions come down from the hills and attack things. So there are still practical reasons to need guns in many parts of the country.

The second thing is that we are much closer to a time when guns were generally carried everywhere and necessary as a sidearm. I mean, the "Wild West" was only 120 years ago--and still carries on in different parts of the country. This country still has cowboys and the like. Nature is still not "civilized."

There is protection from large predators, there is hunting, and there is general violence.
The UK has a lot of knife crime, we have a lot of gun crime.

Also, because we are a country borne out of a revolution...out of people using guns...it is quite important to our country's genetics.

And also, we are a young country. When England was 230 years old it was quite violent as well...just that people were attacking each other with swords.

 

[JDKJ]

Here is a question as a British Scottish person how would an average American (if such a thing exists which I doubt) differentiate me from an English person?

I understand the whole English accent = snarky comic relief/villain thing but that is used so commonly in conjunction with "British" it leaves me curious.

Especially since I think Scotland has quite a strong and recognisable national identity for our size.

In America, there's 3 accents from the UK: British (mostly London, occasionally cockney), Irish (ie, the main characters in the Boondock Saints), and Scottish (ie, Sean Connery). We completely disregard everything else, especially Welsh accents. They don't exist for most Americans.

If you sound like Sean Connery, we'll assume your Scottish, otherwise we'll default to English.

Let's not completely discount Tom Jones. "What's new Pussycat? Whoa-a-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa." He was pretty big back in the day. Then he had a slight comeback. Around the same time Tony Bennett had a slight comeback.