American-British Q&A

[Agayek]

what's the deal with the whole USA/Canada hatred thing? it's in a lot of shows but i don't know what the US ha against Canada. seems like a nice place

The US as a whole is fairly ambivalent about Canadia. The general attitude is "oh yea, the friendly people living in America Jr."

Basically, for whatever reason, it's become ingrained in the US public consciousness that Canadia is our "lackey state", for lack of a better term.

 

[drisky]

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.

Seems like you know more about the the subject than I do, which makes me question why you would ask about it other than to state an outrage about it.

 

[SuccessAndBiscuts]

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.

Okay but what does "assuming I'm Scottish" mean, I kinda want an idea of what an American would think upon meeting a Scottish person.

 

[JDKJ]

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. Especially 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.

Hell, yeah, Virginia's the Deep South. Maybe not geographically, but certainly culturally and politically. Are you forgetting that it was the seat of the Confederacy? The home of General Lee? And one of the last states in the country to stop resisting the desegregation of its public schools? It's as "South" as the South can get.

 

[Agayek]

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.

Comes down to two things:

1) Americans are very much a right-wing country (and no, I don't mean in the Republican sense). We, as a whole, are fairly anti-government. It's just the way the culture is. Almost any restrictions are, at the very least, met with skepticism, if not outright challenge.

2) Constitutionality. It says right there in the document our entire government is based off of "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Gun regulation violates that pretty clearly, and we love us our Constitution.

 

[JimJamJahar]

I have a question about America: How big is celeb culture over there? I'd imagine that it's pretty big, but is it as rediculous as it is over here (for some reason our magazines are obsessed with what annoying talentless people's relationship status' are and what they had for breakfast this morning)?

 

[Dags90]

Seems like you know more about the the subject than I do, which makes me question why you would ask about it other than to state an outrage about it.

It was mostly a rhetorical question, I'm American even. It seems like a question more Americans should probably think about on their own. I just think it's really weird to have a lack of foreskin become fashionable.

 

[liquidangry]

what's the deal with the whole USA/Canada hatred thing? it's in a lot of shows but i don't know what the US ha against Canada. seems like a nice place

The US as a whole is fairly ambivalent about Canadia. The general attitude is "oh yea, the friendly people living in America Jr."

Basically, for whatever reason, it's become ingrained in the US public consciousness that Canadia is our "lackey state", for lack of a better term.

Well, more or less there's nothing notable about Canada to Americans that's why. Canada is considered virtually the same culturally with a few twists and quirks. (whats with the hockey fanaticism? and that whole eh thing? [joking]) Most Americans don't really see Canada as having that distinct an identity. Although, coming from a heavily ethnocentric people it's actually kinda a backhanded compliment.

 

[Agayek]

Okay but what does "assuming I'm Scottish" mean, I kinda want an idea of what an American would think upon meeting a Scottish person.

Alright, that's a fairly simple answer, and it comes in four parts:

1) You wear a skirt. Yes, I'm aware you call it a kilt and think it very manly, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a skirt.

2) You have at least passable skill in playing the bagpipes, and you whip the thing out and play it whenever the fog rolls in, or there's a funeral nearby.

3) You make a sport out of taking 2/3 of a tree (apparently called a caber) and seeing how far you can chuck it.

4) You can kick the ass out of the entirety of our military armed with nothing more than a longbow, claymore and your bagpipes.

 

[JDKJ]

what's the deal with the whole USA/Canada hatred thing? it's in a lot of shows but i don't know what the US ha against Canada. seems like a nice place

The US as a whole is fairly ambivalent about Canadia. The general attitude is "oh yea, the friendly people living in America Jr."

Basically, for whatever reason, it's become ingrained in the US public consciousness that Canadia is our "lackey state", for lack of a better term.

Well, more or less there's nothing notable about Canada to Americans that's why. Canada is considered virtually the same culturally with a few twists and quirks. (whats with the hockey fanaticism? and that whole eh thing? [joking]) Most Americans don't really see Canada as having that distinct an identity. Although, coming from a heavily ethnocentric people it's actually kinda a backhanded compliment.

You know how Canada got its name? The Founding Fathers decided to pull from a bag of Scrabble tiles:

"C, eh." "N, eh." "D, eh."

*rimshot*

 

[Agayek]

I have a question about America: How big is celeb culture over there? I'd imagine that it's pretty big, but is it as rediculous as it is over here (for some reason our magazines are obsessed with what annoying talentless people's relationship status' are and what they had for breakfast this morning)?

It's just as bad. I make it a point to stay far away from that kind of bullshit, but I see at least a dozen different magazines covering the latest celebrity gossip and fashion every time I walk by the checkout counter at the grocery store.

It gets even worse with reality TV "stars".

 

[liquidangry]

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. Especially 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.

Hell, yeah, Virginia's the Deep South. Maybe not geographically, but certainly culturally and politically. Are you forgetting that it was the seat of the Confederacy? The home of General Lee? And one of the last states in the country to stop resisting the desegregation of its public schools? It's as "South" as the South can get.

Funny I've lived there almost my whole life and no one talks with the stereotyped southern accent or says y'all ever. Actually, saying "y'all" would have gotten you laughed at in school and was commonly used as a joke. Then again, so was "yous" so we're probably just elitest douchebags where I come from lol. Unless of course you travel out to the rural areas in the southern part of the state closer to North Carolina. Richmond and DC are only 2 and a half hours apart. Also, politically they voted for the party typically favored by the north, and culturally, well most people live near DC where I am and we are NOT like the people living in the Appalachian Mountains. Well, culturally, Eastern VA is much different from Western VA (im not including west virginia)

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

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 the government is half moronic bigots who want to go back to the good ol' days, where this thing called 'science' is just a thing dreamed up by madmen and homosexuals, and half incompetent old men who get beaten up for their lunch money by the former group on a regular basis.

 

[Agayek]

why do you Yanks call it football?
i mean common? u kick the ball like a few times in a game?

Because Handegg sounds way too weird.

As a serious answer, I think it was actually to capitalize on the success of soccer in Europe. I don't have any actual data to back this up, but I'm willing to bet that the reason it's called football was so that when Europeans came to the States, they'd look for a "football" game and end up watching American football. Basically, in my opinion, it was a weird publicity stunt that ended up sticking. Like I said, I have no actual data to back that up though, it's just a guess.

 

[JDKJ]

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. Especially 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.

Hell, yeah, Virginia's the Deep South. Maybe not geographically, but certainly culturally and politically. Are you forgetting that it was the seat of the Confederacy? The home of General Lee? And one of the last states in the country to stop resisting the desegregation of its public schools? It's as "South" as the South can get.

Funny I've lived there almost my whole life and no one talks with the stereotyped southern accent or says y'all ever. Actually, saying "y'all" would have gotten you laughed at in school and was commonly used as a joke. Then again, so was "yous" so we're probably just elitest douchebags where I come from lol. Unless of course you travel out to the rural areas in the southern part of the state closer to North Carolina. Richmond and DC are only 2 and a half hours apart. Also, politically they voted for the party typically favored by the north, and culturally, well most people live near DC where I am and we are NOT like the people living in the Appalachian Mountains.

Thanks for telling me about Virginia. I went to law school in D.C. for three years and would go mountain biking in Monongahela almost every other weekend and, if you ask me, you get up into them lil' towns like Lynchburg and you're in the middle of DEEP SOUTH REDNECK COUNTRY. Obviously you can't compare that to an Alexandria, VA. That's more like a suburb of D.C. And, matter of fact, I found D.C. to be surprisingly Southern in character. Certainly more so than I would have expected. But they don't call them "Bamas" for nothing.

 

[SuccessAndBiscuts]

Okay but what does "assuming I'm Scottish" mean, I kinda want an idea of what an American would think upon meeting a Scottish person.

Alright, that's a fairly simple answer, and it comes in four parts:

1) You wear a skirt. Yes, I'm aware you call it a kilt and think it very manly, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a skirt.

2) You have at least passable skill in playing the bagpipes, and you whip the thing out and play it whenever the fog rolls in, or there's a funeral nearby.

3) You make a sport out of taking 2/3 of a tree (apparently called a caber) and seeing how far you can chuck it.

4) You can kick the ass out of the entirety of our entire military armed with nothing more than a longbow, claymore and your bagpipes.

Hah cheers for that I'm always curious what people think of us. It takes a certain confidence in your sexuality to wear a skirt, women see that and they love it.

Also, the military thing is totally true, the Romans conquered a big chunk of the world. Then built two walls to keep the Scots out...

(Ok its propaganda but we are a fucking tiny country, we need every edge we can get)

 

[liquidangry]

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. Especially 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.

Hell, yeah, Virginia's the Deep South. Maybe not geographically, but certainly culturally and politically. Are you forgetting that it was the seat of the Confederacy? The home of General Lee? And one of the last states in the country to stop resisting the desegregation of its public schools? It's as "South" as the South can get.

Funny I've lived there almost my whole life and no one talks with the stereotyped southern accent or says y'all ever. Actually, saying "y'all" would have gotten you laughed at in school and was commonly used as a joke. Then again, so was "yous" so we're probably just elitest douchebags where I come from lol. Unless of course you travel out to the rural areas in the southern part of the state closer to North Carolina. Richmond and DC are only 2 and a half hours apart. Also, politically they voted for the party typically favored by the north, and culturally, well most people live near DC where I am and we are NOT like the people living in the Appalachian Mountains.

Thanks for telling me about Virginia. I went law school in D.C. for three years and would go mountain biking in Monongahela almost every other weekend and, if you ask me, you get up into them lil' towns like Lynchburg and you're in the middle of DEEP SOUTH REDNECK COUNTRY.

Well, yeah, lol. But that's just southern culture. You were just experiencing a culture shock. I experienced it too when I left the DC metro area enclave for college in southern VA. Why are people driving 10 under the speed limit on a one lane highway! WTF GET OUT OF MY WAY JACKASS! I'm used to having people pass me on a double yellow when I'm going 10 over! lol Most people in Virginia consider the "deep south" to be states bordering the gulf and also the states bordering them. That said I have met a few "the south will rise again!" nut jobs while in the southern part of the state... yeah, I'd hate to see there be a really bad economic collapse. Nutjobs would be coming out of the woodwork for Am. civil war 2.0

 

[eggy32]

Question to both the English and the Americans;

Do you see Northern Ireland as a part of Ireland or the UK?

Also, thoughts and opinions on us?

Speaking as someone from Northern Ireland, it's obviously part of the UK.
I don't understand how Northern Irish people don't understand this.

 

[SadakoMoose]

Ok so, questions:
How big is Charlie Brooker over on your end?
What about Rik Mayall?
How many of you remember Ghostwatch?
also:
Are any of you excited for Attack the Block?