ChatterBank0 min ago
A question about stereotypes.
I'm from the States and I was wondering about American stereotypes in media in the UK.
Like:
Are there many?
Are they generally accepted as true?
Does it color(colour) your impressions when you meet somebody from the US?
Like:
Are there many?
Are they generally accepted as true?
Does it color(colour) your impressions when you meet somebody from the US?
Answers
yes he says he like to do his bit to help, i say how many feckn africans have a 63 inch waist....?
00:27 Wed 20th Apr 2011
Cowtipper:
Thanks for not taking great offence at what I wrote. (I think that you'll find that much of what I wrote is well understood by others on this thread. They might not necessarily believe the stereotypes I've quoted to be true, but they'll still recognise them as fairly common stereotypes of US citizens).
Psychologists tell us that we tend to 'make our minds up' about people within the first 20 seconds or so of meeting them. I'd like to think that I remain open-minded for rather longer than that. I also hope that hearing an American accent (or, more accurately, one of the many hundreds of American accents) won't colour my impressions in any way. I live in East Anglia, which has loads of USAF bases. There are lots of towns around here where American accents are as common as British ones.
So knowing that you were American (or hearing your accent) wouldn't influence my opinions. If I met you here in the UK I'd be fascinated to know how you were getting to grips with our culture. If our conversation revealed that you were prepared to recognise the differences (with both praise and criticism for the 'British way', where it's due) we'd probably 'get on like a house on fire'. It's only the small minority of Americans who try to 'look down' on Brits (while they're enjoying our hospitality!) that really annoy me.
Chris
PS: I'm off to bed now 'cos it's about 0130 here in the UK. So, while I'll happily respond to anything else you post, it will have to be a day or so later.
Thanks for not taking great offence at what I wrote. (I think that you'll find that much of what I wrote is well understood by others on this thread. They might not necessarily believe the stereotypes I've quoted to be true, but they'll still recognise them as fairly common stereotypes of US citizens).
Psychologists tell us that we tend to 'make our minds up' about people within the first 20 seconds or so of meeting them. I'd like to think that I remain open-minded for rather longer than that. I also hope that hearing an American accent (or, more accurately, one of the many hundreds of American accents) won't colour my impressions in any way. I live in East Anglia, which has loads of USAF bases. There are lots of towns around here where American accents are as common as British ones.
So knowing that you were American (or hearing your accent) wouldn't influence my opinions. If I met you here in the UK I'd be fascinated to know how you were getting to grips with our culture. If our conversation revealed that you were prepared to recognise the differences (with both praise and criticism for the 'British way', where it's due) we'd probably 'get on like a house on fire'. It's only the small minority of Americans who try to 'look down' on Brits (while they're enjoying our hospitality!) that really annoy me.
Chris
PS: I'm off to bed now 'cos it's about 0130 here in the UK. So, while I'll happily respond to anything else you post, it will have to be a day or so later.
Some of what you said generalizes some truths, and some I don't see. I don't understand the love of cheese for instance. Most of the shockingly fat people I see are at the buffet, but as a general rule they get slimmer as you go south. Our news tends to gloss over world events or sensationalizes them for a week. I have no excuse for main stream beer. It was supposedly modified in WW2 to appeal to women and that was that. There are a few really good beers made here, but some places its difficult to find one.
I don't know as I've ever seen or seen advertised a film from France or Spain. I've seen some of the stuff from I don't know what American TV shows are broadcast there, but I don't watch much TV. I tend to watch stuff like "Family Guy" and less reality stuff. Our British television comes on PBS(Public Broadcasting) and its sometimes hard to get into. Masterpiece Theater is so bad I've never made it past the first five minutes. Dad's Army, Are You Being Served, Monty Python, The Good Life are all pretty funny. I don't get all of it. I guess some of the irony and dry humor escape me. There are a couple on that I've never watched more than once.
I'm kind of odd about politics even in a nation with odd political notions. I believe in a woman's right to choose and her right to carry a handgun. That pretty much rules out our two political parties for representation. I not only think its a right but a responsibility to own at least one gun. I should thank you all for that.
I know a huge number of Americans that would love to go back to the prewar isolationism. I'm ok with that. I never wanted to be the world police. Unfortunately a huge number of them would be willing to just turn a desert or two into a huge piece of glass and be done with it that way. I'm a bit less inclined, but I've been outside of the country where most of us haven't.
I don't know as I've ever seen or seen advertised a film from France or Spain. I've seen some of the stuff from I don't know what American TV shows are broadcast there, but I don't watch much TV. I tend to watch stuff like "Family Guy" and less reality stuff. Our British television comes on PBS(Public Broadcasting) and its sometimes hard to get into. Masterpiece Theater is so bad I've never made it past the first five minutes. Dad's Army, Are You Being Served, Monty Python, The Good Life are all pretty funny. I don't get all of it. I guess some of the irony and dry humor escape me. There are a couple on that I've never watched more than once.
I'm kind of odd about politics even in a nation with odd political notions. I believe in a woman's right to choose and her right to carry a handgun. That pretty much rules out our two political parties for representation. I not only think its a right but a responsibility to own at least one gun. I should thank you all for that.
I know a huge number of Americans that would love to go back to the prewar isolationism. I'm ok with that. I never wanted to be the world police. Unfortunately a huge number of them would be willing to just turn a desert or two into a huge piece of glass and be done with it that way. I'm a bit less inclined, but I've been outside of the country where most of us haven't.
No, I will in part stand up for cowtipper viz Chris.
Overall the problem is that stereotypical folk travel and make the image problem worse - imagine what we Brits come across as in the US. Boorish, overbearing, intellectually superior inc humour, bad teeth, uncoordinated dress, moaners.
I have, twice in a Parisian restaurant with friends (one of them with a fellow Brit), spoken nothing but French to avoid giving the impression that English was tmy base language. Once was with a Brit group of six and the other with four Americans. No attempt to even say Bonjour, issues over the food and wine (sweet wine with steak in the latter case) etc. None of us travel well as a nation - look at our German cousins for stereotypes....
Over there in the States you can easily break the stereotypical perceptions Chris refers to. I speak as someone who has lived over there for several years. For example in response to some of Chris's points, but not all...
(i) overweight - walk the streets of the UK and we are going the same direction. On the US streets there are a lot of very svelte figures as fitness is now more ingrained than over here
(ii) pushy - more prone to speak their mine and clear their chests rather than moan and sulk - but not all Americans are like that at all.
(iii) loud mouthed - there's psychology on this and one of the major elements is the space that they have to move around in - we are all crammed in as a nation and hence over in the States, more space between couples whe they talk, the table etc etc
(iv) irony,satire and humour - its very much on the increase over there but there is a point that a lot of it flies right over their right shoulders when you use irony. Television humour is improving as well from things like Boston Legal and programmes like Cheers and Friends aren't bad, plus some good stand-ups emerging.
(vi) Chris hasnt tried some of the regional
Overall the problem is that stereotypical folk travel and make the image problem worse - imagine what we Brits come across as in the US. Boorish, overbearing, intellectually superior inc humour, bad teeth, uncoordinated dress, moaners.
I have, twice in a Parisian restaurant with friends (one of them with a fellow Brit), spoken nothing but French to avoid giving the impression that English was tmy base language. Once was with a Brit group of six and the other with four Americans. No attempt to even say Bonjour, issues over the food and wine (sweet wine with steak in the latter case) etc. None of us travel well as a nation - look at our German cousins for stereotypes....
Over there in the States you can easily break the stereotypical perceptions Chris refers to. I speak as someone who has lived over there for several years. For example in response to some of Chris's points, but not all...
(i) overweight - walk the streets of the UK and we are going the same direction. On the US streets there are a lot of very svelte figures as fitness is now more ingrained than over here
(ii) pushy - more prone to speak their mine and clear their chests rather than moan and sulk - but not all Americans are like that at all.
(iii) loud mouthed - there's psychology on this and one of the major elements is the space that they have to move around in - we are all crammed in as a nation and hence over in the States, more space between couples whe they talk, the table etc etc
(iv) irony,satire and humour - its very much on the increase over there but there is a point that a lot of it flies right over their right shoulders when you use irony. Television humour is improving as well from things like Boston Legal and programmes like Cheers and Friends aren't bad, plus some good stand-ups emerging.
(vi) Chris hasnt tried some of the regional
beers (Otter Creek, St Arnolds, Shiner and there are several regional beers now on the go plus a healthy and exciting wine business). Ditto cheeses at a local level - and far more veg types etc on farmer markets and decent supermarket stores like Central Market in Tx.
(vii) - go to PBS and local stations for decent TV and HBO. The latter has a brilliant series over here in John Adams - Tom Hank's adaption of the McCUllough bio. Films - well Chris, off to Austin for you to go and see their thriving and up and coming quality film business.
(viii) Here's a nice one - The average American reads more than the average Brit - and the quality papers are now far better written than ours. A terrbe thing to say.
(ix) Understand the foireign "I am the World Sheriff" stance of foreign relations - Kissinger's Diplomacy explores this and puts it fair and square on Woodrow Wilson in the 1st World War fall out.....
(x) My bug is their lack of teaching of history and geography in their school system. This leads to the insularism but, in part, this is driven by 300 mln folk taking the same language (largely) and the Chinese and Japanese are also similarly insular. On language and their bastardisation of spelling, well blame a Scot for this in Andrew Carnegie as he led the drive for simplification of the language under Teddy Roosevelt's support. Carnegie was slightly dyslexic.....
(vii) - go to PBS and local stations for decent TV and HBO. The latter has a brilliant series over here in John Adams - Tom Hank's adaption of the McCUllough bio. Films - well Chris, off to Austin for you to go and see their thriving and up and coming quality film business.
(viii) Here's a nice one - The average American reads more than the average Brit - and the quality papers are now far better written than ours. A terrbe thing to say.
(ix) Understand the foireign "I am the World Sheriff" stance of foreign relations - Kissinger's Diplomacy explores this and puts it fair and square on Woodrow Wilson in the 1st World War fall out.....
(x) My bug is their lack of teaching of history and geography in their school system. This leads to the insularism but, in part, this is driven by 300 mln folk taking the same language (largely) and the Chinese and Japanese are also similarly insular. On language and their bastardisation of spelling, well blame a Scot for this in Andrew Carnegie as he led the drive for simplification of the language under Teddy Roosevelt's support. Carnegie was slightly dyslexic.....
ALL police dramas must have a black chief of police, and he must be a goodie.
All old people have thick, lush heads of hair
All kids are nauseatingly cute and clever
All Jewish people are wise, gentle and insightful
No women over 35 are allowed unless they're comic characters, pensioners or mad harridans.
Anyone seen wearing spectacles whips them on and off indiscriminately whether reading, looking at screens or driving - and are rarely seen actually kissing with them on. I think it's the law.
Many of these apply here too, sad to say.
All old people have thick, lush heads of hair
All kids are nauseatingly cute and clever
All Jewish people are wise, gentle and insightful
No women over 35 are allowed unless they're comic characters, pensioners or mad harridans.
Anyone seen wearing spectacles whips them on and off indiscriminately whether reading, looking at screens or driving - and are rarely seen actually kissing with them on. I think it's the law.
Many of these apply here too, sad to say.
