Just curious.

[Evil Elvis]

Been to various places in the states, generally you lot are polite and well mannered, some very well mannered.....but the brothers in downtown Boston (no-one told me about "downtown") scared the **** out of me....and at 18.5 stone and 6'2" that takes some doing!!

[starlight32]

Having two airbases nearby hasn't helped your cause, but in my honest experience, when I went over to NYC, I found everybody to be pleasant, helpful, friendly, but then again I didn't see any white americans, they were either, Asian, Afro-american, hispanic or italian.

 

Is that the norm in NYC??

 

SS

 

SS - You'll find evey nationality under the sun in NYC and the surrounding area. To give you an idea about just how multicultural it is my company employs 25 people of which only 5 were actually born in the USA - the rest are British, Spanish, Indian, Polish, Portuguese, Filipino, Colombian, Brazilian and some bloke from Ecuador.

 

Looks like you are having the same propblems we are then.

[starlight32]

Been to various places in the states, generally you lot are polite and well mannered, some very well mannered.....but the brothers in downtown Boston (no-one told me about "downtown") scared the **** out of me....and at 18.5 stone and 6'2" that takes some doing!!

 

 

Yoou were about equally sized then for a civil partnership then?

[Evil Elvis]

Nah, the guy that really scared the poopey out of me was about 7'6" and 25 stone!!!! Biggest person I ever saw!!!! To make matters worse, he thought \i was Australian!!!!

[starlight32]

Nothing wrong with America, they don't take the rubbish we have to in any way shape or form.

 

As for the one two or quips about WWII and Britain and the USA, we as a nation would have been fighting Germany on true homefront if we had not had the support, and I dare say would have suffered a great deal more than we did.

 

America is a superpower and lets have it right- when it comes to warfare they know how to do the real job, not namby pamby about like we do being selective in Iraq and Afghanistan on targets etc.

[jcbruno]

WW1 - 1914-1918, we asked for help,

April-6-1917, USA replied.

WW2 - 1939-1945, we asked for help,

Dec.-8-1941, USA replied.

Iraq - Mar.-18-2003, USA asked for help.

Mar.-18-2003, we replied.

What do I think of the USA, they suffer from defective hearing.

 

just remember too, many americans came up to Canada in both wars and served with the Canadian military even though american forces wernt fighting, so like stated earlier good and bad every where you go,

 

i also forgot to mention many American pilots flew with the RAF and RCAF in the battle of britain,aside form serving in Canadian units they also provided weapons and equipment to British and Commonwealth forces in both the pacific and to the UK, so lets not be to hard on them

[berettaman1]

GOD BLESS AMERICA!! My wife and myself have been to the states twice, the first time2001....... I a 61 year old picked up my hire car in Houston and set off south, did not have a clue where I was going although I was doing 80_85 trying to keep up with Stuart Clark, English sporting team member , he in a big motor cleared off. My wife and myself made it to San Antonio after midnight and totally lost with half the english team guns piled up in the back of the car, I ended up in a rough part of San Antonio, with a lot of hispanic /Mexican youths driving past us with door locks bodged with screwdrivers!!My poor wife was trembling so much I thought I had lost a wheel balance!!eventually I saw a lady at a service station and told her of my plight, said I was looking for Bandera Road where my hotel was, God bless her, I had not slept for over 24 hours since leaving home , She told me to follow her and true to her word took us to the start of Bandera Rd , we checkt in about 1,30 am ...... Couple of days later I was taking a photo of my wife with the Alamo in the background when I became aware of a group of 4 big beefy American youths walking from my left to right in front of my camera!! I stopped from taking the shot untill they had passed when to my supprise, one of the young guys said to me,___I am sorry sir, if we have spoiled your shot!! I was amazed, and thought if I was back in England I would probnally been duffed up and been mugged!!. Our time in america was great, and we returned again in 05 and again I can say without hesitation, If you are not a idle bloke then emmigrate to the home of the brave, and free.

[Guest The Outlaw]

Good man youve been about a bit then?

 

Tony

[berettaman1]

Yes, honestly Tony i wish to god I could turn back the clock and if I could I would emigrate to the USA or Australia This country (in my oppinion has been cast aside by these servants of the people?? read (OUR MASTERS) ****** What have our people to look foreward to?? A future dominated by ISLAM./ No thanks, America is the logical home of christian members of society. Cheers Bud

Edited December 18, 2007 by Axe

[Dr_Scholl]

What do the British, and Europeans in general, think of Americans? Go wild, I wanna hear what people really think.

 

What do you think of us?

 

dustyfox

 

We're rather fond of our cousins across the pond for the most part. We have similar cultures, lifestyles, and a high standard of living. We are descended from you, after all. Most Europeans that i've met were very polite, intelligent and well spoken. Y'all seem to be much more in touch with the international community than the average American is. It's embarrassing sometimes how little my fellow countrymen know about the world outside of their own border .

 

A lot of Americans, myself included on occasion, get the feeling that Europeans look down on them, especially after high profile shootings. This seems to be true more with mainland Europeans, and some British elitists, rather than the British in general. I think the root cause of most of our differences comes from our views on the government. Europeans, in general, expect to be protected BY the government, Americans want to be protected FROM the government. Religion also plays a part,( we Americans are generally more religious) but i'll get into that later.

[jcbruno]

good fella dr scholl I think the english speeking world has traditionally been very simaler in culture and close allies in many conflicts, the USA went it's own way away from the British Monarchy and has its own unique aspects, and us smaller English speeking countrys kept with britain Canada,Australia,New Zealand and of course the United Kingdom or Great Britain and yes i think Britain is still great , we are all simaler but yet uniqley our own,we are all friends and hope we always will be I think we have something great in hour world and our unified simaler cultures

[salisburykeeper]

i like americans,but i couldnt eat a whole one!

[tulkyuk]

good fella dr scholl :yp: I think the english speeking world has traditionally been very simaler in culture and close allies in many conflicts, the USA went it's own way away from the British Monarchy and has its own unique aspects, and us smaller English speeking countrys kept with britain Canada,Australia,New Zealand and of course the United Kingdom or Great Britain and yes i think Britain is still great , we are all simaler but yet uniqley our own,we are all friends and hope we always will be I think we have something great in hour world and our unified simaler cultures

 

 

Well said JC

[Chard]

I generally do like Americans, but they (some of them) have a trait that I don't like at all. They seem very fond of reminding us, and most of the world that they could "woop our *****" in a war/boxing match/sport/just about anything. They are no doubt working on the theory that money and size sorts most situations out pretty well. However, they seem to have difficulty understanding that this bragging provocation causes more than a little resentment and if they find it difficult to understand why so many countries dislike them, well they need look no further.

 

I would have thought that Vietnam would have caused them to think twice before bragging, but it seems not.

 

Anti-British sentiment over our handover of responsibilities in Basra is no doubt running high in the U S of A, and no doubt we are being labelled as cowards "running away from the job". No chaps, you can call our armed forces anything you like, but cowards they're not :yp:

 

It's just that we have the good sense to see that Iraq is a potentially worse mire than Vietnam and if "hearts and minds" is an important aspect of the conflict, then the best thing to do is get the Iraqis back in charge of their own country again.

[Highlander]

I have no problem with 'Americans' only it worries me that the vast majority have no concept of any countries outside their own and even knowledge of their own is pretty limited as (I believe) per head of population the USA has the least number of passport holders of any country. Maybe they’re all illegal’s! We should also remember that the only true blood 'Americans' are/were the Indians, the rest are/were all decendants of...wait for it...immigrants!

 

My other big fear is the WASP religious right, those loonies even believe that the world was created as the bible would have us believe in spite of all the scientific evidence against not to mention one’s own sense of logic and reason!

 

Like all people everywhere there's good, bad and downright ugly! :yp:

[jimdfish]

Why do they go woop woop woop every time someone comes on stage.

Jim

P.S woopwoop wooop

[Chard]

Why do they go woop woop woop every time someone comes on stage.

Jim

P.S woopwoop wooop

 

 

Woop woop woop :yp:

[Keith]

I agree with a lot that's been said already. I've never been to the states but have worked with a lot of Americans in the UK and in Africa. There are very I've met that I haven't liked. Those I have disliked have been the "you can't do this to me i'm an American" types. Went on a 2 week group safari with 2 New York lawyers who were exactly like that and give Americans a bad name.

 

I think Bush is a dangerous lunatic but previous US governments have acted in much the way he does very often - Bay of Pigs, Guatemala, Grenada, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Because the US is so economically powerful and militarily strong they think they are the world police and everyone who does not have a system based on their very flawed democracy is wrong.

 

When it comes to fighting wars they are poor - they shove in manpower and heavy weaponry and blast away with no understanding of tactics, graduated use of force etc. Compare Britain in Malaya with US in Vietnam - which country is now peaceful, prosperous and not littered with the poor, deformed victims of chemical warfare?

 

Read Max Hasting's great book on the Korean war - Americans fight the way they play grid-iron: they may be tough and violent but everything has to be predictable, done in grids; they can't cope with the need for flexible tactics and the need to do something other than blast things to pieces. When they've tried peacekeeping it's been a disaster - as in Somalia, whereas as Britain and other countries do it v well - such as in Sierra Leone, where the British army did a fantastic job - sensitive to local needs but willing to send in the paras to wipe out drug-fuelled rebel bandits when necessary and do it clinically not by wasting acres of land and killing scores of civilians.

 

As for the US and free trade - they want free trade except of course when they want to protect US farmers, steelworkers etc

 

So in my view, nice people but an arrogant nation that elects crass governments and has a power complex but lacks the subtlety to use it sensibly.

[Dr W]

Mostly like Americans and have been several times, although find them a bit over the top sometimes.

 

Think they need to sort out their foreign policy and stop annoying the rest of the world, stop causing problems with the carbon emmissions that the rest of the world is trying to fix, stupid comments like we're not going to do it unless China and India do it is wrong, if you're the no. 1 super power in the world then bloody well lead by example.

 

I will however say that it's quite ironic that they try to force the fact that they have the worlds best democracy and is land of the free when their Government is the worst democracy in the world as you can bascially buy you're way in (i.e Bush v Gore), laughable.

[Dr_Scholl]

Mostly like Americans and have been several times, although find them a bit over the top sometimes.

 

Think they need to sort out their foreign policy and stop annoying the rest of the world, stop causing problems with the carbon emmissions that the rest of the world is trying to fix, stupid comments like we're not going to do it unless China and India do it is wrong, if you're the no. 1 super power in the world then bloody well lead by example.

 

I will however say that it's quite ironic that they try to force the fact that they have the worlds best democracy and is land of the free when their Government is the worst democracy in the world as you can bascially buy you're way in (i.e Bush v Gore), laughable.

 

Try to find one politician anywhere in the world, beyond the local level, that isn't a millionaire.

[BSA Shaun]

Have always been welcomed in America every time I have been, so no complaints from me.

 

Find the waiting staff very pleasant and helpful, same with hotel staff etc, always have a good stay.

[oneshotkiller]

yanks we have quite a big college here with loads of americans on transfer i presume and there always polite and friendly

 

 

cant drink like us brits though

[Dunkield]

I have American friends and work with American's on daily basis, and I have been to the States, I should think about 25+ times or so - probably more if I tried to remember. My dad worked for PanAm so we used to go 2 or 3 times a year minimum when I was younger.

So I know a bit about them and from different states as well, and that seems to be key.

 

Of the ones I know most are from the east coast, New Jersey and Boston area, and they aren't too different from us.

Texan's are a different kettle of fish though even other americans rip it out of them!

 

I was in a Bar in Galway of all places earlier this year with a bunch of americans, and a Texan asked where the burgers were on the menu.

The waitress said they don't sell burgers, and has said 'oh OK'

When it came to his turn to order he said 'nothing for me thanks'

This guy wasn't fat, but turns out he only eats burgers, nothing else

 

'They' , the ones I know anyways, seem to be able to laugh at themselves OK and other Americans too

The worrying thing to people in rest of the world is that so few americans seem to travel abroad, or have any interest at all in what happens outside of the US.

It's one thing to be patriotic, and you are, but to not get out there and see other places and cultures would make a difference to how most of you think.

 

You also suffer at the hands of your media, like us, but in a different way.

I have told this story before, but...

I was sat in a bar in Malborough watching the Olympics with an american colleague when an american sprinter won a silver medal.

We waited through countless slow motion replays, and a no point did the mention who actually won the gold

 

So overall I like them, but dont ask mrs stuartp, she worked in a Hotel in Windsor for years and only ever saw the worst of them, so hates them all! full stop (or 'period', as you maight say)

[death from below]

I like Americans but couldn't eat a whole one.....too fat

[digger]

Ive been to the States several times and never found it anything other than welcoming (hell, any country that invents Hooters can only be good). I have had the pleasure of wandering around the wrong part of Boston and being approached by a gang of youths who once they heard my accent could not have been friendlier. I tend to look for the bar area in any city I visit and never once had problems in the states.

That said when in Alaska this year a whale was bubble feeding within fifty feet of our boat when all the yanks on board saw it they started whooping and clapping as if it was planned, no wonder the whale cleared off